{"id":384244,"date":"2026-07-02T22:53:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T22:53:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/384244\/"},"modified":"2026-07-02T22:53:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T22:53:10","slug":"gavin-newsom-passes-biggest-power-grab-in-california-history-over-state-superintendent-role","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/384244\/","title":{"rendered":"Gavin Newsom passes \u2018biggest power grab in California history\u2019 over State Superintendent role"},"content":{"rendered":"

Republican candidate for California State Superintendent Sonja Shaw<\/a> has accused Gavin Newsom of orchestrating a sweeping power grab<\/a> and leaving the office she wants to run powerless.<\/p>\n

\u201cNewsom couldn\u2019t win at the ballot box, so he changed the rules. He just rammed through one of the biggest power grabs in California history,\u201d Shaw told the California Post. \u201cThis isn\u2019t education reform<\/a>. California\u2019s children deserve leaders who answer to the voters.\u201d<\/p>\n

She led the June primary with 1,737,377 votes (22.6%), finishing ahead of Richard Barrera, who received 1,557,939 votes (20.3%), according to the Associated Press<\/a>. The two will advance to a runoff election in November after no candidate secured a majority in the crowded field. <\/p>\n

Republican candidate for California State Superintendent Sonja Shaw has accused Gavin Newsom of orchestrating a sweeping power grab and leaving the office she wants to run powerless. MediaNews Group via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cNewsom couldn\u2019t win at the ballot box, so he changed the rules. He just rammed through one of the biggest power grabs in California history,\u201d Shaw told the California Post. \u201cThis isn\u2019t education reform. California\u2019s children deserve leaders who answer to the voters.\u201d Getty Images<\/p>\n

Shaw was referring to Assembly Bill 181 (AB 181), an education budget trailer bill signed by Newsom last week.<\/p>\n

The measure was fast-tracked alongside California\u2019s 2026-27 state budget<\/a>, allowing it to move through the Legislature as part of the budget process rather than the traditional committee hearing process used for most standalone bills.<\/p>\n

The legislation has drawn criticism from opponents who argue it fundamentally restructures California\u2019s education system by transferring powers previously exercised by the independently elected Superintendent of Public Instruction to a governor-appointed official.<\/p>\n

\u201cNewsom slipped this into the budget process and rushed it through Sacramento before the public could fully scrutinize it. That should alarm every Californian, regardless of political party,\u201d Shaw told the Post. \u201cWe will remember those that voted against protecting our children once again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaw was referring to Assembly Bill 181 (AB 181), an education budget trailer bill signed by Newsom last week. Sonja Shaw\/X<\/p>\n

AB 181 removes much of the Superintendent\u2019s executive authority over California\u2019s public education system.<\/p>\n

Previously, the Superintendent oversaw the California Department of Education, managing thousands of employees while administering state grants, contracts and education programs.<\/p>\n

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Under the new law, those operational responsibilities shift to a governor-appointed executive, while the elected Superintendent retains constitutional duties but largely serves in an advisory and oversight role.<\/p>\n

Because the office of Superintendent is established in California\u2019s Constitution, it cannot be eliminated without voter approval through a constitutional amendment. <\/p>\n

AB 181 removes much of the Superintendent\u2019s executive authority over California\u2019s public education system.<\/p>\n

Instead, critics argue the law leaves the elected official with significantly diminished authority while executive control over California\u2019s education system shifts to the governor\u2019s administration.<\/p>\n

Matt Klink, a Sacramento-based political strategist, said the timing of the change is tough to ignore.<\/p>\n

\u201cComing just months before the November runoff, and weeks after Sonja Shaw finished first in the primary, the timing is impossible to ignore. Some Democrats will call it governance reform,\u201d he told the Post. \u201cPolitically it looks like Sacramento saw the possibility of a Republican parent-rights candidate winning statewide office and moved to make the office significantly less powerful before voters could decide.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cThis is a major political move by Gov. Newsom because it changes the practical meaning of an elected office voters are about to fill. The State Superintendent would still be elected, but the real management authority over the California Department of Education would shift to a governor-appointed director,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n

Shaw said voters had chosen \u201can independent watchdog, not another political puppet controlled by the Governor.\u201d <\/p>\n

She also argued Newsom\u2019s administration is responding to mounting frustration among parents over California\u2019s education system.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a major political move by Gov. Newsom because it changes the practical meaning of an elected office voters are about to fill. The State Superintendent would still be elected, but the real management authority over the California Department of Education would shift to a governor-appointed director,\u201d he added. AP Photo\/Alex Brandon<\/p>\n

Citing statewide academic performance, Shaw said lawmakers should be focused on improving student outcomes rather than restructuring state government.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt a time when fewer than half of California\u2019s K-12 students are reading and writing at grade level, Sacramento\u2019s priority is protecting political control instead of fixing broken schools,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She also criticized lawmakers who backed the measure, arguing, \u201cThe Legislature should have rejected this blatant attack on our Constitution and our democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The school board president, who launched her campaign for Superintendent in early 2025, said voters increasingly want transparency, accountability and what she described as \u201ccommon-sense education.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve faced lawsuits, political attacks, and relentless efforts to stop me from speaking out. But I\u2019ve never backed down, and I\u2019ve never given in,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She vowed to continue challenging Newsom\u2019s education agenda both on the campaign trail and, if elected, from the office itself.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve faced lawsuits, political attacks, and relentless efforts to stop me from speaking out. But I\u2019ve never backed down, and I\u2019ve never given in,\u201d she said. San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve stood up to Gavin Newsom in court, and I\u2019ll stand up to him at the ballot box,\u201d Shaw said. \u201cThis Mama Bear isn\u2019t walking away from this fight. I\u2019m fighting for parents, for teachers, and most importantly, for our kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is not the first time Sonja Shaw has locked horns with Governor Newsom and state leadership, as she has maintained a long-standing, public battle with Sacramento over local control and school board policies.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe has already clashed with Gavin Newsom, Rob Bonta and the Democratic education establishment over Chino Valley\u2019s parental notification policy and AB 1955. So when she says Sacramento is trying to stop her, that argument will resonate with her supporters,\u201d Klink said, referring to the state\u2019s efforts to block school districts from requiring teachers to disclose a student\u2019s sexual orientation or gender identity to parents, which opponents characterized as a ban on \u201cforced outing\u201d policies.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bigger issue is democratic accountability: California voters are being asked to elect a superintendent in November, while Sacramento is rewriting the job description in July,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n

Supporters of AB 181 have argued the changes modernize California\u2019s education governance by separating policymaking from day-to-day administrative management and creating clearer executive accountability within the Department of Education.<\/p>\n

The governor insisted the move was intended to modernize California\u2019s education system.<\/p>\n

This is not the first time Sonja Shaw has locked horns with Governor Newsom and state leadership, as she has maintained a long-standing, public battle with Sacramento over local control and school board policies. AP<\/p>\n

\u201cCalifornia can no longer postpone reforms that have been recommended regularly for a century. So we are going to modernize the governance system by unifying the policymaking State Board with the Department of Education that implements those policies,\u201d he said when announcing the proposal.<\/p>\n

When asked about Shaw\u2019s accusations, the governor\u2019s office pointed to those remarks and defended the proposal.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd we\u2019re empowering the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to help align our education policies from early childhood through college. These critical reforms will bring greater accountability, clarity, and coherence to how we serve our students and schools,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

The office said the bill was subject to multiple rounds of hearings and had the support of more than 950 organizations.<\/p>\n

\u201cSubsequently, before being adopted by the Assembly and Senate earlier this week, the proposal was the subject of multiple hearings in both houses of the Legislature that lasted multiple hours,\u201d the governor\u2019s office told the California Post.<\/p>\n

\u201cUltimately, all statewide school management associations, leading superintendents and education professors, major education equity organizations, and over 950 organizations overall expressed their strong support,\u201d the office said.<\/p>\n

The California Post has contacted, Barrera, the democrat in the the November runoff for comment. <\/p>\n

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