Richard Barrera Wins California State Superintendent Election

Richard Barrera, president of the San Diego Unified school board, won the election for California state superintendent of schools with 57.4% of the vote. He defeated Republican opponent Sonja Shaw, president of the Chino Valley Unified board, who received 42.6% of the vote according to the Secretary of State of California.

Barrera campaigned on expanding successful public education models and received backing from the California Democratic Party and more than two dozen unions, including the California Teachers Association and the California School Employees Association. Shaw, known for conservative policies in Chino Valley regarding library books and transgender students in sports, conceded the race on November 4. She attributed her loss to a political machine that spent over $10 million against her campaign.

Barrera replaces outgoing Superintendent Tony Thurmond and will take office in January. He enters the role during a governance overhaul signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, which strips the superintendent of the management of the California Department of Education. That responsibility now falls to a governor-appointed education commissioner. Barrera will instead serve as a voting member of the State Board of Education and the Community Colleges Board of Governors, while remaining a University of California regent and California State University trustee.