 DECEMBER 2022 NEWSLETTER |
| CHAIR’S MESSAGE: I think it has been an incredible year! I am so pleased we could get together earlier this month for our first in-person Holiday Party since 2019. It was a wonderful time to celebrate on behalf of our endorsed candidates and all the volunteers who walked neighborhoods, distributed door hangers, phone banked, sent text messages, or donated to our endorsed candidates during this election. We have accomplished a great deal, starting with our successful efforts to defeat the recall effort against Governor Newsom in the fall of 2021. We have much to celebrate in 2022, including:The re-election of District Attorney Diana Becton! The election of Ken Carlson to the County Board of Supervisors! Wins by over 70 percent of our endorsed candidates in the general election! Stopping radical conservative efforts to take over school boards! Increasing the number of our volunteers! Strengthening our finances with more donors! Seeing Democrats win a 51-49 majority in the United States Senate!Winning all of California’s statewide offices! Stopping the mythical red tsunami! These successes were possible only because Contra Costa Democrats and Chartered Clubs worked hard during this election season. You’ll learn more about this work in the elections recap that follows below. We also demonstrated how every vote counts with the recount victories last week for Tamisha Torres-Walker in Antioch and Cesar Zepeda in Richmond. We’ve done a lot. We’ve learned a lot. And I know we will continue to build and strengthen our party in 2023. Stay healthy, and Happy New Year! Katie Ricklefs Chair, Democratic Party of Contra Costa County OUR ENDORSED CANDIDATES WON MORE THAN 70% OF THEIR RACES We have been busy with three election cycles in just 15 months, starting with our work to defeat the recall against Governor Gavin Newsom in September 2021, the primary elections in June 2022, and the general election in November 2022.  With each of these elections, the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County, thanks to the leadership of its Elections Committee Co-Chairs Chuck Carpenter and Rebecca Barrett, built on what we learned to involve more volunteers, distribute more materials, and coordinate with our clubs and allies to get out every possible vote in the general election. Our Democratic team ended the year by: Distributing over 100,000 door hangers Mailing 84,000 slate cards Sending over 270,000 texts to voters Hosting coordinated precinct walks in six cities covering all of Contra Costa County. In addition to these efforts, our elections team set up coordinated precinct walks to support our endorsed candidates. Thank you to Amy Scott-Slovick (Martinez); Monica Wilson (Antioch); Victor Tiglao (Pinole); Rebecca Barrett (Concord), Champagne Brown (El Cerrito); and Sabina Zafar, Marisol Rubio, Sarah Butler, and Chuck Carpenter (San Ramon) for helping organize our volunteers to support our candidates! As a result of all of this work, our endorsed candidates won over 70 percent of their campaigns in the general election, including: Statewide offices: 100% Congressional seats: 100% County Supervisors: 100% Mayors and City Councils: 72% School and College Boards: 71% Special Districts: 75% We also improved our ability to communicate with voters and respond to severe attacks against our endorsed candidates. For example, in the Board of Supervisors District 4 race supporting Ken Carlson, we responded with a text to every Democratic voter in the district within four hours after a misleading mailer was discovered to clarify that Ken Carlson was the Democrat in that race. We also were successful at defeating efforts by radical Republicans to take over several of our local school boards. “Elections work is about one more door. It is hard,” Elections Committee Co-Chair Rebecca Barrett said. “People don’t want to get up early on a weekend to knock on doors, but when your democracy and community are on the line, that’s what is required.” “In 2022, we fielded some of the strongest, most committed, and most diverse present and future leaders we have ever offered to the voters,” added Elections Committee Co-Chair Chuck Carpenter. “Great candidates build successes, which will motivate new candidates to seek our help. We build the future on today’s foundation.” Thank you to every person who walked, talked, called, texted, or contributed dollars during the recall, primary, and general elections. Without you, our candidates’ success would not have been possible. CONTRA COSTA DEMOCRATS CELEBRATE AT HOLIDAY PARTY The Democratic Party of Contra Costa County hosted its first in-person Holiday Party since 2019 on Friday, December 16.  We want to thank UA Local 342 for hosting and giving us the opportunity to thank our volunteers and celebrate our election victories. Recruitment Committee Chair Cody Keller did an outstanding job organizing this event, and people once again enjoyed the catering provided by Cindy Gershen. In addition to having the chance to gather together, attendees also heard updates about the efforts of our Committees over the past year, from fundraising to issues, to elections in Contra Costa County and the Central Valley.  Successful County Board of Supervisors District 4 Candidate Ken Carlson told the crowd, “I want to say thank you for how Democrats came together to support my campaign and other endorsed candidates. We still have a lot of work to do together in the future. There are more open seats in the next election, and we need to be prepared for what is coming our way.”  Congress member Mark DeSaulnier also thanked Democrats for their work and urged them to continue their efforts. “There are people who are organizing today because they don’t like that young people and people of color are gaining more of a say in our society. We have to get up every day and work because we cannot assume the future will be okay. The future will only be okay if we fight for it.” Chair Katie Ricklefs also honored several of our volunteers with year-end awards. These included: Chair’s Pick (for the person who best represents what the DPCCC stands for): Carolina Villaseca Full Enthusiasm (for the person who exemplifies energy with excitement, rallying, and fun: Justin Brown and Champagne Brown Grace Under Fire (for the person who held their own under difficult circumstances): Endorsement Committee Co-Chairs Tamela Hawley and Irene Tait Dedicated Democrat (for the person who stepped up when needed and persevered): Amy Scott-Slovick Organizer Extraordinaire (for the person who raised money or was there to move things along in an ordinary fashion): Sue Hamill and Rebecca Barrett Best Dance Partner (fun and self-explanatory): Carolyn Wysinger and Marisol Rubio Went the Distance (person who literally went the distance for our candidates): Sarah Butler and Cecilia Minalga      THANK YOU TO OUR HOLIDAY PARTY SPONSORS Thank you to the sponsors of our 2022 Holiday Party! Your support helped us have a successful night celebrating our volunteers and our endorsed candidates!  VOLUNTEER ACTIVISM REPORT FOR 2022 Contra Costa Democrats continued and expanded our volunteer activist group efforts in 2022. With the spirit to promote and support activities or contacts led by other clubs, labor, and groups, we actively partnered with local organizations, as well as other Central Committees, labor, and grassroots organizations. We accomplished so much, and Contra Costa Democrats are trending as the “go-to” organization for Bay Area activism. There is certainly extensive planning and work still to be accomplished as we expand and evolve toward the 2024 elections. Founding Partner of Bay Area Coalition – The Coalition launched in early 2022 to harness the power of Bay Area activists to win elections in key races to promote a democratic, equitable, and just society, focusing on California Central Valley, Arizona, and Nevada. We were joined by more than 20 partners, including six SwingLeft groups, East Bay Activist Alliance, Commit to Democracy, Democracy Action Marin, Santa Clara, San Mateo, and San Francisco central committees.Our congressional leaders, led by Congressmembers Garamendi and Lee, organized close to $30,000 in funds for our partner Central Committees to support CD22 canvasser gas, hotel, food, and supply costs. In addition to their direct help, they arranged for funds received from Congressmembers DeSaulnier, Eshoo, Thompson, and Lofgren. Additionally, CADEM provided CD22 lunches of almost $2,500, plus ballot-curing hotel rooms.To promote our volunteer actions, we created Training and Speaker Series programs, with recordings on our Bay Area Coalition YouTube channel. These included:Motivational interviewing and Telling your Personal Story trainingSpeakers Dan Pfeiffer and Mike LuxAlthough CD22 was our primary canvassing focus, we promoted door knocks for Josh Harder (CD9) in coordination with his campaign team and Adam Gray (CD13) in coordination with the North Valley Labor Federation. Despite our Central Valley outcomes, I’m proud of what we accomplished leading up to the election:  Partnership with Central Valley Matters – Contra Costa Democrats partnered with Central Valley Matters (https://www.centralvalleymatters.org/), a group of Bay Area volunteers that raises funds for grassroots groups in the Central Valley…and, as of today, raised $500,000 for these very deserving organizations. Central Valley Matters, like the Bay Area Coalition, is an all-volunteer group. CD22 Next Steps Steering Group Representing Contra Costa Democrats, Cecilia Minalga remains an active member of this statewide group supporting CD22. Field Team 6 Partnership Contra Costa Democrats continue to partner with FT6 to promote both their California and national virtual actions. Communications Team We continue to support the communications team, who launched our new and improved DPCCC website. Sent 27 Action Network email blasts to our mail lists of over 9K contacts, of which over 5K are in the Contra Costa county area. Mobilize postings, via CADEM account. This continues to be an effective promotion tool for local, California, and national actions, in addition to supplying new “opted-in” contacts from all our events. We appreciate all of the work that Cecilia Minalga has done to organize our efforts in the Central Valley. As Central Valley Matters put it in a post-campaign mailing, “Although there are way too many people to thank individually, we do want to give a special thank you to Cecilia Minalga for her tireless leadership throughout our canvassing process.” DPCCC DUES ARE DUE JANUARY 1 To remain a member in good standing, which enables DPCCC members to vote in the upcoming DPCCC Organizational Meeting elections on January 19, 2023, you must pay your DPCCC dues by January 1, 2023. Please click here to pay your dues ($40 for Regular Members; $24 for Associate Members). If your dues are not paid by the deadline, you cannot vote at our January 19, 2023, Organizational Meeting! DPCCC REORGANIZATIONAL MEETING ON JANUARY 19, 2023 On Thursday, January 19, 2023, the DPCCC will hold a membership meeting focused on our organizational structure for the next two years. Regular members in good standing will vote for DPCCC Officers (Chair, First Vice Chair, Second Vice Chair, Controller, and Secretary). Regular and Associate Members in good standing (dues paid) will vote for District Directors and DPCCC Delegates to CADEM. DPCCC Dues must be paid by January 1, 2023. Click here to pay your DPCCC dues now. DPCCC Officers To date, several candidates have submitted Candidate Statements for DPCCC Officer positions (Chair, First Vice Chair, Second Vice Chair, Controller, and Secretary). To view all Candidate Statements, go to candidatestatements.contracostadems.com. Nominations for these positions will remain open until January 19th, and you can submit a candidate statement by emailing it to secretary@contracostadems.com. You can also click hereto learn more about the responsibilities of these positions. District Directors After the election of our Officers, we will split into Supervisorial District caucuses, where we will vote for District Directors and CADEM Delegates. To view all Candidate Statements submitted so far for District Directors, please visit candidatestatements.contracostadems.com. DPCCC Delegates to CADEM For more details about these elections, please click here. Candidates who seek election as a Delegate to the Democratic State Central Committee are encouraged to submit a Candidate Statement. Click here for the DSCCC Candidate Statement Form. REGISTER TO VOTE FOR THE CADEM ASSEMBLY DISTRICT DELEGATE ELECTIONS Don’t forget that the California Democratic Party’s ADEM Vote By Mail Participant Registration window closes on December 31, 2022. Assembly District Delegates are elected at CADEM Assembly District Elections Meetings held in each of the state’s 80 Assembly Districts in January of each odd-numbered year. Each Assembly District will elect seven “self-identified female” and seven “other than self-identified female” delegates and one Executive Board member. You can click here to register to vote by mail or in person for your Assembly District’s ADEM election. To learn more about what an Assembly District Delegate does, please click here. To see the list of candidates for whom you can vote for in your district, click on the links below: District 11 (Discovery Bay/Knightsen/Oakley) District 14 (Albany/Berkeley/El Cerrito/El Sobrante/Hercules/Pinole/Richmond/San Pablo) District 15 (Antioch/Bay Point/Brentwood/Clayton/Concord/Martinez/Pleasant Hill/Pittsburg) District 16 (Alamo/Blackhawk/Danville/Lafayette/Moraga/Orinda/San Ramon/Walnut Creek)These Assembly Districts are new after redistricting. Please click here if you would like to confirm the Assembly District in which you live. LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK Do you have any questions or feedback about this DPCCC Newsletter? We would love to hear from you! Please send your comments to commsdir@contracostadems.com. |
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Organizational Meeting agenda – Thursday, January 19, 2023, 7:00pm
| As directed in our Bylaws, DPCCC will be holding our biennial Organizational Meeting, at which we elect our officers, District Directors, and our delegates to the California Democratic Party for two-year terms. The meeting will be on January 19, 2023, at 7pm. Below is the proposed meeting agenda, distributed fourteen days in advance in satisfaction of our Bylaws (Article IV, Section 1, D.). For details on the offices to be elected, how to run, and who can vote, please see the DPCCC blog. Further details on the procedure for voting and nominations from the floor will follow in another communication next week. |
Agenda
- Call to order and welcome
- Review Zoom meeting procedures
- Establish a quorum (30 out of 58 Regular Members)
- Approve agenda
- Approve minutes for November 17, 2022.
- Election of officers
- District caucuses
- Election of District Directors
- Election of CADEM delegates by district
- Election of at-large CADEM delegates
- Future agenda items or presentations
- Adjourn
DPCCC Organizational Meeting coming up on Jan 19 – Election of officers, District Directors, and DPCCC’s delegates to CADEM
As directed in our Bylaws, DPCCC will be holding our biennial Organizational Meeting, at which we elect our officers, District Directors, and our delegates to the California Democratic Party for two-year terms. The meeting will be on January 19, 2023, at 7pm.
What positions are there to run for?
Officers
Responsibilities of these positions
Chair
The DPCCC Chair is the chief executive officer and the official voice of the central committee. The Chair shall carry out the policies and purposes of the DPCCC and shall pursue its interests to the best of his/her abilities.
- Other responsibilities of the Chair include:
- Serve as the official DPCCC spokesperson and liaison to the public, the CDP, and Elected officials.
- Lead the effort to develop, encourage and support qualified Democrats to run for local elected office.
- Delegate and develop leadership within the DPCCC.
- Oversee the management of any staff.
- Chair the meetings of the DPCCC and the Executive Committee.
- Assist other officers in the appointment of committee chairs.
1st Vice-Chair
The First Vice-Chair shall assist the DPCCC Chair in the performance of the Chair’s duties. To the extent necessary, the First Vice-Chair shall exercise the powers of the Chair in the event of the Chair’s absence. In the event that the office of Chair is vacated, the First Vice-Chair shall assume the duties of the Chair until a new Chair has been elected.
- Other responsibilities of the First Vice-Chair include:
- Oversight of those standing committees responsible for mobilizing election activity to support Democratic issues and candidates.
- The administration, management, and strategic use of the voter database system within the county; and appointment of a voter database administrator.
2nd Vice-Chair
The Second Vice -Chair shall assist the DPCCC Chair in the performance of the Chair’s duties. To the extent necessary, the Second Vice-Chair shall exercise the powers of the Chair in the event of the absence of both the Chair and the First Vice-Chair. In the event of a vacancy in both the office of Chair and First Vice-Chair, the Second Vice-Chair shall assume the duties of the DPCCC Chair until a new Chair has been elected. The Second Vice-Chair shall be responsible for membership training, member recruitment, and club development.
- Other responsibilities of the Second Vice-Chair include:
- Maintain the membership roster of the DPCCC.
- Ensure each Public Ballot, Designated, and Ex-Officio Member has an alternate.
Controller
The Controller shall be responsible for the financial activities and fiscal health of the DPCCC. The Controller shall have access to the financial records maintained by the DPCCC.
- Other responsibilities of the Controller include:
- Prepare and deliver at each DPCCC meeting a report on the financial affairs of the DPCCC.
- Advise the DPCCC officers, committees, and the membership on financial planning with regards to the budget.
Secretary
The Secretary shall be responsible for taking the minutes of the regular and special meetings of the DPCCC and for the official communications to the membership, such as the website, e-mail lists, and official publications.
- Other responsibilities of the Secretary include:
- Appoint a Recording Secretary who will take draft minutes for the Membership and Executive Committee meetings.
- Work with the Second Vice-Chair to maintain the Membership Roster of the DPCCC.
Who can run
- For Chair: Regular Members (not Associates) who are in good standing and are registered to vote in Contra Costa County.
- For First Vice-Chair, Second Vice-Chair, Secretary, and Controller: All members who are in good standing (including Associates) and are registered to vote in Contra Costa County.
How to run
- Optional but encouraged: Send a candidate statement to the Secretary for distribution to members. You can do this anytime before the election meeting (January 19, 7pm) but the earlier, the better.
- Become a candidate in one of two ways:
- Notify the Transition Team of your intent to run ahead of the meeting.
- Be nominated from the floor during the relevant portion of the January 19 meeting.
- Speak for up to five minutes at the election meeting. You may divide this time among yourself and any other speakers you wish.
Who can vote
- Voting members, i.e. Regular Members in good standing or their Alternates exercising their credentials in their place.
District Directors
Responsibilities of these positions
- Work with the Chair(s) of the Endorsements and Elections Committees to help identify local races, outreach to Democratic incumbents, and prospective Democratic candidates.
- Identify influencers within their respective district and encourage participation in the Democratic Party.
- May appoint Assistant District Directors to help them achieve their goals.
Who can run
- All members in good standing (including Associates) who are registered to vote in the supervisorial district for that Director.
How to run
- Optional but encouraged: Send a candidate statement to the Secretary for distribution to members. You can do this anytime before the election meeting (January 19, 7pm) but the earlier, the better.
- Become a candidate in one of two ways:
- Notify the Transition Team of your intent to run ahead of the meeting.
- Be nominated from the floor by a member in your Supervisorial district during the district caucus portion of the January 19 meeting.
Who can vote
- All members in good standing (including Associates) who are registered to vote in the supervisorial district for that Director.
Delegates to CADEM
Responsibilities of these positions
- Attend and participate in both of two CADEM conventions during a two-year term, either in person or virtually depending on how the convention is held. In-person conventions have been held in a variety of locations throughout California where convention venues are available, e.g. San Francisco or Long Beach.
- Stay through the final General Session on the last day of the convention, usually a Sunday. This is a significant matter. Many delegates leave early in order to travel home; this has often put the meeting quorum at risk for significant matters being decided in that final General Session.
- This is a significant commitment of time and money (travel and accommodation expenses, dues) on the order of several hundred dollars. Members for whom these costs would be a hardship should reach out to the Chair to privately discuss options to fundraise or obtain support.
- Active, engaged delegates enhance the interaction and influence of the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County at the state party level.
Who can run
- For per-district seats: All members in good standing (including Associates) who are registered to vote in the supervisorial district for that seat.
- For at-large seats: All members (including Associates) who are in good standing and are registered to vote in Contra Costa County.
How to run
- Optional but encouraged: Fill out the candidate questionnaire. To inspire votes, consider these questions when filling out the questionnaire.
- Does the delegate candidate hold or aspire to a position on a CDP Standing Committee or in Caucus leadership? (there may be a requirement to be a CDP delegate)
- Will the candidate carry forward resolutions passed by the DPCCC to the CDP? (the process may require speaking on the convention floor)
- Will the candidate increase our DPCCC delegation’s diversity? Use the CDP Ad Hoc Committee on Committees memo Recommendations for Standing Committee Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as a reference.
- Is the candidate willing to join a caucus, attend the meeting(s) and report back to the DPCCC on its activities or facilitate engagement of our DPCCC in statewide projects? Note: there are many caucuses focused on diverse groups
- Is the candidate willing to attend a Standing Committee meeting and report back to the DPCCC?
- Become a candidate in one of two ways:
- Notify the Transition Team of your intent to run ahead of the meeting.
- Be nominated from the floor by a member in your Supervisorial district during the district caucus portion of the January 19 meeting.
Who can vote
- For per-district seats: All members in good standing (including Associates) who are registered to vote in the supervisorial district for that seat.
- For at-large seats: All members (including Associates) who are in good standing and are registered to vote in Contra Costa County.
Deadlines
- December 20: Last day for new DPCCC Associate Members to join (pay dues, $24) and be able to vote at the January 19 meeting. (Must be registered to vote with Democratic party preference in order to become a member; this will be checked.) Members for whom this cost would be a hardship should reach out to the Secretary to seek a waiver.
- January 1: Last day for current DPCCC members (both Regular and Associate) to pay dues ($40 Regular, $24 Associate including Alternates) and be able to vote at the January 19 meeting. Members for whom this cost would be a hardship should reach out to the Secretary to seek a waiver.
November 2022 Newsletter
| NOVEMBER 2022 NEWSLETTER |
| CHAIR’S MESSAGE I want to thank each and every one of you who walked neighborhoods, distributed door hangers, phone banked, texted, donated, and supported our endorsed candidates during this election. Contra Costa Democrats and Chartered Clubs worked hard to help elect great candidates across the county. We walked neighborhoods and distributed over 100,000 door hangers, mailed 84,000 slate cards, sent over 270,000 texts to voters, and phone banked for hours. I am also happy to share that our newly designed website received over 48,000 unique user visits focusing on our 2022 election pages. We may be exhausted, but I think we all have a right to feel very proud of our work. We are still waiting for the final results in a few races, but so far we know we helped elect 44 of our 68 endorsed candidates, a win ratio of 65 percent. There were many close elections, proving once again that our work is vital because every vote counts! Finally, please plan to celebrate all of our efforts on Friday, December 16, when our DPCCC Holiday Party will be held at the UA Local 342 Union Hall at 935 Detroit Avenue in Concord starting at 6:30 p.m. More details about the Holiday Party are included below in this newsletter, and early-bird tickets are available now! Stay healthy and enjoy your holidays, Katie Ricklefs Chair, Democratic Party of Contra Costa County DPCCC HOLIDAY PARTY IN CONCORD ON FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16 Join us in Concord at UA Local 342 for an indoor, festive, and fun Holiday Party starting at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, December 16! Click here to get your tickets or get a sponsorship now! Early-bird prices are available through 11:59 p.m. on December 2! The Union Hall is located at 935 Detroit Avenue in Concord. We will provide food and drinks and present some fun awards! The party will run from 6:30-9:30 p.m. We are asking our attendees to bring nonperishable food items for a Concord & Solano Food Bank Donation Bin. Donations are down, and so we want to give back while we celebrate. Masks will be encouraged, and we will have a health check at the door. So dress your best for photos, come to socialize, and celebrate with friends, new members, and our candidates who ran for office this year! We’ll hear briefly from our club leaders on our 2022 annual report and from electeds. We’ll finish off with some club awards as we look ahead to 2023. NOVEMBER MEETING REPORT The DPCCC’s November 17 Membership Meeting featured a review of our activities to help our candidates and get out the vote for the November election in Contra Costa County and the Central Valley. We will have a summary of all of this work in our next newsletter, including details about specific efforts to combat misinformation impacting one of our endorsed candidates. DPCCC members deliberated and passed a revised procedure for electing Central Committee delegates to the California Democratic Party. This election will happen at our January 2023 Organizational Meeting. More details will be posted on the DPCCC website soon. Chair Katie Ricklefs reminded everyone that the end of the year brings the end of the term for our current officers and committee leaders. So this is the time for people to start thinking about the possible roles they may wish to have in January 2023. All of our members should pay their dues now so they won’t have to worry about the deadline to be a member in good standing to vote during our January 19, 2023, biennial Organizational Meeting. More details about these elections will also be posted on the DPCCC website soon. Finally, there will not be a regular Membership Meeting in December, so join us for our Holiday Party in Concord on Friday, December 16! Would you like to learn more? Under DPCCC’s file access policy, access to all non-confidential DPCCC files is available to any DPCCC member (including Associates) upon request by emailing the Secretary. You can pay your dues by clicking here! If you are not a DPCCC member and wish to attend the monthly membership meeting, which is typically held on the third Thursday of the month, please RSVP to the DPCCC Secretary at secretary@contracostadems.com. If you are a DPCCC member, you should receive an email with details for the meeting about seven days in advance. If you do not, please email the DPCCC Secretary at secretary@contracostadems.com. AN APPRECIATION FOR REPRESENTATIVE JERRY MCNERNEY You are cordially invited to attend the Appreciation Celebration for Representative Jerry McNerney on Sunday, December 4th, from 2–5 pm at Brentwood’s Co.Co. County Wine Company at 633 1st Street in Brentwood. This event is sponsored by the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County, the Marsh Creek Democratic Club, and the San Joaquin County Democratic Party. To reserve your space, please RSVP to mcvillaseca@yahoo.com. We hope to see you there!  CONSIDER RUNNING TO BECOME A CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY ASSEMBLY DISTRICT DELEGATE Do you want to have more influence in the California Democratic Party (CADEM)? Then consider running to become an Assembly District Delegate or Executive Board Member! Assembly District Delegates are elected at CADEM Assembly District Elections Meetings held in each of the state’s 80 Assembly Districts in January of each odd-numbered year. So the next election is coming up in January 2023! Click here to learn more about these positions and the voting process on the CADEM website. Each Assembly District will elect seven “self-identified female” and seven “other than self-identified female” delegates and one Executive Board member. To run for Assembly District Delegate, you must register as a candidate by noon on Friday, December 9. Click here to register! Becoming an Assembly District Delegate gives you the opportunity to: Increase your political impact by voting for the endorsements of the California Democratic Party for partisan legislative and statewide office in California, vote for positions CADEM takes on the Ballot Propositions, build a community with passionate and diverse California Democrats, take on greater responsibility as a voice for your local district when establishing the official California Democratic State Platform (in even-numbered years), and elect 16-25 CADEM Regional Directors who function as your liaison between the California Democratic Party, County Central Committees, and Democratic Party Clubs. All California Democrats can run to become an Assembly District Delegate or vote in this Assembly District Election. Registration to vote by mail or in person in these elections will open at noon on Monday, December 12, at this website. More details will be shared in December. RESOLUTIONS AND LEGISLATION The DPCCC adopted the following proclamations and resolutions at its November 17, 2022, meeting: Proclamation Recognizing February 2023 as Black History Month Resolution Supporting the Rights of the People of Iran to Free Expression and Standing in Solidarity with the Women and People of Iran Resolution in Support of a State Windfall Profits Tax on Oil Corporations You can learn more about the Issues Committee’s process for reviewing legislation, resolutions, and proclamations by reading its submission guidelines and application for consideration. You can review an index of the Resolutions adopted by the DPCCC since 2022 and a Legislative Tracker of all the bills on which the DPCCC has taken a position during the 2021-22 session. DPCCC EVENT CALENDAR This calendar is for DPCCC and other Democratic Party events to which all DPCCC members are invited. To request the addition of an item to the calendar, please email secretary@contracostadems.com. Click on the DPCCC EVENT CALENDAR to get more details! LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK Do you have any questions or feedback about this DPCCC Newsletter? We would love to hear from you! Please send your comments to commsdir@contracostadems.com. |
Central Valley Matters acknowledges Cecilia Minalga’s contribution to 2022 campaign
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| Dear Katie, We hope you all had a warm and wonderful Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for this year. We wanted to inform everyone that our work in the Central Valley continues. Unfortunately, as you may know, Rudy Salas did not defeat his Republican opponent in CD-22. Below is a twitter link to a message Rudy sent about his race. Collectively we put forth a great effort. We canvassed, we concierged, we raised funds, we contacted friends and activists near and wide and enlisted their support for our fundraising, phonebanking, postcarding and canvassing. We have lots to be proud of; we believe we had one of the finest team efforts in catalyzing volunteers and working with the Rudy Salas team. Hopefully, what we did will become a model for how activists can work with campaigns. Although there are way too many people to thank individually, we do want to give a special thank you to Cecilia Minalga for her tireless leadership throughout our canvassing process. If you were at Rudy Salas’ watch party, you heard Dolores Huerta say it best. She thanked people from the Bay Area for coming out to canvass; she said we kept coming and coming and coming. And on top of that, Dolores said, we raised $500K to support local grassroots organizations. Let’s take a moment to be thankful and to be proud of what we did. Here is Rudy’s twitter message. |
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| Thank you for investing in and supporting our Central Valley neighbors, Your friends on the Central Valley Matters team |
Resolution in Support of a State Windfall Profits Tax on Oil Corporations
DPCCC membership approved the following resolution at the November 17, 2022 regular meeting.
WHEREAS according to the California Energy Commission, while crude oil prices are down, oil companies have increased gas prices in California by a record 84 cents per gallon in just the last month alone, with the average price of gasoline at the pump surging from $5.06 to $6.29 despite the price of oil decreasing from about $100 per barrel to $85 per barrel; and
WHEREAS oil companies and their executives have failed to provide an explanation for the divergence between prices in California compared to the national average and, while spokespeople have blamed it on five refineries temporarily shutting down at the same time, such unplanned maintenance issues have occurred in the past – most recently in September 2019 – without prices at the pump skyrocketing anywhere near this degree; and
WHEREAS on September 30 Governor Newsom called for a windfall profits tax to put record oil profits back in Californians’ pockets;
RESOLVED that the California Democratic Party supports the Governor’s call for a windfall profits tax on oil corporations;
RESOLVED that the California Democratic Party reaffirms its support of measures that increase access to affordable alternatives to internal combustion engine vehicles, measures such as public transit, and forms of zero-emission multi-modal transportation, and zero-emission vehicles.
Submitted by Nadine Peyrucain, Elected Member, District 5
Author: Igor Tregub, AD15, 510-295-8798, itregub@gmail.com
Sponsors:
California Democratic Party Regions 5, 6, 7; Igor Tregub, AD 15; Nadine Peyrucain, AD 14; Michele Sutter, AD 61; Pamela Drake, AD 18; Dan Kalb, AD 15; Michael Kapp, AD 46; Leah Herzberg, AD 46; Emily Brandt, AD 23; Libby Frolichman, AD 72; Kate Harrison, AD 15; Andrea Beth Damsky, AD 79; David Atkins, AD 37; Jessica Craven, AD 52; Sean Frame, AD 6; Ianthe Zevos, AD 52; Kathy Dervin, AD 20; Devin T. Murphy, AD 15; Elaine Hagen, AD 5; Sara Roos, AD 54; David Mandel, AD 7; Ruth Carter, AD 12; Wendy Bloom, AD 15; Doris Dent, AD 45; Michael Barnett, AD 15; Loraine Lundquist, AD 45; Jerilyn Stapleton, AD 46
Approved by the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County, November 17, 2022
Proclamation of February 2023 as Black History Month
DPCCC membership approved the following proclamation at the November 17, 2022 regular meeting.
WHEREAS Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements of Black Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of Black people in U.S. history; and
WHEREAS Black History Month grew out of the establishment, in 1926, of Negro History Week by Carter G. Woodson and through the struggles of other prominent Black Americans in U.S. history; and
WHEREAS since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month; and
WHEREAS the actions and rhetoric of certain people and/or entities calls our attention to the fact that it is long past time to confront deep racial inequities and structural racism that continue to plague Contra Costa County and our nation; and
WHEREAS the unwarranted deaths of Black Americans who fought for civil rights and equality for all in the U.S., including the Port Chicago 50 in Contra Costa County, are symbols of that inequity; and we are reminded to reflect on Black Americans who have been marginalized and negatively impacted the most by false narratives, the economy, health care, education, housing and the disproportionate aftermath of the pandemic in the Black community; and
WHEREAS as we strive to fully live up to the founding principles of the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County– that all people are created equal and have the right to peaceful and prosperous lives – we commit to the goal of having a Central Committee that looks like America – one that reflects the full talents and diversity of the American people; and
WHEREAS we commemorate the long legacy of political and civic leadership within the Black community represented by many Black elected officials in Contra Costa County, including Diana Becton, the first Black woman to serve as the Contra Costa District Attorney, Audrey Comeaux, the first Black woman to serve on the West County Wastewater Board of Directors and Patt Young, the first Black woman to serve on the Contra Costa Water District Board; and
WHEREAS today the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County has Black American party leaders who are publicly elected members, club representatives, and/or California Democratic Party Executive Board members, directly paving the way for greater diversity and Black representation within the Democratic Party;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County hereby proclaims February 2023 as Black History Month and encourages all constituents to join us in celebrating this special month; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we 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 and progress that have brought us to this time of reckoning, redemption, and hope.
2022 Proclamation revised with input from DPCCC Black American leaders
Approved by the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County, November 17, 2022
Resolution Supporting the Rights of the People of Iran to Free Expression and Standing in Solidarity with the Women and People of Iran
DPCCC membership approved the following resolution at the November 17, 2022 regular meeting.
WHEREAS a 22-year-old Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, died after being arrested by the morality police for allegedly violating the Islamic dress code for women on September 16, 2022, reportedly for alleged improper wearing of the hejab, and in response to her death protesters have taken to the streets in more than 50 cities, towns and villages across Iran and reports indicate that Iranian security forces have used lethal force in arresting more than 1,200+ people and killed as many as 87+ people during the demonstrations; and
WHEREAS Iranian women are at risk of suffering brutality and death for perceived violations of a dress code imposed on them by others; and
WHEREAS the Iranian government has also restricted the internet, cutting access to Instagram and WhatsApp to prevent communication, access to information, freedom of expression to repress the rights of Iranian citizens, journalists, and human rights defenders.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County stands with the people of Iran, particularly women, who are engaged in legitimate and peaceful protests against an oppressive and corrupt regime, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County condemns those who have routinely and systematically violated human rights, restricted freedom of peaceful assembly and association and freedom of opinion and expression, including the continuing closures of media outlets, arrests of journalists, and censorship of expression in online forums, and we call on the Iranian government and security forces to cease their attacks on (and killing of) those protesting Mahsa Amini’s death, for a thorough and unfettered investigation by a trusted international body into the circumstances of her arrest and cause of death, and full accountability for all those determined to have been responsible for the death of Mahsa Amini and the 87 others, and growing, who have subsequently been killed.
Submitted by Susan Hildreth, Elected member, District 1, on behalf of Sousan Manteghi-Safakish
Co-authors: Nima Rahimi, Ladan Manteghi, Shebreh Kalantari- Johnson (Councilmember, City of Santa Cruz), Tony Khoshaba, Sousan Manteghi-Safakish
Co-Sponsors: Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, Dr. Shokooh Miry, Edesa Bitbadal, Ryan Khojasteh, Amar Shergill (Chair, Progressive Caucus-CA Dem Party), Mahnaz Moghaddam, Sina Ferdosi, Leslie Austin (Chair, San Bernadino County Democratic Central Committee), Aisha Wahab (Councilmember, City of Hayward; Candidate, CA State Senate), Jean Cohen ( Vice-Chair, oSanta Clara County Democratic Party), Maimona Afzal Berta (Board Member, Franklin-McKinley School District; Candidate, Santa Clara County Board of Education, Area 6), Carol Garvey, Richard Constantine (Mayor, City of Morgan Hill), Andrew Goldenkranz (Chair, Santa Cruz County Democratic Party), Katherine Chavez Napoli, Joanne Fierro, Armando Benavides
Political Organization Co-Sponsors: SCCDP (Santa Clara County Democratic Party), BAIAD (Bay Area Iranian-American Democrats), ADBA (Assyrian Democrats of Bay Area), SVDC (Silicon Valley Democratic Club)
Approved by the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County, November 17, 2022
Election 2022 Results – DPCCC Chair
Dear Democrats,
After a long night of watching election results, I want to thank each and every one of you who walked neighborhoods, distributed door hangers, phone banked, texted, donated, and supported our endorsed candidates.
While we need to be patient to get the final results from our work, I am particularly proud of all the work Contra Costa Democrats and Chartered Clubs did to help elect great candidates across the county. We walked neighborhoods and distributed over 100,000 door hangers, we mailed 80,000 slate cards, we sent over 270,000 texts to voters, and phone banked for hours. I am also happy to share that our newly designed website received over 48,000 unique user visits focusing on our 2022 election pages.
We may be exhausted, but I think we all have a right to feel very proud of our work. So far, with preliminary results in, we have helped elect 44 of our 68 endorsed candidates, a win ratio of 65 percent. I also hope we will add more to this list as the rest of the votes are counted. Importantly, our key candidate for the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, Ken Carlson, won his race with over 54 percent of the vote.
On the national level, we can breathe a sigh of relief that Democrats beat the historical odds and kept some balance in Washington, D.C. Instead of the poll and pundit predictions of a huge Republican wave, we delivered a strong Democratic response to push back against extreme Republican issues and candidates. The vote counting is incomplete, and a few key races have yet to be called, but it looks like nearly a 50/50 split in Congress. We may retain control of the Senate and have a stronger-than-predicted situation in the House of Representatives.
California races saw Democratic wins up and down the ticket. We retained our full Democratic statewide officer team. Plus, John Garamendi, Josh Harder, Mark DeSaulnier, Lori Wilson, Buffy Wicks, Tim Grayson, and Rebecca Bauer-Kahan won their Congressional and State Legislative races.
Join me in congratulating the DPCCC Endorsed candidates who won their election. You can find the results in Contra Costa County at https://www.contracostavote.gov/elections/november-8-2022-election-results/.
Finally, please plan to celebrate all of our efforts on Friday, December 16, when our DPCCC Holiday Party will be held at the UA Local 342 Plumbers & Pipefitters location at 935 Detroit Avenue, Concord starting at 6 pm. More details about the Holiday Party will follow soon!
With tremendous pride and appreciation,
Katie Ricklefs, Chair – Democratic Party of Contra Costa County
Proclamation Recognizing December 10, 2022, as Human Rights Day
DPCCC membership approved the following proclamation at the October 20, 2022 regular meeting.
WHEREAS the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations on December 10, 1948, and is the first agreement among countries around the world identifying the rights and freedoms that belong to every one of us as human beings; and
WHEREAS December 10 of each year is celebrated around the world as “Human Rights Day”; and
WHEREAS the Declaration consists of a preamble and 30 articles that set out a broad range of fundamental human rights and freedoms to which all of us, everywhere around the world, are entitled. It guarantees our rights without distinction of nationality, place of residence, gender, national or ethnic origin, religion, language, or any other status; and
WHEREAS despite the efforts to protect human rights, the hostility toward human rights and those who defend them continues to rise; and
WHEREAS Human Rights Day advocates for everyone to stand up for their rights and those of others’ civil, economic, political, and cultural rights; and
WHEREAS Human Rights Day aims to enlighten us about how our rights are a foundation of sustainable development and peaceful societies and acknowledges the advocates and defenders of human rights around the world; and
WHEREAS many residents of Contra Costa County are not aware of their universal rights as enshrined in the Declaration, do not know that the United States is a signatory to this Declaration, and do not know how to obtain redress if their rights are violated;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County hereby recognizes December 10, 2022, as Human Rights Day and commits to bring forward resolutions in support of human rights issues and to uphold and defend freedom, democracy, and human rights in our own county, in our country, and around the world; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County shall communicate this resolution to Contra Costa County Democrats and Contra Costa Democratic Clubs to increase awareness of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and encourage discussion of the rights and freedoms that belong to every human being.
Submitted by Craig Cheslog, Associate Member, District 5
Approved by the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County, October 20, 2022