June 18, 2019
CA Dem Party Chair Rusty Hicks Announces Delegate-Led Committee to Review Party’s Decision-Making Bodies
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 18, 2019
CDP Chair Rusty Hicks Announces Delegate-Led Committee to Review Party’s Decision-Making Bodies
Ada Briceño, Kimberly Ellis, Michael Evans to Serve as Co-Chairs
LOS ANGELES—California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks today announced the formation of a Delegate committee aimed at reviewing the purpose and reforming the composition of the Party’s nine standing committees—a key commitment of his First 100 Days plan.
The committee will be led by Lead Co-Chair Ada Briceño of Orange County and Co-Chairs Kimberly Ellis of Contra Costa County and Michael Evans of Fresno County. The 24-delegate committee represents the geographic, ethnic and gender diversity of California’s nine million Democrats; members were intentionally supported without regard to their positions during the 2019 campaign for party chair. The current nine standing committees are: Affirmative Action, Credentials, Finance, Legislation, Organizational Development, Platform, Resolutions, Rules and Voter Services. Fifty-eight percent the committee’s members are women, 66.6% are people of color, and 37.5% supported candidates other than Hicks for Chair.
“As CDP Chair, my top priority is working with our party’s leaders and activists to create a stronger, more inclusive, more transparent party to advance progressive priorities here in California and to take back the White House in 2020,” said Hicks. “I’m thrilled to have Ada, Kimberly and Michael work with me to write this new chapter in our party’s history.”
“I am proud to work with Rusty to move our party forward,” said Briceño. “The diverse composition of our committee reflects a strong new direction for the party: one where emerging leaders and longtime activists have equal voices, no matter what part of the state they call home, what language they speak, or whom they love. This is the start of a new day for California Democratic Party.”
“As Democrats, we’re our best when everyone has a seat at the table and when we all understand and trust how decisions are made,” said Ellis. “I look forward to working with Rusty to ensure that no voice is left unheard and to move our Party forward together as we take our country back in 2020.”
“California’s nine million Democrats come from all corners of the state—from Del Norte County to Imperial County,” said Evans. “I am proud to anchor the committee’s work here in the Central Valley, to ensure that rural Californians’ voices are heard just as loudly as those in the Bay Area or Los Angeles. With a stronger party, I am confident those voices will be heard all the way to Washington, D.C., in the coming months.”
The full list of committee members is:
Lead Co-Chair Ada Briceno
Co-Chair Kimberly Ellis
Co-Chair Michael Evans
Lester Aponte
Sascha Bittner
Debra Broner
Frank Garcia
Mark Gonzalez
Felipe Grimaldo Jimenez
Heidi Hall
Drexel Heard II
Hene Kelly
Henry Lo
Denise Penn
Vangie Porras
Steven Ruth
Kevin Sabellico
Nilza Serrano
Julie Soo
Michael Soto
Akilah Weber
Tiffany Woods
Jimmie Woods-Gray
Astrid Zuniga
The party’s standing committees are the channels by which decisions are made regarding policy priorities, finances, convention operations and other topics. The committee announced today will conduct its work throughout Summer 2019. The deadline for Standing Committee Applications has been extended to July 1; applications can be found at: https://www.cadem.org/our-party/standing-committees.
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