Andy Thorburn

08/27/2026

META REACHES LANDMARK CHILD-SAFETY SETTLEMENT

Meta has reached a multibillion-dollar settlement with a bipartisan coalition of states over allegations that Facebook and Instagram used addictive features that harmed children and teens.

The agreement includes billions in payments and new protections for users under 18, including daily time limits, overnight restrictions, stronger parental controls and limits on potentially harmful features.

Meta denies wrongdoing, but the settlement sends a clear message: Protecting children online must come before maximizing engagement. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who led the coalition of states suing Meta, announced the agreement today.

Supporters of Public Education-OC Public School Defenders Hub WAVE Rob Bonta

08/26/2026

📚 SPECIAL EDUCATION COMPLAINTS RISE

Written state complaints involving special education in California rose 46% between the 2024–25 and 2025–26 school years.

The increase may reflect several factors, including more disputes over services and reduced federal civil rights staffing, which may be shifting more families toward California’s state complaint process.

The increase is significant and underscores the importance of ensuring families have effective ways to resolve disputes and protect the rights of students with disabilities.

Supporters of Public Education-OC Public School Defenders Hub WAVE

08/24/2026

🏛️ Who Gets to Rename America’s Federal Buildings? Congress Says: Congress.

Reps. Ted Lieu (D-CA) and April McClain Delaney (D-MD) have introduced the Congressional Authorization for Federal Building Names Act, legislation designed to make clear that federal buildings and institutions cannot simply be renamed by presidential decree or administrative action.

The bill would require explicit congressional authorization before the name of federal property can be changed.

The legislation follows controversies involving efforts by the Trump administration and its allies to rename or alter the names of prominent federal institutions, including the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the U.S. Institute of Peace.

The principle behind the bill is straightforward: Federal institutions belong to the American people—not to any president or administration. You can go to CPI's website and fill out a petition demanding legislative action: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeg3dk_tOEQ9nWrIATMuG_fXOfV-C0Qh-Tqdf94ekA17xTBqQ/viewform?fbclid=IwY2xjawQbKFlleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETEwbHY4S1o3c0lub01nWVdwc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHnx5blMleeLSEoYkPHmm6kFlTtZSMT4PghE41M6g-j1YG4rNm_Hz9WJ1TnVL_aem_9rlBt9NBtZpQr3_JEXBMdA

08/20/2026

🍎 A New School Year—and New Support for California Students!

As students head back to school, California is beginning the year with several major statewide investments:

🎒 Universal Transitional Kindergarten — TK is now available statewide as a public-school grade, giving every 4-year-old access to an early learning opportunity.
🍎 Free school meals for every student — California continues universal breakfast and lunch, regardless of family income.
🫁 Emergency inhalers in public schools — Schools will have rescue inhalers available for students experiencing asthma-related breathing emergencies.
🧠 Mental health & special education — California is also highlighting major investments aimed at expanding student mental-health services and strengthening support for students with disabilities.

Taken together, these policies reflect a broader idea about public education: students are better prepared to learn when their academic, physical and emotional needs are supported.

A new school year brings new challenges—but also new opportunities to make California's public schools work better for every child.


Supporters of Public Education-OC Public School Defenders Hub WAVE

08/19/2026

Trump Visa Restrictions Are Hitting U.S. Colleges

International students appear to be reconsidering America.

New international student enrollment fell about 17% in fall 2025, following tighter visa screening, interview disruptions and increased uncertainty over immigration rules.

The warning signs continue into 2026:
📉 International applicants from Asia: down 10%
📉 India: down 14%
📉 Africa: down 16%

Meanwhile, overall applications to U.S. colleges are up.

International students contribute billions to the U.S. economy and play an especially important role in graduate STEM programs and university research.

Critics concede stronger visa controls may address legitimate security concerns—but if talented students increasingly choose other countries, American universities, research and innovation could pay the price.

08/18/2026

If you really believe that public education is important, you must vote YES on Proposition 3 this November.

Prop. 3 protects billions of dollars for public education we are already covering.
It continues current tax rates rather than imposing a new tax increase and places the responsibility on Californians most able to pay.
Prop. 3 maintains existing rates on the highest incomes to protect $5 billion to $15 billion a year in revenue, principally benefiting California schools and community colleges. This is not time to cut support for schools. Let’s do this! Support Prop. 3.
Supporters of Public Education-OC Public School Defenders Hub WAVE

08/17/2026

The Public School Defenders Hub is hosting a free virtual training session on Thursday, August 20, 2026, to help community members monitor school board meetings and navigate governance laws. The interactive workshop covers California's transparency acts and strategies for effective public oversight. Click here for more info: https://bit.ly/HubAugTraining

08/15/2026

Hard to believe but the idea for Social Security as a system actually started in Germany as early as the 1880s. The head of the Imperial German government was Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck, one of the most conservative figures of his age. He realized that the economic insecurity ravaging Europe was a threat to social order. It took the Great Depression decades later to bring a new form of Social Security to the U.S.

On this day, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act, reshaping the American promise to workers and retirees. Marking the 91st anniversary, it was a New Deal cornerstone born from the hardship of the Great Depression—creating old-age pensions, unemployment insurance, and aid for vulnerable families. It didn’t end poverty, but it put a floor under freefall and redefined the federal government’s role in economic security.

Here’s a detail even many history buffs miss: the original Social Security number wasn’t meant to be a universal ID. Early cards even read “Not For Identification”—a reminder that the program began narrowly focused on wage records before becoming a bedrock of American life. FDR called Congress’s vote “patriotic,” and despite later expansions and reforms, Social Security has endured across parties and generations, sending monthly checks through wars, recessions, and recoveries. Its legacy is simple and profound: no American who works a lifetime should face old age utterly alone.

08/14/2026

Another Trump Administration lawsuit has failed in court.

A federal judge dismissed the Justice Department’s case accusing Harvard University of failing to protect Jewish and Israeli students from antisemitic harassment. The judge found that the incidents cited by the government were “too isolated and episodic” to establish an ongoing, systemic violation of federal civil-rights law.

Antisemitism is real and must be confronted wherever it occurs. But serious allegations do not give the government unlimited authority to punish universities, reclaim federal funding or use civil-rights enforcement to impose political control over academic institutions.

The Justice Department says it is considering its next steps. Read more below.


Supporters of Public Education-OC Public School Defenders Hub WAVE

The decision from U.S. District Judge Richard G. Stearns said that President Donald Trump's administration failed to prove an ongoing violation of federal civil rights laws.

08/13/2026

🎨 California voters made a historic investment in student creativity by approving Proposition 28—providing roughly $1 billion annually for arts and music education.
But funding alone isn’t enough.

Some school districts are struggling to use the money because California faces a shortage of qualified arts educators. Current rules generally require larger districts to spend at least 80% of the funding on employees, limiting their ability to work with independent teaching artists, community arts organizations or other outside partners.

Small and rural districts face an especially difficult challenge: Their allocations may be too small to support a full-time teacher, while qualified applicants can be hard to find.
Proposition 28 remains a promising and well-intentioned investment. Clearer guidance, reasonable flexibility and a stronger arts-teacher pipeline can help ensure these dollars reach the students they were intended to inspire.



Supporters of Public Education-OC Public School Defenders Hub WAVE