California PERB files complaint against Rocklin school district over transgender outing policy

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CALIFORNIA PERB FILES COMPLAINT AGAINST ROCKLIN SCHOOL BOARD

The California Public Employment Relations Board is officially stepping in after a Northern California school district voted to enact a policy that forces teachers and other school staff to out transgender students to their parents.

PERB issued a formal complaint Tuesday against the Rocklin Unified School District in response to an unfair labor practice filed by the Rocklin Teachers Professional Association, an affiliate of the California Teachers Association.

According to the RTPA, a settlement conference is set for Nov. 16. RTPA President Travis Mougeotte said in a statement that he is confident that the PERB will agree that the district’s “forced outing policy” violates state law.

“California Education Code requires educators to take an oath to support the Constitution and laws of the State of California, and any violation places our teachers’ credentials in jeopardy of being suspended or revoked by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. A local school board does not have the authority to change or violate state laws,” he said.

The PERB did not respond to The Bee’s request for comment by deadline. Neither did Rocklin school board president Julie Hupp.

School district spokesman Sundeep Dosanjh said in a statement to The Bee that ”the Rocklin Unified School District is aware of a formal complaint issued by the California Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) filed by the Rocklin Teachers Professional Association and continues to remain committed to negotiate in good faith with all labor partners the effects of decisions made by the school board.”

If the matter is not resolved at the Nov. 16 conference, it goes before an administrative law judge, who will hold a formal hearing not unlike a trial before issuing a decision. That decision can be appealed by either party to the full Public Employment Relations Board.

PADILLA ESTABLISHES MENTAL HEALTH CAUCUS

Via Gillian Brassil...

California Sen. Alex Padilla helped launch the Senate’s first Mental Health Caucus Tuesday for crafting bipartisan solutions to what U.S. Surgeons General have called a mental health crisis.

“The launch of the Senate Mental Health Caucus comes at a critical time as our nation faces a mental health crisis that affects people across the lifespan, with suicide being the 11th leading cause of death in the United States,” said Laurel Stine, executive vice president and chief policy officer at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

The caucus is also a forum for raising awareness of and destigmatizing mental health issues. Top priorities will be to improve prevention and early intervention and to bolster response services, mental health professionals and evidence-based treatment.

“People are finally beginning to realize the scale of our mental health crisis — and the wall of stigma that prevents too many from getting help is starting to come down,” Padilla said. “Now we need to ensure there are resources ready to get Americans the help that they need.”

Increasing support for mental health has been one of Padilla’s top issues. This year, he introduced three bills for improving mental health care of military children, Latinos and farm workers.

Republican Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Joni Ernst of Iowa joined Democrats Padilla and Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota to create the caucus.

Democratic members include Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. Republicans include Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia and Susan Collins of Maine.

Congress over the past few years has pushed bipartisan legislation for mental health care, including creation of a 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

“Mental health is the bipartisan issue of our time, and it is inspiring to see the establishment of the bipartisan Senate Mental Health Caucus,” National Alliance on Mental Illness Chief Executive Officer Daniel H. Gillison, Jr., said in a statement.

VALADAO DRAWS A CONSERVATIVE PRIMARY CHALLENGER

Via Gilliant Brassil...

Conservative Republican Chris Mathys will challenge Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, for his House seat in 2024.

Mathys, who ran against Valadao in California’s 22nd Congressional District last year, is an ardent Donald Trump supporter and often criticizes Valadao’s vote to impeach the former president over the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Valadao was one of 10 House Republicans to vote to impeach Trump in 2021. He is one of only two who decided to run again for Congress and won.

“I would not have voted to impeach a Republican president,” Mathys said in a video launching his campaign.

Mathys, 66, is a businessman and previously served on the Fresno City Council.

He fell short by about 1,200 votes to Valadao, 46, in the 2022 primary election.

Among his fiscal priorities, Mathys mentioned curbing government spending and addressing inflation and gas prices. He criticized Congress for sending aid to Ukraine, a bipartisan effort, while San Joaquin Valley voters struggle with high grocery and gas prices.

“We’re not taking care of Americans,” Mathys said.

Voters in California’s 22nd, a stretch of farmland from Hanford to Shafter, picked President Joe Biden by 13 percentage points over Trump in 2020.

Mathys joins two well-known Democrats challenging Valadao.

In 2022, Valadao won the left-leaning 22nd by a 3% margin over former Bakersfield Assemblyman Rudy Salas.

Salas is running again in 2024. State Sen. Melissa Hurtado of Fresno is also running. So far, Salas has far outraised Hurtado, according to the most recent campaign finance reports.

Election analysts predict another close race between Republicans and Democrats.

Valadao has won many tough races. The Hanford dairy farmer, first elected to Congress in 2013, narrowly lost his seat to Democrat T.J. Cox in 2020 and won it back two years later. Cox now faces federal fraud charges, including an alleged illegal campaign contribution.

And now, a brief message from our State Worker reporter...

California state workers, allow me to introduce myself.

If you haven’t met me yet, my name is Maya Miller, and I write about the state workforce for The Bee. I spend my days writing stories that help keep you informed about your workplace, union, health care, pension and more. While I seek to inform elected officials and the residents of California, you — the state employees — are my primary audience.

With this in mind, I’m pleased to announce a relaunch of the State Worker newsletter. This weekly delivery of original news nuggets will land in your inbox on Wednesdays. It will also include a brief roundup of stories from me and my esteemed Bee colleagues.

Consider it a source of talkers for your next water-cooler conversation with colleagues. Or, if you’re a teleworker, I hope this weekly dispatch helps you feel connected and in-the-know. I’ll also frequently ask for your input with a poll or callout.

You can always reach out to me directly at mmiller@sacbee.com to tell me what you’d like to read about, where I should look for stories and what questions you would like me to answer.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“No negative on anyone else, whether Jim or anyone else emerges. Kevin had a lot of talent and a lot going for him. My vote today was to say Kevin, I appreciate you I wish you were still our speaker.”

- Rep. Doug LaMalfa, to The Bee, after voting against Rep. Jim Jordan to be the next Speaker of the House.

Best of The Bee:

• All but one California Republican stood Tuesday behind Rep. Jim Jordan, whose initial bid for Speaker of the House of Representatives fell well short of the required 217 votes, via Gillian Brassil and David Lightman.

• Sacramento officials are asking a Superior Court judge to toss out District Attorney Thien Ho’s lawsuit over the city’s handling of the homeless crisis, arguing that he has exceeded his authority and has no evidence to support his claims, via Sam Stanton.

• Speed cameras will be authorized to ticket California drivers in select cities as soon as next year, after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a pilot program bill into law Friday, via Angela Rodriguez.