Union Touts Steyer’s Long Standing Record of Results for Working People

SAN JOSE — The California School Employees Association (CSEA), an influential union that represents a quarter-million public school support professionals across California, is endorsing Tom Steyer for governor.

“Tom Steyer has repeatedly stood up to powerful corporate interests and delivered real, measurable results for working families, including free school meals for students and major investments in public education,” said Adam Weinberger, CSEA’s Association President. “As governor, Tom Steyer will be a strong partner for California’s classified school employees and a steadfast champion for the students and communities we serve.”

CSEA is the first major statewide union to endorse since Steyer entered the race – confirming his years of standing up to powerful interests to deliver results for public schools and the people that make them run. Steyer and his wife Kat Taylor led an effort to deliver 334 million school meals annually to California kids – setting the stage for free school lunch for all kids in California schools. In 2012, Steyer was the leading sponsor of Proposition 39, which closed a corporate tax loophole to support energy-efficiency upgrades to California schools that has delivered an estimated $66.3 million in annual energy cost savings for schools.

“I’m honored to earn the support of the California School Employees Association and deeply grateful to its members — the nurses, custodians, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, and support staff who keep our public schools running every day. We’ve stood shoulder to shoulder for years, taking on powerful special interests and winning for working families, and I’m ready to do it again,” said Tom Steyer. “As governor, I’ll close corporate tax loopholes, hold corporations accountable, and make the investments needed to put California’s public schools back in the top 10 in the nation — both in quality and in funding — so every student and every community can thrive.”

CSEA’s support reflects the growing momentum behind Steyer’s campaign. Steyer gained significant attention for his outspoken criticism of utility monopolies and pledge to break them up, support for single payer health care, and endorsements from progressive legislators Representative Ro Khanna and State Senator Henry Stern.