California Legislature’s ‘Gut and Amend’ is ‘Bait and Switch’, This Time Trying to Destroy Charter Schools

California’s Democrat lawmakers are underhanded and duplicitous
UPDATE below: The “gut and amend” bills in the California Legislature are nothing more than a legislative bait-and-switch. “Gutting and amending” unrelated bills into controversial legislation prevents Californians the time guaranteed by law to review and deliberate.

We recently saw this explained in a lawsuit over the very controversial and dubious redistricting legislation. The Globe reported in August that the Dhillon Law Group filed and Emergency Petition for Writ of Mandate with the California Supreme Court challenging the Legislature’s attempt to bypass the California Constitution’s 30–day public review requirement by “gutting and amending” unrelated bills (AB 604 and SB 280) into sweeping redistricting legislation without giving Californians the time guaranteed by law to review and deliberate.

Democrats in the California Legislature did not disappoint this year.

SB 48 is a last minute complete gut and amend, and is pure nonsense. “Educational equity: discrimination prevention coordinators.”

Here’s a visual so you can understand what a “gut and amend” bill looks like:

“This bill would require the Office of Civil Rights to employ a Religious Discrimination Prevention Coordinator, a Race and Ethnicity Discrimination Prevention Coordinator, a Gender Discrimination Prevention Coordinator, and an LGBTQ Discrimination Prevention Coordinator. The bill would require each of the coordinators to be appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate,” the newly added language says.

Since it was just gutted and amended, there is no analysis of the bill by legislative committee consultants. So we’re on our own trying to figure out what the newly added language (in blue) really does.

These are bills solely written to bring harm California’s charter schools:

AB 84 by Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) would shut down charter schools across the state, Assemblyman Carl DeMaio warns. Charter schools are an important option for families escaping California’s failing schools. DeMaio says AB 84 protects failing government bureaucrats. There has been debate on whether AB 84 is/was dead or not, which may explain the next awful bill.

SB 414 by Senator Angelique Ashby (D-Sacramento) takes several pieces of AB 84 and drops them in – these people are underhanded, duplicitous. According to the Sept. 9th bill analysis:

9) Establishes, until 2034, the Office of the Education Inspector General at the CDE to conduct forensic audits to identify fraud, misappropriation of funds, or illegal activity at LEAs and entities managing a charter school.

Language dropped into the bill says:

SEC. 11.

Section 33309.5 is added to the Education Code, to read:

33309.5.

(a) (1) (A) The Office of the Education Inspector General is hereby established. The Education Inspector General shall be appointed by the Governor to a four-year term from a list of three qualified individuals nominated by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee pursuant to subparagraph (B) and subject to confirmation by a majority of the membership of the Senate, without regard to political affiliation, and solely on the basis of integrity and demonstrated ability in accounting, auditing, financial analysis, law, management analysis, public administration, or investigations. The Education Inspector General shall not be prevented from initiating, carrying out, or completing an audit or investigation, or from issuing a subpoena during the course of an audit or investigation.

SB 494 by Senator Dave Cortese (D-Santa Clara) was completely gutted, and mainly extends the sunsets of some current charter school legislation.

(1) Existing law, the Charter Schools Act of 1992, authorizes the establishment, operation, and governance of charter schools. Existing law authorizes a charter school that has an approved charter to receive funding for nonclassroom-based instruction only if a determination for funding is made by the State Board of Education, as specified. The act prohibits, from January 1, 2020, to January 1, 2026, inclusive, the approval of a petition for the establishment of a new charter school offering nonclassroom-based instruction, as specified.

Click here to read the full article in the California Globe