The latest studies, editorials, and investigative reports on issues affecting California’s democracy, economy, and opportunities.

January 17, 2020
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** POLICYMAKERS ARE DIRECTIONLESS ON HOMELESSNESS
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Good morning!

New polling ([link removed]) finds that homelessness is the biggest issue in the Golden State. City and county governments have thrown money at the issue for years to no avail. Even with the help of the state government, homelessness continues to worsen. Now the federal government is stepping in. On Thursday, the Los Angeles Times ([link removed]) reported that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is working on a deal with Los Angeles to provide federal funds and land to construct shelters for the city and county homeless population. Mayor Garcetti will meet with HUD
Secretary Carson to discuss the details next week in Washington, D.C.

Meanwhile, at the state level, a task force appointed by the governor has proposed sanctioning local governments for failing to tackle homelessness. The Council on Regional Homeless Advisors is asking for the legislature to craft a ballot measure for November’s election. According to the Los Angeles Times ([link removed]) , “If approved by voters, the mandate would allow the state to sue cities and counties — or even itself — if the number of people living outdoors in encampments and vehicles doesn’t decline.”

Last Friday, Gov. Newsom announced his state budget for 2020-2021 and highlighted a number of spending priorities, including state production of pharmaceuticals and more homeless shelters. While these ideas may come from a place of compassion and concern, CPC fellow Edward Ring notes that Newsom is simply blowing out the budget. The growth in entitlement spending, during a time the state should be paying down its unfunded liabilities, is also alarming. Read here ([link removed]) .

Over at CalMatters, Dan Walters writes ([link removed]) , “Even a moderate recession would, the budget says, cut state revenues by $70 billion over three years, including $40 billion in the general fund. The latter number is twice as large as the state’s ‘rainy day fund.’” This means that spending cuts would have to be made.

Speaking of unfunded liabilities, Riverside County announced on Tuesday that its unfunded pension liability hit $3.5 billion. For the tenth most populous county in the country, this is a huge problem. “We’re stuck in a really, really bad spot,” Supervisor Kevin Jeffries said ([link removed]) . “We can’t afford to buy our way out…we’re on a path that is unsustainable.” Another supervisor, Jeff Hewett, said ([link removed]) , “This is a big deal. Our unfunded liability climbs every day. There needs to be tough love all the way around.” If the County Board of Supervisors does not address this issue soon, then service cuts will have to take place.

Government unions are notorious for labeling their non-union coworkers freeloaders. Yet, unions demand their exclusive representation. This week, CPC contributor Larry Sand provides a solution to the so-called “freeloader” problem and discusses a U.S. Supreme Court case and its implications for workplace freedom. Read here ([link removed]) .

Last weekend, The Mercury News covered ([link removed]) CPC’s Public Records Act request to determine Bay Area union membership in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Janus decision in 2018. From below the fold: “[San Jose’s] local chapter of Municipal Employees’ Federation — representing nearly 3,300 full and part-time employees across various city departments including librarians, code enforcement inspectors, public safety dispatchers and planners — has lost about a quarter of its members since Janus, according to the city’s data.” That’s nearly one-thousand dues payers in one municipal union alone that have exercised their Janus rights.

With the National Educators Association and its state affiliates collecting nearly $1.7 billion in revenue in 2018 ([link removed]) , teachers unions fight hard to maintain the status quo. CPC contributor Chris Reed explains ([link removed]) how elected officials are often presented with the choice between helping unionized adult employees who work in schools and improving student achievement. Read here ([link removed]) .

Mark Bucher, CPC’s co-founder and CEO, lived through this phenomenon last month when elected officials voted on ([link removed]) his petition to open a public charter school in Orange. Although he was seeking to provide more school choice for parents and students, teacher union leaders and some members of the school board attacked Mark’s proposal and his character. Their concern: A school that will use a curriculum developed by Hillsdale College is almost certainly a Trojan horse for communicating the dark ideas of a classical education. Who wants kids studying the American constitution when they should be studying intersectionality? Deploying the usual talking points that a classical curriculum would discriminate against non-Christians
and would not comply with California laws, opponents dragged the school board meeting on until 1:21 am before the charter school petition was finally approved.

CPC President Will Swaim and CPC Board Member David Bahnsen discuss Governor Newsom's presidential ambitions, homelessness, and how teacher unions make money off their teachers. Listen here ([link removed]) .

Finally, are you affected by AB 5, California’s new law that harmed the ability of people to work as independent contractors or in the gig economy? If you have been hurt by AB 5, we would like to know your story. Please contact me at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .

Upcoming Events:

The Lost History of Western Civilization
The National Association of Scholars ([link removed]) and the Pepperdine School of Public Policy ([link removed]) are hosting a half-day conference on January 24th to celebrate the launch of “The Lost History of Western Civilization," a new report by Stanley Kurtz demolishing the idea that Western Civilization was nothing but a myth invented by American warmongers during World War I. The event is free of charge. To register for this event, click here ([link removed]) .

California School Choice Celebration
California School Choice will celebrate the start of National School Choice Week on Saturday, January 25 at USC Verdugo Hills Hospital in Glendale. The event will feature a special town hall discussion with featured speakers Rebecca Friedrichs, Gina Gleason, Dr. Vicki Alger and Larry Sand. Lunch will be provided. Click here to register ([link removed]) .

Parent Union’s 5th Annual School Choice Fair
Come have fun and support the Parent Union as they celebrate National School Choice Week on Saturday, January 25 at the Santa Ana Zoo! The event will take place from 12:00-3:00 pm and will include food and several fun activities. To RSVP, click here ([link removed]) .

Free Screening of Miss Virginia
Please join Reason Foundation in West Hollywood on January 29th for a special screening of Miss Virginia. Hailed as a "must-see" movie by USA Today, the film follows a struggling inner-city mother who sacrifices everything to give her son a good education. Unwilling to allow him to stay in a dangerous school, she launches a movement that could save his future—and that of thousands like him. Doors open at 7:00pm and the screening begins at 7:30pm. Following the film, Reason Foundation's Director of School Choice Corey DeAngelis and Gregory McGinity of the California Charter Schools Association will host a discussion on “Beyond Test Scores: How Miss Virginia Shows Us the Real Need for School Choice.” Click here to register ([link removed]) .

The Role of Religion in Politics and the Role of Politics in Religion
The Pepperdine School of Public Policy hosts Rabbi Stu Halpern on Thursday, February 6 to discuss his new book, Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land: The Hebrew Bible in the United States. He will be joined by Pepperdine’s Wilfred McClay and Rabbi Meir Y. Soloveichik for a dynamic conversation on the role the Bible has, can and should play in the American public conversation. To register for this event ([link removed]) , click here ([link removed]) .

Franklin and Washington: The Founding Partnership
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Edward Larson will speak at the Commonwealth Club on Monday, February 10 and discuss his joint biography of our two most influential Founding Fathers. Tickets are $20 for non-members and will include a book-signing as well. For more information, and to register, click here ([link removed]) .

If you have any upcoming events in the state, please send them to me!

As always, if you’d like to join our movement to save California, we invite you to support us. Click here to donate to CPC ([link removed]) .


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