NOVEL CALIFORNIA PROBLEMS, SAME FECKLESS POLITICAL RESPONSE

Good morning!

On Wednesday night, the Center for Disease Control confirmed that a resident of California had contracted coronavirus without having traveled abroad. This marks the first U.S. case by community transmission. Meanwhile, a legal fight erupted in Orange County over a planned coronavirus quarantine facility in Costa Mesa. The New York Times reports, “Judge Staton, of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, pressed state officials to explain why it selected ‘a facility in the second-most populated county in the state of California.’” The case should be decided next week.

While California faces worsening novel and systemic problems, such as pervasive homelessness, the State Assembly is devoting its time to such pressing issues as gender-neutral toy aisles. Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Campbell) proposed a bill on Tuesday that requires all retail department stores with 500 or more employees not to sell children’s toys and clothing segregated by gender. Violators would be fined $1,000.

Next week, Californians head to the polls to vote in the primary election. Among the items on the ballot is the new Prop 13 -- a measure that authorizes bonds for facility repair, construction, and maintenance of public schools statewide. However, as CPC contributor Chris Reed points out, the measure incentivizes school districts to borrow money more recklessly than ever before. Read more. 

An audit released on Tuesday reveals that the California Lottery has not been properly funding its education obligations. State Auditor Elaine Howle wrote to the Governor and State Legislature that the California Lottery failed to provide $36 million that should have gone to education in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2018. According to the Los Angeles Times, “the audit also said the lottery agency was unable to demonstrate that its prize payout rate is ‘optimal for maximizing funding for education, leaving it unable to know whether it is diverting too much funding to prize payments.’”

Last month, the California Teachers Association changed one of its policies to endorse hormone therapy for children who would like to transition their gender without parental consent. CPC contributor Larry Sand explains what this means for public education in the Golden State. Read more. 

Many public safety unions get a bad rap from conservatives and libertarians in California. Yet, as CPC fellow Edward Ring writes, “To the extent public safety in California is compromised, for the most part that is caused by policies the public safety unions unsuccessfully opposed including Prop. 47, Prop. 57, AB 109, and AB 953.” Read more.

State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) is pushing a bill in the State Senate to make PG&E a public utility. Although PG&E has made some mistakes in the past, thanks in large part to regulations from the California Public Utilities Commission, CPC contributor Mark Lisheron explains why a state takeover is a horrible idea. Read more.

The day that the Janus v. AFSCME decision was handed down, former Gov. Brown signed into law a bill that effectively made it illegal for public officials to discuss the Janus decision and its implications to public employees. Last Friday, the California Policy Center and Center for Individual Rights filed a lawsuit in federal court on behalf of seven local elected officials to challenge this gag rule. This effort was covered by several different news outlets like The Wall Street Journal, Sacramento Bee, Capital Square, and Law360. 

CPC President Will Swaim and CPC Board Member David Bahnsen discuss the latest radical bills -- ranging from occupational licenses for sex workers to human composting --  in the State Assembly on this week’s episode of National Review's Radio Free California. Bonus! Will talks CEQA with two Sacramento real-estate developers. Click here to listen.

Finally, are you affected by AB 5, California’s new law that harmed the ability of people to work as independent contractors or in the gig economy? If you have been hurt by AB 5, we would like to know your story. Please contact me at [email protected].

Upcoming Events:

Reagan’s Emergence as a World Statesman
The Pepperdine School of Public Policy hosts Reagan historian Dr. Gene Kopelson on Wednesday, March 4 for an evening conversation about Ronald Reagan's first quest for the presidency in the late 1960s. Kopelson’s book, Reagan's 1968 Dress Rehearsal: Ike, RFK, and Reagan's Emergence as a World Statesman, will be available for purchase. To register for this free event, click here.

Documentary Screening and Book Signing
The Richard Nixon Presidential Library will host Dennis Prager and Hollywood producer Mark Joseph for a screening and discussion of the documentary No Safe Spaces on Monday, March 9. Admission to this event includes the purchase of one copy of No Safe Spaces. Additional copies of the book may be purchased during registration or at the event. To register for the event, click here.

Art Laffer & Emmanuel Saez Debate the Wealth Tax at Pepperdine
Art Laffer, Presidential Medal of Freedom award recipient and inventor of the Laffer Curve, will square off against Emmanuel Saez, UC-Berkeley economist and Elizabeth Warren advisor, in a debate over the wealth tax at Pepperdine University on March 12th. The event is hosted by The Steamboat Institute as part of its Campus Liberty Tour, which brings debates on big issues to college campuses across the country. Find out more and register for free here.
 

Perspectives on America Today and the Importance of Culture
The National Review Institute will host a seminar in Newport Beach on March 24 and in San Francisco on March 25 on the perennial fight against socialism. Lindsey Craig, Rich Lowry, Jay Nordlinger, John O’Sullivan, Kyle Smith, and Kevin Williamson will explain why our culture matters now more than ever. For more information, and to register, click here.

Crisis: Housing and Homelessness in California
Cato will host a day-long conference on the growing homelessness epidemic plaguing the Golden State on Friday, April 17. This conference will also mark the premiere of a series of short documentary films featuring Kelley Cutler, with the Coalition on Homelessness. To register for this event, click here.

If you have any upcoming events in the state, please send them to me!


As always, if you’d like to join our movement to save California, we invite you to support us. Click here to donate to CPC.