A top LA teachers’ union official has been caught on video urging members to turn out for California state superintendent Sonja Shaw’s rival — describing her as a “real threat” and warning that “MAGA lady” would create a “huge problem.”
The audio, shared with the California Post, appears to feature Julie Van Winkle, UTLA’s AFT vice president and president of AFT 1021, discussing the November race for superintendent of public instruction.
“You know, she’s she’s just a real threat, and even though we feel good about Richard winning, it’s also really important that we get all of our members and all of your contacts to vote, yes for Richard Barrera,” the woman says in the recording.
“First of all, because he’s a really strong candidate, and then secondly, so that we prevent this MAGA lady from being in charge of public education, ’cause that would be that would cause, obviously a huge problem for us,” she continues.
The California Post has reached out to Van Winkle and the United Teachers Los Angeles for comment.
Van Winkle is listed by UTLA as the union’s AFT vice president and AFT 1021 president. The union represents about 35,000 educators, according to its website.
Shaw, president of the Chino Valley Unified School District Board of Education since 2022, and Barrera, president of the San Diego Unified school board, emerged from a crowded June primary to face each other in the Nov. 3 general election.
Shaw finished first with roughly 24.5% of the vote in the primary, according to contemporary election coverage, with Barrera advancing in second place. The race is officially nonpartisan.
The superintendent race comes as California overhauls the structure of the state education department under a law backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Beginning in January 2027, the elected superintendent is slated to take on a different role, including serving as an independent public advocate and evaluator, while a governor-appointed director would oversee the California Department of Education’s day-to-day operations.
Shaw, who has built a national profile around parental rights and school policy, seized on the leaked audio as evidence that the teachers union views her candidacy as a threat.
“They just admitted it. I’m a ‘real threat’ to their failing agenda,” Shaw told the Post.
“Parents deserve a seat at the table when it comes to their own children,” she added, arguing that teachers, students and parents deserve greater accountability in California schools.
Shaw also criticized what she described as the union’s record on student achievement and accused UTLA leadership of protecting a system she says has failed students.
“The Los Angeles teachers union has made clear that it considers me a ‘real threat,’” Shaw said. “I believe the reason is simple: I have been willing to hold powerful institutions accountable.”
Shaw pointed to her record on the Chino Valley school board, saying the district has demonstrated what she believes is possible when student achievement, parental involvement and accountability are prioritized.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Shaw said. “I’ll keep showing up. I’ll keep asking the hard questions, and I’ll keep fighting for accountability, transparency, parents and students.”
