California poll shows how parents feel about trans athletes, ICE in schools
Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!
POLL TAKES PULSE OF HOT TOPICS IN EDUCATION
Over 64% of California adults and more than 70% of state public school parents agree on a few things:
they’re opposed to President Donald Trump shutting down the Department of Education
they believe transgender athletes should play on sports teams for the sex they were assigned at birth
they’re concerned about federal immigration enforcement at public schools where there may be undocumented students
Those are the key takeaways from a new poll of about 1,500 California adults from the Public Policy Institute of California, a nonpartisan research group.
When it comes to the direction public school is going, respondents were a bit more split: 51% said K-12 schooling is going in the wrong direction, and 45% said it was heading in the right direction, with 4% saying they didn’t know.
Half of adults said they believed the school system required “major changes.”
“Forty-eight percent of adults think that there is not enough state funding for their local public schools,” said PPIC Statewide Survey director Mark Baldassare. “About six in ten are concerned about declining student enrollment affecting their local public schools’ funding.”
Those closest to the issue, public school parents, seem to be mostly satisfied: 83% of them gave their local public school a passing grade.
U.S. REPUBLICANS WANT MERCY ON MEDICAID
Via David Lightman...
Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, and 11 other House Republicans are urging GOP leaders to go easy on Medicaid cuts.
“Balancing the federal budget must not come at the expense of those who depend on these benefits for their health and economic security,” they wrote in a three page letter this week.
The House budget plan calls for the Energy and Commerce Committee, which will write the Medicaid legislation, to cut $880 billion over 10 years. The committee is expected to begin that work next month.
While the House plan does not specify that Medicaid, called Medi-Cal in California, be cut, there appear to be few alternatives to getting those sorts of savings.
Valadao’s district is heavily reliant on the program. About two-thirds of all residents in his district get aid from Medi-Cal, according to the nonprofit California Health Care Foundation. The district includes most of Kings County and parts of Tulare and Kern counties
Valadao and others wrote, “As Members of Congress who helped to deliver a Republican Majority, many of us representing districts with high rates of constituents who depend on Medicaid, we would like to reiterate our strong support for this program that ensures our constituents have reliable healthcare.”
They acknowledge that “We must reform Medicaid so that it is a strong and long-lasting program for years to come. Efficiency and transparency must be prioritized for program beneficiaries, hospitals, and states.”
They want changes to improve the program, such as reducing improper payments and modernizing programs.
But, they wrote, “Cuts to Medicaid also threaten the viability of hospitals, nursing homes, and safety-net providers nationwide. Many hospitals — particularly in rural and underserved areas — rely heavily on Medicaid funding, with some receiving over half their revenue from the program alone.”
Big cuts could mean closing much-needed facilities, “with many unable to recover. When hospitals close, it affects all constituents, regardless of healthcare coverage,” the lawmakers said.
POLL: VOTERS SPLIT ON HARRIS FOR GOVERNOR 2026
Via Lia Russell…
As gubernatorial hopefuls wait with bated breath for her decision, voters are split on whether Kamala Harris should run for California governor next year, according to a new Emerson College/The Hill poll.
Pollsters surveyed 1,000 people earlier this month and found most were undecided when asked whom they would vote for in the June 2026 primary to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is termed out of office that November. Some 50.4% of those polled said Harris should not run for governor, while 49.6% said she should.
Harris recently returned to public life since losing to Trump last fall, and is set to make a decision by the end of the summer about whether to run for California’s highest office, an aide told The Bee last month. A handful of candidates who have already declared their intent to run, like former Rep. Katie Porter, said they would step aside if Harris does enter, while others, like former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, said they would not step aside for Harris’ “coronation,” citing urgent issues like homelessness and wildfire recovery.
About 31% of likely voters said they would vote for Harris if she ran in the primary, putting Porter at a distant second with 8% support. If Harris does not run, however, Porter’s support rose to 12%, making her a likely frontrunner if the former Vice President does not enter the race. Thirty-nine percent reported being undecided if Harris runs, a number that rose to 54% if she does not enter the race.
Observers are watching both Harris and Newsom as both are considered to also be mulling 2028 presidential campaigns. Some 59% of likely voters said they thought Newsom should not run for president.
The survey was conducted between April 12 and 14 and has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Another campus shattered by gun violence. Another community forever changed. And still, some leaders cling to power and profit while our children pay the price.” - Jennifer Siebel Newsom on X, reflecting on Thursday’s shooting at Florida State University.
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This story was originally published April 18, 2025 at 4:55 AM with the headline "California poll shows how parents feel about trans athletes, ICE in schools."
