Upcoming Meeting
—by Tim Dixon
Join us for our hybrid (In-person and Zoom) October 20, 2024, club meeting, which will be held at the Peninsula Center Library, 701 Silver Spur Road, Rolling Hills Estates. Our meeting starts at 2:30 pm but join us at 2 pm to chat with other Democrats.
Fearless journalist and author Brian Karem, a columnist for Salon magazine, will be our guest via Zoom for the October 20 monthly meeting. Brian is the former senior White House correspondent for Playboy. He has covered every presidential administration since Ronald Reagan, sued Donald Trump three times successfully to keep his press pass, spent time in jail to protect a confidential source, covered wars in the Middle East and is the author of seven books.
Our live speakers for October 20 feature two Democrats running for PVPUSD School Board, Eric Alegria and Ami Gandhi.
For more information, or to register for this event, please click here.
President’s Message
The 2024 election serves as a referendum on the future. Do we go forward and embrace the future with Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris? Or do we go backwards and look towards the non-existent, magical, prosperous past (where women and minorities "knew their place") with the Republican nominee Donald Trump?
—by Rob Wynne
The same dynamic -- the past versus the future -- will play out right here in Palos Verdes. For our local elections, nothing may be more important than voting Yes on SOS. The Save Our Schools amendment will create a bond measure to fix the crumbling infrastructure of all the schools in our district. It's almost impossible to imagine how badly the classrooms, locker rooms and auditoriums in our schools have deteriorated.
Parents with children in school today know all about this, and most of them will do the right thing and support SOS. I hope the older, retired, and more conservative members of our community will resist the temptation to cut corners and save money in the short term. Quality schools and better facilities improve the safety and quality of education for our students. Better schools increase the value of our homes. SOS is a win-win for all citizens in Palos Verdes in the short and long term.
September 2024 Club Meeting Report
—by Tim Dixon
Palos Verdes Democrats’ Past President Connie Sullivan and Second Vice President Tim Dixon, who were delegates to the Democratic National Convention, reported to the members present on the business and activities that they experienced while attending the convention in Chicago in August. Both of our delegates reflected on all the enthusiasm and excitement in Chicago!
Nancy Mahr and Ann Nye, speakers from the League of Women Voters, provided an in-depth analysis of the ballot propositions on the upcoming November ballot. Although the ballot propositions contain complex language, the presentation provided our members with a detailed analysis of the key issues and impact of each proposition and explained which groups and organizations are supporting or opposing the propositions.
To see photos or to watch the video click here.
On Sunday. September 15, 2024, the Palos Verdes Democrats held their monthly meeting at the Peninsula Center Library and via zoom. The attendance at the meeting was outstanding with over 50 democrats in attendance and more than 80 people including members attending via zoom.
Activism for October: 34-day Countdown from October 1 st
—by Caryl Schwartz
To quote Michelle Obama “Do something!”
The 2024 general election is about more than the individual candidates, it is about the future direction of American democracy.
A trifecta is the goal! We need to win the Presidency and majorities in both the House and Senate. I am optimistic that we will flip the house, not by 5 seats but closer to 25 seats. I am a strong believer that a million people doing a million small actions will change the trajectory of the MAGA movement.
To read more about how you can help, and to fill out our Volunteer Interest Form, please click here.
Notes from the LACDP September 2024 Meeting
—by Jon Munoz
The LACDP meeting was held on Tuesday September 10th. The entire meeting was taken up with LACDP members voting on endorsement committee recommendations for this November’s election. The meeting, held on ZOOM, lasted over 6 hours as votes were taken on over 110 candidates and ballot measures. Of all the AD 66 candidates, LACDP members voted to approve all the recommendations. Therefore, the following AD 66 candidates are officially endorsed by the LACDP :
Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District: Ami Gandhi + Eric Alegria
Rancho Palos Verdes City Council: George Lewis
Palos Verdes Library District Member Board of Trustees: Zoe Unno + Holly Vanderdonck
El Segundo City Council: John Pickhaver
Hermosa Beach City Council: Michael Detoy
Hermosa Beach City School District: Rachel VanLandingham + Carol Reid
Lomita City Council District 2: Wade Kyle
Torrance Unified School Board, Trustee E: Dave Zygielbaum
The next meeting will be held on Tuesday October 8th.
Harris/Walz Lawn Sign Distribution Campaign
—by Reggie Jue
Thank you to all that participated in our Harris/Walz lawn sign effort. Donations collected through that program netted approximately $900 after covering printing costs and credit card fees, and all of that is being donated to candidates on the November ballot. The subcommittee for recommending a donation allocation from the lawn sign net proceeds was composed of Al Shadbourne, Caryl Schwartz, Carol Moeller, and Reggie Jue. After looking at the latest polling data and discussing various strategic priorities, the committee made the following recommendations, and the Board of Directors approved these donations:
Ami Gandhi (PVPUSD School Board): $150
Eric Alegria (PVPUSD School Board): $150
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (Florida Senate Race): $200
Sherrod Brown (Ohio Senate Race): $200
Colin Allred (Texas Senate Race): $200
Note that this amount is in addition to the $3700 donations made from the club general fund and reported in the August newsletter.
Color Me a Democrat—October 2024
—by Fraser Perkins
It’s time for a Trump photo essay extravaganza!
To read the entire post, please click here.