California: Pro- and anti-charter school advocates showed up in force last week in Sacramento to engage lawmakers on new rules on charter school oversight and expansion. “That the legislative panel passed Assembly Bills 1505, 1506, and 1507on Wednesday wasn’t surprising—the authors of the trio of bills sponsored by the California Teachers Association made up two-thirds of the panel, which is chaired by a longtime public school teacher and former member of the CTA’s policymaking assembly.But the hearing, which featured more than five hours of impassioned debate and testimony from hundreds of people, offered a glimpse of just how consequential the charter proposals are to teachers unions and charter advocates. While the two sides have battled for decades—typically to a draw—the political momentum has shifted in favor of organized labor this session.”