{"id":434611,"date":"2026-08-16T15:18:09","date_gmt":"2026-08-16T15:18:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/434611\/"},"modified":"2026-08-16T15:18:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-16T15:18:09","slug":"with-a-background-in-community-organizing-richard-barrera-wants-to-build-more-coalitions-to-improve-californias-schools-pasadena-star-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/434611\/","title":{"rendered":"With a background in community organizing, Richard Barrera wants to build more coalitions to improve California\u2019s schools \u2013 Pasadena Star News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Like many, Richard Barrera<\/a> can remember a pivotal moment a teacher had in his life.<\/p>\n

For him, it was in fifth grade at Rios Canyon Elementary School, when Mr. Cato pulled him aside for a chat.<\/p>\n

\u201cRichard, you\u2019re a good student, and you\u2019re going to do well for yourself in life if you stick with it and take your education seriously,\u201d Barrera recalled his teacher saying.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s more to life than just individual success, Barrera was told. \u201cWhat are you going to contribute to your community? Are you going to use what you learn to benefit other people?\u201d<\/p>\n

That conversation stuck with Barrera for decades \u2014 through his work with nonprofits focused on neighborhood improvement and affordable housing in low-income communities, through his time in the labor movement advocating for service providers in hospitals and home healthcare workers and through serving on the San Diego Unified School Board and in the California Department of Education.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s an anecdote he readily recalls as he campaigns for California\u2019s superintendent of public instruction.<\/p>\n

A public school advocate and community organizer, Barrera, 59, oversees San Diego Unified, California\u2019s second-largest school district<\/a>, as the school board\u2019s president. An elected member of the board since 2008, Barrera also serves as a senior advisor to current State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond.<\/p>\n

And come Nov. 3, Barrera is hoping to be Thurmond\u2019s successor, should voters elect him over Republican Sonja Shaw<\/a>, president of the right-leaning Chino Valley school board.<\/p>\n

Barrera\u2019s colleagues say his skills and experience would mean a win for education across the state, should he be elected this year. But while the position is technically nonpartisan, politics still permeate this election, and critics worry Barrera will only politicize the office further.<\/p>\n

\u2018Let\u2019s pull together as a community\u2019<\/p>\n

It\u2019s Barrera\u2019s upbringing \u2014 a first-generation Californian raised by two immigrant parents \u2014 that he said instilled in him the idea that public schools are \u201cthe key to our future.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know it\u2019s the public schools that have to deliver, if we\u2019re going to honor the sacrifice that our families are making, because there\u2019s no backup plan,\u201d Barrera said. \u201cI come at this from a perspective of how important quality public schools are to families that are making huge sacrifices so that their kids can be contributors to our communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SanSan Diego, CA \u2013 Current San Diego Unified School Board president and candidate for California Superintendent of Public Instruction, Richard Barrera, and board vice president Sabrina Bazzo speak with students before the first day of school at Patrick Henry High School on Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, in San Diego, CA. (Luke Johnson \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n

Despite having the longest tenure on the five-member San Diego Unified Board, he doesn\u2019t label himself a career politician<\/a>. A former secretary-treasurer of the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, Barrera said his foray into politics was spurred on by a desire to improve neighborhood schools in primarily low-income communities, counter to the message given to parents at the time that they weren\u2019t quality options.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just felt that that was missing the purpose of public education,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen we were growing up, you went down the street to the neighborhood school, and it was great. And for most of our parents, that\u2019s still the case.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut that means that we\u2019ve got to put the resources into our neighborhood schools to support what our students need,\u201d Barrera said, noting the diversity in San Diego. \u201cAre we willing to concentrate our resources and our energy on the schools and on the students that need it most? That\u2019s why I ran.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barrera said he got an immediate crash course in survival when he joined San Diego Unified, stepping into his role just as the board was attempting to limit \u201cdevastating cuts\u201d while navigating the Great Recession, which began in 2007. Barrera said he spent that time focused on building a coalition of teachers, employees, parents, community organizations and business leaders in San Diego \u2014 not only to get through the financial crisis relatively unscathed, but to begin setting up the district so improvements could be made when the dust settled.<\/p>\n

Because of this support and through his leadership, Barrera touted, San Diego voters have since passed multiple property tax increases to pay for school facility improvements. The most recent bond measure<\/a>, approved by voters in 2022, brought the total tax revenue generated to $11.5 billion. By comparison, $8.5 billion in bonds were issued for K-12 facilities under California\u2019s Proposition 2<\/a>, which voters approved in 2024.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s investment in schools that Barrera called his proudest achievement in San Diego, which he said now has \u201cstate-of-the-art facilities\u201d that send a message: \u201cWe actually believe in your kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Power with\u2019 versus \u2018power over\u2019<\/p>\n

That ability to bring together those with a vested interest in education is why Barrera earned the California Teachers Association\u2019s full-throated endorsement, said President David Goldberg.<\/p>\n

The union\u2019s backing of the pro-labor candidate is based on his record in San Diego and his vision of reinvesting in schools statewide, Goldberg said. It was not his politics, nor Shaw\u2019s politics, that swayed the endorsement, Goldberg insisted.<\/p>\n

\"RichardRichard Barrera, the San Diego Unified school board president, stands with graduates, at the East Village H.S. graduation ceremony at City College on Friday, June 5, 2026 in San Diego. (Photo by Sandy Huffaker, Contributing Photographer)<\/p>\n

\u201c(Shaw) won\u2019t be elected for good reason. It has nothing to do with politics \u2026 It\u2019s because anytime she connects with people, it\u2019s about \u2018power over,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cRichard is about building \u2018power with,\u2019 with community and parents.\u201d<\/p>\n

One effort spearheaded by Barrera in San Diego that he hopes to expand statewide is the district\u2019s development of affordable workforce housing. Gregg Robinson, president of the San Diego County Office of Education, said Barrera \u201csingle-handedly created\u201d this initiative, creating income-restricted apartments for educators and school staff<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In January, the district announced that nearly 3,000 affordable housing units for educators were in the pipeline across six sites<\/a>.<\/p>\n

San Diego Unified Board Member Sabrina Bazzo said Barrera has an innate ability to bring together everyone at the table, not just those already on board. Bazzo herself was unsure about how the housing initiative would get off the ground, but Barrera\u2019s leadership was key to turning that idea into reality, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first I was thinking this was going to be a mess, trying to make sure that we try to take into account everything and make a fair assessment, but Richard really guided that process,\u201d Bazzo said. \u201cIn the end, we really came out with a better decision-making process than it would have been if we had only done it without the interviews and discussions with (teachers and developers).\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SanSan Diego, CA \u2013 Current San Diego Unified School Board president and candidate for California Superintendent of Public Instruction, Richard Barrera, speaks with San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and school staff before the first day of school at Patrick Henry High School on Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, in San Diego, CA. (Luke Johnson \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n

Still, those who oppose Barrera\u2019s candidacy aren\u2019t convinced that a focus on the district\u2019s workforce is more than a political ploy, said\u00a0Amy Reichart, a parental rights activist and founder of Restore San Diego, a group that began in 2020 in opposition to extended school lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s Barrera whom Reichart said she sees as someone vying for the superintendent post to have more power, not to make improvements to the education system.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot only were schools unnecessarily kept shut longer, (but) a lot of that pressure was coming from the teachers union. And for me, my own personal opinion is there is no daylight between what Richard Barrera stands for and what the teachers union stands for,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Shaw, whom Reichart endorsed, has made a name for herself since taking up a position on the Chino Valley school board, where she pushes conservative policies, including parental notification about their children\u2019s gender identity.<\/p>\n

Reichart said Barrera in the statewide post would try to push \u201cradical gender ideology\u201d despite judicial rebuffs. Under Barrera\u2019s leadership, she said, San Diego Unified has allowed students to change their name and gender without parental notification or consent. Resources on the district\u2019s website<\/a> include a \u201cname and gender change form\u201d giving students the option to have their preferred name and pronouns on report cards, diplomas, mail and\/or teachers\u2019 rosters.<\/p>\n

When asked about culture war issues, Barrera said education administration starts with some basic values: \u201cThat we believe in all of our students, and that public schools should be safe, supportive environments where all of our students feel that they\u2019re a part of a community, and that they belong there, and that they can thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SanSan Diego, CA \u2013 Current San Diego Unified School Board president and candidate for California Superintendent of Public Instruction, Richard Barrera, sits in an empty classroom before the first day of school at Patrick Henry High School on Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, in San Diego, CA. (Luke Johnson \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we start with that premise. And I think overwhelmingly, students, parents and educators believe in that premise.\u2029It\u2019s the premise that makes us create a public school system to begin with.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elevating voices in education<\/p>\n

Barrera wants to continue Thurmond\u2019s work in the office, specifically when it comes to building coalitions to improve schools.<\/p>\n

In a wide-ranging interview, Barrera made it clear he\u2019s focused on the educators in those classrooms \u2014 what they need and want and think \u2014 but also that a priority as state superintendent would be on holistic approaches to education.<\/p>\n

San Diego Unified had in the past looked to test scores as an \u201cend-all-be-all measure of student success,\u201d Barrera said. But after outcry from educators and parents, that approach shifted to again include arts and vocational training as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe teachers stood up and said: \u2018That\u2019s the wrong way to go about things,\u2019 but so did parents. And so the district was in this constant fight with the people closest to our kids, and we reversed that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe said, \u2018No, we\u2019re actually going to listen to our parents, to our educators,\u2019 so we have rebuilt our arts and music program. We have invested heavily in career pathways for students at the high school level.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"RichardRichard Barrera, the president of San Diego Unified School District\u2019s board, speaks during a state schools superintendent forum at San Diego City College on Thursday, April 16, 2026. (Kristian Carreon \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s parental participation in education that the next superintendent should value above all else, said\u00a0Lance Christensen, vice president of government affairs and education policy at the California Policy Center, a conservative Tustin-based think tank.<\/p>\n

Christensen, who unsuccessfully ran for the position in 2022 and supports Shaw this go-round, posited that it\u2019s been decades since a state superintendent has \u201cactually understood that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a lot of superintendents who are activists, who come into office who want to change everything, (while) forgetting that the state constitution and the state education code really rely heavily upon doing the basic and right things, and by taking care of educational needs as opposed to some sort of fadish indoctrination,\u201d Christensen said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Richard Barrera is a tool of the system, another cog in the teachers union machine that has no desire to really improve education, but to protect the adult job system that we call public education,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

While Barrera, a Democrat, came in second behind Shaw in the crowded 10-candidate primary election<\/a> in June, the odds are likely in his favor.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not only because the lion\u2019s share of voters largely cast their ballots for a slew of Democrats running in the primary, but also in a historical sense: It\u2019s been two decades since a Republican was elected to a statewide post in California, while 60 years have passed<\/a> since a Republican was elected to the nonpartisan superintendent of public instruction post.<\/p>\n

In addition, since 1982<\/a>, no superintendent candidate has won without an endorsement from the California Teachers Association, the largest education union in the state.<\/p>\n

\u201cRichard\u2019s skill set is frankly unmatched by anybody who\u2019s ever run for this position,\u201d said Goldberg, the union\u2019s president.<\/p>\n

The California Teachers Association contributed nearly $20,000 to his campaign earlier this year, and has spent $5 million since April<\/a> in independent expenditures to support his campaign.<\/p>\n

In all, Barrera\u2019s campaign has raised<\/a> more than $470,000, according to the latest campaign finance filings.<\/p>\n

Historical precedent aside, there is one key difference in this year\u2019s race that makes it unique: The role Barrera and Shaw are vying for is fundamentally different<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Starting in January, as part of the state budget deal reached in June<\/a>, the Department of Education will no longer be under the state superintendent\u2019s management, as the executive and administrative functions that have long been vested in that office will be shifted into a governor-appointed \u201ceducation commissioner.\u201d Instead, Barrera or Shaw will hold an office largely rooted in advocacy and be a \u201cnonpartisan voice for the public interest,\u201d according to the bill.<\/p>\n

Disapproval of the change is something where Barrera and Shaw agree.<\/p>\n

\u201cProponents of this measure claimed that their goal was to align everyone around a common set of goals for student achievement. Unfortunately, the rushed, behind-closed-doors nature of the process has done precisely the opposite,\u201d Barrera said at the time of the change.<\/p>\n

Despite the candidates\u2019 feelings about the change, Robinson said he believes Barrera is primed to take on what is essentially a new role.<\/p>\n

\u201cIronically, while the intense power of that office has decreased dramatically, the extent of that power has grown,\u201d the San Diego official said. \u201cHis formal power will be decreased, but his sheer intellectual stature and his ability to work and create coalitions and to put the needs of these kids first make him an ideal person in an unideal situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Above all, the ability such a position gives to pull people together is what excites Barrera the most, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do feel, being in my 18th year on a local school board, that often policy is made without a lot of listening to what actually makes sense to people on the ground. I want to elevate the voice of people who are doing the work locally and have that influence on policy decisions in Sacramento.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Like many, Richard Barrera can remember a pivotal moment a teacher had in his life. For him, it…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":434591,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[1400,7,8,400,204,100,13,74,76,75,136],"class_list":["post-434611","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-2026-elections","tag-california","tag-california-news","tag-california-politics","tag-election","tag-news","tag-politics","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news","tag-top-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/434611","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=434611"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/434611\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/434591"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=434611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=434611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=434611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}