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   Quick Links Calendar of Events Donate to SCCDP Join a Democratic Club Write a Letter to a Local Newspaper Unsubscribe You received this message because you signed up to receive communication from SCCDP. If you would like to be removed, click here. Newsletter Contributors David Cohen: Editor Santa Clara County Democratic Party | SCCDP Bulletin - May 21, 2008 Did you know that in just a few short weeks we will be voting? Yep, the June 3rd election is right around the corner, and fast following the June Primary is the November Presidential Election. But in the meantime, make sure you vote on June 3. See below for our complete list of June primary recommendations. Also, we again explain why it is so important to vote no on Proposition 98. In San Jose, there are two contested open seats up for election. In District 2, our endorsed candidate Ash Kalra stands head and shoulders above the other candidates, and if Kalra can garner 50 plus 1 on June 3rd, we will save the city thousands of dollars because there will be no need for a runoff election. District 8 has a more crowded field and our endorsed candidate, Craig Mann, is working hard to get into the runoff. There have been some misleading mail pieces from an opponent touting a Democratic endorsement, but Mann is the only candidate in that district with a Democratic Party endorsement. Please take a moment to visit Mann’s website and donate some time or money to propel him into the runoff. Thinking ahead to November, please make sure to check our blog as we post updates, breaking news and more. Our nation has been under the GOP cloud long enough, it is time for us to work together to bring sanity, reason, and a Democrat back to the White House. Democrats Taking the Country By Storm in 2008 Republicans are running scared because 2008 is shaping up to be a year of big Democratic victories. Already, we are 3 for 3 in special Congressional elections in districts that were considered safe for Republicans. The latest victory was last week's win in Mississippi, where Democrat Travis Childers now represents the 1st District, a district that George Bush won with more than 60% in 2000 and 2004. Other big wins came in Louisiana's 6th District, which had been in Republican hands for three decades and in Illinois' 14th District, which was previously represented by former House Speaker Dennis Hastert for more than 20 years. If we won in those supposedly red districts, imagine how we will do in more competitive districts in November, and of course in the race for the White House. And it's not just in House races where things look good this year. We are poised to pick up anywhere from 3 to 9 Senate seats. For example, the latest poll in North Carolina shows Democrat Kay Hagan with a 48-47 lead over Senator Elizabeth Dole. In New Hampshire, Jeanne Shaheen leads Senator John Sinunu by 10 points in the latest poll, and in Virginia, Mark Warner leads by 18 points over his Republican opponent. And Mark and Tom Udall are poised to add Colorado and New Mexico to the Democratic side of the aisle. Even in Texas, voters are fed up with Republican rule, with Democrat Rick Noriega polling within 4 points of Senator John Cornyn. The lesson is that no states are off limits to Democrats in 2008. Americans have caught on and are ready for true leadership and solutions to our country's problems. June 3 Primary Official Endorsements There was an error in the headings in last week's endorsement email. Here again are the Democratic Party's official endorsements for the June primary.
Partisan Races (endorsements by the California Democratic Party) US Congress 11th District: Jerry McNerney 14th District: Anna Eshoo 15th District: Mike Honda 16th District: Zoe Lofgren California State Senate 11th District: Joe Simitian 13th District: Elaine Alquist California State Assembly 20th District: Alberto Torrico 21st District: Ira Ruskin 22nd District: Paul Fong 23rd District: Joe Coto 24th District: Jim Beall 27th District: No Endorsement 28th District: Anna Caballero An election for Santa Clara County Superior Court is on the ballot in the June primary. We have received many questions about whom the Democratic Party recommends. We do not take official positions in Judicial races, but we can tell you that the following four candidates are Democrats. Please consider these four candidates and choose one when voting on June 3.
NO on Proposition 98: Don't be fooled. Prop 98 would have a devastating impact on communities and on the environment. Sponsored by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer’s Association, as well as by apartment and mobile park homeowner groups, Prop 98 wants voters to believe the measure is only about changing eminent domain rules, but it is really about benefiting large landowners and developers! Prop 98 would dismantle communities’ ability to enforce their own decisions about growth and development. Hidden in its fine print is language that would make unconstitutional ALL laws or regulation that limit property values of individuals or companies. It would prohibit laws protecting the environment, threaten public water projects, and abolish rent control and other renter protections. Because of Prop 98’s anti-renter provisions, large landowners would reap enormous financial benefits on the backs of the elderly and fixed-income renters. It would also negate the current efforts by grassroots environmental groups to preserve the environmental integrity of privately held open-space areas. YES on Proposition 99. The Homeowners Protection Act, on the other hand, would reform eminent domain practices to protect homeowners and small businesses by prohibiting state and local governments from using eminent domain to transfer an owner-occupied home to a private developer. The League of California Homeowners, Leagues of California Cities and the California League of Conservation Voters have sponsored Prop 99, and if Prop 99 gets more votes than Prop 98, it will prevent the hidden provisions of Prop 98 from taking effect. For more information both of these propositions, visit eminentdomainreform.com.
Volunteer to Help Register Voters The Santa Clara County Democratic Party will be at fairs and festivals all summer long, registering voters and promoting our candidates for the November election. In addition, each month we greet new citizens at the swearing-in ceremony in Campbell and help them register to vote as soon as they are eligible. Here are some of the big events at which we need volunteers between now and September. Please contact volunteer@sccdp.org to volunteer for any one of these events.
15th Senate District - Write in Dennis Morris
Democratic Central Committee - Vote in June On your ballot for the June primary is an election for Democratic Central Committee. The Central Committee is the governing body of the Democratic Party in the County. Our members run the financial operation of the party, vote on candidate endorsements, set policy priorities through position papers and resolutions, coordinate volunteer activities, and charter Democratic clubs. Also, all members of the County Central Committee are delegates to the California Democratic Party, which sets the statewide platform and elects party officers. In addition, our representatives to the state Executive Board elect California's DNC members (Superdelegates). Central Committee members are up for election every two years in each of the Assembly Districts in the County. This year, there are contested elections in the 21st, 23rd, and 24th Assembly Districts. For information on the candidates, you can go to smartvoter.org and look up your ballot. More information about the Santa Clara County Democratic Central Committee is available on our website. There you can read about our monthly meetings and also find out the names and contact information of all the Central Committee members.
President Bush sure knows what it means to sacrifice: While people go hungry around the world, our government continues to give handouts to agribusiness: Stimulus checks have been arriving. Will they make a difference? Is there too little or too much progress in Iraq? Bush's EPA has finally admitted that Polar Bears are endangered: But the EPA still won't do anything about it, leaving us with one meaningful deadline: But some voters seem willing to settle for a third Bush term: McCain doesn't even know where he stands on the issues: But will Republicans try to steal another election by putting up barriers to voting?
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