As the teachers strike in Los Angeles entered its second week, it appeared that it would be over soon. Yesterday, online reports declared an agreement had been “hammered out,” with union members ratifying the deal late last night. Union representatives have consistently stated that more pay is not the only reason they’re striking. That’s believable. The...
Sacramento Based on his inaugural promises, early administrative appointments and first budget, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is preparing to make some type of universal healthcare coverage the centerpiece of his administration. It is unclear if he will take the single-payer route or focus mainly on expanding access for the state’s residents – including those living...
The Los Angeles teachers union puts charter schools at the center of its vitriol. Now in its second week, it looks as if the Los Angeles teachers strike may be about to end. The issues have been argued ad infinitum – higher pay, smaller class-size, more nurses, etc. But along the way, the United Teachers...
There were some excellent entries for Week #22’s Proposition 65 Contest. Once again, the final decision was made using the social impact tie breaker, making Contessa Mendoza (the Barefoot Contessa14) the week’s winner. The judges particularly liked her quip that at least in California, “Work is Hazardous to Your Health. View this post on Instagram The...
CLASS WAR: Teachers union activists and supporters surround Santa Ana school district candidate Angie Cano, April 2018. Cano, a school choice activist, was attempting to speak at a district board meeting. Police escorted her into the building. Union membership in California’s sixth-largest school district fell rapidly in 2018, perhaps signaling a broader statewide decline following...
The winner of this week’s #Prop65Contestis again Shanae Chester for her marvelous and absurdly funny collage of not one, but two Proposition 65 warnings in which the solution (washing hands (presumably with soap)) to the warned activity (handling batteries) results in the exact same perils – cancer and reproductive issues. Perhaps washing in California means with water...
In California, public sector unions pretty much run the state government. Government unions collect and spend over $800 million per year in California. There is no special interest in California both willing and able to mount a sustained challenge to public sector union power. They simply have too much money, too many people on their...
Everybody knows that the California education system is broken. Marred by a decline in educational standards, a misuse of public funds and racial discrimination, most parents would have surrendered. One parent in Riverside County decided to fight back. Christina Laster Christina Laster, a mother of four, is anything but apathetic. She has been involved in...
SHOUTING FROM THE ROOFTOPS: Billboard at 6th and Beaudry, near LA Unified HQ. LOS ANGELES—As 30,000 teachers walked out of Los Angeles classrooms, a coalition of education reform groups is offering teachers an alternative: leave the teachers union. Billboards around the Los Angeles Unified School District encourage teachers to learn their rights – including the...
Using a model from the Industrial Era, teachers in Los Angeles are striking. I have written about the subject many times, but it is worth revisiting as Los Angeles teachers are striking over a one-size-fits-all collective bargaining contract that is harmful to all concerned. Collective bargaining, a term first introduced into the lexicon by socialist...
The Proposition 65 Contest entries for Week #21 were all terrific. The judges ultimately made their decision using the social impact tie breaker, and declared Shanae Chester the winner for her wonderful picture of her son’s plea for a special toy. The juxtaposition of the California warning with the certification that the toy meets the...
California’s new governor, Gavin Newsom, delivered an inaugural address earlier this week that accurately reflected the mentality of his supporters. Triumphalist, defiant, and filled with grand plans. But are these plans grand, or grandiose? Will Governor Newsom try to deliver everything he promised during his campaign, and if so, can California’s state government really deliver...
Sacramento Gavin Newsom was inaugurated as California’s 40th governor on Monday, taking over a general-fund budget that is flush with cash, and a state government that is in remarkably good shape – at least superficially – from a fiscal perspective. For all his flaws, outgoing Gov. Jerry Brown left Newsom with a large surplus and...
A recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling (Janus v AFSCME) has given government employees the right to terminate their membership in government unions and prohibit unions from taking money out of their paychecks. Unfortunately, many government employees are unaware of their rights. Even worse, many union bosses are illegally denying requests from workers who want to discontinue their union dues and keep their money. The typical government employee could save about $800 a year – with some saving as much as $1400 a year.