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Ed Source: California Lawsuit asks judge to halt billions for social repairs until state commits to grant it equitably
March 6, 2026 — EdSource’s John Fensterwald reports on Public Advocates’ preliminary injunction motion which asked an Alameda County court to freeze over $3 billion in Proposition 2 school modernization funds until the state’s discriminatory facilities formula is fixed — or until the Newsom Administration acts to settle the case.
The motion argues that California’s first-come, first-served matching system locks in inequity: wealthier districts pass bigger bonds, capture more state dollars, and complete projects faster, while students in places like Lynwood, Coachella Valley, Fall River, and Salinas learn in buildings with black mold, asbestos, failing HVAC, and roofs that leak through the winter. A UC Berkeley analysis of the first Prop 2 allocation round confirms the pattern is already repeating. A court hearing is set for May 13.
Managing Attorney John Affeldt left the door open to a faster resolution: “Unless the Newsom administration and the Legislature act quickly to address this problem, we would welcome a quick resolution so that we don’t have to go to trial.”