Tag Archives: civil-rights

Resolution Committing to Free Fair Elections

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DPCCC membership approved the following resolution at the September 15, 2022 regular meeting.

WHEREAS the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County recognizes and supports the fundamental right of voters to decide the outcome of our elections and expects the subsequent peaceful transfer of power as not merely a venerable tradition but paramount to the survival of democracy and the Republic, and 

WHEREAS the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County places a high value on elections that are free and fair, accessible and safe, secure and transparent, and is proud of Contra Costa County’s long history of administering elections that are reliable and trustworthy, and

WHEREAS the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County is aware of advisories issued by the California Secretary of State indicating that rumors and misinformation concerning election procedures, whether intentional or otherwise, continue to cast doubt on the integrity of elections and, according to a major network news poll, “threats to democracy” has become voters’ top issue facing the country, 

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County will continue to support and defend elections that are safe, free and fair and will not tolerate attempts by any elected officials, candidates, special interest groups, or other actors who undermine the election process, threaten election workers or voters, or disregard the collective will of the voters.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County solemnly commits to recognize the legitimacy of democratically elected officials of this jurisdiction, the State of California and the United States, regardless of personal preference, and will use its platform to fiercely defend the Constitution and our democracy from such unlawful threats to our freedoms and fundamental voting rights.

Submitted by Renee Zeimer, Elected Member, District 2

Approved by the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County, September 15, 2022

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.

Resolution in Support of H.R. 1/S. 1, the For the People Act

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

WHEREAS, on January 6, 2021, insurrectionists stormed the United States Capitol, leading to five deaths, in a violent action powered by The Big Lie of widespread voter fraud in order to allege that the 2020 presidential election was stolen; and

WHEREAS, the right to vote is under assault with an intensity and aggressiveness that analysts explain has not been seen since the end of Reconstruction, with Republican-led state legislatures in a quarter of the states passing laws to shorten windows for early voting, restrict access to mail voting, tighten or impose voter ID requirements, eliminate Election Day registration, reduce the number of polling places available, make it easier to overturn elections, allow greater interference with election administration, and criminalize efforts by election officials to make it easier to vote; overall, over 400 bills have been introduced in the states to curb voting rights, targeting people of color in particular, since the beginning of 2021; and  

WHEREAS, the For the People Act would counteract this threat to our democracy by making it easier to vote in federal elections, protecting and expanding voting rights, creating new campaign finance and ethics rules to curb a small unrepresentative group of mega-donors from being a barrier to diverse candidates, increasing safeguards against foreign election interference, prohibiting extreme partisan gerrymandering;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County supports the passage of The For the People Act, our next great Civil Rights legislation, and urges all Senate Democrats to support efforts to eliminate or reform the filibuster in order to pass the bill to allow President Biden to sign it into law and prevent an outcome where, without fair voting rules in 2022 and 2024, the consequences could include the permanent loss of democracy for our nation; and

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, and members of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives representing any part of Contra Costa County. 

Submitted by:

Renee Zeimer, Elected Member, District 2
Harry Wiener, Associate Member, District 1
Craig Cheslog, Associate Member, District 2