California is stuck in a figurative torrent of biblical proportions.

September 17, 2021
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Yes, we’re in a serious drought, but in terms of policy and politics, California is stuck in a figurative torrent of biblical proportions.

As the old Southern folk song put it, “The rains came down, and the floods came up,” and for many, it’s not clear whether California was built on a foundation of sand or rock or if the state will stand firm as a republic or wash away.

Take the state Capitol, a comparable representation to the condition of California in her various formations over the years. Through the 1850’s, the legislature gaveled in session at several locations like Monterey, Benicia, San Jose and San Francisco, moving often because of poor planning, politics and adverse weather. The capitol ultimately ended up on a small promontory in Sacramento.

And in the 1860’s and 1870’s, the architecture and construction of the Capitol was without equal west of the Rockies. As the state grew and the legislature professionalized, the ornate aspe and Supreme Court chambers on the east side of the building were removed and replaced by larger, modern offices. Then about 40 years ago, according to the Capitol Museum historians, “A series of seismic reports in the 1970s condemned the Capitol’s structural integrity. Faced with the building’s inevitable condemnation, California and its leaders confronted the stark choice to either replace the Capitol with new structures or restore the original building.”

And so, over a period of 6 years and $67 million spent (about $190 million in today’s dollars), the Capitol was gutted, walls were reinforced and the entire building was literally put on jacks, and hoisted high enough to completely overhaul the foundation with thousands of tons of concrete. As the workers stripped layers of white paint off the interior walls, they discovered a beauty that was lost through the early 1900’s Progressive Era. Fortunately, artisans were able to carefully recapture the vision of a majestic building after withstanding the ravages of weather, politics and modernity, rededicating the building in 1982.

It’s impossible to measure how much the pandemic has either revealed our problems or simply stymied any efforts to address a broken statutory framework. Few would disagree that our problems are significant and the trillions of dollars spent over decades has done little to fix this crumbling state. Frustrated by the lack of a serious oppositional voice in the legislature, the Progressive movement that whitewashed our Capitol also provided the people with more ways to engage, via recalls, referendums, and ballot initiatives.

While this week’s exercise in direct democracy didn’t result in a leadership change like we saw in 2003, it provided guardrails to a power-hungry governor. Indeed, as the signatures piled up to hold Newsom accountable, one could see some correlation in the diminishing intensity of the state’s control over schools, businesses and personal autonomy.

The California Policy Center’s founders saw the many problems that plague our state and traced them back to an oversized government bureaucracy emboldened by entrenched public-sector unions and a failing public school system that doesn’t educate children in the way they need or deserve. These are the reasons so much of our work centers around educating government workers about their rights, exposing public-sector unions for the role they play in California’s demise, and supporting parents as they work to take back control of their children’s education
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It’s not clear if the foundation for the state’s government is resilient enough to withstand the pressures and tremors of a disenchanted constituency. Did the very existence of the recent gubernatorial recall expose an erosion of the state government’s foundation? Are discontented voters going to pack their bags, sell their homes and follow so many expatriates who have already given up on California?

Only time will tell, but the California Policy Center and the robust grassroots network of parents, workers, and concerned Californians we work with each day aren’t going anywhere. California is worth fighting for, and that’s just what we’ll continue to do.

Quote of the Week

"If we determine racism by results, our public education system is among the most racist in America." - CPC President Will Swaim in the Wall Street Journal ([link removed])

More from CPC
* Newsom recall a win for accountability ([link removed])
* Most lucrative firefighting jobs in California ([link removed])
* UTLA president confirms the Marxist mission of the teachers’ union ([link removed])
* Listen: Triumph of the Swill ([link removed])

CPC and allies in the news
* Gavin Newsom’s white privilege ([link removed])
* California businesses and jobs still on the run ([link removed])
* Recall election nears, but California’s widening, ugly political divide here to stay ([link removed])
* The California recall’s lesson for Republicans ([link removed])
* Gov. Gavin Newsom resoundingly beats back recall election ([link removed])
* Newsom recall: The power of polls ([link removed])

Classroom headlines
* COVID vaccines being recommended for eligible K-12 students in Sacramento County ([link removed])
* COVID in schools: California to clarify independent study law ([link removed])
* Legislature reaffirms quarantined students must be in independent study to be funded ([link removed])
* New research suggests number of kids hospitalized for COVID is overcounted ([link removed])

Union news
* Teachers union claims students suffered no learning loss during COVID ([link removed])
* LAPD officers file lawsuit against city over vaccine mandate ([link removed])
* Thousands of LAPD employees plan to seek exemptions to COVID-19 vaccine mandate ([link removed])

Other things we’re reading
* California enacts 2 laws to slice through local zoning rules ([link removed])
* Maskless Mayor London Breed caught breaking SF health order at Tenderloin club ([link removed])
* Gavin Newsom’s hollow victory ([link removed])
* COVID: When will it be “over”? ([link removed])
* California now only state that’s advanced out of CDC’s ‘high’ transmission category ([link removed])
* Our most reliable pandemic number is losing meaning ([link removed])
* Democrats fight California recall but say party must do better: ‘Don’t just sit there’ ([link removed])
* California brewery picks up pieces after months of Newsom’s COVID tyranny ([link removed])
* There’s a warning sign for Democrats in their California blowout ([link removed])
* LA County updates vaccination mandates to include workers, customers at large, outdoor events, bars ([link removed])

Connect with CPC

Want to keep up with CPC and our partners during the week? Follow us on Twitter ([link removed]) , join our Facebook ([link removed]) community, and sign up to be part of the growing Parent Union ([link removed]) .


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