THE SAC SUMMIT: Power Play spent a day in the state capital, where temps hovered above 90 degrees, for Politico’s California Agenda: Sacramento Summit.
The nerdfest included conversations with Gov. Gavin Newsom, who touched on his fears for American democracy and how he’s handling Trump’s second term in office. Sen. Alex Padilla joined the summit to provide insight on Trump’s Washington (and dodged repeated questions on whether he will run for governor in 2026). Other panels featured declared gubernatorial hopefuls Xavier Becerra, Katie Porter, and Steve Hilton.
Some highlights:
“It’s been a hell of a year,” Newsom said at the start of his keynote conversation with Politico’s California editorial director, Christopher Cadelago. Newsom — whose Proposition 50 redistricting measure will be on the Nov. 4 ballot — said he has learned over the last several months that he has to take a more aggressive approach to Trump, whom he called “the most destructive and damaging individual in my lifetime.”
“This is a real and serious moment in U.S. history,” Newsom said. “I say that as an American, not as a Democrat. Every Republican should be ashamed about this and scared to death about not just these authoritarian tendencies but these authoritarian actions by the president.”
“Wake up. We’re losing this country in real time,” he added. “We have to assert ourselves with more clarity and conviction. … That’s what Prop. 50 represents.”
Padilla railed against Trump’s immigration raids in Southern California as "increasingly cruel." As to whether he will jump into the crowded governor’s race? Padilla said he hopes “to continue to serve in some capacity for the foreseeable future,” but said his current focus is on passing Prop. 50.
Hilton acknowledged that some voters might be “slightly terrified” of a former Fox News host, but the Republican candidate noted his positive relationship with the president and his Cabinet, which could benefit California, and said his focus would be on improving government efficiency.
Becerra, a former member of Congress and attorney general of California, emphasized his experience as former President Joe Biden’s Health and Human Services secretary during the pandemic and said his focus as governor would be on making sure hardworking Californians can afford insurance and medical treatment.
Porter, who lost her Senate bid last year, distinguished herself from the crowd with her support for Senate Bill 79, a contentious measure by state Sen. Scott Wiener to build more housing around transit hubs. “We have to build more housing. That is a no-brainer,” she said. "SB 79 is an important step."
Speaking of Wiener, he was part of a housing panel that touched on California’s affordability crisis and, of course, the popular “abundance” movement. He said his colleagues often think he has it easy repping San Francisco, but noted that the city is the “tip of the spear” for resisting housing, which has made it difficult for longtime residents to afford to stay.
“There is NIMBYism everywhere,” he said. But he noted that San Francisco birthed the YIMBY movement, and said the city made greater progress last November with the election of pro-housing supervisors Danny Sauter and Bilal Mahmood.
— Hannah Wiley
FINAL VOTES: At 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee will gather in the Bayview for a much-anticipated vote on whether to support the Sept. 16 recall election against District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio. Here’s the link to watch the meeting.
The party’s endorsement remains one of the most coveted prizes in local politics, and both sides of the recall have been lobbying hard for months to sway the 32-member panel to their column.
Engardio’s camp is confident it has support from the committee’s YIMBY and urbanist blocs that supported the Great Highway’s closure, which prompted the recall. Other members on the board who favor a “no endorsement” are worried that opposing the recall would alienate Sunset voters, particularly Chinese American residents.
It’s hard to overstate the recall’s potential impact. If Engardio is removed from office, Lurie will need to find another moderate as a temporary appointment in order to provide reliable votes for his legislative agenda, including his zoning plan. Notably, DCCC member and former Sunset Supervisor Gordon Mar’s resolution to oppose that plan was yanked from the party’s Wednesday agenda.
On that note, rumors have been spreading faster than Sunset fog on potential Engardio successors.
Among the names being circulated as replacements, either through an appointment or as a candidate in next year’s election: recall organizer Selena Chu, hardware-store owner Albert Chow, Rent Board commissioner Art Tom, educator David Lee, City College board member Alan Wong, real estate agent Jessica Ho, District 10 legislative aide Natalie Gee, former state Assemblymember Phil Ting, Asian Arts commissioner Tiffany Deng, real estate agent Steven Huang, Aaron Peskin mayoral campaign staffer Anthony Leung, and former Together SF staffer Rob Aiavao.
Some names on the list have better odds than others and there’s always the chance that Lurie appoints a “caretaker” supervisor who will provide the mayor with a reliable vote but will decide not to run for a full term next year.
Meanwhile, about 20 progressive Sunset residents are weighing whom to back in the June 2026 election — including Mar, or a moderate candidate who opposes Lurie’s zoning plan. Sing Tao Daily recently reported that Mar was mulling a comeback, but he later told Mission Local he is “not planning to run.”
— Han Li and Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez
