Will Gaza protests spoil the celebration for Kamala Harris?

Day one of many Democratic Nationwide Conference targeted on President Joe Biden’s legacy and easily passing the torch to Vice President Kamala Harriswho made a shock look Monday night time on stage to rapturous applause.

However that script isn’t being adopted by everybody. 

As CalMatters’ Sameea Kamal experiences from Chicago, protesters exterior the conference corridor and a few delegates from California and different states need the Democratic Get together to go on file supporting an arms embargo in opposition to Israel, along with a ceasefire within the Gaza battle.

The arms embargo, nonetheless, isn’t within the celebration platform that delegates accepted Monday on a voice vote. As an alternative, it at the moment states that Democrats “commitment to Israel’s security, its qualitative military edge, its right to defend itself, and the 2016 Memorandum of Understanding is ironclad.”

That’s not sufficient for Joseph Salas, a delegate from California, who mentioned he needs Harris to take a stronger stand on the Gaza situation, and the celebration platform to acknowledge Palestinians’ lack of land. 

• Salas: “We need to hold our elected officials accountable to the platform we write.”

A letter asking Harris to “turn the page on President Biden’s policy on Gaza” has additionally been circulating amongst delegates. One delegate who signed the letter Sunday mentioned there have been about 150 signatures to date. 

The Gaza battle, which started after the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, has deeply divided California Democrats. As extra Palestinian civilians had been killed, protests over the battle grew louder — notably on California faculty campuses — and stress elevated on Democratic leaders to help a ceasefire decision.

Through the major election in March, California leaders with the Council on American-Islamic Relations referred to as for Democratic voters to go away the presidential race clean. The state’s main Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate additionally break up on whether or not they supported an instantaneous ceasefire.

Learn extra about the protests and platform struggle in Sameea’s story.

In different California conference information Monday:

• Pelosi speaks: Former Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco urged California delegates to assist win extra congressional seats in order that Harris has a Democratic majority to work with within the White Home. And Pelosi mentioned they need to thank Biden for his “selflessness for taking us to this place.” She advised reporters she doesn’t have any regrets in serving to push Biden off the tickethowever once more mentioned she didn’t orchestrate the stress marketing campaign.

• Newsom roles: Gov. Gavin Newsom will communicate from the conference ground this night and ship California’s votes to place Harris excessive within the ceremonial roll name. Learn extra on the function the state’s delegates will play.

• Stage time: Sen. Laphonza ButlerReps. Maxine Waters and Robert Garcia, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass had been amongst those that addressed delegates from the rostrum of the United Middle. Steve Kerr — coach of the Golden State Warriors and Crew USA — snagged a extra outstanding prime-time talking slot.

From CalMatters Capitol reporter Alexei Koseff:

Jeff Burum waited two years for vindication.

Pissed off by what he believes is California’s underinvestment in fast-growing San Bernardino County, the Rancho Cucamonga actual property developer persuaded native politicians and voters in 2022 to check whether or not the area was getting its justifiable share of sources, and if not, to struggle for extra — or depart California and begin a brand new state.

Now that report, which has been delayed since March with out clarification, is lastly full and is scheduled to be introduced to the county Board of Supervisors in the present day. 

However vindication just isn’t what it affords, and Burum doesn’t plan to be there.

San Bernardino County really receives about $66 extra in state funding per particular person than the statewide common, in response to a preview abstract of the report introduced at a gathering final week. It does point out psychological well being providers, homelessness help, inexpensive housing funding and judgeships as areas the place the county doesn’t get what it’s owed.

The complete model of the report additionally concludes that secession can be difficult and have extreme fiscal implications.

Burum is undeterred. He has sharp criticisms of the examine, which he mentioned targeted on the flawed questions. He advised CalMatters that he doesn’t perceive why it took so lengthy to finish when investigators appeared to make use of solely available information from state-mandated packages, fairly than digging into why California has not supplied extra discretionary funding to assist San Bernardino County construct out its infrastructure because the inhabitants exploded in current many years.

• Yeast: “Fair share means intent. Fair share means needs. AI could have given them those answers that they gave us.”

He’s nonetheless determining the right way to proceed his advocacy for San Bernardino County, which faucets into the identical vein of resistance in opposition to California’s liberal governance that’s more and more cropping up in additional conservative pockets of the state.

“As long as I’m on this bright green earth, there’s always a path forward,” Burum mentioned. “That report is clear that the job’s not done.”

Because the Legislature heads into its remaining two weeks earlier than adjournment on Aug. 31, it’s time to compensate for some payments I advised you about:

• America’s semiquincentennial: Sen. Janet Nguyen’s third try and create a state fee to assist plan celebrations for the 250th anniversary of America’s founding has failed. Final week, the Meeting Appropriations Committee held the Huntington Seaside Republican’s proposal, estimating a price “in the low millions of dollars.” It additionally questioned whether or not adequate non-public or federal funds to bankroll the challenge (which the invoice anticipated) would materialize.

• Daylight saving: Sen. Roger Niello plans to shelve a invoice initially supposed to do away with daylight saving time completely. The invoice, which made it out of the suspense file, was later revised to require the state to check the impacts of establishing normal time year-round. A spokesperson for the Roseville Republican mentioned the modification “hampers the ability to implement the policy in a timely manner” and Niello plans to “pursue the issue further next year.”

• Homework: The Senate appropriations committee superior Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo’s invoice to induce college districts to develop extra intentional insurance policies about homework that considers college students’ psychological and bodily well being. Although key elements of the invoice by the Santa Clarita Valley Democrat have been amended from “requiring” faculties to replace their homework coverage to now “encouraging” faculties, Schiavo’s workplace mentioned it’s nonetheless ironing out the ultimate amendments earlier than it heads to the Senate ground.

In different legislative information:

• New legal guidelines: Newsom additionally signed into regulation a string of payments Mondaytogether with ones to require the state’s division of training to contemplate in 2025 college packages that help college students’ emotional and mindfulness expertise; lengthen a recycling pilot program for drink containers till 2034; and permit county well being officers to go into privately run immigration detention facilities.

• And one veto: The governor blocked a invoice that might have expanded air monitoring requirements for refineriestogether with monitoring for added pollution and offering a notification course of for endangered communities. In his veto messageNewsom cited finances issues and argued that “local air quality management districts are already carrying out the necessary action” to observe air air pollution. However California Environmental Voters mentioned the invoice “would have held industry accountable for the price of their own pollution and prevented healthcare and safety costs that will now fall on the backs of taxpayers.”

• McGuire in cost: With Newsom and Kounalakis each in Chicago, Senate Democratic chief Mike McGuire is appearing governor once more, reprising his function from simply earlier than July Fourth. He mentioned he’s in shut contact with Cal Hearth and the Workplace of Emergency Companies in case wildfires flare up once more.

Gov. Newsom lately urged college districts to limit scholar smartphone utilization throughout college hours, and the Legislature is contemplating a invoice to ban scholar cellphone use statewide. However a handful of California faculties have already got smartphone bans in place. Discover out what classes they discovered from CalMatters tech reporter Khari Johnson and Ok-12 training reporter Carolyn Jones.