Here’s our pick of recent news about the ongoing effort to privatize public education in California. Not a subscriber? Sign up here.

Is unlimited charter school growth sustainable? We might soon find out. Gov. Gavin Newsom has called on State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond to establish a panel of experts to examine the impact of charter school growth on district finances. As we found last year, public school students in many California school districts are bearing the cost of the unchecked expansion of charter schools. EdSource

Following in the footsteps of the LA. The West Contra Costa Unified School Board is discussing a resolution that calls upon the state to establish a moratorium on charter school expansion. “Well, quite simply, my intent was clearly looking at Los Angeles. I was looking at Oakland and I was thinking what if they could’ve gone back in time to stop all the school closures and all the movement that there was no pushback on,” said the board member who introduced the resolution. Richmond Confidential

“Wherever there’s a battle over public education lately, a billionaire is somehow involved.”Jacobin Magazineweighs in on the upcoming Oakland teachers strike: “Although charter schools don’t improve student outcomes, they have all sorts of destructive impacts. As noted above, they massively drain resources from public schools. In the 2016–17 school year alone, Oakland Unifed School District lost over $57 million in revenue to charter schools, according to a reportby In the Public Interest.” Jacobin

Attacks on public sector unions put black communities at risk. A study has found that public sector jobs and unions that represent public employees contribute to the economic and social stability of the black middle class in Los Angeles. Los Angeles Sentinel

ICYMI. Los Angeles’s public school teachers won smaller class sizes and more school support staffing, but they also raised issues about charter schools, including something called “co-location.” In California, traditional, neighborhood schools are forced to give space to charter schools. Our video from last year explains why this is causing headaches for parents, teachers, and students. In the Public Interest