CTA’s Barrera Endorsement Shows San Diego Unified Is Model for ‘District with Organized Labor as a Copilot’
Written by Jakob McWhinney for Voice of San Diego
And just like that, San Diego Unified Trustee Richard Barrera’s campaign for state superintendent is looking serious.
On Saturday, the state’s largest teachers union announced it was officially endorsing Barrera. The announcement came a week after Voice of San Diego broke the news that the California Teachers Association’s board had recommended the endorsement.
A social media post from the union announcing the endorsement reads, “Richard Barrera is a fighter for public school education and unions. He is the best candidate for our students, schools, and communities.”
So, why would the 310,000 member-strong union throw its weight behind Barrera, who’s only experience in elected office is a 17-year stint on a school board?
Fellow board member Cody Petterson put it succinctly: “To my mind, this is an acknowledgement by CTA that San Diego Unified is the model of how to run a district with organized labor as a copilot.”
Read the full article: https://voiceofsandiego.org/2026/01/26/ctas-barrera-endorsement-shows-san-diego-unified-is-model-for-district-with-organized-labor-as-a-copilot/