Our hearts go out to everyone affected by the horrific act of violence and hatred at the Chabad of Poway of Synagogue.
April 25th Meeting Recap
We had a great meeting last week in a wonderful new space at the Del Mar Hills Academy. Thanks again to Liz Shopes for helping us secure the space. We will plan on meeting here when the school year begins as the meeting room is not available for the summer.
Our next meeting will be on May 23rd, Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Cardiff Library.
Dave Lagstein from SEIU provided us with an overview of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors budget. I think many of us were surprised by the $6 Billion budget they handle. We need to show our Board of Supervisors that they need to invest money in San Diego families.
What can you do to show the Board of Supervisors the budget is key? Attend the budget hearing on Thursday, June 13th 5:30 p.m. RSVP here –> San Diego Board of Supervisor Evening Budget Hearing. Email Diana for carpooling.
We had Sara Davis, Candidate for the 78th Assembly, introduce herself to our members. Please check out her website for information. Sara Davis for State Assembly
Thanks to Colin Parent from Circulate San Diego for sharing his insight on the housing and transportation of San Diego.
Club Business
Thanks to Phil Currier and Doug Case, Director of Political Affairs at California State Senator Toni G. Atkins for walking us through criminal justice reform bills and to our club members for a terrific discussion on the pros/cons. Diana has submitted our letters of support via the CA Legislative Advocates Portal.
Our club members voted to endorse the following Criminal Justice Reform bills:
Voted YES to Support AB392 – Peace officers: deadly force.
Introduced by Weber & McCarty
This bill is to raise the minimum standard requirement that allows police officer to use deadly force on civilian from “reasonable” to “necessary”. This law has not changed since 1872. If passed, the police officer will be required to exhaust all alternative tactics including de-escalation first. This bill will save lives & unnecessary police shooting.
Voted YES to Support ACA6 – Elections: disqualification of electors
Introduced by McCarty, Bonta, Gonzalez, Kalra, Kamlager-Dove & Weber
This bill is to restore the voting right of felons who have completed their sentence & are currently on the parole. Currently, the system is complicated due to the different felony code, that many are afraid to vote due to the possible serious consequences. We are asking for this to pass to allow the felons who have already completed their prison sentences to vote & participate in civic duties that will help them to engage & re-integrate back into society as responsible citizens. If this bill passed, CA will be the 15th state to join in a coalition to restore the voting rights for these folks.
Voted YES to Support AB1076 – Criminal records: automatic relief Introduced by Ting
This bill is to eliminate the complicate court process of expunging arrest & conviction records & change it to automatic. This law will only apply to cases that are already eligible for expunge. This bill is not aiming to change the law, but only to eliminate the current complicated & cost-consuming process to make it easier for people who have completed their terms to move on without economic (ie. potential jobs) consequences.
On April 20th, Saturday, several of us met at La Colonia community park to canvass homes of Democrats with Latino surnames. We shared information on the importance of the 2020 election and made them aware of the open spot to elect a Democrat for the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, District 3. We also gave them a heads up on the 2020 Census. Our intent is to engage Latino voters well ahead of the 2020 election year. We did host a cafecito en la manana on Saturday, April 27th – it was lightly attended however we did register one new U.S. citizen (student from Mira Costa College) to vote! We will plan to canvass La Colonia in the future. If you’re interested in helping email Diana.
E-Board Meeting – Our next E-Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 13th at 5:30 p.m. Panera Bread in Solana Beach. If you have a topic you’d like us to address or you’re interested in attending, email Diana.
OFFICER ELECTIONS on May 23rd! Are you interested in becoming an officer? Please email Diana to let her know. The officer positions that are elected are President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
May 3rd – Call To Action – In Solidarity with Chabad of Poway
RSVP
May 10th Post Card Writing Happy Hour
Join us for Happy Hour where we’ll be enjoying each other’s company and writing postcards to a campaign through www.tonythedemocrat.com.
We will have postcards & stamps. It would be great to have $ contributions to cover the cost of stamps.
Items to bring: pen, yourself and friends/family, fun spirit, something to eat/drink for sharing
May 10th, Friday, 5:30 p.m. Solana Beach
Address to be provided upon your RSVP. Adele Josepho will be hosting. RSVP to Diana.
Postcards to Voters are friendly, handwritten reminders from volunteers to targeted voters giving Democrats a winning edge in close, key races coast to coast.
May 11 39th Annual Roosevelt Dinner
May 11th, Saturday Hilton San Diego Bayfront, One Park Boulevard, San Diego 92101 5:30 p.m. Check-In and Silent Auction | 6:00 p.m. Reception | 7:00 Dinner and Awards Program
Fellow Torrey Pines Dem members & friends,
Last Saturday several of us attend the San Diego County 39th Annual Roosevelt dinner. We all agreed that we were amazed by the keynote speaker, Movita Johnson-Harrell. Her powerful story of losing her son to a shooting (it was mistaken identity) had the entire ballroom silent at one point. We were moved with her ability to overcome adversity and make a difference in her community. She reminded us of why we continue to advocate for marginalized and disenfranchised groups. We all felt inspired by Movita that evening.
MONTHLY MEETING, MAY 23RD, THURSDAY, 6 P.M. – CARDIFF LIBRARY
We have our meeting this week on Thursday, May 23rd. We are meeting at Cardiff Library. Our social hour including light refreshments starts at 6 p.m. and the program starts at 6:30 p.m.
RSVP
Economic & Environmental Justice – Introduction & presentation from Terra Lawson-Remer, candidate for San Diego County Board of Supervisors District 3.
This is a unique opportunity for members & guests to learn more of Terra’s work focused on economic and environmental justice. Her work has been at the core of her academic research and will inform us of her campaign policies.
About Terra:
Terra was born and raised in San Diego. She’s been dedicated to public service and social and environmental justice since high school, when she started her school’s first recycling program, led a community campaign to clean-up toxic stormwater run-off, and sued the city to end a discriminatory curfew law that violated the First Amendment and targeted youth of color.
Terra is an award-winning college professor, economist, and attorney. She served in the Obama Administration as Senior Advisor to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and directed policy on democratic transitions at the Council on Foreign Relations. She has also worked at Amnesty International, and as a consultant for the World Bank, the United Nations, and the Open Society Foundations.
NORTH AREA CAUCUS – Jason Bercovitch, Vice-Chair, North Area
The North Area Caucus (NAC) is an important function of the San Diego County Democratic Party Central Committee. The NAC provides recommendations to the Central Committee for important matters such as endorsement recommendations, resolutions & helps drive the direction of the county party. Jason will provide us an update on the happenings of NAC and an opportunity to learn more about the role of NAC within the county party.
About Jason:
Jason Bercovitch was born in Madison, Wis.; raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico; and graduated from the University of California, Riverside, with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics and a minor in Political Science. In 2019, Jason was elected Vice Chair of the North Area Caucus for the San Diego County Democratic Party, where he is committed to increasing turnout among low-propensity voters with a focus on Latino, African-American, AAPI, and college communities. In the last decade, Jason has held positions within a variety of campaigns from school and water boards to the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. Jason currently works as a Congressional Field Representative specializing in immigration, foreign affairs, and financial services. Jason is fluent in Spanish and now resides in Carmel Mountain with his wife and two kids.
Update on San Onofre – Torgen Johnson
Torgen Johnson, Solana Beach architect and urban planner will present an update on San Onofre. Torgen is a member of Congress Member Levin’s Task Force on San Onofre. He understands the risks to the public and he will discuss Congressman Levin’s recent legislation intended to speed the removal of nuclear waste from our area.
OFFICER ELECTIONS on May 23rd! Are you interested in becoming an officer? Please email Diana to let her know. The officer positions that are elected are President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary.
Our club now has a Meet Up group. Please join and share the link with anyone you think may be interested in attending our club. This is an effort to get our club out to other people in our community that share our same interests.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
What You Can Do to Help Women in States With Extreme Abortion Bans
Donate to local, grassroots organizations.
Access Reproductive Care – Southeast: ARC is a volunteer organization that helps families in 12 states across the southeast access reproductive care.
National Network of Abortion Funds: NNAF is a network of more than 80 funds in at least 38 states that seeks to eliminate economic barriers for low-income individuals seeking an abortion.
The Yellowhammer Fund: Based in Alabama, Yellowhammer not only provides funding for abortions at one of the city’s three clinics, but also helps with other barriers to access patients may face, such as travel or lodging. (Yellowhammer is part of NNAF.)
Mississippi Reproductive Freedom Fund: Run entirely by volunteers, the Mississippi Reproductive Freedom Fund helps people access abortion, and provides both support and resources to parents.
Women Have Options: This Ohio-based organization provides financial assistance and support to low-income patients seeking reproductive care, abortion included.
National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum: NAPAWF is a multi-issue community-organizing and policy-advocacy organization that fights for policy changes that would benefit women, transgender, and non-binary Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Gateway Women’s Access Fund: Based in Missouri, Gateway provides both educational and financial support to people in the state who can’t afford the full cost of an abortion.
Volunteer as a clinic escort.
If you live in a state with a restrictive abortion ban — or nearby one — one tangible way to support abortion rights is to become a clinic escort. Find out more here.
Or, you can always see if one of the above organizations are seeking volunteers.
Speak out about the potential repercussions of extreme abortion bans, because they’re not going anywhere.
If you can’t donate to organizations or volunteer, you can still vocally condemn attacks on abortion rights, and speak to those around you who may not fully grasp the chilling effect these laws have.
“Have the critical conversations with your family members and friends to activate them in the fight for abortion access and reproductive justice,” Quita Tinsley, the deputy director of ARC, told the Cut. “Being clear about our beliefs not only challenges stigma, but it also shows the people that have had abortions that they have allies and supporters in their community.”
NAPAWF executive editor Sung Yeon Choimorrow echoed Tinsley’s sentiments, stressing that the fight against six-week bans is far from over. “These restrictions are being copied across several states and this is part of a coordinated outside agenda to restrict our rights nationwide,” Choimorrow told the Cut. “Abortion bans and other attacks on the agency of pregnant people are inextricably linked and cannot be separated from the effort to jail pregnant immigrants at the border, or raid the workplaces of communities of color … This is not the first ban of this type, and it will not be the last attempt.”
JUNE 6 – MAKE CHANGE WITH SISTER DISTRICT
The Sister District Project is the most effective way to drive long-term change through focusing on flipping state legislatures.
Join Sister District Project San Diego to kick off their 2019 election season and learn how they will flip Virginia blue in November from their special guest, Rita Bosworth, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Sister District Project.
Electing progressive state leaders are important more than ever. 2019 is our last chance to flip Virginia’s state legislature blue before 2021 redistricting. Whoever is elected in November will draw all of the congressional districts that will be used in Virginia elections until the next redistricting in 2031.
This is a once-in-a-decade opportunity to shape our future free from gerrymandering — don’t miss out on your chance to make history and save our democracy. We will be fundraising for VA House of Delegates candidate, Shelly Simonds.
WHAT: Sister District Project’s Special Happy Hour with Executive Director and Co-Founder, Rita Bosworth
WHERE: Blue Door Urban Winery 4060 Morena Blvd, San Diego, CA 92117
Try their famous sangria, we hear it’s incredible! There is ample free parking in their lot and snacks available for purchase.
WHEN: Thursday, June 6th, from 6:30-8:30 PM
WHO: You, and fifteen of your closest friends. RSVP here. And please share that RSVP link with friends and others you know in similar electoral-focused groups!
WHY: Because you care about our democracy and we deserve to live in a fair and egalitarian world!
JUNE 13TH – SAN DIEGO BOARD OF SUPERVISOR EVENING BUDGET HEARING
When: June 13th, Thursday 5:30 p.m. RSVP here –> San Diego Board of Supervisor Evening Budget Hearing. Email Diana for carpooling.
UPCOMING MEETINGS
June 27th, Thursday 6 p.m. Social Time;
6:30 -8:00 PM 6:30 -8:00 PM Cardiff Library, 2081 Newcastle Ave. Cardiff
Program: Board of Supervisor 3rd District Candidate – Olga Diaz. FBI Citizen Academy and Peace in the Middle East – Sheri Sachs.
SAVE THE DATE: AUGUST 3, Saturday SUMMER GET TOGETHER. Congressmember Mike Levin will be our honorable guest.