Background: Sonja Shaw is president of Chino Valley School Board, and has been an outspoken opponent of protections for transgender students. She made headlines in 2023 when she presided over a school board meeting where State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond was escorted out during a debate over transgender student rights. Shaw also supports a shift away from “radical ideologies” in the classroom and a return to the academic basics. 

Campaign: She advocates for a "back-to-basics curriculum and opposes what she calls radical ideologies such as gender-inclusion. 

Controversies: Impact of Vulnerable students (policies may forcefully out transgender students). Behavior in board meetings, harmful public statements, which causes concern to fiscal mismanagement (legal fees)

Barrera, president of the San Diego Unified school board. As a Sacramento outsider, he says he can bring a fresh perspective to the job, focusing on boosting school funding, early childhood education and easing the path to becoming a teacher. 

Campign: He is focusing on funding classrooms, raising teacher salaries, lowering class sizes, and solve educator shortage. 

Critics: 

• Handling harassment of Mickey Kasparian 

• Prioritizing Union Demands over Students