THE BUZZ: California’s political ladder often ascends from local government to Sacramento to Washington — but plenty of Los Angeles politicians take a different route.

Two terming-out assemblymembers from L.A. announced plans this week to return to the city or county they’ve been representing from Sacramento. Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer is looking to secure a City Council spot by unseating City Council member Heather Hutt. Assemblymember Chris Holden wants to dislodge the sole remaining Republican on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Kathryn Barger. Assemblymember Adrin Nazarian announced his council run back in 2022.

The state-to-local-segue is by no means a uniquely Los Angeles phenomenon. Term limits compel state lawmakers to find new jobs after 12 years maximum. The combination of a mere eight statewide seats and no term limits for coveted Congress posts means lawmakers often transition from state to local politics. Just ask Monterey Supervisor Luis Alejo, Santa Barbara Supervisor Das Williams, Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner, or Riverside Supervisor V. Manuel Perez. The judicial branch can also beckon, as San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu and Judge Ed Chau would attest. Running a big city can be an irresistible lure, as San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria or Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass might attest.

But L.A. stands out. The City Council already features four former state lawmakers in Kevin de León, Bob Blumenfield, Curren Price and Paul Krekorian. Supervisor Holly Mitchell gave up her Senate seat to run for the board, which also hosts former federal officials like former Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and former Rep. Janice Hahn.

The pipeline never closes. Three separate state lawmakers ran for supervisor last year in then-Sen. Bob Hertzberg, Sen. Henry Stern and then-Assemblymember Richard Bloom, though Bloom dropped out and has since won a judge appointment. Assemblymember Isaac Bryan batted down speculation Thursday that he was council-bound, as Assemblymember Luz Rivas did last year when Nury Martinez was forced out. Assemblymember Miguel Santiago is widely seen as a contender to succeed de León.

So what gives? Partially, it’s supply and demand: Thirty-two Assembly and Senate districts are entirely or mostly in L.A. County. A supervisor seat is arguably a level up in power and influence: with 2 million constituents. L.A.’s Five Little Queens represent more people than many U.S. senators. The pay is also better for L.A. City Council ($218,000, plus benefits) and supervisor ($272,000, plus benefits) than for the Legislature ($122,000 for non-leadership).

All rational reasons to go from Sacramento to L.A. But Bryan implicitly reproached those who are too eager to make the move: “I didn’t get into public service to chase the best salary,” he tweeted, “or collect as many titles as I can.”

BUENOS DÍAS, good Friday morning. Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz today during her swing through Munich, where she’s attending a security conference highlighting America’s alliance with Germany in support of Ukraine.

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.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I literally don’t know what you’re referring to.” Gov. Gavin Newsom on coverage of a potential Bonta conflict of interest.

TWEET OF THE DAY:

WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: We’ll be off Monday for Presidents Day but back in your inboxes on Tuesday.

— “Chinatown’s hidden poverty: How a big family struggles to survive in a tiny room,” by The San Francisco Standard’s Han Li: “She worries that the small space will have negative impacts on her children’s academics, and also as the twin boys grow up, they will “run out of” what little room they have.”

— “Tesla recalls 362,758 vehicles, says full Self-Driving Beta software may cause crashes,” by NBC Bay Area’s Lora Kolodny: “Tesla lets thousands of drivers try new and unfinished driver assistance features on public roads in the U.S. through FSD Beta. The technology does not make Tesla electric cars autonomous, nor safe to drive without a human at the wheel ready to brake or steer at any second — despite the brand name.”

— “This Bay Area man has become the face of California's latest housing drama,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s J.K. Dineen: “But fears that the builder’s remedy would prompt an army of big-city developers to stick highrise condos in the middle of leafy suburban neighborhoods so far have not come to fruition.”

TEAM SCHIFF: Rep. Adam Schiff has picked up more endorsements for his U.S. Senate run: Reps Doris Matsui, Mark Takano and Kevin Mullin, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinbergl, state Sens Ben Allen, Bob Archuleta, Bill Dodd, Steve Glazer, Anthony Portantino, Henry Stern, Tom Umberg and Richard Roth and assemblymembers Lisa Calderon, Damon Connolly, Mike Fong, Laura Friedman, Jesse Gabriel, Chris Holden, Jacqui Irwin, Josh Lowenthal, Tina McKinnor, Al Muratsuchi and Jim Wood.

— California hospitals warn of closures if state doesn’t provide lifeline, by POLITICO’s Ramon Castanos: “The CHA is urging lawmakers to include the $1.5 billion in the budget — a tough request considering a projected $22.5 billion deficit that has prompted Gov. Gavin Newsom to propose cuts and delayed funding across a range of programs.”

— “One S.F. neighborhood made remarkable progress on homelessness. But there's a huge drawback,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Kevin Fagan: “The advantage of the Castro project is that it’s focused tightly on a relatively small number of homeless people in a compact neighborhood — unlike larger areas like the Tenderloin or the Mission District. Replicating this same swarming success throughout the city would probably require significant increases in staffing, energy and time, Mandelman said.”    

— “California homelessness: Where are the state’s billions going? Here’s the new, best answer,” by CalMatters’ Ben Christopher: “But building more housing — particularly with subsidized rents or other wrap-around services — is expensive. That’s in part why some homelessness and housing advocates say the 10-figure sum that the state has spread across the three years of the assessment isn’t even close to enough.”

Headline “Editorial: Of course the California attorney general's wife shouldn't oversee his budget,” opines the Editorial Board of the Los Angeles Times: “She said she was happy to accept the appointment and suggested the question is sexist.”

— “Floods, Fires, droughts show California needs bigger safety net for farmworkers, advocates say,” by CalMatters’ Nicole Foy: “Some farmworkers rely on work in January to supplement their income in other seasons, whether harvesting strawberry fields in the Central Coast or pruning fruit trees in San Joaquin Valley orchards. Regardless of their immigration status, many of those families already on the poverty line fell into more financial peril after the floods.”

— “As Hollywood invades Culver City, some residents push back against gentrification,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Wendy Lee: “Tomlinson, a bartender and food server at LAX, says she has seen her rent rise 64 percent to $2,300 a month since 2010. Nearly half of her paycheck goes toward rent on her two-bedroom apartment. Now she’s worried that she’ll have to move when she retires.”

— Senior Democrats’ private take on Biden: He’s too old, by POLITICO’s Jonathan Martin: "High-level Democrats are rallying to President Biden’s reelection, not because they think it’s in the best interest of the country to have an 82-year-old start a second term but because they fear the potential alternative: the nomination of Kamala Harris and election of Donald Trump."

— “Tesla fired Buffalo workers seeking to organize, union Says,” by The New York Times’ Jack Ewing and Noam Scheiber: “The move seemed to represent an improvement in the relationship between Mr. Biden and Mr. Musk, who had complained that the administration paid insufficient attention to Tesla during its push for electric vehicle subsidies.”

— “Why a conversation with Bing’s chatbot left me deeply unsettled,” by The New York Times’ Kevin Roose: “This realization came to me on Tuesday night, when I spent a bewildering and enthralling two hours talking to Bing’s A.I. through its chat feature, which sits next to the main search box in Bing and is capable of having long, open-ended text conversations on virtually any topic.”

— “Pico shootings suspect in custody,” by the Jewish Journal’s Aaron Bandler. 

—“Racial discrimination lawsuit filed against Sacramento Fire Department — this time by the manager,” by The Sacramento Bee’s Theresa Clift and Marcus D. Smith.  

— “As trains tear from L.A. to Vegas at 180 mph, bighorn sheep will have safe passage,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Christian Martinez.  

— “Horrific new street drug ‘tranq’ found in S.F. overdose victims, showing dangerous shift in supply,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Trisha Thadani and Kevin Fagan. 

— “The building that looks like a boat off the coast of Palo Alto,” by KQED’s Rachael Myrow.

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