# Superintendent of Public Instruction — California Candidate Report Card

**Election: November 3, 2026. Research checked: October 7, 2026.**

Every office deserves an explanation, and every candidate deserves the same questions. This page begins the public record for California’s superintendent of public instruction contest, with evidence that readers can inspect and challenge.

## WHAT THIS OFFICE DOES

This is a nonpartisan office that advocates for public education and participates in education governing boards. Its authority is not identical to the Legislature’s or local school boards’.

## THE CANDIDATES

### Richard Barrera

**Nonpartisan office.** His statement cites San Diego school-board experience, academic outcomes, school facilities, and student protections. Those claimed outcomes require independent checking.

![Richard Barrera — portrait supplied to the official California voter guide](/images/redesign/elections/candidates/superintendent-barrera.jpg)

[Candidate website](https://barreraforedu.com/)

**Question for the candidate:** Which local reforms would transfer statewide, with what resources and independently measured results?

### Sonja Shaw

**Nonpartisan office.** Her statement cites Chino Valley school-board leadership and proposes academic standards, Title IX protections, classroom funding, and financial transparency. Her outcome claims require checking.

![Sonja Shaw — portrait supplied to the official California voter guide](/images/redesign/elections/candidates/superintendent-shaw.jpg)

[Candidate website](https://shawforca.com/)

**Question for the candidate:** Which changes can this office deliver, and how will you measure learning and protect every student’s rights?

## PROVISIONAL SCORECARD

| Candidate | Clear commitments / 10 | Full report / 90 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Richard Barrera | 4 | Not assigned |
| Sonja Shaw | 6 | Not assigned |

**Why these limited scores:** Barrera describes transferring local reform but gives limited implementation detail in this statement. Shaw names academic and fiscal mechanisms; neither supplies a full statewide schedule.

## HOW TO READ THE SCORE

**Provisional AI research assessment — not Omar’s final score or endorsement.** This first pass rates only the **clear, measurable commitments** category using the candidate’s published statement. It does not rate personal character, policy desirability, or the likelihood of winning.

The 10-point rule gives up to two points each for: a stated action; an identifiable delivery mechanism; a connection to this office’s responsibilities; a quantified success target; and an implementation deadline. Two means explicit, one means partial, and zero means absent from the reviewed statement. Here, zero describes a missing element in this specific document, not the candidate’s ability or complete platform. A candidate with no reviewed statement remains unscored.

The other eight categories require broader evidence: relevant experience; accountability; education; affordability; economic opportunity; civil rights and religious freedom for everyone; environment; and practical use of office powers. **They remain unscored in this first pass. No total out of 90 is assigned.** A fuller record may change the provisional category score.

## THREE VOICES — ONE OPEN RECORD

**AI research:** the sourced snapshot and limited assessment above. **Voter response:** Omar and other readers can give their own assessments. **Candidate response:** candidates can provide evidence, corrections, and their own scores. No candidate responses or endorsements are claimed here.

**Who will win?** No election forecast is assigned. This report contains no reviewed polling; a statement score is not a probability of winning.

We wish every candidate the best of luck and hope the result serves the people of California. The research remains open. The human decides.

## SOURCES AND PORTRAITS

[Official candidate statements and office responsibilities](https://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/candidates/superintendent-candidate-statements.htm). Statements are supplied by candidates and are not independently fact-checked by the Secretary of State. The score evaluates the submitted wording; it does not validate every claim.

[Official guide’s candidate list](https://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/voter-info/info-about-candidate-statements.htm). Check the certified list and your own ballot for the complete applicable contest.

[Portrait source — Richard Barrera](https://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/img/spi/barrera.jpg)

[Portrait source — Sonja Shaw](https://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/img/spi/shaw.jpg)

[Back to California — The People's Ballot](https://omararizona.com/us-politics-vote-2026-2028-elections/california)