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Fresno County Democratic Party (FCDP)

Newsletter for the Week of Oct. 1

 

Our Recommendations

See our endorsements for candidates and ballot measures specific to your ballot at https://w3.fresnocountydemocrats.org/liveballot/ . Enter your address and view all our recommendations. Thank you for supporting Democrats!

  

Blue Wave in Fresno County

The Nov. 6 election is fast approaching. By Oct. 8, absentee ballots will start being mailed so time is running out to make a difference in this election, which is shaping up to be a referendum on the fundamental ethos of our country. Here in the Central Valley, districts that were once firmly and unquestioningly Republican are now looking more purple than red. Andrew Janz is facing Devin Nunes and narrowing the race despite the avalanche of lies Nunes has started to unleash. T.J. Cox stands against incumbent Republican David Valadao and does so with enthusiastic support from Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom. It is not just the big flashy elections that are important. Democrats are running for office at every level, and every race is crucial to putting our country back on track toward our ideals of equality and intelligent governance.
In many places throughout the Central Valley, Democrats hold a strong majority when it comes to registered voters. However, time and time again we have seen that they just don’t come out to vote as much as Republicans. This year is our chance to change that. We here at the Fresno County Democratic Party are eager to help. Stop by our headquarters at 1035 U Street in downtown Fresno or call at 559-495-0606.
No matter what your level of experience, there is always something you can do to help with this election. If you have time, volunteer for the party or a campaign. Opportunities are listed in this newsletter every week. If you have money, you can donate. Even if you just hang out on your computer, you can help by reaching out over e-mail and social media to friends, family and colleagues. Politics can seem like a big, daunting challenge. There are many who want to make things seem hopeless so we do nothing. Don’t give in. We are all in this together, and together we can win.

  

Promote and Protect the Vote

T he California Democratic Party is launching the 2018 Promote and Protect the Vote (P2TV) Program to help ensure that elections are well and fairly managed. This will work to assist voters with voting-related questions as well as investigate and troubleshoot election-related issues with our network of volunteer attorneys and election officials. The program will provide voter protection resources and training to Democratic campaigns, County Central Committees, clubs/organizations and activists, and allied/partnered organizations.
Another key part of the program is the hotline, 877-321-VOTE (8683). If you or anyone you know has any questions or encounter issues with voting, or if your campaign/organization encounters issues relating to elections and voting, contact the Promote and Protect the Vote Hotline, which is operational from early October through Election Day:

 

  • Tuesday, Oct. 9, to Friday, Nov. 2—weekdays 9 a.m.–6 p.m.
  • Saturday, Nov. 3, through Monday, Nov. 5—9 a.m.–6 p.m.
  • Tuesday, Nov. 6 (Election Day)—6:30 a.m.–8 p.m.
  •                There are also information resources to help educate and prepare for this upcoming election. The P2TV Primer on Voting and Election includes a general overview and key points on voting and election for this election cycle. Click here to download the Primer . In-language voting rights and FAQ palm cards will be available in mid-October. Later this month, the party will also host a P2TV Voter Protection Webinar. Click here to sign up and join our Voter Protection webinar . The webinar will include key information on voting and elections to protect the vote.

Please visit our Promote and Protect the Vote webpage for all these and more resources: www.cadem.org/p2tv .

 

Janz Opens New Fresno Headquarters

This week, Congressional District 22 candidate Andrew Janz opened a new headquarters in Fresno, at 5135 N. Blackstone Ave., Suite 102. The event was celebrated with an open house party where the district’s constituents were able to join in support and making themselves heard. It is evident that Janz’s strategy of raising money only from private sources, with no corporate donations, is working. The campaign outgrew its old location and now has a bigger headquarters from which to coordinate the fight.
This comes the same week that Devin Nunes’ campaign mailed out thousands of copies of a massive 40-page glossy magazine ridiculing the Fresno Bee with a long series of conspiracy theories. Nunes evidently spent some of his $6 million war chest on this personal trip into alternate history. Residents across Nunes’ district will be receiving these mystifying monstrosities regardless of party affiliation.
It is clear where the priorities of these two Congressional campaigns land: one with community outreach, the other with delusional ego.

 

Democrats at the Fresno Fair

This week, Fresno Democrats will be at the Big Fresno Fair and they are looking for help. The local party will have a booth and is looking for volunteers to help staff and hand out information. There will be three shifts per day and three people per shift. Interested Democrats should call the Democratic Party HQ at 559-495-0606.

TJ Cox Campaign

The T.J. Cox for Congress campaign thanks everyone who has already helped with the election effort. The campaign will hold phone banks on Oct. 10, 17 and 24 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Democratic Party HQ. To volunteer or for more information, call 559-495-0606.

Cox campaign events this week:

Firebaugh Community Dinner Meet & & Greet

10/3/2018

5-7pm

Firebaugh Senior Center – 601 Thomas Conboy Ave

Firebaugh

Gilbert Felix, gilbert@tjcoxforcongress.com

Hanford Canvass

10/5/2018

9:00 AM

Hanford DCCC office 2447 N 10th Ave Hanford, CA 93230

Sarah Bentley,

bentley@dccc.org

Sanger Canvass

10/6/2018

9am – 3pm

Greenwood Park – Sanger, CA 93657

Norberto Gonzalez,

ngonzalez@cadem.org

Phonebank in Hanford, CA

10/6/2018

10am – 12pm

Hanford DCCC office 2447 N 10th Ave Hanford, CA 93230

Sarah Bentley,

bentley@dccc.org

Swing Left Sanger Canvass

10/7/2018

9am – 3pm

Greenwood Park – Sanger, CA 93657

Norberto Gonzalez,

ngonzalez@cadem.org

Lemoore Meet & & Greet

10/7/2018

5-7pm

Lemoore Civic Auditorium – 435 C Street, Lemoore, CA

Fabiola Rodriguez, fabiola@tjcoxforcongress.com

Candidate Forums

WEST FRESNO DEMOCRATS CANDIDATE FORUM

On Oct. 6 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the West Fresno Democratic Club will hold a candidate forum. The forum will be held at New Light for New Life Church, 1106 W. Woodward, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Refreshments will be provided.

This forum will be a bit different than most. The moderator, Rev. Dr. Floyd Harris, will keep things moving and invite the public to ask important questions about police brutality, environmental racism, subpar schools, the school-to-prison pipeline, crushing poverty, homelessness and officeholder accountability.

These issues are important to Southwest Fresno and the greater Fresno area. We sincerely hope you can attend.

For more information, contact Aline Reed, president of the West Fresno Democratic Club, at 559-470-5172.

COMMUNITY TOWN HALL

Meet Candidates Fresno City Council District 3 candidates Miguel Arias and Tate Hill in the district. Taking place on Saturday, Oct. 13, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Cecil C. Hinton Community Center (2385 S. Fairview Ave.), the candidates will address employment, education, poverty, housing, crime, immigration and more.

         The event is sponsored by N.A.A.C.P., Mi Familia Vota, Hmong Innovating Politics, V.O.I.C.E., Central Valley Partnership, SEIU Local 1000, SEIU Local 521, SEIU Local 2015

For more information, contact 559-244 1830 or hmesserlian@seiu1000.org.

RADIO BILINGÜE HOSTS TOWN HALL IN SANGER

Radio Bilingüe is convening a town hall in Sanger with residents of Congressional District 21, a district with Latino supermajority and a major battleground in the fight for the U.S. Congress.

The community forum will be be held on Monday, Oct. 15 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Sanger Women’s Clubhouse, 1602 7th St. (at P Street), Sanger.

The public dialogue will focus on issues of the highest interest to residents of CD21, including access to healthcare, access to higher education, DACA and immigration, jobs, air quality and the water access crisis.

Radio Bilingüe has extended an invitation to both candidates in CD21: incumbent David Valadao and Democratic challenger T.J. Cox. Cox has agreed to participate. Rep. Valadao has declined the invitation.

Sponsored by Radio Bilingüe, the town hall will be produced and moderated in collaboration with KQED Central Valley Bureau, and will include questions from selected community panelists and members from the live audience.

For more information, contact chuyag@radiobilingue.org, 559-455-5782.

Volunteers Needed

We at your local Democratic Party need volunteers to help with getting out the vote for the upcoming election. At this time, we need people to help assemble precinct walk packets. Even this small effort can be a great help as it provides our invaluable canvassers with the resources they need to help educate voters. The assembly activity will be hosted at the Democratic Party HQ (1035 U St.). If you are interested, call 559-495-0606 or fill out the volunteer form online at https://w3.fresnocountydemocrats.org/make-a-difference-2/volunteer/.

Campaigns Are Hiring

Many campaigns are hiring. Contact any of the following if you are interested:

CA Democrats: fresno2018ca@gmail.com

Democratic Party: takeitbackca21@gmail.com “Canvasser Position” in the subject

Valley Forward: (for details) www.bit.ly/valleyfwdjob    (application) lead@valleyfwd.org

Anna Caballero for State Senate: call/text 559-356-9583

ACLU Northern California: antonio.jauregui118@gmail.com

Election Calendar

Voter Information Guides mailed: September 27–October 16

Vote-by-Mail ballots mailing period: October 8–October 30

Last day to register to vote: October 22

Last day to request a Vote-by-Mail ballot: October 30

New Citizen Voter Registration (extension): October 23–November 6 (new citizens are exempt from the normal registration deadline)

Election Day: November 6

Forgot to Register to Vote? Don’t Worry

There is a new option for Californians who miss the Oct. 22 deadline to register to vote or update their voter registration information for the Nov. 6 General Election. While you might not be able to vote at your regular polling place or vote by mail, there is still an opportunity to cast a ballot by completing the conditional voter registration process.

Eligible citizens who miss the Oct. 22 deadline can go to the Registrar’s Office (2221 Kern St.) or a designated satellite location to register and vote conditionally. Their ballots will be processed once the county elections office has completed the voter registration verification process. Voters can complete the conditional voter registration process from Oct. 23 all the way through Election Day on Nov. 6.

For the conditional voter registration locations, contact the county elections office .

California News

An easy-to-read resource of information and recommendations on the statewide propositions can be found on the Fresno County Democrats site . That handy flyer is available in both English and Spanish at the Democratic booth at the Big Fresno Fair. If you could assist with translating the propositions into other languages, contact the Democratic Party HQ at 559-495-0606 to help us make this available.

Prop 4 for Children’s Hospitals

This year’s Proposition 4 is the smallest bond measure on the November ballot, but it is no less crucial for that. The $1.5 billion would go to improving the capacity, safety and equipment in a select number of crucial children’s hospitals across California. In both 2004 and 2008, voters approved similar measures for other hospitals and now the time has come out to add our own region’s Valley Children’s Hospital to the list.

         These hospitals need this extra bit of money now because a growing percentage of their patients are on MediCal and the state reimburses hospitals for those services at one of the lowest rates in the country. At the same time, the deadline to renovate for new safety standards still looms in 2030 and the hospitals need this extra push to insure they can get it done. While a long-term solution would need to be an increase in MediCal payouts, this Proposition ensures that while the details of such a complicated overhaul are being worked out the children of the Central Valley, and the rest of the state, don’t suffer.

NATIONAL NEWS

Kavanaugh’s Tantrum Shows Him Unfit

The resistance and doubt surrounding Donald Trump’s second Supreme Court nomination grows. Though the FBI is now conducting an investigation into the sexual abuse accusations against Brett Kavanaugh, the White House is ensuring that the timetable is kept ludicrously short. Still, it is a small step toward justice for Dr. Ford and the other accusers and a major blow to Brett Kavanaugh and Donald Trump.

         Kavanaugh’s public hearings provided quite a spectacle. Dr. Ford’s testimony was powerful and authentic. Brett Kavanaugh’s testimony was angry, entitled and deeply disturbing. However, while the country is debating whether the nominee is lying about these crimes another point is often lost. Independent of the heinous crimes Kavanaugh has been accused of, his performance under the pressure of the confirmation hearing shows he is not suited for the highest court of the land.

         The Supreme Court is the head of the third branch of our government, an equal to the Presidency and Congress. The justices are appointed for life, rather than elected, so they can be afforded the opportunity to step away from their political affiliations and simply follow what is best for the country and its citizens. Kavanaugh’s angry, bitter tirades about “the Left” and his clear grudge against the Democratic Party shows he does not have the temperment to do that. This alone, with or without the sexual assault, is enough to show he should not be let near the Supreme Court.