Weekly Update – 8.3.18
It’s been another productive week for Your CDP Team. See below for a recap of this week’s activities.
R.I.P. Ron Dellums
California lost a giant this week – former Congressman and Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums. As Chair Bauman said in his statement, “He was such a forceful opponent of the Vietnam War, Nixon put him on the ‘enemies list’. He was such a righteous advocate against Apartheid, he convinced Congress to overturn Reagan’s veto of anti-Apartheid sanctions… He was always a voice for compassion and justice towards those who are suffering.”
CDP Donates Private Prison Money to Human Rights, Civil Rights, Criminal Justice Reform Organizations
Last month, Chair Bauman announced that the CDP would no longer accept donations from businesses or trade associations connected to the private prison industry. As part of that announcement, Chair Bauman also stated that the CDP would be donating the unsolicited contributions that have been received during his tenure to organizations working to protect immigrants, prisoners and human rights.
- Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA)
- Border Angels
- Young Community Developers
- United Farm Workers Foundation
- Homeboy Foundation
- Youth Justice Coalition
- A New Way of Life Reentry Project
- Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF)
- Building Opportunities for Self Sufficiency
As Chair Bauman said in his statement, “these are worthy groups that are doing righteous work. They will use these contributions to continue fighting the injustices and violation of rights that occur every day, just as we will keep fighting for candidates who will bring true reform to our broken criminal justice system.”
Alex Rooker On Point for DNC Rules Changes
CDP Vice Chair Alexandra Gallardo-Rooker, a member of the DNC Rules and Bylaws committee, has been participating in calls with DNC Chair Tom Perez all week designed to help DNC members understand the proposed reforms that will be considered later this month at the DNC meeting in Chicago. Reforms that are designed to help lessen the frustration that many Democratic activists feel following the 2016 presidential primaries. For more information, e-mail Vice Chair Gallardo-Rooker at alex@cadem.org.
Happy Birthday President Obama!
Tomorrow, August 4, is President Obama’s birthday! To celebrate, the CADEM Store has created a new t-shirt available online – order yours today!
President Obama stands for honesty, integrity, and progress. Those are values we need right now. And proudly saying Obama is Still My President makes an unimpeachable statement about what Democrats stand for.
Order yours today! And Happy Birthday (Still Our) President Obama!
Chair Bauman, Sen. Scott Wiener, Asm. Miguel Santiago Call for Net Neutrality
On Tuesday, Chair Bauman joined Senator Scott Wiener, author of SB 822, and Assemblymember Miguel Santiago, Chair of the Assembly Communications & Conveyance Committee, at a press conference urging approval of Senator Wiener’s legislation enshrining Obama-era Net Neutrality regulations in California law. They were joined by Senator Ben Allen, Assemblymember Richard Bloom, LACDP Chair Mark Gonzalez, and CDP Activist Sandra Fluke.
This is one of the most urgent issues of free speech and economic justice facing the country – Trump’s assault on Net Neutrality must be turned back to protect the internet as a free and fair resource for everyone. Find out more about Net Neutrality here.
CDP Labor Caucus Chair Tim Paulson Officially Takes the Helm at San Francisco Building Trades
Earlier this week, CDP Labor Caucus Chair Tim Paulson was formally sworn-in as the new Secretary-Treasurer of the San Francisco Building & Construction Trades Council. Chair Paulson, pictured below with Council President Larry Mazola Jr., was sworn in by newly-inaugurated-herself Mayor London Breed.
Congratulations Chair Paulson! And congratulations to the San Francisco Building & Construction Trades for choosing such a talented, passionate, and fiercely dedicated new leader!
Gearing Up For November
This week, Chair Bauman and the CDP Senior Staff huddled together to lock down the final details of the CDP’s plan for the Fall campaign. We know so much is riding on the work we do in the next three months. We have as many as seven Republican-held seats vulnerable to Democratic challengers. We have a supermajority to reclaim in the Legislature. We have to hold off strong challenges from fake Democrats and former Republican multimillionaires in the contests for SPI and Insurance Commissioner.
We’ll be rolling out specific details over the next few weeks, but we can say this – this will be one of the most aggressive, innovative and inclusive campaigns the CDP has ever run. We know our most important job is to make your jobs as our Grassroots Democratic Leaders easier, and that’s exactly how we have approached our planning. Stay tuned for more details!
94 day until the election!
