Betty Yee, a highly respected public servant with decades of leadership in California government, will be joining us via Zoom. She is an announced candidate for Governor of the State of California and is widely recognized for her tenure as California State Controller and as a Member of the California State Board of Equalization, where she built a reputation for integrity, fiscal responsibility, and principled governance.

Yee will address the extraordinary challenges—and opportunities—facing California today: governing the most diverse and complex state in the nation, home to the fifth-largest economy in the world, while protecting its people, values, and environment. She will also confront the damage done by the aggressive and chaotic misleadership of Donald Trump, including attacks on sanctuary jurisdictions, unconstitutional ICE practices, threats to birthright citizenship, misuse of the National Guard, mass deportations, and systematic efforts to dismantle California’s landmark clean air, water quality, renewable energy, and public health protections.

Following Betty, the Palos Verdes Democrats are proud to welcome in-person a second extraordinary featured speaker—Terry Tamminen, ranked #1 by The Guardian on its global list of the “Top 50 People Who Can Save Planet Earth.”

Tamminen currently serves as President and CEO of AltaSea, a groundbreaking nonprofit “blue economy” hub based at the Port of Los Angeles. The blue economy represents the next frontier of sustainable economic development—focused on oceans, fisheries, coastal resources, and marine technology—complementing the green economy, which addresses land-based energy, transportation, agriculture, and forestry. Together, these approaches confront climate change not only through mitigation and adaptation, but by creating real, durable economic opportunity.

World-Renowned Political Scientist & Acclaimed Author Dr. Robert Pape spoke at the PV Democrats November 16, 2025 Meeting

The speaker, a seasoned expert in political violence and national security, warned that the United States is entering a dangerous era of “violent populism,” a condition marked by historically high levels of political assassinations and growing public support for political violence on both sides of the political spectrum. Recent surveys conducted by the University of Chicago show that nearly 30% of Republicans supported use of the U.S. military to suppress Democratic protesters, and a similar number of Democrats supported using force to remove Donald Trump from office. Those numbers are double the level of support seen just a year ago. This escalation, combined with aggressive deportation operations in major cities like Chicago and Los Angeles, is creating spirals of violence between protesters and federal agencies, fueling fear and instability.