By Melanie Mason

Kevin de León | Mario Tama/Getty Images

KDL’S BIG BET: When news broke that Kevin de León was running for reelection, the online reaction was unenthused, to put it (very) mildly. Most of those weighing in on social media expressed a mix of disbelief and anger that the Los Angeles City Council member had not only rebuffed calls to resign after last year’s leaked racist audio scandal, but that he was actually seeking another term.

Therein lies the evergreen question: Is X, neé Twitter, real life? De León believes the answer is no, a conviction that undergirds his entire theory of the race. Sure, he may not be popular online – his social media accounts make no mention of the campaign – but he’s betting the constituents of his eastern Los Angeles district feel differently.

In his interview with POLITICO, De León asserted that he’s been supported by community members, even as the state’s political establishment wanted nothing to do with him. His campaign is premised on the nuts-and-bolts work he’s done on the council, be it clearing homeless encampments or pulling in money for the district’s parks.

Of course, the jeers aren’t just coming from anonymous online trolls. One of the more pointed reactions came from Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles), who played an outsized role among De León’s denouncers last fall.

“Being an elected official is about knowing it’s always bigger than you. Ideally you learn this before you run, but you should for sure have it learned by the time the President, Governor, Mayor, and literally everybody else call you to resign for spreading hate and bigotry,” he wrote.

“You ain’t lyin’...,” responded Los Angeles Council member Eunisses Hernandez.

Bryan, in an interview, rejected the idea that time has healed the wounds from the leaked recordings, or that De León would be able to redirect the focus to work he’s done in the district.

“Every town hall in that district isn’t going to be about kitchen table issues. … It’s going to be about whether the president asked you to resign, if you should or not,” he said.

Bryan said he wasn’t necessarily planning on endorsing in the race, but after today’s news, “I do now.”

“This seat has become something that is of interest for all of LA,” he said, adding he’s assessing the entire field of challengers.

Contra all the online noise, De León’s office said the offline reaction was pretty muted.

His competitors, meanwhile, were quick to emphasize that De León’s entrance in the race has little bearing on their pitch to the district’s voters.

“Bottom line: This doesn’t change anything. Voters want change,” said Assemblymember Miguel Santiago, while fellow Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo said she’s focused on “an affordability crisis in Los Angeles, on housing, on the price of food and gas,” regardless of De León’s candidacy.

And even though his plans were the subject of fervent speculation in Los Angeles political circles, now that the news was official, no one seemed particularly shocked.

“I’m not surprised he ran,” said Ysabel Jurado, a tenant’s rights lawyer running to his left, “but I think he’ll be surprised when he loses.”

HAPPY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON! Welcome to California Playbook PM, a POLITICO newsletter that serves as an afternoon temperature check of California politics and a look at what our policy reporters are watching. Got tips or suggestions? Shoot an email to [email protected] or send a shout on Twitter. DMs are open!

A SHORT RETIREMENT: Former Rep. Jackie Speier isn’t done with public service – even if it means taking a couple of steps down the political ladder.

Two years after giving up her Peninsula House seat, Speier is looking to return to where her career began more than 30 years ago by running to replace an outgoing member of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors. If she succeeds, there might be a few awkward conversations: Speier would serve alongside Supervisor David Canepa, who ran for Speier’s old seat in 2022 but fell short as Speier endorsed now-Rep. Kevin Mullin.

It’s not unusual to see prominent officials run for powerful local positions like the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, where each of the “Five Little Queens” — among them former Rep. Janice Hahn and former Labor Secretary Hilda Solis — represents some two million constituents. San Mateo County is smaller, with around 740,000 residents split among five supervisors. Speier said in a press release that the board offered a chance to “make the greatest contribution.” — Jeremy White

TOUGH TALK ON CLIMATE: California Gov. Gavin Newsom told world leaders Wednesday that fossil fuel companies have played them for fools and bought off politicians. Newsom said they must be clearer that “this climate crisis is a fossil fuel crisis.”

Speaking at a United Nations climate summit in New York, the governor also sought to invoke a bipartisan spirit over the proceedings. He name-dropped Ronald Reagan, who as governor created the California Air Resources Board, and Richard Nixon, a Californian who as president signed the federal Clean Air Act.

Newsom spoke after a series of other world leaders with similar views, including U.N. Secretary General António Guterres who blamed the “naked greed of entrenched interests” for the world being decades behind in tackling climate change. “Humanity has opened the gates of hell,” Guterres said. He also called for putting a price on carbon.

Newsom has been upping his rhetoric against the oil industry this week in New York.

Over the weekend, for instance, after announcing his lawsuit against five major oil companies and their subsidiaries, seeking compensation for damages caused by climate change, the governor called out Mike Wirth, the CEO of California-based Chevron, by name and blamed his company for death and deceit.

“That’s Mike, decent guy, I’m sure — or I thought, before we filed the lawsuit and I finally understood more than I did before we put together all the evidence,” Newsom said. – Ry Rivard

TOP TARGET: Democrats want GOP Rep. Ken Calvert to feel the heat over the looming federal government shutdown. Calvert is one of eight Republicans — and the only Californian — to be targeted in a new television ad urging them to “side with us, not MAGA,” to avert the coming crisis.

Calvert’s inclusion on the list underscores how much Democrats see his Riverside County district as a pickup opportunity, after he squeaked out a victory against former prosecutor Will Rollins last year. Rollins is running again, giving Democrats high hopes for a rematch. The commercials, paid for by the League of Conservation Voters, Climate Power and House Majority Forward, are running during college football games this coming Saturday.

THE WAR ON THE WAR ON DRUGS: A House member from Southern California wants the federal government to ease up on psilocybin in states where it’s legal or has been decriminalized.

Rep Robert Garcia’s legislation comes as Gov. Gavin Newsom weighs whether to sign a bill that would allow therapeutic use of some psychedelic substances, including psilocybin, commonly known as magic mushrooms.

Newsom hasn’t said whether he would sign the bill, though he recently said psychedelic substances have had "profound and consequential" effects in mental health treatment.

The legislation introduced today by the Long Beach Democrat would discourage federal law enforcement in states or local jurisdictions that allow the use of psychedelics, which are illegal under U.S. law. — Forest Hunt

– WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD: No longer secretive, the point person for the proposed new California city backed by prominent Silicon Valley investors has moved to the Fairfield area with his family. Jan Sramek, a former Goldman Sachs trader, said the development company now known as California First will open four offices as they work to put a general plan amendment before Solano County voters in March 2024 and clear the way for their new city. (Daily Republic)

– LOS ANGELES AVOIDS A CRISIS (SO FAR): L.A. has avoided a migrant crisis like New York City, which is struggling to meet a mandate to provide shelter to thousands of migrants, many arriving on buses from Texas. That’s because relatively few have been coming to L.A. and California more broadly doesn’t attract as many new migrants as it did in decades past. Those who do come to California often stay with family. (The New York Times)

– SLIPPING THROUGH THE CRACKS:  The man accused of the ambush killing of Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer had been hospitalized at least twice for mental health reasons but there are several scenarios in which he could have still legally acquired the weapon he used in the attack the way gun laws are written and enforced in California. (Los Angeles Times)

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