Top Takeaways Plaintiffs in Rodriguez v. State of California argue that the state’s match for modernizing schools denies low-wealth districts a fair share of funding. They want to suspend state modernization funding until the court rules on the merits of their case. An injunction might pressure Gov. Gavin Newsom to settle the case before he leaves office. Backers of a lawsuit who claim that state funding to repair and update school facilities illegally favors wealthy school districts will ask a Superior Court judge on Wednesday, May 27 to expedite action in the case. Attorneys who filed Rodriguez v. the State of California seek to freeze more than $3 billion of voter-approved state funding to modernize schools until the court has heard full arguments in the case and issued a verdict. If Alameda County Superior Court Judge Patrick McKinney agrees, the preliminary injunction would prevent a state agency from processing hundreds of district applications. An injunction could also pressure Gov. Gavin Newsom to settle the case and reform a building assistance program that Newsom has acknowledged is flawed. If McKinney denies an injunction, the decision to fight or settle would fall to Newsom’s successor, who takes office in January. The state would continue to grant hundreds of districts hundreds of millions of dollars in building assistance while the lawsuit drags on. Related ReadingCalifornia sued over bond program that sends more money to fix facilities in wealthy school districtsOctober 24, 2025 Litigating the case without the pressure of an injunction could take…
