Dustin Gardiner

San Francisco

Co-Author at California Playbook Newsletter

California politics reporter, Playbook co-author @POLITICO. Priors: @sfchronicle, @azcentral. Board: @SF_PressClub. Fan of trails & mountains. 🏔🏳️‍🌈DMs open.

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Articles

A Kamalaless confab in the shadows of Disneyland

1 week ago | politico.com | Blake Jones |Dustin Gardiner

Then-Sen. Kamala Harris speaks during the California Democratic Party State Organizing Convention in San Francisco, June 1, 2019. | Jeff Chiu/AP DEM DERBY — California Democrats will gather in Anaheim this weekend to hold their largest meeting since native daughter Kamala Harris faceplanted in the presidential race and Donald Trump returned to besieging them from Washington.
‘It’s raining tacos’: Blue states cheer Trump's tariff setbacks

1 week ago | politico.com | Dustin Gardiner |Alex Nieves

“It’s raining tacos today,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said on the MeidasTouch Podcast on Thursday, an apparent reference to the TACO acronym that Wall Street investors have used to refer to whiplash over Trump’s see-sawing import taxes. The president has bristled at the name, which stands for “Trump always chickens out.” Newsom, whose state was among more than 14 that sued to challenge the tariffs, added, “It’s not a good day for Donald Trump and his central economic program.
Newsom taunts Trump after tariffs loss: 'It's raining tacos'

1 week ago | yahoo.com | Dustin Gardiner |Alex Nieves

SAN FRANCISCO — Of all the blue state legal challenges to President Donald Trump, none have delivered as big a blow as two court rulings striking down his tariffs on imports from dozens of countries. Democratic governors and attorneys general seized the pair of rulings on Thursday as an affirmation of their warnings about the economic toll of rising prices on consumer goods and emptying shipping containers at ports along the East and West coasts.
SCOOP: McGuire plans to stay until 2026

1 week ago | politico.com | Dustin Gardiner |Blake Jones

Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire, who’s termed out of the Legislature next year, is signaling he doesn’t expect to announce a transition plan until 2026. | Rich Pedroncelli/AP THE BUZZ: TAKE YOUR TIME — California Senate insiders are jonesing to know when the chamber might select its next leader. But Mike McGuire is in no rush to share his plans, even as he’s raked in more than $221,000 this year to run for another office.
Trump’s gaze pans back to California

1 week ago | politico.com | Blake Jones |Dustin Gardiner

Announcement from Editorial Director, California Christopher Cadelago and Senior Executive Editor Alex Burns:We’re excited to announce that David Siders, who got his start at POLITICO as a co-author of California Playbook, is returning home to a leadership role as Senior News Editor where he’ll play a critical role in managing the news report and help oversee the Playbook newsletters to grow their reach across the Golden State.
Nancy Pelosi’s midterms mission

1 week ago | politico.com | Dustin Gardiner |Blake Jones

Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi Pelosi has made defending federal health care programs her focus as she tries to help Democrats take back the House in the 2026 midterms. | Tom Brenner/Getty Images THE BUZZ: GROUND GAME — Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi has a go-to line these days to criticize Rep. David Valadao: He could be the “one vote that cut Medicaid” by backing Republican’s megabill to bolster President Donald Trump’s domestic agenda.
A chokepoint for housing, tickets and tech

2 weeks ago | politico.com | Blake Jones |Dustin Gardiner |Melanie Mason

The rotunda at the California Capitol in Sacramento. | Rich Pedroncelli/AP THE BUZZ: TIS’ THE SEASON — It’s that special time of year in the Capitol when swarms of sweaty lobbyists and even lawmakers have absolutely no clue what’s going to happen to their bills — suspense day. Conditions are ripe for the “suspense file” — from which appropriations committee members quickly approve, reject and amend hundreds of bills with big price tags — to do significant damage.
Mike McGuire in the housing hot seat

2 weeks ago | politico.com | Dustin Gardiner |Blake Jones

Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire has been ambiguous about where he stands on the most high-profile housing legislation this year. | Rich Pedroncelli/AP THE BUZZ: HOUSES DIVIDED — When it comes to housing legislation, Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire has increasingly become the outlier of the proverbial three-legged stool of state government in Sacramento. His counterparts — Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and Gov.
California Latinos are leaving Democrats behind

2 weeks ago | politico.com | Blake Jones |Dustin Gardiner

Then-Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes speaks on the floor during a meeting of the California Legislature on Aug. 5, 2024, in Sacramento, California. | Juliana Yamada/AP DUI ALLEGATION — State Sen. Sabrina Cervantes was detained Monday and cited on suspicion of drunk driving after her car collided with another vehicle just blocks from the Capitol, authorities exclusively told POLITICO.
Newsom’s Menendez brothers quandary

2 weeks ago | politico.com | Lindsey Holden |Blake Jones |Dustin Gardiner

This combination of two booking photos provided by the California Department of Corrections shows Erik Menendez (left), and Lyle Menendez. | California Dept. of Corrections via AP THE BUZZ: KEEPER OF THE KEYS — Erik and Lyle Menendez’s shot at freedom could soon be hurtling toward California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk, creating a conundrum for a leader with less than two years left in his term to solidify his legacy and grow his national profile.