California Teachers Take to the Streets

Bill Balderston

Posted May 21, 2025

On Saturday, May 17th over 15,000 teachers and allies took to the streets in five locations throughout California to protest attacks that undermine public education in the state.

This is a rather unprecedented action by the California Teachers Association (CTA) who initiated the actions. There have been times when the CTA has called for members from many areas to come to Sacramento to protest at the state legislature (as a more militant lobbying effort), or to have delegates from all over the state attend the CTA State Council; while Sacramento and LA were two of the five locations targeted again, this was much more of a call for mass mobilization.

The other locations were San Francisco, San Diego and Hanford (in the San Joaquin Valley). These rallies not only included CTA members, but also countless other education workers, labor militants, community activists and students.

At the San Francisco protest, which I attended, there were over 2000 activists. There was a good generational spectrum present and a decent racial mixture. Geographically, it was not just the core of SF and Oakland that were represented, but educators from many towns, from Hayward to Mt. Diablo, from Richmond to Oakley and even communities as far away as Berryessa.

There were issues raised about cuts and programs at the state and local levels, about progressive taxation, about contract battles (including efforts for the larger districts to coordinate negotiations). But the central theme was concerning federal policy and spending (about $16 billion) and the attacks on public education and efforts at privatization (such as pushing vouchers) and dismantling the Department of Education.

There are proposed cuts of $12 billion, amounting to nearly $3000 a student. David Goldberg, CTA president, speaking in San Diego, noted how this would impact lower income families, with much of these cuts coming from Title I funding. Dolores Huerta, speaking about the Central Valley, stated how these cuts would savage students in rural and agricultural areas as well.

But beyond education, many issues were front and center in the SF protest. Issues such as immigrant rights and support for LGBTQ+ students. One of the speakers, Judy Greenspan, representing the Oakland Education Association (OEA), my union, also highlighted Palestine solidarity and academic freedom, as well as overall labor solidarity (the rally occurred at Harry Bridges Plaza, named for the renowned ILWU leader of the 1934 general strike)

One final reflection, about the National Education Association (the largest union in the US and of which CTA is a part). The NEA , while on the liberal side of the political spectrum on racial, gay, reproductive rights, et al. issues, has been one of the unions most wedded to the Democratic Party. It sends more delegates to Democratic Party conventions than any other organization. But there, joining in the Labor Network for a Cease Fire, which is also calling for an arms embargo against Israel, and devoting considerable staff and resources to backing May Day Strong, the campaign initiated by the CTU, is evidence of the pressures from within and the questioning of the uncritical stance toward the DP. This is not to be naive as to where the labor bureaucracies will end up, but a sign of a significant shift taking place in the political landscape.