As announced at yesterday’s regular Membership meeting, DPCCC’s District 5 Director Danial Leahy has resigned his position. Under our bylaws, this position must be “filled by election of a qualified candidate at a regular meeting no later than sixty (60) days after the official notice of vacancy.”

Election procedure

This election will be held immediately before our regular Membership meeting on Thursday, August 19, at 6:30pm, on Zoom (email secretary@contracostadems.com for the link). Please sign in by 6:15pm so you can be credentialed for voting.

If you are registered to vote with Democratic party preference in District 5, have paid current dues to DPCCC as a registered Democrat by August 18, and have not lost your standing, then you will be entitled to vote in this election.

The election will follow the substance of the procedures approved at the January 21, 2021 reorganizational meeting. (The portion of these procedures about DSCC delegates is not relevant to this upcoming election.) In summary: Qualified voters in D5 will gather and elect the new D5 Director.

Anyone may attend and observe the election, but only DPCCC members in good standing in D5 may vote.

Candidacy

Eligibility to run and serve as D5 Director is the same as eligibility to vote in this election: DPCCC member (including Associate) in good standing, registered to vote in D5.

August 11 is the deadline to submit your candidacy. Please email your candidate statement to secretary@contracostadems.com. You may include whatever information you find relevant. Candidate statements will be sent to DPCCC members by email on August 12, one week before the election.

Background information

DPCCC has a Director for each of the five Supervisorial districts (map) in Contra Costa. The Directors gather information, coordinate action, and maintain DPCCC’s relationships with residents, activists, and Democratic candidates and elected officials in their respective districts.

Along with DPCCC’s officers, the District Directors are elected every two years at our January reorganizational meeting. They are voting members of the Executive Committee, and are Regular Members (i.e. Voting Members) of DPCCC by virtue of their District Director positions, even if they were not Regular Members otherwise.

Unlike the officers, the District Directors are elected by the DPCCC members in good standing in their respective districts, including Associate Members, rather than by the Voting Members from across the county.

District 5 covers northern Contra Costa from Hercules, through Martinez and Pittsburg, to northern Antioch.

From DPCCC’s District 3 Director Carolina Villaseca:

Congressman Jerry McNerney

Co-Sponsored the Elijah Cummings Lower Drug Cost Now Act

• Puts a cap on excessive Medicare costs.
• Puts a cap on Medicare D costs.
• Sets Fair prices for generic drugs.

Co-sponsored HR 20730 which amends the Higher Education Act of 1955

• Ensures higher education for all.

Hosted 2 Town Halls

• Disparity in Latino Health Care
• IRS Tax Updates/Help

Asking for help to put pressure on Senators Kirsten Sinema and Joe Manchin.

• SB1 John Lewis Voting Rights Bills and DC Statehood which cannot go through budget reconciliation.
• Infrastructure budget (which is in committee right now but should come out in a couple of weeks)
• The filibuster

County

• The Board of Health is hosting pop-up walk-in clinics in an effort to get more people vaccinated. 
  • One very successful pop clinic was held in conjunction with Hijas del Campo where over 100 campesinos received vaccines.
• Seated the Measure X Commission and began having meetings about the disbursal of funds.
• BoE looking at LCAP goals, going through budget updates and graduations in May/June.

Local

• Brentwood City Council is setting up a districting commission in anticipation of the census data. 
• This process is being driven by Council member Jovita Mendoza.
• Brentwood Union School District and most other TK-8 as well as High School Districts are all looking at how they will find students who have fallen through the cracks and help all students catch up next year.
• All are expecting to go back full time in person.
• Antioch is continuing their police reform work.
  • And celebrating Antioch High School Grad Najee Harris on his first-round draft pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
• Oakley is busy looking for a new city manager as Mr. Montgomery went to Indio (their city council is questioning how he got the job) and a new Superintendent for the school as Mr. Hetrick has announced his retirement. 
• Oakley Residents are putting the pressure on City Council to not approve a 2^nd drive thru for a McDonald’s across the street from Laurel Elementary School

Clubs

• Marsh Creek Democratic Club is planning on: 
  • an education campaign for advertisers who support Mike Burkholder’s website and racist blog, so they understand what the effect the blog is having including generating death threats against city council members. This includes BPD and PPD.
  • Call to action phone campaign to put the pressure on Senators Joe Manchin and Kirsten Sinema to vote with Democrats on the John Lewis Voting Rights Bill and the Infrastructure Bill.

Organizations

I introduced Hijas del Campo to Congressman McNerney. He and his campaign were looking to help out campesinos in Stockton. Hijas have been looking to start a chapter in Stockton to expand the work of vaccinating, bringing food, water, masks, etc. to campesinos. Value proposition!

Our Revolution Contra Costa has merged with Our Revolution East Bay and the new will be Our Revolution East Bay.

They held a virtual meeting/event on May 2 featuring several of the candidates for AD 18 to replace new CA AG Rob Bonta’s vacated seat.

Greenbelt Alliance is looking for input from Oakley residents to put pressure on city council not to approve up zoning (increasing population density) neighborhoods in their general plan. All input should be sent to Paul Seger. 

From DPCCC’s District 4 Director Colleen Awad:

Upcoming Meetings

• Concord City Council – May 4, 2021 at 6:30pm 
  • The Council is being requested to approve a resolution to replace the Rainbow (Pride) Flag at the Civic Center with a more expansive version, the “Progress Pride Flag,” to be flown throughout June. The resolution will declare June 2021 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Plus (LGBTQI+) month in the City of Concord and direct staff to fly the Progress Pride Flag at the Civic Center throughout June.
• Walnut Creek City Council – May 4, 2021, at 6 pm
  • The Walnut Creek City Council will be examining the priority of Capital Improvement Projects for the next 10 years. They will also review the CDBG Action plan and the future support to provide to down businesses slated to reopen on June 15th. 
• Clayton City Council will be meeting on May 4 at 7 pm
  • The City Council will be examining their outdoor cannabis cultivation ordinance.