We believe every Californian should have the opportunity to flourish.

No fight to the Finnish

No fight to the Finnish

Finnish schools are unionized. American schools are unionized. The similarities end there. Randi Weingarten, Lily Eskelsen García and other teacher union leaders have on many occasions extolled the virtues of Finland’s education system, and, at every turn, they remind us that their teachers are unionized. They are right. Finland does have a highly regarded education...

By Larry Sand

Week 44 Entries

Week 44 Entries

Congratulations for week 44 go to Joseph Boring (itisisaccboring) for a nicely composed, humorous entry with sizable social impact.  It is indeed sad to learn that “becoming” a mermaid is just another activity that poses health risks – only in crazy California.   View this post on Instagram   Irony at its finest. The food...

By Renee Olivett

How can California reduce the costs of incarceration

How can California reduce the costs of incarceration

California Governor Gavin Newsom has agreed to give state prison correctional officers a 3 percent raise. According to the Legislative Analyst’s Office, there is “no evident justification” for this raise. A recent article in the Sacramento Bee summarizes portions of the LAO report, writing “The last time the state compared state correctional officers’ salaries to their local government counterparts,...

By Edward Ring

The Investicrats

The Investicrats

The great education spending swindle is never-ending for the teachers unions. Their whine never stops. While I and many others have been writing about the enormous sum of money spent on education for years, the “investicrats,” those who constantly demand that even more must be allocated, show no sign of leaving the building. Perhaps the...

By Larry Sand

Email reveals that Anaheim school officials built a wall, made students pay for it

Email reveals that Anaheim school officials built a wall, made students pay for it

As parents of students in failing schools attempted to move their children to better districts nearby, a top official in one district lobbied his colleagues to block all the exits. His reason: a decline in enrollment equals a drop in district revenue. “As we’ve shared with you, we are denying most transfer requests,” Jaron Fried,...

By Will Swaim

Week 43 Entries

Week 43 Entries

View this post on Instagram Sizzler would like to wish all of the fathers a Happy Father’s Day and also remind you that their famous cheese toast is dangerous! #Sizzler #sizzlercheesetoast #steakandlobster #fathersday #california #californialaw #food #onlyincalifornia #propositions #californiapropositions #prop65 #proposition65 #prop65contest A post shared by Shanae Chester (@shanaec86) on Jun 16, 2019 at 7:12pm...

By Renee Olivett

What do Public Safety Unions Stand For?

What do Public Safety Unions Stand For?

In a special election earlier this week, Brian Dahle defeated Kevin Kiley in the race to become the next California State Senator representing District One, which sprawls north from the foothills east of Sacramento all the way to the Oregon border. Both candidates were Republican members of the State Assembly, competing in one of the few safe Republican districts left...

By Edward Ring

Angelenos wonder: Have we been ripped off?

Angelenos wonder: Have we been ripped off?

Rapper Biggie Smalls said it best: “Mo Money” means “Mo Problems.” For proof, consider that Californians have generously contributed billions of dollars to solve the problem of homelessness – and the situation has only deteriorated. In 2016, Los Angeles voters approved Proposition HHH, taxing themselves in order to house the homeless. Supporters recently trumpeted their...

By Reiss Becker

L.A.’s Measure EE defeat: What happened and what’s next

L.A.’s Measure EE defeat: What happened and what’s next

LAUSD parcel tax measure goes down, and the district is still in charge…for now.  If you live in Los Angeles, the thud you heard last Tuesday was the Los Angeles Unified School District’s parcel tax measure crashing to earth. Its goal was to raise $500 million annually over a 12-year period. Thus, owners of large...

By Larry Sand

Oakland trio cleared over $1.6 million in pay and benefits last year, new data show

Oakland trio cleared over $1.6 million in pay and benefits last year, new data show

An Oakland fire captain, a police officer, and a civil engineer each made over $500,000 in pay and benefits last year, according to newly released 2018 pay data published on TransparentCalifornia.com. The city’s top earner was Fire Captain Lawrence Hom, who cleared $557,655 in total compensation thanks in large part to an agency-high $309,185 overtime payment. Police officer Malcolm...

By Robert Fellner

Week 42 Entries

Week 42 Entries

View this post on Instagram How can I keep my skiers safe if I'm so busy contracting cancer? @californiapolicy #prop65contest A post shared by Reed Leonard (@rtleo) on Jun 4, 2019 at 9:03am PDT View this post on Instagram Finding a gift can be difficult. It’s even harder when you find the gifts cause cancer....

By Renee Olivett

New Suburbanism – A Smart Alternative to “Smart Growth”

New Suburbanism – A Smart Alternative to “Smart Growth”

Solutions to California’s housing shortage invariably focus on increasing the density of preexisting cities and suburbs. Legislative solutions include SB 375, passed in 2008, which “incentivizes” cities and counties to approve high density land developments, and the failed (this time) SB 50, which would have forced cities and counties to approve high density development proposals. One cannot...

By Edward Ring