SAN JOSE and SAN FRANCISCO — Gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer spent two days with leaders of the California School Employees Association last week, meeting with the Board of Directors at CSEA headquarters on February 18 before joining them in San Francisco the next day for a press conference calling for the closure of a corporate property tax loophole that has drained billions of dollars from California schools and public services.

A Personal Visit to CSEA Headquarters

At CSEA’s San Jose headquarters, Steyer met with the full Board of Directors, visiting with them individually and thanking them for their service to classified school employees across the state.

“I just want to say what an honor it is to be endorsed,” Steyer told the board. “Representing working people and affordability is my whole campaign.”

He said CSEA members are central to that mission.

“You are so important to me because you represent working people,” he said, calling CSEA “the heart and soul of our campaign.”

Steyer reiterated his focus on affordability and his commitment to strengthening public education, saying California should once again be among the top states in the nation for schools.

Targeting a Corporate Property Tax Loophole

The following day in San Francisco, Steyer stood with the entire CSEA Board of Directors near 555 California Street, a high rise building partially owned by President Donald Trump.

Steyer argued that long standing provisions in Proposition 13, combined with additional loopholes, have allowed major commercial property owners to avoid reassessment and continue paying taxes based on decades old valuations.

“Just under a mile away,” Steyer said, “there’s a building worth almost $2 billion that’s been taxed like it’s worth a fraction of that.” He said the loophole has cost Californians an estimated $243 billion in lost revenue since 2012.

According to Steyer, corporations avoid reassessment by dividing ownership into shell entities and transferring shares in ways that prevent any single buyer from acquiring more than 50 percent, keeping their property tax bills artificially low even as values increase.

“It has dramatically shifted the property tax burden from wealthy commercial and industrial property owners to residents,” Steyer said. “It’s time to close that loophole and start sending Donald Trump the bill."

Adam Weinberger: “This Is a Priorities Problem”

Association President Adam Weinberger addressed the press conference on behalf of CSEA’s quarter million classified school employees.

“Our members are the first on campus and the last to leave,” Weinberger said, citing custodians, paraeducators, nurses, bus drivers, food service workers, office staff, and maintenance crews who keep schools running every day.

“When we talk about corporate tax loopholes that take money from public schools, this is not abstract policy to us. It is personal.”

Weinberger pointed to the estimated $243 billion lost since 2012 and described what underfunding looks like in real terms.

“It looks like one bus covering multiple campuses. It looks like custodial crews stretched so thin that basic maintenance has to wait. It looks like paraeducators trying to meet growing student needs without enough support.”

He said the issue comes down to priorities.

“This is not a worker problem, and it’s not a student problem,” Weinberger said. “This is a priorities problem.”

Endorsement Based on Record

CSEA formally endorsed Steyer for Governor in January, with Weinberger emphasizing that the endorsement was based on Steyer’s record.

“Tom did not earn our endorsement with a campaign promise,” Weinberger said. “He earned it with his record.”

Weinberger said the union has worked alongside Steyer in the past to successfully challenge corporate loopholes and defend public services, and that closing the property tax loophole would represent a major investment in California’s future.

“Schools are not a line item in a budget,” he said. “They are the heart of our communities.”

Both days underscored a shared message from Steyer and CSEA leadership: closing corporate tax loopholes is about fairness, accountability, and ensuring that working families and students are not left to shoulder the burden alone.

“When we invest in schools, we invest in California’s future,” Weinberger said. “And when we stand together, working people can win.”