Topic: Elections

Article

Senate candidates show strong support for public education at CFT forum

Watch the highlights of the candidate forum here

At the CFT Senate Candidate Forum on October 14, over 300 CFT members in person and online got to hear directly from the leading candidates on their records on and support for public education. 

The event was part of the CFT State Council, held in San Jose with the candidates – Barbara Lee, Katie Porter, and Adam Schiff – all appearing online. 

Article Elections 2022
Katie PorterCongressional candidate Christy Smith with CFT members.California Senator Alex PadillaYes on Prop 1Governor Newsom signs Christy Smith's landmark charter reform bill.

California voters crucial to holding U.S. Senate and House
Your vote as a CFT member matters more this November than ever!

You’ve no doubt heard pundits debating the fate of the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives. Like most midterm elections, this November will be crucial in determining the tone and tenor of national politics, as well as the ability of our elected representatives to get things done on behalf of educators and working people.

Though California is often described as a “safe blue state,” it has an important role to play in protecting progressive incumbents and working to flip House seats.

Article Elections 2022 WEP/GPO Social Security
retirees rally to end WEP/GPOretirees fighting to end WEP/GPOBonnie Ciedel

Retirees gearing up for national midterm elections
Voices of experience hope to educate younger Americans, reverse Social Security penalties

Political season is in full swing and, with days to go until California’s June 7 primary, CFT retirees are already looking ahead to the November 8 General Election.

“I can’t tell you how many people have told me they are mad as hell and ‘ready to do something’ because of the leaked Supreme Court ruling on abortion rights,” said Mike Nye at-large representative on the CFT Council of Retired Members.

Article Elections 2022 endorsements SPI
Primary Election in red, white and blue

CFT endorses Gavin Newsom, Tony Thurmond for June 7 primary
Find union endorsements for the statewide Primary Election

With the June 7 Statewide Primary Election fast approaching, the 2022 election season is fully underway. CFT has been preparing by conducting candidate interviews for the state’s top offices and legislative districts around the state. All statewide constitutional offices will be on the ballot, and CFT has endorsed a candidate for each seat.

Article Recall Election 2021

Recall Ballot FAQ – “Just vote NO and go!”
Confused? You are not alone. What you need to know about the recall ballot

Most voters have received their mail ballots for the September 14 Recall Election and the CFT is hearing many questions. Here we answer the most common questions about the recall ballot and voting and share CFT recommendations and resources. 

Article Recall Election 2021

What do our elected leaders say about the recall?
Governor Newsom leads the nation in worker protections. Vote NO on the recall

While Governor Newsom continues to have our backs by putting in place the strongest worker protections in the nation, anti-union special interests are funneling millions into the recall campaign to weaken or eliminate laws that protect our pay, health care, retirement and safety on the job.

Article members elected

Paraeducator serves as mayor of Ukiah, bus driver sits on Pacifica City Council
Classified employees make their mark on local politics

Every day, dozens of CFT members finish their shift, pivot, and begin a second job as an elected official. They bring passion, creativity and a commitment to public service. When Juan Orozco isn’t working with teens in the Mendocino County Office of Education, the Local 4345 member is serving as mayor of the county hub. Pacifica voters have elected and re-elected school bus driver Mike O’Neill to public office for almost a quarter-century.

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Josh Chancer

Honoring CFT members elected to public office
Meet 36 education workers who have taken the bold step

Every day, dozens of CFT members finish their shift, pivot, and begin a second job as an elected official. They bring passion, creativity and a commitment to public service. The CFT members listed below have taken the bold step to run for public office, and have been elected. Find their names, local unions, and a link to the public office each member holds. 

Article Elections 2020 members elected

Paul da Silva became the candidate he wanted to see
First teacher elected to College of Marin Board of Trustees

For years, Paul da Silva, a biology teacher at the College of Marin and a member of United Professors of Marin, Local 1610, wondered about the lack of teachers on the college’s Board of Trustees and tried to talk retiring professors into running. No one took him up on it.

So when he decided in the summer of 2019 that he would retire, he concluded, to paraphrase Mahatma Gandhi, he’d have to be the candidate he wished to see in the world.

Article Elections 2020 free college

A First Lady who is a community college teacher
President-elect supports two years of free community college

Dr. Jill Biden, a community college teacher, union member, and soon to be First Lady, spoke virtually to members of the AFT and the National Education Association, thanking them for all the phone banking, text messaging, voter registration drives and poll work they did to get her husband, Joe Biden, elected. AFT President Randi Weingarten and NEA President Becky Pringle introduced her.

Article Elections 2020 Prop 15

Prop 15 defeated, but our coalition remains strong

CFT members worked so hard to put Proposition 15, also known as Schools & Communities First, on the November ballot and over the finish line right through the close of polling places on Election Day.

But after election day, Prop 15 was trailing by about 400,000 votes with approximately 4 million votes yet to be counted. CFT and campaign allies were optimistic and patient, holding out hope that the measure would amass the votes needed to pass.

Article Elections 2020 coronavirus

Members brave public rallies to demand, “Count Every Vote!”
PHOTO GALLERY

The polls closed in Hawaii, the westernmost voting site in the United States, at 1 am eastern time on November 4. At 2:28, less than two hours later, President Trump sent out a tweet announcing that he’d won the election.

Millions of votes had yet to be counted, especially those cast by people voting early because of the coronavirus. But Trump demanded that counting stop, and made false charges of election rigging. He immediately filed suits in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia to stop the count.

Article Elections 2020 Prop 15

Top 5 reasons to vote NO on Prop 22
Make corporations pay their fair share!

Although there are many important races, Voting NO on Prop 22 is one of the most important decisions you can make on the ballot this year. Here’s why:

  1. Uber, Lyft and other giant gig corporations have spent $200 million on Prop 22 in an effort to exempt themselves from all labor laws that protect workers. We’re talking about basic protections like a minimum wage, sick leave, workers’ comp and unemployment insurance. These multi-billion dollar corporations are trying to strip workers of virtually every right we’ve fought decades to enact.
Article Elections 2020 Prop 15

Prop 15: It’s not just about closing corporate tax loopholes
It’s about protecting adjunct faculty too!

California is at an educational crossroads made dire by the coronavirus pandemic, and Proposition 15 is an important step in getting California back on the right track.

COVID-19 has not only ravaged the health and lives of countless Californians — it has also ravaged state revenues, with Governor Newsom himself acknowledging overall state revenue declines being in the “tens of billions.”