Noted Law Professor to Headline December Meeting

 

Local Dems to celebrate season with Annual Holiday Feast

 

The La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club, with members from Allied Gardens, San Carlos, the College Area, Del Cerro, as well as the East County communities of La Mesa, Santee and Mt. Helix, will hear noted Law Professor and author Marjorie Cohn at their annual holiday meeting, Wednesday, December 3rd. We meet at the La Mesa Community Center at 4975 Memorial Dr., just off of University Avenue in La Mesa. Guests are welcomed at all meetings!

 

As is our custom, we will have a our Annual Club Holiday Party featuring fresh baked Turkeys and Ham, all the trimmings, and a multitude of sides and desserts. We start the meeting at 6 PM to have plenty of time to enjoy the food, the music and the camaraderie. We are pleased to welcome back wonderful flamenco guitarist Anthony Garcia who will play for the group during our social hour.

 

Our meeting will be highlighted by Professor Cohn, who has just released her 5th book, Drones and Targeted Killing: Legal, Moral and Geo-political Issues. Marjorie Cohn is a professor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law, where she teaches criminal law and procedure, evidence, and international human rights law. A former president of the National Lawyers Guild, she is U.S. representative to the executive council of the American Association of Jurists. Cohn is also the author of Cowboy Republic, Rules of Disengagement, Cameras in the Courtroom, and United States and Torture: Interrogation, Incarceration and Abuse. She lectures throughout the world on human rights and U.S. foreign policy and the contradiction between the two. Marjorie will have books available for signing and sale at the meeting.

 

Our members make a pledge every year to help others less fortunate in our community. This year, we are teaming up with the St. Vincent De Paul Society at Santa Sophia Catholic Church in Casa de Oro. Their outreach program serves the needs of over 400 local families with an ongoing Food Pantry and other essential services. Members are encouraged to bring to our meeting a collection of non-perishable foods and dry goods.

 

It’s suggested the best items are: Pasta, Rice, Beans, Canned Vegetables and Fruits, Pasta Sauce, Peanut Butter, Boxed Cereal, Meal Helpers, Tuna, Mac & Cheese and Cake mix. Also valuable would be paper goods and tissues, toothpaste and brushes, deodorant, shampoo, cleaning products and laundry detergent. So open up your pantry and your heart and help feed and nourish the needy this holiday season.

 

Finally, a big thank you is in order for Senator Marty Block, who enlightened and delighted our November gathering and told us the election results in California were something we could all be proud of. All state-wide Democratic office holders were re-elected, as was our local Assemblyperson, Dr. Shirley Weber, and our local Congressperson Susan Davis. Scott Peters was winning (and now has won) the hotly contested 52nd CD race over Carl DeMaio. Marty also informed us about some of the significant and successful bills he had signed by Governor Brown this year including one making certain 4 year degrees available at 16 Community Colleges in California. And lastly, he reminded us all that 2016 is 2 short years away!

 

Linda Armacost, President

La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club

November Speaker:

State Senator Block to Headline November Meeting for Local Dems

None other than our own Marty Block, State Senator for the 39th District, which encompasses most of San Diego and La Mesa, will be our featured speaker at the November 5th meeting of the La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club. Since this meeting immediately follows the Nov. 4th election, Marty will do some expert analysis of the voting results, and also do a complete rundown of the recently completed Senate session in Sacramento. As a veteran of over 30 years of service to the community, as Member and President of the San Diego Board of Education, Member and President of the San Diego Community College Board, and a Dean and Director at SDSU, he has focused on education and budgetary issues during his time in Sacramento. Marty was our 78th District Assembly person for 2 terms prior to his election to Senate in 2012.

Not only does Marty serve currently on the Senate Education Committee, he chairs the subcommittee on Education finance. He also sits on committees dealing with banking, energy, utilities, business and economic development, communications, autism, passenger rail and veterans affairs. He’s had a great deal of legislative success during his 6 year tenure in Sacramento, just this year paving the way for Governor Brown’s signature on a landmark bill enabling future Community College grads to achieve a 4 year degree. Marty’s presentation should be an ideal wrap up to our busy election season.

Our October meeting was a valuable and informative prelude to our November 4th voting day with the wonderful Dr. Shirley Weber giving us a rousing summary of the just completed Assembly session and her many contributions to a very successful 2014 legislative session. We long ago pledged our support to her re-election campaign in the 79th Assembly District.

We also had the pleasure of a surprise visit by none other than Congressperson Susan Davis, who inspired us to get out and work for all the local Democratic Candidates in this pivotal election, and her hopes that her next term in Washington will not be fraught with the intransigence of a do-nothing House and often dead-locked Senate. She related well the frustrations that she and her Democratic colleagues felt when they couldn’t get much of anything to the floor concerning key issues like climate change, immigration, worker’s and women’s rights, fair pay, minimum wage, banking reform, veterans benefits, and much, much more.

La Mesa Mayor Art Madrid spoke to our club for the first time in his long tenure as mayor and city councilman, and urged us to support his many city initiatives.   Inspired, our club voted unanimously to “not object” to his candidacy, the highest endorsement we can give to a non-Democratic candidate in a race for a non-partisan office. In a related race, our membership pledged to work for and help elect our very own Patrick Dean to La Mesa City Council, and to urge La Mesa Democrats to vote only once, for Patrick.

Jack Shu, another member of our club and President of the Cleveland National Forest Foundation, gave us a refresher course on the progress of the fight against the plans by Sandag and Caltrans to do little else but widen freeways in their long range County Transportation Plan. That this doesn’t nearly meet the State requirements for reduced carbon emissions is the crux of the problem. And doesn’t bold well for future generations of San Diego County residents.

Please join us for our November and all future meetings of the La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club. We meet at the La Mesa Community Center on the first Wednesday of every month. We have social hour at 6:30 PM with conversation and refreshments. Our meetings start at 7PM.

More info is available on our website: www.lamesafoothillsdemocraticclub.com, or like us on our fabulous facebook page.

September Speaker:

Local Dem Club Looks Forward and Backward in Key Summer Meetings.

La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club will welcome David Rolland as their Keynote speaker at their September 3rd Meeting. Rolland, editor of San Diego CityBeat, an alternative newsweekly; is a self proclaimed lover of music, baseball, politics and whiskey. His irreverent approach to San Diego County politics will be the gist of his remarks as he prepares us for what to expect in the rapidly approaching Fall Election Season.

Known for his acerbic wit, Rolland is famous for calling ’em as he sees them, and his observations of the last decade of the San Diego political scene are full of keen insight and accurate predictions of future events. We’ll ask him to predict the results of the Fall election and why things should occur as they will. Perhaps he will recap his hilarious San Diego politicians as Star Wars characters for us. We look forward to this brilliant investigative journalist and will surely greet him with our own brand of hard questioning!

We looked back at our own colorful past at our tremendous August Anniversary meeting with Club founder Beverly Cassier, 94 years young, cutting our 30th Anniversary Cake! We were treated to a fantastic concert by satirist/singer/song writer Roy Zimmerman that everyone greatly enjoyed as he kicked off his Blue Dot tour with a gala performance in front of over 100 members and guests. We hope the San Francisco based Zimmerman will make our appreciative audience a regular stop.

Local politicos are starting to make regular appearances at Club Meetings as the election season is moving into high gear, and we should see many local and regional candidates at our September and October meetings. It’s time to get the vote out for our local hopefuls. Patrick Dean has pulled papers for La Mesa City Council, and we’ll get an update on his promising campaign. La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club meets the first Wednesday of each month at the La Mesa Community Center, 4975 Memorial Drive, at University Ave. Meetings start with Social time at 6:30 PM and Club business at 7 PM. All are welcome, as our members bring wide variety of snacks and desserts. Don’t miss our September election preview with David Rolland. Check out http://www.lamesafoothillsdemocraticclub.com, or like us on Facebook.

August Agenda:

Noted Satirist to Headline Local Dem Club’s 30th Anniversary Bash

On Wednesday, August 6, America’s premiere political satirical songwriter, Roy Zimmerman, kicks off the San Diego leg of his Blue Dot tour with a gala concert performance at the 7 PM meeting of the La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club. Roy sings a compelling combination of socially conscious comedy and original music. His “funny songs about peace and justice” will highlight the 30th Anniversary of the Club, one of the oldest and largest chartered Democratic Clubs in San Diego County. It all takes place at the La Mesa Community Center, 4975 Memorial Drive, just off of University Ave. in La Mesa.

The festivities kick off at 6:30 with our Social ½ hour, where you’ll have a chance to purchase a CD of Roy’s music and humor and meet community activists, office holders and local political candidates. Members supply snacks, desserts and beverages and we’ll have a special anniversary cake for this notable occasion. Roy asks a donation of $15 for his concert or whatever you can afford, and if you buy one of his CD’s, it’ll make his evening.

 

 

July 2nd Party in the Park

Our July 2nd Party in the Park at the beautiful Mission Trails Park Visitor’s Center was a huge success. A standing room crowd of over 150 enjoyed our BBQ and award winning pies, and keynote speakers Jay Wilson, Congressman Scott Peters, and County Supervisor Dave Roberts kept us informed and inspired. Entertainment was provided by a great performance (as George Cowles) by Trail Guide Steve Haiman. It was so successful, we are thinking of making it an annual event. Many thanks to Jay and his great staff who went overboard to make the evening a memorable event. It didn’t hurt that we had a balmy, perfect July evening that showed off the natural beauty of the park at sunset. For many of our members and guests, it was their first visit to the Interpretive Center, but certainly not their last.

For more information about the La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club, please visit our website (lamesafoothillsdemocraticclub.com) or visit our Facebook Page. We meet the first Wednesday of every month at the La Mesa Community Center.

 

July Agenda:

WILSON AND COWLES TO HEADLINE LOCAL CLUB’S PARTY IN THE PARK

MTRP Foundation Director Jay Wilson and Santee Founder George Cowles will address the La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club Independence Week Celebration and BBQ at the MTRP Interpretive Center, Wednesday, July 2nd, 6-9 PM. The festivities will include a fabulous BBQ with all the trimmings complete with Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Veggie Burgers and our famous Apple Pie Baking Contest.  Look for several Celebrity Judges.

 

La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club, 30 years old this year, will hold its July Meeting outside the city limits of La Mesa for the first time ever.  Area residents are invited to join us on the MTRP Center patio for a sunset celebration of the past, the present, and the future of our beautiful natural resource, the largest urban park in San Diego.

 

Jay Wilson, Executive Director of the MTRP Foundation will address the many ways local residents can conscientiously preserve, visit, and volunteer in the many recreational and historical aspects of the park.  Along with detailing what bodes for the immediate future in this precious Nature Preserve, Jay will suggest civic participation in light of the proposed future development of the San Diego River Valley.

 

We will then get a guest appearance by George Cowles, the former Raisin King of the US, instrumental in getting the railroad out to East County, and the real founder of Santee.  His 10 years in San Diego in the late 1800’s coincides with a period of real development in the area, and one of the reasons that Cowles Mountain bears his name.  The actor, Steve Haiman, then will change out of his George Cowles attire and don his real work clothes, that of a long time Trail Guide and naturalist in MTRP.  He’ll address the habitat of the park, the natural ecology of the area, and how it’s changed over the years, and answer questions from any and all takers.

 

We’ll also have the chance to meet and greet with local office holders, including Supervisor Dave Roberts, who’s district includes Mission Trails Regional Park.  Supervisor Roberts is the Vice Chair of the Mission Trails Task Force Group.  He’ll be happy to address the future of the Park from a County perspective, and how we can all help preserve our precious environmental heritage.  Look for some surprise guests who will act as judges for our time tested Pie Baking Contest.  Not only will our members be cooking up BBQ for the group, we’ll also have plenty of salads, sides and desserts to share.  Festivities start at 6 PM!  The BBQ is free for members, and a $10 donation will be asked of all guests.  Hope to see you there.  For more info, please visit our website at Lamesafoothillsdemocraticclub.com, or visit us on Facebook.

 

We’ll be back at our regular meeting spot, the La Mesa Community Center, for a very special August 6th performance by Roy Zimmerman, musician, gifted singer, and political satirist.  And a very, very funny man.  You won’t want to miss our August Meeting, the first San Diego stop on Roy’s National  Blue Dot Tour.  Social Hour at 6:30 PM, meeting and program start at 7 PM.

 

Linda Armacost, President

La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club

 

Wagner to Headline Local Dem Club Meeting

San Diego Planning Commissioner Anthony Wagner will headline the June 4th meeting of the La Mesa-Foothills Democratic Club.  Wagner, an area native, also heads up the Allied Gardens Town Council and was recently Chair of Navajo Community Planners.  He’ll discuss the results of the June 3rd primary election, as well as the importance of the updated Grantville Community Plan.  As a board member of the San Diego River Park Foundation, Anthony will discuss the balance planners must reach in protecting our open spaces and valuable natural resources with the plans proposed for high density development of the Grantville area.   Anthony will be joined on the dais by Masada Disenhouse of SanDiego350.org, an all-volunteer team of San Diegans dedicated to raising awareness, developing leaders and advocating for climate change action.

 

La Mesa-Foothills Democratic Club is one of the oldest and largest chartered Democratic clubs in San Diego County.  It’s home to members from San Carlos, Allied Gardens, Del Cerro, Grantville, La Mesa, East Mission Valley, College Area, Santee, Casa De Oro and Spring Valley.  We meet the first Wednesday of every month at 6:30 PM for social time at the La Mesa Community Center, 4975 Memorial Dr., just off University Ave.  Meetings start at 7 PM.

LMFDC has had quite an eventful Spring season with our March meeting being headlined by Professor Alan Gin of USD.  Professor Gin discussed the economic state of San Diego County from a wage earners perspective.  In words a layman could easily comprehend he proposed that raising the minimum wage in San Diego County, even to $10.90 per hour, would not be enough for the average family to survive without public assistance.  Relating today’s growth of the minimum wage with pre-Reagan levels, adding inflation and cost of living, we should be at $13.00+ per hour.   A very eye-opening presentation from San Diego’s most noted economist.

Our April meeting featured a trio of notables discussing local policy:  Councilperson Marti Emerald, School Board President Kevin Beiser and DNC member Jess Durfee. We received great updates from all 3 of our April Speakers.  May will feature Ex-councilperson Donna Frye discussing Open Government, and Port of San Diego Commissioner Rafael Castellanos telling us all we need to know about the current state of affairs at the Port, including updates on a stadium, the airport and development along San Diego’s bayfront.  Please join us for comradery,  fascinating speakers and personal growth.  Meetings are free to all members of the public.  Check out our website at www.lamesafoothillsdemocraticclub.com or like us on Facebook.

Thanks

Fernando Garcia, President

La Mesa-Foothills Democratic Club

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 CAMPAIGN KICKOFF 2014

Only 2 meetings to go before we go to the polls for the June Primary, and there’s a lot of information for activists and progressives to absorb. We’ll try to make it easier for you by bringing in 4 great speakers to address various issues facing Democrats in this fast approaching election! We’ll cover Washington politics and a trip to the recent Democratic National Committee meeting with Jess Durfee. We’ll learn about the trials and tribulations of the San Diego Unified School Board, and it’s successes to date with Board President Kevin Beiser. We’ll hear first hand about the Mayoral transition and how it affects the Democrat-controlled City Council, and many other City wide issues with our old friend, Marty Emerald. And lastly, Judicial politics, and why we should CARE a lot, especially this election cycle, with candidate and activist Carla Keehn, running for Superior Court Judge, Seat #20. Don’t miss this great program, a primer for what you need to know in Politics 2014.

 

Carla is a married mother of 3. She is a cum laude graduate of Princeton University and of the University of California, Hastings College of Law. She is an adjunct law professor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law teaching California Evidence. Carla serves on the Board of Directors for the Tom Homann Law Association. She is an avid runner and has completed over 20 marathons. Carla Keehn has devoted her her entire career to public service. She has served as a Captain in the Army, a Deputy Public Defender, and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney.
In her 18 years as a federal prosecutor, Carla has convicted hundreds of criminals of federal felony offenses including drug smuggling, bank robbery, assault on federal officers with injury, felons in possession of firearms, assault on infants with serious bodily injury (shaken baby), environmental crimes, and currency smuggling. Before becoming a federal prosecutor, Carla worked as a Deputy Public Defender for San Diego County.As a San Diegan since 1979, Carla Keehn joined the U.S. Army and rose to the rank of Captain where she prosecuted serious felonies including rape, attempted murder, grand theft and forcible sex acts on minors. She then joined the California National Guard and was called to active duty to protect the streets of L.A. during the 1992 L.A. riots.

Kevin Beiser is currently the President of the San Diego Unified School Board.

Kevin BeiserKevin Beiser resides in Serra Mesa with his family and has called San Diego home for over a decade. Kevin is a math teacher in the Sweetwater Union High School District.The first person in his family to graduate from high school and to attend college, Kevin earned his BA degree in Political Science with a minor in Speech Communications at Willamette University in Oregon.For several years, he worked in business management, gaining valuable experience balancing budgets, making payroll, and identifying opportunities to reduce expenses.Kevin returned to graduate school to fulfill his dream of helping children, earning a Masters Degree in Education at the University of Phoenix in San Diego and teaching credentials for both social sciences and mathematics.Since becoming a high school mathematics teacher, he has received numerous awards and distinctions.

On the San Diego Unified School District Board, Kevin has a proven track record of building coalitions to solve problems.

His Community and School District Accolades include:

California Music Educators Association “Legislator of the Year” (2013)
Harvey Milk Leadership Award (2011)
San Diego Democratic Club “Service Distinction Award” (2011)
Eli Broad Prize Finalist (2013)
Classroom of the Future Foundation “Impact Award” (2013)
National Association of Music Merchants “Best Community for Music Education” (2013)
San Diego Unified State Test Scores Top in English, Science Among Large Districts (2012)
Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network and National School Boards Association“2011 Award for Excellence in Arts Education”
Photo of Marti Emerald
Marti Emerald excelled as a broadcast journalist for 30 years before taking the oath of office for the San Diego City Council in 2008. Most notably, Marti was the Consumer Advocate (The Troubleshooter) at San Diego’s ABC television affiliate for 22 years, earning more than 100 awards for community service and journalistic excellence.
Marti has deep roots in the San Diego community. She served on the Boards of Directors of Catholic Charities, the Better Business Bureau, the Glenner Alzheimer’s Family Centers. Marti graduated Magna Cum Laude from National University.
During her tenure on the San Diego City Council Marti has focused on repairing the image of City government through fiscal restraint, pension reform and increasing transparency in City government functions. Marti is serving her fifth year as the Chair of the Public Safety & Neighborhood Services Committee. She resides in the College Area
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Jesse Durfee, Past Chair, Chair Emeritus
Jess served as County Party Chair for four terms and, was bestowed with the title of Chair Emeritus. In 2008 Jess was the first San Diegan in recent memory to be elected to the Democratic National Committee and was relected to the same in 2012. He has been active in Democratic politics for 24 years and had a 15-year career as a high school teacher and administrator. During his time as a teacher, Jess was a negotiator and president for his local union and served at the state and national levels as a political action leader.

Professor Gin:

Alan Gin is Associate Professor of Economics at the University of San Diego. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo, and his Master’s of Arts and Ph.D. degrees, both in Economics, from the University of California at Santa Barbara. Professor Gin came to the University of San Diego in 1988, after having previous taught at Loyola Marymount University and the University of California at Santa Barbara. His work experience includes stints with the Community Development Department of the County of Fresno and the Public Works Department of the City of Oxnard.

Professor Gin is one of the affiliated faculty members of the University of San Diego’s Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate. His other research interests include local public finance, urban transportation, and the economy of San Diego. On the latter subject, he is best known for developing and publishing the University of San Diego’s Index of Leading Economic Indicators for San Diego County, a monthly report on the outlook for the local economy. Professor Gin’s insights on the local economy have made him a popular source for interviews, and he has given over 1,000 interviews to local and national media sources. He has been quoted in the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the San Diego Daily Transcript, the San Diego Business Journal, Newsweek, and other publications. He has also been interviewed on KPBS, KFMB, KOGO, KSDO, and KCEO radio, and has made appearances on KFMB, KGTV, KNSD, KUSI, KSWB, and XETV television.

In addition to studying the local economy, Professor Gin also has an interest in the business environment of Asia in general and of greater China in particular. He is currently a member of the Advisory Board of the Asian Business Association of San Diego and sits on the Board of Directors of the Hong Kong Association of Southern California (San Diego Chapter).  He has taught in the University of San Diego’s Study Abroad Programs in Hong Kong and Beijing/Shanghai, and has traveled extensively in the region.

 

 

Feb. 5th meeting topic and speakers

Topic:  The Immigration Stall, What’s the Hold-up?  Policy and Reality in the Debate over Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Our Guest Speaker with a compelling personal story is Norma Quiroz.  She’ll relate her own personal immigration experience from her illegal entry into the US in 1982, to her gaining legal status, to being the first in her family to complete college, and now being an accomplished Family Therapist with a Masters Degree.

Our main speaker will be Homayra Yusufi-Marin, a Policy Advocate with the ACLU San Diego.  Homayra has been working on immigration reform this past year. and will lead a conversation about state and federal immigration reform policies and what they mean for our local communities.  

Policy Advocate, Homayra Yusufi
Yusufi is trained as a policy analyst dedicated to creating change through advocating for policy reforms. Yusufi served as a consultant for the City of Emeryville and Emery Unified School District analyzing the impacts of housing policies on educational outcomes and also spent three years working for CAIR San Diego where she addressed civil rights issues confronting the Muslim community. Yusufi holds a degree in Political Science from San Diego State University and a Masters in Public Policy from the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley.

She will discuss among other points:

 Why do we need comprehensive immigration reform? What’s at stake?

 The negative impact of the stall in the House of Representatives  (and how that’s affecting  our local communities)

 Estimated undocumented numbers in California and San Diego and their contributions to our economy

DREAMers and the effects of the Dream Act

 State reform- California is leading the way for immigration reform with 10+ bills pro-immigrant bills got signed into law (TRUST Act, driver licenses, etc)

 Next steps- potential for CIR discussion to come up again and what we could do at the local level to help spur this conversation 

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December meeting–HOLIDAY PARTY

1) Doors open at 6 PM for a Holiday Feast and Extravaganza featuring a full meal, music, mirth and Dr. Richard Lederer

2) The Club is supplying Roasted Turkey and Ham, and we hope that you’ll contribute with appetizers, side dishes or a dessert

3) Richard Lederer, Founder of A Way with Words and brilliant lexicographer, historian, author and humorist, will be our headline speaker. Richard has written over 40 books, including several childrens’ titles. He will have many of his books for sale and signing, so please do some Holiday shopping at Richard’s table. Bring your checkbook.

4) Our designated Club Charitable Project is Common Ground, a coalition of local churches which, among their many projects, assists families in need at several local schools. THEY HAVE SPECIFICALLY ASKED THAT MEMBERS BRING IN NEW OR USED JACKETS, KIDS BOOKS (FOR 8-12 YEAR OLDS) AND CASH (OR CHECKS). THEY ARE A REGISTERED NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATION, SO DONATIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE. Help make this a special Holiday Season for many disadvantaged among us by contributing these items specifically to Common Ground. Bring them to the meeting and put them on the designated special table.

5) AUCTION, AUCTION, AUCTION During his talk, Dr. Richard Lederer will be auctioning off, exclusively to our membership, a pair of special auction items.

A) Richard has two kids that are very successful professional poker players. Richard, therefore, is one of the premier teachers of Texas Hold ’em. He will ask that you bid on one session of expert poker instruction for you and your friends at the location of your choice. All proceeds from this auction will go to Common Ground.

B) Richard will also be auctioning off a session entitled: Lederer on Language Dr. Lederer will come to your home, business, child’s school, house of worship, service club or wherever you designate, and talk about the many joys of words! Again, this session goes to the highest bidder. BRING YOUR CHECKBOOK Proceeds again will be donated to Common Ground.

Hope you can join us for this special Holiday Program, and hear the wit and wisdom of Richard Lederer.

Wednesday, December 4th, at 6 PM.

Jeff Benesch
VP Programming
La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club

Dr Richard Lederer—December’s speaker

Richard Lederer is the author of more than 40 books about language, history, and humor, including his best-selling Anguished English series and his current books, The Gift of Age, A Tribute to Teachers, American Trivia, and Amazing Words. He has been profiled in magazines as diverse as The New Yorker, People, and the National Inquirer and was founding co-host of “A Way With Words” on Public Radio.

Dr. Lederer’s observations on language appear in magazines throughout the United States, and “Lederer on Language” appears each Saturday in the San Diego Union-Tribune. He has been elected International Punster of the Year and Toastmasters International’s Golden Gavel winner. He makes about a hundred appearances a year and, as a speaker, is at home in almost any venue.

Richard Lederer is the proud father of professional poker players Howard Lederer and Annie Duke and poet/memoirist Katy Lederer. Richard and his wife, Simone van Egeren, live in San Diego.

 

November’s speakers

About Todd Gloria

Todd Gloria became the Interim Mayor of the City of San Diego on August 30, 2013. He was elected to his second term as Councilmember representing District Three on June 5, 2012. On December 3, 2012, his colleagues elected him President of the City Council.

In Todd’s first term as a Councilmember, he championed increased infrastructure investment, resulting in miles of smoother roads, subsequently coining the term “sexy streets.” He also led the way for San Diego’s first permanent year-round homeless service center, was a leading advocate for transportation options including a stronger public transit system and pedestrian and bicycle projects, and authored Proposition C, which updated the City’s veterans hiring policy.

As Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee in 2011 and 2012, Todd oversaw the development and approval of budgets that stabilized the City’s finances after years of cuts, and restored critical services like library hours. He remains Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, represents San Diego on the boards of the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) and the Metropolitan Transit System, and is Chair of the SANDAG Transportation Committee.

Prior to his election in 2008, Todd 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. Todd’s volunteer efforts to improve the community include his work as a San Diego Housing Commissioner from 2005 until his election to the City Council, and as a member of the Mid-City Prostitution Impact Panel. Todd was named San Diego’s Best Elected Official by the readers of CityBeat in 2011 and 2012. His work has also been recognized by numerous organizations, including the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, the Greater San Diego Business Association, and the HIV Consumer Council.

Todd is a graduate of the University of San Diego and a member of the Tlingit Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. Todd is a native San Diegan, third generation resident of District Three, and a dedicated public servant. Having learned from his parents the importance of leaving things better than when you first found them, Todd enthusiastically and tirelessly works to ensure San Diego lives up to its name America’s Finest City.

About David Alvarez

Councilmember David Alvarez Biography

David grew up in the Barrio Logan community of San Diego, the neighborhood on the working waterfront that has a long history of environmental degradation, high asthma rates, and industrial-residential conflicts. His childhood home was next door to a chrome plating plant, and he can trace his own asthma to the constant presence of toxic emissions affecting residential areas, school playgrounds, and parks. That experience sharpened his resolve to fight for social, economic and environmental justice.

He began his career as a social services worker and after-school teacher. In 2003, he was selected to the prestigious Capitol Fellows Program where he served under the Secretary of State.

After his return to San Diego, David worked with a company that develops new opportunities for affordable housing, and before his own election, proudly represented Senator Denise Moreno Ducheny as a community liaison to the neighborhoods he grew up in.

Elected to the San Diego City Council in 2010, David is currently Chair of the Natural Resources & Culture Committee, Vice Chair of the Land Use & Housing Committee, and a member of the Budget & Finance and Rules & Economic Development Committees. Additionally, he serves on the San Diego Regional County Airport Authority, San Diego Metropolitan Transit System Board, SANDAG Borders Committee, Otay Valley Regional Park Policy Committee, Bayshore Bikeway Working Group, and the San Diego Consortium Policy Board. He most recently joined the Board of Director’s for Local Progress: a national municipal policy network.

During his first term in office, Councilmember Alvarez has been successful in restoring vital city services in each year of the City’s budget, including funding increases for libraries, police and fire protection, more street repair and installation of street lights and reducing retiree health care costs.

Other proud achievements include the development of the long-awaited COMM22, a mixed-use, mixed-income, transit-oriented development located at Commercial and 22nd Streets in San Diego; a proposed Property Value Protection Ordinance, which fines banks to cover cleanup costs when they fail to maintain foreclosed properties; implementing the Citygate Plan to address deficiencies in the City’s fire safety levels; revitalizing commercial corridor’s in District Eight as well as focusing on economic growth and development with new projects such as Mercado del Barrio center in Barrio Logan and the expansion of Las Americas shopping facility near the border. Cross border relationships are important to David as he continues to foster working relationships with his counterparts across the border.

Currently, Councilmember Alvarez is shepherding several important community plan updates to completion including Barrio Logan, Otay Mesa and San Ysidro. Plans are also underway to update the Southeast San Diego Community Plan, which will result in all community plans updated in District Eight. These plans will guide growth and redevelopment in these communities as well as balance the needs of the residents. He recently spearheaded the creation of the Barrio Logan Maintenance Assessment District which will provide much needed maintenance and services for the community of Barrio Logan.

Proudly serving as the Border Councilmember, his focus on the southern portion of his district has resulted in the approval of the Cross Border Facility which will increase new air travel opportunities, ease border waits – a critical need for the region, and act as a model for international cooperation. Councilmember Alvarez has also championed significant infrastructure needs in the district, directing millions of dollars to build a missing San Ysidro road segment serving high school students, develop the San Ysidro Library, improve Palm Avenue, design Pond 20 improvements in Otay Mesa, as well as many other vital projects.

Councilmember Alvarez is a strong advocate and supporter of arts in education and helped to restore the Penny for the Arts proposal, which doubles the City’s arts and culture funding over the next five years. His goal is to provide 1 million for education in arts by 2017. David also supports and provides funding for numerous community organization and non-profit programs, as well as local cultural festivals and events.

In addition to continuing to provide prompt and courteous service to all residents, Councilmember Alvarez’s priorities include: increasing and safeguarding San Diego’s water supply, building a new pedestrian border crossing at Virginia Avenue, creating regional parks at Chicano Park and along Chollas Creek, streamlining regulations for additional parking and for food trucks, creating more opportunities for local small businesses and a designing and funding a joint use park for students at Perkins Elementary and Beyer Elementary Schools.

Councilmember David Alvarez was born in San Diego to Jose and Maria Alvarez and has four brothers and one sister. Growing up in Barrio Logan, David attended local public schools: Perkins Elementary, Memorial Junior High, and San Diego High School. David was the first in his family to graduate from high school and college. He graduated with honors from San Diego State University. Councilmember Alvarez, his wife Xochitl, and their daughter Izel reside in Logan Heights. He is an avid cyclist and bikes to work often.

David is proud to continue the work he began in childhood and strive to carry out every day: to bring social, economic, and environmental justice to the people he serves.