December 16, 2021
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE AND YEAR-END REPORT
Members and Friends,
The Executive Board and I join in thanking you for your loyal support and participation in our Club activities over the past year. We extend our best wishes to you and your loved ones for a very happy, healthy, and peaceful holiday season, along with our hopes that the New Year will be bring renewed hope and success for us all.
The year 2021 has been both eventful and tumultuous. The year began with the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, while the Congress was in session. The Senate, led by Vice President Mike Pence, was in process of canvassing the electoral college vote on the way to confirming the election of Joe Biden as our next president, when a mob of protestors, many dressed in battle gear, broke through the Capitol Police security perimeter, and smashed their way inside Capitol to stop the Senate’s electoral vote counting. Who could forget those images? And here we are at year-end still struggling to understand how that happened and who was responsible. The duly elected Joe Biden eventually was sworn in with the oath of office on January 20th, as former president Trump’s term expired.
During his first six months in office, President Biden exceeded all expectations in dealing with the Covid Pandemic, rolling out miraculous and new mRNA anti-covid vaccines on a massive scale in record time, and in obtaining Congressional passage of his proposed $1.9 Trillion American Relief Plan, aimed at providing massive aid to re-start the economy and bring relief to tens of millions of American families. President Biden also took firm measures to end the 20-year long military intervention in Afghanistan and remove the remaining U.S. forces in Afghanistan from that country. The president set new records with his success during the first six months.
Since then, except for bi-partisan passage of the $1 Trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, the Biden Agenda has been stymied by two recalcitrant conservative Democrats in the evenly divided Senate. While remaining focused on getting approval for the final step of his “Build Back Better” initiative, the $1.9 Trillion “soft infrastructure” proposal to provide for environmental and non-traditional social infrastructure needs, also known as the “Reconciliation Bill,” President Biden has not set aside for the time being his efforts to restore voting rights protections, climate change adaptation, and other priorities. Meanwhile, the Republican Party sinks deeper into the abyss of becoming the “party of Trump.”
The coming year promises to be even more eventful on many fronts. As the unfinished business from the current year continues to unfold as the nation prepares for a momentous Mid-term November election in which control of the House and Senate are at stake. Will the Democrats in Congress be able to enact the remaining parts of President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda? The Voting Rights bills? And hold those responsible for the January 6th insurrection? Meanwhile, the 6-3 radical conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court will begin issuing its rulings on several fundamental questions concerning women’s reproductive rights under Roe v Wade; Second Amendment interpretations on gun rights; Religious freedoms and entitlements under the First Amendment, and other fundamental rights questions.
We hope you will stay with us as we attempt to make some sense of these and other issues as they unfold and support our Democratic candidates running for office. In January, we hope to roll out our first Annual Action Plan and Budget for 2022. If you haven’t already done so, please renew your Torrey Pines Democratic Club membership early, beginning on January 3rd.
2021 ANNUAL REPORT
Over the past year, our Executive Board has been unusually active. Here is the Board’s consensus on the accomplishments.
- The year began with the resignation of our founding president, Diana Aguirre, who had moved to Carlsbad and could no longer serve as president. The Board appointed Wayne as interim president, pending elections, and so we were able to achieve a smooth transition and continuity.
- The Board also appointed a Bylaws Committee – Phil and Deborah Currier, Ken Burtt, Jim Smith, and Wayne – to review and recommend some changes that would streamline some of our procedures, provide greater accessibility and transparency for members, and enable the Club to respond more quickly in expressing its views on emerging policy issues.
- Among the Bylaws amendments, we added two new Board positions to represent members “at-large.” We also modified our requirements for expressing Club sentiments and positions on issues to allow adoption by a simple majority vote, rather than the two-thirds supermajority, at any Club meeting. That enabled us to express our Club’s position on current issues of concern more readily. And we reduced slightly our “super-majority voting requirements for officer elections and candidate and ballot measure endorsements from a two-thirds to a 60% supermajority, in line with the recommendations of the San Diego County Democratic Party.
- The prolonged reliance upon on-line – rather than in-person – meetings did not hurt our membership. Our Club roster is at 70 paid members, up slightly from the prior year. In the past, we have seen slight drops in paid membership in the odd-numbered, non-election years. Also, attendance at our on-line meetings has equaled or exceeded the averages for in-person meetings.
- The Covid shutdowns did not keep us from holding elections either. Jim Smith worked hard on mastering the techniques of conducting on-line elections. And we were able to conduct an election in September for Club officers and an endorsement. The participation rate among members for the on-line election was higher than in previous in-person elections.
- Amazingly, no one alleged that the election was fraudulent or stolen!
- Regarding elections, Phil Currier also located and adapted a method for the Club to hold “instant runoff” elections on questions offering multiple choices. It’s also known as “ranked choice” voting, and it will save a lot of time in the coming election year as we undertake our Club’s endorsements voting.
- Our summer “ice cream social event”, held last August, was very successful. About half of our membership turned out at the San Dieguito Regional Park on a beautiful warm, sunny day. The lineup of 10 main speakers was incredible, beginning with Representative Mike Levin and ending with Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer, with her baby daughter Eeva Kai providing entertaining accompaniment to her mom’s remarks. The speakers were all well received, and the event was a big hit with those present and those presenting.
- At year end, we held our traditional “Holiday Social Event” on December 12th, in lieu of the November and December regular meetings, at the En Fuego Bar & Cantina in Del Mar. About 30 members and guests were in attendance. Our Guest Speaker was Member of Congress, Representative Sara Jacobs of the CA 53rd Congressional District. It was an interesting and convivial way on which to end our year.
- During the past year, we’ve conducted eight regular Club meetings at each of which we’ve presented guest speakers from a wide variety of background and interests including such issues as the threat of nuclear waste at the SONGS facility, the backlog of unprocessed rape kits sitting in evidence lockers at the San Diego Police Department, and the Black Lives Matter movement. Our members adopted resolutions in support of remedial action on all of those issues. We received reports from our elected representatives, our State Senate and Assembly representatives, our County Supervisor, and City Council members from San Diego, Del Mar, and Solana Beach. We’ve received compliments on the quality of our program speakers, thanks in large part to the efforts of our Program VP, Marisa Criqui. We will continue to offer an active program of speakers.
With the coming Mid-year and Gubernatorial elections, the year 2022 will be crucial for Democratic hopes in Washington, Sacramento, and locally. You won’t want to miss any of it. We hope you will join us once again as we seek to understand and influence the issues and outcomes. We need your participation and support.
Happy Holidays and best wishes for the New Year,
In Solidarity,
Wayne Dernetz,
President
Holiday Celebration with Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer
Our club has received the following invitation:
Dear Wayne and Torrey Pines Dems,
What a year it has been! As I wrap up my first year being sworn in as a San Diego County Supervisor, I cannot help but feel immense gratitude for the incredible opportunity and awesome responsibility to serve our community in these difficult times.
Please join me and my team on December 17, from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM, at the Mira Mesa Community Center to celebrate our community.
RSVP HERE
For months we have been running full steam ahead to implement long-overdue reforms and make our county government more effective, inclusive, and responsive for all San Diegans.
Together, we’ve won victories for our community, from ending predatory profiteering off of phone calls from our jails to becoming the largest County in the United States to commit to Zero Carbon by 2035, and launching a landmark Immigrant Legal Defense Program to protect the due process rights of all in our community.
As we enter the holidays, I would love for us to come together as a community to discuss and celebrate what we have accomplished together and look ahead to the work left to do in 2022!
Food and beverages will be provided, but in the spirit of community, please consider bringing a favorite dish to share with everyone.
Let’s gather around food, drink, and good company as we look forward to more work together in 2022!
I look forward to seeing you there! Please RSVP by clicking HERE.
Questions? Contact Mark Leo at marks.leo@sdcounty.ca.gov or 858-289-7177.
In service,
Terra
Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer | 1600 Pacific Highway, San Diego, CA 92101