Newsletter: Essential Politics: Republicans look to unite on Capitol Hill

I’m Christina Bellantoni. This is Essential Politics, and it’s a big moment for the Republican Party.

TRUMP IN D.C.

Donald Trump has descended on Capitol Hill Thursday for a meeting with Republican leaders that is looking more like a showdown than a kumbaya moment for the party’s presumed presidential nominee.

Lisa Mascaro examines the forces at work and finds that in both substance and style, the political gulf between the party’s nominee and its leaders in Congress is so vast on core policy issues it may prove too difficult to bridge.

We’ll cover Trump’s meeting with Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell as it’s happening — and the aftermath — on Trail Guide. Make sure to follow @latimespolitics, too.

CLINTON’S STRATEGY

The Democrat with the most likely chance of facing Trump this fall has a two-pronged approach in the final month of the primary.

Even as Hillary Clinton continues to absorb fire from a challenger on her left, she has begun executing a methodical general election strategy aimed chiefly at winning over voters in the center. Her campaign has laid out a road map for controlling crucial battleground states that centers on the anxieties of independents and moderate Republican voters, particularly women, who are alarmed by what they have heard from Trump.

Evan Halper and Michael Memoli write that polls suggest moderate voters, at least for now, lean against the GOP standard-bearer in numbers that outpace those from recent presidential races.

STATE SENATE SCRAPS FUNDRAISING RULE

The next few days are going to be critical on a host of fronts in California.

In the wake of the 2013 campaign finance scandals involving two state senators, the California Senate put into place new limits on when its members could raise campaign cash.

Breaking this morning, the upper house will vote to cancel part of that fundraising blackout. As Patrick McGreevy reports, senators would again be able to raise money during the one month between the governor revising his budget plan — which Gov. Jerry Brown will do Friday — and final approval of the budget by the Legislature.

Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) said the reversal is, in part, a reflection that the Assembly never agreed to the same rules.

POTHOLES REMAIN IN BIG ROAD FUNDING PLAN

For a year, the governor has tried to push through a plan to raise the gas tax along with other revenues to deal with the state’s massive backlog of road repairs. But as Liam Dillon reports, the proposal — along with others from Democratic lawmakers — hasn’t gained much traction with Republican legislators, whose votes would be needed for any tax hike.

One state senator has tried to provide “cover” in the way of spending and regulatory reforms for GOP lawmakers to vote yes. And an assemblyman believes that if Republicans are going to vote for a tax increase, they should go big.

We’ll be covering Brown’s revised budget release on Friday live on our Essential Politics news feed.

INCOME TAX MEASURE TAKES AIM FOR NOVEMBER BALLOT

Four years after Brown asked voters to temporarily raise income taxes on the wealthy and sales taxes on everyone, a coalition of labor and healthcare groups is poised to ask for a do-over.

On Wednesday, they began submitting more than 980,000 signatures on a fall ballot measure to keep those high-earner income taxes in place. As John Myers reports, that would mean 18 straight years of higher taxes — worth billions of dollars — from Brown’s 2012 initiative until this one expires in 2030. It’s expected to be one of the marquee measures on the Nov. 8 California ballot.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR SANDERS’ GOLDEN STATE CAMPAIGN?

Bernie Sanders’ plan to win an upset victory here was dealt another setback Wednesday when the staffer directing all of the insurgent’s California operations left the campaign.

California state director Michael Ceraso, who has been working with the Sanders campaign since the early days of the race, parted ways with it. The Sanders campaign did not respond to questions asking why.

A CLINTON CASH RUN TO CALIFORNIA

Look for a blitz of Golden State events from Clinton and former President Bill Clinton, as both are scheduled to attend a handful of fundraisers just two weeks away from the June 7 statewide primary.

According to invitations obtained by The Times, Hillary Clinton will hold two Los Angeles events on May 23: one at the home of Hollywood agent Bryan Lourd and restaurateur Bruce Bozzi we reported on last week; and a second event that same night hosted by airport/hotel concession CEO Clarence Daniels.

She’s then slated to be in Silicon Valley on May 25 for a fundraiser at the home of eBay executive Sharon Meers and developer Steve Dostart.

For the former president, it’s a trip to Sacramento and a May 23 fundraiser at the home of former state treasurer and 2006 gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides.

The Washington Post reported that Trump has fundraising plans for Los Angeles as well.

BROWN’S DROUGHT PLAN

Brown unveiled his long-term drought policy Monday, making permanent some conservation measures that were once temporary. Residential water users bear the brunt of the policy’s restrictions while agriculture seems to get a pass, George Skelton writes in his Thursday column.

TODAY’S ESSENTIALS

— Don’t expect to see Trump’s tax returns any time soon.

— Cathleen Decker details how five California candidates in one hour made for an unsatisfying U.S. Senate debate.

— San Bernardino’s police chief and county sheriff have endorsed freshman Democratic Rep. Pete Aguilar’s re-election bid.

— Orange County Democrats aren’t worried about Trump.

— The Los Angeles Times Editorial Board has endorsed Rep. Janice Hahn in the county supervisor race.

— Doyle McManus writes on the op-ed page that the “Crooked Hillary” label could stick.

— What do you think of Trump? Readers can weigh in with our quick survey.

LOGISTICS

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