California Educator

February / March 2018

Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/939681

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CTA State Council Top takeaways from the January 2018 gathering C T A S T A T E C O U N C I L started the new year with a rousing speech by CTA-recommended candidate Tony urmond, and had a very visible presence at the Women's March in Los Angeles. ere was plenty of time to attend to other business. Thurmond Speech Helps Launch Campaign 2018 Educators' candidate for state superintendent of public instruction brought down the house. Bay Area Assembly Member Tony Thur- mond spoke with power and passion on key education issues, such as the White House push for vouchers and the teacher shortage, and how public education is the great equalizer that helped save his life. "We won't stand for vouchers, and we will not allow for any privatization of public education in the great state of California," he vowed. See our interview with Thurmond on page 32; watch video of his remarks at tinyurl.com/TonyThurmondCTA. And check out CTA's Campaign 2018 website at campaign2018cta.org. CTA President Eric Heins introduces Tony Thurmond to delegates. Mike Myslinski 1 Women Are the Heart of the Labor Movement Referencing the #MeToo movement, President Eric Heins in his speech to Council made abundantly clear that CTA supports women and others who are breaking a culture of silence in the face of harassment and assault. He paid tribute to "the dynamic women who largely make up this pro- fession and this union," and said, " This union is better and stron- ger because of you." Heins noted that CTA has been at the forefront of the women's rights movement, seeking pay equity, decent benefits, safe health care and job protec- tions, and that to continue to move forward, we need women's strong voices and activism. 3 Crucial Candidate Recommendations Nearly Done Delegates supported re-electing Secretary of State Alex Padilla and state Controller Betty Yee, both of whom are strong advocates of public education. Also recommended were 44 state Assembly and Senate candidates, with more recom- mendations to come at the April Council meeting. President Heins, explaining why educators strongly support Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom for governor, said Newsom "knows that educational excellence isn't conceived in Sacramento but in the daily toil of hundreds of thousands of educators, parents and students." 4 46 cta.org CTA & You 2 Women Shall Overcome (March) Loud and proud: CTA had a vocal and unified presence at #WomensMarchLA, marching as educators and union members to Grand Park by City Hall. We joined millions of others — in LA and across the country and the world — advocating for women's and human rights at a time when they are imperiled. CTA resolutely stands behind the goal of this year 's march: to launch a nationwide voter registration tour targeting swing states, engage communities, and collaborate with partners to elect more women and progressive candidates to office.

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