State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond has regularly taken side jobs running Bay Area nonprofits during his tenure as California’s elected schools chief, earning tens of thousands of dollars to supplement his income, financial disclosures show.
Thurmond has reported working part-time for four different nonprofits since he was elected superintendent of public instruction in 2018 — most recently as director of the Berkeley Food Pantry, for which he earned between $10,001 and $100,000 last year, according to his statement of economic interests.
The arrangement is not illegal under California law, but it is highly unusual for someone holding statewide elected office. Ten other people have served as statewide constitutional officers during Thurmond’s six years as superintendent of public instruction. None of them reported compensation from an outside job that they worked during their time in office, though several had considerable investments or other secondary income streams…