Category: News

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

President’s Message
Linda K. Armacost, Ed.D
2016 Presidential Election Issues: Gun Control

So far, the Democrats and Republicans have had 20+Primary Election debates. Debates are supposed to educate voters about important issues and the candidates’ stand on those issues. I believe gun control is a very important issue for our nation. Gun proliferation, in my opinion, is the number one public health issue affecting our nation. This column looks at the problem of gun violence and where the candidates stand on gun control.

The day after a shooting spree in Oregon last year, President Obama said people who support gun control would “just have to, for a while, be a single-issue voter” if gun laws in America were ever going to change.

Obama said he’ll follow that philosophy himself.

“Even as I continue to take every action possible as president, I will also take every action I can as a citizen,” he said in an op-ed for The New York Times. “I will not campaign for, vote for or support any candidate, even in my own party, who does not support common-sense gun reform. And if the 90% of Americans who do support common-sense gun reforms join me, we will elect the leadership we deserve.”

Here are some staggering statistics: Gun violence in the United States results in thousands of deaths and injuries annually. According the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2013 firearms were used in 84,258 nonfatal injuries (26.65 per 100,000 U.S. citizens) and were used in 11,208 deaths by homicide (3.5 per 100,000), 21,175 by suicide with a firearm, and 505 deaths due to accidental discharge of a firearm, and 281 deaths due to firearms-use with ‘undetermined intent” for a total of 33,169 deaths related to firearms.

In 2010, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 67% of all homicides in the U.S. were conducted using a firearm. In 2010, gun violence cost U.S. taxpayers approximately $516 million in direct hospital costs.Last year at least 278 children unintentionally fired a gun and injured or killed someone. U.S. gun violence kills significantly more people than terrorism — even factoring in 9/11. Since 2001, the harm from terrorists to Americans both here and abroad accounts for 0.8% of all American deaths by firearms in the United States in the same time period.

In the U.S., guns are used in homicides more often than in many other countries
Obama has delivered statements on gun violence 15 times during his presidency. After the latest shooting, he said the nation had become numb to the carnage.

“We know that other countries, in response to one mass shooting, have been able to craft laws that almost eliminate mass shootings,” he said. “Friends of ours, allies of ours — Great Britain, Australia, countries like ours. So we know there are ways to prevent it.”

A Mother Jones story in October 2015, reports a majority of Americans now support tougher laws controlling gun sales, according to a Gallup poll. In a year marked by a series of deadly mass shootings, 55 percent of Americans favor stricter gun control legislation—an increase of 8 percentage points from last year.

While the American people have voiced their desire for stricter gun control, state Republican officials seem oblivious: for the second year in a row, West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin pulled the emergency brake on legislation that seemed almost tailor-made to bring harm upon law enforcement. The bill in question sought to give persons over the age of 21 the right to carry concealed handguns without a permit. Later that day, flanked by police at a press conference, Tomblin, a Democrat, provided an explanation for his veto. “When you’re [an officer] and you walk into a dangerous situation, you almost have to expect that everyone’s carrying a gun,” he said, suggesting that the likelihood of a shootout would increase if this bill became law. But the legislature would not be deterred. On Friday, the House of Delegates voted to override the veto, and on Saturday the Senate followed suit “I can hear freedom knocking at the doors in West Virginia,” said Senator Craig Blair, a Republican who supported the bill. “That’s exactly what this does.”

Where do the Presidential candidates stand on gun control?

Clinton has publicly said she will fight for “common sense” gun reforms. In 2013, she backed bipartisan legislation requiring universal background checks on gun purchases.
“I know that gun ownership is part of the fabric of a lot of law abiding communities,” Clinton told the U.S. Conference of Mayors in San Francisco following the Charleston shooting. “I also know that we can have common sense gun reforms that keep weapons out of the hands of criminals and the violently unstable while respecting responsible gun owners.”

Sanders has an uncertain track record when it comes to guns. As Politico reported, Sanders’ campaign manager says he is “very moderate” when it comes to gun control. However in the past, Sanders has voted against the Brady Bill (law that requires a waiting period for handgun purchases and background checks on those who wish to purchase handguns), voted for a ban on assault weapons, voted to allow firearms on Amtrak trains, and voted for universal background checks.

Ted Cruz has an “A+” rating from the NRA and has firmly expressed support for Second Amendment rights.
“The Second Amendment to the Constitution isn’t for just protecting hunting rights, and it’s not only to safeguard your right to target practice,” Cruz has said, per the New York Times. “It is a Constitutional right to protect your children, your family, your home, our lives, and to serve as the ultimate check against governmental tyranny — for the protection of liberty.”
Like many other Republican colleagues, Cruz voted against moving forward on the 2013 Senate legislation to expand background checks.

During a 2013 interview with FOX News, Trump described himself as “a very strong person on the Second Amendment.” But in his 2000 book “The America We Deserve,” Trump said he supports a ban on assault weapons and longer waiting periods on gun purchases.
“I believe in the 2nd Amendment. Everybody has the right to keep and bear arms to either protect your family, protect yourselves, to be a hunter (like his son who’s Facebook photo showed the aftermath an elephant he killed while it was grazing). The 2nd amendment is part of that Constitution. It’s something I believe in”.

John Kasich noted that the two students who killed 13 people and themselves in Littleton, Colo., violated 19 existing gun laws. “There were already a bunch of laws,” Kasich said. “The kids didn’t pay attention to the laws. I don’t think new laws will solve all the problems.”
More parenting better than more gun laws “In most homes, both parents work and nobody has the time to spend with their children anymore,” he said.
Opposes restrictions on the right to bear arms.
Voted YES on decreasing gun waiting period from 3 days to 1.

I agree with President Obama and do not support any candidate who isn’t serious about gun control.

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The La Mesa-Foothills Democratic Club congratulates the 2016 club of the Year, AAPI.  A young club with lots of energy and future leaders. While LMFDC was not chosen, we are very proud of our accomplishments in 2015. We are sharing our Club of the Year submission for our great team and wonderful members, thanks for making our Club awesome!

2015 Club of the Year Submission

 

 

The La Mesa-Foothills Democratic Club has been working to bring progressive values to the East Area of San Diego County since 1984. Against all odds, the LMFDC has turned the very red city of La Mesa BLUE! As one of the largest and most active Clubs, we are proud to be a model for Chartered Democratic Clubs in the East Area and throughout the county.

 

Great Meetings and Exceptional Programs

 

Our continuing success is based on the simple idea that great meetings with exceptional programming and a warm social atmosphere attracts people from the community. Our dedication to educating members, encouraging participation in the political process, and advocating on behalf of important issues has helped us garner new members, and exceptional renewal rate of the membership. We added 55 New Members in 2015!

The LMFDC hosts 12 meetings a year. We meet the first Wednesday of each month at the La Mesa Community Center. In 2015, our Average Meeting Attendance was 98, and we averaged 41 guests per meeting. Great meetings have exceptional programs and speakers. Our VP for Programming, Jeff Benesch, has the reputation for securing wonderful speakers and we are now in the enviable position of having potential speakers contacting us for a speaking slot.

LMFDC 2015 meeting programs included many Elected Officials and Democratic Candidates:

Marti Emerald                                      Marty Block                 

Todd Gloria                                          Jose Caballero

Toni Atkins                                          San Diego District 9 Candidates

Scott Peters                                         San Diego District 3 Candidates

Susan Davis                                         Justin DeCasare          

Shirley Weber                                      La Mesa Mayor, Mark Arapostathis

Raphael Castellanos                             La Mesa City Council Member, Guy McWhirter

Mara Elliott                                          Joe LaCava

Gil Cabrera                                          

Climate Change was in the spotlight in 2015. Our programs included:

• Davin Widgerow and Brian Elliott: San Diego Sierra Club

• Nicole Capretz:   Climate Action Plan

• Rear Admiral, Len Hering: Center for Sustainability

• Kath Rogers: Climate Action Plan

• Jim Stone & Colin Parent: Circulate San Diego

• Debbie Hecht: Sierra Club

 

We had 5 meetings in 2015 with audiences of 100+ attendees.

Our Annual Party in the Park at the beautiful Mission Trails Interpretive Center brought 115 (despite a surprise July rain shower) to watch the LMFDC honor Council Woman Marti Emerald for her years of service to the community. Elected officials, Todd Gloria, Scott Peters, and many Democratic Candidates also joined us.

112 members and guests were with us for the August meeting featuring Speaker Toni Atkins. Our meeting with Author Stephen Druker, packed our meeting room with 158 people.

Our biggest meeting attendance, 162, was the October Candidates Forum featuring 25 Democratic Candidates. Other important programs included; Christopher Yanov of Reality Changers, Author of Soul of a Nation, Peggi Chute, and a social media training program with John Loughlin.

 Marti Emerald was honored for her years of service. 115 people enjoyed the beauty of Mission Trails Park in July!    

            

 

Our 2015 Holiday Meeting included a full buffet shared by 111 members!

 

Political Satirist and Musician Roy Zimmerman returned to Rock the house!

 Communication and Community Outreach=More Members

In many communities, the existence of a Democratic Club is a well-kept secret. As people in the communities we serve learn about our club and the wonderful programs we present, guest attendance soars and new members join.

The LMFDC publishes 12 Newsletters every year. The Progressive Voice reaches over 200 members, meeting guests receive the newsletter free for 3 months, and it is sent free to Democratic Elected officials.

 

 

 

                

The La Mesa-Foothills Club has a monthly column in the La Mesa and Mission Times Courier paper. The papers are distributed to thousands of residents in La Mesa, and eastern San Diego communities. Members and meeting guests also receive weekly informative emails from the LMFDC.

Dear LMFDC Members,

The last GOP debate of 2015 is tonight on CNN at 6 and 8:30 pm. We know Trump’s poll numbers are surging as supporters welcome his hate-filled rhetoric, latest polling shows Trump at 41%. If that is not scary enough, Trump has made Ted Cruz look positively reasonable, Cruz has taken the lead in most Iowa polls!

The GOP is freaking out over Trump’s sustained lead and the prospect of him being the GOP Presidential Nominee. The GOP has stacked their primary contest–the lion’s share of delegates will be chosen by Super Tuesday in March, which could lead to a ‘brokered’ convention in July.

 

 

The LMFDC has been a perennial participant in the La Mesa Flag Day Parade. We love receiving thunderous applause while parade watchers take photos of our President Obama standee. The parade is a fun way to show off our club!

                     

Our Annual Yard sale has become a must for La Mesa bargain shoppers. Held each year in April, the sale attracts hundreds of neighbors and helps the club with a financial boost.

Our booth at the La Mesa Oktoberfest

 

We support the SDCDP’s GO-Team and East Area Caucus

LMFDC members work hard to support local, state, and national Democratic Candidates. Go-Team members were out in full force during the 2014 Mid-Term Elections, working their precincts and phone-banking for candidates. In 2015, we were Hosts for the East Area Caucus Committee fundraisers and helped raise funds for an East Area 2016 Campaign Office.

              

A Taste of the Blue Life 2                                   

 

 

 

 

 

  A Jazzy Blue Night of Elegance

 

The LMFDC is well-represented on the SDCDP Central Committee; including Tina Rynberg, Steve Jesionka, Judith Walters, Miriam Plotkin, Chris Pearson, Josan Feathers, Eric Hereford, and Janet Gastil.

We support our local Democratic candidates through our 50/50 Drawing held at each meeting. Tickets are $1.00 a piece or 7 for $5.00. The winning ticket receives half the money collected, and the other half goes to our Candidates Fund. Local candidates are invited to join us at every meeting and to have a table for their campaign.

 

Voter Registration Participation

We are very proud that our members have participated each month in the Naturalization Ceremony and Registration! We also registered voters at our Club Booth during the La Mesa Oktoberfest.

 

 

Naturalization Ceremony

 

Community Service & Team Work

The LMFDC supports our communities in many ways. Our community service outreach recently included a holiday toy drive for the Western Service Workers, a food drive for Saint Sophia’s neighborhood food bank, ongoing support for Fair Trade La Mesa, and a program devoted to CARR, Consumer Advocates for Residential Care Facilities Reform.”

A successful Club depends on Team Work and we are fortunate have talented Officers and Board members who devote their time, energy, and ideas. Each one deserves recognition for their efforts.

OFFICERS:                                                                 BOARD MEMBERS AT LARGE

President: Linda Armacost                                          Garry Armacost, Josan Feathers                 

Vice President for Membership: Jane Inglese               Steve Jesionka, Colin Parent,

Vice President for Political Action: Jennifer Spencer     Tina Rynberg, Dave Zierman

Vice President for Programming: Jeff Benesch

Secretary: Anita Reith

Treasurer: Ann Stiles

Past-President: Fernando Garcia

Editor: Bonnie Baranoff

Founder: Beverly Cassirer

 

Council of Clubs

The LMFDC has been and is a huge supporter of the Council of Clubs. Sharing with other club representatives has enriched our club in so many ways. Our Annual Yard Sale was a fundraising idea from a Council Meeting.

Our Past-President, Larry Howe, was Council Chair. Our Immediate Past-President, Fernando Garcia, is not only our Council Representative, Fernando is also the LMFDC Ambassador to County Democratic events.

During our 32 year history, The La Mesa-Foothills Democratic Club members, such as Senator Marty Block and County School Board Past-President Sharon Jones and others have become elected Democratic officials. We are also proud of our members who have been recognized for their volunteerism and leadership. Club members have been awarded Volunteer of the Year twice, and 5 members have been awarded the prestigious Chair Award. We were voted Club of the Year in 2008.

The La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club has met or exceeded the Council of Clubs objective criteria for new members gained, members renewed, meeting attendance, candidates appearing, sensational programming, and high GO-Team representation. We have accomplished so much this year because we have a terrific team of Officers, Board Members, and active, educated members. We thank The Council of Clubs for the opportunity to be considered as Club of the Year!

 

 

 

 

 Never a woman to waste any time, I found Beverly eating her breakfast (fruit in oatmeal), reading the LA Times and/or NY Times, and watching MSNBC. At 96 I hope I am able to do the same!

The la Mesa-Foothills Democratic Club was founded 32 years ago by a progressive couple, Beverly and Claude Cassirer, who lived in very red and conservative La Mesa. Against all odds, the club they started not only survived, but thrived and has grown to become one of the biggest and most active Democratic Club in San Diego County. Sadly, we lost Claude some years ago; however, Beverly is still going strong and is 96 years old today!

 Beverly’s words of wisdom:

“All members of the La Mesa Democratic Club should get out and vote and make sure that at least one other Democrat goes to vote”. Use the “ripple effect” she says.

 

 

 

 

Panel of Supporters to Debate Issues at Local Dem Meeting

Mayor’s Contest, D1 and D3 Also on Docket

   

Trying to duplicate the scintillating series of Candidates Forums of the past couple of months, the La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club will tackle the Presidential Race at our Wednesday, March 2nd Meeting. Fervent supporters of Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton will battle for the Club’s coveted endorsement in an exchange that is sure to highlight each candidate’s strengths and weaknesses. There will be no trumping this exciting and emotional tiff between 2 great presidential candidates. Look for our talented and celebrity panel of speakers and moderators in what should be the highlight of our pre-primary exhibitions.

 

And that’s not the end of the evening’s outstanding agenda: We’ll also hear and vote on endorsement for outstanding Democratic Candidates in San Diego City Races in the key District 1 and District 3 contests. We’ve invited Chris Ward and Anthony Bernal to appear for District 3 and the extremely qualified Barbara Bry in District 1. We’ll follow each of the forums with an endorsement vote.

And in a recent addition, we are very excited to have our old friend Lori Saldana, now running as an independent for the office of Mayor of San Diego. The former Democratic Assembly person and longtime local politico has headlined our meetings on a couple of occasions, and always speaks truth to power, and will tell us why she’s the best candidate to replace the ineffectual Kevin Faulconer as mayor. Friend of the environment, workers, affordable housing, veterans, women’s rights, education reform, a minimum wage hike and a host of other progressive issues; Lori finds agreement with most of the ideals and aspirations of our diverse membership.

Our members and guests come from San Carlos, Allied Gardens, Del Cerro, College Area, Mission Valley, Santee, La Mesa, Mt. Helix, Spring Valley, Casa De Oro and other unincorporated areas of Eastern San Diego County.

The La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club meets the first Wednesday of every month at the very nice La Mesa Community Center, 4975 Memorial Dr., just North of University. We begin with a social ½ hour at 6:30 PM with a variety of snacks, desserts and beverages provided by the club membership. Our meetings begin at 7:00 PM and we encourage all area progressives to join us for our always interesting, stimulating and thought provoking programs. Visit our webpage at www.lamesafoothillsdemocraticclub.com for a calendar, photos, and highlights of our many community activities. Be sure to like us on Facebook. Now read more about our candidates:

ANTHONY BERNAL One of Anthony Bernal’s first jobs was as a project manager with an affiliate of the National Council of La Raza. He provided support to working families. He was later hired by a locally-owned Engineering and Construction Management firm. His experience in managing projects coupled with a heart for the community, prepared him for the current role as Director of Business and Community Projects for San Diego Council President Todd Gloria. He also served as a member of the Human Rights Campaign San Diego Steering Committee. Currently he’s a founding member of the Cortez Hill Active Residents Group, Pure Water San Diego Working Group and President of the San Diego Sigma Chi Alumni Chapter.

CHRIS WARD Chris serves as the Chief of Staff to State Senator Marty 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 every day. 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 earned his Bachelor of Arts degree at Johns Hopkins University and a Master’s in Public Policy and Urban Planning at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

BARBARA BRY Barbara Bry is a high tech entrepreneur and community leader who worked her way through college and grad school, earning a Master’s Degree in Business from Harvard. As a single working mom, Barbara was on the founding team of several local high-tech companies, including ProFlowers.com, which has created hundreds of local jobs. A leader in the San Diego business community, Barbara taught entrepreneurship at UCSD and founded an organization that supports the advancement of women in the tech sector. As a business journalist, she has also spotlighted the vibrant small business community that supports our City’s economy and was honored as Small Business Journalist of the Year for San Diego and Imperial Counties by the Small Business Administration.

Barbara has deep roots in the community and has lived here for almost 35 years. She is married to Neil Senturia, raised her two daughters here, and is a proud Grandmother. She served as President of the Board of the Children’s Museum of San Diego and as Vice Chair of the San Diego Jewish Community Foundation. As the first high-tech entrepreneur on the City Council, Barbara will bring her enterprising and relentless mind-set to City Hall to keep San Diego safe, clean and prosperous. Barbara will work to create better paying high-tech jobs and help small businesses grow, so that we can invest in maintaining San Diego’s quality of life by fixing our streets; protecting our beaches, bays, and parks; and conserving our water supply.

LORI SALDANA A San Diego native, Lori grew up in Clairemont in a large family of girls. The experience of being a daughter of a career Marine would later influence her legislative work on behalf of active-duty service members, veterans and military families.

Among many bills authored by Lori was the landmark Global Warming legislation. She served in the Environmental Caucus and was considered one of the state’s most influential environmental voices. She earned a 100% Sierra Club voting record during her 6 years in the Assembly. For her work on behalf of veterans, Lori was named the 2006 Legislator of the Year by the California Assoc. of County Veterans Service Officers.

Lori attended both Mesa College and SDSU getting her BA and Masters of Arts from the latter. Lori spent the year immediately following her graduation as a union carpenter’s apprentice, an experience that taught her the value of technical-vocational training, and reinforced her commitment to workforce development and San Diego’s working families. She later became a popular instructor of Business Information Technology for the San Diego Community College Dist. Lori developed and managed several educational and technical job skills programs, including a $1.5 million development grant from the US Dept. of Labor for the District.

Lori co-founded the first San Diego Earth Day Celebration in 1990, and went on to serve as Chair of the San Diego Chapter of the Sierra Club from 1994 to 1997. She was appointed by President Bill Clinton to the Border Environment Cooperation Commission in 1999 and later served as Co-chair of the Advisory Council. Since 1994, the commission has invested billions in creating cleaner water along the US and Mexico border. As a result of this work, Lori received an environmental policy research fellowship at the Center for US and Mexico Studies at UCSD.

In 2004, Lori won the first of her 3 terms in the State Legislature, including a stint as Assistant Majority Whip, Speaker Pro Tempore and Chair of the Legislative Women’s Caucus. Among her significant contributions to the legislature, she authored bills to aid Military Families, promote roof top solar, develop California’s green tech economy, and became an outspoken advocate of healthcare reform.