California Today: Berkeley schools superintendent to testify today on Capitol Hill

Three leaders of major public school systems will appear before members of a House committee looking into claims of antisemitism in schools.

View in browser|nytimes.com May 8, 2024 By Soumya Karlamangla It's Wednesday. Enikia Ford Morthel, superintendent of the Berkeley public schools, will testify in Washington about antisemitism in education. Plus, disability artwork makes history at SFMOMA. Testimony from Nemat Shafik, the president of Columbia University, offered the latest measure of just how much universities have changed their approach toward campus protests. Amanda Andrade-Rhoades for The New York Times Divisions in one California school district will be thrust into the national spotlight today. The superintendent of the Berkeley Unified School District, Enikia Ford Morthel, is set to appear before members of a congressional committee in the most recent round of Republican-led inquiries into campus antisemitism. Though the House Committee on Education and the Workforce has grilled many university leaders in similar hearings, this will be the first time that primary and secondary school leaders have been the focus. The Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel and the resulting war in Gaza have sown unusual tensions in Berkeley, a community known for progressive ideals and inclusiveness. There's been controversy over how the Israel-Palestine conflict is taught in classrooms and over how the district has responded to claims of antisemitism. People on all sides now say they fear for their safety. "There's a definite fracture," a parent in Berkeley told my colleague Kurt Streeter. "People who were just marching together for Black lives are now at each other's throats." Read Kurt's full article about how tensions exploded in the Berkeley public schools and what it may mean for the home of the free speech movement. Ford Morthel is scheduled to testify along with the chancellor of the New York City schools and the president of the school board in Montgomery County, Md. The atmosphere is likely to be tense. Maladroit performances at similar hearings last year led to the resignations of the presidents of Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania. Students at George Washington University used a library facade to project giant pro-Palestinian slogans. Daniel Heuer/The GW Hatchet "It's hard to imagine a less welcome invitation," Justin Driver, a professor at Yale Law School who is an expert on how constitutional law applies to schools, told my colleagues Dana Goldstein and Sarah Mervosh. The school district leaders are likely to face questions about free speech and the point at which protests about Israel may cross a line into antisemitism. Lesson plans that include critiques of Israel are also likely to be brought up, as well as political speech by teachers. As Dana and Sarah wrote, the witnesses will have to walk a tightrope. The New York Times will have live coverage of the testimony. And you can read Dana and Sarah's full article previewing the hearing. ADVERTISEMENT We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. ADVERTISEMENT A battery storage facility under construction in Menifee in March. The site, at 43 acres, is expected to be the largest in the state when completed. Mike Blake/Reuters The rest of the news California has been using giant batteries to store excess solar power since 2020. State regulators plan to nearly triple battery capacity by 2035. The California Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments today about whether to remove a measure from the November ballot that would make it harder for the state and local governments to raise taxes, by requiring all new taxes and tax increases to be approved by voters, The Associated Press reports. Southern California A police consulting firm will review a violent confrontation that happened last week at U.C.L.A. when a group of counterprotesters attacked pro-Palestinian demonstrators while law enforcement failed for several hours to intervene. The U.C.L.A. police are employing facial recognition technology to identify the people who attacked the campus encampment, The Los Angeles Times reports. Internal affairs investigators arrested an L.A. County sheriff's deputy as part of an investigation into illegal drugs being smuggled into the county's jail facility, NBC Los Angeles reports. Northern California A sweeping business tax proposal may be put to voters in San Francisco in November. Advocates say the proposal would bring remote workers back to downtown offices and help ailing small businesses, The San Francisco Chronicle reports. Creative Growth in Oakland is celebrating the entry of work by its artists into the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art's collection after 50 years. WHAT WE'RE EATING David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Raspberry-Almond Clafoutis By David Tanis 50 minutes Makes 6 to 8 servings Tell us For months, we've been publishing your notes about why you love your corner of California. If you'd like to submit a love letter to your California city, neighborhood or region — or to the Golden State as a whole — please email us at CAtoday@nytimes.com. We'll keep sharing your missives in the newsletter. ADVERTISEMENT And before you go, some good news After the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, a few California sea lions began hanging out on Pier 39 in Fisherman's Wharf, a part of the San Francisco waterfront that is popular with tourists. Eventually the pier became the sea lions' permanent home. Whenever you need an escape, you can watch a live feed of the sea lions basking in the sun and hanging out by the water. Enjoy. Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Soumya P.S. Here's today's Mini Crossword. Halina Bennet and Briana Scalia contributed to California Today. You can reach the team at CAtoday@nytimes.com. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for California Today from The New York Times. To stop receiving California Today, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018