THE TEACHERS UNION VIRUS STALLS AT-HOME LEARNING FOR CALIFORNIA KIDS

Good morning!

It’s been two weeks since President Trump announced a national state of emergency, and California is just beginning to feel the pain of the coronavirus crisis. More than one million Californians filed for unemployment benefits this month as state and county governments have issued stay at home orders. The state is averaging 106,000 unemployment claims daily.  Tax revenue will plummet as the economy and financial markets tank. “This is going to put stress on the state budget. There’s no way it can’t,” said Terri Sexton, a retired public-finance expert at Sacramento State. But, as CPC contributor Steven Greenhut writes in the Orange County Register, many fiscal conservatives foresaw this day of reckoning. Read more.

California teachers unions are holding up remote learning options for most of the state’s 6.3 million students who are quarantined at home. They are reportedly concerned about teachers’ “working conditions” and broadband “inequities” among students. According to Politico, “Teachers unions across the state are demanding rules for distance learning obligations, holding up at-home lessons for students — especially in districts that already had fractured labor relationships.” California Teachers Association spokesperson Claudia Briggs claims, “These important emergency declarations have not suspended obligations to negotiate with unions.” Gov. Newsom signed an executive order earlier this month requiring teachers to be paid during school closures. No mention of an order to ensure students can continue to learn. 

Even with no help from teachers unions, everyone is a homeschooler now. Corey DeAngelis, Executive Director of the Educational Freedom Institute, discusses ways that California’s school system can adapt to the coronavirus in the Orange County Register. Also, CPC contributor Larry Sand explores the history of public education and what it can tell us about where we are headed. Read more.

Between the end of February and last Thursday, CalPERS reported a loss of $69 billion from its pension fund. This is its largest market loss since the Great Recession. But, government pensions have been underfunded throughout this bull market. CPC fellow Edward Ring reminds us that government pensions have not always been irresponsibly managed. Read more.

California leaders are still differentiating between essential and non-essential businesses and workers. On Tuesday, LA Sheriff Alex Villanueva ordered gun stores to close their doors and threatened to cite and revoke licenses for those that did not comply. However, by Wednesday morning, the sheriff changed his tune and said that he would leave the stores alone and defer to the governor on what is and is not an “essential” business. Meanwhile, many state and local agencies are suspending public records requests because of the coronavirus.

California State Treasurer Fiona Ma is joining with some of her counterparts nationwide to call for the Federal Reserve to bail out municipal bond markets, which have cratered during the coronavirus pandemic. Reports Politico, "As the Covid-19 crisis batters state economies, more than a dozen state treasurers are urging Congress to authorize the Federal Reserve to buy municipal bonds — a key tool to finance necessary infrastructure and public projects."

On Monday, PG&E pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter for the 2018 Camp fire in the Northern California town of Paradise. This case marks the second time the company has been found guilty in a wildfire legal proceeding. 

Also on Monday, Governor Gavin Newsom thanked Elon Musk for securing 1,255 FDA-approved Resmed, Phillips & Medtronic ventilators from China, calling it a heroic effort. Musk’s company, Tesla, was also tapped over the weekend by the Trump administration to manufacture ventilators and other medical equipment.

CPC fellow Edward Ring offers ways statewide initiative reform organizations can cooperate with one another to achieve success. Read more.

Finally, are you affected by AB 5, California’s new law that’s reduced people’s ability 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].

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.