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THE BUZZ: If you want to finish first, declaring first can help. Just ask Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis.

Kounalakis is announcing that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former Sen. Barbara Boxer are endorsing her gubernatorial bid, roughly three years before the first votes will be tallied. Those blessings from widely-recognized Democrats build Kounalakis credibility and nurture a sense of momentum that TBD-candidates cant claim. Those kinds of things can sway insiders with outsize campaign clout.

They wont attract the notice of California voters who arent watching the nascent 2026 campaign or reading this newsletter you know, normal people. But theyre certainly on the radar of people who can move money, marshal endorsements and help determine who prevails in the 2026 gubernatorial race.

Its a world Kounalakis knows well. She became the Obama administrations ambassador to Hungary in part because of her Democratic fundraising acumen. Her San Francisco apartment was a fixture of the West Coast big check circuit. Kounalakis then-neighbor and major money-mover, Susie Tompkins Buell, has already maxed out to Eleni 2026, as have criminal justice benefactor M. Quinn Delaney, tech titan Sheryl Sandberg and the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. The tribe, at the urging of Kounalakis last year, steered $5 million to enshrine abortion rights in Californias constitution.

Money isnt everything. But its both a necessity for a statewide campaign and an indicator of viability in the early days when a field is still coalescing. Kounalakis also had $4.4 million left over from her re-election campaign at the end of 2022 and a father developer Angelo Tsakopoulos who sunk millions of dollars into his daughters 2018 LG bid and presumably has some money left for 2026.

Shell have competition. Former State Controller Betty Yee has said shell run, and Attorney General Rob Bonta has publicly acknowledged his interest without committing to a run. Both would bring the recognition and connections that come with statewide office. Yee has deepened those connections as a California Democratic Party official; Bonta has broad support among criminal justice reformers and has telegraphed a focus on housing.

But Bonta would need to give up a second term as AG, since hes up for re-election in 2026. Yee would need to re-introduce herself to voters. Both start with less cash on hand than Kounalakis, particularly Yee. That gap could grow, as could the endorsement count. What happens in 2023 is already determining what will happen in 2026.

BUENOS DAS, good Thursday morning. The California Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments today in Chevrons challenge to Monterey Countys ban on oil and gas extraction a 2016 initiative that was supported by Assembly Speaker-elect Robert Rivas when he was a county supervisor. The high court is also expected to rule on a law limiting campaign contributions from players with business before local government.

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

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WHERES GAVIN? In Richmond talking about his clean energy agenda.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: We will not hesitate to use the tools we have in our toolbox to prosecute. However, I strongly want to emphasize that the fentanyl crisis cant be solved solely by prosecution tools, and I certainly want to emphasize that our crisis cant be solved by the failed war-on-drug policies of the past. Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton during a legislative hearing on fentanyl.

WERE 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.

As, Nevada leaders reach tentative ballpark agreement, by The Associated Press Gabe Stern: The tentative agreement outlined in a joint statement indicates a funding bill will be introduced in the Nevada Legislature in the coming days, giving lawmakers less than two weeks to consider it before the session ends. The threat of a special legislative session looms if lawmakers cant agree on the terms by June 5.

Porter campaign privately pitches Dems to look beyond Schiffs money, by POLITICOs Christopher Cadelago: Among donors and some Democrats close to Porter, theres creeping fear that Schiffs sizable cash advantage and support from the likes of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi could quickly harden the narrative with insiders that hes the prohibitive frontrunner for 2024 even if early public and private polls dont actually bear that out.

Musk, Thiel, Sacks and the new techy conservatives DeSantis needs to capture, by POLITICOs Ben Schreckinger: Ron DeSantis has found a lane. Now he has to find out if its wide enough to drive a winning campaign through. With Donald Trump holding a lock on the populist right, and the remnants of the GOP establishment split between several low-polling alternatives, Ron DeSantis is casting in his lot with a third group: very online, anti-woke Silicon Valley moguls.

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Californias health care minimum wage bill gets a haircut, by POLITICOs Rachel Bluth: In a session thats been dominated by talks of dire hospital finances and closing facilities, the minimum wage proposal fiercely fought by hospital interests always faced an uphill battle from moderate and rural Democrats. Slowing implementation may be what it takes to get it over the finish line.

Corporate landlords California buying spree alarms tenants: I only earn enough to pay the rent, by CalMatters Alejandro Lazo and Wendy Fry: Two years ago, Blackstone bought a portfolio of 66 relatively low-rent apartment buildings in San Diego County from a well-known charitable foundation for $1.48 billion. This year, tenants of those 5,800 dwellings say theyre worried about rent increases, maintenance issues and potential evictions.

Its time to honor a pioneering California woman badly mistreated in her day, opines Erwin Chemerinsky in The Sacramento Bee: It is long overdue to remember and honor Rose Bird, the first woman to serve as a member of a governors cabinet and the first woman to serve as chief justice of the California Supreme Court. A resolution now pending in the California legislature, Senate Concurrent Resolution 47, introduced by Senator Steve Glazer (D-Orinda), would do just that by renaming a rose garden plaza outside the State Capitol in Birds honor.

The luxury shopping oasis emerging in San Franciscos struggling downtown, by The Wall Street Journals Jim Carlton and Suzanne Kapner: Full tour buses are rumbling again through Union Square, this citys most well-known retail area, and business is brisk at high-end luxury stores. But one thing is still largely missing: local residents.

Survivors of solitary confinement face the California governors veto pen, by Bolts Piper French: With no movement since lawmakers passed the solitary reforms last year, advocates for ending the practice including Morris and other survivors of prolonged solitary confinement are once again urging Newsom to support the Mandela reforms, which have been filed again for this legislative session under Assembly Bill 280.

At L.A. City College, student reporters decry censorship at public, on-campus events, by the Los Angeles Times Melissa Gomez.

Not what it used to be: How downtown Oaklands recovery compares to San Franciscos, by the San Francisco Chronicles Sarah Ravani and Roland Li.

Sacramento County supervisors approve big raises for themselves. Heres how much they make, by The Sacramento Bees Ariane Lange.

California girls face anti-trans attacks as they head to track championship, by the San Francisco Chronicles Marisa Ingemi.

Kenneth Anger dies: Underground film pioneer influenced Scorsese, Lynch, by the Los Angeles Times Alex Dobuzinskis.

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