Chavez Bill Echoes Schwarzenegger Education Reform Effort
Among the package of education reform bills introduced by Republican assembly members two weeks ago was AB 1248 by Rocky Chavez (R-Oceanside) designed to stiffen requirements before teachers receive tenure. The bill is similar to what former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger attempted with one of the four initiatives he backed in the 2005 special election. A […]
Closing the Tax Loophole for Charter Cities
In 1986, California voters passed Proposition 62, which among other things, closed some loopholes in Prop. 13 and mandated a local agency’s legislative body obtain a two-thirds vote in order to place new or higher general taxes on their local ballot. It was a successful state initiative designed to make it more difficult to increase taxes at […]
As Diversity Grows in SoCal, How Can Nonwhite Majorities Find Success?
California teachers, politicians and media types like to extoll the benefits of ethnic diversity. Certainly, the state’s racial makeup has changed markedly since 1970, with the white non-Hispanic population now a minority. Some, like state Assemblyman Luis Alejo, D-Salinas, and some education activists now insist that multicultural studies be mandated for the public school curriculum. […]
AB 1252 Will Help Stop Prop. 65 Shakedown Lawsuits
Shakedown Prop. 65 lawsuits have been plaguing California’s small businesses for decades. Through 2012, Prop. 65 had led to 16,000 lawsuits and close to $500 million in settlements, much of which has gone directly to plaintiffs’ lawyers for fees and costs – and the numbers have only increased since then. Back in 2013, CALA applauded the California Legislature for […]