Bay Area
California Education Chief Thurmond Considers Run for Governor
California’s chief elected education officer, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, who is the first Afro Latino and second African American to hold the position, is considering a run for governor in 2026.
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By California Black Media
California’s chief elected education officer, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, who is the first Afro Latino and second African American to hold the position, is considering a run for governor in 2026.
On July 5, Thurmond announced that he has formed a campaign committee. In a statement, he said “I have formed an exploratory committee to begin that process.”
“Working families across California are facing so many challenges that require our entire state government working together to solve,” said Thurmond in a tweet last week. “Growing up as a Black and Latino kid without my parents, I lived the struggles that so many Californians face every day — that’s why I dedicated my career to fighting for a brighter future for California’s children.
“Right now I’m fully focused on my job as State Superintendent — from taking on MAGA extremists who want to ban books to defending classroom teachers and students against the constant assault on our democracy.”
A 54-year-old Democrat, Thurmond was elected to his position as the state’s top educator in 2018, saying at his inauguration that his own experience as a poor child of immigrants made him realize that all children deserve a first class-education.
“I grew up in poverty and without my parents,” he said then. “But I was raised by a cousin, an amazing woman, who made certain that I got a great education. That’s what got me where I am today, and that’s what I want for my two daughters and all students. I pledge to devote all my energy, talent, experience, and all the powers of my office to ensure all students get a great education.”
Thurmond’s mother, an Afro-Latina who immigrated to San Jose from Panama to become a teacher, died when he was barely old enough to go to school himself.
Upon hearing of Thurmond’s intent, longtime Richmond community organizer and activist Joe Fisher was enthused.
“Oh, he would be good!” Fisher said, recalling that he has watched and supported Thurmond’s leadership since the superintendent’s days on the Richmond City Council. “I think he would be good at it and I think he would have a good shot,” adding that he would even “put a few dollars in the bank” for Thurmond’s campaign. “He’s fair and capable and responsible. He’ll stand strong not just for African Americans but everybody.”
The California Association of Latino Superintendents and Administrators (CALSA) honored Thurmond with an award for his dedication and commitment to students on July 6, the California Department of Education reported.
The award comes as Thurmond sponsored an Assembly Bill to increase the number of bilingual teachers in the state. “Throughout his tenure, Superintendent Thurmond has fought for all students,” the report said. “He has launched initiatives to close opportunity gaps for African American and Latino students, English learners, students with disabilities, foster and homeless youth, and students from low-income backgrounds.”
A graduate of Temple University and Bryn Mawr College, Thurmond’s early career in social work and nonprofit institutions put him in leadership positions that were a natural segue into elected office.
He formerly served on Richmond’s City Council, the California Assembly and the West Contra Costa Unified School District’s board. He was re-elected to his current position in 2022 and his term ends in 2027.
So far, there are several contenders for governor when Gavin Newsom leaves office also in 2027.
Among them are current Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis and former State Controller Betty Yee have announced their candidacy while State Attorney General Rob Banta and former Los Angles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa have expressed interest. All are Democrats.
Wikipedia, the California Department of Education, and CBS 5. Contributed to this report.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of February 19 – 25, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of February 19 – 25, 2025
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Activism
U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Rep. Lateefah Simon to Speak at Elihu Harris Lecture Series
The popular lecture series is co-produced by the Oakland-based Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center and Peralta Community College District. Jeffries’ appearance marks the 32nd lecture of the Barbara Lee and Elihu Harris Lecture Series, which has provided thousands of individuals with accessible, free, high-quality information.
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By Scott Horton
United States House of Representatives Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY-8) will be a speaker at the Barbara Lee and Elihu Harris Lecture Series on Friday, Feb. 21.
The event will be held at the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts, 10 Tenth Street in Oakland, at 7 p.m.
The popular lecture series is co-produced by the Oakland-based Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center and Peralta Community College District. Jeffries’ appearance marks the 32nd lecture of the Barbara Lee and Elihu Harris Lecture Series, which has provided thousands of individuals with accessible, free, high-quality information.
The overarching goal of the lecture series is to provide speakers from diverse backgrounds a platform to offer their answers to Dr. King’s urgent question, which is also the title of Jeffries’ latest book: “Where do we go from here: Chaos or Community?”
In addition to Jeffries, Congresswoman Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12) will also speak.
“Certainly, now is a time for humanity, in general, and Americans in particular to honestly and genuinely answer Dr. King’s question,” said Dr. Roy D. Wilson, Executive Director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center and Executive Producer of the lecture series.
“Dr. King teaches that time is neutral but not static. Like the water in a river, it arrives and then quickly moves on,” continued Wilson. “We must urgently create conditions for listening to many different answers to this vital question, and generate the development of unity of action among all those who struggle for a stronger democracy.”
In his book, Jeffries shares his experience of being unanimously elected by his colleagues as the first African American in history to ever hold the position of House Minority Leader.
In January 2023 in Washington, Jeffries made his first official speech as House Minority Leader. He affirmed Democratic values one letter of the alphabet at a time. His words and how he framed them as the alphabet caught the attention of Americans, and the speech was later turned into a book, The ABCs of Democracy, bringing Congressman Jeffries rousing speech to vivid, colorful life, including illustrations by Shaniya Carrington. The speech and book are inspiring and urgent as a timeless reminder of what it means to be a country with equal opportunities for all. Jeffries paints a road map for a brighter American future and warns of the perils of taking a different path.
Before his colleagues unanimously elected him Minority Leader in 2022, Jeffries previously served as Chair of the House Democratic Caucus and as an Impeachment Manager during the first Senate trial of the 45th President of the United States.
Jeffries was born in Brooklyn Hospital, raised in Crown Heights, grew up in the Cornerstone Baptist Church and he is a product of New York City’s public school system, graduating from Midwood High School. Jefferies went on to Binghamton University (BA), Georgetown University (master’s in public policy) and New York University (JD).
He served in the New York State Assembly from 2007 to 2012.
Admission is free for the Feb. 21 Barbara Lee and Elihu Harris Lecture Series featuring Congressman Jeffries. Please reserve seats by calling the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center at (510) 434-3988.
Signed copies of his book will be available for purchase at the event.
Alameda County
After Years of Working Remotely, Oakland Requires All City Employees to Return to Office by April 7
City Administrator Jestin Johnson recently told city unions that he is ending Oakland’s telecommuting program. The new policy will require employees to come to work at least four days a week. These new regulations go into effect on Feb. 18 for non-union department heads, assistant and deputy directors, managers, and supervisors. All other employees must be back at work by April 7.
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By Post Staff
The City Oakland is requiring all employees to return to the office, thereby ending the telecommuting policy established during the pandemic that has left some City Hall departments understaffed.
City Administrator Jestin Johnson recently told city unions that he is ending Oakland’s telecommuting program. The new policy will require employees to come to work at least four days a week.
These new regulations go into effect on Feb. 18 for non-union department heads, assistant and deputy directors, managers, and supervisors. All other employees must be back at work by April 7.
The administration may still grant the right to work remotely on a case-by-case basis.
In his memo to city unions, Johnson said former President Joe Biden had declared an end to the pandemic in September 2022, and that since then, “We have collectively moved into newer, safer health conditions.”
Johnson said “multiple departments” already have all their staff back in the office or workplace.
The City’s COVID-era policy, enacted in September 2021, was designed to reduce the spread of the debilitating and potentially fatal virus.
Many cities and companies across the country are now ending their pandemic-related remote work policies. Locally, mayoral candidate Loren Taylor in a press conference made the policy a central issue in his campaign for mayor.
City Hall reopened for in-person meetings two years ago, and the city’s decision to end remote work occurred before Taylor’s press conference.
At an endorsement meeting last Saturday of the John George Democratic Club, mayoral candidate Barbara Lee said she agreed that city workers should return to the job.
At the same time, she said, the city should allow employees time to readjust their lives, which were disrupted by the pandemic, and should recognize individual needs, taking care to maintain staff morale.
The John George club endorsed Lee for Mayor and Charlene Wang for City Council representative for District 2. The club also voted to take no position on the sales tax measure that will be on the April 15 ballot.
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