SANTA CLARA COUNTY DEMOCRATIC CENTRAL COMMITTEE

6:45 pm, County Building cafeteria, 70 W. Hedding St. San Jose

 

 

AGENDA FOR Thursday, March 1st, 2007

 

1.             CALL TO ORDER: 7:10

 

2.             ROLL CALL

Absent: Deepka Lalwani, Marsha Grilli, Alex Kennett, Dan Kenney, Dennis Kennedy, Greg Sellers, Alberto Torrico, Sally Lieber, Ellen Corbett, Anna Eshoo, Chris Stampolis, Justin Carvalho

 

Alternate: Zoe Lofgren, Mike Honda, Swanee Edwards for Jerry McNerney, Jon Kessler for Elaine Alquist, Chris Cote for Anna Caballero, Clark Williams for John Laird, Adrienne Grey for Jim Beall, Claudia Shope for Joe Coto, Alex Kobayashi for Ira Ruskin, Margie Mitchell for Kevin Moore, Andres Quintero for Javier Gonzalez, Brandon Sulser for Anna Song

 

3.             IDENTIFICATION OF VISITORS

 Ralph Wheeler: DDCSV, Jolyn Liau: DDCSV, Jason Spitzer: DDCSV, Shawn Bagley: Monterey County Democratic Central Committee, Betty Siemer, Jon Graff, Beverly Waller-Wharton: Evergreen Democratic Club at the Villages, Carolyn Wesstre: Evergreen Democratic Club at the Villages, Nicole Harns: Santa Clara University, Chris Schwarz: Congressman Mike Honda’s office, Sarah Luied: Assemblymember Ira Ruskin’s office 

 

4.             ADOPTION OF AGENDA

Add emergency issue to figure out how to prevent a war with Iran under new business. Motion to approve as amended, second, carried

 

5.             APPROVAL OF MINUTES (Minutes are posted at sccdp.org)

 

6.             NEW BUSINESS

Motion to make prevention of war with Iran an emergency issue. Discussion on whether to officially join (send representation) the emergency summit whose purpose is to facilitate the movement to prevent going into war with Iran. The summit is an all day event at Berkeley, the afternoon portion as a working project to help make the movement as effective as possible. March 10th.

 

Substitute motion to postpone this matter until the next meeting. To support sending someone to the meeting to report more information back to the Central Committee. Substitute motion fails.

 

Motion to support emergency motion, passes. 

 

 

7.             CENTRAL COMMITTEE BRAINSTORM

The purpose of the brainstorm session is to discuss: “what does everyone believe that the County Committee needs to do over the next 2 years?”

 

The committee broke into 4 groups to discuss: Activities of members, activities of board members, and the county committee’s mission statement. Each group discussed the answer to: “What should the actions of the SCCDCC be?”

 

Report of ideas

Group 1: Jason Spitzer

Focus and structure: definable goals to organization

Expand participation in this overwhelmingly Democratic area

Resources and budget

Making sure clubs are more active

Spread the message of our successes

 

Group 2: Adrienne Grey

Information

Activism: what we take out to the community

Issues: have a voice in and provide forum for

Outreach: recruitment

Take positions on propositions

Win elections with Democratic candidates

Cross participation with local democratic clubs and other central committees

Electeds to have accountability to this body

 

Group 3: Carolyn Curtis

Outreach: Strengthen clubs and outreach to community

Permanent offices

Fundraising

Recruitment

Publicity

Recruiting and working with candidates

Voter registration

Precinct captains/ walking

 

Group 4: Omar Torres

Education and recruitment: especially candidates for lower offices

Fundraising

Clear goals and plans

Strengthening clubs

 

In order for all of these great ideas to come to fruition, we will need everyone’s involvement. If you have more ideas to add, email them to: strategy@sccdp.org Please think about specifics to achieve our goals.

 

8.             SUBMITTED REPORTS

Dean Democratic Club of Silicon Valley: Wanda Bryan/ Caroline Curtis

We co-sponsored an Election Integrity Event Sun. Feb. 18th with San Mateo DFA in Palo Alto. Speakers were Steven Freeman and Paul Lehto on 2004 voter fraud. 60+ people attended. A book signing followed, “Was the 2004 Presidential Election Stolen?” by Dr. Freeman, plus Dorothy Fadiman had 2 DVD’s on election protection available for sale.

 

At our Feb. 19th meeting, our Task Forces were formed and held a short get together: Global Warming, Election Reform, Clean Money, US out of Iraq, Single Payer Healthcare, Civil & Equal Rights Legislation, Precincting, Tabling, Outreach and Media Critique.

 

Several club members went to Tracy/Mountain House on Feb. 24th for voter registration. This is a door-to-door effort sponsored by Project Blue Bridge.

 

We will make a contribution toward the DFA table at the April Democratic Convention in San Diego.

 

Pro-choice Report: Claudia Shoppe

California Legislative Affairs:

The California Community Sexual Health Education Act (SB 1471), introduced last year by state Senator Sheila Kuehl, is being re-introduced by state Assemblywoman Julia Brownley. Currently, California requires all public schools to provide medically accurate comprehensive sexuality education including abstinence.

 

This bill would expand that requirement to state funded community programs. The bill would ensure that state dollars used in community programs are promoting bias free medically accurate comprehensive sexuality education. Programs that continue teaching inaccurate information with an abstinence only curriculum would risk losing state funding.

 

Assemblymember Pedro Nava is introducing the Comprehensive Reproductive Healthcare Act. The bill would standardize policies of state provided family planning services, in order to streamline processing. The bill would help improve access to family planning services. The bill would eliminate barriers to reproductive healthcare that some women now face. The Comprehensive Reproductive Healthcare Act would ultimately save the state money because better and more accessible family planning services will reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and the rate of sexually transmitted infections.

 

National Legislative Affairs:

The “prevention first act” is aimed at funding women’s health care. The bill would fully fund title X, federal program for family planning services for low income and uninsured women. While the program currently exists, it has continuously remained under funded.

 

The Prevention First Act would expand Medicaid to cover family planning services. It would also remove citizenship documentation requirements, which adversely affect low-income citizens.

 

The bill would lift current restrictions that prevent federal funds form going to comprehensive sexuality education programs that are proven to be effective in reducing unintended pregnancies and the transmission of STIs. Currently, federal funds are used solely for abstinence only programs.

 

Around the Nation…South Dakota:

All over the nation, states are attempting to write legislation that would deny a woman’s right to choose. For example, the South Dakota State Assembly passed HB 1293, with a vote of 45-25. Supporters are hoping to pass the abortion ban in order to directly challenge Roe V Wade in federal court. While the bill would have still allowed abortions in cases of sexual abuse, it imposed undue burdens on victims by requiring them to report crimes and to provide samples of fetal tissue to police. The Senate State Affairs Committee wisely rejected the bill by a wide margin of 8-1. South Dakota has recently seen a series of anti-abortion legislation. Last year, voters defeated a statewide abortion ban by a 55-44 margin at the ballot box.

 

Don’t Forget!  Capital Day is coming up on May 2nd! For more details please contact Sharon_Greenberg@ppmarmonte.org

 

Santa Clara County Democratic Club: Herb Engstrom

At the SCCDC February meeting Dr. Melinda Jackson of San José State Political Science department spoke on moving the California primary election to February.  She felt the disadvantages outweighed the advantages.  We also heard from several of the San José City Council candidates and endorsed Kansen Chu and Pierluigi Oliverio.

 

For the March Meeting, we plan to show the 22 minute DVD "One Care Now" on why California needs a single payer health insurance system.  This will be followed by Carol Dalrymple, a speaker from Health Care for All to follow up and answer questions.

 

Straight Talk TV taped four shows this month.

 

Two were created on location at the talk by attorney Paul Lehto and U. Penn Management professor Steven Freeman on the stolen 2004 election.  Freeman is convinced that Kerry won that election and by a large

margin.  The talks were sponsored by the Dean Democratic Clubs of San Mateo County and Silicon Valley.

 

The other two shows were taped at the press conference of Sheila Kuehl on her reintroduction of SB840, which would create a single payer health insurance system for California.

 

9.             ANNOUNCEMENTS

Drina Collins: Dues are due; they are $25 for the two years. Alternates and Electeds also need to pay dues.

 

Carolyn Curtis: A 4–step process to print a walk list and walk your own precinct is in the back of the room.

 

David Cohen: Kansen Chu will host walks this weekend and ongoing phone banking. Please visit kansenchu.com for info.

 

Jay Jackman: The Roosevelt institution meeting will be held at my home on March 7th at 8pm. For more information: http://rooseveltinstitution.org

 

Emy Thurber: The convention is coming up the last weekend of April. If you are not attending, please let me know. Saturday March 24th at the Hillview community center there will be a regional directors meeting about the structure of the party and our state’s political situation. The Democratic Century Club’s next speaker is Mary Greenwood, our Public Defender.

 

Wanda Bryan: Health care is going to be the State’s legislature’s number 1 discussion. There is information about SB840 in the back of the room. On March 14th, the League of Women voters will have a panel discussion on different types of health care plans.

 

Dan Hoffman: reaffirmed David’s invitation to help on Kansen Chu’s campaign.

 

Peter O’Reilly: On March 17th there will be a demonstration against the war in Iraq at 11:30am behind Santana Row. There is a Peace Train on the 18th the group will meet in San Jose (Diridon station) at 8:45-9:30 for the 10am train going to San Francisco.

 

Ann Mack: nominations for the annual Bob Mack award are being taken, are due by April 1st, and will be presented at the convention.

 

Paul Fong: I will be running for Sally Lieber’s seat for AD 22.

 

Steve Preminger: Tony Cortese’s memorial is a week from Saturday on March 10th at the IBEW hall

 

9.             ADJOURNMENT 9:15