Becerra's Presidents' Day Message to Trump

If you are having trouble reading this email, [read the online version](. [KQED Logo]( February 19, 2019 Good morning! Guy Marzorati here with KQED's politics team. Details on California's latest lawsuit against the Trump administration, highlights from Political Breakdown's sit down with Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, and more below! — Guy [Becerra's Presidents' Day Message to Trump](#) two snails California Attorney General Xavier Becerra unveiled his latest legal strike against the Trump administration on Monday: suing to block the president's emergency declaration that aims to fund a border wall. "I think he is engaging in theater using the power of the presidency to commit violations of the law, essentially to perform for his shrinking base of supporters," Becerra told KQED. "And that's unfortunate because especially on President's Day we should be trying to uphold and strengthen our democracy, not undermine it." Becerra said California's standing in the case would not rest directly on the idea of new physical barriers on its southern border (new border construction has largely been focused in Texas) but rather on Trump's proposal to redirect federal funds from existing projects to pay for the wall. "The State would suffer economic harm from diversion of funding from military construction projects on California bases," the lawsuit reads. "More defense contractor funding is spent in California than in any other state, and such funding generates significant state and local tax revenues, employment, and economic activity." Sixteen states joined California in the [legal complaint]( (filed in the Northern District court in San Francisco) which seeks an injunction to stop the emergency declaration from taking effect. Anthony Rendon on the 'Internal Karma' of the Capitol Most Californians are probably unaware that a punk-rock-loving philosopher is in charge of the State Assembly. Anthony Rendon is not your typical politician, and on Political Breakdown, he spoke with Scott and Marisa about his atypical path to power and leadership style. In the Capitol, Rendon stands out for his often-deferential approach. He doesn't author bills and has moved to give committee chairs more power in the legislative process. Is Rendon uncomfortable with a more punitive style of leadership? "It’s necessary to do it sometimes, and I have. I was pretty hard a couple of years ago on the transportation plan, when a member didn’t [vote for it], the member was punished," he said, referring to his move to strip Assemblyman Rudy Salas of his committee chairmanship in 2017. More than other legislative leaders, Rendon seems comfortable relying on what he calls the "internal karma" of the capitol. "The thing I always tell new members is you can act like a jerk at 8 a.m to one of your colleagues, but at 9 or 10 a.m, you’re going to be in front of them asking for a vote," he said. [LISTEN to the full conversation]( (and find out about Rendon and Marisa's shared punk-rock affinity) here. Should California Get Disaster Insurance? California has blown through its firefighting budget in seven of the past 10 years. Marisa [reports on a novel proposal]( to pay for those overruns: a bill that would pave the way for California to take out an insurance policy for disasters, including the devastating wildfires that have ripped through numerous communities in recent years. # [What's the Latest on High-Speed Rail and Delta Water Tunnels?](#) Governor Gavin Newsom made big splashes in his first State of the State speech last week, voicing plans for scaled-back versions of his predecessors' infrastructure dreams. On high-speed rail, Newsom said there isn't a path to complete the proposed path from San Francisco to Los Angeles, instead advocating for a completion of a route from Merced to Bakersfield. [KQED's Forum analyzed the change]( with transportation editor Dan Brekke and Fresno Republican Assemblyman Jim Patterson. Newsom also said he only supports a single tunnel plan to divert water under the Delta toward Southern California, instead of the "twin tunnels" supported by Jerry Brown. Tune into [Forum]( Wednesday morning at 9:30 a.m]( to hear more on that plan from KQED Science reporter Lauren Sommer. This Week: San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo two snails Sam Liccardo's year got off to a rough start: the second-term San Jose mayor was hit by an SUV while cycling on New Year's Day, resulting in a fractured sternum. But the work hasn't slowed down for Liccardo, who has led efforts to bring Google to San Jose, craft regional housing legislation, and partner with other big-city mayors to lobby for solutions to homelessness at the state capitol. He'll be our guest on [Political Breakdown]( this Thursday at 6:30pm on KQED Public Radio. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [YouTube]( [Donate]( [Manage Subscription]( | [Privacy Policy]( KQED 2601 Mariposa St. San Francisco, CA 94110 Copyright © February 19, 2019 [KQED](. All Rights Reserved.