***PRIDE AT THE PIER CONTENT WARNING: 

• THIS ELECTION GUIDE FOR SONJA SHAW INCLUDES MANY EXAMPLES OF TRANSPHOBIA AND HOMOPHOBIA FROM THIS CANDIDATE, AND MAY BE UPSETTING FOR SOME. 

• The information in this guide is a very small percentage of the homophobic and transphobic actions and statements made by this candidate.

• Statements made by this candidate are rife with misinformation. We are simply sharing to educate voters on the stances of this candidate and what they have been quoted as saying by other sources. Please check all sources for cited information.

Campaign Statement:

“California's public schools are failing our children. Fewer than half can read or write at grade level. Girls' sports are under attack, with female athletes losing medals and scholarships. Many even change in their cars before practice because they feel unsafe in locker rooms. This is unacceptable. As a mother of two daughters, I was elected President of the Chino Valley Unified School Board because parents demanded change. We delivered. When I took office in 2022, our district faced the same problems seen across California: poor grades, declining test scores, political distractions in classrooms, and girls losing fairness and privacy. We chose a different path. We refocused on reading, writing, and math. Protected girls' sports and private spaces. Cut bureaucracy. Directed resources back into classrooms, where they belong. The results were undeniable. Student outcomes improved, and independent research recognized our district as a model for post-COVID academic recovery. That success didn't come from Sacramento mandates. It came from parents who linked arms and stood up for common sense. As State Superintendent, I will bring that same leadership statewide. I will be an independent advocate for students and families, not political insiders. My plan is simple: restore high academic standards in reading, writing, and math; protect Title IX, ensuring fairness and safety for girls; give parents a real seat at the table; support excellent teachers; and cut wasteful bureaucracy. The blueprint exists at the local level. We've proven it works. Let's deliver results for every California student. Learn more at ShawForCA.com.

6939 Schaefer Avenue, Suite D #119Chino, CA 91710Tel: (949) 495-1310E-mail: info@shawforca.comX: @realSonjaShawInstagram: @SonjaShaw2026 “

Email: info@shawforca.com

Campaign Website: https://shawforca.com/

• Shaw’s website leads with “Fix Our Schools. Protect Our Kids.”

Under “issues” on her website, she lists the following; 

• Protect Our Daughters

• Fix Our Schools

• Put Families First

Under the “Protect Our Daughters” section, she goes on to say; “Policies allowing boys to undress in girls' locker rooms and play on their sports teams undermine fairness and safety. Our daughters deserve to compete on equal terms, not lose opportunities to biological males. They should feel secure in private spaces, not exposed by decisions made without parental consent. Sacramento's disregard for families fuels this injustice, prioritizing ideology over common sense. Classrooms are becoming battlegrounds for radical agendas, pushing divisive content that overshadows core education. Proven leadership has already restored balance in local districts. California's schools need this approach statewide to safeguard girls' opportunities, prioritize parental rights, and ensure education focuses on learning, not politics.” 

***Pride at the Pier note - transgender athletes in CA (of which there are very few, hardly enough to fill a single classroom) - are not undressing in girls’ locker rooms with other girls. This is a fearmongering tactic and misrepresents the reality that transgender students are in greater danger of being harmed than they are of harming others. 

Any Other Interesting Info:

• Sonja Shaw is a proud, documented anti-LGBTQ+ activist who has an extremely long record of standing with transphobic and homophobic extremists. She has participated in the doxxing and stalking of transgender youth, and has run her entire campaign, as well as her time as president of the Chino Valley Unified School District, as a transphobe who seeks to make schools less inclusive of queer youth. This is not a biased or partisan take - it’s something she’s proud of. 

Social Media Links: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/SonjaShaw2026

Twitter: https://twitter.com/realSonjaShaw

On Instagram and Twitter, she often collaborates with anti-trans activists across the region to encourage the harassment of transgender youth. As recently as May 4th, she posted an event advertisement from an anti-trans group encouraging people to attend a high school sporting event in Orange County in order to harass and bully the single transgender athlete expected to be there. We will not be sharing that post as we don’t want to make it any easier to locate and doxx this child, but it is on her Instagram. 

She published a video post on April 27 with Anti-Trans extremist “Billboard Chris” Elston. She said, “California politicians are pushing misguided and dangerous gender ideology on our kids. I am a mom running for State Superintendent here in California to protect our sons and daughters.” She then turned the camera to Chris, who said, “Hi everybody, I’m Chris, from the lovely communist country of Canada, and I travel the world raising awareness of what is undoubtedly the greatest child abuse scandal in modern medicine history. The practice of trying to change the sex of children with puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgeries, and I can tell you, of all the amazing people I have met world-wide, number one in America is right here, Sonja Shaw. No one will fight harder to protect your kids than this woman.” 

She collaborated on a post with Christian Nationalist organization Salt and Light OC, a selfie video with Moms For Liberty. There was a peaceful protest held outside of the event. Sonja, filming in selfie mode, exited the building to confront the protesters, where she smiled sarcastically and said, ‘Yay! Look at my new friends! (...) This is what we have to deal with in California.” As the crowd chanted “Trans Rights are Human Rights”, she continued, referring to the protesters, “They tell kids they’re born in the wrong body! We tell them that they are beautiful the way they were made.” A man holding a sign that said “Trans Rights are Human Rights | Diversity is the one thing we ALL have in common” said something inaudible on the camera to Sonja, and she replied to him, “Yeah, we know you’re focused on the children! And you shouldn’t be, sir! (....) The tolerant, loving crew… Why don’t you tell everyone why you hate us so much? Why do you hate moms?” she asked the man with the sign, who introduced himself as Cameron Tennyson, and that he is running for Congress. She asked him why he was there, and he said because he believed kids should be free - she interjected and said, “Free to be what? So you can cut off healthy body parts and it's okay?” He said that wasn’t up to him. She later went back inside, saying, “This is the craziness. This is why we fight so hard, because THEY want to be in charge of YOUR children. Right? No. We say no. Over our dead bodies. They are freaking psychos. No offense, but I mean, come on. THAT (referring to the protesters and Cameron Tennyson) wants to take over and be in charge of parents’ rights? This is what we’re dealing with, guys, wake up California! It’s not radical to be a mother or father here! It’s radical what they’re doing to kids!”

Follows on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook: (This is a small cross-section of a much longer list)

• Kelly Felton, anti-trans activist out of Tustin USD

• California Family Council, an anti-trans and anti-public education conservative thinktank

• Joseph Komrosky, school board trustee out of Temecula Valley USD who sought to remove Harvey Milk from school history book curriculums, calling Milk a pedophile

• Beth Bourne, a dangerous anti-trans activist who doxxes children

• Salt and Light OC, a Christian Nationalist organization in Orange County

• Patty Cabada, an anti-trans activist who supported the HB Book Ban efforts

• Assemblyman David Tangipa, who is proudly anti-LGBTQ+ 

• Chad Bianco for Governor 

• Manuk Grigoryan, anti-trans extremist who runs the SoCal based “Leave Our Kids Alone” hate group

• Tish Hyman, LA Mayoral candidate who promised to ‘get rid of’ trans people in LA if she wins

• Turning Point USA Inland Empire

• Michael Gates, fmr. Huntington Beach city attorney, who lost his job with the Trump DOJ after complaints from his colleagues that he created a hostile work environment for women

• Chloe Cole, radical anti-trans activist

Candidate’s Public Comments:

• The mother of a transgender athlete sent Sonja Shaw a cease and desist letter after Shaw repeatedly doxxed her child from a public platform. Shaw ripped this letter up on camera on the dais during a CVUSD board meeting in March of 2025, saying, “...a boy is stealing these opportunities from girls, because that’s the truth. If you don’t like it, I’m sorry, I also have first amendment rights, and I will never shut up in regards to that, so this cease and desist? (At this point she held up the letter and ripped it in half.) That’s how I feel about that, cease and desist.” 

• In April of 2024, she challenged the sole member of the CVUSD board who did not join her efforts to harass trans students, saying during a meeting, “These are girls, and until this day - Mr. Bridge, can you answer a question? Are you okay with a twelve-year-old seeing male’s penis in the bathroom? Are you okay with a male going on a girl’s softball team and taking away those opportunities for that girl? So just because you may have not heard it, it does happen here. Do the right thing.”  

****Note from Pride at the Pier: In case it needs to be spelled out, if you’re seeing the genitalia of other people in the bathroom, you’re the one violating the privacy of other people. Additionally, there have not been any verified reports of trans students in California (of any gender) willfully exposing themselves to their peers. This is a fear-mongering tactic that is not rooted in any truth. 

• Shaw had current Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond thrown out of a CVUSD meeting by police after he came to defend the rights and dignity of trans students in the district. On the agenda - forced outing policies, requiring teachers to out any trans student to their parents or face discipline, regardless of the students’ consent. As the chaos was unfolding, Shaw said to Thurmond, “You’re in Sacramento proposing things that pervert children.”

Endorsed by: (This is an incomplete list, a cross-section. Click the link for the full list.)

• California College Republicans

• OC Register

• Chad Bianco

• Steve Hilton

• Riley Gaines (anti-trans activist and far-right commentator)

• Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Association

• Moms for Liberty

• Reform California

• Ken Calvert, CA legislator

• Leticia Castillo, CA legislator

• Diane Dixon, CA legislator

• Laurie Davies, CA legislator

• Bill Essayli, fmr. CA legislator and current Trump DOJ US Attorney in LA

• Kate Sanchez, CA legislator who pushed to ban trans girls from CA sports

• Don Wagner, OC Supervisor who voted to ban the Pride Flag

• Tony Strickland, CA Legislator and fmr. HB City Councilman who voted to ban the Pride Flag

• Dr. Ryan Bent, NOCCCSD Trustee who attended an anti-trans walkout at an OC school in 2025

• Corey A. DeAngelis, popular Christian Nationalist figure

• Michael Gates, fmr. HB City Attorney who was removed from his position in the Trump DOJ after complaints that he created a hostile work environment for women

• Sophia Lorey, anti-trans activist and paid consultant at the CA Family Council

• Jessica Tapia, anti-trans activist 

• Leandra Blades, PYLUSD Trustee who has repeatedly pushed anti-LGBTQ agenda items, as well as a school board resolution to support ICE and DHS

• Brenda Lebsack, SAUSD Trustee who tried to remove suicide hotline signs from Santa Ana schools because the hotline worked with the Trevor Project

Candidate in the News:

• Sonja Shaw Working to Restore Opening Prayers to Board Meetings

• The next generation of Trump-inspired showmen are in Riverside County, California

• Chino Valley school board challenges injunction barring prayer at its meetings

• Righteous mother or right-wing zealot? The soccer mom leading California’s parental rights movement

• California school board battles over LGBTQ+ rights intensify after transgender vote in Chino

• How conservatives are waging a coordinated, anti-LGBTQ+ culture war in California schools

• California sues Chino school district, aiming to end policy notifying parents of student gender changes

• Conservative school board kicks out State Superintendent Tony Thurmond from meeting

• Back to school: California Republicans bet big on local board races

Public Voting Record:

• Shaw was a key witness in the committee hearing opposing AB 1578, which would require local and state officials to take regular anti-hate speech training. Her argument against it was that she wanted to continue to perpetuate anti-trans hate speech, and argued that said anti-trans hate speech wasn’t actually hate speech at all. 

• Shaw was a key witness in the committee hearing AB 1955, which would prevent school districts from requiring teachers to forcibly out students. Her argument was that this was a violation of parents’ rights. 

• Shaw’s time as president of the Chino Valley USD has been filled with a number of significant anti-LGBTQ+ agenda items, including book bans, forced outing policies, and policies against the equitable access for trans students in the district. She’s also been involved in a number of lawsuits against the state of California for these matters, which have required votes to go through the school board to initiate. 

Follow the Money: Shaw appears to have not filed her recent campaign finances, as we have very little reported filings for this current campaign available to us, outside of; 

• $9,800 from the Supporters of Chad Bianco for Sheriff-Coroner 2028

Campaign Statement:

NONE FOUND

From Muratsuchi’s Campaign Website:

“I'm an educator, former local school board president, public school parent, and Chair of the California Assembly Education Committee, with a proven record of fighting for California's schools for decades. I'm running for Superintendent of Public Instruction because I want California's public schools to be the best in the country. As the son of immigrants, product of public schools, and a first generation college graduate from Berkeley and UCLA, I'm passionate about fighting for equal educational opportunities for all. As Education Chair in the California Legislature, I've led the fight to fully fund our schools, reduce class sizes, provide more art and music as well as career technical education, expand quality preschool and after school programs, provide school meals for all, and support student mental health and well-being. To improve reading test scores, I coauthored a law and delivered funding for more phonics-based reading instruction based on the science of reading. When immigration raids threatened our students, I wrote the California Safe Haven Schools Act, to keep ICE out of our schools. And to fix our aging and unsafe school facilities throughout the state, I wrote Proposition 2, the $10 billion state school bond that California voters approved in 2024. I'm proud to be endorsed by more than 370,000 teachers and school staff represented by the California Federation of Teachers and the California School Employees Association. On June 2nd, vote Al Muratsuchi for Superintendent of Public Instruction. Visit www.AlforCaliforniaSchools.com

Email: info@alforcaliforniaschools.com

Campaign Website: https://www.alforcaliforniaschools.com/

Any Other Interesting Info:

• In addition to his legislative career, Al served as a civil rights attorney and a Deputy Attorney General for the CA Department of Justice. 

• Muratsuchi’s career in the legislature has included a number of efforts to protect marginalized members of the student body, especially immigrants and LGBTQ+ people. We’ve put some of the details of these efforts under “Public Comments” below. 

Social Media Links: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AMuratsuchi

Assemblymember Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asmmuratsuchi/

Campaign Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/al.for.ca.schools/ 

Linkedin (appears to have not been recently updated): https://www.linkedin.com/in/al-muratsuchi-ab916a7/

On his Assemblymember Instagram, Al has shared a number of Pride-related posts, including this Pride Month 2025 post from when he attended an event local to his assembly district. 

Follows on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook:

• LA Stonewall Democrats

• Michelle Obama

• Barack Obama

• Gavin Newsom

• Bernie Sanders

• Sen. Scott Weiner

• Teach Plus CA

• CA Assoc. for Bilingual Education (CABE)

• Planned Parenthood LA Community Action Fund

• ADL California

• Meidas Touch

• CA Police Chiefs

• CFT Teacher’s Union

• CA Democrats

• Reproductive Freedom for CA

• Zohran Mamdani

• LA Conservation Corps

Candidate’s Public Comments:

• Al Muratsuchi sat on the CA Assembly Education Committee in 2023 when then-assemblymember and proud transphobe Bill Essayli authored a bill to make forced outings of transgender students enforceable by state law. That bill had to go through the Education Committee first, and Muratsuchi never brought it to committee, saying, “This bill would require educators to ‘out’ a student to their parents, even when the student does not feel comfortable coming out, potentially forcing them into an unwelcoming or abusive home (..) As a parent, I believe that gender identity conversations between parents and their children should occur in a safe and private space.” We know for a fact that Muratsuchi was the target of a smear campaign and hundreds of calls from anti-trans activists as a result of this decision, but he stood his ground. 

***DISCLOSURE: When Muratsuchi was being flooded with angry calls from anti-trans activists in a coordinated campaign for holding back the forced outing bill, Pride at the Pier put a Call To Action out to our followers to ask people to call him and thank him for defending transgender students in CA schools. 

• Muratsuchi authored the CA Safe Havens School Act, which prevents law enforcement officers, particularly immigrant authority officers, from entering school campuses without identification and valid warrants. It also prevents schools from disclosing information about students or their parents/guardians to immigration authorities. Upon its passage, Muratsuki said, “I thank Gov. Newsom for signing my AB 49, the Safe Haven Schools Act, which reaffirms every student’s constitutional right to attend public schools regardless of immigration status (...) Students cannot learn or thrive if they live in fear of deportation or family separation. I want all of our students — but especially our immigrant students — to hear this message: you have a right to an education, and California will always stand with you.”

• Upon passage of AB 1825, the CA Freedom to Read Act he authored, he said, “I am thankful to Governor Newsom for passing my AB 1825, the California Freedom to Read Act. In California, we know that our freedom to read is a cornerstone of our democracy (...) Unfortunately, there is a growing movement to ban books nationwide, and this bill will ensure that Californians have access to books that offer diverse perspectives. Those diverse perspectives include books containing the voices and lived experiences of LGBTQ and communities of color."

• Muratsuchi is a supporter of Prop 36, which restored some of the repeat-offender felony punishments for crimes related to property theft and drugs, a narrowing of the scope of  laws passed by CA voters in the last decade that sought to prevent unfair sentencing of non-violent offenders. On this matter, he said, “I felt like we needed to restore some balance in terms of giving people opportunities for rehabilitation, for drug treatment, for mental health treatment (...) But, at the same time, restoring some of that balance in terms of public safety.” 

Endorsed by: 

• California Federation of Teachers

• Equality California

• California School Employees Association

• California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO

• Association of California School Administrators (ACSA)

• To see the complete list, look here. 

Candidate in the News:

• Every Library: Statement on California AB 1825, the Freedom to Read Act

• Newsom Signs Muratsuchi’s California Safe Haven Schools Act

• California bill requiring schools to out transgender students to parents dies

• Al Muratsuchi axed as Assembly Education chair

• Assemblymember Muratsuchi, state Sen. Allen talk local issues at State of the State

Public Voting Record:

• Authored AB 49 in 2025, the CA Safe Havens Schools Act

• Prevented AB 1314 (Essayli), an anti-trans forced outing bill, from being debated in committee

• Authored AB 1825 in 2025, the CA Freedom to Read Act, which seeks to prevent book bans on the basis of discriminatory views towards marginalized communities in CA schools. 

• Supported the passage of Prop 36. 

• Received a score of “B” (80) from People’s Courage, which tracks how often legislators bow to corporate lobbying interests. 

• Received a score of 90 from the California Environmental Voters and was listed as a member of their “Hall of Fame”

• Received a score of 64% in 2023 (their most recent year for him) from the ACLU. His lower score was attributed to his “Did not Vote” on the following legislation: 

  • End Racially Biased Police Searches (AB 93)

  • Stop Reverse Demands (AB 793)

  • The Freedom from Surveillance Act (AB 1034)

  • Care Not Cages for People with Mental Illness (AB 1584)

• Received a score of 02.27 from Turning Point USA and was listed on their page as a “Tyrant”. They attributed this score to low scores on their values of;

  • Border Security

  • Educational Freedom

  • Second Amendment

  • Health and Medical Freedom

  • Taxes and Spending

***Note: Under “Educational Freedom”, TPUSA calls for support of forced outing policies, book bans, erosion of diversity in school curriculum, and the censorship of “communist” ideology in schools. This is what Muratsuchi received a “0” on.

• Received a score of 100% from Equality California.

Follow the Money: 

Muratsuchi appears to have not yet filed all of his campaign finance documents so far, because this is all we could find for the current campaign; 

• $1,000 from the Morgan Hill Federation of Teachers Committee on Political Federation

The following is a list of his top 4 donors to his earlier Legislative Campaigns: 

• SEIU Local 2015 (Service Employees International Union)

• National Education Assn

• Association of California School Administrators PAC (ACSA PAC)

• California Nurses Association / National Nurses Organizing Committee

• California Teachers Association/Association For Better Citizenship

Campaign Statement:

NONE FOUND

From Newman’s Campaign Website:

“California is home to the fourth-largest economy in the world, a global leader in innovation and opportunity. Our public education system should reflect that status, yet a majority of California students are not meeting grade-level standards in reading, math, or science. This is a clear sign our system is not aligned for success. As a veteran, businessperson, classroom educator, and former State Senator who chaired the Senate Education Committee, I've seen both the extraordinary potential of California's students and the structural barriers holding them back. California's vast, decentralized school system, with millions of students and billions of tax dollars, lacks the coordination and leadership needed to ensure that every student, regardless of geography or background, receives the high-quality public education they deserve. I'm running for State Superintendent because California can and must do better. In the Senate, I authored major legislation modernizing schools, strengthening student supports, expanding career technical pathways, and improving teacher preparation. I've built coalitions, solved complex problems, and delivered results, and I'm proud to have earned broad support from educators, parents, law enforcement, business organizations, and trade unions across California. As Superintendent, I'll bring the alignment and collaboration our education system urgently needs, with a focus on expanding mental-health supports, strengthening partnerships with labor and industry, aligning the school day with the workday, and ensuring that our schools effectively prepare students for a rapidly changing economy and full participation in our democracy. California's future depends on the strength of our public schools. All our students deserve better. www.newmanforspi.com”

Email:josh@newmanforca.com

Phone: (310) 463-5257

Campaign Website: https://newmanforspi.com/

Priorities listed on website:

• Literacy & Numeracy

• Workforce Readiness

• College Readiness

• Civic Readiness

Any Other Interesting Info:

• Newman has been criticized in years past for accepting donations from the private prison industry, including $4,000 from Core Civic for his 2018 campaign that was noted in an article from Capital Weekly. CoreCivic is one of two major companies building and maintaining the private prisons that are being used as concentration camps for immigrants and political prisoners by ICE and DHS.  

• Newman served interrupted terms in the California State Senate - after he was recalled in 2018 by voters (a recall campaign generally propelled by his choice to vote for the gas tax that would fund infrastructure projects) - he won his seat back in 2020.  He was then ousted in 2024 - while winning his primary race against LGBTQ+ Iranian-American candidate Alex Mohajer, he lost in the general election to Steven Choi by about 6,000 votes. 

Social Media Links: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoshNewmanCA

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newmanforca/

Follows on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook: (This is not a complete list, just a cross-section)

• Ahmad Zahra (Openly gay and Muslim Fullerton city council member)

• Orange Coast Huddle

• Lavender Democrats OC

• Our Schools Capo

• Katie Porter CA

• College Democrats of UCI

• Irvine Tolerance Coalition

Candidate’s Public Comments:

• On the night he lost his 2024 re-election campaign for State Senate, Newman was quoted by the OC Register of his time in office, “On the former, Newman, who chaired the Senate’s Education Committee, said he was proud of the work he was able to do on not only his legislation but his colleagues’ bills as well to “find the right balance to deliver the best and most successful education for California’s kids.”

Endorsed by (click link for complete list - this list is heavily abbreviated)

• Labor Organizations, including:

  • State Building and Construction Trades Council of California

  • California Association of Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors, National Association (CAL SMACNA)

  • Communications Workers of America (CWA) District 9

  • Northern California Pipe Trades Council District 36

  • Heat & Frost Insulators & Allied Workers Local 5

  • International Brotherhood of Boilermakers

• Advocacy & Community Organizations

  • California Jewish Democrats

  • College Democrats at UC Irvine

  • Democrats of Greater Irvine

  • Laguna Beach Democratic Club

  • Newport Beach Women’s Democratic Club

  • Orange County Business Council

• Federal & State Leaders, including:

  • Congressman Gil Cisneros

  • Congressman Lou Correa

  • Congressman Mike Levin

  • Congressman Derek Tran

  • State Senator Melissa Hurtado

  • State Senator John Laird (a member of the CA LGBTQ+ caucus)

  • State Senator Tom Umberg

• Education Leaders & School Board Members, including: 

  • Capistrano Unified Trustee Krista Castellanos (LGBTQ+ ally)

  • Capistrano Unified Trustee Gary Pritchard 

  • Newport Mesa Unified School District Board President Leah Ersoylu Ph.D. (LGBTQ+ ally)

  • Newport Mesa Unified School District Board Vice President Michelle Murphy

  • Newport Mesa Unified School District Trustee Carol Crane

  • North OC Community College District Board President Barbara Dunsheath Ed.D.

  • Orange Unified School District Board President Kris Erickson (LGBTQ+ ally)

  • Orange Unified School District Board Vice President Andrea Yamasaki (LGBTQ+ ally)

  • Orange Unified School District Board Clerk Ana Page (LGBTQ+ ally)

  • Orange Unified School District Board Trustee Stephen Glass Ed.D.

  • Orange Unified School District Board Trustee Kathy Moffat (Ret.)

  • Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District Board President Carrie Buck (LGBTQ+ ally)

  • Rancho Santiago Community College District Trustee Zeke Hernandez

  • Riverside Unified School District Trustee Angelo Farooq Ph.D. (Ret.)

  • Santa Ana Unified School District Board Clerk Valerie Magdaleno (LGBTQ+ ally)

  • Westminster School District Board President David Johnson

  • ***NOTE: If someone isn’t marked as an LGBTQ+ ally, it doesn’t mean they are antagonistic - the people marked as allies are known to us because they have used their positions to defend LGBTQ+ rights from attacks in recent years.

• County and Local Leaders, including: 

  • Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley

  • Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken

  • Anaheim Council Member Kristen Maahs

  • Brea Mayor Cecilia Hupp

  • Brea Council Member Christine Marick

  • Brea Mayor Glenn Parker (Ret.)

  • Buena Park Mayor Joyce Ahn

  • Buena Park Vice Mayor Connor Traut

Public Voting Record:

• In 2023, Newman authored SB 760, a bill, now law, that requires all public and private schools to have at least one accessible and clean all-gender bathroom available for usage. 

• As the Chair of the State Senate Education Committee, Newman pushed through a bill allowing families to move students to a different district if they felt better opportunities existed elsewhere. This was criticized by advocates who felt that this would further demotivate the improvements of schools in districts with lower property tax funding, and supported by advocates who felt that students shouldn’t be forced into lower-performing schools based on where they live. 

• Also while chair of the Education Committee, Newman pushed through a bill that would allow students under the age of 18 to leave school in order to complete military processing exams. This was widely criticized by Californians who already feel unsatisfied with the presence of military recruiters on school campuses, and supported by Californians who support the right of Americans to serve in the armed forces and don’t want schools limiting their ability to do so. 

The following scores reflect legislative scores for Newman’s most recent term in the state legislature:

• Newman received a Courage Score of D from Courage California - Courage Score is a number, unique to each legislator, revealing how often they stand up for constituents over corporate lobbyists that exploit Californians.

• He received a 65 from the ACLU. 

• He received a 100 from the CA Environmental Justice Alliance.

• He received a 77 from the California Environmental Voters.

• He received a 100 from both Equality California and Planned Parenthood. 

• He received a 90 from Reproductive Freedom for All. 

• He received a 50 from the Sierra Club. 

Follow the Money: (This list is specific to his current race, for clarity’s sake.)

• $5,000 from the Plumbers & Pipefitters Local Union No. 447.

• $5,900 from the Orange County Professional Firefighters Assn. Local 3631 PAC

• $500 from the Santa Clara & San Benito Counties Building and Construction Trades Council Political Action Committee

Donors to his previous legislative campaigns include:

• $6,600 from the California Association Of Highway Patrolmen

• $11,000 from Davita Inc

• $10,500 from the Mission Indians PAC

• $7,400 from the American Federation Of Teachers

• $5,500 from the California Nations Indian Gaming Association

• $5,500 from Chevron Corp

• $5,500 from Valero Energy Corporation

• $5,500 from Walmart

• $5,500 from Uber

• $2,750 from Amazon.Com

• $2,500 from the Los Angeles Police Protective League

Campaign Statement:

NONE FOUND

From Rendon’s Campaign Website:

“California's public education system changed my life. I wasn't a good student in high school. I barely graduated and went on to work in warehouses and construction. But I discovered my passion for learning at community college, graduated from Cal State Fullerton, and earned a Ph.D. at UC Riverside. Ultimately, I became Speaker of the State Assembly—one of the top public officials in California—a meaningful accomplishment for the grandson of Mexican immigrants. I'm running for Superintendent of Public Instruction to continue my lifelong mission of offering every child, regardless of background, access to high-quality public education. When I ran early childhood education programs for underprivileged kids, I saw the devastating impacts of state budget cuts. So as Assembly Speaker I increased education funding by 50 percent, then enacted the strongest education oversight laws in the country, and successfully stood up to the Trump Administration to protect our schools and civil rights. Today, schools need not only more investment but real reform. Our schools should be focused on the core skills kids need to succeed. We should be wary of technology overload that undermines students' ability to learn and thrive. Collaborative leadership between parents, educators, and schools is essential to establishing proper guardrails around classroom technology. Students should have fewer distractions in class. Teachers shouldn't compete with billion-dollar tech algorithms to teach the basics of reading, writing, math, science, and civics. My life experience gives me the tools to deliver meaningful change. Our children deserve nothing less. www.anthonyrendon.org/”

Email: info@anthonyrendon.org 

Campaign Website: https://www.anthonyrendon.org/

His campaign website leads with: “Opportunity Starts in the Classroom.”

He lists his priorities as: 

• Limit Screentime and AI in the Classroom

• Standing Up to the Attacks on Public Education From Washington

• Building a Cradle-To-Career Education System

Any Other Interesting Info:

• Rendon has been in leadership at a number of advocacy organizations in his life, including interim executive director of the California League of Conservation Voters, the COO for the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation, and as the executive director of Plaza de la Raza Child Development Services, Inc.

• Rendon was first elected to the California State legislature in the 2013-2014 session.

• EdSource interviewed Rendon, and described his entry to politics as such; “He was motivated to enter politics in 2012 when he ran on his record of administering nonprofit early childhood education programs, as early ed faced cuts amid budget deficits in Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s administration. Now, he said, he is motivated by strong fears that President Donald Trump will eventually gut funding for Head Start, creating a crisis for California and other states.”

• When Rendon was made Speaker of the Assembly in 2015, Equality California issued a statement congratulating him on the promotion, and cited his 100% rating from them. Source Rendon then went on to hold the position for 8 years, one of the longest stints in that role in CA history. 

• Rendon has faced some criticism in his career, as his wife is a lobbyist that works in CA legislative spaces and has built up a significant income in that career - watch dog groups have raised some concerns about potential conflicts of interests there, but have stopped short of expressing any official complaints. Source

• Rendon stood with legislative leaders in the LGBTQ+ community to demand a better response to the MonkeyPox virus in 2022. Source

Social Media Links: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnthonyRendonCA

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anthonyrendonca

Twitter: https://x.com/RendonAnthony 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-rendon-a4635347/

Follows on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook:

• Su Casa, Ending Domestic Violence

• Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California

• Alliance for a Better Community

• Capitol LGBTQ Association

• L.A. County Mental Health

• California Democratic Party

• Rob Bonta

• Equality California

• Congressman Robert Garcia

• (Twitter) Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (President of the AFL-CIO Union)

• (Twitter) Western States Carpenters Union

• (Twitter) Teamsters Local 1932

• (Twitter) CA State Library

• (Twitter) Tim Walz

Candidate’s Public Comments:

• When asked about collaborative efforts between the state and local school districts by the OC Register, Rendon said, “Recently, a good example of collaboration was the effort to reform the statewide reading curriculum. All parties came together, and the legislature passed a measure combining the implementation of “science of reading” with input from the teachers who are in the classroom, which should help improve reading achievement by students.”

• On the subject of AI usage in the classroom and its impact on the ability of students to learn, Rendon said, “Too many young people are becoming addicted to screens or the use of AI as a substitute for pleasure reading or critical thinking skills. We have to balance how technology can be used to improve the classroom experience and limit the ways it has hijacked learning (..) Excessive screen time and use of AI is taking a real toll: students are struggling with literacy, focus, and mental health – and technology is clearly a contributing factor. We should be teaching children to think for themselves, not to default to a screen. The next SPI needs to work collaboratively to set comprehensive guidelines for AI use in the classroom and work with school districts to enforce them.”

• When asked about vaccine schedules in schools, he said, “I believe in the vaccine schedule. Our schools have vaccine requirements that need to be adhered to. I will work to help school districts fairly enforce the law.”

• On the topic of Head Start, California’s early education advocacy program to prepare kids for K-12 schooling, Rendon said, “If Head Start’s eliminated, we’re going to see an unbelievable demand that we’re going to have to sort out to make up for a lot of the care that we’re going to lose for kids (...) The first thing we need to do is defend Head Start.”

Endorsed by: (This is a cross-section. For a complete list, click the link.)

• AFSCME California

• California Association of Psychiatric Technicians

• California Professional Firefighters

• California Faculty Association

• Teamsters CA

• California Environmental Voters

• California Latino Caucus

• California High School Democrats

• Eleni Kounalakis, Lieutenant Governor

• Robert Garcia, Congressman

• Sabrina Cervantes, State Senator

• Isaac Bryan, Assemblymember

• Josh Lowenthal, Assemblymember

• Chris Ward, Assemblymember

• Rex Richardson, Mayor of Long Beach

• Jose Medina, Riverside County Supervisor

• Marlys Davidson, Los Alamitos Unified School District Board President

• Matt Bragman, Los Alamitos Unified School District Board Member

Candidate in the News:

• Meet the candidates for Superintendent of Public Instruction

• Anthony Rendon, California superintendent of public instruction candidate, 2026 primary election questionnaire

• Meet the State Superintendent candidates: Anthony Rendon, former Assembly speaker

• As Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon’s power grew, so did his wife’s income

• Los Angeles LGBT Center Unites California Kink Community for Inaugural Leather Day of Advocacy in Sacramento

Public Voting Record:

Rendon has sponsored a number of bills during his time in the state legislature, including;

• CA SB1147 - Drinking water: microplastics levels. (To require the government to study microplastics levels in our water supply)

• CA AB2975 - Occupational safety and health standards: workplace violence prevention plan: hospitals. (To require hospitals to provide weapons screening processes)

• CA AB2546 - Law enforcement and state agencies: military equipment: funding, acquisition, and use. (Required an amendment to “military equipment” definitions in CA law enforcement agencies to provide clarity of what this equipment is capable of doing, and to create a “military equipment use policy” to govern the use of this equipment.)

• CA AB2834 - Public postsecondary education: part-time faculty. (a bill to improve labor rights for part-time faculty at California community colleges)

• CA ACR162 - California Youth Climate Action Day. (creates CA Youth Climate Action Day every September 20)

Follow the Money: 

Rendon has not yet filed his campaign finance documents for review.

Campaign Statement: NONE FOUND

From Henderson’s Campaign Website:

“While I will not have direct authority, I do want to clarify that I support single-payer healthcare, universal basic income, a billionaire tax to make billionaires pay their fair share, abolishing ICE, CalPERS divestment from fossil fuels, divestment from ongoing genocides in Palestine, the Congo, and Sudan, divestment from the U.S. war machine, and reparations. It is not easy to be a progressive Black woman running for office, but I believe in justice and liberation above all else. If elected, I would be the first Black woman to serve as California’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction.”

Email: nichelle@hendersonforcasuperintendent.org

Campaign Website: https://www.hendersonforcasuperintendent.org 

• While most of the other candidates for this office are elected or formerly elected officials, Henderson is leading her campaign with her experience as a public school teacher. She is, however, also a trustee in the LA Community College District, and a union leader with California Faculty Association (CFA/SEIU 1983). 

Priorities:

• Fully Staffed, Fully Funded Public Schools

• Learning Basics and Life Skills

• Student Mental Health, Special Education and Whole-Child Supports

• College, Career, and Workforce Pathways

• Academic Freedom, Honest Education, and AB 715

• Charter School Accountability

Any Other Interesting Info:

• Henderson, if elected, would be the first Black woman to hold this seat.

• Henderson openly calls for the Abolishment of ICE.

• Henderson supports the right of 16 and 17 year olds to vote in their local school board elections. 

• She worked with our partners in the Inland Empire, writing a public letter calling on Redland School Board Trustee Candy Olsen to resign from her position following a long and sustained campaign of bigotry, homophobia, and transphobia towards students in that district from Trustee Olsen. That letter can be found here. 

• Her top priorities as superintendent include reforming standardized testing and expanding dual enrollment.

• Henderson openly opposes AB 715, and has said that if elected, she would ensure that it was “implemented narrowly, lawfully, and with strong protections for professional judgment, student safety, due process, and honest education.” AB 715, in its narrowest purview, works within existing CA legal frameworks in our education system to combat antisemitism in curriculum and establishes the new office of Antisemitism Prevention Coordinator to review curriculum in CA schools and combat discrimination. However, it was widely seen by many to be a response by the Pro-Israel, Zionist lobby in Sacramento to expand the definition of antisemitism to include perspectives that are critical of Israel’s actions in the West Bank, Gaza, and other communities within the Levant. This expansion was considered by many to be a form of censorship and an effort to prevent anti-war, anti-genocide discourse within the CA school systems, especially as the law includes allowances for anonymous complaints and has very little in the way of clear definitions to be used in investigating those complaints. 

***Disclaimer: Pride at the Pier is one of many organizations that signed on to opposition letters during AB 715’s journey through the legislature prior to passage, and we retain that opposition today. 

Social Media Links: 

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HendersonSPI/

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/henderson4casuperintendent 

• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/nshlh.bsky.social 

Nichelle’s social media elevates many voices on issues across American left-wing politics, touching on the harm being committed by ICE/DHS, her commitment to a pro-choice perspective, her concern about unqualified individuals being appointed to public office by the current Trump administration, her outrage over the recent SCOTUS decision to gut the Voting Rights Act and over police brutality, and her commitment to protecting LGBTQ+ students in our schools, among many others. 

Follows on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook: (This is a VERY small cross-section)

• The Charty B (This is one of our partners, who tracks extremists across CA)

• Glory 4 CVUSD (Black activist challenging Sonja Shaw for her CVUSD seat, and one of our partners fighting extremism in SoCal)

• Orange Coast Huddle

• SoCal Uprising

• Equality CA

• Our Schools USA (We like to call this organization ‘the anti-Moms for Liberty)

• GUSD Parents (one of our partners fighting anti-LGBTQ extremists in SoCal schools)

• Safe Redlands Schools (one of our partners fighting anti-LGBTQ extremists in SoCal schools)

• Public School Defenders Hub 

• Angie Givant (one of our partners fighting anti-LGBTQ extremists in SoCal schools)

• Supporters of Public Education OC

• NAACP Orange County

• Together for Redlands (one of our partners fighting anti-LGBTQ extremists in SoCal schools)

• Westside Activists

Candidate’s Public Comments:

• “California students need schools that are safe, inclusive, and intellectually honest. I will use this office to oppose censorship, defend educators, protect students’ rights, and make sure every student can learn without fear.”

• “Students cannot learn when they are hungry, unhoused, anxious, unsafe, unsupported, or afraid. I believe mental health care, special education services, English learner supports, community schools, and student privacy are core education issues, not extras. As State Superintendent, I will help districts build the staffing, partnerships, and support systems students need to be safe, healthy, and ready to learn.”

• “I am honored to earn the endorsement of the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, a historic force for queer political power rooted in the truth that our struggles are all interconnected. We need more leaders like Supervisor Harvey Milk who are not afraid to call things out, even within our own Democratic Party, especially when it often feels like we throw queer and trans people under the bus. As State Superintendent, I will work with the Attorney General, Governor, and Legislature to enforce statewide nondiscrimination and Title IX protections; ensure access to gender-neutral facilities; require accountability when districts fail queer and trans students, including protections against forced outing; prioritize counselors; and support unhoused students through rapid housing partnerships.”

• Henderson said in a statement announcing her candidacy on Monday, April 14; “I stand on the shoulders of generations of educators, teachers and community leaders who taught me the power of courage, conviction and showing up for public schools — especially when it matters most. Now is that moment (...) I am unapologetic about who I am and what I stand for — racial equity, social justice and opportunity for all. I’m not just running to make history. I’m running to create positive change.”

• “Seeing so many students walk out across the country today to protest ICE and the illegal kidnappings of our families and friends fills me with hope for the future. We need to abolish ICE, but just as important, we must protect students’ right to protest and push to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in their local school board elections.”

• At a vigil for a fellow California Faculty Association union member who was arrested by ICE during a protest, she said, “We don’t know how he’s doing, when he’ll be released. CFA is devastated by it. (...) This is a time for solidarity. A time for all of us to come together, whether you’re a part of a labor union, regardless of your culture, ethnicity, your background”

• At a September 2025 CSU Board meeting, Henderson was one of many to criticize the board for their failure to meet obligations. She said, “It’s because this board is filled with people who have not attended or worked in the CSU and have never had to look a struggling student in the eye…. people who are not accountable to stakeholders, people who do not understand why we fight, people that don’t have a plan to protect our undocumented students and employees, but they do have a plan to silence protests and suppress free speech”.

Endorsed by: (Click the link for the full list) 

• California Legislative Black Caucus

• California Democratic Legislative Women’s Caucus

• California Women’s List

• California Young Democrats

• California College Democrats

• Black Women Organized for Political Action — BWOPA PAC

• Our Revolution

• Wellstone Progressive Democrats / Our Revolution Sacramento

• Americans for Democratic Action — Southern California

• San Francisco Women’s Political Committee

• Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club

• Stonewall Democratic Club

• Progressive Democratic Club

• Pilipino American LA County Democrats

• Iranian American Democrats of California

• I-Chinese American Political Action Committee — IAPAC

• Assyrian Democrats of the Bay Area

• Democrats for Palestinian Rights Bay Area

• Los Angeles County Young Democrats

• Orange County Young Democrats

• Black Los Angeles Young Democrats

• Black Young Democrats of the Bay

• San Francisco Young Democrats

• Long Beach Young Democrats

• Riverside County Young Democrats

• Cal Berkeley Democrats

• Bruin Democrats at UCLA

• Triton Democrats at UC San Diego

• UC Santa Cruz College Democrats

• Next Gen Politics California

• Beyond the Ballot

• Letitia Clark – Councilmember, City of Tustin (Ret.)

• Andrea Marr – Councilmember, City of Costa Mesa

• Natalie Moser – Councilmember, City of Huntington Beach (Ret.) (KNOWN TRANS ALLY)

• Danny Hang – Councilmember, City of West Hollywood

• Sepi Shyne – Councilmember, City of West Hollywood (Ret.)

• Nereyda Hernandez – Jurupa Valley Community Development Advisory Commissioner (KNOWN TRANS ALLY)

Candidate in the News:

• Vigil held for CSU professor arrested during immigration protest in Camarillo

• CFA Members and Union Siblings Fired Up at September CSU Board of Trustees

• Meet the Candidates for State Superintendent of Public Instruction

• LACCD Trustee Nichelle Henderson wants to be California’s top schools chief

• Meet the State Superintendent candidates: Nichelle Henderson, educator and community college trustee

• Nichelle M. Henderson, California superintendent of public instruction candidate, 2026 primary election questionnaire

Public Voting Record:

• While on the LA Community College District board, Henderson has continued to support the LGBTQ+ initiatives that existed before she was elected in 2020. As an example, here are the district’s Pride declarations for 2021. 

Follow the Money:  Campaign Finance Filings for this race have not yet been submitted for public review.

Campaign Statement:

It is an honor to serve as State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond's Senior Advisor, and to be endorsed by the California Teachers Association (CTA), representing 300,000+ classroom teachers, nurses, counselors and educators. California Teachers of the Year Tammy Reina and Zenaida Rosario: "We trust Richard to fight for our students and educators. He has delivered for 18 years!" As President of San Diego Unified School District, the state's 2nd largest, I transformed a district in crisis into a national model of success. Among all large urban districts, we now rank Number 1 in Reading and Math on "The Nation's Report Card." In California, we're First in Reading, Math, Science, Graduation Rates and College/Career readiness. We've achieved success by cutting waste and bureaucracy, and investing directly in our students, families and educators. I successfully asked voters 4 times to replace 60 year old buildings with state-of-the-art, environmentally sustainable schools. We increased educator salaries by 40%, provided full family healthcare and created thousands of affordable homes for our families and educators. I've fought to protect students from the heartless Trump administration: keeping ICE out of our schools, standing up for LGBTQ students, and testifying before Congress against Trump's drastic cuts to education. I am endorsed by those most responsible for student success—from the classroom teachers of CTA to the school principals of United Administrators of Southern California, and Cindy Marten, President Biden's Deputy Secretary of Education. Current Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Thurmond: "Richard Barrera's track record of student success is unmatched. That's why I asked him to join us at the California Department of Education. That's why I support him in this election." BarreraforEdu.com

Email: rbcoi@yahoo.com

Campaign Website: https://www.barreraforedu.com/

Priorities from campaign website:

• Build a Strong, Sustainable Teacher Pipeline

• Expanding early childhood education

• Secure, sustainable funding for stronger schools

• Empowering communities to find their schools - because our kids can’t wait

• Making housing affordable for educators

• Building schools where every student belongs

• Prioritizing mental health in every school

• Delivering equity: Real opportunities for every student

Other Interesting Info:

• Richard has served on the San Diego Board of Education since 2008.

• As a board member of the San Diego BOE, he has asserted that the district will continue to move forward with ethnic studies requirements, even as Gov. Newsom’s office has withheld the funds associated with the law requirement for those studies. 

• Berrara is supportive of charter schools, but expresses that there must be greater regulations on the industry than currently exists, to avoid a “Wild West” of charters.

Social Media Links: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577254612647

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richardbarrera2026

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-barrera-2079723a9/ 

Follows on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook:

• CA Democrats

• Equality CA

• San Diego Building Trades

• Our Schools USA & Capo USD

• Stone Wall Dems

• SF League of Pissed Off Voters

• San Diego Youth Services

• ACLU NorCal

• 1st Gen Scholars

• Jewish Family Services San Diego

• The Cesar Chavez Foundation

• CA Teachers Association

• United We Dream

• Feeding San Diego

• Tony Thurmond

• Congressional Hispanic Caucus

• CA Legislative LGBTQ Caucus

• CA Legislative Women’s Caucus

• Congressional Black Caucus

• Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club

• NAACP San Diego

Candidate’s Public Comments: (The following are taken from interviews with Barrera conducted by news agencies; find these links below)

• ‘Like the other candidates, Barrera opposes Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to restructure the California Department of Education under a governor-appointed education commissioner. The state superintendent would no longer manage the department. “It’s undemocratic to take responsibility and authority away from the person that the voters are electing to improve schools,” Barrera said. “In practical terms, there is no reason to assume a governor would do a better job at appointing the people to run CDE than a state superintendent would.”’

• When asked about how he would manage engagement with the Trump administration, which has been antagonistic to LGBTQ+ students, “My track record at San Diego Unified, going back to the first Trump administration, has been to help lead the way to protect all of our students, whether that’s our immigrant students or LGBTQ students. We’ve put policies in place, strategies in place and connected families to community-based resources to push back at that. The president of the United States is choosing to act in an unlawful way and in a way that picks on certain groups of people, to advance his own political agenda, and there’s no room for putting our head down and hoping, “Well, if we just go along with a little bit of it, maybe we won’t be targets.” There’s just no room for that. You’ve got to stand up. We’ve got to fight back in every way possible, including in court. The fact that Trump is using federal education resources as leverage to try to get both the state and local school districts to capitulate to his agenda is all the more reason for us to go and raise that revenue ourselves. The people in this state who are going to benefit from his tax cuts have a responsibility also to make sure that we’ve got the resources we need so that we’re not vulnerable to his threats. We should make sure that we’ve got, you know, the resources ourselves so that we can’t be held hostage. But we should go further and say, and by the way, the federal government should be doing a lot more than it ever has. The federal government has always under invested in education. Special education is the perfect example. The kind of investment we saw during COVID, that was the investment we always needed for schools.”

• When asked about AI, he replied, “I think the real question is, is the use of AI in writing dumbing things down to the point where students are becoming poorer writers and thinkers because they’re relying on a machine to do that for them? … Or is it something that’s assisting with the grinding grunt work of writing that allows you to get more depth? (...) My guess is these particular tools could go either way and probably do go either way.” 

• When asked how he would serve vulnerable populations, he said, “California has to protect students in ways that are real at the school level. In San Diego Unified, we treat immigration enforcement as a student safety and trust issue. We train staff, protect student privacy and keep campuses focused on learning so families stay connected to schools. That should be the statewide standard. For LGBTQ+ students, the state should insist on safe school climates and enforce nondiscrimination protections consistently. For students with disabilities, the law is clear: Services are not optional, and districts need both oversight and support to deliver them. When the federal government threatens to withhold funding from our schools unless we abandon protections for students, I will challenge unlawful actions and make sure districts do not retreat out of fear. The state’s job is to make sure students are safe, included and able to learn.”

• ‘Richard Barrera, vice president of SDUSD’s Board of Education, argued that the recent raid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at South Park’s Buona Forchetta, located a block and a half away from a district school, was an “attempt to strike fear into the hearts of (SDUSD) families.” He described how parents were forced to pick up their students from the back of the school in order to shield them from what was happening nearby. “We don’t ignore the reality that when the federal government decides it no longer is going to have schools under safe haven status, what that does is provokes fear in our communities,” Barrera said. Barrera added that the district will never ask students and families about their immigration status or allow immigration officials to enter the district’s campuses or access student records without a federal judicial warrant.’ source

Endorsed by (click link for full list): 

• Current California State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Thurmond

• Congressman, Juan Vargas

• State Senator, Art Torres (Ret)

• Former LA Unified Board President, Former Member of the Assembly, Jackie Goldberg

• Chair of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, Terra Lawson-Remer

• Los Angeles Unified School Board Trustee,  Rocio Rivas

• Vista Unified School Board Member Cipriano Vargas

• San Diego Community College Board Trustee, Craig Milgrim

• Deputy Secretary of Education, Former SD Unified Superintendent, Cindy Marten

• (UASC) United Administrators Southern California

• California Teachers Association (CTA)

• United Domestic Workers (UDW)

• Administrator’s Association of San Diego

• San Diego Building Trades Council

• San Diego Unified Police Officers Association

• United Taxi Workers of San Diego

Candidate in the News:

• EdSource: Meet the candidate

• OC Register: 2026 primary candidate questionnaire

• The San Diego Union Tribune: Q&A: Meet Richard Barrera, candidate for California state superintendent of public instruction

• Barrera’s old union urges CTA to rescind endorsement

• EdSource: Labor unions splits among Dem candidates for State Supe

• AI in education at San Diego Unified

• During federal anti-immigrant crackdown, San Diego schools affirm student protections

• San Diego Unified delays affordable housing for educators

• What Reforms Did SDU Implement Under Barrera and What Were the Outcomes?

• The man who shaped the workers' revolution at San Diego Unified

• Fact Check: San Diego Unified's Bragging Rights on Dropout Rates

• Fact Check: How Test Scores Have Improved

Follow the Money:

• $19,800.00 from United Domestic Workers of America Action Fund

• $19,600.00 from California Teachers Association/association for Better Citizenship

• $7,259.83 from Van Pelt Construction Services

• $3,588.19 from Architects Mosher Drew

• $2,500.00 from Sheet Metal Workers Local 206 PAC

• $2,500.00 from Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation

Campaign Statement: NONE FOUND

From Lara’s Campaign Website:

“As a union leader and public school teacher for over ten years, I've seen the realities of our schools up close. California is the fourth largest economy in the world, yet classrooms are crowded, school buildings are crumbling, and students are underserved. As VP of United Educators of San Francisco, I've seen the power of workers fighting together for a better system. I'll push to tax corporations and billionaires to fully staff schools and modernize facilities. I'll fight for smaller class sizes, quality special education, ICE-free schools, ethnic studies, and free childcare and college for all. Vote Socialist. Vote LeftUnitySlate.org

4121 Montgomery St.Oakland, CA 94611Tel: (510) 626-0126E-mail: info@frank4caschools.comInstagram: frank4caschoolsTikTok: frank4caschools “

Email: info@frank4caschools.com

Campaign Website: https://www.frank4caschools.com/

• Frank’s campaign website jumps right in talking about the impact that billionaires have had on our education system in CA.

Priorities:

• Fully Fund CA Public Schools

• Free Childcare and Universal Pre-K

• Small Class Sizes for All

• Community Schools and Comprehensive Support for Students’ Needs

• SPED Justice: Quality Special Education Services for All

• Free College! Expand Adult Education and Technical-Trade Programming

• Racially Just Education: ICE and Cops out of Schools!

• Stop the Overtesting of our Kids

• Culturally Responsive Education for All - Expand Language Pathways and Defend Ethnic Studies!

• No Public Money for Private Schools

Any Other Interesting Info:

• Frank is currently an elementary school teacher educating kids in San Francisco.

• Frank is a third party candidate - he’s running on the Peace and Freedom Party platform. He’s also an organizer with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, which has close ties to the P&F.  PSL often runs candidates on the Peace & Freedom slate, especially in CA.

• He has been the Executive Vice President of United Educators of San Francisco (UESF) since 2021.

• Frank’s life has been heavily influenced by his experience as a First-Generation American born to immigrant parents and raised in the border town of Calexico. He’s been an immigration justice activist for much of his adult life. 

Social Media Links: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frank4caschools

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@frank4caschools

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/frank4caschools

Follows on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook:

• BLM Grassroots Santa Clarita

• Socal Uprising

• OC PSL (Party for Socialism and Liberation)

• Our Schools Capo (one of our partners)

• Benjamin Vasquez for Santa Ana

• OC Peace and Freedom Party

• California Center for Climate Change Education

• CSEA (Union)

• CA Working Families Party

• Progressive Voters Network

• Alameda County Labor

Candidate’s Public Comments:

• Speaking on behalf of the United Educators of San Francisco union at a press conference in 2025 to express disapproval at problems with teachers receiving their pay on time, Lara said, “Especially for starting the school year, this is unacceptable (...) School communities are already destabilized and we want to start strong. We don't want this, unrelated to education, unrelated to our children to affect us."

• When asked by the OC Register about mental health in the classroom, Lara replied, “California is the fourth-largest economy in the world. It is unacceptable to say that we lack resources and are unable to address the needs of our students. If we had politicians with the political will to increase tax revenue, we could fully fund our schools with appropriate support, including mental health professionals. We could offer free college so that people who want to work in mental health can do so without worrying about going into debt to get their degree, and we’d have support for our communities.”

• In a column Lara wrote for “Liberation”, the publication for the Peace and Freedom Party, he spoke on Trump’s so-called Big, Beautiful Bill, on school vouchers, and on the history of discrimination and big money influence in our education system. We recommend reading the entire article, but he concludes with, “As working class people we should be very skeptical of anyone who proposes “solutions” for public education that do not include fully funding our schools. Rather than fall for a failing schools narrative put forth by billionaires, we should be studying past struggles and organizing with our unions and community organizations to fight to fully fund our public schools.”

Endorsed by: 

• Peace and Freedom Party

• Green Party

• Farrah Khan (Former Mayor of Irvine)

• Vote Socialist CA

• United Educators of San Francisco

• LA Defensa

• Dean Preston, Attorney and former Member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors

• Roberto Hernandez, “Mayor of the Mission” and longtime community organizer

• Benjamin Vazquez, Mayor Pro Tem of Santa Ana, Council Member, Teacher, and member of SAEA

• Matt Haney, California State Assemblymember

Candidate in the News:

• SFUSD educators hold protest as some still missing back pay ahead of new school year: 'Unacceptable’

• Frank Lara, California superintendent of public instruction candidate, 2026 primary election questionnaire

• SF public schools close Tuesday after district, union resume talks

• Teachers union files for Thursday afternoon ‘strike rally’ permit

• (Column by Lara) The latest billionaire attacks on public education and how to fight them

Public Voting Record: Not applicable

Follow the Money: 

• $5,000 from the United Educators of San Francisco Candidate PAC, of which Lara holds an executive leadership role. This is an elected role within that union.

Campaign Statement: NONE FOUND

From Mattammal’s Campaign Website:

“I grew up in an area with a failing public school, and I watched an entire generation of low-income, mostly Black and brown kids get fed into it. My parents made enormous sacrifices to give me a better opportunity, and education became my hand up, a pathway to a better life. In California, our low-income students, overwhelmingly students of color, are failing to get the education they deserve. They're not getting a hand up. California ranks near the bottom in the US in outcomes despite ranking top 20 in spending. Year after year this injustice continues, and our kids pay the price. As Superintendent, I will change that. I've been a full-time educator for 23 years, working with over 1,000 students of every background. I've spent 19 years as a senior executive of a nationally recognized education company. I'm an elected representative and the author of a book laying out a bold reform agenda for California's schools and vision for the role of Superintendent. I'm the only candidate who can offer you the breadth and depth of experience in education and in elected office to ensure that every student, regardless of background, is able to read a book, do math, and get a job. Education need not be partisan. It can bring people together, because we all want our kids to get a great education. Join state legislators, teachers, superintendents, parents, and students from across the political spectrum in supporting me. It's easy to remember: vote Gus for Us!

1900 S. Norfolk St., Suite 350San Mateo, CA 94403Tel: (650) 451-5335E-mail: gus@gusforca.comInstagram: @theonetruegusX: @theonetruegus “

Email: gus@gusforca.com

Campaign Website: https://www.votegus.org/

He’s got a few priorities listed on his website, including: 

• “Increasing support at the CDE for parents who pursue microschooling or homeschooling.

• Robust support at the California Department of Education (CDE) for school choice options that operate within the public school system, including public charter schools, magnet schools, open enrollment, and microschools.

• Specific content-driven reforms in reading, mathematics, and history/ethnic studies that will elevate the performance of students and leave them better prepared to get jobs.

• An innovative proposal for performance-based teacher compensation that rewards star teachers in struggling districts far more aggressively than anyone has ever done before.”

Any Other Interesting Info:

• Gus has run for a few other offices prior to this race; he ran for Congressional seat CA-15 in 2022, and in 2023, challenged State Assemblymember Berman for his seat. In those races, he ran on opposing government mandates - housing, especially. In his announcement of the Assembly campaign, he said he aimed to make it easier for schools and nonprofits to spend money that they get from the government without “drowning in a sea of compliance paperwork and regulatory micromanagement.”

• Gus’ experience in the educational space spans mostly from his experience as the director of a private tutoring business called Advance Testing.

• He’s the author of “A is for Average: Why California’s Public Schools Struggle and How You Can Help”. Source

• Gus has held the following positions before; 

  • Treasurer, Midcoast Community Council; 

  • Member, San Mateo County Transportation Authority Citizen’s Advisory Committee

  • Member, Measure W Citizen’s Oversight Committee

Social Media Links: 

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theonetruegus

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/theonetruegus

Follows on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook:

• Turning Point USA

• CA Republican Party

• CA Parents Rights Act Now (Orange County-based anti-trans extremist)

• Todd Frazier (PYLUSD trustee who has routinely voted against LGBTQ+ rights and in support of ICE)

• Linda McMahon (Sec. of Education in the current Trump administration)

• Sonja Shaw

• Will Swaim, CEO of the California Policy Center, far-right think tank under the National Policy Center (Heritage Foundation adjacent)

Candidate’s Public Comments:

• In a column Gus wrote for the California Globe, he said, “...it’s clear that California is grossly inefficient in its education spending, that inefficiency is rooted not in the Superintendent’s management of the CDE, but rather in California’s broken politics. For example, we know from cognitive science and from the example of Mississippi that the “science of reading” is the best way to teach kids to read. Mississippi mandated the science of reading in 2013, and their test scores have gone from 48th in the nation to 7th. Last year a similar bill to Mississippi’s was introduced in California, but special interests reduced it to a toothless, hollow shell. California’s politics prevent us from committing to what we know works, and reducing the Superintendent to a cheerleader for education won’t change that.”

• In his campaign announcement for his 2023 Assembly run, Gus said, “The consequences of having so few Republicans in the state Assembly are real, and they are growing (...) “Our state government has been far out of balance for almost 20 years now, and the result is that it’s too hard to run a school, too hard to operate a nonprofit, too hard to start or grow a business, and too hard to do the big things we need to do to address climate change. And now, Californians are beginning to pay the price.”

• When asked by the OC Register about the CDE’s role in regulating AI in schools, he answered, “I do not believe that it is possible or even desirable to effectively regulate educational technology use statewide. Artificial Intelligence is rapidly evolving, and government has never demonstrated an ability to effectively keep up with rapid changes in the private sector.”

Endorsed by: (Click the link for the full list)

• Israeli-American Civic Action Network (ICAN)

• Libertarian Party of Santa Clara County

Candidate in the News:

• (Column written by Gus) Governor Newsom’s Power Grab

• Gus Mattammal to challenge Berman in race for Assembly

• Four candidates for California’s top schools job talk curriculum, careers and more in San Diego

• State education candidate schedules campaign appearance at local winery

• Gus Mattammal, California superintendent of public instruction candidate, 2026 primary election questionnaire

• Meet the State Superintendent candidates: Gus Mattammal, educational testing and tutoring service director

Public Voting Record: Not applicable.

Follow the Money: 

Mattammal doesn’t have any donations visible (most of the individuals in this race haven’t submitted recent campaign finance filings yet), but he does have a number of donations that he’s made to the Briones Society Pac, a conservative PAC seeking to shift the political direction of cities, starting with San Francisco. 

Campaign Statement: None Found

From Long’s Campaign Website:

“Ms. Long is a third-generation Californian public school student and fifth-generation public school teacher committed to strengthening California through youth and education. For 19 years, she has been a leader teaching mathematics in Oakland, Richmond, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, serving diverse communities statewide. She has also led as Director of Family & Community Engagement, Board President, and Regional Superintendent, building strong partnerships between schools and families. Currently an 8th grade mathematics teacher and Department Chair at Willie L. Brown Middle School in SFUSD, she mentors educators and champions instructional excellence. After being the only public school teacher in the 2022 race, she continues to lead with authentic classroom experience.”

Email: Info@AinyeLong4CA.com

Campaign Website: https://ainyelong4ca.com/

• Long’s website has a “Register to Vote or Check your Status” button front and center. 

• Her website doesn’t include any information about Long, or her campaign priorities.

Any Other Interesting Info:

• We unfortunately had a very difficult time determining what Long’s platform is, as it’s not listed on her campaign website or on her social media, and interviews we found with her did not reveal a great deal about her policy ideas. 

• We did, however, find an interview from when she ran in 2022, referencing her campaign page’s bio (no longer searchable) and listing her 2022 priorities:

  • “Per her bio, Long is a fifth-generation public school teacher whose “primary objectives are 1) Prioritizing the schoolhouse — elevating the voices and needs of the people in the schoolhouse (teachers, students, families, and community members); 2) Establishing measurable impact — connecting all initiatives to schoolhouse needs that are measurable and sustainable; and 3) An informed and invested public — providing opportunities and resources for the public to be [knowledgeable] of the needs and well-being of local schools, and how they can contribute their time and talents to address schoolhouse needs.” source

• Long ran for this seat in 2022, as well, receiving 11% of the vote in the primary, narrowly missing second place for a runoff.

• Long is a Math teacher within the San Francisco Unified School District, and also served as a regional superintendent for Amethod Public Schools in Oakland, as well as serving as their Board President. 

• She’s also got experience within the charter school system, having worked with YPI Charter Schools and as the Director of Parent & Community Engagement with the California Charter Schools Association.

Social Media Links: 

• Campaign Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/AinyeLong4CA

• Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ain1913/

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ainye-long-83625a30/

Follows on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook:

• Rob Bonta

• Senator Scott Wiener (Chair of the CA LGBTQ+ Caucus)

• UC Student Association

• Jennifer Siebel Newsom

• Asian American Pacific Islander Coalition of North Bay

• Ms Rachel

• Ilhan Omar

• Black Organizing Project

• Love Bailey (LA-based trans activist)

Candidate’s Public Comments:

• When interviewed by the LA Times with other candidates in the race, Long said, “One job of the [state superintendent] is to measure the effectiveness [in practice — what actually happens] of our laws, and help to find better ways to educate our body,” Long said. “The people closest to the work are closest to the problems of practice, so they’re the first to see the solution.”

Endorsed by: None Found

Candidate in the News:

• The race for California state superintendent is wide open: Poll

• Your guide to the California state schools superintendent race: wide-open race to replace Tony Thurmond

• (2022) Math teacher is a fraction of a percentage point from making it to the runoff for superintendent of California’s schools

• (2022) This San Francisco math teacher’s longshot campaign to lead California’s public schools is still alive

Public Voting Record: None Found

Follow the Money:None Found

Campaign Statement: NONE FOUND

From Leal’s Campaign Website:

“Promoting academic fairness and offering language support for all students, while advancing educational equity, enhancing academic achievement and college and career readiness, and supporting the whole child (...) I am dedicated to making sure all pupils, no matter their origin or mother tongue, get an elite education. We aid families in need and foster diversity to create a balanced tomorrow for every neighbor as we move adelante in our communal efforts for everyone today (...) My goal is to ensure every student has access to a high-quality education, regardless of their background or primary language.”

Email: castanedaleal4casuperintendent@gmail.com  

Campaign Website: https://www.castanedaleal4casuperintendent.com/ 

Priorities: 

• Closing the Equity Gap

• Support for Multilingual Learners

• Wraparound Services for Low-Income Families

She also follows the priorities up with a “How we will achieve our goals”;

• Community Partnerships

• Policy Reform

• Transparent Budgeting

• Empowered Educators

Any Other Interesting Info:

• Leal currently serves as the superintendent for Semitropic Elementary School District, a K-8 district in Wasco, CA. Wasco is an agricultural community north of Bakersfield, with a population of just under 30,000 people. The school district has one school, Semitropic Elementary School, which serves a student body that is primarily students of color who speak languages other than English as their first language. 

• An interesting item that we have struggled to verify but have some information on; 

  • On Leal’s campaign instagram, someone who claims they are a former teacher at SESD expressed that during Leal’s term as Superintendent of the district, about half of the district’s teachers were let go of their positions. 

  • In the years shortly before Leal’s term, the Semitropic Teachers Association (STA) Union doubled in size - albeit, from 4 to 8, in a district with 12 teachers. The California Teachers’ Association commended this increase in union enrollment in such a small district, and congratulated them on achieving the first-ever bargaining agreement in the district’s history (a district that has existed since 1892).

  • In 2021, there were 162 students in SESD, today there are 140. Source We speculate that this reduction may have a lot to do with the increased activity of ICE in that region. 

  • There has been a reduction in FTE (Full-Time Employees) in the district during the 2025-2026 timeframe, this is true. However, when factoring in the student-teacher ratio of 14:1, the reduction in force has been consistent with a classroom ratio that is much lower than the state average. This change is from approximately 10 FTE in 2023-2024 to 5 in 2025-2026 - which would match with the “cut by half” complaint. 

  • However, the number of total staff, including support staff (like part time ELOP after-school instructors and bus drivers) has increased; from 22.7 FTE in 2022 to 25.7 in 2026. 

  • Takeaway: without knowing the exact details of the staffing and enrollment changes, which can’t be found in agendas and staffing numbers alone, we really can’t tell much more about the context of the complaint issued on Leal’s instagram (which suggested a more antagonistic intent). 

Social Media Links: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/castanedaleal4casuperintendent/

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@castanedaleal4casuperintendent

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@castanedaleal4cas

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61587572486340

Follows on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook:

• She only follows 3 accounts from her campaign instagram, including Kern County Library

• She only follows the CA Dept of Eduation on Facebook. 

Candidate’s Public Comments:

• In a February 28th instagram post, Leal said, “It takes someone who is actively in the field to truly understand what California needs. Our students deserve leadership rooted in real experience — not theory.” She also posted an additional, nearly-identical post, in Spanish. 

• In an instagram post from Late April, Leal said, “I know firsthand what those military sacrifices look like. And I also know the power of community—those late-night calls, weekend get-togethers, and simple lunch dates that remind us we’re not alone. They matter more than people realize.”

• “Being immersed in their (the students) own culture, because even if they were racially the same or grew up in the same state or whatever it might be, each culture is different depending on the community, the family structure,” said Castañeda-Leal. “I really want to be immersed in the culture, be enriched by the history, and be a growing partner with the students and the parents.”

Endorsed by: None Found

Candidate in the News:

• California must consider rural districts’ unique realities for community schools grants

• New Superintendent at Semitropic, how you can help as they prepare to go back

Public Voting Record: None Found

Follow the Money: None Found