Sunday, July 18, we met jointly with the San Pedro Democratic Club to hear from PBS news correspondent Jeffrey Kaye, who has just written a book entitled, “Moving Millions: How Coyote Capitalism Fuels Global Immigration.” Mr. Kaye has traveled the world to discover why people leave their homelands and how countries and corporations manipulate migration policies to their benefit. He addressed the current showdown between the Obama Administration and the state of Arizona and took numerous questions from the audience.

June 13th Potluck

On June 13 at 2:30, the PVP Democratic Club celebrated with a members' only summer party and potluck.  We were delighted to have as a speaker, Eric Bauman, the State Democratic party vice chair.

May 16th Meeting

Topic: Local government 101, everything you ever wanted to know about city government on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, plus, do partisan politics play a role at City Hall?  Program featured RPV city council members Tom Long and Brian Campbell (representing both the Democratic and Republican parties) and RHE city council member Susan Seamans.  In addition, we heard from Marcy Winograd, candidate for the 36th congressional district. 

Statewide Candidates Forum

In lieu of our regular monthly meeting, our club joined with other South Bay/Long Beach-area Democratic clubs to present a candidates forum on Saturday, April 10.  The forum featured Democrats running for statewide offices appearing on the June 8 ballot. Nearly all Democratic candidates participated.

Judges and Proposition Information on March 21

Our March 21st meeting featured Sergio Carrillo, director of Region 17 of the state Democratic Party who explained the party's opposition to Prop. 14 (also known as the "open primaries" proposition).

Three of the judges on the ballot for Superior Court Judge office 28 (Randy Hammock, Mark Ameli and Chris Garcia) also spoke.

Candidate, Progressive Democrat, Author Headlined November 15th Meeting

For the club’s last meeting of the year, we enjoyed a potpourri program. We elected the 2010 board and then heard from a Democrat who wants to be our next state insurance commissioner.  Finally, we learned about the Democratic Party’s progressive movement from the author of a new book on the topic.

Hector De La Torre so far is the only Southern Californian running for the insurance commissioner post.  As a state Assemblyman, he has represented the mid-city region of Los Angeles County – including South Gate, Bellflower and Downey – since being elected in 2004.  He currently chairs the Assembly Committee on Accountability.  According to his campaign material, De La Torre “has spent his career standing up to powerful special interests to protect workers, consumers and taxpayers. …He authored a bill to stop (health) insurers from canceling coverage when you get sick, just when you need it most.”  Unfortunately that bill, AB 2, which would have limited insurance-policy rescissions, was vetoed by the governor.

Author and Democratic Party activist Brad Parker has just published a book entitled, “Left Turn Only: Dispatches From the Progressive Underground.”  He told us about the Progressive movement and how he believes it will improve the Democratic Party. Parker is president of Valley Democrats United in the San Fernando Valley.  He has served as an officer of the Progressive Caucus of the state Democratic Party and on the board of trustees of the Progressive Democrats of America.  He has also written for The Huffington Post. Professionally, Parker is an award-winning recording artist, songwriter, producer and musician. 

         For our Oct. 18 meeting, Club Vice President, Hans Grellmann presented a slide show about a movement to stop global warming. 

People around the world came together on Oct. 24th to raise awareness about the number 350.  That's 350 parts per million of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere.  Leading scientists believe this level of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere can be sustained without triggering the full effects of global warming.  We are now at 387 parts per million, so we must continue to raise awareness of this tangible goal and reduce our output of carbon dioxide. (Calculate your personal carbon footprint here.)  In 170 Countries, people will be having global warming events like the one on Oct. 24 right here in the South Bay. Click here to link to photos and videos of this event.

School Board Candidate forum at our Sept 20th Meeting  

The focus was on the school board candidates because the race is peninsula-wide, because there is a large field of candidates running, and because quite a few of the candidates are Democrats.  The two Democratic City Council candidates who are running, Jim Knight and Paul Tetreault, also had a chance to introduce themselves.

"Politics & Popcorn" at our August Meeting

The August meeting focused on the critical issue of health care reform.  We watched a thought-provoking recent video about the issues that face the nation in the area of health insurance reform, munched on some popcorn, and enjoyed a provocative discussion about where the nation is headed in terms of health care.  Dr. Paul Hochfeld, the producer of the film described below, took his message on the road with his "Mad as Hell Doctors" movement and was interviewed numerous times on Air America.  “Health, Money and Fear,” was produced by this emergency room doctor because of his dismay over the current system.  Visit his website, ourailinghealthcare.com! 

After the film, Nancy Gomez, the Southern California regional organizer of Health Access California, updated us on legislation, answered our questions and emphasized that local activists can make a difference.  Health Access California is a consumer advocacy coalition working for quality, affordable health care for all Californians.  In Sacramento, the health industry - from insurers to drug companies, from doctors to hospitals - is well represented. Health Access ensures that consumers have a voice.

At the July meeting we heard from the following speakers:

Ron C. Smith, our elected representative to the West Basin Metropolitan Water District; Miguel Luna, from Urban Semillas, which is part of the Environmental Justice Coalition for Water; and Conner Everts from the Southern California Watershed Alliance, an organization that works for sustainability and management of local water.

The June meeting honored Betty Karnette for her years of service.  Assemblymember Bonnie Lowenthal reported on California’s financial situation, including the status of budget negotiations and the prospects for draconian budget cuts in the state.

At our May meeting in Sheila Papayan's beautiful home, PVP School Board Vice President Dora de la Rosa spoke about the mail-in parcel tax (Proposition V) and how necessary a "yes" vote is to maintain the excellent quality of our Palos Verdes public schools.  GOOD NEWS!!  Proposition V passed!At the April 19th meeting, RHE Mayor Judy Mitchell, who also is president of the League of California Cities, and RPV Mayor Larry Clark, who also is a California Coastal Commissioner, spoke on the state budget situation and how it relates to our local governments

At the March 15th meeting, we explored the impact this crisis has on environmental issues with speakers Andrea Vona, executive director of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy, and David Allgood, Southern California director, California League of Conservation Voters.

Feel Free to Bring Your Friends - Visitors Welcome!