Recent California Governing Threatens Disaster for the US Military, National Defense

In recent months, California has become ground zero for some of the most alarming and invasive legislative proposals in the nation. State and local governments are advancing policies that don’t just raise eyebrows—they ignite outrage among residents and Americans everywhere. At the state level, two sweeping bills now in Sacramento threaten to upend the very foundation of parental rights: AB 495 – Family Preparedness Act of 2025 and AB 84 – School Accountability. If these bills pass, they will head to Governor Gavin Newsom, who is widely expected to sign them into law.

Pastor Jack Hibbs warned about AB 495 with chilling clarity: “It is unbelievable. If this bill passes, your children are subject to and vulnerable to state-sanctioned… call it kidnapping or trafficking.” Under this proposal, virtually any adult could take any child from a school under new directives, stripping parents of their most basic rights to protect their own sons and daughters.

Equally disturbing, the California Policy Center sounded the alarm on AB 84: “The bill does not apply these burdens evenly across all public schools, making clear its intent: reduce the autonomy and growth of charter schools and restrict parental choice.” In other words, this legislation was designed to crush educational freedom, forcing families into an already broken system while closing doors to alternatives. Thankfully the legislation was shelved and placed in an inactive status.

At the local level, the Temecula Valley Unified School District (TVUSD) pushed a policy so radical it has drawn national attention and outrage. Under this policy, middle school girls would be forced to self-diagnose with mental illness via signing an accommodation form if they avoid sharing a bathroom with a boy. This is not only outrageous—it is institutionalized gaslighting of our children. Thankfully the Supreme Court has ruled that Title IX shall be enforced as it was originally written.

These policies are not just misguided. They are a gross overreach of governmental power—a betrayal of trust and a direct assault on parental authority. But the consequences stretch far beyond classrooms and school boards. They threaten national security, military readiness by degrading the well-being of hundreds of thousands of military families stationed in California.

California hosts more than 30 major defense installations, housing over 150,000 active-duty service members and 2 million family members. These men and women serve their country with honor, often without the option to simply relocate when states enact harmful policies. Their families do not get to “opt out” of orders.

The TVUSD policy is especially reckless given its proximity to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and March Air Force Base, where many military children attend local schools. Under such rules, these children—who already bear the burdens of military life—would face exclusion, humiliation, or worse. It could even jeopardize their future eligibility to serve in the military themselves.

As for AB 84, think of the military families who deliberately choose alternative forms of schooling—private, charter, or homeschooling—to ensure stability during deployments and relocations. This bill would have trampled those choices, trapping them in an educational system that has already failed too many California children.

But AB 495 stands out as the most dangerous of all. Imagine a child of a deployed Marine, Soldier, or Sailor being taken under this law. The impact would ripple far beyond the family—crippling unit readiness, draining resources, and devastating morale. A single disappearance would create chaos: distracted parents, diverted missions, entire units scrambling to fill the void.  And that’s just for a single case, imagine if a unit has multiple cases.  If such an event occurred during deployment, the consequences would be catastrophic.

Military families are strong. They are resilient. But they are not expendable. They should not be greeted in the Golden State with policies that threaten to tear their families apart. Every Marine, Soldier, Airman, and Sailor is a parent first. They serve their nation with honor—but their first duty is to protect their children.

Governor Newsom, state legislators, and local school boards must choose: will they stand with military families and parents across California, or will they stand with tyranny disguised as policy?

The brave men and women of the United States military have fought for centuries to protect this nation from oppression. To pass these bills is to betray that sacrifice.