California Policy Center – Bias and Credibility

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RIGHT BIAS

History

The California Policy Center (CPC) is a California-based public policy think tank founded in 2010, described on its about page as an educational nonprofit seeking to “eliminate public-sector barriers to freedom.” CPC focuses on union reform, pension restructuring, spending reductions, and school choice. The organization is closely aligned with conservative and libertarian movements and is part of a broader network of state-level think tanks advocating limited government and deregulation, as reflected in its activities and public positioning.

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Funded by / Ownership

CPC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and does not disclose donors on its website. It solicits contributions through its support page. However, it is a member of the State Policy Network, which has received millions of dollars in funding from fossil fuel interests and conservative donor-advised funds, including DonorsTrust, the Searle Freedom Trust, the Walton Family Foundation, and the Bradley Foundation. SPN-affiliated groups often receive direct grants and share messaging infrastructure. Notably, SPN has promoted climate denial and partnered with organizations like the Heartland Institute, Cato Institute, and Heritage Foundation that question the scientific consensus on climate change.

According to SourceWatch, CPC has received funding from numerous major conservative foundations, donor-advised funds, and SPN-aligned entities, including:

• Adolph Coors Foundation
• American Endowment Foundation
• Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation
• Bradley Impact Fund
• Charles Koch Foundation
• Donors Capital Fund
• DonorsTrust
• Draper Foundation
• Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund
• Girard Foundation
• Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation
• Margaret M. Bloomfield Family Foundation
• National Christian Charitable Foundation
• Silicon Valley Community Foundation
• Sgt. Mark Antonowitsch Foundation
• Troesh Family Foundation
• State Policy Network (direct grants)

These funding networks have historically supported organizations promoting union restrictions, pension reductions, deregulation, and skepticism of mainstream climate science. CPC does not list its board donors publicly, limiting transparency regarding financial influence.

Analysis / Bias

CPC consistently promotes conservative and libertarian policy positions across its research, editorial content, and advocacy efforts. Its mission statement on the about page frames California governance as dominated by “government union leaders,” asserting that unions block reforms on taxes, housing costs, education, and wildfire mitigation. This reflects an ideological viewpoint grounded in anti-union, small-government thought rather than neutral policy analysis.

Its extensive report on critical race theory, Critical Race Theory: Its Origins and Infiltration of California’s Public Schools, uses strongly loaded language, portraying CRT as “havoc,” an “oppressor-versus-victim narrative,” and a “tsunami.” The report frames CRT exclusively negatively, omitting scholarly perspectives and evidence supporting CRT-originated curricula. The examples presented, while sometimes drawn from news events, are interpreted through an explicitly ideological lens that casts unions as drivers of indoctrination. The lack of balanced sourcing and absence of peer-reviewed academic material reinforce the advocacy character of CPC’s publications.

CPC also publishes materials rejecting mainstream climate science, such as Edward Ring’s Climate Data Refutes Crisis Narrative. The article argues that climate modeling is fraudulent, dismisses scientific consensus, and promotes minority-view climate skepticism through selective expert citation. The piece highlights contrarian scientists and accuses the media and government of suppressing dissent. While it cites some real figures, it does so without presenting counter-evidence or engaging standard scientific literature, reflecting a pattern of cherry-picking consistent with climate denial arguments.

Across policy areas—unions, climate, education, pensions—CPC frames issues with strong ideological bias, consistently directing criticism toward labor organizations, progressive education frameworks, environmental regulation, and public-sector spending. The research generally lacks methodological transparency, relies on selective interpretation, and omits alternative viewpoints, fitting a Right-biased think tank model.

Failed Fact Checks

• CPC itself has not been the subject of formal IFCN fact checks. However, its alignment with SPN and its publication of climate-skeptic and highly partisan education content raise concerns regarding reliability. Several CPC claims, particularly about climate science and CRT, are inconsistent with mainstream academic consensus.

Overall, we rate the California Policy Center right-biased for its strongly conservative policy advocacy, ideological framing, and consistent alignment with SPN-affiliated objectives. We also rate them Mixed for factual reporting based on limited funding transparency, reliance on advocacy-driven research, and publication of materials rejecting established scientific consensus. (D. Van Zandt 12/06/2025)

Source: https://californiapolicycenter.org/

Last Updated on December 6, 2025 by Media Bias Fact Check

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Left vs. Right Bias: How we rate the bias of media sources