Over the past three elections, Richard Barrera has been elected to the San Diego Unified School District Board and has yet to face an opponent. However, 2020 will be an exciting election for Barrera. Patrick MacFarland, a teacher, stated he would be running for Barrera’s position. MacFarland was one of the four people who accused Kevin Beiser, a fellow school board member, of sexual harassment and assault. However, in the Chula Vista City Council election, MacFarland lost to Jill Galvez in June 2018.
Although it will cause conflict within the Labor Council, Barrera will have unwavering support from the San Diego Education Association. He had also previously run for the Labor Council. Looking on the other side, though, he was the top of the United Food and Commercial Workers union, which had ongoing tension with the Labor Council and could lead to support for MacFarland.
However, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union and the Labor Council are working together again after an outside group exposed Barrera and Mickey Kasparian, both longtime leaders. Todd Walters, the current leader of UFCW, has been a strong advocate against Barrera, which could result in debate within the Labor Council. Support for both candidates is on the table, given the previous events, leading to a very uncertain election for 2020.
