Upcoming Meeting
By Ann Nye —
Earth Day Special Edition: Fix Our Waste and Heal the World
From our trash cans to our tailpipes, from our stoves to our plastic soda bottles, from our power plants to what we plant, we have unwittingly become the most wasteful civilization in history, writes Edward Humes in his new book, Total Garbage: How We Can Fix Our Waste and Heal Our World. The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author will join us to discuss his surprisingly hopeful narrative about communities, campuses, businesses and game changers who are tackling waste and the environmental catastrophes it drives—finding greater health, wealth and quality of life even as they help save the planet.
Edward Humes will be joining us in-person at the Peninsula Center Library. Ed is a journalist and author of 17 books, including Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair With Trash, The Forever Witness, Eco Barons, and the PEN Award– winning No Matter How Loud I Shout: A Year in the Life of Juvenile Court.
He received the Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the military. Ed and his family, including two rescued racing greyhounds and their collie, live in Southern California. More at www.edwardhumes.com.
For more information, or to register for our meeting, please click here.
PV Democrats March 2024 Meeting Report
By Nancie Silver —
The Palos Verdes Democrats met in person at the Peninsula Center Library and on zoom on Sunday, March 17. The theme of the meeting was Zev’s Los Angeles and Where We Are Today, featuring guest speaker Zev Yaroslavsky, former Los Angeles City and County Official and Democratic Icon. His political career spanned four decades, and he played a central role in shaping Los Angeles in a variety of ways. Currently, he is Director of the Los Angeles Initiative at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and the Department of History, focusing on the intersection of policy, politics, and history of the Los Angeles region.
To read the full report from our meeting, see photos, and to watch the video, please click here.
May Election of Officers and Standing Committee Chairs
By Rob Wynne —
The most consequential election of our lifetimes happens Tuesday, November 5. It will be a battle between democracy and dictatorship, between freedom and fascism. If President Joe Biden is not reelected and the Democrats don't win the White House, it may be the last free election for a very long time. There are dozens more important elections for the Senate, House, governors, and other offices.
The Palos Verdes Democrats are one of many organizations in California and around the nation dedicated to informing voters and promoting candidates who want to preserve voting rights, reproductive rights, student loan forgiveness and fair tax codes where all Americans, even billionaires, pay their fair share.
One way for citizens in Palos Verdes to get more involved in this vital election is to volunteer as a board member for the Palos Verdes Democrats. There are three vacancies coming up for the new fiscal year starting in July – First Vice President, Second Vice President, and Newsletter Editor. Board members have a unique opportunity to meet local, state, and national politicians, newsmakers and other influential citizens who fight every day to protect democracy. Interested members of the Palos Verdes Democrats should contact Nominating Committee Member Rob Wynne at rob@wynnepr.com.
The election of officers will take place at the Sunday, May 19 meeting. According to the 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 19 meeting, you need to have been a PV Dems member since Feb 1, 2024. Voting may be done in- person or virtually via Zoom.
2024-25 Slate of Officers
| President | Robert Wynne |
| 1st Vice President | Vacant |
| 2nd Vice President | Vacant |
| Recording Secretary | Casey Crowe |
| Corresponding Secretary | Ann Stahl |
| Treasurer | Al Shadbourne |
| Parliamentarian | Carol Moeller |
| Membership | Larry Donahue |
| Newsletter Editor | Vacant |
| Webmaster | Reggie Jue |
| Publicity | Allison Phillips |
| Hospitality | Kathy Bradford |
| Activism | Caryl Schwartz |
| LACDP Associate Member | Jon Munoz |
From the Activism Chair
By Caryl Schwartz —
Our American Democracy is at stake! The results of the 2024 election depend upon our combined efforts to fight authoritarianism, racism, antisemitism, transphobia, and more. To fortify our Democracy from the threats of authoritarianism our grassroots activism requires a multi-pronged approach.
Let’s aim for a Democratic trifecta. Reelect Biden, expand the Democratic majority in the Senate, flip the House of Representatives. California Congressional races are a strategic part of the roadmap to control of the House. If we focus our efforts on toss-up seats we lost in California in 2020 – CA 13, CA 22, CA 27, CA 41, CA 47 – we stand a good chance of flipping the House. Adam Gray is running in District 13, Central Valley. he lost to Republican John Duarte by only 574 votes. Putting our efforts into that race makes flipping that seat very doable. As Democrats we need to get excited and engaged early in the Congressional, Senatorial and Presidential races.
California Democratic Party Report
By Connie Sullivan —
The California Democratic Party (CADEM) is entering a very active phase between now and the Democratic National Committee convention in August.
First up, there will be elections for delegates to the DNC convention on April 21. This election will be conducted exclusively electronically. You may remember in the past when we had to drive to a caucus to cast a ballot. Happily, that is no longer necessary.
We’ll be sending out information about how you can request a ballot. You’ll also probably hear from candidates who are running to be delegates.
In May, the CADEM Executive Board will elect the 19 California individuals who will serve on the Democratic National Committee for the next four years, beginning right after the August convention closes. The 20th member is always the CADEM chair, who currently is Rusty Hicks. US Representative Maxine Waters is a perennially elected member, and the only one from the South Bay.
Other business on the E-Board agenda will be the endorsement of candidates for partisan offices, where no endorsement was made at the state convention last November, or if an endorsed candidate lost in their March 5 primary bid.
LACDP March Report
By Jon Munoz —
The March LACDP meeting was held in person on Tuesday, March 12. The biggest news was the release of an Israel-Hamas cease fire announcement. It was noted that various groups within LACDP, such as Democrats for Israel and the Progressive wing of the party, reached consensus on this historic announcement.
A few Palos Verdes Democrats members – Paul Seo, Jane Affonso, and Sam Liu – were elected to the LACDP. The PV democratic club was also called out as one of the LA County Democratic Clubs to be rechartered.
An update was given on the March 5 election. Voter turnout in LA County was 24% of eligible voters. Of those voters, 25% were registered Republican while 56.9% were registered Democrats. Seventy seven percent of LACDP endorsed candidates won their races. Additionally, 77% of the votes were mailed in. Later, a special mention was made of a voter-approved ballot measure in Long Beach mandating higher wages for hotel workers.
The location for the JFK Awards, set for May 11, has been confirmed at East Gallagher Garden at SoFi Stadium. Community College Trustee Nichelle Henderson discussed Assembly Bill 1096 which would allow community colleges to teach courses in foreign languages. She also discussed workforce programs like the Build LAX program which provides training for construction jobs, among others.
Josh Fryday, California’s Chief Service Officer, discussed the College Corps Program and urged members to get the word out on their college aid programs and paid positions. (https://www.californiavolunteers.ca.gov/californiansforall-college-corps/)
April 2024 Color Me A Democrat
By Fraser Perkins —
Color Me A Democrat: Of Courage, Cowardice and the Misdirected
Courage
Military leaders, to be effective, gain skills such as situational awareness that encompass competency beyond combat ability, technological know-how, and leadership. The higher an officer rises, the more important “soft” skills become, especially in the political arena. Officeholders come and go, and Democrats and Republicans swap political leadership, but continuity within the military remains strong at least in part due to armed service leaders maintaining cordial, close, and effective relationships with members of both parties. When asked, military leaders only reluctantly criticize one party over another, at least publicly. They recognize the primacy of civilian control over the armed services, and the dependence of the military on both bipartisan support and the widespread support of the American people.
Donald Trump appointed two generals to crucial positions within his administration. John Kelly, a marine four-star general, became President Trump’s Chief of Staff in 2017 and concomitantly James Mattis, another marine general, served as Trump’s first Secretary of Defense. What happened after each left the service of the Trump Administration was jaw dropping – despite carefully honed political skills, both senior military officers launched blistering assessments of President Donald Trump, the Commander-in-Chief they directly served.
Here is Former Secretary Mattis on Trump, “Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people – does not even pretend to try.”
And John Kelly maintained Trump had “contempt for our Constitution and the rule of law.”
To read the full article, please click here.
Leave a Reply