By Dustin Gardiner and Lara Korte

Presented by SEIU-UHW

The California state Capitol | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

DRIVING THE DAY — Happy end of session! Lawmakers have until midnight to send bills to Gov. Gavin Newsom before they must recess for the year. They’re expected to work late into the night to get the job done. We hope you have plenty of caffeine and snacks stockpiled for the marathon ahead.

THE BUZZ — RACE AGAINST THE CLOCK: The fate of hundreds of consequential bills will be decided in the coming hours. Here’s the upshot on the most high-profile fights we’re watching:

— Unemployment for striking workers (Senate Bill 799, Anthony Portantino): In a session dominated by the Hot Labor Summer, Portantino’s bill is perhaps the biggest lift for union-friendly Democrats. The bill would allow striking workers to receive unemployment benefits.

Upshot: Portantino’s bill faces one more vote in the Senate, and he appears to have secured the votes. Democrats have reason to be wary of the measure’s prospects, however. Newsom threw cold water on the idea earlier this week, though he didn’t outright say he would veto it. In an interview with POLITICO, he pointed to a growing deficit in the state unemployment insurance fund.

— Racial profiling in policing (Senate Bill 50, Steven Bradford): Bradford has come up short multiple times in his effort to confront racial bias in traffic stops. His bill would limit pretextual stops — when an officer stops a driver for a minor violation as an excuse to investigate more serious offenses. It would prohibit police from stopping drivers solely for an expired registration, busted tail light or improperly displayed license plate.

Upshot: Bradford had a similar bill last year, which died amid fierce opposition from the Peace Officers Research Association of California. PORAC is still fighting the bill, which faces a floor vote in the Assembly today. But the math is more in Bradford’s favor this session: The Capitol has never had such a large class of progressives. Will those extra votes get SB 50 over the hump? PORAC President Brian Marvel was candid about the odds: “I would put it as a toss-up, to be quite honest with you.”

— Minimum wage for health care workers (Senate Bill 525, Maria Elena Durazo): What started as a longshot push to create a $25 minimum wage for health care workers is poised to become a major win for SEIU California.

Upshot: A late-session legislative deal struck between the union and the health care industry has paved the way for SB 525’s passage. Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas’ strong support for the bill early in his tenure was also a crucial factor. The truce between SEIU and the hospital industry could also avert recurring ballot fights over kidney dialysis clinics. SB 525 is expected to clear both houses today.

— Wages for fast food workers (Assembly Bill 1228, Chris Holden): Another win is in the works for labor. Fast food companies and unions, led by SEIU, struck a deal this week on regulations, diffusing a related ballot referendum. Wages would rise to $20 by 2024, but local governments would be prohibited from boosting them higher. In turn, a labor council that lawmakers created last year would be diminished.

Upshot: The last-minute truce on this AB 1228 has also paved the way for it to pass both houses. All told, it’s shaping up to be a banner year for SEIU’s clout at the Capitol.

— Sister constitutional amendments (ACA-1 and ACA-13, Cecilia Aguiar-Curry and Chris Ward): How hard should it be to pass taxes? A pair of constitutional amendments aimed at the 2024 ballot would lower or preempt barriers to raising revenue, sparking a clash between labor and cities on one side and business and real estate groups on the other. ACA-1 would lower the voter threshold to approve local levies. ACA-13 takes aim at a 2024 ballot initiative — the California Business Roundtable’s measure that would make it tougher to pass taxes — by holding that measure to the same two-thirds requirement it seeks to impose.

Upshot: This fight features something old and something new. Labor has been trying to lower the local tax threshold for years, while ACA-13 emerged last month as SEIU and cities look to thwart the California Business Roundtable. That coalition helped the measures secure two-thirds votes in the Assembly, but the lobbying counteroffensive has been fierce. And if the amendments clear the Senate, voters would still need to sign off.

— With help from Jeremy B. White

A message from SEIU-UHW:

SB 525 will address California's healthcare staff shortages causing patient wait times and save taxpayers up to $467 million. Tell lawmakers to vote YES on SB 525!

HAPPY THURSDAY. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. 

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WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.

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Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a press conference on Feb. 1, 2023 in Sacramento. | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

STRAIGHT TO COURT — Newsom hasn’t even signed Senate Bill 2, but Second Amendment advocates are already challenging it in court.

The bill, authored by state Sen. Anthony Portantino and heavily backed by Newsom, makes changes to the state’s concealed carry law in light of last year’s landmark Bruen decision from the U.S. Supreme Court. The bill would prohibit concealed weapons in certain “sensitive” locations, like schools, playgrounds and polling places.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, is brought by 11 individuals and several gun rights groups, including the Second Amendment Foundation, Gun Owners of America, the Liberal Gun Owners Association and the California Rifle & Pistol Association. The plaintiffs argue the legislation violates the Second Amendment.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — CA-47 ENDORSEMENT: Rep. Eric Swalwell is endorsing Joanna Weiss in the race for Rep. Katie Porter’s Orange County seat today, signaling that we could see a competitive Democratic primary.

Swalwell, in a statement, praised Weiss as a "true champion" for reproductive rights and democracy. He joins fellow Democratic Reps. Sydney Kamlager-Dove and Julia Brownley in endorsing her.

Weiss is running against Democratic state Sen. Dave Min, who is holding onto the coveted endorsement from Porter herself.

BOTS BATTLE — The curtain hasn’t even fallen on this year’s legislative session, and Bay Area lawmakers are positioning themselves to shape the debate around artificial intelligence in 2024.

State Sen. Scott Wiener and Assemblymember Ash Kalra — Democrats from San Francisco and Silicon Valley, respectively — both dropped bills Wednesday that aim to create statewide safeguards for the industry. Their measures come amid concerns the rapidly evolving technology could be used for nefarious means or to eliminate countless jobs through automation.

Neither bill will be debated for months. But Wiener and Kalra are effectively trying to set the agenda on AI before the industry, or other lawmakers, beat them to it.

Wiener’s measure, Senate Bill 294, is a placeholder with intent language, though he said it would ultimately include a provision that would hold AI labs liable for damages if their technology has “foreseeable safety risks.”

Kalra’s proposal, Assembly Bill 459, would specifically regulate AI provisions in Hollywood contracts (SAG-AFTRA’s ongoing strike has, in part, been driven by concerns that AI could be used to create content that mimics an actor’s work.).

A message from SEIU-UHW:

A MONUMENT TO MARILYN — The Brentwood home where Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe died in 1962 was set to be demolished until the Los Angeles City Council stepped in to stop it. As the New York Times tells us, Council member Traci Park brought forward a motion that the council passed last week to designate the home as a historic and cultural monument, saving it from demolition.

A ONE-OFF FOR BENIOFF — San Francisco has taken some blows in recent years, but according to Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, the city tidied up for Dreamforce, the company’s annual summit. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Benioff, who has talked about moving the summit elsewhere, was impressed with the cleanliness when he spoke Wednesday. “Benioff told reporters that he put ‘a lot of pressure on the city this year’ on issues like public safety and homelessness,” the Chron wrote.

Enter the “room where it happens”, where global power players shape policy and politics, with Power Play. POLITICO’s brand-new podcast will host conversations with the leaders and power players shaping the biggest ideas and driving the global conversations, moderated by award-winning journalist Anne McElvoy. Sign up today to be notified of the first episodes in September – click here.

TRANSITIONS — Former Department of Finance head Keely Bosler on Wednesday launched Keely MB Strategies. Earlier this year, we wrote about the behind-the-scenes work she was doing for California counties.

Former Assemblymember Marc Levine, who last year lost a bid for insurance commissioner, is now head of the Anti-Defamation League’s Central Pacific office based in San Francisco.

BIRTHDAYS — Julia Cohen

WAS WEDNESDAY: Richard Blumenfield

A message from SEIU-UHW:

California faces a critical patient care crisis with longer wait times, reduced attention, and care delays due to severe healthcare staff shortages. SB 525 is the solution we need.

Supporting SB 525 retains experienced staff, attracts new talent, and bridges the 500,000-worker gap.

Stand with healthcare workers. Urge lawmakers to vote YES on SB 525, and rebuild California's healthcare system.

CALIFORNIA POLICY IS ALWAYS CHANGING: Know your next move. From Sacramento to Silicon Valley, POLITICO California Pro provides policy professionals with the in-depth reporting and tools they need to get ahead of policy trends and political developments shaping the Golden State. To learn more about the exclusive insight and analysis this subscriber-only service offers, click here.

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