Statement from California Democratic Party Chair Eric C. Bauman on conclusion of Credentials Committee Appeal of CRC’s Audit and Challenge Ruling
Los Angeles—California Democratic Party Chair Eric C. Bauman released the following statement in response to the decision of the Credentials Committee to sustain the Compliance Review Commission ruling confirming his election as Chair:
“First, I would like to express my gratitude to the members of the Credentials Committee for the professionalism and integrity with which they conducted themselves in an unprecedented challenge. I would also like to recognize and thank the staff of the California Democratic Party, who have gone above and beyond in serving our Party even as they were called upon to carry out the additional responsibilities necessary to ensure that the CRC challenge and Credentials Committee appeal processes laid out in our bylaws were followed to the letter, including countless hours dedicated to the exhaustive audit of the election. And of course, I would like to thank our Grassroots Democrats, who are doing extraordinary work to build our Party and fight for our values.
When the statewide officers and I took office after convention this spring, we immediately set about reforming the basic operations of the Party. We embraced a shared governance model of decision making, where the Chair, Vice Chairs, Secretary and Controller work collaboratively on setting CDP policy, most notably on the appointments to CDP standing committees which were majority people of color, majority women and nearly half of whom were first-time members of a standing committee. We implemented a new, flattened management structure for the CDP and brought in a diverse and talented group of activists to serve as Directors of CDP Departments. We’re ramping up our engagement on issues with our members, and we’re busy laying the groundwork to take the fight to Republicans up and down California in 2018.
California is and must remain the Big Blue Beacon of progress and opportunity for every person in our country. With the conclusion of the Credentials Committee hearing today, it is my hope that our entire California Democratic Party family can move forward on making progress on these urgent and pressing issues, free from the distraction of costly litigation and needless division. There are so many critical issues where Grassroots Democrats can and must make a difference, like single-payer Medicare-for-all style healthcare, reducing the corrosive forces driving income inequality, combatting climate change and rolling back carbon emissions, and standing up for the rights of women, immigrants, people of color and the LGBT community–a task made all the more urgent by the white supremacist terrorism in Virginia last weekend.
It’s up to all of us to resist Trump and lay the groundwork for the progressive future our country needs and deserves, and that is exactly where our focus needs to be. This is our Party—not the Party of any one person. Our Party is successful and strong when we are united around the values that make us Democrats, most especially the value of inclusion, where everyone has a seat at the table and a voice in our deliberations. I call upon every member of our Democratic Party Family, regardless of who they supported last spring, to join me in that commitment.”
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