Longtime Sacramento Rep. Doris Matsui draws a primary challenge from the left

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MATSUI GETS A PRIMARY CHALLENGE FROM THE LEFT

California’s primary election is less than two months away, but Sacramento Democratic Rep. Doris Matsui on Monday drew a challenge from the left.

David Mandel, a human rights activist, lawyer and former newspaper editor (who spent nearly 10 years working on The Sacramento Bee copy desk), declared his Democratic candidacy in a bid to bring a more progressive voice in the House of Representatives.

Mandel, 72, has advocated for a variety of left-leaning causes, from single-payer health care to combating climate change, affordable housing to supporting Palestinian human rights.

In an interview with The Bee, Mandel said that the “immediate impetus” for him running was that “a whole lot of other people said that we really need to try to replace her.”

Mandel said that Matsui, 79, is out of step with the voters, and too beholden to her high-dollar donors.

“I think there are some good reasons to try to replace her with someone who is more progressive on a whole lot of issues,” he said.

Speaking of those high-dollar donors, Mandel and Republican Tom Silva face a tough battle to remove Matsui, who has served since 2005, from office. The incumbent has more than $334,000 in cash on-hand, according to her latest Federal Election Commission filing.

MURATSUCHI AGAIN DENIES BILL HEARING

Another swing and a miss for AB 1314, the bill from Assemblyman Bill Essayli, R-Corona, to force schools to notify parents if their child uses a different name or pronouns at school, regardless of whether that would place the child in danger.

Last year, Assembly Education Committee Chair Al Muratsuchi, D-Torrance, blocked AB 1314 from being considered, saying that it was not only bad policy, but also that letting the bill be heard in committee “would potentially provide a forum for increasingly hateful rhetoric targeting LGBTQ youth.”

In 2024, Muratsuchi continues to chair that committee, and his opinion of Essayli’s legislation hasn’t changed — the chairman is still barring the bill from getting a hearing.

Though Essayli’s bill was unceremoniously squashed, the idea behind it wasn’t. A number of conservative-controlled school boards across the state have since voted to enact a similar policy, prompting a legal challenge from Attorney General Rob Bonta that is still working its way through the courts.

At a rally last week, Essayli raged against the decision to block his bill.

“Unfortunately, this Legislature is so arrogant, they are so pompous, they refuse to even give my bill a hearing,” he said, according to a press release from conservative group the California Family Council. “They don’t even want to take a vote. That’s how little regard they have for the people of this state.”

A 2021 study published in the journal Pediatrics shows that transgender and gender nonconforming youths are more likely to be victims of physical, psychological and sexual abuse, and a 2022 survey by the Trevor Project found that fewer than a third of trans youths view their home as a safe and affirming place.

In a statement to The Bee, Muratsuchi cited the pending litigation as cause to hold the bill.

“This bill would require educators to ‘out’ a student to their parents, even when the student does not feel comfortable coming out, potentially forcing them into an unwelcoming or abusive home. All students deserve to be respected and supported for who they are. As a parent as well as the Education Chair, I believe that gender identity conversations should take place between parents and their children in a safe and private space,” he said.

PROMINENT GROUP OPPOSES PROPOSITION 1

While Proposition 1, the ballot measure to authorize billions in new spending on mental and behavioral health, as well as housing for the homeless, has the support of Gov. Gavin Newsom and a majority of Californians, not everyone is a fan.

On Monday, the nonpartisan League of Women Voters California came out with an anti-endorsement, saying that while the measure provides “sorely needed” funds for housing, “they do not outweigh its flaws.”

“The bond portion of the measure was rushed through the legislature with last-minute amendments that opened the door to funding involuntary treatment in locked facilities,” the group said in a statement.

The proposition was not subject to proper debate, including feedback from community-based organizations and civil rights advocates, the league argued.

“These groups contend that community-based care is more effective than institutionalization and that incentivizing institutionalization will both lead to worse health outcomes and curtail individual liberties,” the group said.

The group also argued that the measure restricts counties’ ability to offer mental health services tailored to local needs

“Finally, budgetary decisions should be made by the legislature, not by earmarking funds through ballot initiatives. Earmarking restricts the counties and the state from redirecting funds to alternative models of care that may arise in the future, or to other emerging and essential needs,” the league concluded.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Our collective pursuit of justice should encompass a fair, compassionate, and balanced approach that acknowledges and supports all victims of violence, including both Israeli and Palestinian civilians. This resolution and the letter by the Jewish Legislative Caucus had the opportunity to transcend divisive rhetoric and genuinely uplift the affected communities in their quest for dignity, security, and a safe future. Instead, it has deepened the divide and intentionally turned a deaf ear to the voices of our communities.”

- CAIR-CA CEO Hussam Ayloush, in a statement responding to a pending Assembly resolution condemning Hamas.

Best of The Bee:

• Gov. Gavin Newsom Monday called for a special election to finish seven-to-10 months of retired Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s term, via Gillian Brassil.

• When the Sacramento City Council reconsiders a vote for City Manager Howard Chan Tuesday, one significant detail will be different, which could change the outcome, via Theresa Clift.

• Suspended Greater Sacramento NAACP president Betty Williams and an executive officer appear to have used their own businesses to manage a multi-million dollar county-sponsored pandemic-era food delivery program, according to financial filings obtained by The Sacramento Bee, via Darrell Smith.

• During a Sacramento mayoral online forum Thursday, California Assemblyman Kevin McCarty claimed that the county has yet to spend “a penny” of the $25 million it received to shelter homeless people camping along the American River Parkway, via Theresa Clift.