Battles over California schools’ transgender policies are raging in court. How’d we get here? (2024)

Good morning. It’s Tuesday, April 16. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.

• Battles over California schools’ transgender policies are raging in court.
• The Biden administration gives California $45 million to help recently arrived migrants.
• The 15 best things we saw at Coachella 2024.
• And here’s today’s e-newspaper.

How did California schools’ transgender policies end up in court?

State law requires that the attorney general give proposed ballot measures a neutral title when they are presented to the public to gather petition signatures.

But supporters hoping to get one initiative before voters in November took issue with what Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta named their would-be state law: “Restricts Rights of Transgender Youth.”

Under the proposed initiative, schools in the state would be required to notify parents if their child (anyone under 18) changes their gender identification unofficially, such as in conversation with friends or teachers, or in school records, like a roll sheet.

The initiative would also prohibit gender-affirming healthcare for transgender patients under 18, “even if parents consent or treatment is medically recommended,” according to the official summary of the initiative published by Bonta’s office. It also would repeal current state law that allows transgender athletes to participate in sports and use bathrooms consistent with their gender identity.

The initiative’s backers have sued the state over the title, calling it “misleading, false, and prejudicial.”

“They said a title that includes ‘protecting students’ could appeal to voters,” Times education reporter Howard Blume wrote this week. “One that focuses on limiting an individual’s rights might not.”

The pending lawsuit is among “several high-profile legal jousts in California’s education culture wars over policies that have taken hold mostly in a few deep red, inland or rural areas,” Howard noted.

Parental notification and bathroom bans are not the only issues. Restrictions have been placed on library books, as well as curriculum that highlights the nation’s history of slavery, racial inequities and LGBTQ+ issues. That drew the attention of Gov. Gavin Newsom, along with the state’s education department and attorney general, who threatened legal action against school boards in recent months. Some of those threats became lawsuits.

“Now, opposing sides are facing off in courtrooms with broad implications for state and local school policies,” Howard reported.

How we got here

The current legal battles are simply the latest salvo in an ideological battle that’s been playing out in school boards across the state.

The core of the issue is not new; it’s just the latest iteration of the long-running debate over the role of public education and how much influence parents should have over that system.

2023 survey data from Pew Research Center show that these partisan rifts have widened in recent years, with a majority of Republicans saying K-12 education is having a negative effect on the U.S.

Fueled by that dissatisfaction, conservative activists and school board members are focusing on local school boards, raising money to fund candidates who share their views on transgender issues and parental notification. And they’ve seen some political gains.

As Times reporters chronicled last year, the local-level political maneuverings are part of a well-coordinated effort backed by national conservative groups. That includes California Policy Center, Moms for Liberty, the Leadership Institute, Turning Point USA and evangelical megachurches.

But as several school boards passed parental notification policies aimed at gender-nonconforming students, the state pushed back, arguing they violate students’ privacy rights.

Protection or persecution?

One ongoing case is between the state and Chino Valley Unified, where the district’s parent-notification policy was initially deemed discriminatory against transgender students. In response, the Chino Valley Board of Education revised the policy by broadening it so that parents of any student would be notified of requests for a “change to their official or unofficial records.” A hearing for that case is set for May.

Chino Valley district leaders also approved a policy that allows parents to report books they deem unsuitable because of sexual content. The book would then be removed pending a public hearing to decide if it should be banned.

Supporters and opponents of the transgender notification policy face off outside the Orange Unified School District board meeting on Sept. 7.

(Ringo Chiu / For The Times)

Conservatives call efforts like these necessary to protect young children from sexually explicit and profane materials. But what some call protection, others call erasure and persecution. Those opposed to the conservative-led policies say they amount to racism and anti-LGBTQ+ bigotry and will lead to more marginalization and harm for children.

“The people screaming for ‘parental rights’ are trying to take rights away from my kids while telling me how to raise them,” Kristi Hirst, leader of the Chino-based Our Schools USA, told Howard.

Similar battles over transgender student policies and restrictions on books and curriculum are raging in school districts across the state, including in Orange, Riverside, San Diego, San Bernardino, Shasta and Placer counties.

You can read more about some of those in Howard’s reporting.

Today’s top stories

Trump’s trial

• Q&A: Yes, Trump could be elected president as a convicted felon.
• The first criminal prosecution of a former president in American history began Monday as Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, stands trial in New York.
• Trump’s trial is about more than sex and money. It’s about what presidents ‘can get away with.’

More politics

• The abortion debate is giving Harris a moment. But voters still aren’t sold.
• The Biden administration gives California $45 million to help recently arrived migrants.
• People with disabilities love this program. Why are Latinos underrepresented?
• California sues Huntington Beach over ‘blatantly and flatly illegal’ voter ID law.

AI abuse in California

• AI-generated child p*rnography is circulating. This California prosecutor wants to make it illegal.
• L.A. school district investigates inappropriate images shared at Fairfax High. More AI abuse?
• Laguna Beach High School launches inquiry into ‘inappropriate’ AI-generated images of students.

Israel-Iran clash

• Analysis: Can both sides declare victory in Iran-Israel clash?
• Iran launches airstrikes toward Israel in retaliatory move, boosting chance of wider conflict.
• Biden hosts Iraqi leader after Iran’s attack on Israel throws Mideast into greater uncertainty.

More big stories

• Goofy is sued for negligence and inflicting trauma in a Disneyland collision.
• Citing safety, USC bans pro-Palestinian valedictorian from speaking at graduation.
• Tesla to slash more than 10% of its global workforce, affecting 14,000 employees.
• ‘Rust’ armorer Hannah Gutierrez is sentenced to 18 months in prison — the maximum sentence — for her role in the accidental shooting death of the western film’s cinematographer 2½ years ago in New Mexico.
• A federal judge has found that L.A. city officials doctored records in a case over homeless camp cleanups.
• This controversial homeless housing owner wants to buy six more troubled Skid Row properties.
• Berkeley schools chief will testify at congressional hearing over antisemitism charges.
• A California women’s prison rocked by ‘rape club’ abuse scandals will be closed.
• Damage found inside Glen Canyon Dam increases water risks on the Colorado River.
• Lakers know Pelicans present problems in playoffs rematch, but so does complacency.
• After Caitlin Clark is drafted No. 1, Sparks select Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson.
• California sues Huntington Beach over ‘blatantly and flatly illegal’ voter ID law.
• A federal judge has found that L.A. city officials doctored records in a case over homeless camp cleanups.

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• Sammy Roth: Red state coal towns still power the West Coast. We can’t just let them die.
• LZ Granderson: How can evangelicals like Mike Johnson tolerate Trump?
• Harry Litman: Trump’s antics didn’t stop his New York hush money trial. Here’s why he’ll keep them up.
• Michael Hiltzik: Are Republicans who got pandemic debt relief hypocrites for complaining about student debt relief? Yes.
• Jonah Goldberg: For Israel and Ukraine alike, U.S. support is proving unreliable and inadequate.

Today’s great reads

‘Self-annihilation?’ L.A. rabbi wants to heal a ‘world on fire.’ Rabbi Sharon Brous is one of the most influential Jewish leaders in America. Since founding IKAR in Los Angeles, she has become a powerful voice on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, antisemitism and American politics.

Other great reads

• Salman Rushdie’s ‘Knife’ recounts his stabbing. His press tour has its own revelations.
• 99 Cents Only stores are closing. How I spent $20 in groceries at other discount chains.
• This iconic wildflower spot can be dazzling. Is it worth the 150-mile trek from L.A. this year?
• ‘It’s the best job ever’: ‘Family Guy’ cast reflects on 25 years of irreverent humor.
• What ‘Civil War’ gets right and wrong about photojournalism, according to a Pulitzer Prize winner.
• Bit by a billionaire’s dog? Or a case of extortion? A legal saga from an L.A. dog park.

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.

For your downtime

Going out

• 🎸🎤 The 15 best things we saw at Coachella 2024.
• 🎦 In trying to hedge its politics, ‘Civil War’ — now in theaters— betrays its characters and the audience.
• 🛒 Beyond Erewhon: Inside the L.A. grocery store where all the cool vegans are flocking.

Staying in

• 📖 ‘Alienist’ author Caleb Carr — grieving his late cat — reflects on his life amid battle with cancer.
• 🧑‍🍳 Here’s a recipe for butternut hommus.
• ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.

And finally ... a great photo

Show us your favorite place in California! We’re running low on submissions. Send us photos that scream California and we may feature them in an edition of Essential California.

Today’s great photo is from Times contributor Yuri Hasegawa at Khoi Pham and Michael Solberg’s Studio City cottage where their native plant wonderland shows how gorgeous no grass can be.

Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Ryan Fonseca, reporter
Defne Karabatur, fellow
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor and Saturday reporter
Christian Orozco, assistant editor
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters

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