*** Andrew Janz has been endorsed for CD-22 by the CDP ***
Andrew Janz is a candidate for Congress in District 22 in California who is running against Devin Nunes. While KRL doesn’t publicly endorse any candidates, I had the chance to meet Janz before the primary elections and I liked what I saw and heard so I decided to ask him some questions that I think our readers would be interested in. Some questions will be typical, and some may be ones you don’t hear asked all the time. To learn more about Andrew Janz and his stands on more of the issues you can visit his website, which I highly encourage you to do-an informed voter is the best kind of voter. I also encourage everyone who hasn’t yet, to register to vote. Voting is one of the most important things we can do as an American!
Editor’s Note: This interview was done before the current horrible situation at the borders with the migrant children being separated from their parents or else I would have asked about that situation as well.
Listen to the interview here http://kingsriverlife.com/07/07/interview-with-congressional-candidate-andrew-janz/
It’s been another productive week for Your CDP Team. See below for a recap of this week’s activities.
The Big Blue Wave is Getting Bigger in CD25
Last weekend, Democrats in the 25th Congressional District came together for a phenomenal event – Families Belong Together Unity March, Rally and BBQ.
The event, which was organized by the Democratic Alliance for Action, 25 United For Progress, North Valley Democratic Club, Democratic Club of the High Desert, Simi Valley Democratic Club and Santa Clarita Valley Young Democrats, saw incredible turnout and an amazing spirit of determination to wrest this seat from Steve Knight.
AD 38 Delegate CeCe Koplin wrote a great recap of the event:
The 25th District Unity BBQ Program was emceed by our fearless leader Eric Bauman, Chair of the California Democratic Party. He has been tirelessly traveling up and down the state working district by district to bring us together.
We want to thank our guest speakers, Representative Karen Bass, Representative Brad Sherman, Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel, Sandra Fluke, Carlos Pheonix and our burger-flipping State Treasurer, John Chiang.
Steve Pierson presented a big check from SwingLeft to our Candidate for Congress, Katie Hill.
Our candidate for Assembly, Christy Smith, also spoke. Eric reminded everyone how important it is to vote down ballot, then introduced our candidates for City Council, Diane Trautman, Logan Smith, Brett Haddock and Lee Uber. The program concluded as Eric Bauman and his uncle, Jon Bauman (aka Sha Na Na’s Bowzer) closed the program with their rendition of ‘Good Night Steve Knight.’
We’ll just add this: if a Big Blue Wave wipes out the Republicans in November, it will be because of the kind of grassroots energy and unity on display last weekend in Santa Clarita.
Net Neutrality Advances. Democrats Lead the Way.
Last month, there was a great deal of discussion about the Assembly’s hearing on SB 822, which will impose a California version of Net Neutrality on the telecoms to counteract Trump’s evisceration of President Obama’s Net Neutrality rules.
Even though the CDP hasn’t formally taken a position on the legislation, this is a major policy concern for Chair Bauman, along with the vast majority of CDP activists.
This week, at a press conference at the Capitol, Senator Weiner and Assemblymember Santiago were joined by Senator Kevin de Leon and Assemblymember Rob Bonta as they announced an agreement to move the bill forward.
These new proposed rules are the toughest in the nation, and we’re proud of Senator Weiner and Assemblymember Santiago for demonstrating the kind of leadership Californians have come to expect from Democrats.
Executive Board Preview
The CDP Executive Board will be meeting in Oakland the weekend of July 13-15 at the Oakland Marriott.
Due to strong demand for tickets, we’ve added space to the Luncheon. We’re very pleased with the response to our keynote speaker, Steve Philips, author of Brown is the New White. This is going to be an exciting, informative and lively discussion about the changing face of America – any remaining tickets will be sold on-site at the Executive Board.
Executive Board Members will be considering endorsements for the statewide ballot propositions on the November ballot and in the contest for United States Senate.
(As a reminder, Chair Bauman had worked with both Democratic Lt. Governor candidates advancing to the General Election and they agreed not to seek the CDP endorsement).
Click here for more information about the Executive Board Meeting.
And to close out the week, here’s Chair Bauman and Bowzer singing ‘Good Night, Steve Knight’ in Santa Clarita:
*** No candidate for U.S. Senate has been endorsed by the CDP ***
Last year, you joined me in an unlikely but righteous journey.
The status quo wasn’t working, so we decided to take on the culture of complacency by demanding accountability and fight from our representatives in Washington.
And in February, 56% of your fellow Executive Board members decided to reject this broken system by voting to endorse my candidacy. And although we fell short, we sent a message to the rest of the nation by letting them know that here in the Golden State – we are Democrats not just in name, but in action.
I’m running for U.S. Senate because I believe it’s time to stop biding our time, biting our tongue and playing at the margins. It’s not about pushing anyone to the right or the left, but rather, pushing our nation forward with new ideas and a fresh perspective.
When D.C. hems and haws at the idea of a $15 dollar minimum wage, Medicare-for-all, criminal justice reform, immigrant rights and retirement security plans for workers without access to one, in California we don’t play second fiddle; we lead.
When we come together next weekend in Oakland for our Executive Board meeting, there will be a vote to endorse in the U.S. Senate race. We can win this, but I need your help.
*** Luis Chavez has been endorsed for FCC District 5 by the FCDP ***
District 5 Update
We honored eight local veterans along the Kings Canyon Corridor who served in WWII. Each of them will have their names displayed on a banner along Kings Canyon thanking them for their service. We owe our Veterans an immeasurable debt and gratitude for their service to our country, and we look forward to continuing to honor more of our local heroes along Kings Canyon Blvd, and throughout the City in the years to come.
The Central Southeast Area Specific Plan will be a plan that guides development in the community over the next 20 to 30 years. The Specific Plan will include significant involvement from the community. The Plan area covers over 2,200 acres just southeast of downtown. Now is the time to get involved and help shape the future of your community! Go to the project website to take a survey, sign up for project updates, and learn more. www.fresno.gov/CentralSoutheastPlan
We will continue to reinvest in our neighborhoods, with housing funds to support new housing developments including first time home buyer assistance, and rehab housing funds for older homes. The Splash Park at the Mosqueda Center is almost complete, and will be a fun way to cool down in the Summer. The city is investing in work to plan for and complete a senior center. We are cleaning up our neighborhoods and combatting illegal dumping. We have allocated more funds to SPCA. Also, we will be investing more money in our parks, increasing park space and amenities throughout the district.
For more information contact my office at 559-621-8000 or Text your concerns to 559-978-8423
*** Fiona Ma has been endorsed for State Treasurer by the CDP ***
It’s time to elect more women to office.
In June, we celebrated 100 years of women elected to the California Legislature hosted by the Women in California Politics Foundation.
I am proud to be the first Asian American woman who served as Assembly Speaker pro Tempore in California during my tenure in the state legislature from 2006 to 2012 representing San Francisco, Daly City, Broadmoor, and Colma.
The first four women to serve in the California Legislature were elected in 1918 — two years before the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote was approved. Over the next 50 years, only ten other women served in the Assembly.
In total, as of today (1850-2018), we have had only 156 women elected in the California Legislature compared to 4,500 men (I am #112).
Mentoring more women to run for office and get elected is key to having women’s voices heard and represented in the legislative process. We can do it!
Andrea Dew Steele, the President and founder of Emerge America and co-founder of Emerge California, came up with the concept of Emerge in my office! Andrea is an incredible leader whose work to elect women continues to inspire me. Since Emerge’s founding in 2005, we have expanded into 25 states and trained over 4,000 women. 50% of Emerge alumnae run for or hold office, and 68% of those that have run have won.
Notable Emerge California alumnae include incoming San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, and SF Supervisor and Board Chair Malia Cohen. To learn more about becoming involved, you can read about Emerge California here.
In the coming weeks, I will continue to promote women running for office and our fight against the Trump administration’s policies that seek to rescind women’s rights for reproductive healthcare, access to birth control, equality in the workplace, and immigrants’ rights.
*** Alex Padilla has been endorsed for Secretary of State by the CDP ***
American independence doesn’t come with an asterisk. It isn’t life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness for some — it is declared for all of us. So let’s celebrate America by defending the right to vote — for every eligible citizen, everywhere in America.
Happy Independence Day!
As we prepare to celebrate the birth of our nation, I wanted to share this op-ed that I authored to remind us all of the fundamental reason we celebrate our democracy and why our fight to defend and strengthen voting rights is so important.
As we prepare to gather with loved ones, get our barbecues ready, and decide where we might watch a fireworks show tonight, please also take a moment to read my op-ed and pass it along to your friends and family.
Thank you again for your support. Have a happy and safe 4th of July.
Alex Padilla
California Secretary of State
This Independence Day, Celebrate America by Defending Voting Rights
By Alex Padilla
Flags are mounted, grills are fired up and friends, family and neighbors are gathering to celebrate Independence Day across the country. We celebrate our history, our veterans and our most fundamental values of American democracy, including the right to vote. But this year, recent decisions by an ideologically split U.S. Supreme Court are putting Americans’ right to vote at risk by enabling racial and partisan gerrymandering and upholding voter suppression tactics. We are reminded that we cannot celebrate America without also defending the right to vote.
Make no mistake —the Supreme Court’s assault on voting rights impacts everyone – red states, blue states, the elderly and young of any race. But the brunt of such attacks will be felt most profoundly by communities that have been historically disenfranchised – people of color and low-income communities.
Specifically, in Abbott v. Perez, the Supreme Court reversed a lower court’s extensive findings that the Texas legislature engaged in intentional racial discrimination when drawing congressional and state legislative districts. The targets? Black and Latino voters. The message? The Supreme Court will find a way to justify a legislature’s impermissible racial discrimination to pick their voters, rather than allowing voters to pick their representatives.
In Husted v. A. Philip Randolph Institute, the Court upheld an Ohio law that permitted the state to start the process to remove voters from the rolls, simply because they sat out an election. The Court effectively sanctioned a “use it or lose it” rule on American voters.
Justice Anthony Kennedy’s decision to retire by the end of this month presents additional challenges to protect our voting rights. We know that important voting rights questions will continue to find their way to the Supreme Court as legislatures across the country are expected to double down on issues ranging from harsh voter ID laws, campaign finance laws, partisan gerrymandering, and voter registration practices. I won’t be holding my breath that Trump’s nominee is going to be friend of voting rights. We are approaching what will likely be the biggest showdown on voting rights in decades.
History has shown that these types of laws disproportionately disenfranchise lower income voters, communities of color, and younger voters for reasons ranging from access to transportation to the ability to take time off of work to go vote without loss of wages.
Many of these laws are advanced under the false premise of voter fraud, despite the abundant evidence that shows voter fraud is exceedingly rare.
According to the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law, since 2010, 23 states have enacted laws making it either harder to vote, or implemented stricter voter ID requirements.
But these attacks on voting rights won’t go unchallenged. Americans who care about our democracy are ready to act.
We are acting by encouraging the people in our lives to register and vote. In schools, churches and local communities, Americans are participating in their democracy by getting others to as well.
We are holding officials accountable when they try and enact regressive voting laws. Voters are marching, hosting phone banks or writing letters to express their outrage at any efforts making it harder for eligible Americans to vote.
And, we are supporting reforms that have taken hold in places like California to expand the franchise. Leaders across the country are being pressured to adopt automatic and online voter registration, same-day voter registration, more early voting options and eliminating discriminatory voter ID laws.
These next few years will be crucial for voting rights in America. In addition to picking at least one new Supreme Court nominee, there is also the issue of ensuring that the 2020 Census – which dictates billions in funding and congressional apportionment – is done fairly and accurately.
This Fourth of July, let us remember that the Declaration of Independence states that “governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” We all have a right for our voices to be heard, not stifled. After all, American independence doesn’t come with an asterisk. It isn’t life, liberty and pursuit of happiness for some – it is declared for all of us. So let’s celebrate America by defending the right to vote – for every eligible citizen, everywhere in America.
That’s the most American thing we can do this holiday.
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