By Craig Cheslog, on May 15th, 2012
The agenda for the May 17, 2012, meeting of the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County Central Committee follows below. The DPCCC Central Committee meets at 7:30 p.m. at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 302 Meeting Hall, 1875 Arnold Drive, Martinez, CA.
Please contact DPCCC Chair Chuck Carpenter if you have any questions.
AGENDA
May 17, 2012
Contra Costa Democratic Central Committee
Flag salute
Roll Call
Additions to agenda
Introductions and visitor sign in
Minutes of April meeting: by email
May e-board meeting minutes: by email
Phone Banking for Candidates and issues: Tomi, Jim, WCCUSD, San Pablo measure and others
Treasurers report
All other reports: National Convention, Fundraising, UDC,Young Dems, OFA, Clubs (New Hercules and Concord), CDP eboard
New Business: Regional Campaign Meeting Sonoma, Napa, Solano, Contra Costa Central Committees and Labor Councils. 4:00 -7:30 pm May 17, Local 302. Richmond Campaign office open, Grand Opening?
Old Business: By Laws
Good of the DPCCC Announcements
Adjourn until June 21, 2012
Eboard: June 3, 2012, 1:00 pm, 1333 Pine, Martinez
By Craig Cheslog, on May 13th, 2012
A review of national and California politics will be the focus of the next Democrats of Rossmoor Club meeting on Thursday, May 24. The dinner meeting will feature Ben Tulchin, Founder and President of Tulchin Research, a national leader in research, polling, and consulting services to clients across the country.
This is a dinner meeting at the Fireside Room, with the social hour beginning at 5:00 p.m., dinner at 6:00 p.m., and the speaker at 7:00.
The speaker, Ben Tulchin, is widely known nationally as an outstanding pollster/analyst on political elections and campaign issues. His speech, entitled "The Current Political Landscape," is highly important as he will explain the political impact of redistricting in California and the new top two primary system, among other things.
The dinner cost is $26.00 for members and $28.00 for non-members. Checks are payable to Jeanne Thomas, 2115 Cactus Court #4, Walnut Creek, CA, 94595 or can be placed in the Democrats of Rossmoor Box in the Gateway Office. Please indicate choice of entree: Teriyaki Chicken or Teriyaki Veggie.
If you cannot come for the dinner please come at 7:00 to hear the speaker at no cost.
By Craig Cheslog, on May 12th, 2012
The Democratic Central Committees of Napa, Solano, Contra Costa, and Sonoma Counties are meeting for the 5th Democrat/Labor summit with the Building Trades and Labor Councils of those same counties.
The cross-county endorsement campaigns for shared candidates, state propositions, and pooling resources will be discussed. Democratic Party Controller Hilary Crosby and a representative of the State Federation of Labor will speak.
The meeting is at the IBEW Local 302 Hall, 1875 Arnold Dr., Martinez. It begins at 4:00 p.m. and will end at 7:30. Food will be available.
By Craig Cheslog, on May 9th, 2012
The San Ramon Valley Democratic Club's Thursday, May 24, meeting features presentations by former Obama Administration Official Ro Khanna and a local speaker Steve Phillips, the chair and founder of PAC+.
The meeting will take place at the Crow Canyon Country Club, 711 Silver Lake Drive, in Danville. Social time at 6:15 p.m., dinner at 6:45 p.m., with the program at 7:15 p.m. Members and invited guests can enjoy the dinner and program for $25, non-members $30, presentation only is $5 (requested donation).
Khanna will speak about why manufacturing is still key to America’s future. He will discuss why America is still competitive in manufacturing, and policies that can help our economic growth. Ro will discuss how President Obama’s economic policies are intended to foster innovation and give rise to new industries.Ro’s forthcoming book on the American economy will be released in August and can be found on Amazon.
Khanna was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is a resident of Fremont, California. He served the Obama Administration as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce. In this capacity, Ro oversaw 109 commerce offices that helped our manufacturers export and create jobs. Ro is a member of the board of Planned Parenthood, the board of I-Gate, a volunteer for We The People, and board member of Tri Valley Innovation. He has a forthcoming book entitled, “Entrepreneurial Nation: Why Manufacturing is Still Key To America’s Future.” He is a graduate of the University of Chicago in Economics and a graduate of the Yale Law School.
The local speaker, Steve Phillips, will speak about PAC+, a new national social justice political action committee with chapters in 15 states across the country, including Contra Costa County. Phillips is a national advocacy organization that conducted the country’s largest independent expenditure effort in support of Barack Obama during the 2008 Presidential primaries. In 2010, PowerPAC raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to help Kamala Harris make history by becoming the first woman and the first person of color to be elected Attorney General.
Please RSVP to Jim Donnelly. Mail checks, made out to Jim Donnelly, to 373 Century Circle, Danville, CA 94526. For more information, visit the club's web site.
By Craig Cheslog, on May 8th, 2012
The Diablo Valley Democratic Club's Wednesday, May 23 meeting (note the special night) will feature the Brady Campaign to End Gun Violence's Karen Arntzen discussing "Ending Gun Violence: Where Are We At?"
Arntzen will discuss what we've learned from Virginia Tech, Tucson, Oikos, and all-too-common but less publicized gun violence in the Bay Area. What can we do? She'll also discuss the need for action right here in Central Contra Costa County.
The DVDC meets from 7-9 p.m. at the Ygnacio Valley Library, 2661 Oak Grove Road, Walnut Creek. Please park on Deerpark Drive, the first right after the library, unless you have difficulty walking. For more information, call 925-946-0469 or visit the club's web site.
By Craig Cheslog, on May 7th, 2012
The Tri-Valley Democratic Club's Monday, May 21 meeting will feature Dr. Joel Parrott, the President and CEO of the Oakland Zoo.
Dr. Parrott will speak about the zoo, community outreach to the community, and plans for the future. The Tri-Valley Democrats meet at the IBEW Hall, 6250 Village Parkway, in Dublin at 7 p.m.
For more information about the Tri-Valley Democrats, please visit the club's web site.
By Craig Cheslog, on May 6th, 2012
Assemblymember Susan Bonilla will help celebrate the new part of her district with an event featuring Speaker John Perez on Thursday, May 10, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the USA World Class Car Museum, 1525 Sonoma Blvd., Vallejo. Tickets are $25. For more information, click here.
By Craig Cheslog, on May 5th, 2012
The Lamorinda Democratic Club's monthly meeting on Thursday, May 10 will feature a discussion about "Move Our Message: How to Get America's Ear" with Susan Strong.
SUSAN C. STRONG, Ph.D., founded the Metaphor Project in 1997, to assist progressives and liberals in mainstreaming their messages by framing them as part of the ideal American story. She brings a broad range of experience to her work with the Metaphor Project–from academic to activist.
She served as a Visiting Lecturer at U.C. Berkeley's Rhetoric Department (from 1980 to 1983) and also at the Communications Department of St. Mary's College, Moraga (1982-1985). She holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature; her thesis was on a topic about political metaphor in narrative. Since leaving the academic world, she has continued to do interdisciplinary research in the fields of American Studies, American political rhetoric, communications, metaphor and social change, framing and other topics relevant to the work of The Metaphor Project.
Beginning in 1985, she focused more of her day to day work on being an activist leader, non-profit staff writer, and columnist about issues of peace, environment, and ecological sustainability. She is a former Senior Research Associate at the Center for Economic Conversion (Mountain View) and a former Peace Action National Board member, representing California. She also served as National Peace Action Strategy Co-Chair and was a co-founder of the original Peace Action Peace Economy Campaign. She was a co-founder of The 'Who's Counting?' Project as well.
Her new book, Move Our Message: How to Get America's Ear, helps progressive activists make change happen! Today our economy, our health, our environment and even our democracy face greater threats than ever before. We need messaging that can reach mainstream American audiences–framing our points about what needs to be done in a smart, accessible way. Game changing as “1%,” “99 %” and even “Occupy” are, we have to be able to say a lot more than that as 2012 unfolds. And we must say it in short punchy ways that also stick and transform.
The best way to achieve that goal is to practice “American Framing,” or “speaking American.” American Framing is a way of translating our own ideals, values, stories and policy goals into colorful political language that spreads. Most Americans understand phrases like “let’s move forward,” “play by the rules,” or “can do.” Everyday metaphors and short phrases like these form part of our enduring political lexicon. They evoke our ideal national identity as a people. The findings of modern cognitive science validate what communications specialists have known for years: this kind of storytelling language persuades the best.
We progressives can express our own messages using that kind of easily understood language with complete integrity. Ours can be the “American truthbites” that finally bring an issue into the open. Only then will there be an audience for our talking points and the nuances they may express. Move Our Message: How to Get America’s Ear is packed with practical guidance on how to connect with mainstream American audiences. The book includes chapters on what American Framing is, why it works, and examples of “speaking American” about peace, justice, and environmental sustainability. Part III, the “how to” section, contains the most up-to-date versions of The Metaphor Project’s time-tested tools, resources, and message-building steps.
More information about Susan and the Metaphor Project at http://www.metaphorproject.org
By Craig Cheslog, on April 11th, 2012
How can societies that welcome immigrants from around the world create civic cohesion out of their ethnic and racial diversity? This critical question will be addressed by an immigration expert during a Democrats of Rossmoor meeting at 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 28, at Gateway Clubhouse.
University of California, Berkeley Associate Professor Irene Bloemraad’s research provides a first-of-its-kind comparative perspective on how the United States and Canada encourage foreigners to become citizens. Based on both vivid in-depth interviews with immigrants and statistical analysis and documentary data, Bloemraad’s research shows that Canada’s greater state support for settlement and official government policy of multiculturalism increases political participation of its immigrants when compared with those in the United States.
Professor Bloemraad will speak on Saturday, April 28, in the Fireside Room. Her talk will begin promptly at 3 p.m. Refreshments will be served and there will be time for questions from the audience. To make arrangements to be allowed to enter Rossmoor, email emilybondehm@gmail.com.
The United States, long an example of successful immigrant integration, today faces great challenges in incorporating newcomers into its established communities. While many previous accounts suggest that differences in naturalization and political involvement stem from the differences in immigrants’ political skills and interests, Irene Bloemraad discovered that immigrants’ integration into their host communities depends fundamentally upon their reception, rather than upon the countries they come from or the skills they bring with them. In her discussion she will also describe the implications of her findings for countries other than the U.S. and Canada, including Australia and in Europe.
Bloemraad received her Ph.D. from Harvard University. She has published both books and numerous academic articles based upon her extensive research on a broad spectrum of aspects of immigration and the policies and programs that either facilitate or hamper the process whereby immigrants become effective citizens of their host counties.
Bloemraad has recently published a book entitled Becoming a Citizen: Incorporating Immigrants and Refugees in the United States and Canada. In describing her work, she writes, in part, “Underlying all my work is a concern and interest in how people become incorporated in political bodies, the processes through which incorporation takes place, and the (potential) tension between democratic civic equality and communal membership based on ethnicity, race, religion or some other seemingly organic membership.”
By Craig Cheslog, on April 9th, 2012
The San Ramon Valley Democratic Club's Thursday, April 26, meeting will feature presentations by State Senator Mark DeSaulnier and County Supervisor Candidate Tomi Van de Brooke.
The meeting will take place at the Crow Canyon Country Club, 711 Silver Lake Drive, in Danville. Social time at 6:15 p.m., dinner at 6:45 p.m., with the program at 7:15 p.m. Members and invited guests can enjoy the dinner and program for $25, non-members $30, presentation only is $5 (requested donation).
In his first term, he has taken a leadership role on a variety of key issues including government reform, labor, transportation, the environment, health care, local government, and public safety. DeSaulnier brings a breadth of experience to the Legislature and public service.
In the Senate, DeSaulnier now chairs the Transportation and Housing Committee and the Subcommittee No. 3 of Budget and Fiscal Review Committee pertaining to Health and Human Service. In addition he sits on the Senate Committees on Budget & Fiscal Review, Health, Energy, Utilities & Communications, Labor & Industrial Relations, and Governance & Finance as well as the Joint Legislative Budget Committee and the Joint Legislative Sunset Review Committee. He also chairs the Senate Select Committees on Excellence and Innovation in State Government; Restoring California’s Middle Class; and Small Business and the Underground Economy.
The local speaker, Tomi Van de Brooke, has the diverse experience and skills needed to help Contra Costa County during these challenging times.
She worked for Fortune 500 companies, started and ran her own small business, and was the managing partner of a Walnut Creek communications firm. Tomi also worked for the California Alliance for Jobs, an organization dedicated to rebuilding California’s aging infrastructure, and most recently served as Chief of Staff for the District III County Supervisor in the San Ramon Valley.
She has dedicated much of her time to helping the community, serving on a number of non-profit boards including the Contra Costa Council, Economic Development Alliance for Business, and the Contra Costa Regional Health Foundation.
Please RSVP to Jim Donnelly. Mail checks, made out to Jim Donnelly, to 373 Century Circle, Danville, CA 94526. For more information, visit the club's web site.
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