Join us for our hybrid (In-person and Zoom), club meeting which will be held at the Peninsula Center Library, 701 Silver Spur Road, Rolling Hills Estates, California, 90274 on September 21, 2025. We will be joined via Zoom with Dr. Kim Yi Dionne.
Dr. Kim Yi Dionne is a renowned American political scientist specializing in U.S. and international politics and public opinion. She earned her B.A. in Political Science and International Relations (1999), M.A. (2007), and Ph.D. (2010) in Political Science from UCLA, where she was a FLAS Fellow. From 1999 to 2003, she served as Associate Director of M.B.A. Admissions for the UCLA Anderson School of Management. A Fulbright Scholar, she is now a tenured Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Riverside.
Dionne also served as Senior Editor of The Monkey Cage, the Washington Post’s political science blog. In this role, she wrote and edited articles for the Post while mentoring other political scientists on how to “translate” their academic research for a broader audience. In 2020, she and her co-authors received the Western Political Science Association’s award for Best Article of the Year.
She is a member of the advisory board for Women Also Know Stuff (WAKS), a database highlighting women in political science and their areas of expertise. For her work with WAKS, Dionne shared the 2016 Jane Mansbridge Award from the National Women’s Caucus for Political Science, honoring efforts to advance accountability, gender equality, and inclusion in the field.
At the September 21st meeting of the Palos Verdes Democrats, Dr. Dionne will speak on: “Resilience in the Face of Threat: Lessons from Other Democracies for Navigating the Trump Regime.” Her presentation will draw upon recent developments (Malawi/Africa) and historic examples (Poland), which show how people uphold democracy under serious political and economic adversity, the consequences of undermining support for democracy and global health (defunding USAID), and how Americans can take action to strengthen and defend democratic institutions at home and abroad. This promises to be a lively discussion with one of the most powerful and outspoken voices in American political science: the brilliant, award-winning scholar and journalist Kim Yi Dionne.
State Senate Candidates
At the September meeting we also have confirmed to speak in person at least seven of the ten candidates that are still in the race for the 24th District Senate race. This is the first time in twelve years that we have had an open seat in our senate district and the following candidates have confirmed to speak in person at our meeting:
Eric Alegria—Former Rancho Palos Verdes Mayor and member of the Palos Verdes Peninsula School Board
John Erickson—West Hollywood Councilmember
Ellen Evans—Neighborhood Leader & Civil Rights Activist
Brittany McKinley—Los Angeles Human Relations Committee President
Mike Newhouse—Former Los Angeles Planning Commissioner
Dr. Sion Roy—Santa Monica College Board of Trustees Vice Chair
Amaris Dordar—Attorney, Small Buisness Owner
Please take this unique opportunity to meet and hear from the candidates.