Newsletter: Essential Politics: Welcome to an active California campaign

I’m Christina Bellantoni. This is Essential Politics, and California is the center of the political universe this week.

Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders are all here over the next few days, and it was a packed weekend of campaigning.

Sanders continues his streak of rallies Monday at noon at Lincoln Park in East Los Angeles, then appears at the Santa Monica High School Football Field at 7 p.m.

On Tuesday, Sanders will be in Anaheim, Riverside and San Bernardino. (And in a location coincidence that might give some residents whiplash, Trump’s rally on Wednesday also is at the Anaheim Convention Center.)

Clinton comes to Los Angeles on Monday night for a fundraiser and remains in California on Tuesday and Wednesday. As she has tended to do, Clinton is holding smaller, policy-focused events, starting with a discussion about foster care with Rep. Karen Bass in Los Angeles on Tuesday morning, followed by a speech at a local union hall in Commerce and an evening “organizing event” at UC Riverside.

On Saturday, Sanders drew thousands in National City, while former President Bill Clinton told voters in San Diego why he believes his wife is the best qualified.

Cathleen Decker writes that as both men coursed across Southern California over the weekend, something that seemed a bit like a truce was evident.

Gone were some of Sanders’ harshest condemnations of the Democratic front-runner and the former president’s tenure in the White House.

Gone too was Bill Clinton’s occasional belittling of the Vermont senator’s policy proposals.

Decker also took at look at the surrogate action in California, finding that Clinton basically has way more friends.

SANDERS BACKERS SUE TO EXTEND VOTER REGISTRATION

After weeks of accusations about confusion among California’s “no party preference” voters, a group of Sanders supporters is leading the charge to extend the deadline for voter registration — even though it ends today.

And they’re taking their case to federal court.

A new lawsuit alleges these unaffiliated voters are being disenfranchised by confusion over how they can vote on a Democratic ballot next month. And as John Myers reports, they are asking for voter registration to be extended all the way through election day.

It’s unclear if the lawsuit has any chance of moving forward, but it’s another sign of how closely contested the Golden State’s presidential primary might be.

In addition to a group backing Sanders, the plaintiffs include California’s ultraconservative American Independent Party, which also is allowing “no party preference” voters to cast a presidential ballot.

Keep an eye on our Essential Politics news feed as we monitor the lawsuit Monday.

THOUSANDS LEAVE THE AMERICAN INDEPENDENT PARTY

Meantime, the AIP is shrinking. Myers also takes a look at voter registration data in the last two weeks of April, the days immediately after a Times investigation found widespread confusion over the party’s name and those who wish to register “independent” of any political party.

The bottom line: 31,722 AIP voters left the party in that time period, about 6.7% of its membership. By comparison, less than three-tenths of 1% left the Democratic and Republican ranks during those same two weeks.

TRUMP’S BIG DOLLAR FUNDRAISER

Wednesday night’s dinner at the home of Rachelle and Tom Barrack marks Trump’s first foray into official GOP fundraisers. Tickets start at $25,000 and go up to $100,000 per couple.

According to an invitation obtained by The Times, the first $2,700 raised will go to Trump’s primary campaign and the second $2,700 to his general election campaign. The next $33,400 will go to the RNC’s operations account, followed by the next $100,200 to the party’s convention account. Another $100,200 will be allotted to the RNC’s Headquarters account. The $110,000 after that will go to the state parties, and the final $100,200 will go to the RNC’s Legal Proceedings account.

Barrack, whose real estate private equity firm Colony Capital recently sold Miramax, has done deals with Trump, according to a profile in Fortune Magazine.

In 1983, Barrack’s ranch was the spot where then-Interior Secretary James Watt did some soul-searching and decided to resign after making disparaging comments that embarrassed the Reagan administration.

SANCHEZ A UFW NO-SHOW

It had potential to inject some excitement — finally — into the U.S. Senate race. But Rep. Loretta Sanchez never made it to the United Farm Workers confab over the weekend, leaving Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris with the stage to herself.

Phil Willon explains why that is a symbol for what has been an unremarkable campaign, and why that matters with just over two weeks to go before the primary.

CRUZ KEEPS HOPE ALIVE

After Sen. Ted Cruz dropped out of the presidential race, his team didn’t abandon the race for the White House entirely. They just filed a slate of potential presidential delegates for California’s June 7 primary and continue to monitor delegate selection in states that already voted in the GOP nominating process.

Seema Mehta and Melanie Mason report that the end result is that Cruz will have more than 500 loyalists attending the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July — a ground force that helps him establish himself as the national leader of the conservative movement, protect the party’s conservative platform from Trump’s so-called “New York values” — and lay the groundwork for a potential 2020 presidential bid.

For the latest about the campaign, keep an eye on Trail Guide and follow @latimespolitics.

IN AD 43, ARMENIAN AMERICANS COULD SWING THE VOTE

More than $1.2 million in outside spending has already flowed into the race to replace outgoing Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Glendale), but that’s not the only thing that could swing the race.

Armenian Americans, who make up more than 17% of registered voters there, are known for being a well-organized and cohesive voting bloc when it’s one of their own on the ballot. That could give a major boost to Glendale City Clerk Ardy Kassakhian, a second-generation Armenian-American who is running against fellow Democrat and Glendale Councilwoman Laura Friedman for the safe Democratic seat, along with six other candidates.

BATTLE OVER GUN CONTROL

Gun control is an issue Democrats can agree on. But in California, the state’s Senate leader and lieutenant governor are fighting over dueling approaches to achieving a common goal: new laws to rein in gun violence. George Skelton writes that Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and Senate pro Tem Kevin de León should put aside their differences and unite under the common cause.

PODCAST: GOVERNOR 2018

Last week’s announcement by state Treasurer John Chiang that he’s running for governor further fires up what’s sure to be one of the most fascinating races in modern California history.

This week’s California Politics Podcast focuses on how Chiang compares to Newsom, the other announced contender. And then who else jumps in? And what role will Brown play in the battle over who replaces him?

TODAY’S ESSENTIALS

— Rep. Janice Hahn (D-Los Angeles) is renewing her push for Congress to give Merchant Marines from World War II a lump sum of $25,000 each since they didn’t qualify for the GI Bill after the war.

— California cities, counties, unions and business leaders are trying to break through the state road funding deadlock by proposing a new plan.

— Michael Finnegan and Mark Z. Barabak explain how Trump has been using Bill Clinton’s extramarital affairs on the campaign trail, and what that might portend for the general election.

— Californians introduce a papier-mâché Sanders, naturally.

— Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts is one of the few figures in the Democratic Party who carries as much credibility with the party’s restive left wing as Sanders. But as Democrats ask if Warren can help corral Sanders’ backers, a second question emerges: What does Warren want? Noah Bierman explores.

— What do you think of Trump? Readers can weigh in with our quick survey.

LOGISTICS

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