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 Every election cycle we see new ways to be taxed, and higher tax rates, but rarely will we see a tax get repealed.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

California Per Capita General Fund Spending Doubles – Where Is It Going?

By Edward Ring
02/13/2023
California’s state government is spending twice as much as it did a decade ago, and by every metric that matters to ordinary Californians, things have only gotten worse. Even without further analysis, this is an incredible fact. California’s state government, in constant dollars, is spending nearly twice as much per resident as it did a...

TAGS: California government unions, Edward Ring, government employee unions, Government Finance, Government Spending, Transparency

How to Save Your School District From the Coming Financial Crisis

By California Policy Center
01/17/2023
The teachers-union-backed California School Boards Association (CSBA) is warning school officials that a financial crisis is coming for the state’s hundreds of school districts. CSBA’s advice: Beg for a handout. “At a time when 25 cents of every dollar received by local schools goes toward pension obligations, districts and county offices of education need more...

TAGS: California government unions, California public education, California School Boards Association, California Teachers Association, Charter schools, public education

The School Choice Battles Ahead

By Larry Sand
01/13/2023
As we transition into 2023, we can see that the field of education will once again be a contentious one, as too many government-run schools are failing, and parents are not happy. In Chicago, for example, great numbers of students are avoiding their local schools. In fact, more than one-third of the city’s public schools...

TAGS: California government unions, California public education, california public schools, California teachers unions, education, school choice

DeSantis Battles the Teachers Union

By Larry Sand
01/06/2023
Fighting for a sane measure for educators. Years ago, when I was teaching, I asked then United Teachers of Los Angeles president A.J. Duffy at a union meeting why teachers weren’t responsible for paying their own dues. He replied, “They might forget.” I didn’t respond, but knew that some of my colleagues were thinking what...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, California Federation of Teachers, California government unions, California Teachers Association, California teachers unions, Ron DeSantis, United Teachers Los Angeles, UTLA

Student Achievement Disparities in California

By Sheridan Swanson
11/04/2022
California parents are understandably exasperated with the alarming achievement disparities among K-12 students in the state. State and national performance assessment rankings show that California’s traditional public schools are some of the worst performing in the nation. And while poor school performance affects students of all backgrounds, low-income and minority students are disproportionately impacted. The...

TAGS: California government unions, california public schools, public schools, standardized testing, teachers unions

Government Union Money Dwarfs Corporate Influence in California Elections

By Edward Ring
11/01/2022
The disparity in fundraising in California between Democrats and Republicans is systemic. From statewide offices to local races, government unions — not corporations — make or break candidates, and it’s not even close. A survey of  California’s Secretary of State website will debunk any suggestion that Democrats are protecting California’s citizens from the big bad corporations. If...

TAGS: California government unions, campaign finance, campaign spending, Dark money, public sector union political spending