Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1017146
Xavier Becerra: THE WARRIOR C A L I F O R N I A A T T O R N E Y G E N E R A L Xavier Becerra, who is running for the same office this November, spoke at CTA's Summer Institute at UCLA on Aug. 2. He thanked teachers for "always being there for students," including him. Born in Sacramento and the son of immigrants — a construction worker and a clerical worker — Becerra was the first in his family to attend a four-year college. " Thank you for teaching me, nurturing and pushing me, and letting me be here," he said. " There is nothing like an education. The majority of low-income students in our state are outearning their parents. That kid was me." Becerra, the first Latino attorney general in state history, has long been an advocate for working families. Since taking office in 2017, he has taken the Trump administration to court to defend the Affordable Care Act and the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program. He's led the fight against the discriminatory Muslim travel ban, the Environmental Protection Agency 's illegal delay of air quality standards, and the plan to build a wall along the California border. He spoke of the need for all of us to fight for our rights. " This is a time for pit bulls, not poodles. When they come after our immigrant families, our clean air, workers' rights, we need pit bulls. We need ninja warriors." Before becoming attorney general, Becerra served the people of Los Angeles in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he chaired the House Democratic Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and was the first Latino on the powerful Ways and Means Committee. He graduated from Stanford University in 1980 and received his juris doctorate from Stanford in 1984. The Recommendation Process C T A I N T E R V I E W E D candidates for statewide office in a democratic and member-driven process over a two-day period. Interview teams, composed of 30 CTA leaders and members from throughout the state, evaluated candidates on a variety of criteria. The criteria are available at cta.org. For election and voter information, and how to get involved, see cta.org/campaign. #VotePublicEd CTA's positions on the November 2018 ballot initiatives: YES on Proposition 4 Issues $1.5 billion in bonds for Children's Hospitals. NO on Proposition 5 Revises the process for home buyers who are age 55 or older or severely disabled to transfer their tax assessments, poten- tially eliminating hundreds of millions of dollars from the state general fund. YES on Proposition 10 Supports affordable housing by allowing local governments to regulate rent and cap the amounts that may be charged to working families. NO on Proposition 11 Allows ambulance providers to require and compel workers to remain on call during breaks. Xavier Becerra with CTA members at Summer Institute, including CTA President Eric Heins (left) and Vice President Theresa Montaño (right). Photo: Mike Myslinski 44 cta.org