As states push anti-trans bills, California considers one of its own

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Friday, April 7. I’m Kenya Romero, the audience engagement fellow writing from East Los Angeles.

Bills that would restrict the rights of transgender people have moved through state houses across the country. These are part of the more than 450 bills restricting rights for members of the LGBTQ community just this legislative session, according to the ACLU.

Last month, Georgia and Tennessee joined 11 other states in putting laws on the books that prevent gender-affirming procedures or hormone replacement therapies for those under 18 (even if parents or guardians have consented). Nebraska, South Carolina, West Virginia, Mississippi and South Dakota are close behind, with similar bills advancing through their legislatures.

Bills targeting other LGBTQ communities and gender identities have gotten national attention too. Tennessee recently banned drag performances in public spaces. North Dakota’s legislature sent a bill to the governor that would prevent schoolchildren from using pronouns that differ from those they were assigned at birth without their parents’ consent.

Though California leaders have positioned the state as a progressive safe haven for trans people, the reality is more complicated.

Two Republican state assembly members in Sacramento have proposed a bill that would require school employees to notify parents if their child is transgender, or identifying as a gender that does not align with their sex assigned at birth.

[Read more: California bill would require schools to notify parents if their child is transgender]

Of course, the bill has little chance of advancing in California’s deep-blue Assembly.

In fact, California already has a law on the books that has forbidden the practice since 2014. Teachers and educators cannot share with parents if a student uses new pronouns in school, or comes out as transgender to classmates.

The justification? Disclosing that a student is transgender could put them in harm’s way, and could violate California’s anti-discrimination law by making them more susceptible to harassment as well as violating the student’s right to privacy, according to the California Department of Education.

Transgender and other non-conforming kids face higher rates of psychological, physical, and sexual abuse than their counterparts, according to a 2021 study published in the National Library of Medicine.

In a 2022 national survey by the LGBTQ advocacy group The Trevor Project, only 1 in 3 transgender and nonbinary youth reported feeling safe sharing their identity at home.

But Bill Essayli (R-Riverside), one of the bill’s two cosponsors, argues that parents deserve to know what choices their children are making.

“Parents play a critical role in nurturing and supporting children and they cannot be removed from the equation,” Essayli said at a news conference at Jurupa Valley High School last month.

He added that if critics worried about the abuse transgender kids face at home, they can rest assured that teachers are mandatory reporters, and are already on the lookout for abuse.

[More: A transgender 9-year-old tells her story]

That hasn’t convinced his critics.

In a statement condemning the bill, the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus said, “conversations between children and their parents about gender identity should happen on their terms — at a time and place they feel is appropriate — not because politicians say so,” and that outing students against their will “puts them in potentially life-threatening danger.”

The Los Angeles Times editorial board joined the chorus, calling the bill “a mean-spirited bill to score political points from their conservative constituency.”

Sen. Scott Weiner (D-San Francisco) shared his disapproval of the bill on Twitter.

Referring to Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ bill, which requires teachers and counselors to inform parents about their child’s gender identity, Weiner tweeted, “A DeSantis-style bill was just introduced in CA to require teachers/counselors to inform parents if a kid id’s as a gender not on birth certificate. Even if the kid isn’t ready to come out to their parents. Even if ratting the kid out risks violence at home.”

“Nope,” he wrote. “Not in CA.”

And now, here’s what’s happening across California:

Note: Some of the sites we link to may limit the number of stories you can access without subscribing.

L.A. STORIES

Bridget Bousa hangs out with her sisters’ dog, Bunny, inside her recently built ADU in the Fairfax District.

(Mariah Tauger/Los Angeles Times)

She wanted more than a guesthouse for her sister. This tiny ADU in L.A. delivers. Two sisters, one boyfriend, a roommate and a beloved rescue dog share a compound in L.A., thanks to a 500-square-foot ADU. Los Angeles Times

Amid ‘tremendous surge,’ L.A. says pothole repairs will be completed in April. Relentless rain left the streets of Los Angeles pockmarked with potholes, but city officials say some relief is on the way. Mayor Karen Bass urged Angelenos to report potholes by calling the city’s 311 hotline or by filing a report using the 311 app. Los Angeles Times

Who’s sending mystery Uber Eats orders to L.A. neighborhoods? The plot thickens. A spate of unwanted food deliveries in Westwood Hills and Highland Park has vexed residents. With few answers to questions about the source of the orders, one intriguing theory has emerged. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

What to make of Newsom’s romp through the South. Gov. Gavin Newsom has spent the last several days far from California, doing things California governors rarely do. Earlier this week, he was in Sarasota, Fla., meeting with students from the New College of Florida, which has become a symbol of the national culture wars as Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis tries to overhaul the progressive campus by putting conservative trustees in charge. Los Angeles Times

The Los Angeles Times reported about Justice Thomas’ gifts 20 years ago. It was 2004 when the Los Angeles Times disclosed that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas had accepted expensive gifts and private plane trips paid for by Harlan Crow, a wealthy Texas real estate investor and a prominent Republican donor. In response, Thomas stopped disclosing the gifts, but a new ProPublica investigation found he continued to receive them. Los Angeles Times

From ‘Boy Meets World’ to the ballot box. Actor Ben Savage, star of the 1990s network sitcom “Boy Meets World,” is now running for Congress to represent part of Los Angeles County. His campaign is the latest test of how much celebrity matters in American politics. Los Angeles Times

CRIME, COURTS AND POLICING

Man pleads guilty in rapper Pop Smoke’s death. A 20-year-old charged in the killing of Pop Smoke pleaded guilty in juvenile court, admitting he entered a Hollywood Hills mansion as a teenager in February 2020 intending to rob the rapper, who was shot to death in a struggle with his assailants. Los Angeles Times

Friends and family mourn Cash App founder killed in San Francisco stabbing. Family and friends of Cash App founder Bob Lee mourned the tech executive after he was fatally stabbed in San Francisco this week. A 43-year-old man, identified by friends and family as Lee, was found by San Francisco Police Department officers on Main Street in the Rincon Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, according to a news release. Los Angeles Times

HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT

See the rebirth of California’s ‘phantom’ Tulare Lake in striking before-and-after images. Tulare Lake, once the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi, was last full in 1878. Recent storms have flooded thousands of acres of farmland in the area. Los Angeles Times

These parts of California face flood risk from snowmelt. After a relentless three months of heavy rain and snow, California is facing yet another environmental threat — sunny skies and balmy weather. While temperatures are expected to hit the 80s in the Central Valley in the coming days, the most significant threat of snowmelt is still weeks away. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

You can finally visit Anacapa Island and see how it’s changed in a year without tourists. The closest island of Channel Islands National Park enjoyed a respite from visitors, but boat service has resumed. Here’s what to know about the rugged SoCal escape. Los Angeles Times

How to score a reservation for Coachella’s most exclusive Michelin pop-up. There’s no going hungry at this year’s Coachella Music Festival. Check out the coolest food and drink experiences you’ll find at this years festival, including secret bars, exclusive dinners, pop-ups and more. Los Angeles Times

AND FINALLY

Today’s California landmark is from Donald Carper of Fair Oaks: North and South Table Mountain Ecological Reserve.

A vista at the North and South Table Mountain Ecological Reserve.

(Donald Carper)

Donald writes:

What are California’s essential landmarks? Fill out this form to send us your photos of a special spot in California — natural or human-made. Tell us why it’s interesting and what makes it a symbol of life in the Golden State. Please be sure to include only photos taken directly by you. Your submission could be featured in a future edition of the newsletter.

Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.