The charming city by the Bay has some serious edu-warts that need to be excised. San Francisco is a magical city. My first visit there was in 1969 as a New York city college kid on winter break, and I was enthralled. I was there again in 1996 on my honeymoon, and several times since,...
New episode of the Radio Free California Podcast is out! California Policy Center’s own Will Swaim and David Bahnsen are at it again with their latest episode of National Review’s Radio Free California podcast. In this week’s episode, they discuss a barnyard metaphor used by a Santa Clara County official to describe the tawdry relationship...
Whatever you call it, there’s a culture war being waged, and the citizenry is fighting back. Just four weeks ago, I wrote about the rising resistance to the woke craze and Critical Race Theory, and much has transpired since then. Here in California, even Disneyland has not been spared the wrath of the crazies. On...
Fearmongering is exhausting. Just ask United Teachers Los Angeles President Cecily Myart-Cruz, whose reign relies heavily on her membership continuing to live in fear. In her latest address to members, Myart-Cruz stressed the importance of taking care of oneself, particularly during May when the union celebrates wellness and mental health. “Get some much-needed rest,” she...
New episode of National Review’s Radio Free California Podcast is out The latest episode of National Review’s Radio Free California Podcast is out, featuring California Policy Center’s Will Swaim and David Bahnsen. This week, they discuss the California Department of Education’s pronouncement that math is racist in its ongoing race to the bottom. In other...
“It is our hope that all schools will be able to physically open for five days per week in the fall but local conditions will determine whether that is possible.” – Cecily Myart-Cruz, President, United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA Update 5/14/2021) It’s impossible to know what “local conditions” are going to look like when...
Editor’s note: This is the seventh in a series of missives to Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. The first six can be accessed here. Oy vey, old friend! As you well know, I have written several heartfelt emails to you over the years, pointing out my concern over many of the...
New episode of National Review’s Radio Free California Podcast is out In the latest episode of the Radio Free California podcast, CPC’s Will Swaim and David Bahnsen discuss Governor Gavin Newsom’s plan to hand out checks to Californians on the eve of his recall. They also talk about the latest news from the state Department...
The consequences of Democrat control of Congress and the White House are just beginning to be felt, as one of the most disruptive pieces of legislation in American history quietly moves from the House of Representatives to the Senate, where only a successful filibuster may prevent its passage. The “Protect the Right to Organize,” or “PRO...
For months now, Governor Gavin Newsom has spared no opportunity to demean and bash conservatives for their efforts to do what he thought unthinkable: put him up for recall. But as quickly as he sent his kids back to in-person private school this past fall, Newsom seems to have embraced a very conservative principle: return...
It is no secret that California has its own myriad of economic issues: high taxes, a bloated government, overly powerful unions, and many more. However, one issue that is a product of all of these, but does not get nearly enough attention, is skyrocketing public pensions. For as long as I can remember, unions and...
Two opinion articles worth a read Summer is almost here, and the tide may finally be turning in the Los Angeles Unified School District. This week, two notable opinion pieces were published in area newspapers questioning the ongoing, union-orchestrated school closures, and challenging the LAUSD Board of Education to stand up to the United Teachers...
Despite the reopening happy talk, more than half of all California’s k-12 students remain in distance learning. While schools in California have reopened, a study by EdSource reveals that 55 percent of all public school students in California have not returned to their physical classroom. And just 13 percent of all students in the Golden...
This week marked Teacher Appreciation Week – a time when, in normal years, students may have gifted their beloved instructors with apples or homemade cards of appreciation. But with many schools still locked down thanks to union intransigence, some took their celebratory messages to Twitter. And boy, were they ironic. “We celebrate and thank you,”...