California Department of Education
PROFILE
Tom Torlakson
Guest
FROM Tom Torlakson
Olney in L.A.
Prop 55: Tax extension to fund education and healthcare Proposition 55 would extend a temporary personal income tax on those making $250,000 per year. The money would be slated for education and healthcare. We consider the pros and cons of the measure with an educator and a representative of a taxpayers' rights group.
Which Way, L.A.?
California Democrats Duke It Out for Schools Chief The Governor of California appoints the State Board of Education, which sets policy. The job of implementation goes to the Superintendent of Public Instruction, a nonpartisan officer who’s elected statewide. Former Democratic Assemblyman Tom Torlakson is the incumbent, running for a second 4-year term. Challenger Marshall Tuck left the financial sector to become head of the Green Dot Charter Schools in Los Angles and then lead Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s Partnership for Education.
Which Way, L.A.?
Jerry Brown: The Budget and Education Public schools, colleges and universities are already reeling after years of multi-billion dollar reductions. But the over-all budget gap will soon be $28 billion. At Jerry Brown's budget forum yesterday at UCLA, the Governor-elect discussed the dilemma with David Sanchez, President of the California Teachers' Association. The CTA President lamented that after all the budget cuts to K-12, "no more meat on this bone to carve, all that is left is amputation." Brown agreed that one wants to close schools, but reminded that no one wants to raise taxes either, and said it falls to him to bring people together to ensure the future of California.
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To the Point
Will the Senate write a healthcare bill in secret? While Democrats and Republicans argue White House relations with Russia, another question is being decided behind closed doors: who gets help buying health insurance and who doesn't? We hear how the pros and cons are being shrouded in secrecy.
To the Point
What happens when America retreats from the world? Is President Trump taking his "America First" agenda to extremes, withdrawing the country from the international stage on trade and climate change, distancing America from its traditional allies across the Atlantic and even threatening to physically isolate the country through the building of a wall along its southern border? León Krauze guest hosts.
To the Point
The Trump agenda: where's the beef? President Trump says big things are happening. After celebrating a House bill on health care, he doesn’t yet have Senate agreement. With James Comey’s public testimony scheduled tomorrow, the President today tweeted his selection of a new FBI Director. Is the Chief Executive all style and no substance? Later, terror attacks in Iran and conflicting claims about who’s behind them.
To the Point
Replacing Obamacare: Now you see it… now you don’t As the Senate deliberates replacing Obmacare, health coverage for millions of people is at stake. There've been no public hearings, and a draft measure won't be made public. Is the House version so unpopular that that Senate is hiding a version that looks much the same?