April 2024 is Arab American Heritage Month

Proclamation of April 2024 as Arab American Heritage Month 

WHEREAS, for over a century, Arab Americans have been making valuable contributions to virtually every aspect of American society, including medicine, law, business, technology, government, and culture; and 

WHEREAS, since migrating to the United States, men and women of Arab descent have shared their rich culture and traditions with neighbors and friends, while also setting fine examples of model citizens and public servants; and 

WHEREAS, Arab migrants to the United States brought with them their resilient family values, strong work ethic, dedication to education, and diversity in faith and creed, strengthening the fabric of our diverse nation; and 

WHEREAS, the history of Arab Americans in American life often remains neglected or defaced by misunderstanding, bigotry, and anti-Arab hate in the form of crimes and speech; and 

WHEREAS, issues currently affecting Arab Americans, such as civil rights abuses, harmful stereotyping, harassment, and bullying, are increasing significantly and must be combated in the forms of education and awareness, particularly in light of the horrible impact that the Israel-Hamas Conflict has on the Palestinian community; and 

WHEREAS, there is a need for public education, awareness, and policies that are culturally competent when describing, discussing, or addressing the impacts of being Arab American in all aspects of American society, including discourse and policy; and

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County celebrates the countless contributions that Arab Americans have made to American society and the State of California, recognizing and honoring the month of April 2024 to be Arab American Heritage Month.

Approved by the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County Executive Committee, March 7, 2024, subject to action by the General Membership on April 18, 2024

Governor Newsom’s 2023 Inaugural Address


Governor Newsom’s Inaugural Address as Prepared for Delivery
(Click HERE to watch video of Inaugural Address)

Time has done its usual trick on me.

It says it has been four years since I stood in the shadow of this Capitol and delivered my first inaugural address.

Four years, disaster and plague, they bend the clock in strange ways.

It feels like both a flash, and an eternity.

In the longest hours of my first term, trying to plot a course through pandemic, wildfire, mass shootings, and social unrest … I found myself looking backward, as much as I was looking forward.

I recalled the late-1970s, when I was 10 or 11 years old, a child of divorce and dyslexia, trying to find my bearings.

I was a kid, traveling back and forth across the Golden Gate Bridge, between the two very different lives of my mother and father.

I couldn’t read, and was looking for any way to ditch classes. I’d fake stomach aches and dizziness. I’d bite down on the thermometer in the nurse’s office trying to make the temperature rise past 100.

My mom, busy juggling three jobs, had no patience for a truant.

My father, the judge, guilty because he had left us, was an easier touch.

I remember one time during the middle of school, when he picked me up in his Volkswagen bug, and took me to San Francisco’s Chinatown.

On its face, this was a mission for food.

But I didn’t understand back then, it was also HIS mission, to give me a slice of San Francisco, our place, and the story of California.

We crossed one of the many demarcations in the city, and suddenly we had entered another realm.

Through the gate at the intersection of Bush and Grant, my eyes and nose took it all in.

Pagoda-style storefronts. Red lanterns hanging from above. Giant statues of Buddha in the windows. Roasted duck. Fresh baked cookies.

My father wasn’t content with just showing me the unfamiliar. He wanted me to see past the façade, to the people themselves.

The humble entrepreneurs and immigrant parents, building better lives for their kids. To the journey that had brought them to enrich our city – and our state.

This was the same California that drew my great, great grandparents from County Cork in Ireland to start a new life during the first years of California’s statehood.

William Newsom the first, became a beat cop in San Francisco. And the Newsoms began to plant roots as working-class Irish, in a land where anything was possible.

The journey from policeman to politician took 150 years.

My wife Jennifer, the First Partner, is the second in her family to be born in the Golden State.

My children – Montana, Hunter, Brooklyn, and Dutch – now 5th generation Californians.

And all of you here today. No two California origin stories are the same, but we share aspirations, and ambitions.

These ties bind us, sometimes unknowingly, to our state’s past – and to each other.

I remember hot summer days with my dad, riding a raft down wild stretches of the American River. Those cold waters were the same ones where James Marshall found gold nuggets that would sell the California Dream to the world, and alter the course of American history.

But I’m mindful that there’s another side to that story, not the fairytale.

California’s statehood, after all, was also sealed with a brutal genocide against native people.

Reconciling that complexity has always guided my own understanding of myself, and of the state that I love so deeply.

The shameful chapters of our history do not lessen my love for my home state. They make it more complicated, yes, deeper, richer, and serve as a reminder that we can always become better.

The California that beckoned my forebears 170 years ago had a population of 93,000. Today, we’re nearly 40 million strong, each with our own California story.

I hear the echoes of my own family’s story in those who are still coming to California to pursue their dreams, drawn by the myth and magic of this place.

I hear the echoes in the stories of migrants that cross our southern border seeking something better.

In people who come from every continent on earth to flee political persecution, or from other states to educate themselves in our world-class universities, to start businesses that support their families, or change the world.

Whether your family came here for work, or for safety, California offered freedom to access it, not contingent on you looking a certain way, talking a certain way, thinking a certain way.

And that’s what makes California special – it’s in our genes. We’re a state of dreamers and doers. Bound by our live-and-let-live embrace of personal freedom.

But like I’ve said, we’ve made mistakes … Lord knows we’ve made our share.

Let’s not forget, the Chinatown I visited as a boy is a remnant of the bigotry of agitator Denis Kearney, and the Chinese Exclusion Act of the 1880s.

Tens of thousands of Japanese Americans were interned right here during World War II.

In the post-war era, as California’s suburbs grew, the racist practice of exclusionary zoning took hold, denying Black, Asian, Armenian and Latino residents the right to live on the good side of town and build wealth.

This planted the seeds of the housing and homeless crisis we face today.

Even California indulged homophobic hate at the ballot box, with the Briggs Initiative – the 1970s version of “Don’t Say Gay.”

And of course, the 1990s brought a wave of anti-immigrant xenophobia, manifesting in Proposition 187.

These are dark moments in California’s journey. But in the end, we confronted our errors with humility and conviction, paving the way for rights and freedom to prevail.

Every day, California commits itself to the process of getting it right for the next generation.

In nearly 30 years in politics, I have had the opportunity to see this process firsthand, learning as we go, and etching these learnings on the consciousness of a country that perhaps hasn’t yet caught up.

When we started issuing same-sex marriage licenses in San Francisco in 2004, it felt as if history moved at light-speed, in the right direction, decades of advocacy culminating in that beautiful Winter of Love.

But that victory, to expand rights and freedom to marry, was snatched away by a backlash that resulted in Proposition 8.

Eventually, after many setbacks, and many steps forward, just a few weeks ago, President Biden signed legislation enshrining the freedom to marry.

That has been the story of progress throughout our history.

It is not always easy, and not always linear.

But in the end, the verdict is clear – expanding rights is always the right thing to do.

And yet, there are still forces in America that want to take the nation backward.

We saw that two years ago, on this day, when the unthinkable happened at a place most Americans assumed was invincible.

An insurrectionist mob ransacking a sacred pillar of our democracy, violently clashing with sworn officers upholding the rule of law.

Just like the brave men and women whose heroism we inscribe, here on our own Peace Officers’ Memorial.

Since that terrible day, we’ve wrestled with what those events say about us as a country.

The ugliness that overflowed on January 6th, 2021, was in fact decades in the making. Fomented by people who have a very different vision of America’s future.

Red state politicians, and the media empire behind them, selling regression as progress, oppression as freedom.

And as we know too well, there is nothing original about their demagoguery.

All across the nation, anxiety about social change has awakened long-dormant authoritarian impulses.

Calling into question what America is to become, freer and fairer … or reverting to a darker past.

Instead of finding solutions, these politicians void of any new ideas, pursuing power at any cost, prey upon our fears and paranoias.

“The struggle to be who we ought to be,” as a nation is difficult and demanding.

And that’s why we should be clear-eyed about their aims.

They’re promoting grievance and victimhood, in an attempt to erase so much of the progress you and I have witnessed in our lifetimes.

They make it harder to vote and easier to buy illegal guns.

They silence speech, fire teachers, kidnap migrants, subjugate women, attack the Special Olympics, and even demonize Mickey Mouse.

All camouflaged under a hijacking of the word “freedom.”

But what they really want is more control – intrusive government, command over your most intimate decisions – when to have a family, how you raise your kids, how you love.

While they cry freedom, they dictate the choices people are allowed to make. Fanning the flames of these exhausting culture wars. Banning abortion, banning books, banning free speech in the classroom, and in the boardroom.

They sell fear and panic when it comes to crime and immigration.

But they sell calm and indifference when the threat is greenhouse gases destroying our planet, or big oil raking in windfall profits at your expense.

But California offers reason for hope.

“There is no soil better adapted” to liberty and opportunity – the sense of possibility, than here in our home state.

Now, the fourth largest economy in the world.

The most venture capital and startups in America.

Leading the world in the transition to a low-carbon, green growth future.

An advanced industrial economy in biotherapeutics, genomics. Aerospace and battery storage.

High-speed internet connecting the Central Valley to the Central Coast.

Rebuilding roads from Yreka to San Ysidro.

Providing clean water from Colusa to Coachella.

A new Cal Poly in Humboldt, conveying more scientists, engineers, researchers, Nobel laureates than any other state.

Debt free college for hundreds of thousands of students…

And the largest state volunteer corps in America.

I am mindful, though, that California, like the nation, is two rivers at once, a mix of light and shadows.

So as we go forward, we must continue our quest for an honest accounting of where we’ve fallen short: on affordability, on housing, on homelessness.

In our pursuit of belonging, and equal justice, California must be the enduring proof of concept.

We must reconcile our shortcomings. Bring everyone along in our prosperity.

After all, a healthy democracy must be inclusive.

Government by the people and for the people, requires people willing to fight to protect and advance it.

Just like Californians did last year, when we overwhelmingly voted to enshrine reproductive rights into our State Constitution.

We chose choice.

In our finest hours, California has been freedom’s force multiplier. Protecting liberty from a rising tide of oppression taking root in statehouses.

Weakness, masquerading as strength. Small men in big offices.

More than any people, in any place, California has bridged the historic expanse between freedom for some, and freedom for all.

We open our arms not clench our fists. We turn our gaze upward, not inward.

Freedom is our essence, our brand name – the abiding idea that right here, anyone from anywhere can accomplish anything.

We’ve overcome the destructive impulses of extremism, racism, and nativism.

And shown the rest of America it’s not only achievable – it’s undeniable.

Going forward, California will continue to lead out loud, by advancing a far-reaching freedom agenda.

A full-throated answer to those demagogues of division, determined to regress and oppress.

Freedom for teachers to teach, free of litmus tests about their political party, or the person they love.

Freedom to access health care for all Californians, regardless of their immigration status.

Freedom from Big Pharma’s grip, competing head-on by manufacturing our own life-saving drugs.

Freedom to vote without intimidation, with results decided by the people, not the politicians.

The battle lines are drawn. And yes, once again, it’s time for choosing.

Let’s not forget that policies that started here that were once considered nothing more than romantic possibilities have now become commonplace across the other 49 states.

California “lights out the territory for the rest.”

That’s what we do best. Giving shape to the future – molding the character of the nation.

Just like those rivers that sculpted so many of California’s deepest valleys.

The places of my childhood memories. Those rafting and camping trips with my dad. Falling in love with California. Over and over again.

My father died shortly after I was elected governor in 2018. He never got to see his son assume the office.

Nor did my mother Tessa, who died just before I became Mayor of San Francisco.

Their dreams, their spirit, their love of California, is with me every day.

Just as they were last year, when I found myself with the leaders of California’s most populous tribe, the Yurok. Floating down another great river, the Klamath, in a traditional dugout canoe.

We stopped for dinner on the riverbank and prepared salmon smoked on redwood, over a traditional firepit.

The bark infused flavor into the fish, imparting a taste familiar to the Yurok people stretching back to their earliest ancestors.

Just a few weeks ago, I returned to the Klamath and met with Yurok, Karuk, and Klamath tribal leaders.

This time, to celebrate the removal of four dams … America’s largest dam removal project in history.

Setting the river free once more, restoring natural salmon runs and in so doing, righting a historical wrong.

Because this is what California does. And it’s what I’ve dedicated my life to.

Standing up for ideals, striking out against injustice.

After all, history reminds us that each of us will be judged … and ultimately judge ourselves, to the extent we contribute, as Bobby Kennedy said, to the life of our cities, our state, our nation, and the world we are trying to build.

That brings me back to time.

Time is undefeated, it is relentless.

So in our fleeting moment, we must fight against our worst impulses, and find our better angels.

Because at the end of the day, our lives are just too short, our wisdom too limited, to win fleeting victories at other people’s expense.

We must all triumph together.

Thank you.

September 2022 DPCCC Newsletter


SEPTEMBER 2022 NEWSLETTER
CHAIR’S MESSAGE
The election is almost here—voters will start to receive their 2022 general election ballots in just over two weeks. I hope you will join me in working every day to help elect our candidates. 

The Democratic Party of Contra Costa County has endorsed 68 candidates for offices ranging from Ken Carlson for the County Board of Supervisors to the city councils, school boards, and special districts throughout the county. Our candidates represent the diversity of our county, with 21 being first-time candidates. Each one needs our support to win and make a difference for their community. You can see more about these candidates in a story later in this newsletter. 

Getting Ken Carlson elected to the Board of Supervisors is one of our top priorities. His election could change the board’s balance for many years to come. If Ken wins, our priority issues and values have a chance to be realized. If Ken loses, our push for housing, healthcare, social justice, climate sustainability, and economic equity will all suffer. This is a race with generational importance. Please add your energy and voice.

I want to urge you to join me in picking a few key races at the local level to get involved in and help us Get Out the Vote! In addition to Ken’s campaign for the Board of Supervisors, other local candidates are facing coordinated efforts to get MAGA Republicans elected to our school boards. 

Please pick a few campaigns to help by knocking on doors, making phone calls, sending texts, or making contributions. A few hours a week will help us elect our 68 locally endorsed candidates and our statewide and Congressional officials. You also will see later in this newsletter how you can take action to help Democrats win close elections in the Central Valley and keep our House majority. 

It is a lot of work. But I believe electing Democrats is the reason we are here. Let me know if you have any questions. You can email me at chair@contracostadems.com.

I hope to see you on the campaign trail! Stay healthy and strong,

Katie Ricklefs
Chair, Democratic Party of Contra Costa County

SEPTEMBER MEETING REPORT
The DPCCC’s September 15 Membership Meeting featured the wrap-up of our endorsement process, a report from our Issues Committee (see report later in this newsletter), and updates from our committees on the work they are doing to prepare for election day.

Chair Katie Ricklefs thanked Tamela Hawley and Irene Tait for their excellent handling of the endorsement process, working with our District Directors and endorsement committee members. 

Chair Ricklefs also announced that she was appointing Jeff Koertzen and Robyn Kuslits as the Ad-Hoc Transition Committee for the January 19, 2023, DPCCC Organizational Meeting.

First Chair Susana Williams announced that Rebecca Barrett was appointed to co-chair our Elections Committee, joining Chuck Carpenter. The two co-chairs have talked with the District Directors and endorsed candidates, especially new candidates and have received input on what our priority races should be from them and our club leadership. We learned more about what all of our members can do to help elect our endorsed candidates. 

DPCCC members discussed and approved a revised budget for the rest of the year. 

Communications Director Jan Bell reported on updates to the DPCCC website to showcase endorsed candidates and encouraged people to provide feedback about this newsletter at commsdir@contracostadems.com

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.


DPCCC ENDORSES 68 CANDIDATES FOR THE NOVEMBER ELECTION
The Democratic Party of Contra Costa County has endorsed 68 candidates for local offices. These endorsements include the County Board of Supervisors, city councils, school boards, and special districts. 

The DPCCC’s website has the full list of these endorsed candidates, grouped by east, central/south, and west county. Our endorsement website includes candidate questionnaires, campaign videos, and other useful information. 

The DPCCC has also endorsed Measure K, a Martinez Unified School District Bond, and Measure Q, a Voter Protected Open Space Initiative for the City of Brentwood.

You can also see the California Democratic Party’s endorsements for federal and statewide offices and the statewide propositions on the November ballot. 

Most importantly, remember to VOTE by November 8th and donate or volunteer for Democrats running for office!

TAKE ACTIONCalling all volunteers, phone bankers, and canvassers! 
The path to the next House majority goes through California

Join Contra Costa Democrats for a one-day bus trip to work some canvassing magic in Tulare on Saturday, October 15. 
https://www.mobilize.us/cadems/event/514161/

Join Contra Costa Democrats as we turn voices into votes…calling voters in Kern and Kings counties on Tuesdays at 11:30 a.m., Wednesdays at 5 p.m., Saturdays at 10 a.m., and Sundays at 1 p.m. 
https://www.mobilize.us/cadems/event/439762/

Knock doors every Saturday in Hanford, Kings County, through election day!
https://www.mobilize.us/cadems/event/445111

Knock doors on Fridays through Sundays, beginning on September 30 in Bakersfield, Kern County, through election day!
https://www.mobilize.us/cadems/event/494449

For more information on volunteering, contact Cecilia at volunteer@contracostadems.comor call 510-693-4259.

RESOLUTIONS AND LEGISLATION
The DPCCC adopted the following proclamations and resolutions at its September 15, 2022, meeting:
Proclamation in Support of Veteran’s Day 2022
Proclamation In Celebration of American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month, November 1 – 30, 2022;
California Native American Day, September 23, 2022; and National Day of Recognition of Native American Heritage, November 25, 2022
Resolution Urging that the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors conduct Open Study Sessions on Critical Contra Costa County Sheriff Department Functions Related to the Internal Investigations Process from an Equity Lens, Including Potential Oversight Mechanisms
Resolution Re-Committing to Core Principles of Our Democracy—Free & Fair Elections

The DPCCC voted at its September 15, 2022, meeting to take positions on the following statewide and local measures on the November 2022 general election ballot:

SUPPORT Proposition 1 (Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment to the California State Constitution). Click here to read the Issues Committee Application.

SUPPORT Measure K, Martinez Unified School District Bond. Click here to read the Issues Committee Application.

 SUPPORT Measure Q, City of Brentwood Voter-Protected Open-Space Initiative. Click here to read the Issues Committee Application.

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.
SUPPORT OUR ENDORSED CANDIDATES Our Communications team is posting canvassing and fundraising events for our endorsed candidates on the DPCCC website and the DPCCC’s event calendar

There are events all around Contra Costa County. Please support as many of our endorsed candidates as you can as Democrats work to get them elected this November!

ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Alameda County Democratic Party is hosting its 50th Anniversary Democratic Unity Dinner at the Oakland Airport Hilton on Saturday, September 24, at 6 p.m. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets. 
 
If you have an announcement you would like us to consider including in next month’s newsletter, please email commsdir@contracostadems.com

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. Please click HERE to go to the DPCCC Calendar.

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

August 2022 DPCCC Newsletter

 
AUGUST 2022 NEWSLETTER
CHAIR’S MESSAGE

At our August 18 General Membership meeting, DPCCC members heard an important message from Planned Parenthood Northern California (PPNC) President and CEO Gilda Gonzales and Director of Public Affairs Margaret Martinez Franks. 

I appreciated their update and the call to action they shared with us. You can read more about their presentation in the August Meeting Report. 

Our Endorsements Committee has been hard at work in all five districts preparing to make recommendations for the candidates we should support in the November elections. We will have a lot of work to do to counteract the statewide and national efforts of Republicans and their allies. CalMatters reported on what is happening in school board elections throughout California. I am glad the reporter pointed out what we have been doing to support our school board members in Contra Costa. 
 
Please let me know if you want to learn more about our endorsement and overall election efforts. You can email me at chair@contracostadems.com.

I also hope you are enjoying this edition of our DPCCC newsletter. Please let our Communications Committee know what you think by emailing its Chair, Jan Bell, at commsdir@contracostadems.com
 
Best wishes,

Katie Ricklefs
Chair, Democratic Party of Contra Costa County

AUGUST MEETING REPORT


The DPCCC’s August 18 Membership Meeting featured a presentation by Planned Parenthood Northern California (PPNC) President and CEO Gilda Gonzales and Director of Public Affairs Margaret Martinez Franks. 

Gonzales and Martinez Franks discussed Reproductive Freedom: Meeting the Moment at the Ballot Box. This issue has become even more of a priority for DPCCC members in the wake of the Supreme Court’s recent decision to end the federal right to abortion. 

Martinez Franks explained that California is a Reproductive Freedom State and outlined how California Planned Parenthood Affiliates are the key to fulfilling this commitment.

She introduced DPCCC members to PPNC’s operations that cover 20 California counties from Contra Costa north to the Oregon border. There are six health care centers in Contra Costa County. Overall, PPNC serves over 70,000 patients. Preventative care makes up most of the services provided by PPNC, including sexually transmitted disease screening and treatment, pregnancy testing, contraception services, and cancer screening.

Gonzales then discussed what we could expect in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. “The situation will get worse before it gets better,” she said. “The only way it will get better is through positive electoral outcomes—and California needs to lead the way.”

Gonzales shared that PPNC, like abortion providers around the country, is dealing with the legal ramifications in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision and the efforts of abortion-hostile states to criminalize efforts to help people who can become pregnant receive these vital health care services. 

DPCCC members can help with this fight right now have three significant ways. 

First, Gonzales encouraged Democrats to be “all-in on Proposition 1—it is vital for California to send a message.” Proposition 1 will enshrine abortion and birth control access in the California Constitution. Visit YesOn1CA.com to learn more.

Second, support abortion funds like Access Reproductive Justice (ARJ). There is a need not just in hostile-to-abortion states, but also here in California. As ARJ explains, “Reproductive rights are meaningless when you don’t know where to get birth control, no abortion provider accepts your insurance, you are afraid to seek prenatal care because of your immigration status, or the closest clinic is hours from your home.”

Third, she said that we all needed to elevate abortion stories to minimize abortion stigma. “There should be no shame. And this is everybody’s issue,” Gonzales emphasized. 

The DPCCC, through its Issues Committee, has made abortion a focus of the legislation we have supported this year. The DPCCC voted to support several federal bills that attempt to address what the Supreme Court ruled in its Dobbs decision and a concurring opinion by Justice Clarence Thomas. You can review these on the DPCCC’s Legislative Tracker

The DPCCC also adopted the updated California Democratic Party Code of Conduct. The DPCC will share it with candidates seeking the DPCCC’s endorsement. The DPCCC will also ask its chartered clubs to review the Code of Conduct and consider adopting it. 

The Elections Committee is preparing to support the candidates the DPCCC endorses at its Special Membership Meeting on September 1 at 6 p.m. via Zoom. Elections Committee Chair Chuck Carpenter noted that our school board and city council members are under attack by coordinated Republican efforts. 
 
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!

SPECIAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING FOR ENDORSEMENTS

The Democratic Party of Contra Costa County will hold a special membership meeting on Thursday, September 1, at 6 p.m. via Zoom to consider endorsements for the November General Election.

If you are not a DPCCC member and wish to attend, 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.

IN THE NEWS

The Democratic Party of Contra Costa County’s efforts to support our local school board members during some of the more contentious meetings about public health measures and teaching accurate history over the past year were featured in a Cal Matters story about how California Republicans are betting big on local school board races in 2022

After hearing from some Contra Costa school board members asking for help, the DPCCC adopted two resolutions to support our School Board members. In addition to sharing the resolutions with our members and posting them on our website, DPCCC members and leadership, including Chair Katie Ricklefs, attended school board meetings to share the resolutions. 

The Republican efforts to take over school boards are happening in Contra Costa County. That’s why supporting the DPCCC’s endorsed school board candidates in the November elections will be one of our top priorities. 

TAKE ACTION

JOIN US IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY TO TALK TO VOTERS, ONE CONVERSATION AT A TIME!

There are less than three months left to reach voters and the path to the next House majority goes through California. Canvassing is the most effective way to introduce voters to Rudy Salas, help support Democrats, and get your steps in! Lodging and carpool options are available.

Knock doors every Saturday in Hanford, Kings County, through election day!
https://www.mobilize.us/cadems/event/445111

Knock doors on Fridays through Sundays, beginning on September 30 in Bakersfield, Kern County, through election day!
https://www.mobilize.us/cadems/event/494449

Don’t worry if you’ve never done this before—when you arrive at the staging location you will be trained and given all the supplies you need. And once you get going, you’ll find that talking to voters is fun and rewarding!
 
For more information on volunteering, contact Cecilia at volunteer@contracostadems.com or call 510-693-4259.

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW FOR THE DPCCC BBQ PARTY

Save the date! The DPCCC’s annual BBQ will be on September 10 from noon to 5 p.m. at the Concord Community Park (3501 Cowell Rd, Concord, CA 94518).

Early Bird Tickets are now available through August 31! We’ll enjoy music, a taco bar (our BBQ Chair will BBQ too), plenty of fun drinks, cornhole, giant Jenga, speeches, tabling from our candidates and clubs, and the opportunity to meet and speak with electeds and other activists and volunteers. Bring a friend or new member, bring your dog, wear your Democratic Party of Contra Costa County (DPCCC) shirts or hats, and come ready to have fun! 

Sponsorships are available and play a vital role in supporting the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County in recruiting and electing democrats both here and in critical or contentious races locally or across the state or country. Your sponsorship also helps support our County party infrastructure to be able to host more fun events, recognize members and support our members.

Click here to purchase a ticket or sponsorship!


RESOLUTIONS AND LEGISLATION

The DPCCC adopted the following resolutions at its August 18, 2022, meeting:
Proclamation in Support of National Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15, 2022 – October 15, 2022
 Proclamation Recognizing and Commemorating the 77th Anniversary of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, October 2022

The DPCCC voted at its August 18, 2022, meeting to take positions on the following bills currently under consideration in the United States Congress:
SUPPORT H.R. 8296 (Authored by Representative Judy Chu), the Women’s Health Protection Act of 2022, which would create a federal right for patients to receive and providers to provide abortion care, ensuring every American—regardless of where they live—can make decisions about their own lives and bodies. Click here to read the Issues Committee Application.
SUPPORT H.R. 8297 (Authored by Representative Lizzie Fletcher), the Ensuring Women’s Right to Reproductive Freedom Act, which would prohibit anyone acting under state law from interfering with a person’s ability to access out-of-state abortion services. Click here to read the Issues Committee Application.
SUPPORT H.R. 8373 (Authored by Representative Kathy Manning), the Right to Contraception Act, which would provide statutory protections for an individual’s right to access and a health care provider’s right to provide contraception and related information. Click here to read the Issues Committee Application.
SUPPORT H.R. 8404 (Authored by Representative Jerrold Nadler), the Respect for Marriage Act, which would provide statutory authority for same-sex and interracial marriages. Click here to read the Issues Committee Application.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.


DEMOCRATS AROUND CONTRA COSTA COUNTY  

The primary focus of our District Directors during the past month has been organizing and managing our candidate endorsement process for the November 2022 election. Check back next month for more details on what is happening around the county!BIDEN/HARRIS ACCOMPLISHMENTSTo counteract the Republican negative campaign against the Biden/Harris administration, we’ve generated one slide that summarizes their long list of accomplishments under three major goals they have achieved.  You can use this information when you’re out canvassing, for talks with your friends and family members and—if you’re really brave—with moderate Republicans!

In any event, don’t give in to the Republican negative messages—defend the Biden/Harris administration’s accomplishments! Click here to see the slide:
https://contracostadems.com/biden-harris-accomplishments/.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Farm workers are marching to win the right to vote for a union free from intimidation and threats. This march is to convince Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign AB 2183, the Agricultural Labor Relations Voting Choice Act (AB 2183-Stone). The bill would give more choices to farm workers so they can vote free from intimidation. Farm workers would be able to vote in secret whenever and wherever they feel safe. 

You are invited to join the Farm Workers as they complete the final mile of their march in Sacramento on Friday, August 26 at 9 a.m. Click here for more details!

The Alameda County Democratic Party is hosting its 50th Anniversary Democratic Unity Dinner at the Oakland Airport Hilton on Saturday, September 24, at 6 p.m. Early bird tickets for $110 are available until Friday, September 2. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets. 
 
If you have an announcement you would like us to consider including in next month’s newsletter, please email commsdir@contracostadems.com

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. Please click on the image to get more details!LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINKDo 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
Copyright © 2022 secretary@contracostadems.com, All rights reserved. 

Our mailing address is: 
Democratic Party of Contra Costa County
P. O. Box 4112
Martinez, CA 94553
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June 2022 DPCCC Newsletter

JUNE 2022 NEWSLETTER
CHAIR’S MESSAGE

I want to thank all DPCCC members, Democratic Clubs, and Democrats across Contra Costa County for your hard work during the recently concluded June 7 primary elections. 

In early 2021 we agreed that our highest priority race was to re-elect District Attorney Diana Becton, and we succeeded with more than 56 percent of the vote!

While we could not unseat the Sheriff and Assessor, we had strong first-time candidates who changed Contra Costa’s conversation about accountability and equity. I believe we can build upon these efforts and pave the way for change in future elections.

Our DPCCC and Democratic Clubs did more voter outreach in this Primary than ever before! Thanks to all of our efforts, we:    reached over 170,000 households with mailers and door hangers; texted close to 100,000 voters; used social media blasts to reach thousands of voters; and walked neighborhoods in every corner of this county.  I believe we will see the benefits of our hard work after we study the release of the precinct-level turnout results. 

Please share what you observed in this primary and what you think we can do better as we prepare for the November 8 General Election. Our Elections & Endorsements Committee will create ways to capture your ideas this summer.

This fall, we will have to work hard to help our endorsed Democrats win local elections. I’m sure you’ve seen the media coverage about how supporters of Q-Anon and The Big Election Lie are organizing across the country to win these offices that are so important to ensuring progress in our schools and communities. Please join me in doing all we can on behalf of our candidates this fall. 

I hope you find our new monthly email newsletter helpful and informative! Please let our new Communications Committee know what you think by emailing its Chair, Jan Bell, at commsdir@contracostadems.com.

Best wishes,

Katie Ricklefs
Chair, Democratic Party of Contra Costa County

JUNE MEETING REPORT

We were excited to have Assembly Member Rebecca Bauer-Kahan join the DPCCC’s June 16, 2022, General Membership Meeting. She updated us about her legislative priorities and explained what Democrats could do to help her and her colleagues. 

Assembly Member Bauer-Kahan’s legislative priorities include:efforts to prevent gun violence and improve gun safety;protecting reproductive health access, including access to abortion services and protecting patients; improving the state’s mental health services;ensuring safe drinking water for all;criminal justice reform, especially for juveniles; and finding solutions to the housing problems facing so many people and families. These priorities align with the DPCCC’s, and our members have taken support positions on legislation Bauer-Kahan has authored to address these critical issues. 

Assembly Member Bauer-Kahan asked us to continue to get out the vote for Democrats, like the recently re-elected District Attorney Diana Becton, who support our values. 

She urged us to pay attention to local races this fall and make sure we support the Democrats running for these offices. City councils, school boards, and special district boards can significantly impact our quality of life—and our opponents are targeting these offices. 

Assembly Member Bauer-Kahan also requested that we continue to speak up. We mustbring issues to state legislators’ attention, attend committee hearings, go to city council and school board meetings, and take these opportunities to speak up and support our elected officials on our priority issues. 

We also heard updates from the Elections Committee about our activities to support our endorsed candidates during the June primary election. The Fundraising Committee updated us on their efforts and plans for upcoming events. We are excited to share more about these plans in future newsletters. 

Our new Communications Committee Chair, Jan Bell, reported on the organization of the new committee and some of its initiatives (including this new newsletter). You reach the Communications Committee by emailing commsdir@contracostadems.com

We also heard early plans about trying to find ways to hold our monthly General Membership meetings in a hybrid fashion that would allow for in-person and online participation. 

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!

TAKE ACTION

KEEP NEVADA BLUE PHONE BANKS: Join Contra Costa Democrats on Wednesday, June 22, 5 p.m. (PDT) to hear from Andrea Miller, President of the National Institute for Reproductive Health, an advocacy group working to create change from the ground up, to protect and advance access to reproductive healthcare. With the Supreme Court set to overturn Roe v. Wade in June, this is the time to hear about the decision and our next steps. REGISTER NOW to hear Andrea Miller and then call voters in Nevada—where we need to hold a critical Senate seat in order to codify abortion rights. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) is running in a toss-up race! No experience is needed; our coaches will train you.

KNOCK DOORS IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY: Even in California, a Central Valley woman was jailed for the death of her stillborn infant in 2018. And in 2019, it happened again. Everyone in the Central Valley and across the country deserves the power and freedom to make their own reproductive health care decisions. TJ Cox beat Valadao in 2018 by 862 votes. In 2020, we could not knock on doors, and we lost this seat by 1,522 votes. California’s Central Valley is the key to Democrats holding the House in 2022…and we must win in 2022. SIGN UP HERE to join the Rudy Salas team and Contra Costa Democrats to knock on doors on Saturday, June 25, in Hanford. Lodging and carpool options are available. We need your help introducing voters to Rudy Salas and registering voters in the Central Valley…one conversation and one voter at a time!

GET FIRED UP AND READY TO GO WITH MIKE LUX: The Bay Area Coalition Speaker Series presents Mike Lux on Thursday, July 14, at 5 p.m. (PDT). SIGN UP HERE to learn from Mike as he discusses the reasons that prove we can win in 2022 and the strategies and messaging needed to do it. Mike Lux is an important progressive voice. As he says, “What Democrats need to do is shake off the doldrums, get over the pessimism, and get about the business of fashioning a winning strategy for 2022. We can’t—and our democracy can’t—afford to let pessimism become a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

For more information on volunteering, click here or contact Cecilia at volunteer@contracostadems.com or call 510-693-4259.

GET YOUR DPCCC SWAG

The Democratic Party of Contra Costa County is partnering with ForeAmerica, a California-based, Democratic woman-owned small business and union printer, to provide all the Democratic accessories you need. ForeAmerica can connect you with American-made (and reasonably priced!) shirts, buttons, bumper stickers, signs, hats, and fun masks to keep you safe during COVID. FREE SHIPPING!

Use our link, and we will receive 30-50% of each purchase, which will support our upcoming 2022 campaigns! 

RESOLUTIONS AND LEGISLATION

The DPCCC voted to take positions on the following bills currently under consideration in the California State Legislature: SUPPORT SJR 13 (Authored by Senator Cortese), which would urge the United States Congress and the Department of the Interior to reaffirm and restore the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe as a federally recognized Indian tribe. Click here to read the Issues Committee ApplicationSUPPORT SB 300 (Authored by Senators Cortese and Durazo), the Sentencing Reform Act, which would address the injustice of the felony-murder special circumstance law by allowing a sentence other than the death penalty or life in prison without parole for a person who did not cause, or intend, a death during the commission of a felony. Click here to read the Issues Committee Application.
 SUPPORT AB 1608 (Authored by Assembly Members Gipson and Akilah Weber), which would require the separation of the offices of the County Sheriff and County Coroner and the offices of the County Tax Collector and County Coroner. Click here to read the Issues Committee Application.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

DEMOCRATS AROUND CONTRA COSTA COUNTY  

DISTRICT 1: Democrats in District 1 participated in many activities leading up to and through the June 7 election. West County’s three Democratic Clubs took the lead by distributing lawn and window signs and walking precincts. Local Democrats also hosted a Meet and Greet for endorsed 8th Congressional District candidate John Garamendi.

DISTRICT 2: District 2 volunteers worked diligently to support our Democratic candidates. Lamorinda Democratic Club members called, wrote letters, and emailed thousands of potential voters to urge them to vote for the Club’s endorsed candidates through its Precinct Organizing Project. The San Ramon Valley Democratic Club enlisted 15 volunteers for the past election. These volunteers each distributed 100 or more DPCCC Door Hangers or flyers by canvassing the homes of Democrats in Danville and San Ramon. The Democrats of Rossmoor texted, phone-banked, and canvassed with over 1,400 door hangers to many homes in the Saranap and Parkmead areas of Walnut Creek.

DISTRICT 3: The Marsh Creek Democratic Club will meet on June 26 instead of June 19.

DISTRICT 4: Many cities in District 4 are raising LGBTQ+ flags during Pride Month, and the City of Clayton is creating a more welcoming community by hosting its first Pride Parade on Saturday, June 25. You can secure your spot on Main Street before 10 a.m. to cheer on marchers. You can also stop by Chick Boss Clayton, who made CLAYTON PRIDE BRACELETS. For a minimum $25 donation, you can get a bracelet that will benefit Clayton’s Pride Parade. Click here for more information about the Clayton Pride Parade. You can see more of the District 4 report by clicking here, including details about the March for our Lives event and how to advocate for renters’ rights and improve city housing elements.

DISTRICT 5: Democrats in District 5 continue to have an active presence at the Martinez Farmer’s Market. We have had members there every weekend sharing our slate and asking for support of our endorsed candidates leading up to the election. The Farmer’s Market includes a food drive on the second Sunday of the month from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Please help support and bring nonperishable, not outdated food to donate. Please don’t bring glass packages. The need is great every month of the year, and this is a wonderful way we show support for our community.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Recruitment Committee is seeking volunteers for the DPCCC’s upcoming BBQ. You can volunteer by completing this form.

If you have an announcement you would like us to consider including in next month’s newsletter, please email commsdir@contracostadems.com

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. Please click on the image to get more details!

LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINKDo 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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DPCCC Newsletter – July 2022

JULY 2022 Newsletter
CHAIR’S MESSAGE

On Saturday, we will have 100 days left until election day–and only 74 days remaining before the deadline for county elections offices to mail out ballots to voters. 

We are working hard to be ready for this election. I am so pleased that Tamela Hawley and Irene Tait have stepped up to co-chair our Endorsements Committee. That committee’s members will be working long days in the coming weeks to make recommendations for endorsements in November’s city council, school board, and special district elections. 

Our District Directors have been working with Clubs and DPCCC members in their districts to plan endorsement interviews and candidate outreach. Now is an excellent time for Democrats to get involved with these efforts! We are working to have a great Democrat running in every seat this fall.  

The Democratic Party of Contra Costa County has made its first endorsement for the November election by voting to support Ken Carlson for Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, District 4. You will learn more about this endorsement in the July meeting summary below.  

It will be vital for DPCCC members to work together and unify around supporting the candidates, like Ken, that we endorse. We will need to focus through November 8 on endorsing candidates, planning for the election, and turning out our county’s Democratic voters.  

I hope all Contra Costa Democrats will join me in committing to work at least an hour a week, from now until Election Day, to support the endorsed candidate or candidates of your choice! 

Please let me know if you want to learn more about our endorsement and overall election efforts. You can email me at chair@contracostadems.com.

I also hope you are enjoying this second edition of our DPCCC newsletter. Please let our new Communications Committee know what you think by emailing its Chair, Jan Bell, at commsdir@contracostadems.com

Best wishes,

Katie Ricklefs – Chair, Democratic Party of Contra Costa County

JULY MEETING REPORT

The Democratic Party of Contra Costa County voted unanimously to endorse Ken Carlson for election to the County Board of Supervisors in District 4 at its July 21 meeting. 

Carlson had prevailed in the June 7 primary, garnering more votes than the other four candidates in the race. The district represents Pleasant Hill, Clayton, and the majority of Concord and Walnut Creek. 

After the announcement, Carlson said he was humbled and thankful for the support of the Democratic Party. 

DPCCC Chair Katie Ricklefs stated, “Ken is a great guy and excellent candidate. He has outstanding experience and a passion for the position that will make him an exceptional supervisor.” 

Carlson has also been endorsed by Contra Costa Building and Construction Trades, Contra Costa Central Labor Council, Senator Bill Dodd, Assembly Member Tim Grayson, and over 30 elected officials across the county. He is the first and only openly LGBTQIA+ person to hold a seat on Pleasant Hill’s city council, and he would be the first to serve on the County Board of Supervisors. 

For more information about Ken Carlson’s campaign for Contra Costa County Supervisor, District 4, please visit www.kencarlson.vote

Please save the date for our next regular meeting on Thursday, August 18, as we will host Gilda Gonzales, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Northern California. She will discuss Reproductive Freedom—Meeting the Moment at the Ballot Box. 

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!TAKE ACTIONConnect with voters…one conversation and one voter at a time!

CALL VOTERS IN CALIFORNIA, ARIZONA, NEVADA!
Wednesdays 5 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m.
We’ll be talking with voters about Democratic candidates in Nevada, Arizona, and California! Let’s turn our voices into votes!
https://www.mobilize.us/cadems/event/439762/

KNOCK DOORS IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY EVERY SATURDAY!
It’s time to introduce voters to Rudy Salas … and register voters in the California Central Valley! Join Contra Costa Democrats in going door-to-door talking to Democratic voters.
https://www.mobilize.us/cadems/event/445111

VOTER COMMUNICATIONS WORKSHOP
We want to be as effective as possible when we talk to voters. Every conversation with a voter is like gold. The two-part training will be held from 3-4 p.m. (PT) on two consecutive Saturdays: July 30 and August 6.

Our Voter Communication expert, Kathi Walsh, will lead these workshops on communication techniques focused on active listening, goal-focused communication, scaling, and sharing information.
https://www.mobilize.us/cadems/event/477672/

For more information on volunteering, contact Cecilia at volunteer@contracostadems.com or call 510-693-4259.2022 DPCCC BBQSave the date! The DPCCC’s annual BBQ will be on September 10 from noon to 5 p.m. at the Concord Community Park. Taco Bar, music and more! Details to follow.

RESOLUTIONS AND LEGISLATION

The DPCCC voted to take positions on the following bills currently under consideration in the California State Legislature:SUPPORT AB 2091 (Authored by Assembly Member Bonta), which would enhance privacy protections for medical records related to abortion and pregnancy. Click here to read the Issues Committee Application.
 SUPPORT AB 2134 (Authored by Assembly Members Akilah Weber and Cristina Garcia), which would establish the California Reproductive Health Equity Program to ensure abortion and contraception are affordable for and accessible to all patients, regardless of their ability to pay. Click here to read the Issues Committee Application.
 SUPPORT AB 2223 (Authored by Assembly Member Wicks), which would prohibit using the coroner’s statements on the certificate of fetal death to establish, bring, or support a criminal prosecution or civil cause of damages against any person exercising their rights under the Reproductive Privacy Act. Click here to read the Issues Committee Application.
 SUPPORT AB 2644 (Authored by Assembly Member Holden), which would prohibit a law enforcement officer from using threats, physical harm, deception, or psychologically manipulative interrogation tactics when questioning a person 25 years of age or younger about the commission of a felony or misdemeanor starting on January 1, 2024. Click here to read the Issues Committee Application.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 a tracker of all the legislation on which the DPCCC has taken a position during the 2021-22 session by clicking here

DEMOCRATS AROUND CONTRA COSTA COUNTY  

DISTRICT 1 (Michael Nye, Director): The West County Democratic Club has been reorganizing. We are still recruiting candidates for open positions, especially in Richmond, and preparing for our endorsement process. 

DISTRICT 2 (Tom Duckworth, Director): District 2 clubs and volunteers are focused on the endorsements process for November’s general election.

DISTRICT 3 (Carolina Villaseca, Director): East Contra Costa Fire finished its merger with Contra Costa Fire. This will result in more fire coverage in the area. A new fire station in Oakley has opened, and Bethel Island finally has coverage. Antioch passed a ban on oil and gas drilling. Oakley has a ban on their August agenda. Much credit goes to Ian Cohen (member of Marsh Creek Dems Club and now a senior at Heritage High School), his friends, and the Sunflower Alliance for organizing, writing, and saving our future. Next steps, Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors! It’s election season! Please check with me if you are interested in running for City Council, School Board, or any Special District (like water district). We have lots of seats that are open or where only GOP candidates have pulled papers. My e-mail is District3Director@ContraCostaDems.com.

DISTRICT 4 (Ady Olvera, Director): Please join us and other area Democrats as we implement our endorsement process for candidates running for office in 2022. We will be establishing interview questions, participating in interview panels, and making recommendations to the DPCCC. Everyone is welcome as long as they are a registered Democrat. We are creating safe spaces for Black, Indigenous and other People of Color to participate. Please encourage your BIPOC neighbors and loved ones to participate.Monday, August 1, 6-9 p.m. Develop Interview Questions & Preparing Panels
Monday, August 8, 6-9 p.m. Develop Interview Questions & Preparing Panels
Sunday, August 14, Time TBD, Endorsement Interviews
Monday, August 15, 6-9 p.m., Endorsement Interviews
Saturday, August 20, Time TBD, Endorsement Interviews
Sunday, August 21, Time TBD, Endorsement Interviews
Monday, August 22, 6-9 p.m., Endorsement Interviews
Wednesday, August 24, 6-9 p.m., District 4 Endorsement Recommendations/Straw Poll Vote

DISTRICT 5 (Amy Scott-Slovick, Director): Anamarie Ávila Farías was in the national news because of a Facebook post about not wanting to celebrate the 4th of July after Roe was overturned. The DPCCC responded with this press release. A March for Reproductive Freedom was held in Martinez before July 4. Martinez Farmers Markets are raising food for the food bank and engaging with voters. 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Democrats of Rossmoor are hosting In-Person Postcard Events on THURSDAYS beginning July 21st until the end of September (except for August 11).  We will meet from 5–7 p.m. in the Oak Room at the Gateway Building (1001 Golden Rain Road) in Rossmoor, Walnut Creek.  Registration is NOT necessary. All are welcome to attend!Postcards and lists from Commit to Democracy will be made available at each event.Bring your blue pens and stamps and come for an hour or stay for two!Bring 3 friends! Volunteers will help get you started on this very effective Get Out the Vote effortDonations for postcards accepted on The Commit to Democracy website: https://www.committoflipblue.com/donateThe Lamorinda Democratic Club is hosting its annual Hot August Night Political Trivia Championship on Thursday, August 11, at 6 p.m. Just like last year, the 2022 ”Trivia Night” will take place at the Lafayette Library, outside, on the patio. Seating is limited, so please register soon using this link: https://forms.gle/Cwq55VapXFsQJJNM7. You can learn more by reviewing LDC’s event announcement.

The Alameda County Democratic Party is hosting its annual Summer Picnic on July 30, from 12 noon-5 p.m. at San Felipe Park in Hayward. There will be food, trivia, and games! It will also be a great opportunity to mix and mingle with candidates for office. Click here to purchase tickets.

If you have an announcement you would like us to consider including in next month’s newsletter, please email commsdir@contracostadems.com. DPCCC EVENT CALENDARThis 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. Please click on the image to get more details!LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINKDo 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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Government-mandated births

Government-mandated births relegate US women and girls to second-class citizens

Following the recent US Supreme Court decision on Roe vs Wade, many Americans feel they have been made second-class citizens and therefore they are not celebrating American freedom on this 4th of July.  Americans are furious about this intrusion on their 14th Amendment right to privacy and the infringement on their right to control their own bodies.  That’s why millions of Americans will be protesting this flawed Supreme Court decision this holiday weekend and until the ruling is overturned.

A local School Board member and elected member of the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County, Anamarie Avila Farias, expressed this reaction to the Supreme Court decision on Facebook and was vilified on Fox News and has received death threats.  She has responded with a clear statement on her page.  As a patriotic American she is exercising her right of free speech.  You can read her comments at https://medium.com/@amavilafarias/maybe-your-momma-should-have-aborted-you-1b203c4cc6f7?fs=e&s=cl

The Democratic Party has been very clear about this issue.  We stand for all human rights, rights for all humans irrespective of their status or condition.  This is not an abortion question; it is a healthcare question.  The right to terminate a pregnancy belongs to the pregnant.  A free country should provide this and healthcare to its people.  There is never a time to go backward.

Government-mandated births return America to a time of patriarchal dominance over women, plus government-mandated births will throw tens of thousands of women into poverty since there is no requirement by the “right to life” movement for any financial support by the father, nor any state responsibility for prenatal care or childcare.

Unlike Republican’s forced birth policy, nothing in the Democratic policy forces any person to terminate their pregnancy.  Democrats support the pregnant person’s right to make that decision.  Making abortion illegal will not stop abortions; it will just make them unsafe.  Societies that make abortion illegal put women and girls’ lives at risk and maternal mortality rates are much higher.

Stand with the Democratic Party’s support for human rights and vote only for candidates who support safe and legal abortions on November 8th.  Take action and join the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County and learn how you can make a difference in this fall’s election. 

The Monthly Donor Program is taking off! Here’s a big Thank You to our current donors.

Publicly Elected Members
District 1
Gabe Quinto
District 2
Susan H Hildreth
District 2
Katie Ricklefs
District 4
Sue Hamill
District 4
Charles Carpenter
District Directors
District 1
Michael Nye
Officers
1st Vice Chair
Susana Williams
Controller
Marshall Lewis
Club Voting Members
El Cerrito Dem Club
Champage Brown
Contra Costa Young Dems
Cody Keller
Lamorinda Dem Club
Valerie Sloven
Alternates
Jonathan Bash
Joy Pinsky
Tom Lawson
Cecilia Minalga
Associates
Joseph Ely
Kent Green
Kathleen VanWinckel
Sally Sweetser
John Hall

DPCCC new candidate training in November – Register by Nov 12

On November 13 and 20, DPCCC is offering trainings for Democrats aspiring to run for office or manage a campaign. All participants are asked to read and agree to support the California Democratic Party platform: https://cadem.org/our-platform/

Candidate Basics Training

Are you a community leader with strong democratic values? We want to help you run for office! Join the Democratic Party of Contra Costa Saturday, November 13 from 1:00- 2:30 pm PST for a free virtual introduction on how to prepare to run. Hear from elected officials about what it takes to win. Don’t miss out on this opportunity- Register today! When choosing applicants to join our program, we prioritize leaders who are women, people of color, and transgender and non-binary people. (The last day to register is Nov 12!)
Register via Mobilize: https://www.mobilize.us/cadems/event/425674/

Campaign Management 101

Are you ready to learn the skills needed to run a political campaign? Whether you’re wanting to support a democratic candidate or just learn how to become more involved in campaigns this training is for you. Join the Democratic Party of Contra Costa Saturday, November 20 from 1:00- 2:30 pm PST for a free virtual introduction to running a winning political campaign. Hear from local campaign managers who have done the work. Don’t miss out on this opportunity- Register today! When choosing applicants to join our program, we prioritize leaders who are women, people of color, and transgender and non-binary people. (The last day to register is Nov 19!)
Register via Mobilize: https://www.mobilize.us/cadems/event/425672/