In the long contest between institutional power and reform-minded challengers, California's superintendent race has become a vivid chapter. A leaked recording of a union official calling conservative candidate Sonja Shaw a 'real threat' has clarified the stakes: on one side, a teachers union spending millions to protect its influence; on the other, a candidate who wears that threat as a badge of honor, pointing to dismal student outcomes as evidence that the current system serves adults more than children. The race unfolds against a backdrop of shifting authority, as Governor Newsom has recent
California superintendent candidate Shaw fires back at teachers union after 'real threat' comments
I'm a real threat to their socialist agenda. I won't back down.
Mark
So Shaw is saying the union called her a threat, and she's treating that as a win. Why would she want to be seen as a threat?
Mimi
Because in her framing, being a threat to the union means being a threat to what she sees as their political agenda rather than student outcomes. The test scores—53.5 percent of LA students not meeting reading standards—become her evidence that the union protects itself, not kids.
Luke
But we should be careful here. We have audio of someone saying Shaw is a threat. We don't have the full context of that conversation, and we're taking one person's characterization and running with it as representative of the union's position.
Mark
Fair point. So UTLA officially endorsed Barrera. That's separate from the audio?
Mimi
Yes. UTLA publicly backed Barrera and spent over $5 million supporting him through independent expenditure committees. Shaw got $10,000 in outside spending. The money tells you where organized labor stands.
Luke
Right, but we should note that independent expenditure committees are separate from direct union spending. The $5 million figure is specifically from the California Teachers Association's IE committee, not necessarily UTLA's direct budget.
Mark
Does Shaw have a point about student performance?
Mimi
The data is real. In 2025, 46.46 percent of LAUSD students met state standards in English language arts, 36.76 in math. Those are official California Department of Education numbers. Shaw is using them to argue the union prioritizes politics over results.
Luke
She's using them that way, yes. But the relationship between union positions and student test scores is complicated. You can't draw a straight line from "the union fought on this policy" to "therefore test scores are low." Schools are affected by funding, poverty, family circumstances, teacher quality, curriculum—many variables.
Mark
So what's actually at stake in this race?
Mimi
Control over education policy direction. Shaw represents a conservative challenge to how California's education establishment operates. The union sees her as genuinely threatening to their influence and their members' interests.
Luke
And we should note that Newsom recently reduced the superintendent's actual power, which makes this race symbolically important but operationally less consequential than it might appear.
El Pulso
- A leaked audio clip of a union vice president calling Shaw an existential threat has ignited the race, turning a private frustration into a public rallying cry for her campaign.
- The financial imbalance is stark — union-aligned spending for Shaw's opponent Richard Barrera has surpassed $5 million, while outside support for Shaw stands at just $10,000.
- Shaw is wielding academic performance data as her sharpest weapon, pointing out that more than half of LAUSD students fail to meet state standards in English and nearly two-thirds fall short in math.
- Governor Newsom's recent move to strip the superintendent's office of much of its authority has added a structural dimension to the conflict, prompting critics to question whether the timing was designed to blunt Shaw's potential impact.
- The race has crystallized into a broader referendum on who controls California's education system — organized labor defending its institutional footing, or reform candidates demanding accountability for student outcomes.
In the long contest between institutional power and reform-minded challengers, California's superintendent race has become a vivid chapter. A leaked recording of a union official calling conservative candidate Sonja Shaw a 'real threat' has clarified the stakes: on one side, a teachers union spending millions to protect its influence; on the other, a candidate who wears that threat as a badge of honor, pointing to dismal student outcomes as evidence that the current system serves adults more than children. The race unfolds against a backdrop of shifting authority, as Governor Newsom has recently curtailed the very office Shaw seeks — a detail that sharpens the question of who, ultimately, holds power over California's schools.
A leaked audio recording has sharpened the lines in California's superintendent race. In the clip, Julie Van Winkle, a vice president at United Teachers Los Angeles, describes conservative candidate Sonja Shaw as a 'real threat' whose election 'would cause a huge problem for us.' Shaw, who chairs the Chino Valley Unified School District board, responded not with defensiveness but with embrace. 'If putting children and families first is a huge problem for their agenda, that tells you everything you need to know,' she told Fox News Digital, framing the union's alarm as confirmation of her reform mission.
Shaw grounded her criticism in data. California Department of Education results from 2025 show that roughly 53.5 percent of Los Angeles Unified students failed to meet English language arts standards, and 63.2 percent fell short in math. She argued that UTLA had spent its energy protecting a system that produced those outcomes rather than confronting them — keeping parents uninformed and excusing institutional failure.
The financial picture tells its own story. The California Teachers Association's independent expenditure committee has poured more than $5 million into supporting Shaw's opponent, San Diego Unified board president Richard Barrera, while outside spending backing Shaw totals just $10,000. The audio was amplified by Heritage Foundation research fellow Corey DeAngelis, who called it proof that Shaw was 'over the target.'
The race is further complicated by Governor Newsom's recent decision to strip the superintendent's office of much of its authority. Los Angeles County Republican Party chair Roxanne Hoge suggested the move was no coincidence, framing it as a political response to Shaw's candidacy. Together, the leaked audio, the spending gap, the academic data, and the restructured office paint a portrait of a race that has become a proxy war over who truly governs California's schools.
A leaked audio recording has thrust California's superintendent race into sharper focus, capturing a moment of candid frustration from within the state's largest teachers union. In the clip, a woman identified as Julie Van Winkle, a vice president at United Teachers Los Angeles, describes conservative candidate Sonja Shaw as a "real threat" and warns that her election "would cause a huge problem for us." Shaw, who leads the Chino Valley Unified School District board, did not shy away from the characterization. Instead, she embraced it.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Shaw said the union's concern only confirmed what she believed about her candidacy. "If putting children and families first is a 'huge problem' for their agenda, that tells you everything you need to know," she said. "I won't back down. They just admitted it. I'm a 'real threat' to their socialist agenda." She framed her platform around three core points: parents over politics, kids over ideology, and what she called girls over boys in sports and locker rooms.
Shaw's response pointed to academic performance data as the foundation for her criticism of the union's priorities. In 2025, according to California Department of Education testing results, 46.46 percent of Los Angeles Unified students met or exceeded state standards in English language arts. In mathematics, the figure was 36.76 percent. That left roughly 53.5 percent of students failing to meet the ELA benchmark and 63.2 percent falling short in math. Shaw argued that instead of addressing these outcomes, UTLA had "fought to keep parents in the dark, excused failure, and protected the system that produced these results."
The audio was circulated by Corey DeAngelis, a research fellow at The Heritage Foundation, who framed it as validation of Shaw's threat to union power. "When a power-hungry teachers union that fights to protect itself at the expense of kids calls you an existential threat to their socialist agenda, you're officially over the target," he said. The union, meanwhile, has thrown its weight and resources behind Shaw's opponent, Richard Barrera, the San Diego Unified School District board president. UTLA has publicly endorsed Barrera and praised his "proven commitment" to working with educators and families.
The financial disparity between the two candidates tells its own story. As of mid-September, the California Teachers Association Independent Expenditure Committee had spent more than $5 million supporting Barrera. Outside spending supporting Shaw totaled $10,000. The contrast underscores how thoroughly organized labor has mobilized against her candidacy, viewing her as fundamentally misaligned with union interests.
The controversy arrives at a moment when the superintendent's office itself is in flux. Governor Gavin Newsom recently stripped the position of much of its authority, a move that adds another layer to the current race. Roxanne Hoge, chair of the Los Angeles County Republican Party, suggested the timing was no accident. "We knew Sonja Shaw was causing good trouble when Gavin Newsom stripped the office she's running for of most of its power," she said. The remark hints at a broader political calculation: that Shaw's candidacy, and the union's response to it, reflects deeper disagreements about who should control California's education system and how.
Citas Notables
If putting children and families first is a 'huge problem' for their agenda, that tells you everything you need to know. I won't back down.— Sonja Shaw, superintendent candidate
When a power-hungry teachers union that fights to protect itself at the expense of kids calls you an existential threat to their socialist agenda, you're officially over the target.— Corey DeAngelis, Heritage Foundation research fellow
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