Explore

Early Results Show Union’s Favored School Board Candidates Win Big in California

California Teachers Association distributed $1.8 million to 125 affiliates to spend on local races. That investment seems to have mostly paid off

Rocio Rivas, Shana Hazan and Cody Petterson (drrivasforschoolboard.com, shanaforschoolboard.com and supervisorterralawsonremer.com)

Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter

The California Teachers Association spent heavily on school board races in the state, distributing $1.8 million to 125 local affiliates, which were required by union policy to add almost $1 million more to the total.

That investment seems to have mostly paid off. California election results take weeks to finalize, but union-backed candidates are leading in 35 of the 52 races in which the state union spent the most money.

The biggest winner was Rocio Rivas, running for a seat on the Los Angeles Unified School District board. The union contributed more than $330,000 on her behalf.

The union supported Shana Hazan and Cody Petterson with $145,000, and they won seats on the San Diego Unified board.

In Sacramento, $123,000 in state teachers union spending helped Tara Jeane, Jasit Singh and Taylor Kayatta complete a clean sweep of school board races.

The only apparent defeat in the areas where the state union spent six figures was in Long Beach, where Nubia Flores trails by 5 percentage points.

In much smaller school districts, even a little spending had its effects. The union has only 39 members in the Placer Hills Union School District, but a $1,500 infusion helped two candidates to victory. The Big Pine district has only 155 students, but it now has two union-backed school board members.
Post-election press reports have focused on the fate of school board candidates supported by national conservative political action committees. It would be educational to compile a similar accounting of those largely financed by teachers unions.

Mike Antonucci’s Union Report appears most Wednesdays; see the full archive.

Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter

Republish This Article

Early Results Show Union’s Favored School Board Candidates Win Big in California

California Teachers Association distributed $1.8 million to 125 affiliates to spend on local races. That investment seems to have mostly paid off

By



We want our stories to be shared as widely as possible — for free.


View our republishing terms

On the 74 Today

Daily Enlightenment!

Sign-up for our free newsletter and start your day with the most important education news.