SANTA CLARA COUNTY DEMOCRATIC CENTRAL COMMITTEE

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

 

 

MINUTES FOR Thursday, August 2nd, 2007

 

1.         CALL TO ORDER

 

2.         ROLL CALL

Absent: Deepka Lalwani, Ron Lind, Marsha Grilli, Francis La Poll, Anna Song, Xavier Campos, Jim Brady, Kevin Moore, Alex Kennett, Dan Kenney, Charmaine Jabr, Dennis Kennedy, Greg Sellers, Veronica Andrade, Deniese Alejandro, Alberto Torrico, Joe Coto, Jim Beall, Anna Caballero, Ellen Corbett, Chris Stampolis, Justin Carvalho

 

Excused: Jerry McNerney, Rebecca Scheel, Peter Arellano

 

Alternate: Andres Quintero for Javier Gonzalez, Alex Kobayashi for Ira Ruskin, Clark Williams for John Laird, Sabra Foley for Joe Simitian, Jon Kessler for Elaine Alquist, Margaret Abe-Koga for Anna Eshoo, Mike Honda, Diego Barragan for Zoe Lofgren

 

3.         IDENTIFICATION OF VISITORS

 

4.         ADOPTION OF AGENDA

Addition of discussion about the Annual Madge Overhouse Volunteer of the Year Award and the Community March to End Homelessness and Poverty.

Motion to approve as amended, second, so carried

 

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

Motion to approve, second, so carried

 

6.         ISSUES

Sally Lieber: discussed the budget issues that the Republicans are stonewalling against.

She praised Able Maldonado for being the one Republican who crossed over and voted for the budget and encouraged members to call his office to show support for this effort.

 

Sally Lieber also conveyed the need for letters to the editor regarding the 2/3-majority requirement for passing the budget. 56 other states have lower requirements.

 

7.         NEW BUSINESS

Fill Vacancy for 22^nd AD

Nominations: Craig Dunkerly & Margaret Abe Koga

Presentations from the candidates

A vote was taken and Margaret Abe Koga was elected

 

Community March to End Homelessness and Poverty. Phyllis presented the need for focus on the following federal issues: increase section 8 vouchers to 59,000 in Santa Clara County (the number on waiting list), support and pass national Affordable Housing Trust Fund to provide affordable housing, and legislation for the right to decent, affordable housing.

 

There is a march on August 27 from the County building to Zoe Lofgren’s office and then to City Hall plaza for a rally. Phyllis asked to make an endorsement of the march an emergency resolution.

 

Motion to make this an emergency resolution, second, so carried.

 

Madge Overhouse Volunteer of the Year Award: Anne Mack reminded the committee that this award will be presented at the Dinner on September 8^th. Please send your nominations to Anne.

Anne also discussed the fiscal problems facing the CA Senior Legislature. This year the line 52 CA fund for senior citizens is very hard to find on the online form. If the organization does not get the funding it needs, it will not be able to exist. The franchise tax board is allowing donation checks to the fund to be made. Anne urged everyone to contribute to the fund and to alert others to do the same.

 

8.         REPORTS FROM OFFICERS AND OTHERS

A.      Executive Board: Steve Preminger

B.      Chair: Steve Preminger

Attended the clubs picnic and has been calling electeds and unions for dinner table/ticket sales.

 

C.      Vice Chair: James Kim

Had a great picnic, thank you to everyone who helped organize the event and to everyone who attended.

 

D.      Treasurer: Drina Collins

$2,560.26

 

E.       Secretary: Hope Cahan

The dinner committee still needs volunteers for table/ticket sales see me if you are interested.

Those who would like to volunteer for the dinner registration should contact Carolyn Curtis.

 

Motion for the Central Committee to purchase a full-page ad for $250, second, so carried.

 

F.       Community Services and Voter Registration: Adrienne Grey

Volunteers are needed for the following:

10-12, 12-2, 8-10 on Saturday at County. Please remember that parking is $8.

 

Tapestry and Talent Labor Day

 

To volunteer, email: volunteer@sccdp.org

 

North County report: Diane Rolfe: We have seen a dramatic increase in donations and in democratic registrations.

PDC ad DFA continue to work together on the voter registration. There are a number of festivals coming up, please contact Diane to volunteer.

 

G.      Finance: Jim Thurber

Discussed the CA Democratic State Party Insurance Program. Clubs have to purchase their own policies to be covered. The cost is $575 per club, but is the lowest rate available for clubs. Tabling at malls sometimes need insurance, Jim is working on finding out the particulars on that.

H.      Candidate Recruitment and Endorsement: Jon Kessler

The following elections are coming up:

 

Cities: Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale

 

Elementary School Districts: Cupertino Union, Los Altos, Montebello, Orchard, and Sunnyvale

 

Unified School Districts: Palo Alto, Patterson Joint

 

Community College: Foothill/ DeAnza

 

Endorsement interviews will be held August 27^th, 28^th & 29^th

 

I. Communication: David Cohen

J.        Campaign Services: Tom Cochran

K.      Political Outreach: Carolyn Curtis

Club Reports

DAWN: Carol Garvey

We were happy to participate in the Club’s picnic and wish to thank the Moorpark Democratic Club and especially Buu Thai for doing such a wonderful job organizing the food and other events. We raised $286 from the raffle.

 

DAWN unveiled our new t-shirt at the picnic and we were happy with the brisk sales there. On the back of the shirt is a manifesto if you will of why DAWN continues to advocate getting more Democratic Women elected. They are for sale at the back of the room right now: $15 each or 2 for $25.

 

We would like to invite members and interested candidates to attend our first Mentoring Workshop. This is an inaugural effort and will be a lecture-type format with Q & A. It is set for Sunday, August 19^th, 2007 10am-noon at SEIU Local 521, 2302 Zanker Rd in San Jose. Pastries, fruit and coffee will be served. The women related topics discussed will be: CHOICE, labor related issues such as pay equity, sexual discrimination and harassment, understanding immigrant needs and those of other vulnerable populations, and from local electeds there will be a discussion of campaigning on the cheap. Discussion will focus on how to use ones strengths and putting the actual campaigning in perspective.

 

If anyone here today is interested in this workshop, please take my card or call me at 408.275.6981.

 

Finally, please save the date for DAWN’s 14^th annual fundraiser, set for Sunday, September 16^th from 11-2 at the home of Nora Campos and Neil Struthers. We will have a wonderful champagne brunch as well as great silent auction gift baskets. There will be tours, dinners and other goodies to bid on. We hope you will all attend.

 

The Dean Democratic Club of Silicon Valley: Ralph Wheeler

July 16th Meeting:

            Passed unanimously the " Anti-Iraq Occupation Resolution".

Passed the "Call To Start Impeachment Proceedings Against Vice-President Dick Cheney".

Approved $150 for a half page ad in the JJ Dinner Program for Sept. 8, 2007.

 

Attended the Jim Dean Event on July 17th co-sponsored with San Mateo DFA. An informal fundraiser raised $1000+ for DFA continuing activities, leadership trainings, etc.

 

Participated:

In DFA Leadership Training in Sacramento,

The Charlie Brown Campaign,

The Jerry McNerney Campaign,

Registering Voters,

Clean Money Campaign,

Health Care Reform,

 

Attended the All Clubs Picnic, 22 members signed in.

 

Aug. 1st Meeting -

Held a DFA Night School session “Building our Grassroots Army, Volunteer Recruitment”

Conducted a planning session for a “Health Care for America Forum” to be held on September 5, 7:30pm at a location to be determined

 

Evergreen Democratic Club at the Villages: Beverly Waller Wharton

Our speakers for Tues. Aug 7 are: Asella Donovan-Blood, representing the Food Service Workers from Silicon Valley business who will be asking for our support for their demands for respect, fair wages and health insurance and Dr. Rodger Cryer who will talk to us about alternative energy sources and the potential for installing solar panels at the Villages.

 

We are gearing up for our annual picnic and barbeque on Sunday Sep. 9 at the Villages Gazebo picnic area. For those of you who did not get one of the flyers I brought last month there are some on the back table. Please pick one up if you are interested in coming and we will look forward to seeing you there.

 

As many of you are aware via TV and the newspapers The Villages have been much in the news recently. Herb greeted me this evening by pretending to shoot me with a bow and arrow. The Villages backed off the proposal to hunt Bambi down and is exploring other more human solutions for solving the deer problem. Safety of our residents is a primary concern as a bobcat killed a fawn on the lawn near and residence and a mountain lion was seen in the same area.

 

PDC: Rich Watters

On August 18^th the PDC will hold is annual summer picnic at Shoup Park in Los Altos, starting at 5:00 pm.

 

L.     Regional Director: Emy Thurber

Emy Thurber plans to have a regional meeting on Saturday, October 6, where we will take testimony for the 2008 California Democratic Platform and also consider any resolutions to be brought up at the state e-board meeting on the 17th of November.  The CDP is trying to reach out to the progressive wing of our party and Art appointed a number of progressive Democrats to statewide committees.  The CDP will conduct 15 trainings throughout the state.  The party voted to have 2 vice chairs, one male and one female, with no geographical requirement. The party will have a computerized volunteer management system available for county central committees, hopefully in January.  The delegates to the Democratic National Convention will be chosen at Congressional District caucuses to be held on April 13th.

 

M.     Democratic National Committee: Chris Stampolis

N.      Pro-Choice Coalition: Claudia Shope

O.      DTV Report: Steve Chessin

Discussion about the ballot measure filed by the Republicans. The measure is to divide the electoral votes based on Congressional districts to whomever got the most votes. We need to activate against this.

 

Democratic Television producer Steve Chessin reported that, due the budget situation, State Senator Ellen Corbett had to cancel our July taping. Instead, our guest was Ken Hamidi of the Bay Area Iranian-American Democrats.

 

We hope to reschedule Senator Corbett for August, but that is not yet confirmed.

 

We will be on San Jose Comcast Channel 15A August 9^th and September 6^th with Ken Hamidi, August 23^rd with Assemblywoman Caballero, and September 20^th and October 18^th with whomever we tape this month.

 

See the sccdp website for the schedule in the other communities and to download our shows.

 

We could still use more good Democrats on the crew. No prior video experience is necessary.

 

San Jose Channel 15A (also serves part of Cupertino), 8:00pm every other Thursday (408-918-3200)

2007:

Aug 9 DTV 150 Ken Hamidi
Aug 23 DTV 149 Hon. Anna Caballero

Sep 6 DTV 150 Ken Hamidi
Sep 20 DTV 151 TBD-151

Oct 4 DTV 152 TBD-152

Oct 18 DTV 151 TBD-151

 

P.     CDC Report: Jay Jackman

9.        OLD BUSINESS

10.       ANNOUNCEMENTS

Steve Preminger: Thank you to SCCDC for bringing the refreshments. The Young Dems will bring next month’s food.

Building peaceful families is having their annual conference and Clark Williams (who is a great dad) will be attending the conference.

 

Craig Dunkerly: call your senators to support clean money bill AB583. I encourage you to join the volunteer efforts for the bill.

 

Carolyn Curtis: I encourage you to activate against the June ballot initiative to split the California electoral vote. Only 2 states Maine & Nebraska have this vote split.

 

Steve: The California Republican Party is officially broke, $4 million in debt

 

Ralph Wheeler: Health Care for America forum Sept 5^th details to follow

 

Diego Barragan: Zoe Lofgren’s annual BBQ fundraiser is August 5^th from 1-4 at History Park 1650 Senter Rd, San Jose. RSVP to 2007bbq@lofgrenforcongress.com

 

 

11.        EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING

            The next Executive Board meeting is TBA

 

12.        ADJOURNMENT: 8:45