FIRST THINGS FIRST: Et tu, Elon?

The polarizing and pugnacious Tesla CEO announced on Tuesday he would help launch Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign for president, set to take place later today in a Twitter Spaces conversation. Elon Musk, who is also the outgoing CEO of Twitter, has been known to rile up his cadre of loyal internet devotees with far-right conspiracy rants on such matters as the Paul Pelosi attack and George Soros — but his apparent support of DeSantis offers a more explicit statement of his politics than ever before.

It puts Gov. Gavin Newsom in a bit of an awkward position, considering that he’s been touting Tesla’s return to the state’s business elite as a sign of California’s economic vitality while also specifically targeting DeSantis in his crusade against red state leaders. Asked for comment on the DeSantis/Musk teamup, Newsom’s campaign didn’t get back to us.

Someone who’s not holding back? San Francisco Sen. Scott Wiener, who sardonically praised the two as “champions of California’s economic recovery,” on Twitter.

“While I’ve criticized Elon for running one of my district’s anchor companies into the ground, he & Governor DeSantis deserve credit for the thousands of jobs they’ve brought to CA in recent months,” he said, referencing Florida’s recent falling out with the Walt Disney Co.

THE BUZZ: There are few political fights in the West as existential as water. So when the call came from the feds last year to cut back on a key source, California prepared for a brawl.

But after months of quiet negotiations and backroom conversations, the states emerged Monday with a deal — one that not only avoids the potential of mutually-assured self-destruction but also positions California as the main beneficiary in an agreement to curtail usage of the jealously-guarded Colorado River.

Our colleague Camille von Kaenel got the inside view from Natural Resources Secretary and key negotiator Wade Crowfoot, who described the arduous process that eventually culminated in California, Arizona and Nevada agreeing to use 13 percent less water for the next three years. As Crowfoot told Camille, the mandate from top leaders was unambiguous: “We very much had clear and constructive pressure from our governors to find a solution,” he said. Read the full story here.

For centuries, the Colorado River has watered the western United States, allowing for a flourishing population and abundant food supply in a remarkably arid landscape, including in California, where it is the primary water source for the Imperial Valley’s vast agricultural operations. Frequent use and worsening drought in recent years has resulted in two key reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, dropping to near-dead pool levels, and last year prompted the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to issue an ultimatum for the states — make a deal to cut back, or we’ll make one for you.

Something needed to be done, but no one wanted to do it. Usage between the states is governed by decades-old river law, and efforts to come to an agreement on who would bear the brunt of the cuts stalled and started for months. California got some bad press for coming out in January asserting its senior claim to the river. That only raised the stakes on the situation for Newsom, who risked being ganged up on and outmaneuvered by less influential and economically powerful states that were already casting skeptical glances at California’s concerns.

Two factors helped grease the tracks, Camille notes, including the state’s wet winter and, perhaps more meaningfully, the November election of Arizona’s Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, who chose cooperation over combat. In the end, California managed to convince its counterparts that a loss would be felt far beyond its borders, where other parts of the country rely on California-grown produce and food products.

The agreement, though notable as it is, is only temporary until states begin talks on a more long-term proposal to sustain the river. They’ll have until 2026 to reach a consensus.

If it’s anything like the last round of negotiations, they might want to start soon.

BUENOS DÍAS, good Wednesday morning. Democratic assemblymembers are gathering at the Capitol this morning to promote Isaac Bryan’s bill on referendum reform. Assembly Bill 421 is meant to clear up confusion about ballot measures and set regulations for the state’s paid signature gathering industry.

Got a tip or story idea for California Playbook? Hit us up at [email protected] and [email protected] or follow us on Twitter @JeremyBWhite and @Lara_Korte.

WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “San Francisco is not the only city in the United States that’s facing challenges, but let’s be real: they’re much more acute here.” San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin at a S.F. Chamber of Commerce event.

TWEET OF THE DAY:

WE’RE HIRING — POLITICO is embarking on an exciting expansion in the Golden State and looking for another journalist to join our growing team as a California Playbook author. More in the job description here.

— “S.F. will be more ‘aggressive’ with people struggling with addiction,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Mallory Moench: “But Supervisor Dean Preston, who represents the hardest-hit neighborhood of the Tenderloin, told the Chronicle Tuesday that the emergency management department told him last week that the program would involve arresting drug users.”

KIM CLASH — Democratic Tustin School Board member Allyson Damikolas is launching a challenge to GOP Rep. Young Kim in the 40th congressional district, an R+4 battleground seat that Kim easily defended in 2022. In a brief interview, Damikolas stressed the contrast between herself and Kim on abortion rights and gun laws. You can watch Damikolas’ launch video here.

— “Walmart to pay California $500,000 in settlement over sale of brass knuckles,” by The Associated Press’ Tran Nguyen: “Walmart will pay half a million dollars to settle allegations from California’s Department of Justice that it was selling brass knuckles on its website, state Attorney General Rob Bonta said Tuesday.”

— “Oakland A’s, state leaders reach tentative public financing deal; legislative approval still needed,” by The Nevada Independent’s Tabitha Mueller and Howard Stutz: “The A’s initially said they were seeking $500 million in public funding to assist with stadium construction, but in the weeks since, the team announced they were changing the proposed site and reducing the public dollar request to $395 million.”

— “State orders L.A. County to move nearly 300 youths out of ‘unsuitable’ juvenile halls,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Rebecca Ellis: “State regulators voted Tuesday to find Los Angeles County’s troubled juvenile halls “unsuitable,” an unprecedented decision that will force the county to quickly move nearly 300 youths out of the troubled facilities.”

— “California has $200 million left from its inflation relief plan. Where will the money go?,” by The Sacramento Bee’s Brianna Taylor: “In an email to The Bee, Palmer said there was a roughly $200 million difference between the estimate and the actual program’s statistics. Meaning, certain groups — people who died, moved or were incarcerated — become ineligible to receive their payment by the time the money was processed.”

— “Surgeon general warns that social media may harm children and adolescents,” by The New York Times’ Matt Richtel, Catherine Pearson and Michael Levenson: “The report, effectively elevating long-simmering concerns around social media in the national conversation, came as state and federal lawmakers, many of them raised in an era when social media barely existed or didn’t exist at all, have been struggling with how to set limits on its use.”

— “How ‘Buy America’ could kill high-speed rail,” by POLITICO’s E&E News’ Minho Kim: “Buy America is a decades-old policy that generally requires federally funded transportation infrastructure including rail cars to be manufactured domestically and to use U.S.-made iron and steel. The requirements can be waived, but Biden has taken steps to limit waivers and has vowed strict adherence to Buy America provisions.”

— “BuzzFeed’s Botatouille chatbot puts A.I. twist on food advice,” by The New York Times’ Benjamin Mullin: “Mr. Peretti shut down BuzzFeed News last month, but in the future, he said, BuzzFeed plans to experiment with A.I to enhance its news business, which is now organized under its HuffPost brand.”

— “San Francisco was twice set to host the Super Bowl. Here’s why it never happened.,” by The Mercury News’ Alex Simon.

— “Jan. 6 insurrectionist on probation among 22 applying for open San Clemente City Council seat,” by The Orange County Register’s Erika I. Ritchie.

— “How one S.F. developer overcame pandemic to go big in unlikely neighborhood,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s J.K. Dineen.

Los Angeles Times’ Nick Baumann

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