California Local Elected Officials: Protect the Independence of Local Governments

By California Policy Center
07/18/2023
Sign the Letter of Opposition to SCA 7 California’s powerful union leaders are at it again. State lawmakers are backing a bill that would give the state’s public-sector unions veto power over any state or local government decision in California. That’s why California Policy Center (CPC) is asking local elected officials among California’s 58 counties...

TAGS: California government unions, California public sector unions, California teachers unions, government employee unions, National Review

A Happy Anniversary for Workers’ Rights

By Houston Reese
06/27/2023
Five years ago this week, the U.S. Supreme Court confirmed the First Amendment right of government workers to opt out of their unions.  In Janus vs AFSCME, decided on June 27, 2018, the Court ruled that public-sector employees have the right to opt out of union representation and cannot be forced to pay union dues....

TAGS: California government unions, California public sector unions, Janus, Janus decision, Janus ruling, Janus v. AFSCME, Mark Janus

Assemblyman Isaac Bryan’s Assault on Working Families

By Edward Ring
04/24/2023
Bryan is also sponsoring a bill to gut California’s 112-year-old initiative and referendum process so voters no longer have veto power over California’s Democrat-controlled legislature. It isn’t hard to figure out who controls everything Assemblyman Isaac Bryan does in the California State Legislature. In the November 2022 election, every single one of the first 29 of...

TAGS: California government unions, California Labor Federation, California Legislature, California public sector unions, California State Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez

SEIU Faces Steep Declines in Membership and Revenue

By Jackson Reese
03/31/2023
SEIU Local 99’s massive strike in LA Unified ended last week with union leaders bragging that the  strike showcased the union’s strength. But the reality is more stark for the union: SEIU is facing steep declines in membership and revenue, and the strike appears more like an act of desperation. According to internal LAUSD documents,...

TAGS: California government unions, California public sector unions, public employee unions, seiu, seiu local 1000

Unionized Public Education is Destroying California

By Edward Ring
03/09/2023
Behind any popular mass movement there are often good ideas and noble objectives. Public sector unions—including teachers’ unions—are no exception.  Organized labor, ideally, offers collective power to ordinary workers and provides a counterweight whenever business interests become exploitative. How to regulate that balance is a topic that deserves vigorous and ongoing debate, but most of...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, California government unions, California public sector unions, California Teacher Association, teachers union

Unions Are Behind California’s Latest Wealth Tax Proposal

By Edward Ring
02/16/2023
If at first you don’t succeed, try again. This adage applies well to ideas for new ways to tax Californians. Every election cycle we see new ways to be taxed, and higher tax rates, but rarely will we see a tax get repealed. So it is that Assemblyman Alex Lee (D, San Jose) has introduced Assembly...

TAGS: California government unions, California public sector unions, California taxes, property taxes, tax increases

School Board Battles Are Raging

By Larry Sand
11/18/2022
Teachers unions finally have some competition in all-important school board races. It’s no secret that the teachers unions have control over most aspects of public education in the U.S. The school boards, which negotiate with unions over salary, work rules, etc. are particularly important for the unions to dominate. To that end, Michael Hartney, a...

TAGS: California public sector unions, campaign spending, Local Elections, political spending, school board

Tracking Political Spending by Government Unions

By Edward Ring
11/18/2022
With a rough top-down analysis, it’s easy enough to estimate how much government unions collect and spend every year in California. They have roughly a million members, paying roughly $1,000 per year in dues. That would be one billion dollars per year. They spend about a third of that to fund political campaigns for candidates and ballot...

TAGS: California public sector unions, campaign finance, Dark money, Elections, public sector union reform

How to Be a Successful Politician in California

By Edward Ring
11/18/2022
The following conversation never happened. It is for the reader to decide to what extent, however, this conversation reflects political reality in California today.   Candidate (C): It’s a surprise that you contacted me. I never thought I would run for office, I don’t know how to run a campaign, and I’m not well informed...

TAGS: California public sector unions, elected office, Government, government unions, politicians, special interests