6:45 pm, County Building cafeteria, 70 W. Hedding St. San Jose
AGENDA FOR Thursday, October 5th, 2006
1. CALL TO ORDER: 7:20
2. ROLL CALL
Absent: Francine Davis, Bill Dias, Cathy Dias, Thelma Spaziani, Scott Rafferty, Anna Song, Deniese Alejandro, Xavier Campos, Kevin Moore, Alex Kennett, Mark Moore, Dan Kenney, Dennis Kennedy, Brittany Back, Peter Arellano, Kristine Dillon, Bruce Morasca, Alberto Torrico, Joe Coto, John Laird, Simon Salinas, Liz Figueroa, Elaine Alquist, Jerry McNerney, Mike Honda, Zoe Lofgren, Chris Stampolis, Ruth Ashford, John Nguyen, Fran Bennett, Anil Babbar, Enrique Colin
Excused: David Cohen, Tom Cochran, Charmaine Jabr, Beverly Wharton, Alicia Lanier
Alternate: Nate Pinkston for Anna Eshoo, Alex Kobayashi for Ira Ruskin, Jon Kessler for Rebecca Cohn, Sabra Foley for Joe Simitian, Philip Bump for Peg Pinard, Nate Pinkston for Anna Eshoo,
3. IDENTIFICATION OF VISITORS
Kristen Lohnes Johnson, Marv Modell, Dave Karson, Maryam Karson, James Moore, Nate Pinkston (campaign manager for Anna Eshoo for Congress), Bill Wilson, Carol Day, Pat Nikolai (Santa Clara County Police Officers Association), Gary Niblock (Santa Clara City Fire Fighters), Dave Delozier (Santa Clara Citizens for No on Measure B)
4. ADOPTION OF AGENDA
Addition of emergency endorsement of Measure B under New Business
Approve as amended
5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES (Minutes are posted at sccdp.org)
Motion to approve, second, so carried
6. ISSUES
Sally Lieber: able to raise a large sum of money at last event. I have been appointed as Speaker pro Tempore, a position which only 2 other women have held since1849. The swearing in ceremony will be in Mountain View on Monday, October 23rd at 500 Castro Street.
Additionally, please come to the fundraising event for Mary Jo Kilroy, a house candidate, on October 15th.
7. NEW BUSINESS
Endorsement slate presented
Gilroy Unified School District
Francisco Dominguez
Javier Aguirre
Morgan Hill School District
Bart Fisher
Campbell Union High School District
Royce Lorraine Peterson
East Side Union High School District
J. Manuel Herrera
George Shirakawa Jr.
Frank Biehl
Fremont Union High School District
Barbara Nunes
Bill Wilson
Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint High School District
Steven Kahl
Alum Rock School District
Kim Mesa
Moreland School District
No Endorsement
Motion to approve slate without Eastside Union School District, second, so carried.
Discussion of qualifications of candidates for Eastside Union School District. Motion to approve interview committeeÕs recommendation, second, so carried.
Motion to allow the endorsement committee to interview the candidates that we have not been able to interview yet and allow the committee to endorse on behalf of the Central Committee based upon the interviews. Second, so carried
Thank you to interview committee members:
(note, Craig Mann recused himself from the discussion of the candidates for Eastside Union School District.)
Measure B:
Discussion in favor of by Pat Nikolai and Gary Niblock
Discussion in opposition of by Dave Delozier
Motion to support Measure B, second, discussion, so moved (one vote against)
8. REPORTS FROM OFFICERS AND OTHERS
A. Executive Board: Steve Preminger:
The board discussed the campaigns, what the UDC offices are doing, and that the November meeting should be a phone bank night
B. Chair: Steve Preminger
I have been involved in working on campaign and fundraising issues to get great Democrats elected
C. Vice Chair: James Kim
Debate party this Saturday to watch the GovernorÕs debate at one of our San Jose offices. Ashlee from our San Jose UDC office discussed the need for everyoneÕs help on the Cindy Chavez campaign.
D. Treasurer: Drina Collins
$644
E. Secretary: Hope Cahan
Please sign the visitor sign in if you are visiting this evening
F. Community Services and Voter Registration: Carolyn Curtis
Carolyn Curtis: working in North County on the 108 target precincts for the area. Hoping to get at least half of the precincts covered by this weekend. We are handing out a voter recommendation list when we walk.
Adrienne: the voter recommendation list may be found and downloaded from our website. In this bounty period (July 18 +) we have earned more than $2,000. Santa Clara County Democratic Club got 85 registrations in one weekend at Valley Fair Mall.
We need volunteers to work at upcoming festivals.
G. Finance: Jim Thurber
We did a mailing to 2,000 democratic households. We made over $1,000 over the cost of mailing and checks are still coming in. We should try this again next year, but on a wider basis.
H. Candidate Recruitment and Endorsement: Jon Kessler (see above)
I. Communication: David Cohen
J. Campaign Services: Philip Bump
The past week of the campaign recap:
There have been a number of articles about Chuck Reed and his questionable reimbursements from the City of San Jose for personal expenditures. We are asking Chuck Reed to release his tax deductions to prove that he did not illegally declare these reimbursed expenditures on his taxes.
Chuck Reed has raised $340,000 thus far and Cindy Chavez has raised $400,000. Please volunteer on the campaign.
K. Issues: Herb Engstrom
In December, Assemblymember John Laird will be our issues speaker.
L. Political Outreach: Steve Preminger for Tom Cochran
Thank you to APA Democratic Club for the refreshments tonight
Dean Democratic Club of Silicon Valley: Wanda Bryan and Carolyn Curtis
We co-sponsored a Sept. 24 event in San Francisco with comedian Will Durst and candidates Jerry McNerney, Charlie Brown, Bill Durston, and Jill Derby. We are co-hosting an event Oct. 7 at 6:30 pm for Cindy Sheehan and Amy Goodman at the Spangenberg Theater in Gunn High School in Palo Alto with Kepler's Books, the Peninsula Peace & Justice Center and the San Mateo County DFA. On Sat. Oct. 14 we are sharing a table at Kepler's Family Day in Menlo Park with the San Mateo DFA - member Auros Harmon put together a list of 12 recommended books for the brochure "Reading Liberally" for that event.
Dozens of members are working: Tabling, Phone banking, Precinct walking, attending house parties, working at all of the new Dem. Headquarters, and working on the Jerry McNerney Campaign in Morgan Hill, Dublin, Stockton, Tracy and other towns in the Central Valley.
A successful house party for Debra Bowen was hosted by member Cheryl Lilienstein raising $1,300 to $1,500(some online). Member Edel Young hosted a party for Debra Bowen. Stephanie Grossman hosted a well attended house party for Karyn Sinunu on Oct. 3. Stephanie is planning a double hosting on Oct. 21 for candidates Phil Angelides followed by Debra Bowen.
In our second round of endorsements our club endorsed: Club member Rob Haswell for AD4, Margaret Abe-Koga and Ronit Bryant for Mt. View City Council, Clark Williams for San Jose City Council Dist. 6, David Cohen for Berryessa School Board, Greg Sellers for Morgan Hill City Council, Karyn Sinunu for District Attorney of Santa Clara County, and endorsed Props Yes on 87 and No on 90.
A session of George Lakoff/DFA Night School Refresher course on Framing the Progressive Values. ÒThinking Points" by George Lakoff and the Rockridge Institute - (A Progressive's Handbook) - "Communicating Our American Values and Vision", was available for purchase, a great value for $10. Extremely useful, too!
An update presentation was given by Craig Dunkerley on Prop 89 (clean money, fair elections). He has plenty of flyers, card handouts (fit in a pocket), and window signs. The yard signs will arrive this coming week. The big money from the other side has hit, so we need to do everything we can to get every voter on board for Yes on 89.
Democratic Activists for Women Now (DAWN): Carol Garvey
DAWNÕs endorsement brunch took place Sept 25th. As always it was an interesting process with lots of member participation prior to our vote. Many good, smart women were endorsed (the list was previously posted).
Along with donations to the Sinunu and Chavez campaigns, our general election donations total $3,950.00 for 12 candidates ranging from school board to our 2 women congress members.
To help replenish our coffers, we are holding a champagne brunch fundraiser this Sunday, Oct 8th, 11-2pm at the home of Willie Wool, 755 Pierino Ave, Sunnyvale. This will be a catered brunch with things to bid on including beautifully themed baskets, lunch and Capitol tour for 2 with Sally Lieber, lunch for 4 with Anna Eshoo in Palo Alto or D.C (mileage not included), San Simeon vacation home stay, Paella Dinner cooked in your home by Cindy Chavez and Dolly Sandoval, many manicures/ pedicures, dinners, jewelry, and clothing store gift certificates included. Please come!
State ballot measure endorsements were considered and determined at our September
13th PDC Executive Board meeting. Essentially, the PDC positions match the state Party
except for propositions 83 (sex offender) and 88 (education funding), on which PDC has no position, and 89 (campaign finance reform) which PDC endorses.
PDC will host Assemblyman Ira Ruskin at a luncheon on Sunday afternoon, October 15th, at 1:00 pm at Chef Chu's restaurant in Los Altos.
SCCDC: Herb Engstrom
We continue to table at Valley
Fair. We registered 83 voters most of whom are Democrats. A few
were Decline to State but none were Republicans.
We produced two Straight Talk TV shows this month: 1. Women in
Prison, with Assemblywoman Sally Lieber and Esther Peralez-Dieckman of the
County Office of Women's Policy. 2. Happy Hollow Park and Zoo with
Marketing Director Vanessa Rogier and HH Corp VP Heather Lerner. Both are
on the Internet.
At our last meeting on Sept. 18 we showed the DVD "The Hammer: Tom
DeLay's Stolen Congress." We also had as guests Cindy Chavez and
Chuck Reed, who made the case for their candidacies for SJ mayor. Steve
Preminger also spoke in support of Cindy. The Club had previously made a
dual endorsement and voted not to reconsider the dual endorsement, which
stands.
M. Regional Director: Emy Thurber
We have precinct lists and walk pieces for Phil Angelides. Crystal Straight is the current Bay Area representative from the State Party. There is also a representative to reach out to religious organizations.
A special commendation to Carolyn Curtis for her continued work every weekend at the Palo Alto and Mountain View Farmers Markets and for her organization of the precinct walkers.
The Democratic Party Eboard meets in Anaheim at the 8 & 9 of December.
N. Democratic National Committee: Chris Stampolis
O. Pro-Choice Coalition: Claudia Shope
No on Proposition 85:
Proposition 85 is a misguided attempt to mandate family communication. It amends the California constitution requiring physicians to notify a minorÕs parents and wait 48 hours prior to performing an abortion procedure. Of course parents rightfully want to be involved in the lives of their teens, but no law can force families to communicate.
Most teens already involve their parents in decisions about an unintended pregnancy. For those who do not, there is generally a good reason. In the real world, some teens can not go to their parents. They fear being kicked out of their homes, beaten or worse. Proposition 85 forces these teens to delay critical medical care or turn to self induced or illegal back-alley abortions. Some will go across the boarder, some will consider suicide and some will suffer serious injuries or even die.
Backers of Prop 85 claim these vulnerable teens can go to court, but forcing a teen who can not go to her parents into CaliforniaÕs overcrowded court system will not work. Courts are already backlogged, there is a lot of red tape, and they can be difficult to navigate, even for adults. Think about it; a pregnant teen under these circumstances is scared and desperate. She does not need a judge. She needs counseling and medical care- without delay.
Studies show that parental notification laws in other states have not reduced pregnancy rates, the need for abortions, nor have they improved family communication. The real answer to teen pregnancy and abortion is strong, caring families and comprehensive sex education, including abstinence and access to contraception. This is demonstrated in California where teen pregnancy rates have dropped 46% in the last ten years-without Prop 85.
In addition to promoting a flawed policy, Prop 85Õs backers have another agenda. As the San Jose Mercury News put it, Prop 85 is Òpart of a larger strategy to chip away at legalized abortion in the United States.Ó Their anti-choice strategy is simple: nibble away, eventually outlaw all abortions, and eliminate choice. If they are successful in California, they can be successful anywhere. Lets lead the way for the rest of the nation, stop the erosion of our rights at the boarder and keep California a Pro-Choice state!
To learn more about the No on Prop 85 campaign, you can visit the campaign website at www.noon85.com
If you are interested in helping defeat Prop 85, please contact Jacob Hay, Campaign Director, Planned Parenthood Mar Monte. Jacob can be reached by phone at (408) 297-9255 ext. 217 or by email at Jacob_hay@pppmarmonte.org
P. DTV Report: Steve Chessin
Democratic Television Producer Steve Chessin reported that our September taping was with State Senator Debra Bowen, Democratic nominee for Secretary of State.
Our guest in October will be Katherine Forrest, President and Co-Founder of the Commonweal Institute, a progressive think-tank based in Menlo Park.
We will be on San Jose Comcast Channel 15A October 5th and November 2nd with the show we taped with Hon. Cindy Chavez, October 19th with the show we taped with Senator Bowen, and November 16th and December 14th with the show we will tape with Katherine Forrest.
See the sccdp web site 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):
2006:
Oct 5 DTV 139 Hon. Cindy Chavez (II)
Oct 19 DTV 140 Hon. Debra Bowen
Nov 2 DTV 139 Hon. Cindy Chavez (II)
Nov 16 DTV 141 Katherine Forrest
Nov 30 DTV 142 TBD-142
Dec 14 DTV 141 Katherine Forrest
Dec 28 DTV 142 TBD-142
2007:
Jan 11 DTV 143 TBD-143
Jan 25 DTV 142 TBD-142
See http://www.sccdp.org/dtv.php for the full schedule, and to download our shows.
Q. CDC Report: Jay Jackman
9. OLD BUSINESS
10. ANNOUNCEMENTS
No on 85 Day of Action on October 7th: Precinct walking at 9am from the South Bay Labor council, visibility from Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, 1605 The Alameda at 9am
Jim Beall: am enjoying campaigning and if anyone wants to walk precincts, please join me. I have a debate in Saratoga this week and a debate next week in Willow Glen. I am also doing neighborhood coffees if anyone would like me to speak before your neighbors.
Anne Mack: Century Club luncheon on Friday the 13th in governors room A & B and Cindy Chavez will be the speaker. Please rsvp to Anne or the Thurbers.
Clarence: Filipino Heritage Month (October) will be celebrated with a flag raising ceremony on October 17th at 12noon at in front of City Hall: 200 E. Santa Clara Street.
Dan Hoffman: Jerry McNerny effort is very positive, but we still need your help. This Saturday, October 7th, there will be a bus leaving 3rd Street and St. John at 9am to take people to District 11 to precinct walk. Additionally, SEIU is hosting phone banks every Wednesday from now until the election.
Dave Karson: Wednesday, October 18th at 7pm there will be a draft Feingold for President Club meeting.
Steve Chessin: I will be hosting a fundraiser for Debra Bowen on Sunday, October 15 at my home
Carolyn Curtis: McNerney hit the million dollar fundraising mark and then raised another 50k within 3 days
Bill Ferguson: Gave a campaign update. Please join me in my campaign.
Emy Thurber: 2 fundraisers this weekend, one for Cindy Chavez and one for Karyn Sinunu.
Sam Liccardo: Would be happy to have your help on the campaign
Carol Garvey: Health care for all rally on October 26th at 3:00 in front of the State building, 2nd street between San Carlos and San Fernando in San Jose.
There will be a candidates for State offices forum on October 28th from 9am-12noon at the San Jose Hyatt Hotel. For more information call 415-550-0828.
11. EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING
The next Executive Board meeting TBA
12. ADJOURNMENT: 9:00