The California Citizens Redistricting Commission is holding a series of Communities of Interest (COI) input meetings throughout the state. The next opportunity for the zone including Contra Costa County is July 29, 2021, 4pm-8pm.
For more information, please see https://www.wedrawthelinesca.org/meetings. English flyer, folleto en español.
DPCCC membership approved the following resolution at the June 17, 2021 regular meeting.
WHEREAS, because police officers, sheriffs’ deputies, and other peace officers hold extraordinary powers to detain, search, arrest, and use force—including deadly force—the state has a correspondingly strong interest in ensuring that peace officers do not abuse their authority; and
WHEREAS, In 2017, 172 Californians were killed by the police, and our state’s police departments have some of the highest rates of killings in the nation, and of the unarmed people California police killed, three out of four were people of color. The nationwide protests that followed the police killing of George Floyd have made clear that Californians want to end police brutality and that our state must create a process to remove abusive police from the streets and protect those who are targeted by police violence; and
WHEREAS, Senate Bill 2 would create a statewide decertification process to revoke the certification of a peace officer following the conviction of serious crimes or termination from employment due to misconduct, thereby helping to ensure these individuals are held accountable and that California’s standards for law enforcement better reflect community values;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County supports the passage of Senate Bill 2 (Bradford and Atkins), as amended on May 20, 2021, and urges the Democratic supermajority in the California State Legislature to pass the legislation and the Democratic Governor to sign the bill into law;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County shall communicate this resolution to Contra Costa County Democrats, the California Democratic Party, members of the State Senate and State Assembly representing any part of Contra Costa County, members of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, and the Governor of the State of California.
Submitted by: Craig Cheslog, Associate Member, District 2, May 27, 2021
DPCCC membership approved the following resolution at the June 17, 2021 regular meeting.
WHEREAS, rooftop solar is a key part of our transition to renewable energy that is needed to avert climate catastrophe, and the expansion of rooftop solar creates a more resilient grid that is less vulnerable to natural disasters; and
WHEREAS, net energy metering and other financial incentives have been central to making solar installation affordable and cost-effective for Californians and have helped drive the proliferation of rooftop solar throughout the state; and
WHEREAS, AB 1139 would make solar unaffordable by imposing monthly fees on solar panel users averaging $70 per household while slashing net metering credits by 80%, which would heavily discourage solar installations, encourage current users to disconnect their panels, and devastate the solar industry in California;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County opposes the passage of Assembly Bill 1139 (Gonzalez), which would reverse our state’s tremendous achievements in rooftop solar, cost numerous solar installers their jobs and businesses, and financially harm existing solar customers.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County shall submit its OPPOSE position to the California State Legislature for inclusion in the bill analysis as an opposing organization, and shall communicate its opposition to this bill to the California Democratic Party and members of the State Senate and State Assembly representing any part of Contra Costa County and the Governor of the State of California, urging the Democratic supermajority in the California State Legislature not to pass this legislation and the Democratic Governor to veto this bill if it should reach his desk.
Submitted by: Rebecca Auerbach, Publicly Elected Member
Posted at the request of Rep. Eric Swalwell’s campaign:
Eric Swalwell Outdoor BBQ & Bocce Event
2 pm – 4 pm, June 19th
Garré Vineyard & Winery
7986 Tesla Road
Livermore, CA 94550
RSVP via Martin Nelson mnelson@ericswalwell.com (or through ActBlue or just arrive!)
From the California Democratic Party:
Today, we face the biggest threat in years from the GOP. The Republican National Committee, wealthy Trump donors and right-wing extremists have joined forces in an attempt to recall Governor Gavin Newsom.
The California Democratic Party (CADEM) is playing a critical grassroots organizing role in the anti-recall effort. As a part of the effort, CADEM will launch an organizing effort to Stop the Republican Recall on June 15 from 6 – 7 p.m. We’ll use this time to learn more about the recall effort against Governor Gavin Newsom and how we’ll work together over the next few months to fight back against the right-wing Republican recall attempt.
Stop the Republican Recall Organizing Launch
Tuesday June 15
6 – 7 p.m.
Join the grassroots, people-powered movement to stand with Californians and Governor Gavin Newsom.
In solidarity,
California Democratic Party
San Mateo County Central Committee has invited us to join them on this free webinar on Campaign & Club Finance. Many of us could use more information on this! This presentation has live presenters to answer questions, but the convenience of a webinar so no travel involved. Sign up at this link: http://bit.ly/SMCDemsFPPCWebinar
DPCCC membership approved the following resolution at the May 20, 2021 regular meeting.
WHEREAS, Most employees will have family caregiving responsibilities at some point in their professional lives, with statistics showing that roughly 60 percent of two-parent households with children under age 18 have both parents working; more than 1 in 6 Americans working full-time or part-time report assisting with the care of an elderly or disabled family member, relative, or friend; and over 1 in 12 employed adults are caring for both children and elderly or disabled adults; and
WHEREAS, Family responsibilities discrimination occurs when an employer takes a negative employment action against an employee based on their responsibility to care for a family member. This type of discrimination affects employees of every income level, race, gender, and industry, with working mothers the most likely to experience family responsibilities discrimination and with women being twice as likely as men to say they left work for caregiving responsibilities due to childcare provider or school closures; and
WHEREAS, Assembly Bill 1119 would prohibit employers from discriminating against employees based on their family responsibilities by adding “family responsibilities” to the list of protected characteristics that are prohibited bases of discrimination and would provide employees with caregiving responsibilities with the right to reasonable accommodations to deal with unforeseen school or care closures;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County supports the passage of Assembly Bill 1119 (Wicks), Anti-Discrimination for Family Responsibilities, as amended on April 21, 2021, and urges the Democratic supermajority in the California State Legislature to pass the legislation and the Democratic Governor to sign the bill into law;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County shall communicate this resolution to Contra Costa County Democrats, the California Democratic Party, members of the State Senate and State Assembly representing any part of Contra Costa County, members of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, and the Governor of the State of California.
Submitted by: Craig Cheslog, Associate Member, District 2
DPCCC membership approved the following resolution at the May 20, 2021 regular meeting.
WHEREAS, when California’s jails and prisons voluntarily and unnecessarily transfer immigrant and refugee community members eligible for release from state or local custody to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for immigration detention and deportation purposes, they subject these community members to double punishment and perpetual trauma, re-incarcerating them for prolonged periods with no right to bail, often deporting and permanently banishing them from the country, from their families, their homes and their livelihoods; and
WHEREAS, state and local participation in federal immigration enforcement programs has raised constitutional concerns, including arrests and detentions that violate the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, and that target immigrants on the basis of race or ethnicity in violation of the Equal Protection Clause, and further undercuts reforms to address California’s inhumane, costly and punitive carceral system, which victimizes immigrants and refugees and disproportionately harms Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and Asian and Pacific Islander American communities; and
WHEREAS, California Democrats believe that the American immigration system must ensure that the fundamental rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution are applied to every person within U.S. borders or held in U.S. custody; oppose law enforcement agencies that unfairly target immigrants and refugees and act as federal immigration law enforcement or cooperate with federal law enforcement absent a federal judicial warrant; and is consistent with America’s fundamental principles of inclusion, fairness, human dignity and respect for the rule of law;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County supports the passage of Assembly Bill 937 (Carrillo), the VISION Act, which would take urgent and necessary steps toward ensuring that local and state tax dollars are not used to funnel immigrants into harmful and inhumane conditions in immigration detention, violate Constitutional protections, and separate immigrant families and communities; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County shall submit its SUPPORT position to the California State Legislature for inclusion in the bill analysis as a supporting organization.
Submitted by:
Renee Zeimer, District 2 Representative
Marisol Rubio, AD-16 Delegate, DPCCC Rules Committee Co-Chair
DPCCC membership approved the following resolution at the May 20, 2021 regular meeting.
WHEREAS, health care workers have been on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic from the very beginning, showing up to care for patients despite insufficient protective equipment, staffing shortages, long hours, mental trauma, and the ever-present risk of infection; and
WHEREAS, health care companies have benefited from billions of dollars in federal support during the pandemic and enjoyed sharp increases in investment income due to the rising stock market, but those gains have not led to increased support for the health care workers who are putting their lives at risk; and
WHEREAS, as a toll of the pandemic, many healthcare workers are leaving the field; and, given the high cost of training health care workers and the harm to patient care from high worker turnover, we must take steps to ensure that California’s health care system is ready for future need and ready to face future crises;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County supports the passage of Assembly Bill 650 (Muratsuchi), the Health Care Worked Recognition and Retention Act, which provide substantial, tangible proof to health care workers that we recognize their sacrifice and value their work caring for our families and communities, during the COVID-19 pandemic and in the future. by requiring private sector health care companies to provide bonuses to their employees; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County shall communicate this resolution to the California Democratic Party and members of the State Senate and State Assembly representing any part of Contra Costa County and the Governor of the State of California, urging the Democratic supermajority in the California State Legislature to pass the legislation and the Democratic Governor to sign the bill into law.
Submitted by: Susan Hildreth, Elected Member, District 2
Cosponsored by: Doug Jones, SEIU United Healthcare Workers
