Month: March 2022

Running for local office is the most important thing you can do to help advance progressive values. Your local city council, school board, and water board are the elective bodies with the biggest effect on people’s lives. And anybody can serve.

But running for office can be overwhelming if you’ve never done it before. If you’ve been thinking about running , and need a little nudge to get there, our next general meeting is for you. It’s Wednesday evening, April 6—and it’s our first live meeting of 2022! Not on Zoom—in person! Scroll down for details.

The topic is “Winner’s Circle,” and we’ll hear from local Democratic elected officials about how they won their very first elections.

Our speakers include:

• Colin Parent, La Mesa City Council member.
• Jenny Mendoza, Lemon Grove City Council member.
• Suzanne Till, director, Padre Dam Municipal Water District.
• Mark Gracyk, director, Helix Water District.
• Chris Pearson, moderating. Chris is VP political action for the club, and a veteran of successful local political campaigns.

We’ll also hear from club President Tina Rynberg, talking about one of the most effective ways to elect Democrats—GO-Team—where you volunteer to talk with your neighbors who are registered to vote as Democrats and let them know about party candidates. You walk door to do—or phone or text if you can’t walk—ring doorbells, talk to your neighbors of they’re home, and leave literature. It’s fun and it’s one of the most powerful things you can do to support progressive causes.

The meeting is in person at the La Mesa Community Center, 4975 Community Drive. Programming starts at 7 pm, with social time at 6:30 pm. Proof of vaccination is required—and bring a mask too, in case wearing a mask is necessary.

We won’t be streaming this one live over Zoom or YouTube, but we do plan to post video to YouTube within a few days of the event.

Update: Fixing a typo in the date. The meeting is Wednesday, April 6, not Wednesday, April 7. There is no Wednesday, April 7 this year. Thanks to the members who pointed out the error!

Our March meeting features local San Diego leaders, including Assemblymember Akilah Weber, discussing women’s health and reproductive freedom. We also hear from Will Rodriguez-Kennedy, chair of the San Diego County Democratic Party, discussing redistricting and the state of the party.

And club President Tina Rynberg talks about how you—yes, YOU—can help Democrats win elections by joining GO Team and going door-to-door to talk with your neighbors, or making phone calls and sending texts.

Dr. Weber represents La Mesa and the surrounding 79th District (and is a former member of the club board). For Dr. Weber, women’s health and reproductive freedom isn’t just a political matter—she’s a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist.

Also discussing women’s health and reproductive rights is Anna Heinz, a nurse practitioner at Palomar Medical Center in the labor and delivery department, with experience in prenatal and women’s health, including working with Planned Parenthood.

The discussion is moderated by club member Carol Perkins, Ph.D., a former professor of women’s studies at San Diego State University and other colleges, who is also active on local community associations.

The topic for our April meeting is Winner’s Circle—hearing from local Democratic Party elected officials about how they won their first elections. Our goal is to convince you—yes, you!—to run for local office.

We’re back in person for our general meeting in April, so mark your calendars for Wednesday, April 6, 7 pm, with unstructured social time at 6:30 pm, at the La Mesa Community Center, 4975 Memorial Drive in La Mesa.