California Politics: Feinstein’s daughter speaks about lawsuits over family fortune

The polished and unflappable public image that Sen. Dianne Feinstein maintained for decades is faltering as she prepares to retire at the end of her term next year. In recent months, her frailty has become fodder for a family feud over the vast fortune left behind by her late husband Richard Blum, who died last year.

The senator’s daughter, Katherine Feinstein, has filed a series of lawsuits on her mother’s behalf against the trustees managing Blum’s estate, alleging they have wrongly withheld money owed to her mother for more than a year. In her first public comments about the lawsuits, Katherine Feinstein told Times legal affairs reporter Kevin Rector that the ordeal has been “very emotional.”

“I want my mom to have the most comfortable life she can have, which I believe her husband would have wanted for her,” she said in part of the interview.

The cases suggest financial friction between Katherine Feinstein and her stepsisters, Blum’s three daughters from a prior marriage. At the crux of the litigation is the senator’s stated desire to gain more control over assets in various Blum trusts and over the couple’s shared beach house north of San Francisco.

Rector took a deep dive into the court files to write this gripping story about what’s at stake in the lawsuits that have turned Feinstein’s personal affairs into an unexpected coda to her groundbreaking political career. You won’t want to miss it:

Dianne Feinstein’s frailty, fight for family millions cast shadow on final Senate chapter

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I’m Laurel Rosenhall, The Times’ Sacramento bureau chief, and here’s what else is going on this week in California politics:

The small-town guy who won big political power

California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas at the Paicines General Store in rural San Benito County.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Earlier this summer I traveled to tiny San Benito County to spend some time with California’s new Assembly Speaker on his home turf. Robert Rivas is the first speaker in a generation from a rural region, and the first ever from San Benito, a small Central California county with a quirky record as the state’s political bellwether.

So far Rivas has managed to navigate California’s varied political universes largely by playing nice. He emphasizes his role as a listener instead of a speaker. He’s been cautious about laying out a political agenda. In a Capitol full of swagger, Rivas’ vibe is decidedly aw-shucks.

But as the Legislature heads into the chaotic final stretch of the 2023 session that ends on Sept. 14, Rivas will be put to the test. Lawmakers must decide the fate of numerous controversial proposals that divide business and labor — including providing unemployment benefits for workers on strike, increasing employee sick days and boosting the minimum wage for healthcare workers.

Lawmakers also must resolve battles that pit tech companies against consumer advocates and settle debates dividing Democrats, such as whether to stiffen penalties for sex traffickers, how best to confront the scourge of fentanyl and whether large companies should be compelled to do more in the fight against climate change.

The decisions the Assembly makes in the coming days will reveal whether Rivas uses a heavy hand or a light touch as he works to unify Democrats. The months that follow will show whether he has a clear agenda as a leader. Rivas used his small-town charm to build power. But will he be effective in steering a caucus dominated by big-city liberals?

Read my article to learn more: Robert Rivas wants to use small-town charm to wield big political power in California. Will it work?

Remembering the “Black Godfather” who had the ear of three presidents

Clarence Avant, Bill Clinton and Berry Gordy at the T.J. Martell Foundation’s 31st Annual Awards Gala at in New York City.

(L. Busacca / WireImage for TJ Martell Foundat)

Clarence Avant’s death last month at 92 spurred an outpouring of tributes from celebrity musicians, NBA legends and record producers who knew him as a titan of the entertainment business. But it was politics where the “Black Godfather” may have made his most permanent mark, writes Times reporter Laura J. Nelson.

Avant, who didn’t make it past ninth grade and hated wearing a tie, had the ear of three presidents, writes Nelson. He rose from a small town in North Carolina where the Ku Klux Klan was active to a powerful role in Hollywood. He entertained world leaders at his home and stayed in the Lincoln Bedroom in the White House.

Money and celebrity were power, Avant sometimes said, and he was determined to use both. With a laser focus on fundraising, he leaned on his vast social and professional networks to help elect politicians who pursued economic and social progress for Black Americans.

Avant and his wife, Jacqueline, hosted the first major Hollywood fundraiser for Jimmy Carter, befriended Bill and Hillary Clinton and helped boost the profile of a little-known Illinois state senator named Barack Obama.

Read more in this fascinating remembrance of an impactful political power broker: Clarence Avant’s political power: The ‘Black Godfather’ had the ear of three presidents

New polls on California primaries

We have two big take-aways to share from a new UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times:

• Schiff and Porter increasingly dominate race for Senate

Six months ahead of the March 5 primary, two Democrats appear likely to face off next year to decide who will replace longtime Democratic Sen.Dianne Feinstein, the poll shows. The prospect of Steve Garvey, the former Dodger and Padres legend, entering the race as a high-profile Republican hasn’t scrambled that dynamic, the poll found.

Under California’s top-two system, the two candidates with the most votes in the March primary, regardless of their party affiliations, advance to the general election. Democratic Reps. Adam B. Schiff of Burbank and Katie Porter of Irvine are neck and neck, with support from 20% and 17% of likely voters respectively, the poll found, giving them sizable leads over their other prominent Democratic opponent, Rep. Barbara Lee of Oakland, as well as Republican opponents.

• Trump is on track to sweep California’s delegates in presidential race

Former President Trump dominates his rivals so heavily that he’s on track to win all of California’s delegates for next year’s Republican convention — a haul that would give him a major chunk of the votes needed to secure his third presidential nomination.

The finding highlights a turnabout from earlier this year when Trump faced a serious challenge from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis among California Republicans. The potential for Trump to win all of the state’s delegates also reflects his campaign’s work to change the rules of the contest to his advantage.

Keeping up with California politics

Newsom wants to shape AI’s future. Can California lead the way?
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order directing state agencies to examine the benefits and risks of artificial intelligence that can generate text, images and other content. The executive order sets the stage for potential regulation around what’s known as generative AI technology, which has already raised concerns about misinformation, plagiarism, bias and child safety.

Judge blocks Chino Valley policy mandating schools notify parents if students are transgender
A San Bernardino County Superior Court judge ruled the Chino Valley Unified School District must hold off on enforcing its new policy requiring that schools notify parents if students indicate they identify as transgender or gender-nonconforming. A hearing is scheduled Oct. 13 to continue litigating whether Chino Valley’s policy violates state civil rights and privacy laws when it comes to students and gender identity.

Column: How a racist housing policy caused the biggest, bitterest brawl in California’s Capitol
Columnist George Skelton looks back at the uproar over California’s attempt in the 1960s to ban racial discrimination in housing. “The mood in California was as anti-equality — by legislative edict and local ordinances — as you can imagine,” former Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown recalled.

Editorial: The climate crisis didn’t take a year off. California lawmakers shouldn’t either
The Times editorial board calls on California lawmakers to pass Senate Bill 253, which would require large U.S.-based companies that do business in California to publicly disclose their annual greenhouse gas emissions.

Opinion: How California can get on the right path and give Latinos a bigger voice in government
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office lacks a public system to check whether the people he appoints to state boards and commissions reflect the communities they are meant to serve, writes Cesar Montoya, senior policy analyst for the UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute. His op-ed makes the case for Senate Bill 702 by Sen. Monique Limon (D-Goleta), which would require an annual report on the demographics of gubernatorial appointees.

California pharmacies are making millions of mistakes. They’re fighting to keep that secret
California pharmacies make an estimated 5 million errors every year in handing out medication to patients, according to the state’s Board of Pharmacy. But officials can only estimate the number of errors because pharmacies are not required to report them. Retail pharmacies are fighting legislation by Assemblyman Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) that would require reporting every error they make in dispensing medication.