Afternoon Hot Takes: A Roundup Of Topics

A Unanimous SCOTUS Rejects Reverse Discrimination While California Democrats Try To Legislate More Of It

Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court voted unanimously in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services to hold that reverse discrimination is illegal, disregarding the argument that past discrimination legitimizes subsequent prejudice. The plaintiff was a white straight woman who was not given the promotion to her lesbian colleague, which overruled the "background circumstances" standard for majority plaintiffs. The Court held that Title VII assures equal protection to all—race, gender, or orientation cannot be the basis of discrimination. This decision is a win for equality, as it overrules identity politics that punish people for past crimes they did not commit.

California Democrats, however, refuse to be brought into line by even a unanimous Supreme Court. The Assembly passed AB7 on Wednesday, sponsored by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles), which enables colleges to give preference to descendants of individuals affected by American slavery in their admissions processes. Bryan insists it's a "legacy of harm" and not race, but the Pacific Legal Foundation contends it's a blatant proxy for racial preference, opposite Proposition 209 and the Equal Protection Clause. AB7 voted out party line 54-17, which contradicts the 2023 SCOTUS ruling that forbids affirmative action in admissions.

AB7 would not stand Supreme Court scrutiny, especially following today's decision. California left-wing legislators are sidestepping constitutional values and voter choice—Prop 209 banned racial preferences in 1996, an attitude repeated in 2020. The Senate should reject AB7 and uphold genuine equality over divisive, unconstitutional agendas.

AB 84 Passes Assembly: CTA’s Grip Destroys Educational Freedom

Yesterday, I explained how California Assembly Bill 84 promised to shut down non-classroom-based charter schools. Yesterday, the State Assembly passed this terrible bill on a scant majority of 41 votes and sent it to the Senate. The raw political power of the California Teachers Association prevailed, as their millions of contributions to Democrats secured loyalty in Sacramento.

The CTA has invested millions in Democratic campaigns, ensuring the legislature owes them a debt of gratitude. AB 84 is their latest win—a direct blow at education choice, reducing charter funding by 30%, increasing monitoring costs by threefold, and burdening small authorizers with debilitating regulation. As I mentioned yesterday, it's not about accountability; it's about keeping competition out of a failing public school system. Charter kids perform better than their peers, and rather than work to improve public schools, they want to eliminate alternatives to protect their monopoly.

Now that AB 84 has been sent to the State Senate, it can be returned to the Assembly if amended. Or passed as is and head straight to the Governor. We can't allow the CTA's stranglehold of control to derail options for struggling students. Call your Senator today and demand a "NO" vote on AB 84—pressure Governor Newsom to veto this assault on parental rights. Sacramento Democrats might buckle to the CTA, but Californians can do better.

If you have a few minutes, you can get the whole scoop from conservative State Assemblyman Carl DeMaio. I will warn you; the truth is hideous. I have embedded his 15-minute explainer below.

Update: Court Ruling Delays Santa Barbara Offshore Oil—Bad News for Californians

I wrote, with enthusiasm, about Sable Offshore Corp.'s return to oil production off the coast of Santa Barbara. This venture will add 10% to California's domestic oil supply, create jobs, and lower gas prices. But yesterday, a Santa Barbara County Superior Court judge issued a temporary restraining order, halting Sable's pipeline restart through at least July 18. That sets them back to July from their planned August 1 restart—a letdown for Californians hoping for energy relief.

Extreme environmental radicals, such as the lawyers at the Environmental Defense Center, were doing a joyful dance, claiming that Sable skirted ecological reviews. However, California is compelled to import 60% of its oil, which exposes us to price volatility and supply uncertainty. Sable's proposal has the potential to produce 40,000 barrels a day, improving energy security and supporting working families. Safe drilling is possible today with tight restrictions on spills, but extreme greens put ideology over our interests.

This delay makes us more reliant on foreign oil, driving up costs and the threat of blackouts. We must continue to advocate for domestic production, such as saving refineries from over-regulation. Sacramento's anti-oil agenda is hurting us, and this ruling tightens the noose. Californians can do better—lower-cost energy and economic security shouldn't be stalled by court challenges driven by a vocal minority.

Democrat Push to Delay Newsom’s Return-to-Office Order Is Absurd

Governor Gavin Newsom's March order for state workers to return to the office four days a week, starting July 1, has angered California Democrats and the state’s public employee unions, such as SEIU Local 1000 and CASE, which have protested in Sacramento and complained about labor charges. Even after Newsom's babying—to allow them to work from home years after the COVID regulations ended in 2022—they continue demanding postponements from their Gubernatorial ally. It's irresponsible.

Newsom has already catered to public employee unions by increasing telework, a move that shortchanges taxpayers and downtown economies, such as Sacramento's, where shops have shut down. His order tries to rebuild teamwork, as he put it: "In-person work makes us all stronger—period." But Democrats prioritize union interests over the public interest, ignoring the social and economic toll of empty offices.

David Bahnsen, author of Full-Time: Work and the Meaning of Life—a great book—argues, "Work is a communal act that builds trust and innovation—things that erode when we're isolated behind screens," as noted in a Forbes interview. Studies he cites show that in-person work boosts productivity, a fact that Democrats dismiss.

State workers have had years to adjust. Newsom's very tardy directive is a step toward normalcy. But the “normal” that the unions want – is not having to work hard.