Posted on

APRIL MEETING PREVIEW

Our April 26 meeting, in two parts, will begin promptly at 6:30 in order to prepare for and vote for endorsements.  After our votes have been cast, we will welcome Aimee Allison, Co-Director of the Democracy in Color campaign at PowerPAC+, who will present material from Brown is the New White, How the Demographic Revolution Has Created a New American Majority.  

The book by Steven Phillips, co-founder of PowerPAC+, presents a compelling description of the changing demographics of the American electorate, and how important grassroots Democratic activists will be in updating our party’s approach to reaching out to voters.

PowerPAC+ is building the political power of the multiracial majority in America in order to elect progressive leaders to public office simply because America’s politics should evolve as people of color become the majority.

Aimee Allison is a journalist, organizer, and author; her book Army of None exposed deceptive recruitment practices of the US armed forces and presented a strategy to counter military recruitment and build a better world.

Brown is the New White is an engrossing book.  Even while I was engrossed in the material, I wanted to throw the book aside and get busy working to put its ideas into practice.  I think this will be an inspiring way for us to begin our 2016 voter outreach.  We will have copies of the book for sale at our meeting.

ENDORSEMENTS

We will be casting endorsement votes in the following races:

  • President of the United States (POTUS)
  • California Senate District 9 (SD 9)
  • Contra Costa County Democratic Party Central Committee (DPCC) Supervisorial District 1

Since the candidates for POTUS will not be available to address our club, and all three candidates for SD 9 spoke at our January meeting, representatives of their campaigns will speak for 2-3 minutes on their behalf.  

There are 8 candidates for DPCC; and each candidate will speak for 2 minutes.  

To insure that we have adequate time for our main presentation, there will be NO time allotted to ask questions of any candidates or their representatives.  

New club members who joined by March 12, and current members, will be eligible to receive a ballot.  Any member now lapsed who was in good standing as of December 31, 2015 may pay their 2016 dues and receive a ballot as well.  Ballots may be filled in and submitted for counting at any time up to the beginning of the evening’s main presentation by Aimee Allison.  

Posted on

What Is the Contra Costa County Central Committee…

…and Why Are We Endorsing Candidates for Supervisorial District 1?

Before we get into the gist of this article, CONGRATULATIONS are in order to our Executive Vice President Mister Phillips on the birth of his third child on Sunday, April 10.  He was going to write this article, but I’m sure we can all understand that family matters took precedence.

Since we have not endorsed in the Central Committee election for a long time, if ever, and since we have many new members since last year when Contra Costa County Democratic Party Central Committee (CCCDPCC) Chair Jeff Koertzen made a presentation, our club officers believe it would be beneficial to provide some information about what the partisan central committees are in California, and what they do.

Under the California Elections Code, partisan central committees in each county serve as the official party organization for that county.  With certain exceptions (counties with more than 5 assembly districts, as well as San Francisco, Alameda and Sacramento), representatives to the county central committees are elected by Supervisorial District.  

Party Central Committees have the authority to charter organizations, such as clubs, within the county that will use the party’s official name or designation (e.g. Democrat, Democratic) in their name, make official party endorsements, arrange for campaign headquarters, and other partisan activities.

Seats are assigned to each supervisorial district based on the number of voters for each party’s gubernatorial candidate in the most recent election.  In Contra Costa, we have 23 seats as follows:

  • District 1: 5 Seats
  • District 2: 6 Seats
  • District 3: 3 Seats
  • District 4: 5 Seats
  • District 5: 4 Seats

Per our bylaws, the CCCDPCC members are elected every four years during the Presidential primary (June 7, 2016).  As well as the 23 members elected by registered Democrats, our voting members include as ex officio members the elected Democrats or, where no Democrat won, the endorsed Democratic candidates for state and federal office who reside in Contra Costa County, and any individuals who serve as elected officers of the California Democratic Party who reside in or represent a portion of Contra Costa County.  For example, both Hilary Crosby, a Contra Costa resident and the statewide Controller of the CDP, and Royce Kelley, an Alameda County resident and regional director for the CDP region that includes Assembly District 15, are ex officio members, as is State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson.

Each elected and each ex officio member is entitled and encouraged to appoint an alternate who can vote in that member’s absence.  The alternates, as well as other Democrats registered in Contra Costa County can become associate members.  Associate members cannot vote on official CCCDPCC matters, but can serve on subcommittees and vote on subcommittee recommendations to the official body.

The endorsement function of the CCCDPCC is especially important because the CDP provides door hangers to every county committee.  These door hangers come with the statewide, endorsed candidates pre-printed on them, and there is room for the County Committees to print the names of the Congressional, State Senate, Assembly, and local endorsed candidates as well.  These door hangers are distributed to hundreds of thousands of registered Democrats throughout the County.

If County committees endorse against the CDP’s endorsements in the partisan races (statewide, congress, state senate, and Assembly), the CDP may refuse to seat the County Committee’s delegates to the annual state party convention.  However, the county committee has total control over which candidates it endorses, and publically supports on its doorhangers, for the non-partisan races for county, municipal, regional and special district offices.

Historically, the county central committee members have been very interested in the opinions of elected members who live in specific municipalities and districts when considering endorsements for local races.

In addition to endorsements, the CCCDPCC hosts an annual dinner, an annual summer barbecue and an annual holiday party which are all well attended.  These events offer excellent opportunities to meet and talk personally with our elected officials, as well as labor union members and local activists from all across the county.

For more information about our central committee, you can look at the website: http://www.contracostadems.org/

Hilary Crosby

Posted on

FROM THE PRESIDENT’S LAPTOP: MARCH MEETING RECAP

The El Cerrito Democratic Club lived up to our tagline at our March meeting!  After an extremely thorough and informative presentation by our District One County Supervisor John Gioia our club voted unanimously to endorse Measure AA, San Francisco Bay Clean Water, Pollution Prevention and Habitat Restoration Program.

Measure AA, also known as “Clean and Healthy Ballot Measure” will raise over $5 million through a $12 per year per parcel tax in the 9 Bay Area counties: San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, Solano, and Sonoma.  The tax will be effect for the 20 years beginning July, 2017 through June, 2037.

These funds will be used for 4 main programs:

  1. Safe, Clean Water and Pollution Prevention
  2. Vital Fish, Bird and Wildlife Habitat Program
  3. Integrated Flood Protection Program
  4. Shoreline Public Access Program

These programs are vitally important.  Over the past 150 years, development, diking, and filling in our bay with trash, waste, and toxic pollutants have reduced our natural wetlands by 80%, from over 200,000 acres to 40,000 acres.  Natural wetlands provide essential protection against flooding, as well as important habitat for thousands of marine, land, and avian species.  Having clean water in our Bay means we have clean water in our shore linked lakes, streams and ponds, and less overall pollution in our environment.

The measure includes clear provisions for citizen oversight, appropriations priorities, and transparent reporting.

An extraordinary coalition of local businesses, environmental organizations, and elected officials have crafted a measure that addresses the declining health of our defining geographical feature that is coherent and comprehensible.  For the complete language of the measure see http://sfbayrestore.org/docs/BallotMeasureLanguage.pdf.  

Supervisor Gioia’s presentation was enhanced by the graphics provided by Jessica Reynolds from the Yes of Measure AA campaign.  

Our club will be reach out personally to 1,000 new and infrequent voters to encourage them to vote Yes on Measure AA at the June 7 election.  This will be different from our customary literature drops where we have left literature at the homes of frequent voters.  Instead, our walkers will knock on doors and try to speak personally with new voters, and infrequent voters.  In this way, we hope to encourage individuals who have registered to vote to cast ballots, and increase voter turnout.

We will have maps, lists, materials and scripts ready by April 29.  If you are interested in participating in our voter outreach, please contact Hilary Crosby either by phone (510-375-5647) or email (ecdc.pres@gmail.com).

Hilary Crosby
President, ECDC