This is our 11th annual fundraising dinner, and it is especially exciting this year as we celebrate the presumptive nominee, Kamala Harris, at the Democratic Convention in Chicago, which begins on August 19, 2024. This historic nomination has energized Democrats across our nation, and we celebrate the “native daughter” status of our former CA Federal Senator, CA Attorney General, and Alameda County District Attorney, in addition to being the current Vice President. The accomplishments of the Biden/Harris administration are significant, and her leadership as a true partner has been recognized by President Biden. As a former prosecutor, Kamala Harris is taking the fight to former President Trump, and the danger MAGA presents to our democracy.
Our keynote speaker, Senate President pro Tempore Emerita Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego), is a remarkable individual with many achievements. Born and raised in rural southwestern Virginia, the daughter of a miner and a seamstress, she graduated from Emory & Henry College in Virginia. In 1985, she moved across the country to San Diego, California, to help care for her sister’s young son while her sister served in the U.S. Navy. In 2000, she was elected to serve on the San Diego City Council, providing steady leadership as interim Mayor of San Diego amid a challenging and tumultuous time at City Hall. Elected to the state Assembly in 2010, Atkins was selected to be the Speaker of the Assembly in 2014 – she became the first San Diegan and the first lesbian to hold the position. Atkins counts a $7.5-billion water bond and the creation of the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit among her proudest accomplishments in the Assembly. In 2016, Atkins was elected to the state Senate, where she continued to advocate on behalf of women, LGBTQ, the climate, and increasing the state’s supply of affordable housing. In March 2018, she became the first woman and the first openly LGBTQ person to lead the Legislature’s upper house as President pro Tempore.
Throughout her career, Atkins has been a champion for affordable housing, the environment, healthcare, veterans, women, the LGBTQ community, and mitigating the increasing impacts of climate change. She has authored landmark legislation on housing, including SB 2, which created a permanent source of funding for affordable housing, a signature piece of legislation she worked on for several years, and SB 9, which streamlined the process for homeowners to create a duplex or subdivide an existing lot into single-family zones. In 2022, Atkins introduced the ‘California Dream for All Program,’ an innovative new way for the state to help first-time homebuyers dramatically lower or eliminate their down-payment requirements and lower monthly mortgage payments. That same year, she authored several critical pieces of legislation, including SB 1375, which allows qualified nurse practitioners to provide abortions without the supervision of a physician, and SCA 10, a constitutional amendment to make explicit the fundamental right to abortion and contraceptives. Her record of public service is exemplary, and Toni Atkins is an announced candidate for CA Governor in 2026. This is an excellent opportunity to hear from one of our southern CA leaders!
Plus, you would not want to miss the announcement of our Awardees in recognition of their Placer County local community service and political activism!
You may purchase tickets through our Act Blue link: secure.actblue.com/donate/rkd2024 OR send a check payable to PCDCC (Placer County Democratic Central Committee), including your menu selection, to P.O. Box 423, Roseville, CA 95678. For questions, please contact Kathleen Crawford at katecrawford13@gmail.com
The purchase deadline is Monday, 8/12/24. Please don’t delay—last year’s event was a sellout!