<description>&lt;p&gt;Governor Gavin Newsom signed an emergency bill to rename the Cesar Chavez holiday “Farmworkers Day.” Will and David suggest we commemorate instead the East Los Angeles teacher who was the subject of the 1988 movie &lt;i&gt;Stand and Deliver&lt;/i&gt; -- and was then driven from teaching by his own union. Representative Eric Swalwell earned a key campaign endorsement from the California Teachers Association -- a kind of Surgeon General’s Warning for voters in the state’s June primary. In other news: Tech’s very bad week in court, and it’s time for San Francisco to defund its corrupt “Defund the Police” campaign. Bonus tracks! Red State reporter Jen Van Laar on LAUSD’s all-in-the-family negotiations with the state’s largest teacher’s union, and former &lt;i&gt;Los Angeles Times&lt;/i&gt; religion reporter Bill Lobdell on the Catholic Church sex-abuse scandal, televangelists, Cesar Chavez, and California’s public schools. Music by Metalachi.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Email Us:&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:dbahnsen@thebahnsengroup.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;dbahnsen@thebahnsengroup.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:will@calpolicycenter.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;will@calpolicycenter.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Follow Us:&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/DavidBahnsen" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;@DavidBahnsen&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/WillSwaim" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;@WillSwaim&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/TheRadioFreeCA" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;@TheRadioFreeCA&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Show Notes&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
 &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/26/newsom-signs-law-renaming-cesar-chavez-day-to-farmworkers-day-00847474" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Newsom signs law renaming Cesar Chavez Day to Farmworkers Day&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
 &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-06-19-me-826-story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;A Calculated Move : Jaime Escalante Prepares to Leave to Teach in Sacramento&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
 &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-06-27-me-1671-story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;UTLA’s response&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
 &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/california-playbook/2026/03/26/the-professor-at-the-center-of-the-debate-debacle-00845901" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;The USC professor at the center of the debate debacle&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
 &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/california-playbook/2026/03/30/a-big-weekend-for-eric-swalwell-00849924" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;A big weekend for Eric Swalwell&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
 &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/28/us/politics/trump-fbi-patel-eric-swalwell.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;F.B.I. Said to Dig Up Old Investigative Files on Democratic Lawmaker&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
 &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/swalwell-campaign-hot-seat-after-accepting-almost-15k-from-ccp-tied-law-firm-stop-playing-footsie" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Swalwell campaign in the hot seat after accepting almost $15K from CCP-tied law firm: 'Stop playing footsie'&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
 &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/26/social-media-trials-usher-in-big-techs-latest-moment-of-reckoning-00846388" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Social media trials usher in Big Tech's latest moment of reckoning&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
 &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/crime/article/sheryl-davis-of-dream-keeper-booked-felonies-22157154.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Top S.F. official who led Dream Keeper equity program charged with felonies: ‘abuse of power’&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
 &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-03-25/southla-sewer-homeless-residents-nearly-sealed-inside" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Holed up: L.A. tries closing off manhole where people live, nearly sealing someone inside&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
 &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.independent.org/article/2025/11/17/decline-in-la-homelessness-is-illusory/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;LA’s Declining Homelessness Numbers: Real or Illusory?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
 &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://edsource.org/updates/california-introduces-financial-literacy-course-starting-with-2031-31-class" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;California introduces financial literacy course starting with class of 2030-31&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
 &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://resources.ca.gov/Newsroom/Page-Content/News-List/Landmark-Policy" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;'New Era': Landmark Policy to Expand Tribal Stewardship for At Least 7.5 Million Acres in California&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Jen Van Laar&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
 &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://x.com/jenvanlaar/status/2036204920152768576?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Literal bedfellows among teacher union activists and the district negotiating their pay package&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Bill Lobdell&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
 &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.amazon.com/Losing-My-Religion-Reporting-Unexpected/dp/0061626813" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;“Losing My Religion: How I Lost My Faith Reporting on Religion in America and Found Unexpected Peace”&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
 &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/newport-beach-in-the-rearview-mirror/id1546111007" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Newport Beach in the Rearview Mirror podcast&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;br/&gt; &lt;p&gt;Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See &lt;a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com"&gt;pcm.adswizz.com&lt;/a&gt; for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

National Review's Radio Free California Podcast

[email protected] (Will Swaim, David L. Bahnsen, Jen Van Laar, Bill Lobdell)

Episode 438: Maybe We Call This ‘Jaime Escalante Day’?

APR 1, 2026107 MIN
National Review's Radio Free California Podcast

Episode 438: Maybe We Call This ‘Jaime Escalante Day’?

APR 1, 2026107 MIN

Description

Governor Gavin Newsom signed an emergency bill to rename the Cesar Chavez holiday “Farmworkers Day.” Will and David suggest we commemorate instead the East Los Angeles teacher who was the subject of the 1988 movie Stand and Deliver -- and was then driven from teaching by his own union. Representative Eric Swalwell earned a key campaign endorsement from the California Teachers Association -- a kind of Surgeon General’s Warning for voters in the state’s June primary. In other news: Tech’s very bad week in court, and it’s time for San Francisco to defund its corrupt “Defund the Police” campaign. Bonus tracks! Red State reporter Jen Van Laar on LAUSD’s all-in-the-family negotiations with the state’s largest teacher’s union, and former Los Angeles Times religion reporter Bill Lobdell on the Catholic Church sex-abuse scandal, televangelists, Cesar Chavez, and California’s public schools. Music by Metalachi. Email Us:[email protected]@calpolicycenter.org Follow Us:@DavidBahnsen@WillSwaim@TheRadioFreeCA Show Notes Newsom signs law renaming Cesar Chavez Day to Farmworkers Day A Calculated Move : Jaime Escalante Prepares to Leave to Teach in Sacramento UTLA’s response The USC professor at the center of the debate debacle A big weekend for Eric Swalwell F.B.I. Said to Dig Up Old Investigative Files on Democratic Lawmaker Swalwell campaign in the hot seat after accepting almost $15K from CCP-tied law firm: 'Stop playing footsie' Social media trials usher in Big Tech's latest moment of reckoning Top S.F. official who led Dream Keeper equity program charged with felonies: ‘abuse of power’ Holed up: L.A. tries closing off manhole where people live, nearly sealing someone inside LA’s Declining Homelessness Numbers: Real or Illusory? California introduces financial literacy course starting with class of 2030-31 'New Era': Landmark Policy to Expand Tribal Stewardship for At Least 7.5 Million Acres in California Jen Van Laar Literal bedfellows among teacher union activists and the district negotiating their pay package Bill Lobdell “Losing My Religion: How I Lost My Faith Reporting on Religion in America and Found Unexpected Peace” Newport Beach in the Rearview Mirror podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.