Latest news with #AssemblyBill90
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Opinion - Why we left California: Its legislature put crazy woke ideology ahead of kids' wellbeing
In 2019, my family packed our belongings and left California, the state we had called home for most of our lives. Why? Well, high taxes were part of the equation. But more than anything, we left to protect our then 10-year-old daughter from a system that no longer made sense— or felt safe. One moment crystallized it: sitting in the pediatrician's waiting room, we learned that once our daughter turned 12, we would no longer have access to her medical records without her consent. That's not parental empowerment. That's state intrusion — and it was just the beginning. California's unraveling isn't just about affordability or policy overreach. It is also about a government that has deprioritized the safety, dignity, and wellbeing of children in favor of a progressive-left agenda. Take Assembly Bill 90, which requires community colleges and state universities to create overnight parking programs for the 4.2 percent of homeless students in their systems. On the surface, it sounds compassionate. In reality, it is a stark admission of policy failure. In 2016, California adopted the federal 'Housing First' model, which promises permanent housing units — without preconditions — to all struggling with homelessness. This policy was overlaid onto a system that already ranked 49th in the nation in housing units per resident, and that builds just 40 percent of the affordable units it needs annually. Instead of fixing these systemic failures, AB 90 effectively turned parking lots into student housing, exposing students to crime, isolation, and instability. Assemblymember Darshana Patel (D) stood virtually alone in raising student safety concerns. In a party-line, 6-2 vote, the bill passed committee. Then there's Assembly Bill 379, written to increase penalties for child sex traffickers. Unfortunately, that version didn't survive. Progressive-left lawmakers stripped the bill of protections for 16- and 17-year-olds — the very age group most targeted by traffickers, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. California's majority party couldn't bring itself to protect minors from sexual exploitation, because somehow this apparently conflicted with their political narrative. The same pattern shows up in school sports. Two common-sense bills intended to safeguard fairness and safety for female athletes were killed in committee. These bills would have barred biological males from competing against girls— something California Gov. Gavin Newsom himself has admitted to be 'deeply unfair.' Decades of research and a 2020 study published in Sports Medicine confirm the physical advantages biological males have over females, even after hormone therapy. To refuse to acknowledge this reality is to deny basic science. It isn't just unfair but dangerous to have males competing in girls' and women's sports, especially contact sports. All this is happening while California funnels billions into climate initiatives and green infrastructure despite ranking 41st in K-12 education and 39th in school safety. California also leads the nation in youth depression and self-harm, according to the Centers for Disease Control. And let's not forget that during the COVID-19 pandemic, California kept students out of classrooms longer than almost any other state. That decision caused historic learning loss— particularly among low-income students. To date, there has been no meaningful academic recovery plan. What's the matter with California? To sum up: Parents can't access their children's medical records without the children's permission; students' dorms are the backseats of their Honda Civics; vulnerable teens go unprotected from traffickers; female athletes are deliberately put at risk. These aren't glitches. They are all symptoms of a deeper collapse — a moral and political refusal to prioritize the wellbeing of children over ideology. California once led the nation in education, innovation, and opportunity. Now, despite its natural beauty and economic power, it has become a cautionary tale about what happens when a government trades responsibility for radicalism. That's why my family joined the hundreds of thousands of net residents who have moved away to other states in recent years. Unless its leaders correct course — putting kids first and politics second — California won't just keep failing her children. She will also set a dangerous precedent for the rest of America. Michele Steeb is the founder of Free Up Foundation and author of 'Answers Behind the RED DOOR: Battling the Homeless Epidemic,' based on her 13 years as CEO of northern California's largest program for homeless women and children. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
03-06-2025
- Health
- The Hill
Why we left California: Its legislature put crazy woke ideology ahead of kids' wellbeing
In 2019, my family packed our belongings and left California, the state we had called home for most of our lives. Why? Well, high taxes were part of the equation. But more than anything, we left to protect our then 10-year-old daughter from a system that no longer made sense— or felt safe. One moment crystallized it: sitting in the pediatrician's waiting room, we learned that once our daughter turned 12, we would no longer have access to her medical records without her consent. That's not parental empowerment. That's state intrusion — and it was just the beginning. California's unraveling isn't just about affordability or policy overreach. It is also about a government that has deprioritized the safety, dignity, and wellbeing of children in favor of a progressive-left agenda. Take Assembly Bill 90, which requires community colleges and state universities to create overnight parking programs for the 4.2 percent of homeless students in their systems. On the surface, it sounds compassionate. In reality, it is a stark admission of policy failure. In 2016, California adopted the federal 'Housing First' model, which promises permanent housing units — without preconditions — to all struggling with homelessness. This policy was overlaid onto a system that already ranked 49th in the nation in housing units per resident, and that builds just 40 percent of the affordable units it needs annually. Instead of fixing these systemic failures, AB 90 effectively turned parking lots into student housing, exposing students to crime, isolation, and instability. Assemblymember Darshana Patel (D) stood virtually alone in raising student safety concerns. In a party-line, 6-2 vote, the bill passed committee. Then there's Assembly Bill 379, written to increase penalties for child sex traffickers. Unfortunately, that version didn't survive. Progressive-left lawmakers stripped the bill of protections for 16- and 17-year-olds — the very age group most targeted by traffickers, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. California's majority party couldn't bring itself to protect minors from sexual exploitation, because somehow this apparently conflicted with their political narrative. The same pattern shows up in school sports. Two common-sense bills intended to safeguard fairness and safety for female athletes were killed in committee. These bills would have barred biological males from competing against girls— something California Gov. Gavin Newsom himself has admitted to be 'deeply unfair.' Decades of research and a 2020 study published in Sports Medicine confirm the physical advantages biological males have over females, even after hormone therapy. To refuse to acknowledge this reality is to deny basic science. It isn't just unfair but dangerous to have males competing in girls' and women's sports, especially contact sports. All this is happening while California funnels billions into climate initiatives and green infrastructure despite ranking 41st in K-12 education and 39th in school safety. California also leads the nation in youth depression and self-harm, according to the Centers for Disease Control. And let's not forget that during the COVID-19 pandemic, California kept students out of classrooms longer than almost any other state. That decision caused historic learning loss— particularly among low-income students. To date, there has been no meaningful academic recovery plan. What's the matter with California? To sum up: Parents can't access their children's medical records without the children's permission; students' dorms are the backseats of their Honda Civics; vulnerable teens go unprotected from traffickers; female athletes are deliberately put at risk. These aren't glitches. They are all symptoms of a deeper collapse — a moral and political refusal to prioritize the wellbeing of children over ideology. California once led the nation in education, innovation, and opportunity. Now, despite its natural beauty and economic power, it has become a cautionary tale about what happens when a government trades responsibility for radicalism. That's why my family joined the hundreds of thousands of net residents who have moved away to other states in recent years. Unless its leaders correct course — putting kids first and politics second — California won't just keep failing her children. She will also set a dangerous precedent for the rest of America. Michele Steeb is the founder of Free Up Foundation and author of 'Answers Behind the RED DOOR: Battling the Homeless Epidemic,' based on her 13 years as CEO of northern California's largest program for homeless women and children.
Newsweek
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
California Bill Lets Students Sleep in Cars During Housing Crisis
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The California Assembly is considering legislation that would require community colleges and California State University (CSU) campuses to develop overnight parking programs for homeless students to sleep in their vehicles. Assembly Bill 90, authored by Democratic Assemblymember Corey Jackson, recently passed the Assembly Higher Education Committee in a 6-2 vote with two abstentions. Newsweek reached out to Jackson via email on Saturday for comment. Why It Matters Homelessness affects approximately 12 percent of community college students and 9 percent of university students, according to the Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council. Additionally, a 2023 survey by the Community College League of California found almost three out of five California community college students are housing insecure, with one in four experiencing homelessness. What To Know AB-90 was introduced on January 6 and amended in Assembly on March 20 of this year. The legislation would establish structured overnight parking programs for students with specific requirements including designated parking areas, security monitoring, access to bathroom facilities, and permit procedures. Community colleges would need to provide at least one lot with 50 spots. Permits would last at least four weeks for community colleges and two weeks for CSU campuses. Programs would prohibit drugs, alcohol, harassment, and intimidation while prioritizing connection to sustainable housing alternatives. The bill requires community college districts to adopt plans by September 2026 and vote on implementation by December 2026, while CSU campuses would implement similar programs upon legislative funding approval. The legislation provides civil liability protection for campus employees acting in good faith and requires detailed reporting on program usage and demographics. Some opponents to the bill argue logistical issues and concerns over clearing parking spots by morning for regular users. Costs for the possible parking programs are particularly pressing given California's budget crisis that has caused CSU to lose $375 million annually in state funding, according to the California Globe. A similar bill introduced by Jackson last year (AB-1818) passed the Assembly but failed in the Senate Appropriations Committee due to severe cost concerns. What People Are Saying Assemblymember Corey Jackson, author of AB-90 said: "This bill confronts a harsh reality. Many of our students who are sleeping in their vehicles or other displaced settings are unable to find affordable housing. And that's jeopardizing their education." Fox News host Hugh Hewitt blasted the bill on "America's Newsroom" last week: "The problem in California is there are not enough homes and apartments. It's a supply problem created over 50 years of no-growth, left-wing policies that are anti-housing. The solution is not to create homeless encampments, and each one of these will become that." He added: "People are going to enroll in the community college for 18 bucks a credit, and then they're going to put their car in the community college parking lot." Community College League of California policy manager Nune Garipian told the California Globe last month: "Establishing an overnight student parking program would require significant financial and administrative resources to ensure that students have a safe, clean and secure place to sleep at night." He added: "Our colleges, unfortunately, just do not have these resources available." Activists with Services Not Sweeps hold a car blockade to prevent the removal of tent shelters before Los Angeles City Bureau of Sanitation performs a cleanup sweep of a homeless encampment during the Covid-19 pandemic... Activists with Services Not Sweeps hold a car blockade to prevent the removal of tent shelters before Los Angeles City Bureau of Sanitation performs a cleanup sweep of a homeless encampment during the Covid-19 pandemic on January 28, 2021 in the Harbor City neighborhood of Los Angeles. More PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images What Happens Next Community colleges must vote on adoption by December 31, 2026, with annual votes required until approval. CSU implementation depends on legislative appropriation of funds.
