From the glamour and glitz of Hollywood to the technological hub of Silicon Valley, from the majestic Redwoods to the surfers off the Malibu beaches, California is a state of contrasts in many ways, including its politics. The contrasts extend to its public education system, from the renowned University of California system, which employs more Nobel Prize laureates than any other institution in the world, to a K12 system once considered the gold standard of the country, but in recent years, now hovering near the bottom of the states in terms of student achievement and per-pupil spending. Although no authorities make a direct link to California's early history, the contrasts reflect in some ways the cultural and political influences that shaped California and still do, from early pride in public education's role in the state's development to a current school financing crisis that Californians seem unsure how to resolve. This article presents California education timeline from 1846 to 2010 and discusses why the state is no longer a leader in terms of education.