Chaparral 2023-2024: Endorsing Candidates Update with Public Information Officer Roger Bowerman

Endorsing Candidates Update with Public Information Officer Roger Bowerman

I am so proud of the membership's progressive activism displayed at the November 21st Membership Meeting. As the PIO (Public Information Officer) and head of PQE (Professors for Quality Education), I brought forward a broad slate of candidates for the Guild to endorse and, hopefully, provide financial support. The list of 2 Board of Trustees candidates, two more running for the Glendale Unified School District (GUSD) School Board, as well as a new State Assemblyperson and a new State Senator was ambitious, as was the request for supporting contributions for all of the candidates as well as funding for a mailer to be sent in support of all the candidates. The membership embraced the goal of political activism, going beyond the requests. Not only were all the candidates endorsed, an additional Assembly seat was also included (the new District includes the Garfield campus, and therefore should be part of our slate), and funding for the School Board candidates as well as support for the mailing were increased by the membership beyond the recommendations of the PIO. These are exciting and important times in our community, and the vision of the membership to become politically significant in that community is indicative of Social Justice Unionism. Following is the list of endorsed candidates, as well as the financial support authorized, at that Membership Meeting:

• GCC Board of Trustees
  • Desiree Portillo Rabinov, Area 1 (up to $1,000)
  • Sevan Benlian, Area 4 (up to $1,000)
• GUSD School Board
  • Telly Tse, Trustee A (1) (up to $1,100)
  • Neda Farid-Farhoumand, Trustee E (5) (up to $1,100)
• State Assembly Seat, District 42
  • Jessica Caloaz (up to $500)
• State Assembly Seat, District 44 (Laura Friedman's old seat)
  • Nick Schults (up to $500)
• State Senate, District 25 (Anthony Portantino's old seat)
  • Sasha Renee Perez (up to $500)

Finally, the membership authorized PQE to produce and send a mailer to support these candidates, up to $15,000.