DRIVING THE DAY: Chevron, Shell, Exxon, BP and ConocoPhillips — Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta over the weekend announced a lawsuit against the world’s largest oil companies, accusing them of “decades of deception†that have cost California taxpayers “billions of dollars in health and environmental impacts.†The state is seeking the creation of a fund that would be used to pay for prevention and recovery efforts around natural disasters, which are growing increasingly severe in California due to climate change. And as if that weren’t enough — Newsom, while in New York City for Climate Week, said he would sign state Sen. Scott Wiener’s landmark Senate Bill 253, which requires companies earning at least $1 billion per year to disclose their emissions. THE BUZZ — BALLOT BATTLE INCOMING: Assemblymember Evan Low is swinging at former President Donald Trump in perhaps the flashiest way possible: pushing to knock him off California's March 5 primary ballot. In a letter sent over the weekend, Low and eight other Democratic lawmakers are urging Attorney General Bonta to attempt to remove Trump from the ballot, arguing that he isn’t eligible over claims he incited an insurrection when a mob of his supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. It’s one of many attempts across the country to disqualify Trump on the basis that the 14th Amendment prohibits any public official who has been party to an insurrection from ever holding office again. It’s likely a long shot because of the conservative control of the Supreme Court. The approach that Low and his co-signers are pitching is unique because Bonta could use his standing as California’s leading lawyer to try to expedite a state court ruling on the matter. Other efforts to remove Trump have mostly focused on the theory that secretaries of state can unilaterally disqualify him on constitutional grounds. Low, who wrote the letter and gathered signatures on the final night of the legislative session, said the strategy is all about pushing the courts to fast-track the matter. “Whatever the courts decide it is important that they do so quickly to avoid further political strife,†Low said, “and the Attorney General is uniquely positioned to get the American people the answers we need to protect our Republic.†Should it succeed, California could be the first state to bump Trump off its ballot, even if the ruling is ultimately overturned by the Supreme Court. The letter, which was obtained by Playbook, was also signed by Democratic Assemblymembers Alex Lee, Stephanie Nguyen, Kevin McCarty, Corey Jackson, Mike Gipson, Mike Fong and Phil Ting and state Sen. Josh Becker. Bonta’s office said he is reviewing the lawmakers’ request. A spokesperson added, “There is no denying that Donald Trump has engaged in behavior that is unacceptable and unbecoming of any leader — let alone a President of the United States.†Taking on Trump in such a high-profile way could also bode well for the attorney general’s political ambitions. He’s considering running for governor in 2026, when Newsom is termed out. The campaign to keep Trump off the ballot includes legal challenges in New Hampshire, Minnesota, New Mexico and Colorado. Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung previously told POLITICO that the effort was a “political attack†that was “stretching the law beyond recognition†and compared it to the various criminal indictments against Trump, which the former president has described as witch hunts. And there’s another juicy potential curveball in the mix: California Secretary of State Shirley Weber hasn’t ruled out taking action. A spokesperson told Playbook her office is “carefully reviewing this issue†after receiving many requests to disqualify Trump. That said, Democratic secretaries of state across the country have largely been skeptical about that approach. | 
