Apr 04

50th anniversary of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr’s last speech

Mar 25

A Few SB March for Our Lives 3-24-2018 Photos

It was an impressive sized crowd at De la Guerra Plaza and a great trail of vocal citizens of all ages marching in the middle of State St.     -C Clouse

The speakers were FANTASTIC and the turn out was terrific. Let’s hope the Republicans hear our voices and change the laws. – M Shapiro

All photos by C Crouse and M Shapiro

And a video from the Washington, DC march.

Mar 22

Help stop gun violence, March 24 at 11 am

Help stop gun violence.

March for our lives.

Saturday at 11:00 in De La Guerra Plaza.

 

Here is a link to 89 posters and ideas 

Other ideas for posters:

DON’T FIRE GUNS
FIRE THE NRA

We deplore the NRA, and we vote

Human rights > gun rights
NRA = Terrorists

Protect Kids Not Guns

To Stop a Bad Man with a Gun
Elect Democrats
2018!

Good guys with guns don’t object to gun regulations because they accept responsibility for their hobby

Mar 20

Items of Interest to the Democratic Community

SB County Boards and Commissions 
County Supervisor Joan Hartmann seeks Third District residents to serve on the following County boards and commissions:
  • Behavioral Wellness Commission (two openings)
  • Board of Architecture Review Central County (alternate position)
  • Housing Authority Board of Commissioners
  • Human Services Commission
  • Civil Service Commission
  • Veteran’s Services Advisory Committee
To apply online or learn more about boards and commissions, go to:  https://www.countyofsb.org/ceo/cob/boards.sbc  Application forms are also available at the Office of the Clerk of the Board at 105 E. Anapamu St., Room 407 on the 4th floor in Santa Barbara. For questions or assistance with submitting an application, please contact Gina Fischer at 805-568-2192 / gfischer@countyofsb.org.

Mar 20

Phone and Walk for Candidates

March Volunteer Schedule
With the Primary election campaigns now in full-swing, Democratic candidates Salud Carbajal, Monique Limón, and Gregg Hart need your help in reaching voters. Here is the schedule of opportunities in March to assist when you are able:
Neighborhood Walks: Every Sat. at 10 a.m & Sun. at 1 p.m.
Phone Banks: Every Sun. thru Thurs. 5 – 8 p.m
To sign up, please email ethanjbertrand@gmail.com or call Ethan at 805-881-3853.

Mar 06

State, County & City Endorsements

The Fortunate Few Statewide

Though most statewide offices went without endorsement at the recent Democratic party convention in San Diego, a few candidates did achieve the 60% threshold: Secretary of State Alex Padilla who is running for re-election, State Senator Ricardo Lara for Insurance Commissioner, Board of Equalization member Betty Yee for State Controller, Fiona Ma for State Treasurer, and Tony Thurmond for Superintendent of Public Instruction.

 

Santa Barbara County

Gregg Hart

Recently re-elected city council member Gregg Hart has won the county party’s endorsement in his bid to be 2nd District Supervisor. Hart has previously served on the California Coastal Commission, SB Planning Commission, and three previous terms on the City Council, starting in 1995 and again in 2013, and currently represents District 6 on the council.

What had appeared to be a two-person, two-Democrat race changed radically this week when Hart’s opponent, Goleta School Board member Susan Epstein, decided to drop out of the race for personal reasons. March 14 is the filing deadline.

Betsy Schaffer has earned endorsement for the office of Santa Barbara County Auditor/Controller. A Certified Public Accountant since 1995, Schaffer’s résumé features 15 years direct experience with the Auditor-Controller’s office, and she is currently the Assistant Auditor-Controller.

 

City of Santa Barbara Special Election

Oscar Guttierrez

For the special election to fill the District 3 Santa Barbara City Council seat left vacant by Mayor Cathy Murillo, county Democrats have endorsed Oscar Gutierrez. A product of the Westside schools and community that he seeks to represent, Gutierrez studied broadcast journalism at SBCC and graduated from UCSB in Film and Media Studies. Since 2001 he has worked for LifeChronicles, a local non-profit, and volunteered locally as a broadcaster and Spanish language translator. The special election will coincide with the June 5 Primary.

 

Other Endorsements

Also endorsed at the March 1 DCC meeting were Ethan Bertrand for a second term on the Isla Vista Community Services District (he is currently president of that board) and Luz Reyes-Martin for a second term on the Goleta School Board. In 2017, Reyes-Martin was elected to represent Santa Barbara County on the California Schools Board Association.

 

Resolutions Approved This Year

The DCC so far this year has passed resolutions in favor of the following:
HR 3671 (Off Fossil Fuels for a Better Future Act) to move the United States toward 100% renewable energy sources.
California Fair Pricing for Dialysis Act, which is in process of qualifying for the Nov. 2018 ballot, to establish pricing and other regulation of kidney dialysis clinics in the state.
“March For Our Lives” to be held March 24, 2018, urging the President and Congress to take action on gun legislation.
County Measure T2019 (Cannabis Operations General Tax)– imposing a tax on cannabis operators within unincorporated areas of the County upon gross receipts with rates of 1% on nurseries and distributors, 3% on manufacturers, 4% on cultivators, and 6% on retailers.

Mar 06

March Newsletter is ‘Let the Games Begin!’

on the comments/editorials page.

Feb 28

News and Photos from the State Convention in San Diego

Here is the report from C. Clouse –

The main event was the battle for the party endorsements, which require a 60% level of support among the delegates. Given open seats and the context of issues like single-payer health care, there were few endorsed candidates to emerge—not even for the U.S. Senate seat held for four terms by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who is being challenged by State Sen. Kevin De León.

 

In fact, that was the major national story to emerge here: the younger, more progressive De León achieved a remarkable 54% level of support compared to Feinstein’s 37%. (It should be noted that the party’s grassroots activists who attended this convention stand a good deal to the left of the average California voter, even those who regularly support Democratic candidates.)

 

And none of the four Democrats running to replace Gov. Jerry Brown in November were able to achieve the 60% threshold either. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom did best, followed by Treasurer John Chiang, former CA Schools Superintendent Delaine Eastin, and former LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (in that order).

 

The race for CA Attorney General is also particularly heated. Xavier Becerra, appointed by Gov. Brown to finish the term of now Sen. Kamala Harris, faces heavy opposition from termed-out Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones. Neither came away from the convention with a party endorsement and are likely to join the ranks of several Dem-on-Dem races after the June 5 top-two Primary.

 

An equally significant story emerged at the congressional level in the state where the national party hopes to model the process of “flipping” the House as a whole. Even with several entrenched Orange County Republicans deciding not to run this year, Democrats have been unable to agree on the best choice to do battle for those seats.

 

Click Here for a summary of convention voting for statewide races.

 

All photos and reporting by C. Clouse

 

(scroll over photos for captions)

Feb 21

In honor of the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School

“March For Our Lives” on March 24th

Commonsense gun regulation

Common sense gun safety measures

 

 Feb 19

More Students lie down in front of the White House asking for gun reform. Two 16 year old girls organized this group in a matter of days. Social media helped spread the word.

Sweet Honey and the Rock – Ella’s Song

Jan 31

It may seem early, but it’s time to get back in gear 

We elect our members of Congress and the CA Assembly every two years.

It may seem early, but it’s time for them to get back into gear.

 

Let’s Get Things Started!