Gavin Newsom thought Big Labor was his reliable ally.
Unions created one problem he can't avoid.
And Gavin Newsom's life was a living hell after California teacher unions gave him this nasty surprise.
California Teacher Strike Wave Turns on Its Creator
California teacher unions just launched a coordinated strike campaign that's putting Gavin Newsom's disastrous record front and center – exactly when he needs it buried.
Teachers unions are a blight on American education.
They protect failing teachers, push woke garbage in classrooms, and bankrupt school districts with insane demands.
Newsom's nightmare – these same unions he empowered for seven years are now forcing national media to cover the catastrophe he created.
The Wall Street Journal just exposed how unions synchronized contract expiration dates across California's biggest cities to create maximum chaos.
San Francisco teachers walked out for four days earlier this month, winning a 5 percent raise and fully funded healthcare that will cost the district $40 million annually – money the district doesn't have.
Los Angeles teachers already voted to authorize a strike, with 37,000 educators ready to walk if negotiations collapse.
Dozens of California districts are now at impasse or in mediation – all at the same time.
David Goldberg, president of the California Teachers Association representing 300,000 educators, admitted the real goal to the Wall Street Journal: "This resets the power dynamic."
They're forcing local budget crises onto Sacramento's doorstep, demanding the Democrat-controlled state legislature bail out districts drowning in red ink.
The Timing Couldn't Be Worse for Newsom's 2028 Presidential Campaign
Newsom is trying to run against Trump's record while dodging questions about California's basket case status.
National outlets are now covering California teacher strikes as front-page news.
Every strike is another news cycle proving conservatives right about California.
California teachers struck in 2019 when Newsom first took office, struck again in 2023, and are now launching the biggest coordinated campaign in state history as he gears up for 2028.
Seven years of Newsom's governance, and the public education system is more broken than when he started.
Democrats Built California's Education Crisis
California ranks near the bottom nationally in education funding when adjusted for cost of living.
The state that brags about having the world's fifth-largest economy ranks 48th for access to school counselors.
Teachers are demanding 16 percent raises in Los Angeles while districts are threatening mass layoffs and school closures.
The money's not there because Newsom spent it on illegal aliens, transgender prisoner surgeries, and a failed high-speed rail project that's turned into a $106 billion boondoggle.
Union leaders learned from 2019 that strikes force politicians to find money that magically appears when the pressure is on.
"Putting pressure on the district is always going to turn up additional funds," Gloria Martinez, treasurer of the Los Angeles teachers union, told the Wall Street Journal.
California Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi introduced legislation to increase teacher salaries 50 percent at a cost exceeding $30 billion annually.
He's counting on these coordinated strikes to provide the political muscle to ram it through.
National Media Spotlight on California Teacher Strikes
Karl Rove just wrote in the Wall Street Journal that Newsom "cannot credibly claim that he has a solid record of economic achievement."
California ranks 45th for economic growth, 46th for employment, and dead last for economic opportunity according to U.S. News rankings.
Even Obama commented in a recent interview about how bad homelessness has gotten in California – a Democrat admitting another Democrat destroyed the state.
The Atlantic magazine published a brutal takedown titled "Gavin Newsom's Record Is a Problem."
Liberal writers Marc Novicoff and Jonathan Chait warned Democrats that Newsom turned California into a testing ground for failed leftist policies.
Homelessness has risen 20 percent since he took office.
Academic achievement in public schools continues lagging behind the nation.
Democratic megadonor John Morgan nailed it: "His record is far, far left and far, far woke."
The LAUSD Strike Cycle Newsom Created
West Contra Costa teachers won big raises after a December strike.
Two months later, the district board voted unanimously to slash $60 million from the budget.
That's the pattern repeating across California – unions win at the bargaining table, districts cave under pressure, then come the mass layoffs and school closures to pay for it.
Kids lose instruction time during strikes.
Parents scramble for childcare.
Then districts announce they're closing schools and firing staff because the money's gone.
Newsom built this disaster loop.
Newsom Can't Escape His California Record
The coordinated strike campaign will dominate headlines through 2026 as Newsom prepares to launch his presidential bid.
He can't make this stop because he spent seven years empowering the unions now destroying his reputation.
Trump already said he'd "love" to see Newsom run in 2028 because California's record would "pretty much take him out of the race."
Newsom's trapped.
The slicked-back hair and smooth talk won't save him when California's education system is imploding on live television.
He wanted to run on bashing Trump.
Instead he's running from his own record – and the unions he empowered are making sure nobody can look away.
Sources:
- Douglas Belkin and Scott Calvert, "Los Angeles is the next target in California's teacher strike-threat campaign," The Wall Street Journal, February 2026.
- Marc Novicoff and Jonathan Chait, "Gavin Newsom's Record Is a Problem," The Atlantic, January 2026.
- Karl Rove, "Gavin Newsom and JB Pritzker lack solid economic records," The Wall Street Journal, February 2026.
