California Educator

NOVEMBER 2010

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GOVERNOR JERRY BROWN “Teachers have been incred- ible and the rock of my cam- paign,” said Torlakson shortly before his victory was an- nounced. “Thanks from the bottom of my heart. CTA helped me with a dynamic program in- cluding a virtual town hall and social media. I truly admire the creative powers of CTA during this whole endeavor.” “I couldn’t do this without the support of teachers,” said newly re-elected U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland). “The support of teachers has been very, very im- portant to me, and I appreciate your steady support for me over RIGHT: Jerry Brown supporter celebrates the win at the Oakland Democratic Party event on election night. the years. You do so much to help our children, which is also helping our future.” Brown, the newly elected governor, held his own recep- tion a few blocks away in Oak- land at the Fox Theater. Sup- porters waited until shortly be- fore 11 p.m. because Brown had not received a call from Whitman conceding the race. Finally, the governor-elect went onstage without receiving a call from his opponent, thanking his supporters for all they have done. Brown thanked his wife, Capistrano teachers elect cooperative board members LEFT: Many of the same Cap- istrano Unified Education Asso- ciation members who walked the picket lines in last April’s three- day strike that more recently walked precincts leading up to the November 2 school board election in the south Orange County district. Their successful efforts helped elect new mem- bers that should bring reason and responsibility back to the chaos-plagued district. Anne Gust Brown, and was surrounded by children from Oakland school s. Public schools, said Brown, are the fu- ture and the key to California’s recovery. “My goal is for every single school in California to have what it needs,” said Brown. “Ev- ery kid has so much potential.” When making decisions, he said, politicians must keep this question in the forefront: Will it help the next generation? Brown vowed to try to end When more than 2,000 members of the Capis- trano Unified Education Association (CUEA) walked the picket lines in a three-day strike last April – forc- ing the school board’s negotiating team to back off an imposed contract and accept language promising to restore salary and benefits cuts with future new revenue – they knew it was just the first in a two-step process to restore integrity and sound management to the chaos-plagued south Orange County district. Capturing the momentum from the strike that resulted in thousands more petition signatures than necessary to bring two adversarial board members up for recall, the broad coalition of educators, par- ents and community members swept those two seats for their endorsed candidates November 2, but also celebrated the election of another coalition- friendly candidate. The lone previously cooperative board member remains, so teachers now look for- ward to working with a positive and progressive 4-3 majority on the new school board. In addition, the CUEA-backed Measure H passed overwhelmingly, meaning that in future board elections, candidates will have to run from the areas where they live, making it much more difficult for fu- ture “reform cabals” to coalesce for a power grab. “Capistrano’s teachers will be forever grateful for the overwhelming support from our fellow CTA mem- bers statewide during our strike,” said CUEA Presi- dent Vicki Soderberg. “There’s no doubt it helped us stay the course to elect new school board members that will bring reason and responsibility back to our schools.” the polarization of political parties, so that members on both sides can work together for the public good. “We are all God’s children, and I am hop- ing and praying that the break- down that’s gone on so many years in the state Capitol and Washington will end, and that we can pave the way for a breakthrough,” he said. “We needed change in our state, and that change was ush- ered in tonight,” said Sanchez. “I’m excited about Brown, Box- er and Torlakson, who are the winners. But the real winners tonight are the students in our public schools.” SHERRY POSNICK-GOODWIN NOVEMBER 2010 | www.cta.org 29 CTA photo by Bill Guy

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