Teaching teachers how to help LGBTQ kids + Feinstein underwater + California basic income
Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!
LGBT TEACHER TRAINING FUNDS
California Gov. Gavin Newsom made tons of news on Friday when he unveiled his $268 billion May Revise 2021-22 budget.
Tucked in that budget is $3 million for the California Department of Education to develop a LGBTQ+ cultural competency training curriculum. That is a big deal for Equality California, the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ advocacy organization, which has been lobbying for such a program for eight years.
In 2018, then-Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a bill that would have mandated LGBTQ cultural competency training for K-12 public school teachers and staff, believing it would impede on local control.
Then, in 2019, a bill by then Assemblyman Todd Gloria, D-San Diego, with language mandating such training had that language amended out because of a lack of funding.
“This has been one of our key priorities,” said Equality California Executive Director Rick Chavez Zbur in an interview with The Bee.
Zbur said that the lived experience for many students in the LGBTQ community is high rates of poverty, homelessness and engagement in the criminal justice system. Teachers, Zbur said, want better training to help those vulnerable students to succeed.
“This budget allocation is the first step for doing that,” he said.
This comes “in stark contrast to what’s happening in other states,” where LGBTQ children, particularly transgender children, are vilified and “used as a political football” for harmful legislation, Zbur said.
Ultimately, Zbur said he would still like to see LGBTQ cultural competency training be made mandatory in the state of California. But with the funding provided by Newsom’s budget, LGBT groups can develop a suitable training program to provide to teachers.
Jeff Freitas, president of the California Federation of Teachers, hailed the funding in a statement to The Bee.
“Governor Newsom and Superintendent Thurmond have once again demonstrated their dedication to supporting LGBTQ+ students. The proposed $3 million to fund the development of LGBTQ+ cultural competency trainings for educators and classified professionals will empower these school workers to have the tools they need to best support LGBTQ+ students. As the president of CFT, as a math teacher, and as a board member of Equality California, I applaud this effort,” Freitas said.
FEINSTEIN UNDERWATER IN LATEST POLL
Polling from the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies reveals that Sen. Dianne Feinstein remains underwater with California voters.
The Berkeley IGS poll revealed that Feinstein has just a 35% approval rating, compared to 46% of voters who said they disapprove of the job the five-term Democratic senator is doing.
This marks little change from when Berkeley IGS polled Feinstein’s favorability rating in January.
“Feinstein’s decline among liberalsand young voters suggest that core Democratic constituencies are now lesslikely to view her as an effective advocate,” said IGS Co-Director Eric Schickler in a statement.
Voters are more sanguine about California’s junior senator, former Secretary of State and Newsom appointee Alex Padilla.
Padilla, who is up for re-election in 2022, has a 34% approval rating, compared to 20% who disapprove. However, a plurality of voters (46%) have no opinion so far about Padilla’s job performance.
“Senator Padilla’s strong support among Latino and Black voters seems to reflect his ability to personally connect with communities of color. The son of a Mexican-immigrant short-order cook, Padilla has spent much of the first four months of his Senate term working on legislation that affects immigrant and working-class families,” said IGS Co-Director G. Cristina Mora in a statement.
NEWSOM BACKS UBI PILOT PROGRAMS, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Via Jeong Park...
California workers laid off during the coronavirus pandemic could be eligible for a grants to help them train for new jobs or to start a new business, Gov. Newsom announced Friday as he rolled out his revised budget proposal.
“This is without precedent in California’s history, the largest workforce development investment proposal that’s ever been made,” Newsom said.
The $1 billion plan, along with money for workforce development programs, would create 50,000 training opportunities for California workers, Newsom’s office said in its proposal.
California would also spend $35 million over five years to help cities and counties administer pilot programs for universal basic income, becoming the first in the U.S. to fund such an effort at a statewide level.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“$600 checks. Wiping away rental debt. Grants for small businesses. Universal Pre-K. Cutting the cost of college. Housing for 65,000 homeless Californians. Historic amounts to combat wildfires. CA is coming roaring back.
- Gov. Gavin Newsom, via Twitter.
Best of the Bee:
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday proposed pouring tens of billions of dollars into California’s struggling economy as part of a record-setting state budget proposal that will play out as he defends himself in a recall election, via Sophia Bollag.
Pay will be restored automatically for about 130,000 California state workers represented by two unions, while the rest of the workforce must wait for their unions to bargain new agreements over wage reductions all employees took last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday, via Wes Venteicher.
Gov. Gavin Newsom revealed a state budget plan on Friday that would extend health care coverage for undocumented adults, ages 60 and over, via Kim Bojórquez.