CTA-Highlights of the April State Conference:

           CTA held a press conference to kick off a six week "Big Yellow School Bus Tour" of California. Your CTA Executive Board will be visiting many of the hardest hit school districts in Southern California focusing on getting out the word that the proposed 4.8 Billion dollar cuts to education hurt us all. The six week tour will end in Sacramento on Local Chapter President Lobby Day, May 20th.

           State Council voted to recommend a number of CTA Friendly Incumbent Congressional Candidate Recommendations. The Santa Clara County Incumbents are Zoe Lofgren (D) - Congressional District 16, Mike Honda (D) - Congressional District 15, and Anna Eshoo (D) - Congressional District 14. A more complete list should soon be available on the CTA website.

           Other interesting items on the CTA website www.CTA.org include "Teacher's Guide to School Safety" - under forms and publications, the CTA Big Yellow Bus Tour, service center information, and retirement information which can also be found on www.calstrs.com, www.nea.org, and www.leginfo.ca.gov.

           CTA is urging its members to not sign a misguided petition nickname "The Runner Initiative," from the Safer Community Group that would have devastating consequences to California's future budgets. We discussed this new business item NBI4/08-15; that if passed, the petition would mandate that California spend $20 billion dollars over the next 40 years on failed programs that have made us less safe. The Runner initiative directs tax dollars to prisons, probation officers, and the police by mandating billions to be spent, plus additional unfounded mandates that local and county governments would be forced to pay. CTA is urging its members to not sign this misleading and misguided petition.

Thomas Blackman-Captain Jason M. Dahl-State Council Representative