Newsletter: Essential Politics: 13 weeks and counting

It’s been said that nothing focuses the mind better than a deadline, and election day is pretty much the biggest deadline in the world of politics.

And it’s 13 weeks from today.

Good morning from the the state capital. I’m Sacramento Bureau Chief John Myers, and perhaps that focus on the finish line helps explain some of the most recent news from the presidential campaign.

TRUMP: HE’S GOT PLANS, BUT THEN HE’S PANNED

For Donald Trump, it was a relatively as-expected event on Monday, an unveiling of economic proposals ranging from tax breaks for child care to abolishing the estate tax (dubbed the “death tax” by its critics).

“Americanism, not globalism, will be our new credo,” Trump said during his speech in Detroit.

But the Trump campaign also must contend with yet more criticism about his readiness to be commander-in-chief. On Monday, 50 former national security advisors to Republican presidents released a letter vowing to not vote for Trump because he “would be the most reckless president in American history.”

Also Tuesday, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine announced she can’t support the nominee.

They are the latest additions to our interactive detailing the full spectrum of Trump support.

CLINTON’S PROMISES

Meantime, Evan Halper takes a close look at the campaign promises of Hillary Clinton and whether the Democratic nominee will be able to keep all of them if she emerges victorious 13 Tuesdays from today.

Halper finds that many of Clinton’s ideas may not come to fruition easily, making some of her supporters anxious.

But in terms of the campaign itself, these first few days of August have been good ones for the Clinton camp. And the USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times “Daybreak” tracking poll has been chronicling that Clinton upswing. Keep tabs yourself at the top of our Politics page as the days dwindle toward Nov. 8.

MAYBE IT’S McMULLIN?

Add a new name to the anybody-but-the-frontrunners effort: Evan McMullin, a former CIA officer and top advisor to congressional Republicans.

McMullin threw his hat into the ring on Monday, trying to outflank Trump on the right. He does, though, have two things in common with The Donald: Both graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and he’s never held elected office.

Get the latest from the campaign daily on Trail Guide and follow @latimespolitics on Twitter.

BROWN’S ELECTRICITY GRID PLANS ARE ZAPPED FOR 2016

You could call it a bit of a “brownout” for much discussed efforts to move California’s energy grid into a new cooperation with other western states.

On Monday, Gov. Jerry Brown made it official: He’s hitting the pause button on the plan for the rest of 2016. Brown wants lawmakers to give his administration the green light to pursue a regional electricity grid, part of his goal to spread California’s clean energy marching orders. But as Chris Megerian and Ivan Penn report, the plan has encountered some stubborn opposition, and the target now moves to next year.

“There remain some important unresolved questions,” Brown wrote in his Monday letter to legislative leaders.

AND THEN THERE’S HOUSING

Add another setback — potentially — for California’s governor, as major labor and environmental groups now say they’re done with negotiating over Brown’s big housing proposal.

The governor has been pushing his plans to streamline new housing construction but has found tough sledding in the halls of the state Capitol.

It remains to be seen whether the governor can bring everyone back to the table. We’ve now got three weeks left before legislators adjourn for the year — not a ton of time, but enough for just about any kind of deal to come together in Sacramento.

A reminder that we’re tracking all of the twists and turns of this final month of statehouse action on our Essential Politics daily news feed.

DONATIONS TO HONDA’S LEGAL EXPENSE FUND

Three of the donors to Rep. Mike Honda’s legal expense fund also appeared on the list of donors that spurred the ethics complaint for which he needs the money to defend himself.

Sarah Wire took a look at the $37,000 that Honda reported raising for his legal defense this quarter and the $32,000 he spent on legal fees with two Washington law firms. The House Ethics Committee has spent nearly a year reviewing a complaint that the Silicon Valley congressman provided special opportunities to some of his donors and used office funds to help his campaign.

TODAY’S ESSENTIALS

— Trump has been pretty vocal of late when it comes to injecting some skepticism about the fairness of this fall’s three presidential debates. Here’s an overview of the debate process.

— A group of lawmakers that’s considered key for any effort to extend California’s climate change programs this year says it wants an audit of how greenhouse gas reduction money is spent.

— A relocation of the Central Valley’s Highway 99 in Fresno, a key part of the high-speed train project, is running behind schedule and over budget.

— It was NFL Monday in Sacramento, as Eric Dickerson, Jim Everett, Jackie Slater and other former greats of the Los Angeles Rams were honored at the Capitol, with the team about to kick off its official return to California.

— State lawmakers held a memorial for the late Sen. Sharon Runner on Monday, a month after her death after complications from lung disease. The state Capitol ceremony featured a eulogy from House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield), who served alongside Runner more than a decade ago in the state Assembly. McCarthy called her “a woman who faithfully served others her whole life.”

LOGISTICS

Miss yesterday’s newsletter? Here you go. Did someone forward you this? Sign up here to get Essential Politics in your inbox daily. And keep an eye on our politics page throughout the day for the latest and greatest. And are you following us on Twitter at @latimespolitics and @LATpoliticsCA?

Please send thoughts, concerns and news tips to [email protected].