Upcoming Meetings

By Ann Nye – Save the Dates for our upcoming monthly meeting.

Join us for our virtual November 12 club meeting. We are meeting a week earlier since the CA Democratic Convention is scheduled the third week of November. We are also only meeting via Zoom since we were unable to reserve the Peninsula Library’s Community room. Our meeting starts at 2:30 pm but join us at 2 pm to chat with other Democrats.

The theme for our November 12 meeting is How PV Can Help with the Housing Crisis by Keeping PV, PV

Our featured speaker is Jonathan Zasloff, professor of law at the UCLA School of Law and co-author with Richard Sander and Yana Kucheva of Moving Toward Integration: The Past and Future of Fair Housing. Professor Zasloff teaches Property, Land Use, Environmental Law, Housing Discrimination Law, and Jewish Law. He has practiced at one of Los Angeles’ leading public interest environmental and land use firms, challenging poorly planned development and working to expand the network of the city’s urban park system, and served on the Board of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. Two years ago in November, Professor Zasloff spoke to us on solving the housing crisis in CA after SB 9 and SB 10 had been signed by Governor Newsom. SB 9 allowed the creation of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) if they met certain local requirements and SB 10 allowed local cities to zone for developments of up to 10 residential units if located near transit hubs. Both bills pitted housing activists against anti-development activists. Interestingly, ADUs are now being embraced by local cities to meet their required housing element plan to the state; a plan required by California Department of Housing and Community Development since 1969 to meet the housing needs of everyone in the community.

There will be no meeting in December. We look forward to seeing you next year at our Sunday, January 21, 2024 meeting!

October Meeting Report – Legislative Action to Address the Climate Crisis

By Nancie Silver —

The October 15 meeting featured Jeff Cohlberg, a volunteer for the Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL). CCL, a non-partisan organization with 600 chapters in the country, lobbies all members of Congress, and builds support for its agenda in local communities. The policy agenda for CCL focuses on Carbon Pricing, Clean Energy Permitting Reform, Healthy Forests, and Building Electrification and Efficiency.

Jeff said the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which he noted is a big step forward in the fight against climate change, is forecast to bring about a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. This will be achieved by offering clean energy tax credits, a methane pollution fee, tax incentives for purchase of electric vehicles, incentives and credits for building electrification and efficiency, direct support of projects involving forests and agriculture, and direct support of clean technology innovation and domestic manufacturing. He said the IRA will transform the US economy in many ways.

CCL supports Carbon Pricing, advocating for a carbon tax and cashback dividend with a carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) to lower emissions and deliver clean energy. The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (EICDA) was just reintroduced in Congress; polluters pay, and people get a carbon cashback. Watch the video of the meeting to learn the specifics of this program. There are other carbon pricing approaches besides the EICDA such as the Save our Future Act (SOFA) as well as bills focused on carbon border adjustments.

Please read the full report and check out more images and the video here.

From the Activism Chair

By Carol Moeller —

November Elections 2023:

KENTUCKY: This is a totally red state with a Democratic Governor. Help re-elect ANDY BESHEAR the incumbent Democratic Governor.

Phone Banks: https://www.mobilize.us/call4change/event/568463/

VIRGINIA HOUSE OF DELEGATES: Help flip Virginia to Blue! In Virginia, Republicans control both the House of Delegates and the Governorship (Glenn Youngkin). Prevent a complete takeover by Republicans in VA so Democrats hold the VA Senate and flip the House of Delegates! Early voting has begun.

Phone Banks: https://www.mobilize.us/call4change/event/568463/

Text Banks: https://www.mobilize.us/call4change/event/568463/

2024 Elections:

CALIFORNIA: The road to winning the House back is through California. We need to flip Southern California’s House districts that voted for Biden and were narrowly won by Republicans in 2022. We’ll be reaching out to CA districts 13, 22 and 27.

Phone Banks: NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY! You’ll need either a laptop, desktop or tablet as well as a phone (Your phone number is not shown and your plan is not billed).
https://www.mobilize.us/call4change/event/568463/

Postcarding: Flip Southern California’s House districts that voted for Biden and were narrowly won by Republicans in 2022. https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/568632/

Thank you for all you do!

CADEM Activities This Month

By Connie Sullivan —

This month CADEM is busy with the pre-endorsing process in advance of the Endorsing Convention on November 17 – 19 in Sacramento. So, for Assembly Districts, State Senate Districts and Congressional Districts where the incumbent has termed out or resigned/retired, state delegates and club representatives will vote on the candidates who have filed with CADEM. Only delegates and club representatives who live in the candidates’ district may vote.

In order to win a potential endorsement through this process, a candidate must win 70% of the votes of those who actually vote. Abstentions are not counted in the percent calculation. If a candidate wins 70% of the vote at a pre-endorsing conference, his/her name will appear on the consent calendar at the Convention. If no one wins 70%, but someone gets at least 50%, then there will be a caucus held on Saturday at the Convention. It’s necessary to win 60% of the votes at the caucus to be placed on the consent calendar.

The endorsement for the U. S. Senate will be voted on at convention. Every delegate will be able to vote in this endorsement process. If a candidate garners 60%, their name will appear on the consent calendar to be ratified by the body on Sunday at convention.

LACDP Report

By Jon Munoz —

The October LACDP meeting was the first in-person meeting since the start of the pandemic. The LACDP voted to endorse Horacio Ortiz for the Downey City Council/District 1 race. He was the only Democrat running and received an overwhelming 4-1 vote. State Senator Henry Stern, whose district includes Malibu and Calabasas, spoke about the Hamas attacks and the rise of antisemitism. An update was given on a few labor issues, including Unite Here’s picketing of eight LAX hotels due to health care coverage issues. Among the three resolutions that were passed was a resolution calling out hate mongering aimed at Glendale public schools and school board.

Climate and Mono Lake

By Fraser Perkins —

The Climate Crisis will likely lower Mono Lake levels for three reasons: less runoff from the watershed and streams, higher evaporative losses, and less precipitation falling directly on the lake.

A lower lake level will have three major consequences.

Mineral concentrations in the lake will increase, threatening the brine shrimp population, the major food source for tens of thousands of migrating birds.

More lakebed will be exposed, leading to severe air pollution.

Lake islands will become peninsulas, threatening the California Gull breeding grounds. Coyotes cross easily to the nesting sites when the islands become peninsulas connected to the shoreline.

To see the complete editorial, please click here.

Color Me A Democrat: P – O – $$$ – DB – T – R = the Killer Comet

By Fraser Perkins —

Former President Trump himself is a major campaign issue for many reasons, not the least of which is a potential conflict of interest between the duties of any president and Trump’s convoluted business affairs.

Disclaimer
I do not say that former president Trump colluded with Putin to derail the 2020 Election. I do say that Putin and Trump connect through a tangled web of money, power, and influence that collectively undermines our democracy. Let’s look at the chain P – O – $$$ – DB – T – R, aka the Killer Comet, as illustrated in the graphic.