Unofficial! Not a government website, and not your ballot. We're just the Voter Guider people. What that means
Unofficial! Not a government website, and not your ballot. We're just the Voter Guider people. What that means
Nonpartisan
Running for: Superintendent of Public Instruction · California
State Superintendent Advisor
Democrat Richard Barrera led the reform effort that transformed San Diego Unified from a district in crisis to one that is First in Reading and Math among the nation's largest urban districts.
On endorsements, in their statement: “A UC San Diego graduate with a Masters from Harvard, Barrera earned endorsements from those most responsible for student success: 700,000+ classroom teachers, nurses, counselors, principals and staff represented by the California Teachers Association, California Federation of Teachers, United Administrators of Southern California and California School Employees Association. He is endorsed by Planned Parenthood, California Professional Firefighters, School Police Officers, and the California Democratic Party.”
In the candidate's own words, from the California Official Voter Information Guide, November 3, 2026 General Election: Candidate Statements, p. 13. Statements aren't fact-checked by the elections office or by us.
“Barrera, president of the San Diego Unified school board, was little known outside San Diego until he won the endorsement of the powerful California Teachers Association union. As a Sacramento outsider, he says he can bring a fresh perspective to the job, focusing on boosting school funding, early childhood education and easing the path to becoming a teacher.” (CalMatters via LAist)
Key endorsements, per LAist: California Teachers Association · United Domestic Workers · California Charter School Advocates
Endorsement list From CalMatters via LAist's voter guide , retrieved 2026-10-22
Most independent first: news outlets and nonpartisan series, then civic forums, viewpoint outlets, public meeting records, and the campaign's own videos. Each one says who made it; click that label for what it means.
Statement: “Schools should keep California's protections for transgender students.”
Disagreed with Shaw at a candidate forum, saying the state's laws protect LGBTQ+ students.
Sources
“Barrera, a senior policy adviser at the state Department of Education, disagreed with Shaw's position during an April EdSource forum, saying the laws protect LGBTQ+ students.”
