Lance Christensen brings two decades of public policy and political experience to the California Policy Center where he serves as the Vice President of Education Policy and Government Affairs. Christensen was also one of the principal architects of the recent school choice initiative proposal in California and candidate for California Superintendent of Public Instruction on the November 2022 statewide ballot.
Before his tenure at CPC, Christensen worked as a legislative consultant in the California State Senate and as a finance budget analyst at the Department of Finance. More recently, Christensen served as chief of staff and senior policy advisor to former California State Sen. John Moorlach. He was also the inaugural director of Reason Foundation’s Pension Reform Project, setting the stage for major reforms in state and local retirement programs across the country. Christensen’s research and commentary on education issues and state and municipal fiscal policy is regularly published in national and local publications, and he appears frequently on radio, television and podcasts.
Christensen earned his bachelor’s degree in English from Brigham Young University and a master’s degree from Pepperdine University’s School of Public Policy, specializing in international relations. Based in northern California and frequently working in Sacramento and Orange County, Christensen is fully engaged in his community, coaching any number of youth leagues, sitting on various boards and serving in lay positions in his church. He is a happily married father of 5 children, all of whom are seventh-generation Californians.
Demisemiseptcentennial. Try saying that several times fast. On Sept. 9, we celebrate 174 years since California was admitted to the United States and prepare for its 175th anniversary—or demisemiseptcentennial—in 2025. Despite its over-the-top and often messy politics, I dig its good vibrations. There’s something mystical and magnetic about California. It’s the Olympus of America and...
Martin F. Lueken, Ph.D. Director of the Fiscal Research and Education Center, EdChoice in collaboration with Lance Christensen Vice President of Education Policy, California Policy Center Download the Full PDF Report Here
With my children slowly matriculating through K-12 schools, my wife and I have wrestled with the wisdom of sending them to college. We’re both college graduates, but we are concerned by the inflated costs, diminished value of degrees, and institutions surrendering to radical ideologies. Many jobs no longer require a four-year degree, and online education...
In the midst of my annual spring cleaning regimen, I came across a cardboard box of old charging cables and adapters taking up scarce space in my garage. Cords of various sizes from computers, printers, cell phones, televisions, and other devices I’ve discarded over the years were all clumped together, kept for the remote chance...
Grant Allen once lamented, “What a misfortune it is that we should thus be compelled to let our boys’ schooling interfere with their education!” These words, often attributed to Mark Twain, encapsulate a sentiment that education transcends the walls of a schoolhouse, echoing the belief that learning should not be confined to a classroom. Increasingly,...
In recent years, Californians have seen government intrusion on overdrive. From water rationing to cracking down on the “gig economy,” Sacramento has been telling us how to live our lives and run our businesses. Now, the state government has its eyes set on one of our most fundamental rights: the freedom of contract. Contracting is...
A very contentious election season is upon us. To better navigate the deluge of political propaganda, here are a few thoughts about choosing the best candidates who can stand as bulwarks of freedom from those who want to selfishly rule and reign over Californians. A campaign speech can reveal much about the timber of someone...
When interviewing for a legislative fellowship in Sacramento, California over two decades ago, the panel asked about my career plans. I worked through a progression I thought was essential for any aspiring politico, concluding confidently that I was eventually going to run for Congress. In my mind, that’s where all the important political action was....
During an otherwise quiet September morning some years ago, I received a curious call from then-California Gov. Jerry Brown’s legislative team. We had just finished the legislative session, and this junior staffer was deciding on whether to recommend the governor sign or veto a bill sitting on his desk. I knew the drill after working...
Last week, I signed a permission slip for my 11th grade son allowing him to see a PG-13 movie for his United States history class in our local public high school. I was thankful that the school respected our relationship enough to ask permission to show a movie based on a historical event that is...
Good evening board president, trustees and superintendent. My name is Lance Christensen, Vice President of the California Policy Center. Adults – who should know better – telling kids to keep secrets from their parents, is why we’re here tonight. Regardless of my personal feelings, I’m not here to comment on the probity of children transitioning...
RE: Assembly Constitutional Amendment 9 – OPPOSE, UNLESS AMENDED Dear Assemblyman McCarty, I write in respectful opposition to Assembly Constitutional Amendment 9 (ACA 9) as it is presently constituted. Full disclosure – I was the runner-up candidate for the constitutional office of Superintendent of Public Instruction on the November 2022 general election ballot. While considering the following comments...
It did not take long after I announced a statewide education reform tour as a former candidate for Superintendent of Public Instruction and in my role as California Policy Center’s Vice President of Education Policy and Government Affairs to receive an overwhelming and positive response. Parents, educators, school board members, and other concerned community members...
California’s primary and secondary education system is broken. I don’t need to list the parade of horribles — we all know them. We are failing the next generation. With your input, I would like to find a better way. You’re skeptical that any reform of value can be achieved in California. I get it. I...
a new form will got here