ALL-STAR Line-up to Headline Local Dem November Meeting
Environmental Issues to Take Center Stage
The members and guests of La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club have a real treat in store for their Wednesday, November 4th meeting. An expert and newsworthy group of 5 environmental activists will speak to our group about topics touching local, regional and national efforts to curb greenhouse gasses and promote sustainable living choices. Our efforts to transition San Diego County from a car-dependent, fossil fuel guzzling, suburban-sprawling metropolis to one following action plans emphasizing intelligent growth, sustainable practices and a dedication to open spaces and public transportation, will be the focus of our guest speakers Our meetings kick off at 6:30 PM with our Social Time at 6:30 pm, the Business Meeting begins at 7:00 pm. at the la Mesa Community Center, 4975 Memorial Drive in La Mesa.
This special meeting will be lead off by Jim Stone, Executive Director and Colin Parent, a LMFDC Board Member, and Policy Counsel of Circulate San Diego. Circulate San Diego is a regional grassroots organization that is dedicated to making our neighborhoods more vibrant and sustainable through better land use planning and design. Through educational events, training, advocacy, and work with local governments and SANDAG, Circulate San Diego is working to reclaim our streets and blocks through improved streetscape designs, accessible walking paths, more bike lanes, better transit routes, and traffic calming measures.
Mr. Stone’s career in environmental education, awareness and sustainability has spanned more than 30 years. He brings an ecological perspective to the issue of transportation, tying together the impact of walkable, transit-oriented communities on the environment, human health, social justice and the economy. Jim engendered a culture of innovation in our predecessor organization, WalkSanDiego, which he now brings to Circulate San Diego. Under his guidance the organization pioneered new approaches to engage stakeholders and gather input, such as the development of a smart phone app to crowd-source data about the walking environment and provide walkability ratings for every city in San Diego County. Before joining Circulate San Diego, he served as Vice President of Programs at the San Diego Natural History Museum where he was responsible for developing education programs and exhibitions that focused on the plants, animals, and habitats of Southern California and the Baja peninsula.He lives in La Mesa, where he is the Chairperson of the Environmental Sustainability Commission.
Colin Parent grew up in East County San Diego and is a graduate of the NYU Law School, and the University of California, San Diego. Colin served on the Jerry Brown for Governor 2010 campaign, and was appointed by Governor Brown as the Director of External Affairs for the California Department of Housing and Community Development. Prior to working for Governor Brown, Colin practiced law for three years as a commercial litigator at the San Diego office of the international law firm of DLA Piper US LLP. During 2013 and 2014, Colin served as the Director of Policy at the San Diego Housing Commission. Colin is a serial social entrepreneur in San Diego. He co-founded the San Diego Leadership Alliance, an organization that trains young San Diegans to be equipped for civic leadership. As a board member of the League of Conservation Voters San Diego, he chaired the first ever coalition to grade the environmental records of elected officials in the City of San Diego.
Next up will be Debbie Hecht of the San Diego Chapter of the Sierra Club. She’ll be advocating the Sierra Club’s proposed 1% Land and Water Fund. This effort would set aside 1% of San Diego County property taxes each year to purchase and maintain park lands, watersheds, open space and recreational land for San Diego County residents. This would not raise taxes, but require county supervisors to reallocate funds in the budget. 1% of real property taxes would be approximately $50 million each year. Debbie was elected chair of the Sierra Club San Diego Steering Committee in May of 2014. Previously, she served on the Executive Committee of the Moku Loa Group on the Big Island of Hawaii from 2008-2011 where she did some preliminary work on fish farming policy. She was a Board member with the Tucson Mountains Association and President for 6 years.
Following Ms. Hecht will be long time Democratic Party activists, Derek and Nancy Casady. They are acting as San Diego Climate Mobilization Coalition Coordinators.
The Climate Mobilization is a new, all-volunteer organization whose mission is to protect civilization and the natural world from catastrophic climate disruption. They are dedicated to living in climate truth and believe that working to solve the climate crisis is everyone’s responsibility. Dozens of leading environmental analysts have determined that the only way to save civilization from climate change is with a wartime-style mobilization, akin to the American home-front effort during World War II. This stark appraisal lies at the heart of this project. In that sense, The Climate Mobilization is a single-issue campaign. They demand a WWII-scale mobilization to restore a safe climate.
Nancy is the long-time General Manager of the Ocean Beach Organic Food Co-op, while Derek is a retired Copy Editor at the Los Angeles Times, retired Associate Editor of Psychology Today magazine, and retired Administrative Assistant to the President Pro Tempore of the California Senate. He is the President of the La Jolla Democratic Club. Nancy and Derek have both run for elected office and have played active roles in supporting successful Democratic Candidates throughout San Diego County.
You won’t want to miss our annual Holiday Meeting, December 2nd, featuring not only a lavish meal of Roast Turkey, Baked Ham and all the trimmings, but also the wit and comic wisdom of Roy Zimmerman, musician and satirist, returning for an encore presentation to what we expect will be a full house. Look for information in next month’s issue and also on our website.
La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club welcomes members and guests to all our meetings and special events. Please visit our website at lamesafoothillsdemocraticclub.com and like us on Facebook.
La Mesa-Foothills Democratic Club 