Powerful women are backing a man for California’s Senate seat

Last weekend in Long Beach, Democratic Rep. Katie Porter of Irvine met with voters at a small rally in the back patio of Lola’s Mexican Cuisine. It was one of many stops she’s making around California as she campaigns for the U.S. Senate seat that was recently held by the late Dianne Feinstein.

“If one of Katie’s male opponents wins in November, that will be the first time in more than 30 years that California does not have a woman representing us in the Senate,” Democratic Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Irvine) said as she introduced Porter.

Boos rang out from the crowd.

This was a scene my colleague Benjamin Oreskes witnessed on the campaign trail in the final weeks before the March 5 primary. It points to an unanticipated undercurrent of California’s Senate race.

Though California made history in 1993 as the first state to elect two women to the Senate, the state’s streak of female representation may come to an end after this year’s election — and, Oreskes reports, women appear to be a leading reason.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), one of the most powerful women in California and national politics, has endorsed Porter’s male opponent, Democratic Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank). So has former Sen. Barbara Boxer, who served alongside Feinstein for nearly a quarter century after they were elected in the first “Year of the Woman.” More than half the women in California’s congressional delegation also back Schiff. And recent opinion polls show Schiff leading the field among female likely voters.

Read more about the surprising dynamic in this article: California’s streak of female senators may be ending — and women appear to be a reason

Don’t miss these other updates on the California Senate race:

I’m Laurel Rosenhall, The Times’ Sacramento bureau chief, here with your guide to the week’s news in California politics.

Switcheroo

Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Biden switched places this week — geographically speaking, anyway.

While Biden was in California raising money for his reelection campaign, Newsom traveled to Washington for meetings with the National Governors Assn. and the Democratic Governors Assn. He’s expected to meet with Biden on Friday and Saturday once the president returns to Washington.

In Los Angeles on Wednesday, Biden visited a library in Culver City, where he announced the cancellation of $1.2 billion in student loan debt for more than 150,000 borrowers, saying the relief will allow them to buy homes, start families and otherwise benefit the economy. On Tuesday he met with campaign donors at the sprawling Beverly Park estate owned by media mogul Haim Saban, arguing that the 2024 election offers a “crystal-clear” choice for voters.

“Time and again, Republicans show they are a party of chaos and disunity. They shout about problems but offer nothing,” Biden told the crowd, reports my colleague Seema Mehta. “They have no platform.”

Biden is in Silicon Valley today for a campaign fundraiser hosted by former state Controller Steve Westly.

Single-payer lacks a payer

As budget analysts came out this week with the latest estimate of California’s whopping budget shortfall —pegging it at $73 billion — Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) cast doubt on a new proposal to create a state-run single-payer healthcare system.

“The concept of single-payer and expanding access and affordability are good ideas,” Rivas told reporters at the state Capitol on Tuesday. “I say this with great respect to stakeholders and advocates: We need to see how this is funded. It’s a good idea but it’s a tough, tough sell, especially in a budget climate that we are experiencing now.”

In the past, single-payer legislation has divided Democrats and ultimately withered because of concerns over cost, opposition from private insurers and the complex bureaucracy that undergirds the nation’s delivery of healthcare, writes reporter Anabel Sosa.

The new single-payer bill will face additional hurdles because of the state’s mounting budget deficit. When Newsom’s administration estimated the shortfall at $38 billion in January, the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office figured it was closer to $58 billion. Now the legislative analyst has upped the estimate to $73 billion because recent tax collections have come in lower than expected.

Other news out of the state Capitol this week:

Keeping up with California politics

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