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Volunteering
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About Us
Del Norte County Democratic Party is an active organization focused on party building and educating voters about the issues important to Democrats. Del Norte County is the northernmost county on the coast of California. We are privileged to live in a beautiful environment where the redwoods meet the ocean and blessed with rivers that we actively protect. Del Norte's Democratic Party consists of a diverse group of individuals that represent various aspects of our community. We are proud to call ourselves Democrats and make ourselves visible at every opportunity. We lead by example and continue to work to elect Democrats with vision to create a better world.
Welcome
| Campaign 2012 HQ
Democratic Party Campaign Office 1044 Highway 101 N Crescent City  Every day is Earth Day You can help the planet and your local Democratic Party. Donate your recyclables, plastic, cans, and glass at Julindra Recycling, located at 1039 Harrold Street. When you drop off your recycling, tell them to credit the Democratic Party's account. All funds will help the 2012 elections. Update on Keystone XL
Seen the new jobs chart? On Friday, it was announced that we've hit our 23rd consecutive month of job growth. We've seen 3.7 million private-sector jobs created during that time. Still, you're probably familiar with one of the GOP's favorite go-to lies: bashing the President's jobs record. Mitt Romney's called him a job destroyer, claiming that the President "has not created any new jobs." Newt Gingrich's taken it a step further, saying, "the President has now spent three years proving that he kills jobs in energy, he kills jobs in manufacturing, he kills jobs in virtually every part of American life." We've had about enough of that. And we're pushing back. The folks over at the Obama campaign put together a jobs chart, which lays out the past four years of monthly jobs numbers, from under President Bush in December 2007 up until this past month. Check it out, then pass it on: http://my.democrats.org/Jobs-Chart Patrick Patrick Gaspard Executive Director Democratic National Committee Megavote, February 6, 2012 In this MegaVote for California's 1st Congressional District: Recent Congressional Votes
Upcoming Congressional Bills
Read the rest ... Your 2012 CA Dem Convention lineup The 2012 California Democrats State Convention takes place in San Diego on the weekend of February 10-12, and it's going to be one to remember. As an Endorsing/Platform convention, we'll be finalizing Primary Endorsements for Assembly, State Senate and Congressional races, as well as adopting a new State Party Platform. But let's get right to the list of the elected officials and grassroots leaders you can expect to hear from at this year's convention: Friday night Saturday Sunday Like we said, this is not one to miss. And, if you're looking for a great time Saturday night with like-minded activists from San Diego and from across the state, you're going to want to check out our DEM 2012 concert featuring soul singer and recording artist Eli "Paperboy" Reed. Remember: You can get into the concert free if you sign up for our Donate Every Month (DEM) 2012 program. To join Donate Every Month (DEM) 2012 program, and get your free concert ticket, click here. San Diego will definitely be the place to be for California Democrats this year. To view the convention event schedule please visit our dedicated convention website: www.cademconvention.org. We are already making preparations for what will be a historic effort to take back the House, protect our U.S. Senate seat and re-elect President Obama in 2012, and we look forward to seeing you in San Diego next week. Sincerely, Shawnda Westly Assembly budget committee approves bill to restore school bus funding Chesbro urges Committee to fast track school transportation funding bill SACRAMENTO – In a bipartisan vote, the Assembly Budget Committee voted to today to advance legislation to restore funding for school transportation. Speaking as a member of the Committee, Assemblymember Wesley Chesbro (D-North Coast) urged Chairman Bob Blumenfield to use the Committee’s influence to expedite Senate Bill 81 to the Assembly Floor for a vote. “It will make the difference between kids missing school and people getting laid off if we don’t move it to the Floor as quickly as possible,” Chesbro said. SB 81 seeks to undo the trigger cut made by Gov. Jerry Brown that will eliminate funding for the Home to School Transportation Program. SB 81 would replace the $248 million dollar cut to the transportation program, which disproportionately impacts rural and low income students, with a smaller, more equitable reduction across all school districts in California. Home to School Transportation is particularly important to rural schools on the North Coast, such as the Southern Humboldt Unified School District, where many students live long distances from their schools. “It's a catastrophic problem in my district and in many other rural parts of California," Chesbro said. "Eliminating the school bus system creates dangerous situations for many children in California, but for my district it means it would be impossible for many children, if not most children in some districts, to attend school at all." SB 81 must now get approval from the full Assembly in a floor vote, then it passes to the Senate Floor for a concurrence vote. It then goes to the governor for his signature.” Megavote, January 30, 2012 In this MegaVote for California's 1st Congressional District: Recent Congressional Votes
Upcoming Congressional Bills
Read the rest ... California Supreme Court denies challenge of Senate maps SACBEE BREAKING NEWS ALERT » 1/27/2012 California Supreme Court denies challenge of Senate mapsThe California Supreme Court ruled today that state Senate maps drawn by a citizens commission will be used in this year's elections, despite a pending referendum to overturn them. Please sign Assembly member Chesbro In Lieu petition Del Norte Democrats have in lieu of filing fee petitions for Assembly Member Wes Chesbro at our office 1044 Highway 101 North, Crescent City Stop by 12 to 6 pm Tuesday thru Sat to sign the petition. When you sign it saves Wesley money against his filing fee. Any registered voter can sign as we no longer have partisan races in the California elections (except for President) State of the Union Last night, the President went to Congress and defined in clear terms what we're going to be fighting for in the months ahead. That means that right now, it's on us to get his back and work like hell to build this campaign. If we want to see this President re-elected, it's time: Add your name and say you're standing with the President -- and our shared vision for this country. We don't know which Republican is going to be our opponent yet, but here's what we do know: Whoever wins the Republican nomination will have done so by adopting the extreme Tea Party agenda. The President will be busy doing everything he can to demand action from a Congress that cares more about making a political point than governing. And when they refuse to act, he will. Election year or not, that is his job, and he is going to be getting things done these next couple months. The campaigning is left up to us. And if we don't do what we need to, last night will have been Barack Obama's last State of the Union. Do something now: http://my.barackobama.com/State-of-the-Union Thanks, Messina Jim Messina Campaign Manager Obama for America P.S. -- Miss last night's speech? You can watch it all here, enhanced with stats and graphics to back up the President's words. The State of the Union See what The Hill's contributors and guest bloggers are saying about President Obama's State of the Union addresss:
Megavote: January 23, 2012
Senator Noreen Evans: "Park Privatization Update" Thank you for everyone who came to Sacramento today to defend your public parks! We apologize that the Public Works Board changed the room number at the last minute. Due to our fast and furious responses, the State Public Works Board and the California Department of Parks and Recreation removed the item to solicit concession proposals for parks slated for closure from private organizations, including for-profits, from today’s agenda. The proposal is not dead, so I will remain vigilant in ensuring the state does not turn over our state parks to for-profit businesses in lieu of local non-profits. I believe that if we work together, we can find ways to keep our parks open and operating, without turning them over to the highest bidder. Today, I will introduce legislation for Parks to conduct a formal and transparent process examining potential park closures using a defined criteria. Check my web site for updates. Our parks are not for sale! Sincerely, Senator Noreen Evans Senate District 2 Senator Leno’s Single-Payer Health Care Bill Clears Senate Appropriations SB 810 Creates a Private-Public Partnership That Provides Universal Coverage By Redirecting the Funds Californians Already Spend on Health Care
SACRAMENTO – The Senate Appropriations Committee today approved the California Universal Health Care Act, authored by Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco). Senate Bill 810 guarantees all Californians comprehensive, universal health care while reducing the state’s ballooning health care costs and improving the quality of care and delivery of health services statewide. The legislation passed with a 6-2 vote.
California currently spends about $200 billion annually on a fragmented, inefficient health care system that wastes 30% of every dollar on administration. Under Senate Bill 810, that wasteful spending is eliminated. The bill redirects the funds Californians already spend on health care to allow comprehensive coverage. In fact, studies show that the state would save $8 billion in the first year under this single-payer plan.
“California is being overrun by out-of-control health care costs, which have a significant impact on families, businesses and the state budget,” said Senator Leno, D-San Francisco. “Health care premiums in the last few years have grown five times faster than our economy. Consequently, fewer employers are providing health benefits to their employees, and those workers who are fortunate enough to receive coverage are paying higher premiums for diminishing services. By guaranteeing universal access for all Californians, our single-payer plan will reduce the health care burdens that are hurting families and our state’s economy.”
SB 810 creates a private-public partnership to provide every California resident medical, dental, vision, hospitalization and prescription drug benefits and allows patients to choose their own doctors and hospitals. This single payer, “Medicare for All,” type of program works by pooling together the money that government, employers and individuals already spend on health care and putting it to better use by cutting out the for-profit middle man.
"SB 810 is the only proposed solution to the continuing patient care crisis that guarantees healthcare for all Californians and controls costs while eliminating the denials of care and restrictions of provider choice imposed by private insurance companies,” said DeAnn McEwen, a registered nurse at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center and co-president of the California Nurses Association. CNA is one of the co-sponsors of SB 810.
"Health is a right, not a privilege,” said Maria Lemus, executive director of Vision y Compromiso, a co-sponsor of SB 810. “All Californians, without exception, need access to quality medical services. Senator Leno's single-payer proposal would provide California residents access to health services with an opportunity to prevent illness, the right to choose their doctor and control inflation without increasing health care costs in California." SB 810 is sponsored and supported by a broad coalition of patients, nurses, doctors, teachers and school employees, small businesses, faith community members, retirees, local governments and school districts. These groups represent more than 2 million Californians. The bill is co-sponsored by the California Nurses Association, Health Care for All California, California One Care, California School Employees Association, Physicians for a National Health Program-California, Single Payer Now, Campaign for a Healthy California, California Federation of Teachers, California Alliance of Retired Americans, Amnesty International, League of Women Voters, California Council of Churches, Progressive Democrats of America, California Consumer Federation, National Organization for Women-California, Vision y Compromiso, Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club, Dolores Huerta Foundation, California Health Professional Student Alliance and Courage Campaign. Senator Noreen Evans: "The State is Selling Our Parks to the Highest Bidder" The State has begun the process to privatize our parks! The State Public Works Board and the California Department of Parks and Recreation want to solicit proposals from private organizations, including for–profits, to operate concessions (campgrounds, food services, etc.) at many of the state parks slated for closure. The proposal would allow for–profit and private organizations to operate concessions at eleven state parks–six in our district (Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, Russian Gulch State Park, Hendy Woods State Park, Westport Union Landing State Park, Austin Creek State Recreation Area and Standish–Hickey State Park) –with very low returns to the state. These agreements would undercut current negotiations with local non–profits to sign agreements to operate many of these parks – agreements that depend on the revenues that concessions would bring. Not only does this proposal undermine local efforts to keep parks open, it’s questionable if low rents paid to the state will be sufficient to economically sustain our parks. I see these concession agreements as a major step toward privatization of our state parks. There are two things you can do to stop this ill–conceived proposal:
Noreen Evans Robert Redford: "President Obama Stands Up to Big Oil" Reader Supported News 18 January 12 Let's face it: Big Oil is used to getting its way. But not today... and we have President Obama to thank for standing up to them in spite of the political risk. President Obama has just rejected a permit for the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline - a project that promised riches for the oil giants and an environmental disaster for the rest of us. His decision represents a victory of historic proportions for people from throughout the pipeline path and all across America who have waged an uphill, years-long fight against one of the most nightmarish fossil fuel projects of our time. But make no mistake: Big Oil is going to fight back hard and fast. Why? Because this was a prime-time fight. The oil giants made sure of that. Big Oil had their Congressional boosters put the president to an election-year test by forcing him to decide the pipeline's fate within 60 days. Then, the oil lobby itself rolled out its biggest PR guns to get the job done. The head of the American Petroleum Institute sent the White House a very public and blatant warning: Approve the Keystone XL or face "huge political consequences." Because Big Oil lost, this is not the end of the fight. This is the beginning of the real battle for America's energy future. That battle will be fought in Congress, where Representatives who've collected $12 million from the Oil & Gas industry over the past two years are sure to try to raise Keystone XL from the dead. So when you hear Big Oil call Keystone XL a national jobs plan - ask "Are you kidding me?" A single pipeline project is not a jobs plan. Economic security is to be found in clean energy not in dirty energy that threatens us with oil spills and ever worsening harm from climate change. And when you hear Big Oil say that we need Keystone XL for our security - tell them to get real. Energy security comes from reducing our dependence on oil, not from a pipeline that would leave us with the risk but send the tar sands oil overseas. The president stood up to Big Oil and listened to Americans saying: "We're done with fossil fuel schemes that destroy our land, poison our water and wreak havoc with our climate so that oil companies can make out like bandits." Now we need to continue to stand with the president and make it clear that tar sands pipelines are not in our national interest. http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/9507-president-obama-stands-up-to-big-oil __._,_.___ "California on the mend" I just delivered my 2012 State of the State address. California is on the mend and we have a lot of work ahead of us. Best, Jerry Brown Back-up Bernie Sanders Elections used to be funded by real people, not corporations. Citizens United changed all that and opened the floodgates to big corporate money. Now, we have the chance to get corporate money out of politics again -- Sen. Bernie Sanders has introduced a constitutional amendment to overturn the Citizens United Supreme Court decision and redefine so-called "corporate personhood." This isn't going to be a quick or easy fight. Big corporations and Wall Street want to keep Citizens United on the books and they're going to do everything they can to stop us. We need to build a grassroots campaign to win. People power is the only thing that can beat big corporate money -- it's the only thing that ever has. Back-up Bernie Sanders right now -- Join the campaign to overturn Citizens United. Bernie's not alone in this fight. Rep. Ted Deutch has already introduced the same amendment to the House. They're both being backed up by over 60,000 DFA members across the country who've joined this campaign in just the past few days. This campaign is off to a tremendous start, but we need to build a massive grassroots campaign to win and to make clear once and for all that corporations are not people. Can you help get to 100,000 supporters in just one week? Join the campaign to back-up Bernie right now. There are a lot of big issues facing the country right now. Getting corporate money out of politics and getting our government working for all Americans again is the greatest thing we can do to address those issues. Thank you for everything you do. -Jim Jim Dean, Chair Democracy for America Do some community service A great American once said, "Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love." That American was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the visionary leader America will pause to honor this Monday. If you get the day off for Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, don't waste it. Please get out and serve in your community. Hundreds of thousands of your fellow Californians will be getting out this Monday to help clean up a beach, paint a daycare center, or serve lunch to the homeless. That's because here in California, we look after each other. In fact, thousands of Californians in every part of our state step up to "be great" every day by tutoring a student, bringing groceries to the elderly, or taking advantage of any number of other worthwhile service opportunities. After you serve this Monday, I hope you'll remember to extend the spirit of service throughout the rest of your year. Thank you for being a California Democrat, Peace and friendship, John Burton CD2 candidate websites and contacts info@susanadamsforcongress.com
drcourtney@courtneyforcongress.org
www.tiffanyreneforcongress.com info@tiffanyreneeforcongress.com Statement of California Democratic Party Chairman John Burton on Release of Department of Justice Opinion on President Obama’s Recess Appointment of Richard Cordray to Head Consumer Financial Protec Today the Department of Justice confirmed that President Obama was well within his right to appoint Richard Cordray as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau while the U.S. Senate was in recess. "Thank You For a Great First Year" Happy New Year! It is amazing to think that an entire year has gone by since I took the oath of office as California's 27th State Superintendent of Public Instruction at Mt. Diablo High School in Concord. I want to thank you again for your support and help. Without you, I know this opportunity would not have been possible. I am enjoying my work every day! Since taking office I have focused on building teams to tackle the unprecedented challenges facing our schools and our students, parents, teachers, employees, and administrators during this ongoing school fiscal emergency. As I have traveled the state and visited more than 40 schools, I have seen California's "education team" fighting to overcome the billions and billions in funding cuts. I have seen amazing points of brilliance. I have also seen overcrowded classrooms and the impact of a shortened school year. I have seen top notch teaching and fully engaged students--and how older classrooms are making it harder and harder to offer so many of our state's children the education and support they deserve. As a teacher and coach, I knew we could not let the fiscal emergency paralyze us. Now is the time to plan for a better future and lay the foundation to return our schools to the top ranks in the nation. I knew that understanding and addressing the challenges facing our schools would take a team effort. So that is why I brought 59 education leaders together in a Transition Advisory Team--including teachers, parents, school employees, and business and community leaders--to candidly assess where we are, set ambitious goals about where we want to be, and describe in some detail a shared vision for how to get there. Their report, A Blueprint for Great Schools, offers a vision for how a smarter, stronger California can emerge. Throughout its eight policy reports, three strong themes emerged: highlighting 21st Century learning skills, embracing programs to meet the needs of the whole child, and focusing on educator quality to ensure every child has a great teacher. I hope you have had a chance to read the Blueprint for Great Schools. If not, please send me an email (tom@tomtorlakson.com) so I can send you a pdf copy. There is always room another great idea. I hope you will share yours with me. We have also completed a top-to-bottom and bottom-to-top review of the California Department of Education, including a new focus on service, innovation, collaboration, and learning. We have realigned the CDE around these themes and created new integrated action teams to further our staff's collaboration across branches and divisions. Building on the work in the Blueprint for Great Schools, I convened a group of 99 leaders to look at what must be done to modernize our schools to ensure they are ready to offer our students a 21st Century level of instruction. Nearly 71 percent of our classrooms are more than 25 years old. We need to create facilities to meet modern needs for technology and group and project-based learning. This team's efforts led to the Schools of the Future report. I asked this team to closely examine how our schools are constructed. I asked them to tell me what we must do to prepare the next bond measure to meet the needs of 21st Century students. I also declared that our goal should be to make every school "energy independent" so schools could save billions by being energy efficient and by generating their own energy through solar and wind. This will yield us more funds for our classrooms during this fiscal emergency and into the future. The Schools of the Future effort can help us all win in four major ways: it will create jobs and put Californians back to work, save money currently spent on utilities for the classroom, protect the environment, and create thousands of teachable moments for students who can take an active role in these projects. Again, I hope you have had a chance to review the Schools of the Future report. Please email me if you would like me to email you. This year we also launched Team California for Healthy Kids to promote healthy eating and physical activity during the day, every day, in our schools and educational programs. We are focusing on making healthy choices the easy choices and fighting the twin epidemics of diabetes and obesity. This is an important effort because I know from my teaching and coaching experience (and recent research confirms) that healthy children miss fewer days in school, are more successful and attentive, more likely to graduate for high school and college. We will be bringing leaders and everyday heroes in our community together to spread the word about the importance of better nutrition, access to clean water, and physical activity throughout the day. I hope you will join me in supporting this important effort! You can see more about this initiative at www.teamcaliforniaforhealthykids.org. From this foundation we are getting ready to launch more initiatives designed to help our students succeed in life and in our competitive global economy. These ideas include a partnership to restore visual and performing arts education, a statewide literacy campaign, an education technology task force, and initiatives around parental engagement, educator quality, and investing in our schools and our children. With these plans and implementing actions I see ahead a stronger economy and stronger democracy. None of this would have been possible without your help and support. I am deeply honored to have this opportunity. I hope you will continue to share your thoughts with me as we move forward into what I am sure will be a successful 2012! Sincerely, Tom Torlakson "Deeper defense cuts would result in better choices" I wanted to make sure you saw this excellent column on defense spending cuts by Professor John Arquilla at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/01/08/INSA1ML08B.DTL
John Burton Betty T. Yee looks back on 2011: a year of struggle and progress The approach of every New Year is a time for reflection. On this New Year’s Eve of 2012, we open our arms to welcome home and support our troops whose dedicated service to our United States helped to bring an end to the war in Iraq. Let us also remember the families struggling to get by as we celebrate the progress made in 2011 on the path to securing human rights and full equality for all. Read the rest ... "Thomas Elias: Crybaby GOP can't face its real problems" Thomas Elias at the Appeal Democrat deconstructs the behind-the-scenes action surrounding California's redistricting, real life cause and effect, and the inevitable results. Investigative reporting by ProPublica has riled California Republicans into demanding an investigation, but the Commissioners stand by their results. Read the full article for maximum enjoyment. "It's now all but official: The crybaby-of-the-year award for 2011 has to go to the California Republican Party for its sustained gripes about redistricting." [] "But the real reason the Republican outcry following the ProPublica report amounts to little more than loud whining is the numbers: While the largest growth among voters over the last few years came in the "decline-to-state" category, the biggest drops have afflicted the GOP. "The latest voter registration numbers put Republican registration barely over 30 percent of all registered voters. Democrats have about 42 percent more registrants. So why would the GOP figure it could hold onto all the congressional and legislative seats it was handed in the gerrymander deal of 2001, the last time California's district lines changed? [] You did it! I wanted to share some good news with you. Today, President Obama signed into law a two month extension of the payroll tax holiday. Our voices were heard and 160 million working Americans will be spared a $1,000 tax hike on their already tight budgets. You made this happen. Nearly 300,000 of you fought right alongside with us. On behalf of my Democratic colleagues, thank you for standing up for the middle class. I wish each and every one of you a safe, happy and healthy holiday season. Rep. Steve Israel DCCC Chairman Megavote, December 23, 2011 In this MegaVote for California's 1st Congressional District: Recent Congressional Votes
Editor's Note: The First Session of the 112th Congress has come to a close. The House is scheduled to convene the Second Session on Tuesday, January 17, 2012. The Senate is scheduled to convene on Monday, January 23, 2012. Read the rest ... President Obama saved over 1.4 million American jobs by extending loans to the auto industry Tonight, Mitt Romney said he’d like to ask President Obama,“How did you do running General Motors?” We’ve got the answer - by making the tough and politically unpopular decision to extend emergency rescue loans to the American auto industry, President Obama saved 1.4 million jobs at GM, Chrysler, and throughout the domestic automotive supply chain, preventing an economic catastrophe for communities across the country. Michigan, where more than one in every five workers’ jobs are supported by the auto industry, would have been at the center of that collapse. In exchange for government loans, GM and Chrysler were required to cut labor costs and overhaul their business models, guaranteeing their accountability to taxpayers. Today, GM and Chrysler have repaid the loans they received from the Obama administration, become profitable and rehired thousands of workers. Yet Romney opposed the very loans the President extended to the auto industry – loans that industry experts say saved the auto companies from liquidation - and instead proposed “letting Detroit go bankrupt” in an op-ed in the New York Times. THE RESCUE LOANS FOR THE AUTO INDUSTRY PREVENTED ECONOMIC DISASTER ACROSS THE NATION AND IN MICHIGAN
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Contact Info: Democratic Party of Del Norte County P.O. Box 15 Crescent City, CA. 95531 (707) 464-3120 Central Committee Meetings: 5:30 p.m., 2nd Monday of each month, 301 W Washington Blvd Crescent City, CA. 95531 Executive Board Meetings: To be announced
Central Committee Members
Chair Debra Broner Vice-Chair Rick Toreson Treasurer Linda Sanford Secretary Deborah Lucas Alternates Ex-Officio Members Unites States Congress Mike Thompson Jerry Cochran California Assembly Wesley Chesbro Martha McClure California Senate Lathe Gill Representatives District One Joseph Aliotti Kathryn Murray Barry Wendell District Two Jon Alexander James Ramsey Richard Enea James Gordon District Three Debra Broner Deborah Lucas Bob Black Linda Ehrisman Linda Sanford Vacant District Four Sarah Sampels Vacant Vacant Vacant Vacant District Five Ricky Toreson Melissa Darnell Jennifer England Felice Pace Vacant | ||||||
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