Local Dem Club to Host April Appearance

Longtime Collaborator Diane Takvorian to Lead Off

 

Standing room only is expected for the Wednesday, April 5th meeting of the La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club. Keynote speakers will be leading renewable energy advocate Tom Steyer, and Executive Director Diane Takvorian of the Environmental Health Coalition.

 

In just 45 days, the new administration under Donald Trump has wreaked havoc on the environmental advances made under the previous administration. We’ve seen executive orders weakening the Clean Water Act, allowing mining operations to pollute drinking water sources with fewer regulations and oversight. The Keystone Pipeline has been given new life and will now transport dirty oil from Canadian tar sands to American ports. The inevitable catastrophic pipeline breaks will foul drinking water in the upper plains states for generations. And Exxon Mobile, recent home of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, has been given the green light to expand operations worth billions of dollars in drilling and refining of oil and gas in the fragile ecosystem along the Gulf Coast, still recovering from the effects of the Deepwater Horizon disaster and the devastating hurricanes Katrina and Rita. We have yet to see any commitment to renewable energy development that would alter our horrific future of global warming and continued dependency on fossil fuels.

The April 5th meeting of the La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club will continue our Resist Series with the appearance of California’s best known environmentalist, Tom Steyer.

Steyer is a business leader and philanthropist who believes we have a moral responsibility to give back and help ensure that every family shares the benefits of economic opportunity, education, and a healthy climate.

 

In 2010, Tom and his wife, Kat Taylor, pledged to contribute most of their wealth to charitable causes during their lifetimes. That same year, Tom worked to defeat Proposition 23, an attempt by the oil industry to roll back California’s historic plan to reduce pollution and address climate change.

 

Tom founded a successful California business, which he left to work full-time on non-profit and advocacy efforts. He now serves as President of NextGen Climate, an organization he founded in 2013 to prevent climate disaster and promote prosperity for all Americans. Tom also served as co-chair of Save Lives California, the coalition to prevent teen smoking and fund cancer research.

 

Tom’s dedication to public service is greatly inspired by his wife, Kat, the co-CEO of Beneficial State Bank in Oakland. They founded this nonprofit community bank in 2007 to provide loans to people and small businesses shut out by the traditional banking system. Unlike most banks, by statute Beneficial State Bank invests any profits back into the community. Tom and Kat live in San Francisco and have four children.

Tom will be introduced by his friend and long time collaborator, Diane Takvorian. Takvorian has led the struggle for social and environmental justice for over 30 years. She is Executive Director and co-founder of Environmental Health Coalition (EHC), an environmental justice organization based in the San Diego/Tijuana region. Founded in 1980, EHC works to protect public health and the environment threatened by toxic pollution through efforts that create a just society.

 

In 2010 Tom Steyer and NextGen Climate worked with EHC and the California Environmental Justice Alliance to defeat Proposition 23 – the oil company effort to repeal AB 32 – California’s Global Warming law.   In 2012, they worked together to pass Prop 39 when California voters stood up to corporate interests and closed a tax loophole previously available to large energy companies. EHC targeted precincts voted to pass Prop 39 by 74%. To date, Proposition 39 has put nearly a billion dollars into California schools and clean energy projects, saving millions of dollars in annual energy costs.

 

EHC’s community organizing and policy advocacy work with disenfranchised communities have eliminated many health risks and enabled thousands of residents to develop into community leaders. Diane has served on international, national, state, and regional advisory boards. In 2016 California Assembly Speaker appointed Takvorian to the California Air Resources Board. In 2009, President Obama appointed her to the Joint Public Advisory Committee for the Commission for Environmental Cooperation. In 2008 Diane received the James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award for her “creative and inspirational leadership benefiting the people of California.” Takvorian is also a cofounder of the California Environmental Justice Alliance. Diane holds a Master’s degree in Social Work with an emphasis on public policy and community organizing.

 

The La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club meets the first Wednesday of each month. While we welcome all members and guests to our meetings and events, for this special event, we are asking all attendees to donate $10.00 at the door to offset costs of the program.   Join LMFDC for as little as $30 a year and become involved. We serve the communities of La Mesa, San Carlos, Del Cerro, Allied Gardens, the College Area, Mt. Helix, Santee, Casa de Oro, and other nearby East County communities. We meet at the very nice La Mesa Community Center, 4975 Memorial Dr., just off University Ave. in La Mesa. Social time begins at 6:30 PM with the meeting and program kicking off at 7 PM. We adjourn at 8:30-ish. Follow us on Facebook, and check out our website for updates and news at lamesafoothillsdemocraticclub.com.

 

Linda Armacost, President

Jeff Benesch, VP Programming

 

 

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Environmental Heroes Headline Dems Feb Meeting

Nicole Capretz, Georgette Gomez Featured

Saving our Planet is Theme

 

 

On Wednesday, February 1st, ten days into the president Trump era, local Democrats will hear an all star forum discuss the steps we need to take to resist the attack on our climate goals, our clean air and water, and our ongoing transformation to renewable energy sources. Who best to create opportunities and action plans than the Executive Director of the Climate Action Campaign, Nicole Capretz? Or the newly elected San Diego City Councilperson from District 9, Georgette Gomez? Or the Executive Director of San Diego Coastkeeper, Matt O’Malley? Masada Disenhouse of SD350.org will also join our panel, as will Brian Elliott of the Sierra Club. And our moderator will be none other than our friend, and former Exec. Chair of the San Diego Sierra Club, Davin Widgerow.

 

Why our urgency to sound the alarm and expose and resist what is likely to be in store for the next 4 years in the environmental community?

 

Per the Guardian: “Trump has assembled a transition team in which at least nine senior members deny basic scientific understanding that the planet is warming due to the burning of carbon and other human activity. These include the transition heads of all the key agencies responsible for either monitoring or dealing with climate change. None of these transition heads have any background in climate science.”

 

Trump’s nominee to head the Environmental Protection Agency is noted climate change denier Scott Pruitt. And Trump is expected to name Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers to head the Interior Department. She is noteworthy for claiming that Al Gore “deserves an ‘F’ in science.” And let’s not forget that Trump’s choice for Secretary of State is none other than the head of the largest oil company in the world, Rex Tillerson. It’s plain to see that our new President has little regard for ending our dependency on oil, coal, tar sands, and other fossil fuel sources.

 

La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club serves the communities of Del Cerro, Allied Gardens, San Carlos, the College Area, La Mesa, Mt. Helix, Casa de Oro, Santee and other nearby East County locales. At nearly 300 members, it is one of the largest and most active chartered Democratic Clubs in San Diego County. We meet on the first Wednesday of each month at the spacious La Mesa Community Center, 4975 Memorial Dr., just North of University Ave. in La Mesa. Our meetings start with a social ½ hour at 6:30 PM with snacks, desserts and beverages supplied by club members, and then the business meeting and program begins at 7 PM. All members and guests are welcomed!

 

Our February meeting is the second in our series we are calling Write, Advocate and Resist, 48 months of learning to cope and overcome the already dire Trump administration. Trump’s inauguration coincided with the lowest approval ratings of any modern incoming president. His shocking appointments to executive positions on his staff and in his Cabinet are filled with unqualified, inexperienced and self-serving individuals who have little in common with the people or departments they are intending to lead, a veritable who’s who of reactionary and far right thinkers beholden to the fossil fuel industry and climate change deniers.

 

On the other hand, our Environmental Heroes are long time advocates and scholars, the best and brightest in their fields.   Nicole Capretz is an environmental attorney with 20 years of as an energy and climate policy advisor for local governments and the nonprofit sector. Nicole was the primary author of the City of San Diego’s groundbreaking, legally binding 100% clean energy Climate Action Plan adopted in late 2015. She now serves on the San Diego’s Climate Action Plan Implementation Working Group, as well as the City of Solana Beach’s Climate Action Commission.

 

Nicole advocates for local and state renewable energy legislation, participates in state administrative proceedings, serves as an expert witness in state policy hearings and is a regular speaker at energy and climate conferences and hearings. Nicole’s duties as Executive Director of CAC include overall strategic and operational responsibility for the organization’s staff, programs, expansion and execution of its mission.

 

Previously, Nicole served as the Chair of San Diego’s Economic and Environmental Sustainability Task Force for three years while being the Associate Director for Green Energy/Green Jobs at Environmental Health Coalition, an environmental justice organization in National City, California. She has also worked as a policy advisor for the San Diego City Council.

 

Nicole’s work on San Diego’s Climate Action Plan earned her numerous accolades among which are:

 

New York Times Top 10 Californians of the Year (2016)

“Voice of the Year” – Voice of San Diego (2015, 2016)

“Best People of San Diego” – San Diego CityBeat (2016)

“Bike Advocate of the Year” – San Diego County Bike Coalition (2016)

“Leadership Award” – San Diego County Democratic Party (2016)

Finalist for San Diego Magazine’s 2016 San Diego Woman of the Year (2016)

Finalist for San Diego Business Journal’s 2016 “Women Who Mean Business” Awards (2016)

Newly elected City Council Representative for San Diego’s District 9, Georgette Gomez, has some serious environmental chops herself. Gomez, a San Diego State alumna, is a native of Barrio Logan and a current resident of City Heights. She was associate director of Toxic Free Neighborhoods for the Environmental Health Coalition, and is well-known as a community organizer who has fought for a number of environmental issues. Georgette was a very impressive participant on our candidates’ forum at the beginning of 2015, and received the endorsements of the Sierra Club, the League of Conservation Voters, Todd Gloria and David Alvarez among others for her run to replace Marti Emerald. She has spoken out vociferously against downtown special interests. Her campaign revolved around her status as a City Hall outsider anxious to shake up the status quo. She will especially focus on repairing District 9 infrastructure including city streets and lights, address homelessness, create more affordable housing options and increase public safety.

Matt O’Malley is the Executive Director of San Diego Coastkeeper. Matt joined Coastkeeper in January of 2014 as Legal and Policy Director, where he leads the advocacy work of the organization and protects the water bodies of San Diego County by utilizing local, state, and national laws and regulations, and through community engagement. Having represented environmental groups in the federal, state, and local arenas, Matt has experience in areas such as the Clean Water Act and NPDES permits, land use and growth management laws, CEQA, the Endangered Species Act, groundwater, soils, and sediment remediation, and environmental justice, to name a few. Matt currently serves as Legal Committee Chair and Board Member of the California Coastkeeper Alliance, and he is actively licensed to practice law in California, Florida, and Washington State.

Masada Disenhouse is a repeat visitor to LMFDC and founder of SanDiego350.org, a very active climate action advocacy group. 350.org is an international environmental organization encouraging citizens to action with the belief that publicizing the increasing levels of carbon dioxide will pressure world leaders to address climate change and to reduce levels from 400 parts per million to 350 parts per million. It was founded by author Bill McKibben with the goal of building a global grassroots movement to raise awareness about human-driven climate change, to confront climate change denial, and to cut emissions of carbon dioxide in order to slow the rate of global warming. 350.org takes its name from the research of Goddard Institute for Space Studies scientist James E. Hansen, who posited in a 2007 paper that 350 parts-per-million (ppm) of CO₂ in the atmosphere is a safe upper limit to avoid a climate tipping point.

 

Brian Elliott works locally for Congressman Scott Peters but also chairs the Political Committee for the local chapter of the Sierra Club. Brian’s start in San Diego Democratic politics came while he worked for the California Democratic Party as the environmental organizer on Congressman Peters’ 2014 re-election effort. He quickly went on to utilize his environmental expertise to advocate for local clean energy as the campaign organizer for Climate Action Campaign, and is now serving in Peters’ district office. Since arriving in San Diego, Brian has been an active member with Sierra Club and the greater environmental community as a volunteer and professionally, focusing on energy, water and climate policy matters.

 

Moderator Davin Widgerow is an environmental lawyer whose work is focused on toxic contamination remediation. He earned his BA (Political Science) from Berkeley, and his JD from the University of Wisconsin Law School. Davin was admitted to the California Bar in 2011. He began his law career interning for a Wisconsin Supreme Court justice and advocating for disabled individuals. Until recently, Davin headed the Steering Committee for Sierra Club San Diego, which is tasked with coordinating Club projects, activities, finances, and administration. He also served as Chair of the Political Committee, which engages political candidates and environmental activists to further Sierra Club’s conservation efforts.

 

La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club is in the midst of our 2017 membership drive. For as little as $30 per year, members enjoy 12 general meetings featuring outstanding speakers and programs, our monthly newsletter, weekly updates of news you can use, special events like the La Mesa Flag Day parade, Octoberfest, and our Party in the Park, and priceless camaraderie with fellow progressives and activists. Join us now to learn more about the current threats to our Democracy and the Future of our Planet. Be sure to visit our website at lamesafoothillsdemocraticclub.com or friend us on our Facebook page.

 

Linda Armacost, President

Jeff Benesch, VP Programming

 

Susan Davis, Chris Ward to Speak

GOTV Effort Stressed In Lead-up to Election

 

At our next meeting, just 6 days before the momentous 2016 Presidential Election, the La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club will honor Senator Marty Block as he faces his last couple months before leaving office. Our meeting will take place on Wednesday night, November 2nd, at 7 PM at the beautiful La Mesa Community Center, 4975 Memorial Dr., just North of University Ave. in La Mesa.

  

Block, a long time member and frequent guest at LMFDC, steps down after many years of service as Assemblyman and State Senator representing La Mesa and much of the City of San Diego. Senator Block was elected to the California State Assembly in 2008 where he represented the 78th Assembly District until his election to the Senate. He served as chair of the Assembly Higher Education Committee for three years.

Marty previously served for 8 years as a member of the San Diego County Board of Education and then served 8 years as President of the San Diego Community College District Board of Trustees. During that period he also served as a San Diego Superior Court Judge pro Tem, Statewide President of the California County Boards of Education, and President of the San Diego Chapter of the American Jewish Committee.

Senator Block served as a dean, professor, and legal advisor at San Diego State University for 26 years. While at SDSU he also served as the Founding Chair and Director of the National Higher Education Law and Policy Institute. Block received outstanding faculty awards five times and was given the university’s Distinguished Service Award upon his retirement.

In Sacramento, many think his crowning achievement is SB850. This game-changing legislation for higher education will allow a number of community college districts across the state to develop 4-year degree programs, increasing access for quality higher education in areas that have a demonstrated workforce need. Marty Block’s long career as a lawyer, teacher, dean, trustee, magistrate and legislator is an incomparable model of altruism and devotion to public and community service.

We’ll have another star studded group to talk both about Senator Block and give us a little insight as to what we can expect in the election 6 days following.

Congressperson Susan Davis will headline the group and much of her background mirrors that of Senator Block. She represents California’s 53rd Congressional District and therefore most of our membership. Her interest in public affairs and service grew out of her experiences as a social worker, parent, youth mentor, and military spouse. Like Block, she has a background in education and her focus on educational issues at all levels is noteworthy.

Prior to Congress, Susan served in the California State Assembly (1994-2000). She served three terms and focused on what would become her signature issues – education, health care, and consumer protection. She chaired the Committee on Consumer Protection, Government Efficiency, and Economic Development. In the House, as she has throughout her public service, Susan has approached legislating as a bipartisan consensus builder achieving legislative successes in education, military families and veterans support and health care.

In addition to her state legislative experience, Susan brought to Congress nine years of experience as a member of the San Diego Unified Board of Education (1983-1992). As a member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, Susan has played a key role in bringing reforms and improvements to primary, secondary and higher education. She wrote the law to provide flexibility to college students receiving work-study funds during natural disasters such as the recent fires in Southern California.   In addition, she made work-study funds available to college students who work to educate the community in civic education and disaster preparedness.

3rd District City Councilperson elect Chris Ward is well suited to talk about Marty, as well as give his own keen insight to election day.   Chris serves as the Chief of Staff to Senator Block, representing the communities of the Third City Council District and most of the City of San Diego. In this capacity, Chris is strongly committed to excellence in constituent services, facilitating public participation in policymaking, and organizing state and local resources to make our neighborhoods a better place to live.   In the June primary, as candidate Ward, Chris won the 3rd District seat outright and will take his place on the San Diego City Council in January.

Previously, Chris was an environmental planner at the firm EDAW, working with local government to develop land use plans and conduct environmental review to help create inclusive, community-based solutions to neighborhood challenges and organize strategies to achieve long-term goals. Chris will draw from these experiences to help the city implement smarter visions for our urban neighborhoods. Before dedicating a career to public service, Chris worked as a researcher at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research at UCSD on the front lines of San Diego’s burgeoning biotech sector and contributed firsthand to the critical value these innovators offer.

Club friend and previous guest analyst, Rich Grosch, is also well positioned to talk about both the election and his good friend and colleague, Marty Block. Not only is Rich the former District Director for Marty when he was representing the 78th Assembly District, Mr. Grosch’s career track, like Marty’s, is forged in the educational community. Rich currently serves on the San Diego Community College Board of Trustees having been elected to the position for 4 terms beginning in 2002. For 5 years, he served as President of that Board, and now serves as Executive Vice President.

Over the years of his wonderful career, he’s been a teacher, University Alumni Director, City Council Representative, school administrator, and community planner. He’s headed the OB Community Development Corporation and was key in the OB Community Plan, thus keeping Ocean Beach from wanton overbuilding and commercialization. He’s also a business owner and proprietor of the Ocean Beach Hotel.   Rich is a true politico and should have an informed and accurate assessment of the upcoming election.

Board Member Colin Parent is in the homestretch of his vigorous campaign for La Mesa City Council and will be urging all members and guests to participate in 6 more days of Get Out The Vote efforts by walking precincts and making calls from our local campaign office. Parent is Policy Counsel for Circulate San Diego, a non-profit advocacy group that promotes better transportation and living choices for more vibrant local communities. Colin is, by far, the most informed and progressive of the three candidates running for City Council.

The La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club represents the communities of San Carlos, Del Cerro, Allied Gardens, College Area, La Mesa, Mt. Helix, Santee, Casa de Oro, and other nearby East County communities. Our meetings start with a social ½ hour at 6:30 PM with snacks, desserts and beverages supplied by club members. All members and guests are welcomed. Watch for event updates on our website: Lamesafoothillsdemocraticclub.com or follow us on Facebook.

Linda Armacost, President

Jeff Benesch, VP Programming

EAST COUNTY SAN DIEGO DEMOCRATS
CAMPAIGN OFFICE OPENING!

MEET AND GREET OUR EAST COUNTY CANDIDATES FROM LEMON GROVE TO JULIAN
(AND have a sandwich and a soda!)
REMARKS: DR. SHIRLEY N. WEBER,
CALIFORNIA STATE ASSEMBLYMEMBER (79th District)

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2016, 11:30-1 P.M.
7839 University Avenue*, Ste. 103B, La Mesa, CA 91942
LIGHT REFRESHMENTS
Please RSVP: eastvc@sddemocrats.org or call 661.703.1347 by Friday, 23 Sept.
(*NOTE DIRECTIONS: The office is next to Helix Water District. Turn on Lee Avenue, off University Avenue. Please PARK behind our office on Quince Street.)

     

Election Series Continues with Immigration Panel

“Building Bridges, Not Barriers”

 

After two straight packed houses for our STARK CONTRASTS meetings examining the differences this election year between the Democratic Candidates and their republican counterparts, La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club turns again to Star Power to serve on our panel of experts. Congressman Scott Peters, and Assemblyperson Lorena Gonzalez headline the panel which will also feature ACLU immigration experts and a member of the SDSU Chicana/Chicano Studies department.

 

Just as our last panel gave us a variety of opinions and experiences in the area of gender politics and the parties’ respective platforms, this October 5th panel will focus on Trump’s Build-a-Wall agenda and the local politicos who support him, in contrast to the Democrat’s long standing call for a compassionate immigration policy that recognizes the contributions and rights of the tens of thousands of immigrant families that call San Diego, Southern California, and nearly all of America, home.

 

La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club meets the first Wednesday of every month at the beautiful La Mesa Community Center, 4975 Memorial Dr., just North of University Avenue. We represent the communities of San Carlos, Allied Gardens, Del Cerro, the College Area, La Mesa, Mt. Helix, Santee, Casa de Oro, and other close by East County enclaves. Our meetings start with a ½ hour social time at 6:30 PM with snacks, desserts and beverages, followed by our 90 minute program at 7 PM. We welcome all fellow progressives and forward thinkers to attend and participate in our meetings. ½ price memberships are available for the rest of the year.

 

Congressman Scott Peters serves California’s 52nd Congressional District, which includes the cities of Coronado, Poway and most of northern San Diego. First elected in 2012, he currently serves on the House Armed Services Committee & the House Judiciary Committee. He formerly served on the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

Scott Peters is a civic leader who has made improving the quality of life in San Diego his life’s work. After a 15-year career as an environmental lawyer, Scott was elected to the San Diego City Council, where he later became the City’s first City Council President. On the Council, Scott helped lead the $2 billion redevelopment of downtown San Diego, the cleanup of the city’s beaches and bays, and the completion of a number of major infrastructure projects. He also pursued greater accountability and efficiency in government through the creation of a new Council/Mayor form of government with an independent budget review function.

In 2001, the governor appointed Scott to the Commission on Tax Policy in the New Economy, and in 2002, the Speaker of the Assembly appointed Scott to the California Coastal Commission.

Scott also later served as chairman of the San Diego Unified Port District – a major economic engine that supports over 40,000 high-skill, high-wage jobs for San Diegans, with $3.3 billion in direct regional economic impact.

Scott earned his undergraduate degree from Duke University (magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) and worked as an economist for the United States Environmental Protection Agency before attending New York University School of Law. He and his wife of 29 years reside in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, where they raised their son and daughter.

Lorena Gonzalez is the daughter of an immigrant farmworker and a nurse. She attended public schools in San Diego County before earning a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, a master’s degree from Georgetown University, and a Juris Doctor from UCLA School of Law.

Gonzalez served as Senior Adviser to former California Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante, as well as appointee to the California State Lands Commission and alternate on the California Coastal Commission. A community organizer and activist, Gonzalez was elected in 2008 as CEO and Secretary-Treasurer of the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, AFL-CIO. She is the first woman and person of color to be elected to head the Labor Council since the organization was founded in 1891.

Gonzalez ran for San Diego City Council during a 2005 special election and advanced to a runoff against future San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer. However, Gonzalez ultimately lost the race to Faulconer by a margin of 724 votes out of 29,448 cast.

Gonzalez was elected to California’s 80th State Assembly district in a special election held May 21, 2013. She defeated former Chula Vista Councilmember Steve Castaneda with 70.75% of the vote. Gonzalez currently serves on the Assembly Committee on Education, the Assembly Committee on Health, the Assembly Committee on Insurance, the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife; and the Assembly Committee on Rules. She is also the first Chair of the Select Committee on Women in the Workplace. Lorena Gonzalez lives in San Diego with her two children, Tierra and Antonio.

THIS JUST IN: SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) – California State Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez made Politico Magazine’s 50 “thinkers, doers and visionaries transforming American politics in 2016” list. According to the magazine, “Gonzalez might be the nation’s most ambitious progressive scientist.” Since 2013, Gonzalez has represented the 80th district, which includes much of southern San Diego and is the southernmost district in the state.

Politico calls Gonzalez “the brain trust for California’s most ambitious policy ideas,” citing her authorship of California’s automatic voter registration law, her co-authoring of the state’s $15 an hour minimum wage law, sponsorship of the law requiring student vaccination and her efforts to close the gender pay gap. However, the magazine states that “it’s Gonzalez’s trailblazing advocacy for mandatory paid sick leave that could make the biggest differencenationwide. In 2014, she wrote a law requiring every private-sector employer in California to provide paid sick days to employees—the first such state or federal law in U.S. history.”

Be sure to visit our booth at La Mesa’s Octoberfest on Sept. 30th, Oct. 1st and 2nd. More details available on our website Lamesafoothillsdemocraticclub.com and please like us on our fabulous Facebook page. Hope to see you at our next meeting on Wednesday, October 5th! More info: jeffbenesch@gmail.com

Moderator-Brian Adams

Brian Adams joined the political science department at SDSU in 2003 after earning his Ph.D. from the University of California, Irvine. Brian’s research explores why local governments do not live up to their democratic potential. As small jurisdictions, localities should be “closer to the people,” allowing for more extensive citizen participation and greater accountability. Yet participation in local government is dismally low, and local officials are often unresponsive to citizen demands. Local governments, rather than being hotbeds of democratic activity are often corrupt and unresponsive entities dominated by elites. What accounts for this pattern?

Brian’s research approaches this question from a few different angles. First, he has analyzed non-electoral participation in local politics in an effort to assess how citizens participate. His 2007 book Citizen Lobbyists found that citizens take advantage of the many opportunities they have to participate and benefit from their participation in terms of promoting favorable policy and acquiring knowledge about the policy process. But given the manner in which they participate and the issues they choose to influence there is little benefit to the political system as a whole. He has also done research on how citizens discuss policy issues, finding that they offer evidence to support their claims but usually neglect to tie evidence and conclusions together in coherent arguments. They also avoid working through disagreements, preferring to deflect or simply ignore opposing viewpoints. Deliberative conversations among citizens typically comprise of strings of conclusions and evidence without much coherence or back-and-forth exchange.

A second strand of Brian’s research has examined local elections as a democratic practice. His book Campaign Finance in Local Elections: Buying the Grassroots examines whether the campaign finance system undermines the capacity of local elections to enhance the democratic character of American elections more generally. As the smallest units in the American political system, localities have the potential to contribute to democratic practices by fostering accessibility to the political system, promoting competitiveness, and reducing the biases seen in state and national elections. Yet the manner in which local candidates raise and spend campaign funds undermines these goals. He is currently working on an article that explores whether voters use a candidate’s occupation, which is listed on the ballot in California, to make decisions in low-information local races.

The final line of research focuses on conceptualizing the relative benefits of local governance. In a recent article (“Assessing the Merits of Decentralization: A Framework for Identifying the Causal Mechanisms Influencing Policy Outcomes”) Brian developed a new theoretical framework that explicates the causal mechanisms through which decentralization (moving policy authority from central governments to local ones) alters the motivations and behavior of government officials. He is currently working on a research project that explores the problem of scale for participatory and deliberative democratic theory, asking whether these theories, which are best suited for small governmental jurisdictions, can be relevant in a world dominated by large governments and global issues.

In addition to research and teaching courses at SDSU, Brian has done two stints of teaching overseas. In 2009, he spent six months at Hanyang University in Seoul, South Korea on a Faculty Fulbright grant, teaching American Politics to Korean students and researching Korean local government, For the 2011-12 academic year he taught at the Hopkins-Nanjing center in Nanjing, China, teaching courses on democracy and American politics to Chinese master’s students.

Panelist-Pedro Rios, director of AFSC’s US/Mexico Border Program

San Diego Program Director

Areas of Expertise:

Immigration | US/Mexico Border

Pedro Rios serves as director of the AFSC’s U.S./Mexico Border Program and has been on staff with AFSC for 13 years. He is also chairperson for the San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium, a coalition of over 25 different organizations in San Diego working to support the rights of immigrants.

A native San Diegan, Pedro has worked on immigrant rights and border issues for over 20 years. He became active on immigration issues in the early 1990s, when California was debating the passage of Proposition 187, the anti-immigrant initiative that was later ruled unconstitutional.

Currently, Pedro is overseeing a program that documents abuses by law enforcement agencies, working with many community groups, advocating for policy change, and interacting with migrant communities. Pedro has been widely interviewed and published by the Associated Press, Univision, ABC10, NBC7, and  Think Progress, among others.

Panelist- Isidro Ortiz, Ph.D. Professor SDSU
Areas of Research: Community organization, educational reform, Chicana and Chicano politics, political movements, educational practice, policy and reform, college student retention, engagement and success; origins and persistence of Chicano nationalism and relationship to oppression.

 

 

Local Dems to hear Emerald, Fink, Weber and Mattingly

Discuss Gender Politics

 

In our second installation of STARK CONTRASTS, La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club will hear from a stunning panel of experts delve into the differences the parties have to offer voters this November about women’s issues. Beyond the fact that Democrats are looking to elect the first woman President in our nation’s history, and Republicans are running a man who is a serial misogynist, famous for insulting women, is losing even the support of Republican women, who’s being advised by Roger Ailes of all people, recently fired from his Fox News fiefdom for habitual sexual harassment, tells part of the story. We’ll also examine the platforms of the respective parties out of their national conventions.

 

Democrats support a woman’s right to choose, pay equity, raising the minimum wage, paid family leave, debt free higher education, access to family planning and affordable health care, middle class tax relief, higher taxes for the 2%, and equal opportunity for executive promotion, while Republicans offer as regressive a platform on women’s issues as we have seen in decades. Trump would name judges that share his economic and social views, while Clinton would look to further our judicial gains in social justice and equal treatment under law, preserving and extending voting rights, gender and racial equality, and economic regulation that works for our middle class, not just for the very wealthy.

 

Did you know that while women comprise 33% of the Democratic caucus in Congress, Republican women number less than 9% of electees. And their numbers are shrinking.

At our September 7th meeting, we’ll have a star studded panel discuss these issues and much more.

        

We’ll be honored to entertain 9th Dist. City Councilperson Marti Emerald, Assemblyperson Shirley Weber, SDSU Assoc. Professor Doreen Mattingly and local political analyst and strategist, and one of our repeat favorites, Laura Fink. The panel will be moderated by longtime club member Carol Perkins, herself a long time Women’s Studies professor at SDSU and elsewhere. These 5 women have a keen sense of the growing role of women in politics, business, education, and media, and will each offer a unique and personal perspective on their own struggles and achievements, the current political landscape, and how important it is that we share and educate voters this cycle of the consequences of choosing the wrong candidate and party, and the affect for future generations of all Americans and women in particular.

Doreen J. Mattingly is Associate Professor of Women’s Studies at San Diego State University (SDSU). She holds a PhD in Geography from Clark University, and MA from UCLA, and a BA from UC Berkeley. Dr. Mattingly regularly teaches courses titled: Women’s Work, Sex, Power, and Politics, Women in International Development, and Women’s Movements and Activism, and has led SDSU travel study trips exploring women’s lives in Asia, Latin America, and Europe. Her academic publications are on a range of topics, including women’s employment, domestic work, immigration, urban politics, feminist research methods, and women’s activism in the 1970s. She is the author of A Feminist in the White House: Midge Costanza, the Carter Years, and America’s Culture Wars.

Laura Fink is founder of the consulting firm Fink & Hernandez Consulting, LLC and assists political candidates and groups, corporations, nonprofits, and labor unions with communications, civic engagement, and public policy endeavors. Her experience includes facilitation of multi-million dollar campaigns for state and national political candidates. Her client list includes Speaker Toni Atkins, Congressperson Susan Davis, Councilmember Todd Gloria, Senator Marti Block and many others, including her fellow Wellesley College alum Hillary Clinton.

 

Laura more recently, and more visibly has become the political analyst of choice for several San Diego and national news outlets. It’s hard to watch a local news program during an election cycle without seeing Laura Fink prominently featured giving her views on an issue, candidate or political story.

 

When she isn’t directing a campaign or analyzing a political contest, Laura is very involved with San Diego Grantmakers. Laura developed statewide public policy outreach, strategy and communications collateral and executed plans for foundations, Grantmakers & nonprofit organizations to collaborate with elected officials to provide critical community services. The implementation phase included meeting with every state and federal elected official’s office in San Diego County, consolidating existing research and developing messaging and communications pieces for statewide use.

 

La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club serves members from the communities of San Carlos, Allied Gardens, Del Cerro, College Area, La Mesa, Mt. Helix, Santee, Casa de Oro, and other nearby East County communities. We meet the first Wednesday of every month at the La Mesa Community Center, 4975 Memorial Dr., La Mesa. Our meetings begin with a social 1/2 hour at 6:30 PM and all members and guests are welcomed. Please find us on Facebook or visit our website: Lamesafoothillsdemocraticclub.com

Carol Perkins after graduating from the University of Missouri in 1963 with an English major and Spanish minor, Carol went to Washington University in St. Louis as a Woodrow Wilson Fellow and earned an M.A. in English. She earned a Ph.D. in Claremont Graduate University’s and San Diego State University’s joint doctoral program in higher education.

 

Carol’s professional career began at Grossmont College where she taught English for many years, and served on the committee that initiated the first Women’s Studies classes. Carol taught for 14 years at San Diego State University in the first department of Women’s Studies in the U.S. From 1987 to 1989, Carol was an administrator in the College of Education at SDSU. Leaving San Diego in 1989, she chaired the Women’s Studies program at Stephens College in Missouri, and then completed her career at Minnesota State University in Mankato where Carol became full professor and chaired the Department of Women’s Studies.

 

Carol has published in the fields of feminist theater; racial and ethnic factors in women’s educational histories; Mary McLeod Bethune and other Black women educators in the post-Civil War era; the impact of immigration on rural communities in Minnesota; English language learning strategies employed by Spanish speaking children in public schools; and the influence of pre-Columbian goddesses on the religious life of Colonial Mexico.

 

Carol was a founding member of Sisters On Stage, a feminist theater group that performed throughout Southern California in the late 1970s; I served on the boards of Heartland Human Relations Association, Charley Brown Preschool in La Mesa, and the Mankato (Minnesota) Coalition Against Domestic Abuse. For the past 6 years, she has coordinated La Mesa-El Cajon AAUW’s Women in History program, which brings living history presentations to elementary schools

 

Linda Armacost, President

Jeff Benesch, VP, Programming

 

ENVIRONMENTAL EXPERT TO DISPEL MYTHS ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE

Dr. T. Todd Elvins to Represent Citizens Climate Lobby at Local Dems Meeting

Derek Casady to also speak on Climate Mobilization

Special Appearance by Supervisor Dave Roberts

 

The only Democrat on the Board of Supervisors, Dave Roberts, will lead off our May 4 meeting and seek our endorsement.

 

 

Following Supervisor Roberts, we take a breather this month from our months’ long series of candidate debates, discussions and endorsements and get back to all important Climate Action!

 

Local climate expert, Dr. Todd Elvins will be the KEYNOTE speaker at the May meeting of the La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club. Dr. Elvins is an engineer, entrepreneur and executive with many years of leadership success. He holds a PhD in Engineering from UCSD and for 10 years, teamed with earth, ocean and space scientists at the UCSD Supercomputer Center. Today, Dr. Elvins serves on the executive team at a San Diego cleantech company and is a renowned speaker for the Citizens’ Climate Lobby. CCL is a national grassroots non-profit that puts together upbeat interactive climate presentations for groups throughout the country. We are thrilled Dr. Elvins will be spending time with us on Wednesday evening, May 4th.

 

Among other things, Dr. Elvins will discuss:

-Climate change is a fact: It’s caused by humans burning fossil fuels.

-Economists worldwide agree that the fairest, fastest, cheapest, and most effective solution is to charge fossil fuel companies a gradually rising fee on the carbon in their fuel products.

-A carbon fee is a market-based solution that creates millions of jobs, adds a trillion dollars to our country’s gross domestic product, saves lives due to avoided air pollution, and quickly decreases climate pollution.

-The world’s faith leaders, including the Pope, recently have directed their followers to care for the environment, our common home.

-The fact is that there is NO SCIENTIFIC DEBATE about climate change. Some 99.9 percent of peer-reviewed literature concludes that burning fossil has been wonderful for advancing civilization, but terrible for the climate. Despite the cooling effects of volcanoes and earth axis wobbles, the earth is warming, which means that humans account for 100 percent of the observed warming.

Sharing the dais with Dr. Elvins will be Derek Casady speaking on behalf of The Climate Mobilization.org. The Climate Mobilization is a new, all-volunteer organization devoted to protecting 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.

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. Derek and wife Nancy have both run for elected office and have played active roles in supporting successful Democratic Candidates throughout San Diego County.

 

If you missed our April Meeting, you also missed a great discussion with the UT’s Government Editor Michael Smolens, and an update from Todd Gloria, SD Council member and candidate for the 78th Assembly District. And we met Ed Harris, a great candidate for San Diego Mayor and a veteran of San Diego politics as head of the City Lifeguards Union and appointed City Councilperson from District 2. We enthusiastically endorsed both Todd and Ed in their respective campaigns and know they’ll be tireless advocates for working people, open governance, and the environment.

 

YARD SALE UPDATE: It appears this year’s yard sale, Saturday, April 23rd from 7 AM to 1 PM, is shaping up to be the biggest ever. Word is that many members are Spring Cleaning in an effort to ensure we have more quality goods and better bargains than our previous 7 successful sales. This year we’ll again be at the Perkins’ Residence, 5009 Randlett, La Mesa, just a couple blocks East of our monthly meeting place at the La Mesa Community Center. DON’T MISS THE YARD SALE and check out our Facebook page for updates on merchandise and other deals.

 

 

If you live in San Carlos, Del Cerro, Allied Gardens, College Area, Santee, La Mesa, Mt. Helix, and other nearby communities and ARE NOT YET A MEMBER of LMFDC, you are missing scintillating monthly programs, great camaraderie among like-minded progressives, political action and get-out-the-vote efforts, community involvement on many fronts, our monthly newsletter, and regular informative updates from members and Club President, Linda Armacost.

This year, it’s VITALLY IMPORTANT to get involved with local and national politics as the stakes are higher than ever! There are generational changes pending on issues spanning immigration reform, women’s health, voting rights, Supreme Court appointments, climate change, living wages, Convadiums, open space, and so much more.

 

The last year has seen a jump in both club memberships and meeting attendance with over 100 members and guests joining the festivities each month. We meet the first Wednesday of every month at La Mesa Community Center, 4975 Memorial Dr., just North of University Ave. Our meetings begin with social ½ hour at 6:30 PM and then the business and speakers start at 7 PM. We offer light snacks, healthy sides, desserts, and beverages of all sorts. Check out our very informative website at www.lamesafoothillsdemocraticclub.com. Please join us soon.

 

Linda Armacost, President

Jeff Benesch, VP Programming

POLITICS 101: Review and Reset for 2016

Michael Smolens, Todd Gloria, Ed Harris to Speak

Clean Election Campaign, Yard Sale Also on Docket

 

In another of our continuing series of election events, the April 6th meeting of the La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club may prove to be the best yet. The longtime U-T Politics and Government Editor, Michael Smolens, will highlight and review many of the hot button local issues veteran politics watchers are discussing. It will be a Q and A session that will cover whether SD Democrats are “done-in” by recent council redistricting that seems to favor Republicans in local primaries, his predictions on the most heated races, the effects of the Briggs initiative on local development and the Chargers stadium, SANDAG planning and politics, the effect of the presidential race on turnout, and much more! Members and guests are encouraged to bring their best questions to Michael as he wraps up the 1st quarter of Campaign 2016 for us.

 

The La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club represents the communities of Grantville, Allied Gardens, San Carlos, Del Cerro, College Area, La Mesa, Santee, Mt. Helix, Casa de Oro, and many other close-in East County neighborhoods. We meet the first Wednesday of each month at the very nice La Mesa Community Center, 4975 Memorial Dr. La Mesa, just North of University. Social hour begins at 6:30 PM with snacks and beverages, with the meeting itself starting at 7 PM. Many candidates and progressive local organizations regularly set up tables and love to talk to our large and diverse membership. The meetings are open to the public and we encourage all local forward thinkers and progressives to check us out.

As if learning from Mr. Smolen’s long association with the U-T Political Beat was not enough, we will also welcome back old friend Todd Gloria to the club. Todd, the SD City Councilperson who took over the Mayorship in a very successful “sub” role, is looking to secure our endorsement for his run for the 78th Assembly Seat currently held by Toni Atkins. Toni is termed out and running for Senate, but Todd will remind us of his long progressive history in San Diego, initiating the Climate Action Plan among much else, and what his experience will bring to Sacramento.

And we’ll meet Ed Harris, the longtime progressive activist and head of the Lifeguards Union, and himself a “sub” on the San Diego City Council where he served when Kevin Faulconer was elected Mayor of San Diego. Now that Ed himself has challenged Faulconer for Mayor in this year’s election cycle, he’ll teach us why the current mayorship is untenable for working San Diegans, and how his election will propel the City towards higher wages for hourly workers, ensure environmental safeguards are put in place for all future development, will protect our beaches, bays and waterfronts for future generations, and why he’ll be more interested in focusing, with a full term as Mayor, on city business and many regional problems, than running for higher office in 2018.

 

Last on the docket, we’ll get caught up with the California Clean Money Campaign, with spokesperson James McCord. James will inform us about current efforts in the legislature, specifically the California Disclose Act, and the related Voter’s Right to Know Act. This initiative will go even farther in forcing all political ads to list the real backers and monied interests behind the ads. James is looking for volunteers to put the Act on the ballot in November. Many of you may remember James tabled with us at the March Meeting.

 

Don’t forget our Fabulous Fundraiser:

 

LMFDC 8^th Annual Yard Sale

Saturday, April 23, 2016

7:00 am to 1:00 pm

Perkins Residence 5009 Randlett, La Mesa

Every year, hundreds flock to this sale to pick up the many bargains donated by our members. Its proceeds are key to our having our meetings at the wonderful venue we enjoy each month, and the publication of our very popular newsletter, the Progressive Voice. For more information, please visit our website at www.lamesafoothillsdemocraticclub.com and like us on Facebook.

 

Bios: Michael Smolens has been government and politics editor at the U-T since 1992. During that time, he has overseen local, state and national political news. As a reporter, he covered politics at all levels, including San Diego City Hall and and did a four-year stint in the news organizations Sacramento Bureau. He graduated from the Univ. of Massachusetts/Amherst, where he majored in English and journalism. Smolens also attended Elmira (NY) College and was a goalie on the school’s hockey team. Declining reflexes persuaded him not to seek an NHL career.

 

Ed Harris served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1984 through 1988, attaining the rank of corporal. He has been a lifeguard for the City of San Diego since 1989. In addition to his duties as a lifeguard sergeant, Harris is also a longtime leader of the city’s lifeguard union.  Harris is married, has two children, and lives in Point Loma. In March 2014 the District 2 seat became vacant when Faulconer was elected Mayor of San Diego in a special election to replace Bob Filner. Since there was less than a year remaining in Faulconer’s term in office, the City Charter empowers the City Council to appoint a council member; however, that appointed member may not run in the subsequent election. Twenty people applied for the appointment. The City Council chose Harris on its second ballot by a 5-3 vote. Harris is a Democrat, although City positions are officially nonpartisan per California state law.

 

Todd Gloria:

Addressing the challenges of homelessness and affordable housing inspired him to pursue public office in 2008, when he was elected to serve as the councilmember for San Diego’s Third District, consisting of the city’s unique older urban neighborhoods. Thousands of affordable units were approved or constructed in San Diego since his election. By reallocating the city’s limited homeless services funds to results oriented programs. He led the way for San Diego’s first permanent year-round homeless service center and, as chair of the Regional Continuum of Care Council, he transitioned the city’s interim housing facility from a 16-week winter tent system to a year-round permanent program assisting approximately three times as many clients annually.

 

Councilmember Gloria currently chairs the SANDAG Transportation Committee and represents San Diego on the SANDAG Board of Directors and Executive Committee, and is Chair Pro Tem of the Metropolitan Transit System. He was selected by the City Council as its President in 2013 and 2014 and served as Interim Mayor of the City of San Diego from August 30, 2013 until March 2, 2014.

 

Prior to his election in 2008, Gloria served as District Director to U.S. Congresswoman Susan A. Davis and worked for the County of San Diego’s Health and Human Services Agency.

 

In 2013, Gloria was one of 24 individuals chosen for the Aspen Institute’s Rodel Fellowship Program for Public Leadership, recognizing him as one of the nation’s most promising young leaders in American government. Gloria is a graduate of the University of San Diego. A native of San Diego, Gloria is also a third generation resident of District Three and lives in Mission Hills.