Category Archives: News Releases

TRUTH Act Community Form

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Contra Costa County TRUTH Act Community Forum scheduled for July 18

(Martinez, CA) – The Contra Costa County TRUTH Act Community Forum to discuss civil immigration enforcement activities is scheduled for 10 a.m., Tuesday, July 18, during the regular Board of Supervisors meeting.

The discussion will focus on local immigration enforcement activities in 2022 as well as law enforcement interactions with the U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. The annual event has been held since 2017 as part of California’s State Assembly Bill 2792, the Transparent Review of Unjust Transfers and Holds (TRUTH) Act, which aims to increase transparency and accountability among federal and local law enforcement agencies. The Board meeting will also include discussion of the Sheriff’s Oversight Report for the quarter ending June 30, 2023.

“Transparency in law enforcement is vital to maintaining public trust and strengthens relationships in our local communities,” said Board of Supervisors Chair John Gioia. “The forum provides an opportunity for residents to ask the Sheriff’s Office about their immigration enforcement activities, which
is crucial for maintaining accountability to the public. We must strongly support our immigrant communities, so they feel safe and empowered if we are to truly achieve equity in all policies.”

For language access at the forum:

  • Spanish language interpretation is available.
  • To request a language other than Spanish, contact the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors byTuesday, July 11, at TRUTHAct@cob.cccounty.us.
  • The meeting will be closed-captioned in real time.Watch the forum at www.contracosta.ca.gov or on CCTV channels: AT&T U-Verse Channel 99, Comcast Channel 27, or WAVE Channel 32. Send comments or questions to TRUTHAct@cob.cccounty.us or to ClerkoftheBoardofSupervisors,1025EscobarSt,1st Floor,Martinez,CA,94553.

May 2023 DPCCC Newsletter

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MONTHLY NEWSLETTER ISSUE #9 (MAY 2023)

CHAIR’S MESSAGE
Our newly elected County Clerk-Recorder, Kristin Connelly, joined us at our April 2023 General Meeting to share an update about her activities since she took office. 

I am delighted that she was able to share ways all of us can help our county conduct elections fairly and effectively. You can read the details about Clerk Connelly’s remarks in the meeting summary below. I hope you will consider helping out!

The officers of our chartered clubs have been working diligently over the past few weeks to re-charter their clubs and prepare for the California Democratic Party’s endorsement process later this year. I encourage every Democrat to join one or more Democratic clubs. They have been hosting great programs and working hard to recruit new members. 

I’m pleased to announce that the DPCCC will hold our Roosevelt Awards Dinner in August. This will be the first event since 2019. We look forward to restarting this tradition and having a great crowd on hand for an exciting program. I look forward to having the opportunity to share more details soon! 

Finally, I want to make sure you are aware of the press release the DPCCC sent out to express our condemnation of the actions of certain local police officers for the racist, sexist, xenophobic, and homophobic actions that recent investigations have exposed. I encourage all Democrats to read the statement and to be prepared to assist our local elected officials as they work to reform their agencies and end these injustices.

Stay healthy and engaged,

Katie Ricklefs
Chair, Democratic Party of Contra Costa County

APRIL 2023 DPCCC REGULAR MEMBERSHIP MEETING REPORT
The DPCCC’s Regular Membership Meeting on April 20, 2023, featured a presentation by newly elected Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder Kristin Connelly. She shared details about how her office works and the duties of her office. 

Connelly announced that the Contra Costa County Election Division was recently selected as one of just 16 jurisdictions nationwide to be a Center for Election Excellence. The office also received the Democracy Award from the National Association of Election Officials for leading the 11-county Coalition of Bay Area Elections Officials (bayareavotes.org) for collaborating to fight mis-and dis-information about elections in our shared media market.

Connelly explained how people can help her office ensure our county has efficient and fair elections. Her suggestions included the following: 
* Volunteer as poll workers, depot drivers, extraction team, or Election night observers; 
* Sign up for the Certified Election Observer (CEO) Program, and encourage others to do so;  
* Repost our Elections social media posts/tweets
* Attend our future Community Engagement Groups; 
* Volunteer to sit on subcommittees for language and accessibility; 
* Help us register new voters with boots on the ground in underserved communities; 
* Recommend our office for speaking engagements, appearances, interviews, etc., to their members and community groups.

Regular and Associate Members of the DPCCC can request a copy of Connelly’s presentation slides by emailing the DPCCC Secretary at secretary@contracostadems.com. 

DPCCC members also heard reports from our committees about their recent work and plans for the year. Our committees need your help! You can still volunteer to help on one or more of our committees by completing the Committee Interest Form. 

Regular and Associate Members of the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County are eligible to apply for membership in one or more of our Standing Committees. New members can join the DPCCC as Associate Members at any time if they are registered Democrats. Dues for Associate Members are $24/year, and you can click here to sign up!

The meeting adjourned in memory of Tique Lee Caul on what would have been her 70th birthday. Tique, who passed away in April 2018, was a well-known activist and volunteer in our area. She also previously served as a publicly elected member of the DPCCC from Supervisorial District 5.

Would you like to learn more? Under DPCCC’s file access policy, access to all non-confidential DPCCC files is available to any DPCCC member (including Associates) upon request by emailing the Secretary. You can pay your dues by clicking here!

If you are not a DPCCC member and wish to attend the monthly membership meeting, which is typically held on the third Thursday of the month, please RSVP to the DPCCC Secretary at secretary@contracostadems.com. If you are a DPCCC member, you should receive an email with details for the meeting about seven days in advance. If you do not, please email the DPCCC Secretary at secretary@contracostadems.com.

CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATIC STATE CONVENTION
The next California Democratic Party State Convention will be held from May 25-28 in Los Angeles.

The DPCCC earlier this year elected 42 Regular and Associate Members to represent us at this event. There will also be Contra Costa delegates who were elected Assembly District Delegates and appointees of members of the State Assembly, State Senate, and the House of Representatives. 

If you are a CADEM delegate and cannot attend the Convention, please let the DPCCC Secretary know by emailing secretary@contracostadems.com so we can try to arrange for a proxy. Members interested in being a proxy can also email the Secretary so we can try to help with these arrangements. 

Delegates and proxies are also invited to attend a reception for Alameda and Contra Costa members co-sponsored by the two Democratic County Central Committees and the Alameda and Contra Costa Central Labor Councils on Friday, May 26, from 9-10 p.m. at Fixins Soul Kitchen—LA Live. The event will include complimentary appetizers and a no-host bar. 

CADEM 102 TRAINING: THE CONVENTION
DPCCC Rules Committee Chair Jeff Koertzen will host the second module of his California Democratic Party Delegate Training, CADEM 102: The Convention, on Saturday, May 20, from 10 a.m.-12 noon via Zoom. 

An in-person CADEM Convention can be overwhelming at first. We will discuss the general agenda as well as the specific agenda for this year’s convention. We will discuss what to expect in General Sessions as well as committee meetings, caucus meetings, and other events that are occurring throughout the convention and how to make the most of your time.  To sign up go to https://jeffkoertzen.com/event/cadem-102/. 

DPCCC BUSINESS CARDS
The DPCCC has arranged with a local union printer for our members to order business cards in time for the CADEM State Convention. 

The DPCCC can provide the artwork based on our template with the DPCCC logo. People who wish to order business cards will be responsible for making their payment directly with the printer. The minimum order is 250 business cards.

If you would like to order business cards, please email secretary@contracostadems.com. 

Jeff Koertzen has generously offered to provide blank business cards with the DPCCC logo on them for people who may prefer this alternative to purchasing so many cards at one time. Please let Jeff know at rules@contracostadems.com if you would like some of these blank business cards. You can also check in with him in person at the Convention. 

RESOLUTIONS AND LEGISLATION
The DPCCC adopted the following proclamations and resolutions at its April and May Regular Membership Meetings:
Proclamation of May 2023 as Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month
 Proclamation Declaring May 2023 as Jewish American Heritage Month
 Proclamation in Support of Juneteenth (Monday, June 19, 2023) 
 Proclamation in Support of June 2023 as LGBTQIA+ Pride Month
 Resolution Supporting Tribal Recognition of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe // Click here to read the Issues Committee Application.
 Resolution Stop the Privatization of Traditional Medicare via the ACO-REACH Program

The DPCCC voted at its April and May Regular Membership Meetings to take positions on the following bills currently under consideration by the California State Legislature:
 SUPPORT Assembly Constitutional Amendment 5 by Assembly Member Low (Marriage Equality Constitutional Amendment). Click here to read the Issues Committee Application.
 SUPPORT Assembly Bill 9 by Assembly Member Muratsuchi and Senate Bill 12 by Senators Stern, Allen, and Weiner (Greenhouse Emission Goals). Click here to read the Issues Committee Application. 
 SUPPORT Assembly Bill 254 by Assembly Member Bauer-Kahan (Confidentiality of Medical Information Act). Click here to read the Issues Committee Application. 
 SUPPORT Assembly Bill 1335 by Assembly Zbur (Strengthening Sustainable Communities’ Strategies). Click here to read the Issues Committee Application. 
 SUPPORT Senate Bill 36 by Senator Skinner (Out-of-state criminal charges: prosecution related to abortion, contraception, reproductive care, and gender-affirming care). Click here to read the Issues Committee Application.
 SUPPORT Senate Bill 345 by Senator Skinner (Health care services: legally protected health care activities). Click here to read the Issues Committee Application.
 SUPPORT Senate Bill 525 by Senator Durazo (Minimum wage: health care workers). Click here to read the Issues Committee Application.
 SUPPORT Senate Bill 674 by Senators Gonzalez and Lena (Refinery Air Pollution Transparency & Reduction Act). Click here to read the Issues Committee Application.You can learn more about the Issues Committee’s process for reviewing legislation, resolutions, and proclamations by reading its submission guidelines and application for consideration. 

You can review an index and full text of the Resolutions adopted by the DPCCC since 2020 and Legislative Trackers including all of the bills on which the DPCCC has taken a position since 2021 in this Google Drive folder.DPCCC EVENT CALENDARClick here to see the DPCCC Event Calendar, including events to which all DPCCC members are invited. To request the addition of an item to the calendar, please email secretary@contracostadems.com.LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINKDo you have any questions or feedback about this DPCCC Newsletter? We would love to hear from you! Please send your comments to commsdir@contracostadems.com. 

Copyright © 2023 secretary@contracostadems.com, All rights reserved. 

DPCCC Statement: Antioch & Pittsburg Police scandal

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PRESS RELEASE                                                      Contact: Jan Bell, DPCCC Communications

                                                                                         commsdir@contracostadems.com

April 25, 2023                                                                            (925) 603-3676        

THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY 

CONDEMNS THE ACTIONS OF EAST COUNTY POLICE OFFICERS 

INVOLVED IN TEXTING SCANDAL

WALNUT CREEK – The Democratic Party of Contra Costa County (DPCCC) and its active membership are speaking out against the actions of certain local police departments for the racist, sexist, xenophobic, and homophobic actions of their officers. 

As Democrats, we vehemently condemn the recent actions of Antioch and Pittsburg police officers involved in ongoing corruption investigations of alleged fraud, bribery, drug distribution and civil rights violations related to the use of force. We also condemn those Antioch police officers who have been exposed in the ongoing investigation for their use of racist slurs, jokes, and memes in text messages over a period of more than two years targeting members of the Black and Latino communities. 

As community members, residents, and neighbors of these police districts, we are deeply enraged and disturbed by the behavior of these officers that many in the Black and Brown communities have long experienced as hate and racial animus by the very persons sworn to “protect and serve” the whole of the community. 

We condemn racism, hatred, sexism, and violence towards Black people, Brown people, Indigenous people, impoverished people, and all people of color and stand in solidarity with these communities and other targeted community members as they raise their voices to demand equal protection and an end to police violence. 

We acknowledge that race-based inequities are embedded into our society and reinforced through our institutions. We rely on the police to defend and protect us – all of us – from harm, and to promote fairness and justice in our communities. Yet, the behavior of these officers mocks this fundamental duty.  When police officers cast entire communities as suspect and criminal because of what they look like, where they come from, or what religion they adhere to, countless people are arrested, and even killed.  No one should live in constant state of fear of being targeted in such a violent way by those who have sworn to protect them.

We call on local government boards, councils, agencies, and members of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors to condemn all acts of police intimidation, harassment, brutality, racial profiling, and excessive use of force. We urge the adoption of reforms and policies throughout the county’s law enforcement departments to address these concerns and end these injustices.

DPCCC calls upon its members and all elected federal, state, and local officials to support initiatives to end police violence, intimidation, harassment, and brutality against Black and Brown people, to combat the systemic racism that infects our society, and to speak out against all attempts to restrict constitutional rights of protestors, journalists, and all people who want to make their voices heard. 

The Democratic Party of Contra Costa County advocates for defending and securing our constitutional and human rights via peaceful public policy debate and legislative action and works to elect Democrats to public office who share these goals. Join the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County and learn how you can make a difference in your community every day.  Go to www.contracostadems.com for more information—including actions you can take and a list of events you can attend.

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