California teachers union pays for attack ad on Gov. Gavin Newsom
SACRAMENTO — The California Teachers Association (CTA) is now paying for a TV attack ad on Governor Gavin Newsom.
The ad blasts the governor and warns against bigger class sizes and thousands of teacher layoffs because of the cuts the governor made to fill the deficit.
"California classrooms face a monumental crisis," the advertisement narrator said. "Tell lawmakers and Gov. Newsom, to pass a state budget that protects public schools for our students and communities."
The ad comes just after the powerful labor union contributed $250,000 to Newsom's Yes on Prop 1 committee in February. It also contributed $1.8 million to Newsom's anti-recall campaign in 2022.
Lance Christensen is vice president of education policy for the California Policy Center. He is a critic of the CTA and a former candidate for California Superintendent of Public Instruction.
"The kind of alarmism that they have in the ad is over the top," Christensen said. "It doesn't reflect the budget realities for California."
The governor's budget calls for cuts of $150 per student compared to the January proposed budget.
It delays $8 billion in cuts to the future—a move the California Legislative Analyst's Office calls an accounting trick.
The ad is making its debut this week. The California Teachers Association has also threatened to sue over the school cuts.
The deadline for an agreement on the final budget is June 15.