A conservative (but shifting) stronghold in California weighs in on Trump’s indictment

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Wednesday, April 5.

The media gaze was fixated on New York on Tuesday for yet more historic firsts in the nation: the arrest and arraignment of a former U.S. president.

Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsification of business records related to an alleged cover-up of a hush money payment made in the days before the 2016 election.

True to form, the 45th president updated his followers on social media just before he surrendered to authorities, writing on his Truth Social platform:

“Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse. Seems so SURREAL — WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Can’t believe this is happening in America. MAGA!”

After his release, he was back on the platform.

“The hearing was shocking to many in that they had no ‘surprises,’ and therefore, no case,” Trump wrote. “Virtually every legal pundit has said that there is no case here. There was nothing done illegally!”

Former President Trump arrives at court Tuesday in New York.

(Mary Altaffer / Associated Press)

As the de facto figurehead of his party and frontrunning GOP candidate for the 2024 presidential race, Trump maintains broad support from Republican voters and party leadership.

That includes one of the GOP’s most powerful figures: Kevin McCarthy, speaker of the House and representative for California’s 20th Congressional District.

But on McCarthy’s home turf in Bakersfield, “reaction is more nuanced,” Times reporter Arit John wrote after a recent trip to the city in Kern County, considered a stronghold for conservatives in deep blue California.

McCarthy “has really been forceful in his defense of Trump,” Arit told me, and made assertions last month that most Americans view the indictment as politically motivated.

“We wanted to see, back home, what’s the sentiment around this,” she said.

Statewide, registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans roughly 2 to 1 — 10.3 million to 5.2 million, based on February 2023 registration data. Voters without a party preference account for nearly 5 million registrations.

In Kern County, Republicans narrowly edge out Democrats by several thousand voters (and independent voters make up about 20% of the county’s registered voters).

Arit spent Saturday morning at the F Street Farmers Market near downtown Bakersfield, asking people about the indictment against the former president.

“It’s a very conservative area, but it’s sort of shifting, especially in the city of Bakersfield,” she said. “People had a lot of surprising reactions to this that don’t necessarily fall along red and blue lines.”

Here’s a sampling of what people told her:

Some echoed Trump’s framing of the case as a politically motivated “witch hunt” designed to keep him from running again.

“The left has a batting average of zero against Donald Trump,” Greg Perrone, president of the Greater Bakersfield Republican Assembly, told Arit. “Whatever is possible to do to make sure he cannot run for president, they’re going to do that.”

Among those she interviewed, Arit also noted a misconception about why Trump was charged (at least before the indictment against him was unsealed Tuesday).

“[Some] people think that it’s about the morality of whether or not Trump had an affair with an adult film actress and tried to cover it up,” she said. “That’s not what the case is about ... it’s about the [business] documents.”

Some McCarthy supporters lauded his loyalty to Trump.

“McCarthy needs to stand up and stand by Trump like he has before,” one resident told Arit. “Don’t be pushed over or persuaded.”

McCarthy’s situation also reflects the tightrope many Republicans are walking into 2024, which is poised to be an even bigger circus than the 2016 or 2020 election cycles.

“If their voters think that this is politically motivated, if they want to see their elected officials defending Trump and not siding with Trump’s opposition, then that is a big motivating factor,” Arit said. “Their fates are very tied together.”

You can read more from Arit on her trip to Bakersfield here.

And now, here’s what’s happening across California:

Note: Some of the sites we link to may limit the number of stories you can access without subscribing.

L.A. STORIES

A family of hip-hop clowns is growing in South Los Angeles. Through joyful birthday party performances and community building, their mission is to keep a 30-year-old tradition strong and provide youth an alternative to gangs and street violence. Los Angeles Times

Tommy the Clown summons the next member of T-Squad from behind the parked clown trucks to greet and entertain the kids at a birthday party in Inglewood.

(Wesley Lapointe / Los Angeles Times)

More than 300 “undercover” Los Angeles police officers have signaled their intentions to sue the city for allegedly endangering their lives by releasing their photographs. The precursor to a lawsuit stems from the LAPD’s release of more than 9,000 officer images and information as part of a public records request, which were then published on a police watchdog group’s website. Los Angeles Times

Tuesday was an election day in Los Angeles, with several local candidates competing to fill the City Council seat vacated by Nury Martinez. But turnout in the San Fernando Valley race was looking dismal. More than 118,000 registered voters in the district were sent a vote-by-mail ballot but as of Monday about 8,000 had been returned, according to county election officials. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Some California schools are taking advantage of an underregulated process that allows administrators to kick students out but call it an “involuntary transfer.” Critics say the maneuver has little oversight and can lead to the same educational harms that expulsion can bring. Hechinger Report

California’s plan to phase out youth prisons and reshape the state’s juvenile justice system is facing a court battle. A coalition of community advocates say they’ve been left out of the process and worry a new “shadow” juvenile justice system will be created. Sacramento Bee

CRIME, COURTS AND POLICING

The family of an 18-year-old mom killed by a school officer in 2021 will get a $13-million settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit against the Long Beach Unified School District. Manuela “Mona” Rodriguez was fatally shot by safety officer Eddie Gonzalez as she sat in the passenger seat of a moving car near Millikan High School. Los Angeles Times

Twenty California police officers could soon see the end of their careers as part of the state’s recent decertification process. A new public list names law enforcement officers accused of serious misconduct including sexual misconduct, fraud and excessive force. Under a new law passed in 2021, the accused officers are barred from working at any other state police agency unless they are cleared by a state commission or succeed in an appeal. Los Angeles Times

HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Amid the ongoing opioid crisis, San Francisco public health professionals and federal drug regulators are working to narrow the gap in access to medication-based treatment. The number of people receiving buprenorphine — a medication for opioid use disorder — has doubled since 2013, according to data from the Department of Public Health. The drug and others like it are seen as vital to reducing overdoses. KQED

After weeks of pleas, residents in Pajaro and other communities devastated by winter floods are getting substantial federal relief. President Biden signed a major disaster declaration late Monday for Monterey and surrounding counties, opening up aid and other resources from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

As nonprofit theaters struggle to rebound from the pandemic, one is experiencing a resurgence. Pasadena Playhouse, critic Charles McNulty writes,”is finally living up to its official designation as the state theater of California.” Los Angeles Times

AND FINALLY

Today’s California landmark is from Cindy Yulich of Lawrence, Kan.: scenic La Jolla.

The rugged Pacific coastline in La Jolla.

(Cindy Yulich)

Cindy writes:

What are California’s essential landmarks? Fill out this form to send us your photos of a special spot in California — natural or human-made. Tell us why it’s interesting and what makes it a symbol of life in the Golden State. Please be sure to include only photos taken directly by you. Your submission could be featured in a future edition of the newsletter.

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