Tom Torlakson
| Tom Torlakson | ||
 | ||
| California Superintendent of Public Instruction | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| January 3, 2011 - Present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| January 5, 2015 | ||
| Years in position | 2 | |
| Party | Non-partisan | |
| Predecessor | Jack O'Connell | |
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $151,127 | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| First elected | November 2, 2010 | |
| Next election | 2014 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Prior offices | ||
| California State Assembly | ||
| 2008 - 2010 | ||
| California State Senate | ||
| 2000 - 2008 | ||
| Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors | ||
| 1980 - 1996 | ||
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | University of California at Berkeley | |
| Master's | University of California at Berkeley | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
Contents
|
Biography
Professionally, Torlakson has extensive experience as an educator; he was an adjunct faculty member at Los Medanos College from 2007 to 2010, a teacher at Mount Diablo High School from 1972 to 1981 and a coach at Antioch High School from 1973 to 2003. He also worked at Kosich Insurance Company from 1989 to 2010. [2] He was a member of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors from 1980 to 1996 and served as chair in 1984, 1989 and 1994.[3]
Education
- B.A. in history, University of California-Berkeley
- Teaching Certificate, University of California-Berkeley
- M.A. in education, University of California-Berkeley
Political career
Superintendent of Education (2011-present)
Torlakson has served as the Superintendent of Public Instruction since 2010.[3]
California State Assembly (2008-2010)
Torlakson served in the California State Assembly from 2008 to 2010.[3]
Issues
Torlakson did not provide answers to the California State Legislative Election 2008 Political Courage Test. The test provides voters with how a candidate would vote on the issues if elected.[4]
Legislative scorecard
Capitol Weekly, California's major weekly periodical covering the state legislature, publishes an annual legislative scorecard to pin down the political or ideological leanings of every member of the legislature based on how they voted on an assortment of bills in the most recent legislative session. The 2009 scores were based on votes on 19 bills, but did not include how legislators voted on the Proposition 1A (2009). On the scorecard, "100" is a perfect liberal score and "0" is a perfect conservative score. [5],[6]
On the 2009 Capitol Weekly legislative scorecard, Torlakson ranked as an 89.[7]
Committee assignments
Torlakson served on the following committees:
- Appropriations Committee, California General Assembly
- Education Committee, California General Assembly
- Rules Committee, California Legislature
- Rules Committee, California General Assembly
- Transportation Committee, California General Assembly
Sponsored legislation
Torlakson's sponsored legislation included:
- AB 89 - Taxation: cigarettes and other tobacco products
- AB 267 - Education finance districts: taxes
- AB 476 - Standardized Testing and Reporting Program
For details and a full listing of sponsored bills, see the House site.
California State Senate (2000-2008)
Torlakson served in the California State Senate from 2000 to 2008.[3]
Contra Cost County Board of Supervisors (1980-1986)
Torlakson was a member of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors from 1980 to 1996.[3] He was the chairperson in 1984, 1989, and 1994.[3]
Antioch City Council (1978-1980)
Torlakson was a member of the Antioch City Council from 1978 to 1980.[3]
Elections
2014
- See also: State executive official elections, 2014
Torlakson filed a "Statement of Intention" to run for re-election as California Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2014. [8]
2010
Torlakson was elected state superintendent of public instruction on November 2, 2010. He was ineligible to run for re-election to the California State Assembly in 2010 due to term limits.
| California Superintendent of Public Instruction, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Tom Torlakson |
54.5% | 4,222,946 | |
| Nonpartisan | Larry Aceves | 44.9% | 3,476,243 | |
| Write-In | Diane Lenning | 0.6% | 46,061 | |
| Total Votes | 7,745,250 | |||
| Election Results Via: California Secretary of State | ||||
2008
In 2008 Torlakson was elected to the California State Assembly District 11. Torlakson (D) finished with 117,773 votes while his opponent Elizabeth Hansen (R) finished with 42,023 votes.[9] Torlakson raised $603,934 for his campaign fund.[10]
| California State Assembly, District 11, General Election, 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Tom Torlakson |
73.7% | 117,773 | |
| Republican | Elizabeth Hansen | 26.3% | 42,023 | |
| Total Votes | 159,796 | |||
Campaign donors
Ballotpedia collects information on campaign donors for each year in which a candidate or incumbent is running for election. The following table offers a breakdown of Tom Torlakson's donors each year.[11] Click [show] for more information.
| Tom Torlakson's Campaign Contributions | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 California Superintendent of Public Instruction | 2008 California State Assembly District 11 | 2004 California State Senate District 7 | |||||||||||||||||
| Total Raised | $2,016,469 | $603,934 | $484,271 | ||||||||||||||||
| Total Raised by General Election Opponent | $546,715 $491,403 9 others | $0 (Republican) | Unopposed | ||||||||||||||||
| Top 5 contributors | California Democratic Party | $238,177 | California Teachers Association | $14,400 | California Teachers Association | $11,800 | |||||||||||||
| Tom Torlakson | $99,000 | California State Council of Service Employees | $14,400 | California State Council of Service Employees | $11,400 | ||||||||||||||
| California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO | $25,800 | Electrical Workers Local 302 | $10,800 | AFSCME California | $8,300 | ||||||||||||||
| California Teachers Association | $25,800 | Northern California Carpenters Regional Council | $9,200 | Electrical Workers Local 302 | $8,150 | ||||||||||||||
| Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 467 | $25,800 | California Dental Association | $7,200 | Northern California Carpenters Regional Council | $7,900 | ||||||||||||||
| Individuals | $450,374 | $39,520 | $74,994 | ||||||||||||||||
| Institutions | $1,095,267 | $518,745 | $381,951 | ||||||||||||||||
| In-state donations | $1,959,648 | $517,886 | $441,999 | ||||||||||||||||
| Out-of-state donations | $49,950 | $60,550 | $36,083 | ||||||||||||||||
Recent news
 |
Know more information about this profile? Submit a bio |
This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term "Tom + Torlakson + California + Education"
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
Tom Torlakson News Feed
- State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Showcases Teacher Trainings Kicking Off ... - KERO-TV 23
- California State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Reports Sharp Drop in Number of ... - Sierra Sun Times
- California State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Encourages Taking an Early Look ... - Sierra Sun Times
- California State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Praises President Obama's Plan ... - Sierra Sun Times
- As California revenue rises, school districts on firmer ground - Sacramento Bee
- CSUB doesn't adequately prepare teachers, report says - Bakersfield Californian
- California Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Issues Statement on 2013-2014 State ... - Sierra Sun Times
- Buhach Colony High School class awarded for civic education - Fresno Bee
- Photo by Sam Hodgson - Voice of San Diego
- Education Wars Heat Up - KMJ Now
Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found
See also
External links
- Tom Torlakson's campaign website
- Official state assembly website of Tom Torlakson
- Legislative profile of Tom Torlakson on Project Vote Smart
- Biographical profile of Tom Torlakson on Project Vote Smart
- Campaign contributions: 2012, 2010, 2008, 2006, 2004, 2002, 2000, 1998
- Tom Torlakson on Facebook
References
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Biography Tom Torlakson," accessed September 24, 2012
- ↑ Project VoteSmart, "Bio of Tom Torlakson," accessed June 27, 2011
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Project Vote Smart "Biography" Accessed September 26, 2012
- ↑ Project Vote Smart - Rep. Torlakson Issue Positions
- ↑ Capitol Weekly, "Capitol Weekly's Legislative Scorecard", December 17, 2009
- ↑ Fox and Hounds Daily, "Random Thoughts on the Political Scene", December 18, 2009
- ↑ Capitol Weekly", Downloadable 2009 Capitol Weekly State Legislative Scorecard
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Campaign Finance:Statement of Intention," accessed November 27, 2012
- ↑ California State Assembly election results
- ↑ Campaign funds
- ↑ Follow the Money.org
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
California State Assembly District 11 1996-2000, 2008-2010 |
Succeeded by Susan Bonilla |
| Preceded by Jack O'Connell |
California Superintendent of Public Instruction 2011-present |
Succeeded by NA |
| ||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
- Former member, California State Assembly
- Current California superintendent of schools
- Current nonpartisan superintendent of schools
- Current superintendents of schools
- California
- Nonpartisan
- State representative not eligible for re-election because of term limits, Democrat, California, 2010
- State executive candidate, 2014
- Superintendent of Schools candidate, 2014
- 2014 potential candidate
