Help us improve in just 2 minutes—share your thoughts in our reader survey.
Tom Torlakson
Tom Torlakson is a former California superintendent of public instruction. He was elected to the position on November 2, 2010, and assumed office on January 3, 2011. His term expired in January 2019.
Torlakson ran for re-election to a second term as state superintendent in 2014. He won one of two possible nominations in the June 3 primary election and faced challenger Marshall Tuck in the general election on November 4, 2014.[1] Tom Torlakson won the general election on November 4, 2014.
As superintendent, Torlakson oversaw the California Department of Education and, by extension, all of the state of California's public schools. He executed the policies of the California Board of Education, which is the school system's primary governing body, in addition to operational and administrative responsibilities such as issuing licenses to teachers and maintaining school property.[2]
Biography
Torlakson earned a bachelor's degree in history, master's in education, and a teaching certificate, all from University of California at Berkeley. His career experience includes working as an adjunct faculty member, a teacher, and a coach.[3] Torlakson was elected to the California State Assembly in 1996 and represented the 11th District till 2000, and again from 2008 to 2010. He served in the California State Senate from 2000-2008.[4]
Political career
Superintendent of Education (2011-2019)
Torlakson served as the superintendent of public instruction from 2011 to 2019.[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 informs voters how a candidate would vote on the issues if elected.[5]
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.[6][7]
On the 2009 Capitol Weekly legislative scorecard, Torlakson ranked as an 89.[8]
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
2018
Tom Torlakson was not able to file for re-election due to term limits.
2014
Torlakson ran for re-election as California superintendent of public instruction in 2014.[9] He won one of two nominations in the primary election on June 3. The general election took place on November 4, 2014.
Results
Primary election
| California Superintendent of Public Instruction, Blanket Primary, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Tom Torlakson Incumbent |
46.5% | 1,767,257 | |
| Nonpartisan | Marshall Tuck |
28.9% | 1,098,441 | |
| Nonpartisan | Lydia Gutierrez | 24.5% | 931,719 | |
| Total Votes | 3,797,417 | |||
| Election results via California Secretary of State | ||||
General election
| Superintendent of California, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Tom Torlakson Incumbent |
52.1% | 3,167,212 | |
| Nonpartisan | Marshall Tuck | 47.9% | 2,906,989 | |
| Total Votes | 6,074,201 | |||
| Election results via California Secretary of State | ||||
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.[10] Torlakson raised $603,934 for his campaign fund.[11]
| 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 finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
| California | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
- California Superintendent of Public Instruction
- California school districts
- California Department of Education
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Tom Torlakson's campaign website
- 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
Footnotes
- ↑ Tom Torklakson for Superintendent 2014 Official Campaign Website, "Homepage," accessed July 17, 2013
- ↑ California Education Code, "Title 2, Division 2, Part 20, Chapter 3, Article 1, Sections 33302/33303," 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, "Biography Tom Torlakson," accessed September 24, 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, "2009 Capitol Weekly State Legislative Scorecard (Archived)," accessed March 13, 2014
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Campaign Finance:Statement of Intention," accessed November 27, 2012
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Official 2008 General election results," accessed March 13, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Campaign funds," accessed March 13, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jack O'Connell |
California Superintendent of Public Instruction 2011-2019 |
Succeeded by Tony Thurmond |
| Preceded by - |
California State Assembly District 11 1996-2000, 2008-2010 |
Succeeded by Susan Bonilla |
| ||||||||||||||
 |
State of California Sacramento (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |
