Legislation & Elections
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Karen Juten, SRWF Legislation Chair, will be using this platform to educate and inform members so that we can be active participants in the legislative process.
December 2021
California Federation of Republican Women
Sue Blair, President
Submitted by the CFRW Legislative Analyst Committee
Gretchen Cox, Elaine Freeman, Lou Ann Flaherty,
Val Emick, and Theresa Speake
AB 101
At the October CFRW Convention, the CFRW membership approved a Resolution firmly opposing AB 101– the bill recently passed and signed into law that makes Critical Race Theory a requirement for high school graduation beginning with the 2029-2030 graduating class and requiring implementation of this curriculum in public and charter schools by 2025.
HISTORY – The program put forth is provided by the Instructional Quality Commission made up of 13 member appointees by the Governor and Legislature. It is also referred to as the Curriculum Development and Supplemental Commission. This group worked on the guidelines for almost four (4) years and was not without controversy. There were over 100,000 comments provided critiquing the proposed ethnic studies model curriculum. The outcome is a set of guidelines and sample lesson plans covering four (4) major areas. Those include Black/African, Chicano, Native American, and Asian American references. After much controversy, the Commission added Jewish Americans, Arab Americans, and Sikh Americans. This program did not become mandatory until the Governor signed AB 101. It should be noted that some African American organizations are not happy because the recommendations do not provide enough information about Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement. The same Commission is now considering applying the social justice paradigm to teaching K-12 math that would “erase white supremacy” from the subject and eliminate gifted classes for students. Proponents of this new math approach say the subject currently is taught with white supremacy. These folks say it handicaps minority students by insisting on what they consider racist concepts, such as arriving at the correct answer.
AB 101 – This bill, signed by the Governor, requires the completion of a one-semester course in ethnic studies, meeting specified requirements to the graduation requirements commencing with pupils graduating in the 2029-30 school year, including for pupils enrolled in charter schools. The bill also authorizes local educational agencies, including charter schools, to require a full-year course in ethnic studies at their discretion. The bill would require local school districts, including charter schools, to offer an ethnic studies course commencing with the 2025-26 school year.
The bill will authorize, subject to the local agency/charter school, a pupil to satisfy the ethnic studies course requirement by completing either (A) a course based on the model curriculum in ethnic studies developed by the commission, (B) an existing ethnic studies course, (C) an ethnic studies course taught as part of a course that has been approved as meeting the A-G requirements of the University of California and the California State University, or (D) a locally developed ethnic studies course approved by the governing board of the school district or the governing body of the charter school. The bill would prohibit a course that does not use ethnic studies content as the primary content through which the subject is taught, from being used to satisfy the ethnic studies course requirement.
RECOMMENDATION – Since the class does not have to be implemented until the 2025-26 year, and the bill allows the curriculum to be developed locally (see D above) parents and interested citizens should get involved, asking for a citizen’s committee to assist in the formation of the curriculum.
For more information, click on the following Links:
CFRW Resolution
Read AB 101
For further information on any of the bills mentioned here, click the Bill # in the email. Or you can CLICK HERE and simply enter the bill # or keywords where designated.
Find/contact your local Legislators, click HERE to inquire about or let them know your opinion about bills or issues.
To contact your U.S. Representatives, call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121
Listen to hearings on bills that interest you – http://www.legislature.ca.gov/the_state_legislature/calendar_and_schedules/audio_tv.html
Calif. Legislative Portal links- Express your support or opposition to a bill or directly to the Legislative committee currently reviewing it (as an individual, not as a member of RWF or CFRW)– click here, or the bill’s author- click here, enter your bill # and look for the tab at top of the bill page labeled “Comments to Author”
Housing
AB 1075 – Planning & Zoning-Residential Developments- This bill would require local government to deem a residential development compliant with its local zoning requirements if the proposed development is located on a site that meets specified requirements, including that the development is not located within a wetland or within a very high fire hazard severity zone and the proposed development is zoned for residential. The bill would require that the development meet objective design review standards and if required by local ordinance, have inclusionary zoning. This bill, as proposed, eliminates much municipal zoning control by “addressing a matter of statewide concern”. So, it applies to all cities including charter cities. So, if there is a single-family property zoned for two units per acre, this bill would override local zoning and allow 10 units per acre.
STATUS: In Housing/Comm.Dev. committee.
Education
SB 693- Pupil instruction: GENOCIDE EDUCATION: THE HOLOCAUST-This bill would establish the Governor’s Council on Genocide and Holocaust Education and would strongly encourage school districts and charter schools with grades 4 to 12, to integrate best practices into instruction on genocide, including the Holocaust, that meets existing academic content standards and the history-social science curriculum framework. The bill would require a study on the way the instruction is offered to assess the impact of the instruction.
STATUS: placed in Appropriations Suspense file.
Pending: Senate Appropriations Committee.
Consumer Protection
AB 12-Personal information: Social Security numbers: the Employment Development Department. This bill would require state agencies, as soon as is feasible, but no later than January 1, 2023, to stop sending any outgoing United States mail to an individual that contains the individual’s social security number unless the number is truncated to its last four digits, except in specified circumstances.
Elections
SB 35– PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES: -This bill extends the distance from 100 feet to 200 for “electioneering” at the polls and adds drop-off sites for ballots and ballot boxes (in general) to the locations to which this applies. It specifically provides for fines and/or imprisonment for attempting to place unofficial or unauthorized ballot boxes or soliciting or deceiving people into using a ballot box not approved by election officials. STATUS: Passed the Senate and was referred to the Assembly for a first read
The More We Know ...
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For further information on any of the bills mentioned here or others, CLICK HERE and simply enter the bill # or keywords where designated.
CLICK HERE to find/contact your local Legislators to inquire about or let them know your opinion about bills or issues.
Listen to hearings on bills that interest you:
http://www.legislature.ca.gov/the_state_legislature/calendar_and_schedules/audio_tv.html