Newsletter: Essential Politics: Deep divisions on display among California Republicans

Last week, Essential Politics opined on the potential for a slow week in news with the California Legislature, Congress and President Trump on vacation. Boy, was I wrong.

More provocation from (and toward) North Korea was only pushed lower in the headlines by violent clashes in Charlottesville, Va., at a gathering of white supremacists.

In today’s highly charged environment, the story quickly turned to the response from the president, who seemed uncharacteristically tongue-tied.

“We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry, and violence on many sides, on many sides,” Trump told reporters.

His full statement was 398 words, but as violence ripped through the Virginia college town, Trump was condemned by Democrats and Republicans alike for those specific three words and for not using the term “white supremacists.”

Our team has firsthand accounts of the beatings and how the political fallout evolved on the Sunday shows, with national security advisor H.R. McMaster saying Sunday on CNN: “The president’s been very clear. We cannot tolerate this kind of bigotry, this kind of hatred.”

LIGHTNING ROUND

With this newsletter’s two-year anniversary approaching, we’re using the summer to experiment. Thanks so much to those of you who shared your thoughts about our new, shorter format. Your feedback is helpful, so please continue to share.

-- “We’re not going to normalize these Nazis.” Los Angeles responds to Charlottesville violence.

-- The Koch political network has exerted surprising influence in the Trump administration.

-- Trump is “not going to rule out a military option” in Venezuela.

-- Short-lived White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci went after Steve Bannon’s views in an appearance on ABC’s “This Week.”

We will be following Trump’s vacation and these major stories in real time on our Essential Washington news feed.

CALIFORNIA REPUBLICANS DIVIDED

Assembly Republican Leader Chad Mayes’ support for California’s cap-and-trade legislation is threatening his ability to retain his leadership post, Chris Megerian and Seema Mehta report for our front page Monday.

The San Bernardino County Republican argues that his vote for the state’s signature climate change program was an effort to show Californians that he and his party are serious about a matter that is important to them, and to fight more restrictive efforts by the state’s Democratic lawmakers. But a growing drumbeat from conservative critics, who argue that was a betrayal of party principles and a tactical blunder, threatens to force him out of his leadership post.

This weekend Phil Willon covered a gathering of tea party leaders from across California. While ecstatic about Trump winning the White House, they were generally in a surly mood at their conference in Fresno. They had their talons out for Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown, but their biggest target was what they called the Republican “establishment.”

Drawing the most ire was Mayes, whom Tea Party leaders vow to unseat. But he was not alone. California Republican Party Chairman Jim Brulte was accused of putting the party in the pocket of “big money,” kowtowing to Republican mega-donor Charles Munger. Still, Democrats were openly mocked, including Los Angeles Rep. Maxine Waters. Amid all of this, the top two GOP candidates for governor dropped by in search of support and pledging reverence for Trump.

DEMOCRATS DIVIDED

“I shouldn’t go into the district and talk about single-payer, right? Like, that word by itself is going to be something that just immediately turns off a lot of people,” 25th Congressional District Democratic candidate Katie Hill told activists recently.

Sarah Wire has the story and the video, showing how single-payer healthcare is becoming a wedge issue in some Republican districts that Democrats are trying to flip in 2018.

And the debate over affirmative action has emerged in the governor’s race, threatening to inject a potentially volatile racial element into the 2018 contest after the issue divided California Democrats along ethnic lines three years ago.

THE BIG HOUSING DEAL WILL STILL LEAVE THE STATE SHORT OF HOMES

When lawmakers return from their summer recess later this month, at the top of their agenda will be the state’s housing affordability problems.

But the marquee housing measures currently under debate at the Capitol won’t move the needle much, according to analyses from state officials and housing advocates.

Even if those bills pass, Liam Dillon reports, the state will need to find an additional $10 billion a year to finance housing for its neediest residents. Also, developers would need to build tens of thousands of additional homes annually just to keep pace with projected population growth.

DIALYSIS BRAWL COULD HEAD TO THE BALLOT

Healthcare workers have already been pushing in the state Capitol for a crackdown on for-profit dialysis clinics. Now, Melanie Mason reports, they’re looking to plan B: putting tougher regulations on the November 2018 ballot. The measures, filed by Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, would impose strict rules on staffing and costs to treat Californians with chronic kidney disease.

A reminder you can keep up with our reporting in the moment via our Essential Politics news feed on California politics.

WHAT’S RIGHT FOR CALIFORNIA ON HEALTHCARE AND IMMIGRATION?

It’s time to give up hope on single-payer healthcare in California, George Skelton writes in his Monday column. But Rep. John Garamendi, the state’s former insurance commissioner and a longtime advocate for healthcare reform, has an idea that could really work, Skelton says: Medicare for all.

When Brown appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Aug. 6, and spoke out about what he called the “balancing act” in approaching immigration in the state, he discussed California’s so-called “sanctuary state” bill. It would limit the ability of state and local law enforcement to help federal agents enforce immigration laws. He said he believed the legislation needed some additional work, and he’s right, Skelton writes, particularly when it comes to criminals who are in the country illegally, who Brown said “have no business in the United States in the manner in which they’ve come and conducted themselves subsequently.”

POLITICAL ROAD MAP: WHO IS (AND ISN’T) A REGISTERED VOTER

Overlooked in the debate over voter fraud is that the accuracy of all elections begins with knowing who is -- and isn’t -- eligible to cast a ballot.

In his Political Road Map column, John Myers takes a look at the possibility of additional ways to ensure California’s voter registration records are accurate.

TODAY’S ESSENTIALS

-- Rep. Ted Lieu, popular with liberals because of his Trump trolling, on Sunday endorsed state Treasurer John Chiang for governor.

-- The FBI seized computers and documents in its investigation of Rep. Duncan Hunter’s campaign spending.

-- Despite California’s strict new law, hundreds of schools still don’t have enough vaccinated kids.

-- What will Los Angeles transportation be like when the Olympics arrive in 2028?

-- A group that’s hoping to unseat congressional Republicans in California is trying a new tactic: not mentioning Trump at all. An ad against Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) focuses on his vote to ease regulations on Wall Street instead.

-- California sued the EPA for documents to determine whether Administrator Scott Pruitt has a conflict of interest.

LOGISTICS

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