California superintendent candidate calls out teachers union, says she's a 'real threat' to 'socialist agenda'

Sonja Shaw, a candidate for California's superintendent of public instruction, has responded to a video circulating on social media that appears to show a leader of the United Teachers Los Angeles union calling her a "real threat" to the union's agenda.

The video, shared by Corey DeAngelis, a research fellow at The Heritage Foundation, appears to show Julie Van Winkle, the UTLA AFT vice president, warning that Shaw's election "would cause a huge problem for us." Shaw, the president of the Chino Valley Unified School District board, has been critical of the union's approach to education, pointing to low student achievement scores in Los Angeles as evidence that the union is more focused on protecting the education establishment than on improving academic outcomes.

According to California Department of Education testing data, in 2025, 46.46% of Los Angeles Unified School District students met or exceeded the state standard in English language arts, while 36.76% met or exceeded the standard in mathematics. This means that roughly 53.5% of students did not meet the ELA standard and 63.2% did not meet the math standard.

Shaw has stated that she will not back down from her criticism of the union, saying, "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." She also accused the union of prioritizing politics over the needs of students, saying, "Parents over politics. Kids over ideology."

The controversy has drawn attention to the role of teachers unions in California's education system. The California Teachers Association Independent Expenditure Committee has reported spending over $5 million supporting Shaw's opponent, San Diego Unified School District Board President Richard Barrera, for superintendent of public instruction.