PV Dems April 2023 Newsletter


 

April PV Dems Meeting – Newsletter Changes and Announcements

By Nancie Silver —

Newsletter Changes:

Beginning this month, we are instituting a few changes to our monthly newsletter.  Now that our meetings are recorded on Zoom, each member may view the two videos that capture the full meeting.  The monthly newsletter will have brief summaries of each topic mentioned at the meeting to reduce the number of links you need to click on.  We encourage members to visit our website (pvpdemocrats.org) to get details about Club Activism, Social Media pages, upcoming club meetings and other events, etc.  To view all videos of previous Zoom meetings, visit the PV Democrats YouTube channel where meeting videos back to 2020 are archived.  The channel url is https://www.youtube.com/@palosverdesdemocrats5375

Announcements:

  • PV Dems President Connie Sullivan highlighted the April 15 ‘More than Roe’ rally at Malaga Cove, National Women’s Political Caucus South Bay event featuring Rep. Adam Schiff, LACDP May 13, 2023 JFK Awards Event and Honorees, Proposed PV Dems Board of Directors Slate for 2023-2024 (Vote at May meeting)
  • Casey Crowe shared PV Dems presence on social media – Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Twitter
  • Caryl Schwartz discussed Activism opportunities
  • Ellen Gorbunoff and Connie Kohler with Indivisible/Swing Left South Bay LA (ISBLA) highlighted May 7 virtual meeting featuring Gen Z Superstar Victor Shi

… Visit the Post to read more and watch the video


April Meeting Report – YES in My Back Yard to Solve the Affordable Housing Crisis

By Nancie Silver —

The Palos Verdes Democrats met in person and on Zoom on Sunday, April 16.  Featured speakers CA State Senator, SD 24, Ben Allen and CA YIMBY Senior Director of Community Impact Konstantin Hatcher discussed the important and fraught issue of affordable housingSenator Allen addressed both the housing issue and his legislation, SB 54 – Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act.  Konstantin shared his experience with California YIMBY to address housing and equity concerns.

If you missed the April 16 meeting, I encourage you to watch the presentations by Senator Allen and Konstantin Hatcher, as well as the lively and sometimes heated audience Q & A section of the meeting.  The ongoing affordable housing crisis strikes at the very heart of our fundamental need for shelter as well as our need to protect our investments and preserve our communities.  I appreciate the willingness of both speakers to engage with the audience in a thoughtful and frank discussion about such an important issue.

For more information about some of the topics discussed at the April meeting, see the links below –

Senator Ben Allen:  https://sd24.senate.ca.gov/legislation (Housing – SCA 2, SB 1444; Plastics Pollution – SB 54)

California Yimby:  https://cayimby.org/sca-2/

… Visit the Post to read more and watch the video


From the Activism Chair

By Caryl Schwartz — With the democratic victory in Wisconsin’s State Supreme Court, PV Dems Activism will now focus on saving democracy by registering young voters in Orange County. For Democrats to regain control of Congress it’s critical we flip RED seats BLUE in 2024. In mid-summer we will focus on 2023 statewide elections in Virginia. Also, did you know you are subsidizing Fox News every month with your cable TV subscription? Fox News earns considerably more from your monthly cable subscriptions than from their advertisers. Please contact the corporate office of your cable provider to complain. Learn more about all of this by clicking the Activism Tab.


May Election of Officers

By Ann Nye — The nominating committee chair, Mehran Moshfeghi, along with Fraser Perkins and Carrie Hart met in March to recruit a slate of officers and standing committee chairs for the 2023-2024 year.

Below is the slate they recruited.  We’re still in need of a Membership officer.  If you would like to volunteer, email Carrie Hart at carriehart@msn.com.

The election of officers will take place at our next meeting on Sunday, May 21.  According to our club bylaws, ADDITIONAL NOMINATIONS may be submitted to the Nominating Committee by petition of five members.  At least seven days before the May meeting, the slate – including NOMINATIONS made by petition – will be sent out to the membership.  To vote for a Board member at the May 21 meeting, you need to have been a PV Dems member since Feb 1, 2023.  Voting may be done in-person or virtually via Zoom.

… Visit the Post to view the slate


LACDP April Meeting Report

By Jon Munoz — The LACDP meeting was held on Tuesday, April 18. The endorsement process for CADEM nominees took place, with the voting process commencing after the two-minute candidate speeches. Among the candidates winning LACDP endorsement was PV Dems President Connie Sullivan, for Regional Director 18. In other news the endorsement process for LA City Council District 6 seat, previously occupied by Nury Martinez, will take place at the May LACDP meeting. A resolution authored by AD 66 member Dency Nelson – Incentives for Rooftop Solar – won a vote for endorsement. Lastly, Universal Studios was chosen as the winning location for the May 13 JFK Awards.


Restoring Incentives for Rooftop Solar

By Connie Sullivan — After our March meeting about the impending reduction in the NEM3 net metering payment amounts utilities will be required to pay rooftop solar owners, our members expressed interest in passing a resolution on this issue.

We worked with the Chair of the LACDP Resolutions Committee and one of our members submitted a resolution that was passed by LACDP at their April meeting.  The resolution can be viewed here.


The Palos Verdes Democrats on Social Media

By Casey Crowe —

As you may know, the Palos Verdes Democrats have a Facebook page but we also recently opened accounts on Twitter, Instagram, and Reddit.  You can follow us for all the latest news and events related to the Palos Verdes Democrats.  We appreciate your “likes” and you can share our posts if you’d like to help spread the word.  Links to our social media accounts are listed below.  We also have our various accounts listed on the homepage of our website.  If you’re not already active on social media and would like help setting up an account or just becoming familiar with how the different platforms work, feel free to drop us an email at: pvpdems@pvpdemocrats.org.  We’d be happy to help!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pvpdemocrats
Twitter: twitter.com/PalosVerdesDems
Instagram: instagram.com/palosverdesdemocrats/
Reddit: www.reddit.com/user/palosverdesdemocrats/


Climate Corner April 2023 – Citizens Climate Lobby

By Fraser Perkins — This month we’ll look at the Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL), a major nonprofit which has become a central player in the struggle to pass climate legislation and raise awareness of climate issues.

Marshall Saunders began his volunteer life in 1994 as an advocate for poverty and hunger alleviation.  An early architect of microlending as a vehicle for lifting people out of grinding poverty, in 2006 he realized that any gains in reducing destitution could be wiped out by Climate Change.  His insight was crystalized after viewing Al Gore’s documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth.”  He felt a grass roots effort was needed to effect change.  His vision resonated and led to the formation of CCL; today CCL has close to 200,000 members scattered into 560 chapters.  Saunders believed that to effect change, individuals must be the agents of change – everyday citizens banding together to solve difficult but crucial challenges.  Sadly, Saunders died in 2019.

CCL advocates a carbon tax and dividend plan.  Carbon would be taxed, but all collected funds would be returned to households as a monthly dividend.
… Visit the Post to read more


Stuff You May Want to Know

By Ann Nye — Pregnancy is a medical condition – Judge Kacsmaryk’s  withdrawal of the FDA’s authorization of Mifepristone, one of two medication abortion drugs, used the religious talking point that “Pregnancy is not an illness” and the FDA cannot approve a drug to terminate pregnancy.  That’s like saying the FDA can’t approve a drug to treat a broken limb.  Both are a medical conditions that affect the structure or function of the human body, and the FDA has authority to approve drugs to treat them.  On Friday, 4/21/23, in a 7-2 ruling, the Supreme Court granted emergency requests from the Biden administration and Danco Labs, the maker of the drug, to stop the lower courts restrictions of  Mifepristone at least until the Fifth Circuit and Supreme Court consider Judge Kacsmaryk’s ruling on the merits.

Transgender students have a champion – Democratic Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi,
… Visit the Post to read more stuff

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