DRIVING THE DAY: HERE’S THE DEAL — After weeks of dramatic will-they-or-won’t-they negotiations, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara came out Thursday with a plan to stabilize California’s insurance market. Read about it from our colleague Blanca Begert.

THE BUZZ — GUNS AND TAXES: Gun safety activists and Democratic lawmakers are putting pressure on Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign a measure that would tax firearm and ammunition sales in California — a signal that they worry he might not sign it.

The governor has long been an outspoken champion for stricter gun laws, and he’s repeatedly criticized the NRA and gun manufacturers in the wake of deadly mass shootings.

But the firearm tax measure, Assembly Bill 28 by Jesse Gabriel, puts Newsom in a tougher spot because it pits two of his priorities against each other. In this case, his support for gun violence prevention is clashing with his opposition to new taxes.

Ordinarily, it’s a foregone conclusion that Newsom will sign progressive gun-safety measures that make it to his desk. For example, Newsom said he would sign Senate Bill 2, state Sen. Anthony Portantino’s bill to tighten concealed-carry laws, months before lawmakers sent it to him this month.

The Democratic governor, considered a future presidential contender, is typically wary of signing new taxes into law. And he’s been quiet about the gun tax measure — a fact that has made advocate groups anxious.

Gun violence survivors and safety advocates rallied Thursday on the steps of the Capitol, urging Newsom to sign AB 28. The bill would create an 11 percent tax on firearms and ammunition sales, generating an estimated $159 million annually for school safety and violence prevention programs.

“He’s just been such a vocal leader on this issue,” Gabriel said at the rally. “This would just be so consistent with everything that he’s talked about and everything that he’s stood for.”

A day before the rally, some of the largest national gun violence prevention groups — including the Giffords Center for Violence Intervention, Everytown for Gun Safety and March for Our Lives — sent Newsom a letter calling the bill a “top priority for our organizations and supporters.”

On the national stage, Newsom is taking a massive swing at gun violence — proposing a longshot strategy to circumvent the conservative majority on the Supreme Court and change the U.S. Constitution to include gun safety measures, including an assault weapon ban.

Gun safety groups have embraced Newsom, but their energy has been more focused on more incremental proposals. His constitutional push is widely seen as a long shot.

California would be the first state to enact a special tax on firearms and ammo if Newsom signs the bill. Advocates say that could motivate other states to follow.

Newsom’s office told us they won’t comment on pending legislation. The pressure on the governor over AB 28 is only expected to amplify in the coming weeks (he has until Oct. 14 to sign or veto bills).

HAPPY FRIDAY. Thanks for waking up with Playbook.

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WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: NEWSOM TO COUNTIES: ‘SPARE ME’ — The governor has gone back and forth with local leaders for months over how to implement his prized CARE Court program — rebuffing pushback from counties who say they need more money for such sweeping changes.

But in a clip from an upcoming interview with 60 Minutes, shared exclusively with Playbook, Newsom offers no sympathy.

“Spare me,” he tells 60 Minutes’ Cecilia Vega. “Honestly, I’m a little indignant by this rhetoric. The only thing limiting people is an unwillingness to be accountable. And I’m just done with that.”

“I’m done with the excuses,” he continued. “There’s plenty of money in this space.”

Newsom’s harsh comments come just weeks before seven pilot counties are set to roll out the program, which creates a new arm of civil courts designed to help Californians with the most severe mental and behavioral health issues. Los Angeles County will come online in December, followed by the rest of the state in 2024.

A key mechanism of CARE Court is that it requires counties to provide treatment plans to those who enter into the program, and compels those individuals to use the services — with the hope that it will help some of the state’s most vulnerable homeless people.

60 Minutes’ full interview with the governor is set to air Sunday evening on CBS.

SPOTTED: NORDIC INSPIRATION — State lawmakers are in Norway this week to tour prison facilities and learn about the country’s model of rehabilitative justice.

Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva has tweeted several selfies from the trip, including one with Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg. She marveled at the uniquely Scandinavian approach: “Did you know Police Officers and Correctional Officers don’t carry guns?”

Newsom, whose political adviser Dan Newman was also on the trip, has praised the Nordic correctional model for focusing less on punitive measures and more on preparing offenders to return to civilian life. Earlier this year, the governor shared his plans to transform San Quentin State Prison into a rehabilitation facility and close its infamous Death Row.

The junket to fjord country also included state Sens. Nancy Skinner, Josh Newman, Caroline Menjivar, Aisha Wahab, Lola Smallwood-Cuevas and Assemblymembers Gregg Hart, Mia Bonta and Josh Lowenthal. Their trip was sponsored by Smart Justice California, a criminal justice reform advocacy group, and Amend, a UCSF program focused on improving the health of prisoners.

FIRE AND RAIN: An early storm is expected to bring rain to much of Northern California starting late Sunday and could bring an end to what has been a relatively mild fire season. (San Francisco Chronicle)

DANIEL BOONE ON THE HILL: A video clip went viral recently depicting Rep. Jared Huffman throwing shade at the “19th century” intelligence of fellow Californian Rep. Doug LaMalfa (who had doubted the veracity of climate science during a hearing with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg). The incident apparently got weird from there: LaMalfa’s staff visited Huffman’s office wearing raccoon-skin hats and carrying a scroll that announced they would no longer be working together on a bill. (San Francisco Chronicle)

BIRTHDAYS: Brian Ross Adams… former Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Calif.) … Rachel Chasalow …

(was Thursday): Brian Brokaw… Jerry Bruckheimer ... Ethan Coen

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