SUPERSTITION AIN'T THE WAY!

Good morning!

When you believe in things that you don’t understand, then you suffer at the hands of big government. So this Friday the 13th, don’t scream! Get informed by your favorite weekly newsletter from California Policy Center!

This week opened with a bombshell bill being signed into law by Gov. Newsom. After much fierce debate, the stage legislature voted to pass SB419 -–a bill that bans suspensions for “defiant and disruptive” behavior in grades K-8. Although many parents and charter schools fought the bill, they could not overcome the biggest obstacle in their path: the teachers unions. However, as CPC contributor Larry Sand points out, supporting this bill will likely create more future headaches for the members of California’s teachers unions. Click here to read more.

While Californians slept soundly on Tuesday night, California state senators worked overtime to pass AB5, a bill that seeks to upend the gig economy and re-classify independent contractors as traditional employees with benefits. After surviving a party-line vote, the bill was approved by the Assembly the following day and sent to Gov. Newsom’s desk for signature. If signed, which is likely given the governor’s early endorsement of the bill, there will be repercussions on both the state and federal level. Brittany Hunter, a senior writer at the Foundation for Economic Education, examines what the consequences of AB5 here. 

On the same day, the U.S. Census Bureau released poverty data  showing Once again...California is No. 1. The Sacramento Bee highlights the only place worse than California is Washington, D.C. – which, of course, ain’t a state. 

One of the key reasons for the decline of California is the political spending of the state’s government unions. In the face of union-backed tax hikes and increasingly whacko regulation, California residents flee – or stay and feed the beast. CPC’s own Edward Ring offers a solution to this problem. Click here to read the full article. 

CPC president Will Swaim appeared on “A Deep Dive,” a podcast of the Kern Citizens for Sustainable Government. He discussed AB5, the environment, and where California is headed with host Romeo Agbalog. Click here to listen.

California needs your help! For the next week we are giving you the opportunity of a lifetime – literally, because we’re not doing this again! – a chance to pick the Grand Prize Winner of the Prop 65 Contest. Remember Prop 65, the state-required cancer warning so widespread that Californians know it’s best to ignore them? Well, you can now vote on the funniest/weirdest/most infuriating examples of Prop 65 overkill. Think of it as March Madness for bad legislation: We’ll vote for five winners this week and choose a single Grand Prize winner next week. For more information, and to exercise your voting rights, click here. (We will not be ballot harvesting.)

Upcoming Events:

Faith in the Halls of Power
Timothy Goeglein, former special assistant to U.S. President George W. Bush, speaks at Pepperdine University’s Calabasas campus on Monday, September 23 at 5 pm. He will discuss his new book, American Restoration: How Faith, Family, and Personal Sacrifice Can Heal Our Nation. For more information, and to register for the event, click here.

The (Transformative) Power of Women
Pepperdine University hosts AEI fellow Ayaan Hirsi Ali on Tuesday, October 1 at 6 pm in Malibu, California. Charity Wallace, founder and principal at Wallace Global Impact and board member at Pepperdine School of Public Policy, will moderate a conversation on women's rights from a global perspective. To purchase tickets for the event, click here.

Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Permission? 
The Pepperdine University School of Public Policy hosts a half-day conference on Wednesday, October 16 in Costa Mesa. Timothy Sandefur, VP for Litigation at the Goldwater Institute, will explore the growing reach of the administrative state—from local government regulations to federal—that are inhibiting (if not preventing) basic American freedoms. Seating is limited. To register, click here.

Rand Paul at the Reagan Library
U.S. Senator Rand Paul will speak at the Reagan Presidential Library on October 18, about his new book, The Case Against Socialism. There is no cost to attend the event. For more information, and to reserve your spot, click here.

A Reagan Forum and Book Signing with Dr. Wilfred McClay
Dr. Wilfred McClay, the Ronald Reagan Professor of Public Policy at Pepperdine, will visit the Reagan Presidential Library to discuss “Recovering the American Story: Consciousness and the American Past” on November 15. The event is free and begins at 11 am. For more information, and to reserve your spot, click here.


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.