SACRAMENTO — CFT President Jeff Freitas released the following statement on the failed recall of California Governor Gavin Newsom: 

“We are thrilled that California voters overwhelmingly rejected this cynical recall attempt, choosing to keep Gavin Newsom, a strong champion of public education, in office. CFT members worked tirelessly to defeat this recall because we knew this was a power grab by forces that want to destroy public education, who do not have the best interests of our students or our communities at heart. 

“Defeating this recall is a step towards protecting the progress that we have made in California over decades of hard work with our partners in public education, in the labor movement, and in our communities. This defeat sends a clear message that we will not go backwards.

“Parents, students, educators, and classified professionals want the same thing: for students to be able to safely learn in their classrooms, with fully resourced schools supporting them. Governor Newsom has worked closely with CFT to get us through the crisis of the pandemic and focus on the issues that matter most to communities across the state. We look forward to continuing to build on our progress, and we are ready to get to work.”

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CFT — A Union of Educators and Classified Professionals represents 120,000 teachers, faculty, and school employees in public and private schools and colleges, from early childhood through higher education. It is the statewide affiliate of the AFT, AFL-CIO.