Sadie Reynolds
Your COPE and CCFT’s Quality Public Education Campaign (QPEC) Leadership Team on Council were busy this fall, helping to engage and educate the campus community politically in advance of the mid-term elections. During the week of October 13, four faculty members covered ten shifts at a CCFT voter registration table in the quad. While the number of voters registered was small, our members were able to engage with students about the elections and races, as well as the importance of voting, during their shifts. Thanks to Karl Ewald, Anne Lucero, Sadie Reynolds, and Gail West for tabling, rain or shine! COPE also educated faculty on the elections through a letter distributed to faculty in division mailboxes, and all-faculty emails that included links to elections information and online voter registration access for faculty to share with students. CCFT extends a special thanks to Steve Schessler, Sharon Took-Zozaya, and all members of the QPEC Leadership Team for their work!
While the Republicans took the US Senate, and voters were disenfranchised across the nation (appallingly), elections results in California gave us something to cheer about. The race for State Superintendent of Public Instruction was close, and the stakes were high. But Tom Torlakson won reelection against challenger Tuck Marshall, a former investment banker and charter school leader, and strong supporter of the Vergara ruling. (The ruling, currently under appeal, would eviscerate K-12 teacher tenure protections). Teachers unions across the state, including your own, were intent upon keeping Torlakson in office, donating both time and money to his campaign (CCFT COPE donated $1,000 to his campaign, a very large donation for us). California students and families will benefit.
California voters also passed Prop 47 by a whopping twenty percent margin. The law reduced penalties for low-level drug and property crimes and will save hundreds of millions of dollars in prison costs. 4700 state prisoners qualify for release under the law, and many more in local jails. Already, hundreds have been released. Savings will fund treatment for drug and mental health problems, programs designed to improve outcomes for K-12 public school students, and victims’ services. This law signals a retreat from the failed draconian policies of mass incarceration in our state and will be a bellwether for others.
COPE intends to help make a difference again in 2016. Please join us!