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Since September, US employers have been required to pay a $100,000 sponsorship fee for new H-1B visas, one of several policy changes under President Donald Trump to limit who can enter and leave the country. But while much attention has been paid to what this means for candidates in the California’s tech industrythe rule concerns also the public school system.
And Sullivan and Alina Ana The CalMetters’ College Journalism Network Explain, K-12 schools hire qualified foreign teachers, especially for language and special education programs. In 2023, the West Contra Costa Unified School District hired about 88 teachers on H-1B visas, most of whom came from the Philippines, Spain and Mexico. Even then, hiring these teachers requires payment of application fees ranging from $9,500 to $18,800.
- Sylvia GreenwoodDistrict Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources: “With our special education shortage, they were a good fit for our district. … We kept that process open and brought teachers here from the Philippines to support our students and our special needs students.”
With the cost of hiring these teachers now exceeding $100,000 under Trump’s new policy, it is likely that these positions will remain vacant. Without international recruits to fill the hiring gap, other teachers’ workloads will also increase, said one teacher at the district’s Ford Elementary School.
HR is a physical education teacher in West Contra Costa working on a short-term J-1 visa. He and his family moved from Mexico to the U.S. three years ago, but now expects to move back after his visa expires in June 2026 because the district is unlikely to pay his immigration fees.
- HR: “Everybody here says they need teachers in California … but they don’t want to do anything to (help us stay) here.”
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Other stories you should know
PG&E secures another nuclear plant permit
On Thursday, the California Coastal Commission approved a permit for Pacific Gas & Electric to continue operating the state’s last nuclear power plant. but only under key conditionsNadia Lathan of CalMatters reports.
Located along the coast of San Luis Obispo, Diablo Canyon provides about 8% of California’s total energy. Originally slated to close this year, the plant remains open until 2030 after state law passed in 2022 to keep Diablo Canyon operating. Because the plant operates under the Coastal Commission’s jurisdiction, however, PG&E still needed separate approval.
The commission granted this approval on the condition that PG&E also retain about 4,000 acres of land on its property that will not be developed for commercial or residential use.
The vote renewed debate over keeping the plant open. The plant draws 2 million gallons of ocean water daily to cool its systems. In addition to the harm this brings to marine wildlife, environmentalists have also expressed concern about radioactive waste.
Supporters say the plant provides reliable, clean energy and keeps thousands of people employed. PG&E is now awaiting federal approval for a 20-year relicensing permit through 2045.
The price of CA water
A new report finds this California cities pay more for water than irrigation districts pay to deliver water to farms, write CalMatters’ Rachel Becker and Natasha Uscategui-Liggett.
Cities pay an average of about $722 per acre-foot for water, compared with just $35 paid by agricultural areas, according to UCLA researchers and advocates for the Natural Resources Defense Council. One acre-foot can supply approximately 11 Californians with water for one year.
The difference in water prices depends on the source: Water delivered from federally managed rivers and reservoirs costs much less on average than water from state-run distribution systems or water transfers, which raise prices every time ownership changes.
The researchers attributed this 20-fold difference to the cost of delivering water to cities and water transportation. The most expensive water in California, for example, runs from Northern California rivers all the way to the water agency’s San Gorgonio Pass in Riverside County, which costs more than $2,850 an acre-foot. Meanwhile, three California agricultural suppliers with rights to the Colorado River receive water for free from the federal government.
California voices
CalMatters columnist Dan Walters: Gov. Gavin Newsom’s critics exaggerate bits of fact to paint the governor as corrupt and incompetent, but there is plenty of material in Newsom’s political career for valid criticism.
Berkeley has become one of California’s housing reform’s most surprising success stories, but its pro-development progress remains fragile, writes Rigel Robinsonformer member of the Berkeley City Council.
Other things worth your time:
The Trump administration is adding a militarized zone in California along the southern border of the USA // AP news
CA slows wildfire rules which would force homeowners to clear vegetation // San Francisco Chronicle
The Fed cut interest rates on Wednesday. Will CA users notice? // The Sacramento Bee
Fraud and theft are rampant at California County Fairgrounds // Los Angeles Times
Shasta Elections Clerk Clint Curtis certified his first election amid public scrutiny // Shasta Scout
All SF firefighters soon will you have equipment without toxic “forever chemicals” // KQED
Roblox is being sued by Southern California families claim that children met predators on his platform // Los Angeles Times
Exempt student from LAUSD out of immigration detention after four months // LAist
