Dear Club Members and Friends,
Thank you to all the members, along with the candidates and their representatives, who attended our endorsement meeting last week. Voting was done using OpaVote, the secure online voting platform that we have used in the past, and results were compiled over the weekend. Our Club members approved the friendly endorsements of the following candidates:
Mike Levin, 49th Congressional District
Scott Peters, 50th Congressional District
Terra Lawson-Remer, District 3 County Board of Supervisors
Tasha Boerner, California 77th Assembly District
Joe LaCava, San Diego City Council District 1
We congratulate these candidates on their endorsements, and we wish them all the best for successful campaigns. We are indeed lucky to have such strong and committed democratic candidates representing our area. If you would like to learn more about how you can support these candidates’ campaigns, you can click on their respective links above to visit their campaign websites.
Note: TPDC endorsements are not to be construed as SDCDP or CDP endorsements.
Yours in Solidarity,
Dwight Worden
President
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES SEEKING ENDORSEMENTS FOR THE MARCH 5, 2024, CALIFORNIA PRIMARY ELECTION
NOTICE TO POTENTIAL PRIMARY CANDIDATES AND TORREY PINES DEMOCRATIC CLUB MEMBERS
The campaign for nominations in the March 5, 2024, California Primary Election will be underway sometime this Fall. Although the nomination filing period under California’s Election Code does not close until mid-December, most candidates seeking nomination will announce their candidacy well in advance and begin their search for supporters and endorsements soon after the Labor Day holiday, which falls this year on September 4th.
Accordingly, the Torrey Pines Democratic Executive Board has determined that consideration of endorsements for the March 2024 primary will be conducted at the September 28th and October 26th, 2023 regular Club meetings. Any endorsement considerations after October 26th will be at the sole discretion of the Club.
All candidates seeking an endorsement or rating from the Club will be required to complete and submit the Club’s Endorsement Questionnaire in advance of the endorsement hearing and vote of Club members. For more information contact the Club’s Endorsements Director, Jim Smith, at torreypinesdems@gmail.com.
President’s Message
Dear Club Members and Friends,
Please join us this evening for our Club Endorsement Meeting beginning at 6 PM. You can view the agenda HERE.
CLUB ENDORSEMENT MEETING (VIA ZOOM)
September 28th, 2023, 6 PM
Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87106677935?pwd=Qlo1MkVaaysvVTJrR3YrdjBPZzd Ydz09
Meeting ID: 871 0667 7935
Passcode: 190259
The focus of our meeting this month will be the consideration of Club “friendly” endorsements for Democratic candidates in the March 5th, 2024 Primary Election. Friendly endorsements of the Club are limited to Democratic incumbents who are seeking reelection in non-statewide offices. Under our bylaws, a quorum of regular voting members is required for considering any endorsement and each endorsement requires a 60% supermajority approval by the regular voting members present. I urge every voting member of our Club to make the effort to attend and participate in this important special meeting.
There are five races for which the Board is recommending endorsements at this meeting. Each of the candidates for friendly endorsement completed a questionnaire on key issues, and you can view each completed questionnaire by clicking the link with each candidate’s name below:
- Mike Levin, 49th Congressional District, to be represented at our meeting by Field Director Bradley Zieminski and Deputy Finance Director Nate Bigley
- Scott Peters, 50th Congressional District, to be represented at our meeting by Jason Bercovitch or Shaina Tigar
- Terra Lawson-Remer, District 3 County Board of Supervisors, to be represented at our meeting by (TBD)
- Tasha Boerner, California 77th Assembly District
- Joe LaCava, San Diego City Council District 1
As noted below, we will be voting online for our endorsements. You can view the draft of the ballot HERE. This draft ballot includes a summary of each candidate’s questionnaire responses for their top 3 accomplishments.
Club endorsements are a great benefit to Democratic candidates. Endorsements help candidates raise campaign money and help voters decide which candidates to support. The Democratic candidates are facing new challenges and opportunities in this election. We can help our candidates win their races by joining with other Clubs, and the San Diego County Democratic Party, with endorsements in the upcoming Election.
ORDER OF PROCEDURE FOR ENDORSEMENTS AND RATINGS
As the Endorsement meeting is conducted on Zoom, under the CDP waiver of in-person voting rules, the following special rules apply, in accordance with Club bylaws and procedures to the order of procedure for conducting online endorsements.
1. Quorum Present for the Meeting: A quorum of at least 20% of the regular (voting) members must be present to conduct endorsement proceedings.
2. Presentation of the Candidate’s Statement: Each candidate, or the candidate’s representative, will be offered the opportunity to present their remarks to the members, subject to a 5-minute time limit. Each candidate will be asked to present their remarks in the order they appear on the agenda.
3. Question and Answer Period: Following the presentation of each candidate, there will be an opportunity for voting members to ask questions of that candidate. Questions must be limited to asking for clarifications or elaborations on points made by the candidate, or on other issues not mentioned that are pertinent to the office the candidate is seeking. Each question should be stated in 30 seconds or less; must be made in the form of a question; and no statements will be permitted. The question-and-answer period is not an opportunity for debate or argument.
The candidate will be allowed up to one minute to respond to each question. Candidates are expected to respond in a direct manner, and not use the question time for raising additional issues not mentioned by the other candidate or the questioner. A total time of 15 minutes for question-and-answer will be allowed for each race.
4. Candidate’s Closing Statement: At the conclusion of the question-and-answer period, the candidate will have up to 2 minutes for a closing statement.
5. Discussions by Voting Members: Following the closing statements for all candidates, the non-voting members, guests, candidates and their representatives, will be assigned to a separate chat room to wait for the conclusion of the voting members’ considerations, or may leave the meeting. The chat room will not have video or audio access to the deliberations and voting of the voting members until the voting has been completed.
During the Discussion Period of voting members, members may address questions, comments, or make statements to the assembled voting members. This portion of the meeting will not be recorded. The Club Secretary will not record the discussions during this period in the official minutes. Voting members may request to be recognized by use of the “Raise Hand” feature on Zoom.
Members will be recognized in the order in which their “raise hand” button is actuated. When recognized, the member may address one or more issues or candidates and will be allowed 30 seconds in which to do so. Other voting members are not permitted to respond to a member’s comments, except as part of their own comments when recognized by the Chair. The Discussion period will continue until every member present has had at least one opportunity to speak and, at the discretion of Chair, no more than fifteen minutes additional time may be allowed.
6. Voting Procedures for Members:
The balloting will be initiated by an email sent to each voting member of the Club, using the OpaVote program previously used by the Club.
The email will include an online link to the ballot. Each member who accesses the link provided in the email will be considered as being “present” for the vote. Each voting member will be able to cast only one ballot. The votes will be anonymous.
To be approved for endorsement, the candidate must receive at least 60% affirmative votes of the total members “present and voting” at a meeting at which a quorum of eligible members is present. Under this election process, a quorum is achieved if 20% or more of the eligible members access the online link. A supermajority vote is achieved if at least 60% of the completed ballots returned are cast for one of the options on the ballot. For the ballot to be completed, the voting member must “send” or return a filled-in ballot to the online service that tallies the votes. Ballots returned that are not filled in will be considered not complete and will not be counted as voting.
Voting members will have a fixed period (about three days) in which to open and review the email and return the completed ballot by clicking on the “send” button. Results of the email polling on these endorsements will be announced as soon as the results are verified.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Keep in mind that only the County Party may decide the official endorsements of the Party. Our Club, however, may consider endorsement of candidates of our choosing. The two processes, though intertwined, are distinct and different. But to participate in selecting the Party’s endorsements, we must follow the Party’s rules.
In conclusion, I hope to see all our voting members attend and participate. Please try to attend. Your voice and your vote are important to the Club, and to the candidates.
In Solidarity,
Dwight Worden,
President
President’s Message
Dear Club Members and Friends,
Our next Club meeting is on Thursday, September 28, 2023, beginning at 6 PM. You can view the tentative agenda HERE. The focus of our meeting this month will be the consideration of Club “friendly” endorsements for Democratic candidates in the March 5th, 2024 Primary Election. Friendly endorsements of the Club are limited to Democratic incumbents who are seeking reelection in non-statewide offices.
By a unanimous vote at its meeting of August 14, 2023, the Executive Board of the Torrey Pines Democratic Club has approved the submission of recommendations for friendly incumbent endorsements of the Club following a Friendly Endorsement Forum to be conducted at the September 28th Club meeting. The Club’s approved Endorsement Policies and Procedures can be viewed here. Since we had no regular Club member meetings during our July-August summer break, the Executive Board, pursuant to Paragraph D, Section 7.1 of Article 7 of the Club’s Bylaws, has waived the procedural requirement for prior approval by Club members to place the consideration of these friendly endorsements on the September 28th Club agenda.
There are five races for which the Board is recommending endorsements at this meeting:
- Mike Levin, 49th Congressional District, to be represented at our meeting by Field Director Bradley Zieminski and Deputy Finance Director Nate Bigley
- Scott Peters, 50th Congressional District, to be represented at our meeting by Jason Bercovitch or Shaina Tigar
- Terra Lawson-Remer, District 3 County Board of Supervisors
- Tasha Boerner, California 77th Assembly District
- Joe LaCava, San Diego City Council District 1
Club endorsements are a great benefit to Democratic candidates. Endorsements help candidates raise campaign money and help voters decide which candidates to support. The Democratic candidates are facing new challenges and opportunities in this election. We can help our candidates win their races by joining with other Clubs, and the San Diego County Democratic Party, with endorsements in the upcoming Election.
Under our bylaws, a quorum of regular voting members is required for considering any endorsement and each endorsement requires a 60% supermajority approval by the regular voting members present. I urge every voting member of our Club to make the effort to attend and participate in this important special meeting.
ORDER OF PROCEDURE FOR ENDORSEMENTS AND RATINGS
As the Endorsement meeting is conducted on Zoom, under the CDP waiver of in-person voting rules, the following special rules apply, in accordance with Club bylaws and procedures to the order of procedure for conducting online endorsements.
1. Quorum Present for the Meeting: A quorum of at least 20% of the regular (voting) members must be present to conduct endorsement proceedings.
2. Presentation of the Candidate’s Statement: Each candidate, or the candidate’s representative, will be offered the opportunity to present their remarks to the members, subject to a 5-minute time limit. Each candidate will be asked to present their remarks in the order they appear on the agenda.
3. Question and Answer Period: Following the presentation of each candidate, there will be an opportunity for voting members to ask questions of that candidate. Questions must be limited to asking for clarifications or elaborations on points made by the candidate, or on other issues not mentioned that are pertinent to the office the candidate is seeking. Each question should be stated in 30 seconds or less; must be made in the form of a question; and no statements will be permitted. The question-and-answer period is not an opportunity for debate or argument.
The candidate will be allowed up to one minute to respond to each question. Candidates are expected to respond in a direct manner, and not use the question time for raising additional issues not mentioned by the other candidate or the questioner. A total time of 15 minutes for question-and-answer will be allowed for each race.
4. Candidate’s Closing Statement: At the conclusion of the question-and-answer period, the candidate will have up to 2 minutes for a closing statement.
5. Discussions by Voting Members: Following the closing statements for all candidates, the non-voting members, guests, candidates and their representatives, will be assigned to a separate chat room to wait for the conclusion of the voting members’ considerations, or may leave the meeting. The chat room will not have video or audio access to the deliberations and voting of the voting members until the voting has been completed.
During the Discussion Period of voting members, members may address questions, comments, or make statements to the assembled voting members. This portion of the meeting will not be recorded. The Club Secretary will not record the discussions during this period in the official minutes. Voting members may request to be recognized by use of the “Raise Hand” feature on Zoom.
Members will be recognized in the order in which their “raise hand” button is actuated. When recognized, the member may address one or more issues or candidates and will be allowed 30 seconds in which to do so. Other voting members are not permitted to respond to a member’s comments, except as part of their own comments when recognized by the Chair. The Discussion period will continue until every member present has had at least one opportunity to speak and, at the discretion of Chair, no more than fifteen minutes additional time may be allowed.
6. Voting Procedures for Members:
The balloting will be initiated by an email sent to each voting member of the Club, using the OpaVote program previously used by the Club.
The email will include an online link to the ballot. Each member who accesses the link provided in the email will be considered as being “present” for the vote. Each voting member will be able to cast only one ballot. The votes will be anonymous.
To be approved for endorsement, the candidate must receive at least 60% affirmative votes of the total members “present and voting” at a meeting at which a quorum of eligible members is present. Under this election process, a quorum is achieved if 20% or more of the eligible members access the online link. A supermajority vote is achieved if at least 60% of the completed ballots returned are cast for one of the options on the ballot. For the ballot to be completed, the voting member must “send” or return a filled-in ballot to the online service that tallies the votes. Ballots returned that are not filled in will be considered not complete and will not be counted as voting.
Voting members will have a fixed period (about three days) in which to open and review the email and return the completed ballot by clicking on the “send” button. Results of the email polling on these endorsements will be announced as soon as the results are verified.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Keep in mind that only the County Party may decide the official endorsements of the Party. Our Club, however, may consider endorsement of candidates of our choosing. The two processes, though intertwined, are distinct and different. But to participate in selecting the Party’s endorsements, we must follow the Party’s rules.
In conclusion, I hope to see all our voting members attend and participate. Please try to attend. Your voice and your vote are important to the Club, and to the candidates.
In Solidarity,
Dwight Worden,
President
Dear Club Members and Friends,
We are reaching out to raise the alarm that MAGA Republicans are poised to retake the San Diego County Board of Supervisors in 2024 unless we prepare to mobilize today.
RSVP For Campaign Kickoff
Re-Elect Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer
Since we flipped the Board in 2020, our Democratic majority banned private prison profiteers, committed to 100% renewable energy, launched an Immigrant Legal Defense Program and Workplace Justice Fund, and have begun the long process of undoing decades of failed policies on mental healthcare, homelessness, and social services.
BUT – all of that is under threat if we don’t mobilize to protect the swing seat – currently held by Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer. High-Profile Republicans are preparing to pour millions of dollars to unseat her and flip the Board back to a conservative majority.
RSVP For Our Campaign Kickoff
We are joining a broad coalition of organizations to co-host a Campaign Kickoff at Kate Sessions Park on Saturday, September 9th. If hundreds of us stand together we can send a powerful message to the political establishment that we’re not going anywhere.
Can you join us?
What: Protect Our Progress: San Diego County Campaign Kickoff
Where: Kate Sessions Park 5115 Soledad Rd, San Diego 92109
When: Saturday September 9th at 2:30pm
RSVP by clicking HERE
We hope you are able to join us on September 9th, and I encourage you to bring a friend. If you are not able to make it, consider making a $25, $50, or $100 donation to help our organizing efforts.
If you have any questions or need more information from the campaign themselves, please email team@terralawsonremer.com