criminal-coddling , citizen-disempowering , wrongheaded laws all day long — and we can look forward to even more of the same with a supermajority of Democratic legislators in both houses in Sacramento . But federal reforms will change many Californians ’ lives for the better .
For example , the Trump administration ’ s promised education reform , headed by Betsy DeVos , a staunch advocate of school choice , will bring long awaited change to California ’ s public schools . Trump ’ s education policy focuses on redirecting $ 20 billion in federal funding toward magnet , charter and private school options for public school students , with the emphasis on providing school choice for all 11 million schoolchildren living in poverty . Federal education policy changes may not affect the Bay Area elites who send their children to either private schools or wellheeled public schools , but for the vast majority of parents , federal reform cannot come fast enough for California ’ s failing , often dangerous , and ineffective schools .
The effect on California ’ s urban and rural school districts , which are challenged by language issues , undocumented alien populations and paralyzing teacher-tenure rules , would be to force teachers ’ union members to retool and compete for market share . If you are a mother in an urban community who wants choices for an education that will equip your children to compete in the workplace , then these are promising reforms .
Moreover , President-elect Donald Trump has promised child care tax credits and policy initiatives designed to support working families . Most California residents should cheer these changes .
Trump ’ s signature trade policy reforms should yield greater opportunity for California companies and more jobs for California workers who find themselves undercut by cheap , even exploited , foreign labor . The Trump administration ’ s focus will be on negotiating trade deals and enforcing policies that benefit U . S . workers and companies . The Trump administration will crack down on trade-secret theft and trade violations , such as China unfairly subsidizing exports , by taking legal action through the World Trade Organization and by imposing tariffs for violations , as permitted by the Trade Act of 1974 and the Trade
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Expansion Act of 1962 .
Trump ’ s keystone immigration reform will improve the quality of life for California citizens and legal residents in many ways , allowing resources such as law enforcement , infrastructure , education and welfare services to be redeployed to benefit legal residents . Notwithstanding sanctuary-city bravado and rhetoric , immigration remains an area of exclusive federal control . Local and state governments have little role other than obeisance pursuant to the Constitution ’ s supremacy clause . President-elect Trump has promised to focus initially on deporting millions of undocumented criminal aliens , a commonsense priority that only the most extreme immigration activists challenge .
Undocumented California residents who have relied exclusively upon President Obama ’ s expiring executive orders , which defer immigration enforcement action in the absence of a legislative consensus on how to approach the legal status of individuals brought to the country as children , as well as parents of children born legally in the United States , will now have to await the outcome of intense and ongoing legislative policy discussions in Washington .
Finally , federal protection of our southern border will mean that human trafficking and drug smuggling from Mexico will decline .
California was the most significant holdout in an election year where Republicans ran the table in statehouses throughout the nation . The era of Donald J . Trump is about to begin , and if they keep an open mind , many Californians may find themselves pleasantly surprised by the promised changes .
Harmeet K . Dhillon , ESQ Republican National Committeewoman from California
This article also appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle .
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