Kounalakis signs herself into history

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THE BUZZ — SECOND TO NONE: Seldom do lieutenant governors make the kind of concrete change Eleni Kounalakis just did.

With Gov. Gavin Newsom trading some executive powers for a Latin American vacation, it was Lt. Gov. Kounalakis who signed an evictions protection bill. This couldn’t wait for Newsom to return: the Senate sent the bill to the governor’s desk Thursday, less than 24 hours before Californians waiting on rent relief would face potential displacement. So acting governor Kounalakis picked up the baton and converted the legislation into law. Then she punctuated her passing power by signing a voting bill.


It’s not as if Kounalakis went rogue in signing the renters’ measure. Newsom had been publicly supportive of the bill and coordinated with the LG’s office on how to handle it. Indeed, Kounalakis defying Newsom and vetoing the bill would have been far more newsworthy. But she also achieved a milestone: This was the first time in California history that a woman has signed something into law, thanks to a line of male governors that stretches unbroken to the state’s founding.

While this wasn’t the first time an LG has signed a bill while borrowing the governor’s pen, that is also still exceedingly rare. Lite guvs (as their less-impressed observers call them) tend to seek a policy imprint through their roles on panels like the Lands Commission and the Board of Regents. Still, sometimes they play governor while the cat is away: former Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado stepped into the spotlight after a fatal San Bruno explosion while then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was out of state. Who can forget Newsom elevating the artichoke and the avocado to state-sanctioned status?

So it’s easy to see why the lieutenant governorship is principally seen as a launching pad. Newsom wasn’t breaking new ground when he ascended to the Horseshoe after doing his eight years across the hall, upping his profile by spearheading ballot initiatives to legalize cannabis and regulate guns and ammo. Former Gov. Gray Davis followed the same path, as did former Gov. Goodwin Knight.Abel Maldonado couldn’t quite make the leap, but he tried.

Kounalakis resisted her prime opportunity to secure her promotion, declining to jump into the recall replacement field last year as Democrats unified behind the governor. It worked out better for her than for former Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, who was consigned to political oblivion after he pushed into the Davis recall with an ineffective “no on the recall, yes on Bustamante” message. After Newsom’s victory gave way to a recall reform push, Kounalakis pushed back on the idea of having LG’s succeed recalled governors because it would “incentiviz[e] the lieutenant governor to want to see the governor fail.”

But that doesn’t mean Kounalakis wouldn’t envision losing the “acting” in front of “Gov. Kounalakis.” She has been open about the possibility that she might seek the top job once Newsom is gone (likely in 2027), and she hinted at what may lie ahead Thursday in noting she had become the first woman to sign a bill into law. “I remain more determined than ever to ensure that while I may be the first to do so,” she said in a statement, “I will certainly not be the last.”

BUENOS DÍAS, good Friday morning. Ramadan Mubarak to our readers who observe. The first fundraising quarter of an election year has come and gone in a flurry of increasingly dire pleas for campaign cash. Next we will get releases touting fundraising hauls as beacons of strength, followed by escalating exhortations for Q2 donations as the cycle recurs.

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

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I think just the same thing that I’ve been accomplishing which is just, again, being a trans person out there that isn’t monstrous, that isn’t threatening, and is just a normal person like we all are. So the more people like me can be seen, the harder it is to sustain the myths that are kind of driving a lot of this hate and fear.” Oaklander and Jeopardy legend Amy Schneider on what she hoped to accomplish with a White House visit marking International Transgender Day of Visibility.

TWEET OF THE DAY:Rep. @tedlieu on embattled GOP Rep. Madison Cawthorn saying foes want to silence him: “Dear ⁦@CawthornforNC⁩: Hi, I can help you. I would like to help make you the face and voice of the ⁦@HouseGOP⁩ caucus. I’ve already sent out some of your content. Please provide me more content and I will be happy to send it to as many people as I can.”

BONUS TOTD: WaPo reporter @DaveWeigel on the faltering of former President Donald Trump’s Truth Social and the fate of its CEO: “Devin Nunes gave up a safe House seat and a likely chairmanship next year for... what?”

WHERE’S GAVIN? On vacation with his family in Central and South America until April 12.

Top Talkers

THE PRESS & POLICE — “When police cracked down on reporters on one chaotic night in LA’s Echo Park,” by NPR’s David Folkenflick: “Over the past two years, 200 journalists have been arrested or detained while doing their jobs, right here in the U.S. Journalists have complained that police kept them far from the action, shut them down, even brutalized them and destroyed their equipment — in short, intimidated and prevented them from reporting.”

STORIED CAREER — “Oldest Active Ranger Betty Reid Soskin Retires From National Park Service,” via Bay City News.

CAMPAIGN MODE

A NEW VOICE — “1st parent of a transgender child set to serve in CA Legislature,” by the Bay Area Reporter’s Matthew S. Bajko: “As the mother of a transgender son, Wilson has made it a priority during her mayoralty to celebrate Suisun City’s LGBTQ community, as she explained to the B.A.R. in 2020 for a story about how all Solano County cities but Dixon that year were marking Pride Month in June.”

— “What’s in a job title? In politics, the ‘ballot designation’ can spark a fight,” by the OC Register’s Brooke Staggs: “In recent days, the increasingly heated battle between Republicans hoping to advance out of the June primary and face Democratic Rep. Mike Levin in the November vote to represent the 49th Congressional District has largely focused on just three words.”

— “Donald Trump endorses Inland Rep. Ken Calvert,” by the OC Register’s Jeff Horseman: “Trump endorsements are coveted by Republicans seeking votes from the president’s base. It could energize conservatives to vote for Calvert, the Inland Empire’s longest-serving congress member.”

CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR


WILDFIRES AHEAD — “California braces for another cataclysmic wildfire season,” by E&E News’ Anne C. Mulkern: More than 93 percent of the state is in severe or extreme drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. And a March 1 reading of the state’s snowpack found it way below normal — just 63 percent of the average for that date.

MOVEMENT TO MOBILIZE — “Ukrainian communities in US prepare to support refugees,” by the AP’s Kathleen Ronayne: “As the United States prepares to accept up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees following Russia’s invasion of their country, existing communities in cities like Sacramento and Seattle are already mobilizing to provide food, shelter and support to those fleeing the war.”

— “Newsom didn’t meet with farmworkers on César Chávez Day. One internet cat is irate,” by the LA Times’ Anita Chabria: “Thursday was César Chávez Day, and farmworkers want to know why Gov. Gavin Newsom didn’t meet with them, as they requested, if only for the symbolic unity of standing alongside some of the state’s most essential and vulnerable laborers to celebrate the birthday of their beloved icon.”

— “Without SAT, ACT, what’s next for Cal State admissions?” by CalMatters’ Mikhail Zinshteyn: “The Admissions Advisory Council — in the first change to the system’s eligibility index since 1965 — is instead proposing that the minimum eligibility criteria include four factors.”

BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL

— “Nancy Pelosi blasts Clarence Thomas’ wife Ginni, doesn’t say whether he should resign,” by SFGATE’s Eric Ting.

HEADING OUT — “Trucker convoy leaving DC, heading to California after nearly a month of protests,” by WJLA’s Khalida Volou.

SILICON VALLEYLAND

— “The real reason a tech startup bought BevMo,” by the LA Times’ Sam Dean: “Gopuff plans to go public, lawmakers in New York City are considering regulating instant-delivery businesses, and the company is reportedly laying off staff to cut costs.”

HOLLYWOODLAND


WARNING SIGNS — “Concerns about Bruce Willis’ declining cognitive state swirled around sets in recent years,” by the LA Times’ Meg James and Amy Kaufman: “But on Wednesday, the public learned what he and many other filmmakers have privately been concerned about for years: The 67-year-old’s family said he will retire from acting because he has aphasia. The cognitive disorder affects a person’s ability to communicate and often develops in individuals who have suffered strokes.”

OSCARS FALLOUT — “Oscars producer says police offered to arrest Will Smith,” by the AP’s Andrew Dalton.

MEDIA MATTERS


NEW HIRE — “Fox News Hires Caitlyn Jenner As A Contributor,” by Deadline’s Ted Johnson: “Caitlyn Jenner, the transgender athlete, reality star and former California gubernatorial candidate, has signed on to Fox News Media as a contributor.”

MIXTAPE

— “‘It was the most evil, demonic thing': Drag show producer speaks out after attack in Pasadena,” by the LA Times’ Lila Seidman.

TIPS — “Brace yourself for Ramadan fasting. Here’s how I survive — and deepen my faith,” by the LA Times’ Rubaina Azhar.

— “Parking mishap leaves Tesla on top of an ambulance in San Diego,” by the San Diego Union Tribune’s David Hernandez.

UNDER ARREST — “Woman accused of racist threats to American River College president arrested again,” by Sac Bee’s Michael McGough.

IT SMELLS — “California town downwind of dairy fights proposed expansion. ‘Can’t stand the smell’,” by the Fresno Bee’s Nadia Lopez.

— “The time to book your whitewater rafting trip is now. Here are California’s 8 best rivers,” by the LA Times’ Brian Clark.

BIRTHDAYS

Max Segan … Julia Hahn

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