‘The Status Quo is Not Working’: Behind Two San Diego Lawmakers’ Overhaul of How Education in California is Run

Media
Jul 29
2 min read

Assemblymembers David Alvarez and Darshana Patel (Courtesy)

When a jumble of candidates launched their campaigns last year for California superintendent of public instruction, they were competing for a position that would have given them control over the California Department of Education.

Now, following a long-attempted overhaul signed into law this month, the job will become more advocate than policy leader, and the governor will consolidate control of education policy — thanks to two San Diego County lawmakers.

Assemblymembers David Alvarez and Darshana Patel, both Democrats, crafted and ultimately saw through the legislation, after Gov. Gavin Newsom had pushed for it.

Meanwhile, the pair brainstormed about how to improve public education. Both are former school board members. She chairs the Assembly Education Committee; he chairs the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance. And they sit by each other.

“The speaker sat us as seatmates on the Assembly floor. So we get many opportunities, flying up on flights, or in conversations on the floor or in conversations in committee. I sit on his committee, he sits on my committee.”—Darshana Patel

Their legislation, signed into law this month, creates a new position of education commissioner, appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate, that will oversee the state Department of Education. The directly elected state superintendent will be relegated to what Patel calls a “visionary” role.

The effort follows a number of attempts to accomplish something similar, beginning more than a century ago and including failed ballot measures in 1928, 1934, 1958 and 1968, according to the legislative analyst.

Both Patel and Alvarez see their overhaul as a way to improve education in the state — while opponents view the process that created it as undemocratic.

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