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

Resolution in support of Assembly Bill 988, The Miles Hall Lifeline Act

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

WHEREAS, For those unable to access care, the criminal justice system has become the default mental health system in California when, in times of crisis, individuals and their families feel they have no option but to call the police for help, and while law enforcement is often the most-relied upon institution during a mental health crisis, providing mental health services or care is not and should not be their role; and 

WHEREAS, The Miles Hall Lifeline Act is named for Miles Hall, a 23-year-old African American man who was shot and killed by Walnut Creek officers in 2019 while in the midst of a mental health crisis despite his mother, Taun Hall, having spoken to police officers about her son numerous times over several years; and

WHEREAS, Assembly Bill 988 will implement the new nationwide 988 Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis Hotline created last year by the Federal Communications Commission and Congress and create call centers that will connect people calling or texting 988 with trained counselors and dispatch mobile crisis support teams—staffed by mental health professionals and trained peers instead of police officers—to help a person in crisis; 

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County supports the passage of Assembly Bill 988, the Miles Hall Lifeline Act, 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 members of the State Senate and State Assembly representing any part of Contra Costa County and the Governor of the State of California. 

Submitted by: Rebecca Auerbach, Associate Member, District 4
                      Craig Cheslog, Associate Member, District 2

Resolution in support of Senate Bill 271, the Sheriff Democracy and Diversity Act

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

WHEREAS, County Sheriffs lead agencies of law enforcement officers that are vested with extraordinary authority, including the powers to detain, search, arrest, and use deadly force; and current California law requires that candidates for the office of Sheriff possess a Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) certificate and some combination of salaried law enforcement experience; and 

WHEREAS, these eligibility requirements severely restrict who can run for Sheriff; resulting in few competitive elections, a compelling lack of accountability that harms statewide efforts to reimagine public safety, and a lack of candidate diversity that has led California to have only four females, three Latinx individuals, and two Japanese-Americans holding the office of Sheriff while white males hold the office in the other 49 counties as of 2020, a result that does not reflect California’s demographic makeup; and 

WHEREAS, Senate Bill 271 would repeal these restrictions, thereby allowing all registered voters to run for Sheriff, as was possible from 1850 through 1989;  

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County supports the passage of Senate Bill 271, the Sheriff Democracy and Diversity Act as introduced on January 28, 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 members of the State Senate and State Assembly representing any part of Contra Costa County, the 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

Resolution in Support of Women’s History

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With prior authorization by the Central Committee, DPCCC’s Executive Committee passed the following Resolution in Support of Women’s History on March 4, 2021:

WHEREAS, American women of every race, culture, class, faith, gender identity, and ethnic background have made historic contributions to the growth and strength of our Nation in countless recorded and unrecorded ways; and

WHEREAS, American women have played and continue to play a crucial economic, cultural, and social role in every sphere of the life of the Nation by constituting a significant portion of the paid and unpaid labor force working inside and outside of the home; and

WHEREAS, American women were particularly important in the establishment of early charitable, philanthropic, and cultural institutions in our Nation; and 

WHEREAS American women’s contributions were instrumental in the perseverance of the Nation during the Second World War, and many other crises;

WHEREAS, American women of every race, culture, class, faith, gender identity, and ethnic background served as early leaders in the forefront of every major progressive social change movement; and 

WHEREAS, American women have been leaders, not only in securing their own rights of suffrage and equal opportunity, but also in the abolitionist movement, the emancipation movement, the labor movement, the civil rights movement, and other movements, especially the peace movement, which create a more fair and just society for all; and 

WHEREAS, the many women-owned businesses and women entrepreneurs contribute to the health and success of our local communities, their economies, create jobs, and demonstrate effective leadership;

WHEREAS, from local special districts to Sacramento to, now, the White House, women are leading and making change in government; and

WHEREAS, although Contra Costa Democrats celebrate the many women leaders who are elected or appointed throughout our county and nation, including electing in 2020 our first woman Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris, who is of African American and South Asian descent; we recognize that women are still underrepresented in our legislatures, board rooms, and the judiciary;

WHEREAS, despite women’s contributions and proven talents and skills, the role of women in history is consistently overlooked and their qualifications undervalued and dismissed in literature, education, the study of American history, and government; 

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County proudly recognizes the month of March as Women’s History Month and stands in solidarity and fully supports the contributions of all women throughout history. 

PASSED AND ADOPTED  by the Executive Committee, as authorized by the DPCCC, this 4th day of March, 2021.

Authored by Courtney Masella-O’Brien, Joey Smith, and Marisol Rubio, February 28, 2021.

Black History Month Proclamation

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DPCCC membership approved a Black History Month Proclamation at the February 18, 2021 regular meeting. The full document is available here. The text follows below.

This February, during Black History Month, I call on the Democrats of Contra Costa County to honor the history and achievements of Black Americans and to reflect on the centuries of struggle that have brought us to this time of reckoning, redemption, and hope. 

As we strive to fully live up to the founding principles of this County Democratic Party – that all people are created equal and have the right to be treated equally throughout their lives. (About Us ~ Democratic Party of Contra Costa County (contracostadems.com) – We are proud to celebrate Black History Month with the goal of having a Central Committee that looks like America – one that reflects the full talents and diversity of the American people. 

It is long past time to confront deep racial inequities and the systemic racism that continue to plague our County. A knee to the neck of justice opened the eyes of millions of Americans and launched a summer of protest and stirred the Nation and the County’s conscience. A pandemic has further ripped a path of devastation through every community in Contra Costa County, but we see its acute effect among Black Americans who are dying, losing jobs, and closing businesses at disproportionate rates in the dual crisis of the pandemic and the economy. We saw how a broad coalition of Americans of every race and background registered and voted – more people than in any other election in our Nation’s history – to heal these wounds and unite and move forward as a County. 

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Leadership of the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County hereby proclaims February as Black History Month and encourages all constituents to join us in celebrating this special month.

__________________

Katie Ricklefs, Chair
Democratic Party of Contra Costa County
February 18, 2021