SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Gov. Jerry Brown is calling on teachers to what he termed "protect" their classrooms by helping him pass a tax increase on the November ballot.
The Democratic governor told about 100 union members Saturday that "we need everyone" for what he called the "difficult campaign."
The event at a Service Employees International Union headquarters in San Francisco marked the start of the Proposition 30 ground war. Teachers will be phone banking and canvassing through the weekend.
Brown started campaigning this week for the measure which would fund K-12 and higher education with temporary sales and income tax increases.
But the semicircle of teachers around Brown cheered loudest when he mentioned Proposition 32, which would ban the way unions raise money for political activity.
The two measures have gained the attention of labor activists, with activists spending time on both issues.
The Associated Press