Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1543424
2 0 2 6 I S A C R I T I C A L Y E A R . Public education is under attack , and we have the power at the ballot box to fight back and dedicate necessary resources to elect champions of public education and unions — from school board members all the way up to the California legislature and Congress. At our CTA's January State Council of Education, 800 delegates voted to recommend candidates for the upcoming June Primary. The highlight: Our union is all-in to elect longtime San Diego School Board member Richard Barrera as California's next Superintendent of Public Instruction. As president of the San Diego Unified School Board, Barrera supported San Diego Education Association's (SDEA) successful fights for smaller class sizes, competitive wages and benefits for educators, investment and expansion of community schools, more opportunities for bilingual instruction, and expanded science career pathways in San Diego and beyond. "Barrera's commitment to working families and State Council Weighs In on June Primary Our union's top policy- making body votes to recommend pro-labor and pro-public education candidates public education is clear in his decades of experience," said CTA President David Goldberg. "With Barrera's partnership, educators increased their pay by more than 40% and protected fully paid fam- ily benefits. His leadership proves that when elected leaders partner with educators, students win." Recommendations for other critical statewide races include: • California Lieutenant Governor: Josh Fryday (D) • California Secretary of State: Shirley Weber (D) • California Attorney General: Rob Bonta (D) • California State Controller: Malia Cohen (D) • California State Treasurer: Eleni Kounalakis (D) • California State Insurance Commissioner: Jane Kim (D) • California State Board of Equalization, 2nd District: Sally Lieber (D) • California State Board of Equalization, 3rd District: Mike Gipson (D) Note: CTA's recommendation process is continuing; for the latest updates, see cta.org/our-advocacy/election-2026. 46 cta.org Our Union