Tony Krajewski Thurmond (born August 21, 1968) is an American politician serving as the 28th California State Superintendent of Public Instruction since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he was a member of the California State Assembly from 2014 to 2018.
Thurmond was born on August 21, 1968, in Monterey, California. His mother, an immigrant from Panama, died when he was six years old, and his father did not return after serving in the Vietnam War.
Following his motherâÂÂs death, Thurmond and his younger brother moved to Philadelphia<nowiki/> where they were raised by cousins they had not previously met. His cousins practiced Hebrew Pentecostalism, a Black religious tradition with roots in the Old Testament, observing Jewish practices such as keeping a kosher home and celebrating the Sabbath and major Jewish holidays. Growing up in poverty, the family relied on public assistance, including free school lunches.
Thurmond attended Temple University, where he served as student body president, and went on to earn dual masterâÂÂs degrees in law and social policy and social work from Bryn Mawr College.
In the mid-2000s, Thurmond was the executive director of Beyond Emancipation, a social service agency providing aftercare services to youths leaving the child welfare and juvenile justice systems in Alameda County.
At the Golden Gate Regional Center, he was a program manager leading service provision to individuals with developmental disabilities. In 2012 he served as the Senior Director of Community and Government Relations at Lincoln Child Center.
Prior to being elected to the Assembly in 2014, he was a member of the Richmond City Council.
Thurmond was a member of the California Legislative Latino Caucus, California Legislative Black Caucus, and California Legislative Jewish Caucus.
Since 2004, Thurmond has pursued seven different elected offices: he ran unsuccessfully for Richmond City Council in 2004, was elected to the Richmond City Council in 2006, lost an election for State Assembly in 2008, won an election to the West Contra Costa School Board in 2008, created an exploratory committee for a potential State Senate campaign in 2009, was elected to the State Assembly in 2014, was re-elected to the State Assembly in 2016, and announced his campaign for State Superintendent in 2017.
Thurmond's bills have adjusted court fine incarceration credits for inflation, required the California Air Resources Board to reduce methane emissions, protected due process rights for immigrant defendants, expanded tobacco restrictions on school property, and shifted funds from the prison system to local school districts to reduce truancy.
On September 15, 2017, Thurmond introduced a resolution in the California State Assembly calling for the Congressional censure of President Donald Trump following his remarks after racially charged events in Charlottesville.
For 2015âÂÂ2016, Thurmond was a member of the following committees:
On April 3, 2017, Thurmond launched his campaign for State Superintendent, choosing not to run for re-election for his seat in the State Assembly. His campaign was supported by California's teachers' unions. He won the November 2018 election, beating opponent Marshall Tuck, a Democrat and charter school advocate.
On December 11, 2021, Politico reported that Thurmond had been instrumental in the July 2020 hiring of longtime associate Daniel Lee, "a psychologist, life coach and self-help author", for the position of "superintendent of equity" for the California Department of Education (CDE). Politico reported that the hiring of Lee, a Philadelphia resident up to when the report was published, appeared to violate California's residency requirement for state employees, which allows for few exceptions. The position was never posted publicly, having been initially funded by part of a $700,000 grant by the Hewlett Foundation through the CDE's nonprofit affiliate "Californians Dedicated to Education Foundation" before being funded by California taxpayers, and paid up to a $179,832 salary; the report said Lee's resume showed no prior experience in California or relationships with school districts in the state. On December 14, 2021, Lee resigned from the position.
On September 26, 2023, Thurmond announced via Twitter his run for governor of California in 2026.
Thurmond was introduced to Judaism by his cousins who practiced Hebrew Pentecostalism, and he maintains a connection to Jewish practice and community, guided by Rabbi Rebekah Stern of Congregation Beth El in Berkeley, California. He describes himself as "a convert whoâÂÂs never been through a formal conversion," and his Jewish identity informs his public service, including his work on Holocaust education and fighting antisemitism in California schools.
Thurmond lives in Richmond, California. He has two daughters.