Resolution in support of Assembly Bill No. 1199 (Asm. Mike Gipson AD-64) to increase transparency by requiring all corporate landlords to report on the identities of their true owners held through LLCs and LPs, and to impose an excise tax on large real-estate corporations that rent out 10 or more properties in California to disincentivize corporate consolidation in the rental market and generate revenue for first-time home-buyer education and affordable-housing preservation

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DPCCC membership approved the following resolution at the April 15, 2021 regular meeting.

WHEREAS, Corporate landlords have profited immensely before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, including nearly $50 billion from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, federal tax code benefits worth nearly $250 billion through 2027, LLC and REIT status benefits to reduce taxation, and millions of dollars from the federal Paycheck Protection Program; and

WHEREAS, Of the state’s 10 million residential properties, over half a million are owned by corporations, and the most conservative estimate puts nearly 200,000 properties in corporate ownership of LLCs that own more than 10 residential properties, all while corporate landlords are amassing funds to buy distressed assets resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic; and

WHEREAS, Large corporations own too many single-family homes and rental buildings that rob homebuyers and small investors of the opportunities to build wealth, including 35% of all rental housing in the country being owned by large corporations while homeownership is at its lowest level since the 1960s; now, therefore, be it

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, That the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County supports Assembly Bill No. 1199, which would increase transparency by requiring all corporate landlords to report on the identities of the true owners of properties held through LLCs and LPs; and would tax corporate landlords that own and rent out 10 or more properties in California, with the tax increasing as owner holdings and verified code violations increase; and, be it

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County urges that the California Democratic State Central Committee consider endorsement of this bill.

Submitted by Rebecca Auerbach, Associate Member, District 4

Resolution against the Republican recall of Governor Gavin Newsom

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DPCCC membership approved the following resolution at the April 15, 2021 regular meeting.

WHEREAS, the effort to recall Governor Newsom is a partisan power grab spearheaded by Donald Trump’s National Republican Party, the California Republican Party, and top Trump donors advocating to overturn fair elections, having already worked to delegitimize the American electoral process; and frivolously using California taxpayer dollars to fund this partisan ploy to derail the progress Governor Newsom has made to save lives, provide a safety net for struggling Californians as we are making significant strides returning our lives to normal; and

WHEREAS, the pro-recall ranks are filled with a coalition of anti-vaxxers, Q-Anon conspiracy theorists, and militia groups whose aim is to disrupt and distract from California’s progress on COVID-19 recovery, equitable mass vaccinations, and school reopenings while their leaders disseminate anti-vaccination and anti-immigration propaganda on social media sites, actively work against public interest and advocate for the microchipping of immigrants, and

WHEREAS, by uniting, Democrats will prevent Trump’s Republican Party from taking over the California government and will stand united against any candidate who seeks the office and helps Republicans succeed.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County opposes the recall of Governor Gavin Newsom.

Submitted by: Susan Hildreth, Publicly Elected Member, District 2

DPCCC congratulates Attorney General Rob Bonta

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Sent to incoming California Attorney General Rob Bonta.

Dear Assemblymember Bonta,

On behalf of the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County, we offer our heartfelt congratulations on your appointment as the first Filipino American to serve as California’s Attorney General.

Throughout your career in public service, you have not shied away from leading the fight for social and economic justice affecting communities of color. Your efforts to reform the criminal justice system, end cash bail, ban for-profit prisons, protect renters from wrongful evictions and strengthen hate crime protections, will serve as a model for states to follow.

Again, congratulations on your appointment! We are honored to have the privilege to continue working with you as California’s Attorney General.

Sincerely,

Katie Ricklefs, Chair
Democratic Party of Contra Costa County

DPCCC congratulates Senator Alex Padilla

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Sent to Senator Alex Padilla.

Dear Senator Padilla,

On behalf of the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County, we offer our heartfelt congratulations on your appointment as United States Senator. We are proud to have you at the helm as the first Latino U.S. Senator from California in our state’s 170-year history.

As Secretary of State, your leadership made our elections more accessible and inclusive, allowing California to reach record turnout. You fought to protect the integrity of our voting systems and in so doing, you made sure every vote was counted, upholding a cornerstone of our democracy.

At a time when our nation is recovering from a global pandemic, we look forward to working with you to implement your vision for a just immigration system, combating climate change and restoring voting rights to build a more inclusive, unified and stronger democracy.

Again, congratulations on your appointment! We are honored to have the privilege to continue working with you as our United States Senator serving the people of California.

Sincerely,

Katie Ricklefs, Chair
Democratic Party of Contra Costa County

DPCCC congratulates Sec/HHS Xavier Becerra

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Sent to Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra.

Dear Secretary Becerra,

On behalf of the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County, we offer our heartfelt congratulations on your appointment as Secretary of Health and Human Services.

We are proud to have another California Democratic leader at the center of the fight against COVID-19. During such a critical time, your proven leadership is exactly what we need to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, expanding equitable access to vaccinations and getting everyone back to work.

As California’s Attorney General you fought for underserved communities, access to healthcare and justice for all; this is what will heal our nation during this critical time in our history. Your success in defending the Affordable Care Act, protecting women’s health and worker’s rights will rebuild a more equitable health care system that meets the needs of all Americans.

Again, congratulations on your appointment! We are honored to have the privilege to continue working with you as the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Sincerely,

Katie Ricklefs, Chair
Democratic Party of Contra Costa County

Resolution in support of democracy in Myanmar

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DPCCC membership approved the following resolution at the March 18, 2021 regular meeting.

WHEREAS, the military claimed that the outcome of Myanmar’s people vote in parliamentary elections held in November, 2020 were fraudulent,  there was no basis in fact for such claims that was found by a government commission investigating the claims, that reported there was no evidence of fraud in this election;

WHEREAS, we (The Democratic Party of Contra Costa County) are strong believers in education, understanding that it is necessary to secure a democratic society;  

WHEREAS, we recognize that regardless of our different cultures, we have shared values with the teachers of Myanmar, including liberty and free inquiry.  

THEREFORE, it is our belief that their protest against this coup is an act of great courage that will stand as an eloquent example to the students of Myanmar and the world. For this reason especially we support their action and sacrifice.

THEREFORE, the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County, stands in solidarity with the civil servants, teachers, workers and other citizens of Myanmar in their strike and protest against the unlawful coup of Feb. 1, 2021 and call upon General Min Aung Hlaing and the army to respect the votes of the people of Myanmar, to free all political prisoners, and restore Myanmar to civilian rule.

Submitted By:
Nadine Peyrucain
DPCCC District 5 Representative

Resolution calling for Public Office Member support for endorsed candidates

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DPCCC membership approved the following resolution at the March 18, 2021 regular meeting.

WHEREAS, endorsements are one of the most valuable tools of the California Democratic Party. They express our values and our support of candidates who support those core values and principles and who have committed to moving our communities forward;

WHEREAS, although the CDP bylaws “hope and expect” our members to support our endorsed candidates, CDP organizations are required to support the endorsed candidate or their membership is suspended for a year or more. The CDP Rules Committee has determined the bylaw language means that members may support another candidate as long as they do not advocate voting against our endorsed candidate. Our local committees expect our delegates to support our endorsed candidates;

WHEREAS, the California Democratic Party works hard to ensure the CADEM endorsement is highly coveted by Democrats across the state, including putting legal weight behind an official CADEM endorsement. Our candidates are relying on the endorsement, and they have a right to expect that our entire membership protects their endorsement, supports their election, and that the endorsement is not weakened in any way. Elected Democrats who support non-endorsed candidates and work against the party’s endorsed candidate, especially by supporting non-Democrats, devalue the endorsement of the entire party;

THEREFORE, be it resolved by the California Democratic Party, we believe it is a core principle of the California Democratic Party for the Public Office Members of this Party, as defined in Article II Section 2 of the Party bylaws, to support and not work against our endorsed candidates. We further believe that to support our core principles, we must be consistent, we must protect the endorsement, and we must strengthen and follow our rules.

AUTHORED BY Jeff Koertzen, AD14

Resolution in support of SB 90 and AB 1416, the Ballot DISCLOSE Act

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DPCCC membership approved the following resolution at the March 18, 2021 regular meeting.

WHEREAS, one of the things voters most want to know about ballot measures is who supports and opposes them, but many voters don’t know that information for all the state ballot measures they vote on; and

WHEREAS, ballot measure campaigns supported by organizations people trust often don’t have the financial resources to effectively communicate that information to voters, giving an unfair advantage to campaigns backed by wealthy interests; and

WHEREAS, voters can find key supporters and opponents of ballot measures in the voter information guide by looking at who signed the official arguments in favor and against them, but many voters haven’t read or may not remember or have handy all that information when they go to vote because the voter guide is usually very long and dense;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa  County supports SB 90 (Stern) and AB 1416 (Santiago), two identical and parallel bills which will add 15 words listing the supporters and 15 words listing the opponents who signed the official arguments for and against each state ballot measure in the voter information guide to the current title, summary, and fiscal analysis shown on the actual ballot for state ballot measures, giving voters information they need when they vote while adding minimal amounts to the current 75 word summaries on the ballot.

THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this Resolution be provided to the Governor, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, Senate President pro Tem Toni Atkins, Assembly Elections Committee Chair Marc Berman, Assembly Appropriations Committee Chair Lorena Gonzalez, Senate Elections Committee Chair Steve Glazer, Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Anthony Portantino, Senator Henry Stern, Assemblymember Miguel Santiago, and to our area’s members of the California Legislature.

Respectfully submitted by Brodie Hilp, Elected Member, District 2

Resolution in support of Assembly Bill 1400, the California Guaranteed Health Care for All Act (CalCare) by Assemblymembers Kalra, Lee, and Santiago

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DPCCC membership approved the following resolution at the March 18, 2021 regular meeting.

WHEREAS, currently, 3 million Californians have no health coverage, nearly one-third of all Californians who do have coverage reported delaying or skipping necessary health care over the last year due to cost, and the Covid-19 pandemic continues to ravage the state of California, disproportionately infecting and killing people of color and forcing millions of people out of work, thus exposing the unsustainability of the employer-provided insurance model, AND; 

WHEREAS, a single payer system would enshrine health care as a human right in the state of California by guaranteeing comprehensive, high quality care to all Californians with the freedom to choose who provides that care, free at the point of service, at a lower overall cost than our current system, AND;

WHEREAS, implementing a single-payer program in California would require legislation to be passed by the State Senate and Assembly and signed into law by the Governor, in addition to federal waivers, as outlined in Title 42, Chapter 157 of the US Government Code;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County supports the passage of Assembly Bill 1400, the California Guaranteed Health Care for All Act, which would guarantee health care to all Californians as a right by way of a single-payer health care system, as outlined in the platform of the California Democratic Party, and urges the Democratic supermajority in the California State Legislature to pass and the Democratic Governor to sign the bill;

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: Ryan Skolnick, Associate Member, District 4