Palos Verdes Democrats will our April Meeting at the Peninsula Center Library and on Zoom. This month, we will hear from:
In honor of April being Earth Month, we have asked Al Sattler to come discuss environmental issues. Al Sattler is a prominent local environmental leader with the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter and former Chair of the Palos Verdes-South Bay Regional Group. His success in local environmental advocacy includes leading efforts on proper land use, native plants, and trail management political advocacy on the California Legislative Committee. He is an environmental policy analyst and commentator, with his articles on the Sierra Club Blog.
Tritsan Hallum. For most, climate change is something abstract or uncertain. For, Tristan Hallum, the Director of Scientific Programs with the San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District, it is a reality of constant change. Hallium has two decades of mosquito control experience and will discuss how climate change is fundamentally altering the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases by accelerating mosquito life cycles, extending breeding seasons, and expanding their geographic range into previously unaffected areas. Rising global temperatures increase internal temperatures in mosquitoes, causing viruses to replicate faster and spread geographically. By 2070, an additional 4.7 billion people may be at risk for malaria or dengue as these diseases expand into new regions.
We had previously announced that our meeting would feature judicial candidates for LA County Superior Court. That event has been cancelled due to a scheduling conflict. Instead, we will be joined in-person by former UCLA Historian, Dr. Christopher Gantner, who will discuss the current situation in Iran and how we got here.
Iran, one of the world’s oldest civilizations, has a long history with roots back to 4000 B.C. shaped by major eras such as the Achaemenid Empire, the Islamic conquest, the Safavid Dynasty, and the 1979 Islamic Revolution, after which it became an Islamic Republic. U.S.–Iran relations shifted from alliance to hostility following the 1979 revolution, influenced by earlier events like the 1953 CIA-backed coup and the hostage crisis, leading to decades of sanctions and conflict.
Recently, tensions escalated into a major U.S.- and Israel-led military campaign (“Epic Fury”) targeting Iran’s military, nuclear, and infrastructure sites. The strikes caused significant damage, casualties, and reportedly impacted cultural heritage sites. Iran retaliated with missile attacks on regional targets, including Gulf oil infrastructure and Israel.
The conflict disrupted the Strait of Hormuz—critical to global oil and fertilizer supply—triggering severe economic consequences, including worldwide energy shocks and food shortages. The situation raised concerns about decision-making within U.S. leadership. Were critical cautionary voices in the Pentagon fired by Trump and Hegseth? Refer back to military expert Dr. Robert Pape’s PV Democrats presentation from November 2025 for the likely answer (yes).
Historian Dr. Chris Gantner traces the path that the world took to this breaking point. Dr. Gantner is a life-long resident of Los Angeles. Recently retired, he received a PhD in history from UCLA and has taught at UCLA, Santa Monica College and Claremont Colleges. His scholarly focus is on 20th Century American History.
Kate Greenberg, former Palos Verdes Estates Treasurer and member of the Citizen’s Initiative to approve a PVE City Parcel Tax will speak and answer questions about Measure PF, which will fund Police and Fire.
Our meeting starts at 2:30, but join us at 2:00 to chat with like-minded residents.