CALmatters Commentary: Teacher unions make unlikely foe for Newsom By Bruce Fuller, Special to CALmatters Gov. Gavin Newsom best keep his back to the wall as proliferating critics unsheathe their knives. Parents litigating to unlock classrooms, die-hard Trumpians stirring a recall campaign. But an unlikely foe draws the sharpest dagger: self-assured leaders of California’s teacher unions. Newsom has gently cajoled educators for months to carefully resume in-person schooling, aiming to relieve exhausted, increasingly jobless, parents. The governor’s most recent bid promises $2 billion to local educators who submit blueprints for reopening classrooms, ensuring steady covid testing and protective gear for kids and teachers alike.