Feinstein returns

Presented by Southern California Edison Company

THE BUZZ: After three months and 91 missed votes due to a serious case of shingles, Sen. Dianne Feinstein finally returned to Washington Tuesday night — removing some of the pressure on her to resign and clearing the runway for several key votes held up by her absence.

For congressional Democrats, this is huge. The country is barreling toward a debt ceiling that it could hit as soon as June 1, and as our POLITICO colleagues report, Democrats will likely need the senior California senator to clear any debt limit increase. Her return to the Judiciary Committee could also mean movement on some stalled Biden appointees, notably, California’s own Julie Su, who has been tapped for secretary of labor.

For Feinstein, it’s a bittersweet moment. Her return came after weeks of pressure and hectoring from both sides of the aisle, perhaps most loudly from fellow Californian Rep. Ro Khanna. Feinstein went back to work just days after the editorial board of The New York Times called on her to step down if she couldn’t meet her obligations.

Her presence in Washington is likely to provide only temporary assurance for those who have grown concerned in light of recent reports regarding her mental acuity. Within hours of the news of her return, some groups were calling on Feinstein to commit to staying on the job.

“Senator Feinstein’s absence has made the work of ensuring the best for our state and country more difficult, and we hope that her return is one that we can count on,” said Aimee Allison, founder and president of She the People, a group that works to elect women of color. “If not, it is time for us to have a necessary discussion about the future of the California Senate seat.”

For Gov. Gavin Newsom, this is a relief. Feinstein’s return means the governor has, for now, managed to avoid what could’ve been one of the most politically fraught decisions of his career. Had Feinstein been unable to get back to the job, Newsom would’ve faced the prospect of picking a replacement in the middle of an ongoing competitive race to succeed her — a replacement he had promised would be a Black woman.

For the Senate candidates, this was a temporary distraction. Reps. Barbara Lee, Katie Porter and Adam Schiff all kept their distance from any punditry regarding Feinstein or a vacancy as they carried on with their campaigns during her absence. Now, with the senator supposedly ready to finish out the rest of her term, the focus returns to the primaries.

BUENOS DÍAS, good Wednesday morning. Cannabis retailers are heading to the Legislature today to again ask the state of California for a tax break. Senate Bill 512, by state Sen. Steve Bradford, failed to pass the Senate Governance and Finance Committee last week, ending with a 4-4 vote. The bill gets a do-over today.

Got a tip or story idea for California Playbook? Hit us up at [email protected] and [email protected] or follow us on Twitter @JeremyBWhite and @Lara_Korte.

WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I’m glad that my friend Dianne is back in the Senate and ready to roll up her sleeves and get to work. After talking with her multiple times over the past few weeks, it’s clear she’s back where she wants to be and ready to deliver for California.” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in a statement Tuesday.

TWEET OF THE DAY:

WE’RE HIRING — POLITICO is embarking on an exciting expansion in the Golden State and looking for another journalist to join our growing team as a California Playbook author. More in the job description here.

TOP TALKERS

— Four scenarios that could determine severity of California’s ‘big melt’, by The Washington Post’s Diana Leonard: “Although it started out at a higher point, California’s snowpack is already melting faster than it did in 1983, a year of historic flooding in the San Joaquin Valley, thanks to a dry April and a heat wave late in the month.”

— “Gov. Newsom declines to back reparations checks, says slavery’s legacy about ‘more than cash payments’,” by FOX News’ Jessica Chasmar and Peter Hasson: “While the Democratic governor applauded the task force’s work, he declined to endorse any specific recommendations, though he pledged to continue to ‘advance systemic changes that ensure an inclusive and equitable future for all Californians.’”

— “Rename UC Berkeley? How the university is responding to ‘denamed’ overseas library,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Rachel Swan: “To some branding experts, the hard costs of a name change — websites, stationery, books, libraries, tests, degrees — would pale in comparison to the incalculable cost of conveying a new brand identity to people across the world, for whom “Berkeley” is synonymous with academics.”

CAMPAIGN MODE

SAN DIEGO STRUGGLE — A Republican has entered one of California’s battleground House races: Matt Gunderson is looking to unseat Democratic Rep. Mike Levin in the D+3 49th. Gunderson lost a highly competitive Senate race to Sen. Catherine Blakespear last cycle.

Meanwhile, Republicans are going on offense: The National Republican Congressional Committee is targeting Levin and fellow frontline Democratic Rep. Josh Harder with a five-figure digital spot focused on government spending.

CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

— “Mangoes and agave in the Central Valley? California farmers try new crops to cope with climate change,” by CalMatters’ Alastair Bland: “Climate change essentially means that Southern California’s conditions are creeping north up the coast and into the valley, while Oregon and Washington are becoming more like Northern California.”

— “How can L.A. stop traffic deaths? Let civilians enforce traffic violations, study says,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Libor Jany: “The draft report calls for further expanding the LAPD’s restrictions on so-called pretextual stops — using minor traffic violations as a reason to pull over vehicles and search them for evidence of more serious crimes.”

— “D.A. Jenkins warns S.F. supervisor against interfering with Banko Brown shooting case,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s St. John Barned-Smith: “In her letter, sent Monday afternoon, Jenkins repeated her past explanation that after releasing Anthony from jail and deciding not to initially prosecute, she asked police to continue investigating the case and gather more evidence before she made a final decision.”

— “Three years later, Covid ‘Patient Zero’ returns to hospital that saved his life,” the Los Angeles Daily News’ Clara Harter: “Garfield has also become a motivational speaker and seeks to inspire others with his story. His recovery was a hard journey, but something he got through with great tenacity and persistence.”

BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL

— “Column: In praise of gerontocracy,” opines Michael Hiltzik for the Los Angeles Times: “Biden would almost certainly run on his record of creating remarkably inclusive and progressive White House policies and overseeing an economy of job growth and economic expansion in the wake of the pandemic; Trump, judging from his most recent speeches, would continue to flog personal grievances based on his groundless claims of fraud in his 2020 loss.”

SILICON VALLEYLAND

— “S.F. professional networking site LinkedIn to lay off hundreds,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Chase DiFeliciantonio: “Like many other tech companies vying for talent, LinkedIn, which is owned by Microsoft, went on a hiring spree in recent years, adding nearly 40 percent of its nearly 20,000-person-strong workforce during the pandemic.”

MIXTAPE

— “Column: He was a California kingmaker and political genius. But Michael Berman preferred anonymity,” opines Mark Z. Barabak for the Los Angeles Times

— “Massive California snowpack’s summer bonus: Clean, cheap electricity,” by The Mercury News’ Paul Rogers

— “Map shows how San Francisco’s immigrant populations are changing,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Adriana Rezal

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