With the upcoming primary elections for California’s governor coming up on June 2 as election day, and the deadline for mail-in ballots, the California School Employees Association has given its endorsement to the democratic candidate Tom Steyer.
In their endorsement message, they note how Steyer will be a “strong partner for California’s classified school employees and a steadfast champion for the students and communities we serve.”
The endorsement means that Steyer will likely be voted for by members of the union. I personally agree with the decision, and believe that Steyer would make a good governor because of how his policies can help the people of California both now and in the future.
Steyer’s policies for what he’d do as governor are clearly stated on his candidacy website, including his plans to better education within the state of California while he is governor and stating that “any Californian can receive a great, free education” made to be accessible for everyone up to the college level. In my opinion, having clear, and outlined goals is something important for our governor in the upcoming election so that we know what the candidate is aiming for.
However, while some may believe in this, they might question why this makes Steyer a better candidate than someone like Xavier Becerra, the current front-runner in the election as of writing this, who also states his policies clearly on his website. One example of Becerra’s policies being outlined is on his website’s section about healthcare, where he states he would sign an executive order that would direct state agencies to “maintain coverage continuity for every Californian affected by federal cuts or Medi-Cal rollbacks.”
The reason I believe Steyer to be a better candidate is simple, while Becerra mentions that he attempted to stop ICE overreach, he has nothing listed about how he’d attempt to handle ICE involvement in California. ICE is a problem not just in California, but the entire country, they take people in without any kind of due process. From my perspective, ICE’s presence in a city could make someone feel uneasy because of what they do. Steyer promising to do something about ICE at all, to me at least, makes me want to vote for him more than I would for Becerra.
While there are many other issues that have importance, I believe that Steyer’s push against ICE is important in its own right. Though it shouldn’t overshadow his other policies, such as his push for free education or his push to lower the prices of gas and oil. For those in our school who are able to vote in the primaries, I encourage you to vote for Steyer in the upcoming elections.
