Topic: Elections
Unions are the anchor during a perfect storm
Locals navigate pandemic, reopening, wildfires, elections, social unrest
Facing the threats of COVID-19 and wildfires, local unions and districts across California are trying to figure out how school will look this semester.
Orange County was one of the first to push for in-person instruction after it had been prohibited based on the county monitoring list. At the beginning of the summer, the members in the Newport-Mesa Federation of Teachers were pretty much evenly divided about that.
Retirees mobilize for most important election in their lives
The threat to our social norms is “mind boggling”
Every senior has a long personal view of U.S. history, but nearly all would agree that this presidential election will be the most important ballot they cast in their lives. The prospect of Donald Trump in the White House for four more years has ratcheted up emotions.
“The threat to our Constitution, to our institutions, and to our social norms is mind boggling,” said Dennis Cox of the CFT Council of Retired Members.
Yes on 15! Fix commercial tax system to help fund schools and colleges
Prop 15 will improve funding for public education
Over the past 40 years, disinvestment in public education has caused California to fall from one of the top states in per pupil spending to one that ranks near the bottom.
The California Schools & Local Communities Funding Act would raise up to an estimated $12 billion every year for schools and local communities by ending the unfair system that allows a fraction of the wealthiest commercial and industrial property owners to avoid paying their fair share in taxes.
Fixing commercial tax system will help communities prepare for wildfires
Prop 15 will fund local fire protection districts
As a result of our rapidly changing climate, California has experienced the deadliest, largest, and most destructive wildfires in its history.
In the past five years, we’ve had nine of the 20 most destructive fires the state has ever had, including the Camp Fire in Butte in 2018, the Tubbs Fire in Napa and Sonoma in 2017, the Carr Fire in Shasta & Trinity in 2018, and the Thomas Fire in Santa Barbara and Ventura in 2017.
Governor Newsom endorses Prop 15!
Joe Biden endorsed Schools & Communities First last fall
On September 11, Governor Newsom endorsed Prop 15, the CFT-supported ballot measure that will reclaim $12 billion annually for California schools and communities by closing corporate property tax loopholes.
“The governor’s support of Prop 15 is critical to ensure that this essential initiative passes and our schools have the resources they need so that our students receive the education they deserve,” said CFT President Jeff Freitas.
Why your vote for Prop 15 is essential!
FAQ: What Prop 15 will do
Proposition 15 is a fair and balanced reform that will reclaim $12 billion to invest in schools and vital services for our local communities.
When Prop 15 passes, it will close a loophole that large corporations have used for decades to avoid paying their fair share of property taxes. The richest 10% of corporate properties will provide 92% of the new revenue.
AFT Convention delegates endorse Joe Biden for president
The nearly 4,000 delegates at the AFT Virtual Convention endorsed Joe Biden for president in the general election, with 90 percent voting in favor.
The decision by the AFT follows the most inclusive and extensive presidential endorsement process in the union’s history, conducted over many months and involving more than 300,000 AFT members, that ultimately led the AFT Executive Council to submit the endorsement.
Schools & Communities First placed on ballot as Prop 15
Yes on Proposition 15 this November!
On July 1, California Secretary of State Alex Padilla announced the 12 measures that have qualified for the November election, along with their ballot numbers. Schools and Communities First, the CFT’s top statewide priority in November, will appear as Proposition 15.
Members collect 20,000 signatures in support of Schools & Communities First
Hitting statewide goal helped land measure on November 3 ballot
Update: On June 4, Schools and Communities First officially qualified for the November 3 General Election ballot.
Last fall, when CFT began circulating petitions to qualify the Schools and Communities First initiative, seems like a world away. Yet on April 1, the early days of the coronavirus outbreak, the coalition submitted 1.7 million signatures, nearly twice the number needed to put the measure on the November ballot and the most ever gathered in California history.
California Primary Election yields big wins, and some losses
Many races too close to call
Across the state CFT local unions supported a variety of candidates, parcel taxes, and bonds in their local communities. With many votes still to be counted, results for many of the races are yet to be determined.
There is some good news to report coming from local unions.
Retirees are leaving their mark on 2020 elections
Seniors work on local and statewide measures
For more than four decades, California corporations have evaded their fair share of commercial property taxes, leaving our schools with some of the most overcrowded classrooms and worst ratios of students to counselors, librarians, and nurses in the nation.
Schools and Communities First will close those property tax loopholes in 1978’s Proposition 13 — without affecting homeowners or renters — and channel more than $12 billion per year to local schools, community colleges and other vital services.
CFT members participate in Presidential Public Education Forum
Educators travel across the country to meet candidates in person
As we knew it would be, the lead-up to the 2020 Presidential Election is both an exciting and overwhelming time for voters. We are bombarded with articles, polls, social media, and headlines about the candidates.
Amid all the hype, it isn’t often that CFT members get the opportunity to see the presidential candidates in person and hear their perspectives on the issues we think about every day.
Vote YES on Prop. 13, the California school safety bond
$15 billion for new facilities and modernization
Proposition 13, the School Safety Bond, will appear on the March 2020 California ballot. The initiative, which bears no relation to Prop. 13 from 1978, is the largest school facilities bond in state history, promoting adequate and equitable school facilities that will provide healthy, safe, and educationally appropriate school infrastructure for our children.
Tony Thurmond endorses Schools & Communities First
State superintendent of schools signs to qualify the ballot initiative
California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond formally endorsed the Schools and Communities First initiative on January 28 before a crowd of educators, support staff, parents, and students on the south steps of the State Capitol .
Classified employees look ahead to 2020 political challenges
Top of the list: Qualify Schools and Communities First initiative
Members from classified locals across the state recently met in Glendale to swap organizing tips, celebrate victories, and strengthen political skills.
Participants engaged enthusiastically from Friday, October 18, when Council of Classified Employees President Carl Williams welcomed leaders to his first President’s Collaboration, to that Sunday morning, when Superintendent of Instruction Tony Thurmond rallied the troops for coming electoral fights.
AFT endorses Biden for U.S. president
CFT survey results and AFT election resources
On March 22, AFT endorsed Joe Biden for U.S. President after more than a year of member engagement on the endorsement process — with more than 300,000 AFT members nationwide participating in candidate events, town halls, polls, regional conferences and other efforts — new membership polls show strong support for Biden.
In November, CFT members will join voters around the country to cast their ballots for the next president of the United States. While we know that every election day is an important one, the upcoming election will represent an historic turning point for our country.
We not only have the opportunity to elect a president who understands the value of public education, but one who will stand up for the rights of working people.
A Blue Wave – but what next?
By Joshua Pechthalt, CFT President
By all measures, this was a very successful midterm election. Democrats picked up 40 seats in the U.S. House, which they will now control, and more than 300 legislative seats nationwide. In California, we ran the table on statewide officers and elected a supermajority in both houses of our state Legislature. Most importantly for us, Tony Thurmond was elected superintendent of public instruction.
Election 2018: CFT’s heavy lifting helps flip seats, elect Thurmond, win local races
As anxious citizens watched the November 6 midterm election results, they weren’t at all sure how candidates and measures would fare. Results trickled in, but many races remained too close to call for weeks.
Four members tell their stories of election success
Our voices must be heard! Members elected to district governing boards
Jeanie Wallace had considered running for office before. As a union rep for the Morgan Hill Federation of Teachers and the chair of the local Democratic Party Central Committee, she knew how hard it could be to find candidates for the school board. But she thought she was too busy, and planned to do it when she retired.
Retirees stay true to the cause – keeping political, union skills sharp
AFT activists don’t stop being active when they retire. United Teachers Los Angeles retiree Jimmie Woods-Gray, for example, remains a whirlwind in the fight to stop the privatization of public education. UC-AFT Riverside’s Stephanie Kay, meanwhile, continues the daily fight for lecturers’ rights on University of California campuses.