Attorney and child advocate Julie Hamill joins CPC to launch new justice center 

California Policy Center (CPC) is thrilled to announce that Los Angeles attorney and child advocate Julie Hamill has joined CPC as the organization’s first full-time attorney. Hamill has come on board to build CPC’s justice center focused on dismantling government barriers to freedom and prosperity in California.

“Julie is a top-notch attorney who has been at the forefront of exposing the outrageous government overreach by the Los Angeles County Department of Health,” said Will Swaim, president of California Policy Center. “At CPC, Julie will be leading the charge to keep California government actors accountable to the people of California — including the state attorney general’s office.”

You may recognize Julie as a frequent guest on Fox News at Night with Trace Gallagher, or from her high-profile lawsuit to rein in L.A. County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer. A current Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District Trustee, Julie is also the founder of the Alliance of Los Angeles County Parents. 

A fierce and experienced litigator, Julie represents the Alliance in its lawsuit against Ferrer for the department’s decision to reintroduce a universal mask mandate in July 2022. The case was originally brought to fight the department’s capricious mandates. However, it evolved into a free speech case after the Alliance showed that the department shut down public comment on government websites and pressured social media companies and a newspaper editor to censor critics.  

“I discovered California Policy Center when I was locked in my house during the pandemic with my very young children, and nothing our government was doing made any sense,” Hamill said. “I stumbled upon articles by the staff at CPC, and it was like a bright light of sanity suddenly illuminated a sea of darkness.” 

“Since then, I have worked closely with CPC’s education policy experts on many of my school district-related questions,” added Hamill. “I’m honored to combine forces with my friends at California Policy Center to launch a legal center focused on implementing much-needed change in our state.”

Julie served as a legal clerk in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice for Victims of Overseas Terrorism. She represented public agencies as a litigator for Richards, Watson & Gershon in Los Angeles before launching her own law firm in 2015. She argued in favor of the people’s constitutional right to referendum in Alta Sierra Holistic Exchange Service v. County of Kern before the Fifth District Court of Appeal. She also previously served as Chair of the Rancho Palos Verdes Planning Commission and as a member of the City’s Traffic Safety Committee.

“We’re lucky to have an excellent attorney like Julie on board, who genuinely cares about liberty, government accountability and the future of the great state of California,” said Lance Christensen, CPC’s Vice President of Education Policy and Government Affairs. “State bureaucrats, including Attorney General Rob Bonta, are officially on notice that California Policy Center will be representing the people of California in court.”

CPC’s new justice center was launched thanks to the support of a generous California Policy Center donor. If you would like to support the work of CPC’s justice center, you can do so here or contact Jackson Reese at [email protected].

Join us for CPC's 3rd Annual Parents, Not Partisans Summit in Sacramento

Don't miss CPC's third annual Parents, Not Partisans Summit in Sacramento on Tuesday, March 12-Wednesday, March 13, 2024. Our theme this year: Who Controls the Classroom?

This election year, it’s more important than ever that parent advocates and education reform leaders unite to help make parent voices heard — and equip themselves with the tools needed to effectively mobilize on behalf of California families. 

Our all-star lineup of speakers will offer insights and in-depth skill building on grassroots mobilization, effective advocacy, strategic communications and more!

On Day One, hear from Connor Boyack, president of the Libertas Institute and creator of the popular Tuttle Twins children's book series, and parental rights champion Sonja Shaw, President of the Chino Valley Unified School Board, along with:

• Tab Berg | Political Strategist & Founder, TABcommunications, inc.
• Dr. Nicole Conragan | School Choice Advocate & Board Secretary, Parents for School Options
• Kira Davis | Author, Podcast Host & Editor-at-Large at RedState
• Maxie Douglas | Director of Communications, California Senate Republican Caucus
• LTC Kenney Enney (Ret.) | Trustee, Paso Robles Joint Unified School District
• Erin Friday | Co-Leader, Our Duty (U.S.) & Executive Committee Member, Protect Kids California
• Sophia Lorey | Outreach Director, California Family Council 
• Julie Hamill | Attorney, California Policy Center; Trustee, Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School Board & Founder of the Alliance of Los Angeles County Parents
• Frank Xu | President, Californians for Equal Rights Foundation