Why the world is watching Beverly Hills

Presented by Californians for Energy Independence

MILKEN THE SPOTLIGHT — The Milken Institute’s annual Global Conference kicked off in earnest today in Beverly Hills, with hordes of finance, tech, government and media figures literally rubbing elbows in the gilded lobby of the Beverly Hilton.

The first-day agenda included Argentina’s President Javier Milei, top Biden administration climate adviser John Podesta and California’s first partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom speaking on digital media’s effect on youth mental health. Later this evening, tech tycoon Elon Musk will speak at 5 p.m. (livestream here). We’ll be watching to see if he’ll shed some light on the hundreds of layoffs at Tesla last week and Tesla’s mounting financial challenges.

Why it matters: The conference is something of a mini Davos gathering of global leaders, presided over by the 77-year-old Michael Milken, who served time in prison for tax reporting violations in the 1990s before transforming from a junk bond king into a philanthropist.

The biggest buzz: From our vantage point, the most sought-after seat in the house this morning was to see soccer phenom David Beckham. Another sign this isn’t your typical conference: the elevated salmon box lunch served in faux wooden bento boxes.

Another hot ticket: A packed afternoon panel on the November election, featuring former Donald Trump counselor Kellyanne Conway, CNN host Van Jones, former House Speaker Paul Ryan and Obama-era deputy chief of staff Jim Messina.

Bass in brief: Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, in welcoming remarks midday, described the confab as one of her city’s recent big moments on the global stage, building toward its turn in 2028 to host the Summer Olympics, and vowing that the city “will be ready” thanks to its investments in infrastructure and clean energy. Even her glowy pitch for the city, however, included a frank acknowledgment about its homelessness problems, calling for innovation and entrepreneurship to tackle the crisis.

Speaking for just five minutes, Bass’ presence at the gathering was decisively blink-and-you’ll-miss-her. Attendees hankering for more sustained face time with the city’s top politician will have better luck with former mayor (and now ambassador to India) Eric Garcetti, who is scheduled to appear on three separate panels on Tuesday.

Read more: Our colleagues at Global Playbook are following the conference closely with further insight into happenings each day.

IT’S MONDAY AFTERNOON. This is California Playbook PM, a POLITICO newsletter that serves as an afternoon temperature check on California politics and a look at what our policy reporters are watching. Got tips or suggestions? Shoot an email to [email protected].

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

MORE CAMPUS ARRESTS: More than 40 students and journalists were arrested at the University of California, Los Angeles early this morning as tensions around Gaza continue and law enforcement struggles to respond.

The arrests were made in a parking garage, as UCLA campus police began to crack down on protests. The move from police prompted criticism about First Amendment protections for protesters and journalists. It also came after officers faced scrutiny for not responding last week to attacks on pro-Palestine protesters hit by sticks and fireworks.

“They must be released immediately. The fundamental freedom of the press is at stake,” Lindsey Horvath, chair of the LA County Board of Supervisors, wrote today, calling the arrests “unconscionable.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Bass were among those who criticized police last week, calling for an investigation and sending California Highway Patrol to aid in law enforcement.

Assemblymember Isaac Bryan — who represents Los Angeles and is an alumnus of the school — condemned the arrests on social media this morning.

“Our campus isn’t a war zone, and we can’t continue to treat students like it is,” Bryan wrote. “They should all be released.” — Sarah Grace Taylor

ON THE BEATS

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: DEBATE DRAMA: San Francisco Mayor London Breed’s camp told Playbook today that she might back out of the first major debate in the mayoral race due to persistent concerns about connections between the campaign of rival Mark Farrell and lead event organizer Together SF Action, a centrist advocacy group.

If Breed indeed doesn’t attend, she would be the second top-tier candidate to opt out of the May 20 debate. Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin previously said he wouldn’t participate due to his own concerns about Together SF’s ties.

“We have real concerns with the debate and are reevaluating our participation,” Joe Arellano, Breed’s campaign spokesperson, exclusively told Playbook. “Multiple moderators have dropped out and the continued instability around the planning of the debate are concerning with two weeks to go before the event.”

Specifically, Arellano said Breed is concerned about media reports that several staffers for Together SF are also working on Farrell’s campaign. Farrell, a former interim mayor and city supervisor, is one of Breed’s top rivals in her tough November reelection bid.

Kanishka Cheng, CEO of Together SF Action, didn’t directly respond to Breed’s campaign in a statement this afternoon. Instead, she announced a new co-moderator for the debate, Bloomberg California bureau chief Karen Breslau, after a few previous moderators backed out.

“[We] have nearly sold out our event, and thousands of voters will be tuning-in to the livestream,” Cheng said. “We hope all the invited candidates come to share their vision and plans for San Francisco.”

Together SF is part of a group of loosely affiliated moderate political advocacy organizations that have recently helped push San Francisco city politics closer to the center, jumping on concerns from voters about drugs, crime and homelessness. The group is heavily funded by wealthy tech executives who want to limit the power of progressives on the Board of Supervisors.

Breed, Farrell and nonprofit executive Daniel Lurie, all moderate Democrats, had earlier agreed to participate in the debate, but the event has been thrown into limbo as Breed and Lurie’s camps raised concerns in recent days.

Lurie’s camp said he’s still confirmed for the debate. “Daniel is eager to debate the insiders who’ve overseen the decline of San Francisco,” said spokesperson Max Szabo.

Late last week, Together SF announced that another moderate advocacy group, Grow SF, would help host the debate. Together SF and Grow SF are separate groups, though they are part of the same network of moderate organizations. But that move didn’t quell candidates’ complaints.

Peskin, who announced a few weeks ago that he wouldn’t attend, previously said Together SF is “closely linked in an extremely partisan fashion” to one or more of his rivals. When asked for an update today, he texted a laughing reaction. — Dustin Gardiner

ANTISEMITISM ALLEGATIONS: The Anti-Defamation League and Brandeis Center today expanded their existing antisemitism complaint against the Berkeley Unified School District — saying harassment of Jewish students has persisted since the groups first called for a federal civil rights investigation into the district in February.

The groups listed an incident in which “Kill Jews” was written on a bathroom stall and reported that a Jewish first-grader overheard older students saying “Jews are stupid” and did not want to return to class.

The updated complaint further accused the district of failing to forcefully condemn expressions of antisemitism from teachers and students, just two days before Superintendent Enikia Ford Morthel is scheduled to be questioned by the House Education Committee on Capitol Hill in a rare congressional grilling of K-12 leaders.

According to the complaint, one teacher has already been placed on leave in response to scrutiny of incidents at the district. — Blake Jones

BIG WIN: A nonprofit news site out of Santa Cruz won the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news reporting today, offering a glimmer of hope for California’s dwindling local media landscape.

Lookout Santa Cruz won journalism’s highest honor for its coverage of area flooding in 2023, landing the small newsroom among the biggest names in media, even beating out The Los Angeles Times in the same category.

“In short, we did our jobs, and we heard so many thanks for it. The Pulitzer is icing on that cake,” Lookout staff wrote in an announcement about the prize.

And amid a difficult year of staffing cuts, former LA Times critic Justin Chang — now with The New Yorker — won the Pulitzer for criticism. — Sarah Grace Taylor

WHAT WE'RE READING TODAY

— High wages and extensive training help make California the best state to be a police officer, according to a new study. (KTLA)

— The pass rate for the California bar exam rose despite chilly testing conditions for a third of the test takers, according to an investigation by the State Bar of California. (Reuters)

— In a new high, half of renters under 50 don’t think they will be able to buy a home, a new survey shows. (The Orange County Register)

AROUND THE STATE

SAN FRANCISCO: The number of homeless encampments and tents reached a record low in San Francisco last quarter, according to Mayor London Breed’s office. The mayor says new shelter beds, efforts to fill vacant housing units and enforcement of anti-camping laws are behind them. (The San Francisco Standard)

BAY AREA: Bay Area wage hikes outpaced those in Southern California for the first time since mid-2020, according to an OC Register analysis. (The Orange County Register)

SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY: A suicide crisis in a San Joaquin Valley jail system prompted major changes, which have since seen a significant drop in deaths. (CalMatters)