Category Archives: resolutions

Proclamation in Support of Juneteenth, Sunday, June 19, 2022

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DPCCC membership approved the following resolution at the May 19, 2022 regular meeting.

WHEREAS, The first enslaved Africans were brought as captives to what is now the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1619 where they were bought and sold as slave labor for 250 years suffering unspeakable acts of violence; and

WHEREAS, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, declaring “that all persons held as slaves within the rebellious states are, and henceforward shall be free”; and

WHEREAS, The Emancipation Proclamation was the vehicle used to pass the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolishing slavery in this nation on January 31, 1865; and

WHEREAS, On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, announcing General Order Number 3 which ended both the Civil War and slavery; and

WHEREAS, June 19th has become a symbolic date, representing the freedom of African Americans and is recognized by 47 states and the District of Columbia, with Virginia, New York and Pennsylvania recognizing it as an official paid holiday for state employees; and 

WHEREAS, Our nation is facing a new reckoning as the legacy of sharecropping, Jim Crow, redlining and police violence against Black Bodies continues to pervade and permeate our society, institutions, and systems of law; and

WHEREAS, Although the 13th Amendment provided for freedom, it also laid the groundwork for mass incarceration within the African American community by stating “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction”; and

WHEREAS, if Black Lives Matter, the Democratic Party of Contra Costa Party must acknowledge the history racism has played and continues to pervade and permeate our society, institutions, and systems of laws fostering many of the current-day disparities in education, health care, housing, and employment. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County hereby recognizes Sunday, June 19, 2022, as Juneteenth to acknowledge the historical significance of the day and commit the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County to working toward the dismantling of institutionalized racism.

Proclamation in Support of June 2022 as LGBTQIA+ Pride Month

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DPCCC membership approved the following resolution at the May 19, 2022 regular meeting.

WHEREAS, Our nation was founded on the principle of equal rights for all people, but the fulfillment of this promise has been long in coming for many Americans. Some of the most inspiring moments in our history have arisen from civil rights movements that have brought one group after another from the margins to the mainstream of American society; and

WHEREAS, In the movement toward equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual (LGBTQIA+) people, a historic turning point occurred on June 28, 1969, in New York City, with the onset of the Stonewall Riots. During these riots, LGBTQIA+ citizens rose up and fought against the discriminatory criminal laws that have since been declared unconstitutional; and 

WHEREAS, Marsha P. Johnson, a black transgender woman, was an instrumental leader in the Stonewall Inn uprising and we honor her contribution to the LGBTQIA+ rights movement and we also must honor the intersectionality of LBTQIA+ persons of color who still face heightened discrimination to this day. We acknowledge that Pride Month intersects with the Black Liberation celebration known as Juneteenth. It is important to remember that Pride started as a defense on Black queer people 104 years after Juneteenth; and

WHEREAS, LGBTQIA+ pride celebrations have taken place around the country every June to commemorate the beginning of the Stonewall Riots; and

WHEREAS, June is celebrated as LGBTQIA+ Pride Month nationwide; and 

WHEREAS, Contra Costa County has a diverse LGBTQIA+ community that includes people of all ethnicities, religions and professions; and

WHEREAS, right-wing legislators around the country are attempting to turn back the clock and are once again targeting LGBTQIA+ individuals with the most heinous legislation stripping rights from trans youth and their families; and

WHEREAS, everyone should be able to live without fear of prejudice, discrimination, violence and hatred based on race, religion, gender identity or sexual orientation. 

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County celebrates June 2022 as LGBTQIA+ Pride Month and urges Contra Costa residents to respect and honor our diverse community and celebrate and build a culture of inclusiveness and acceptance. 

Resolution Calling on Local Elected Democrats to Oppose Desheltering of Homeless Residents in Their Jurisdictions When Shelter Is Not Being Offered

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DPCCC membership approved the following resolution at the April 21, 2022 regular meeting.

WHEREAS local jurisdictions in Contra Costa continue to engage in the confiscation and/or destruction of the survival-related property (e.g. tents, sleeping bags, tarps) of unhoused persons on land owned or controlled by such jurisdictions in cases where these persons are not offered immediate and actual shelter to replace the improvised shelter taken from them (operations referred to hereafter as “desheltering”); and

WHEREAS the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in September 2021 in Garcia v. Los Angeles, upholding an injunction by the District Court for the Central District of California, that municipalities may not discard homeless individuals’ “Bulky Items” that are stored in public areas; and

WHEREAS desheltering causes intense trauma to those desheltered, up to and including their deaths; and

WHEREAS desheltering is a policy which harasses and marginalizes individuals in need, and the California Democratic Party commits in the “Labor, Justice, and Poverty Elimination” section of its Platform to “oppose policies that harass and marginalize individuals in need”;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County calls on Democrats in elected local offices in Contra Costa with authority over law enforcement agencies to agendize, move, second, and vote for ordinances directing their jurisdictions’ staff to cease and refrain from removing any homeless person’s survival-related property from land owned or controlled by those jurisdictions, except when such a person is actually and specifically offered immediate shelter.

Proclamation in Honor of International Workers’ Day

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DPCCC membership approved the following resolution at the April 21, 2022 regular meeting.

WHEREAS International Workers’ Day, also known as May Day, began in the United States and is now recognized around the world as a day to honor and fight for the rights of workers; and 

WHEREAS May First was selected as the date to honor workers and continue the campaign for an eight-hour workday that led to a general strike in 1886 and other actions by workers; and 

WHEREAS International Workers’ Day continues to be a celebration of the efforts of the working class in the United States and around the world to organize for improved workplace conditions and worker rights; and 

WHEREAS during the COVID-19 pandemic, workers have endured adversity and made significant personal sacrifices to fulfill their duties while ensuring the safety of themselves, their families, and the public; and

WHEREAS the gender and racial pay gaps that persist offer a sobering reminder of how far we have yet to go towards achieving equal rights and fair wages for all workers; and

WHEREAS labor unions play a vital role in ensuring a strong middle class by advocating for more equitable wages, humane work conditions, improved benefits, and increased civic engagement by everyday workers; and

WHEREAS Contra Costa County is home to more than 110,000 union members representing more than 85 unions in various trades and industries; 

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County joins in the worldwide celebrations of workers’ rights activism taking place on May 1, 2022, and acknowledges how workers are the vital heart of every workplace, industry, and community in Contra Costa County; and

THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County calls upon all elected officials to join the effort to ensure the rights of all workers are protected.

Submitted By: Craig Cheslog, Associate Member, District 5

Approved by the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County, April 21, 2022