May has so many events keeping us busy! In addition to Mothers’ Day (May 14), the CADEM convention (May 25-28) and Memorial Day (May 29), there are graduations and weddings for many families and associates. Locally, there are two events on the weekend of May 20/21 including the Auburn Home Show and Pride Celebration in Roseville at Royer Park which will keep our Event volunteers very busy as well.
Read moreConnecting with Our Community
In April, Our Community Engagement Committee met to discuss and develop our strategic activities to meet our goals for 2023. Using a strategy development matrix, the committee brainstormed resources and strategies to successfully accomplish our goals of increasing our active volunteer data base, promoting calls to action, and targeting both younger and No Party Preference voters.
On the horizon:
Read moreUndisclosed Generosity: A Possible Violation of Law or Ethics
Is Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas the
far right’s gift that keeps on giving?
A gift consists not in what is done or given,
but in the intention of the giver or doer. ~ Seneca
For who knows how long, Justice Clarence Thomas has been heavily gifted by right wing, Nazi memorabilia-collecting, Harlan Crow. The Republican megadonor has lavished Thomas and his wife with yacht cruises, art, and vacations that the justice failed to disclose. Unfortunately, that is not new. For his entire public career, Thomas has shown the world who he is, it’s time to believe him.
Read moreCalifornia Universal Health Care Coverage: 2023 Renewed Fight for Affordable Health Care
Universal Health Care is back in the conversation under two recently introduced legislative measures in the current California Legislative session.
California Legislation AB 1690 Universal Health Care Coverage was officially introduced by Democratic Assemblyman Ash Kalra on February 17, 2023. During the last legislation session, he was the author of AB 1400 California Guaranteed Health-Care for All Act. Currently, this legislation is designated as a spot bill.
TYRANNY Part 11
Editor’s note: this is the eleventh in a series of summaries based on author and professor of history, Timothy Snyder’s book “On Tyranny”. The goal is to pass on his insights, wisdom and forecast to those who have not read his works.
Contribute to Good Causes
“Be active in organizations, political or not, that express your own view of life…Then you have made a free choice that supports civil society and helps others to do good.”
Read moreApril 2023 Message from Our Chair
April follows what has been a wet, windy, snowy and ‘fallen trees’ late winter this year. This is good news for the drought conditions and the snow pack may extend the winter sports season by months!
The weather is not the only thing acting like climate change in our area. I hope most of our readers are aware of the political changes and controversies taking place at our local school boards. Book banning and stigmatizing of the LGBTQIA and their allies in our community have caused a great deal of pain and community upheaval. I encourage individuals to take action in line with our democratic values by attending school board meetings and communicating with board members by letter/phone/email.
Many of the loudest voices are attempting to impose their values based on their religious beliefs on the entire school system.
Book Banning in Placer County
Censorship in Placer County schools was a growing problem last year, and with conservative school board slates’ overwhelming success last November, efforts to ban books in Placer County have not slowed down. On March 10th, the Western Placer Unified School District considered banning The Hate U Give from being required reading in 9th grade English classes. Thankfully, the board decided against it - for now.
On March 9th, the Roseville Joint Union High School District (RJUHSD) took a different approach when it unanimously approved its Curriculum and Instructional Materials Approval Process. While this process is much less flashy than outright banning a book, it can nonetheless be effective at overriding the recommendations of teachers and banning books if abused. You will not hear about the books being banned; they just will not make it into the approved curriculum.
Governor Gavin Newsom on Truth and Freedom
Republicans like to talk a lot about the word “freedom.”
Let’s take one completely random example — Ron DeSantis.
He talks about freedom A LOT. He signed a “Freedom First Budget.” His new book is called The Courage to Be Free. He even released an absolutely ridiculous rock ballad about Florida’s freedom.
But the DeSantis vision of freedom is a complete fraud. He is one of the most anti-freedom governors in the most anti-freedom political party in the country.
Freedom is under attack in Florida.
Read moreConnecting with Our Community--Community Engagement Committee
In March, our Community Engagement Committee, in conjunction with our Democratic Club chairs and representatives, met to finalize our goals for 2023. We chose to focus our efforts in three areas:
increase our active volunteer data base
promote calls to action
target younger voters and NPPs on their priority issues, to recruit volunteers, and share our Democratic values
The Community Engagement team will now move forward to put these goals into effect, concentrating on the resources needed to achieve our goals and the strategies and actions needed to implement each goal.
Ready to help us? Email pcdp.cec@gmail.com
Focusing on Diversity--Implicit Bias
In March, Donna Trumbo and Twiana Armstrong of ABC Equity Consulting were again our featured guests at the PCDCC meeting. They focused on Implicit Bias, and how it effects our daily lives. The Central Committee had an opportunity to learn about their individual unconscious bias and how it influences their judgements and perceptions of others. The open discussion came from a two-part training series facilitated by ABC Equity Consultants. Participants were able to have open conversations about systemic racism and implicit bias. Implicit (unconscious) bias is a perception that occurs automatically and unintentionally, that nevertheless affects judgements, decisions and behaviors. Studies have shown that implicit bias can especially affect people's decisions and their behavior toward people of different ethnicities and stereotypes. The good news is that there are practical ways to overcome our bias. (see below) The Central Committee is committed to help dismantle systemic racism through yearly diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging training.
Read moreTYRANNY Part 10
On Tyranny….Timothy Snyder
Editor’s note: this is the tenth in a series of summaries based on author and professor of history, Timothy Snyder’s book “On Tyranny”. The goal is to pass on his insights, wisdom and forecast to those who have not read his works.
Chapter 12 is brief but extraordinarily timely and poignant in these days where some of our citizens seem to have lost the ability to speak to others with respect and civility. We are now an “us vs them” society and we, hopefully, can be part of the solution.
Make eye contact and small talk
“This is not just polite. It is part of being a citizen and a responsible member of society. It is also a way to stay in touch with your surroundings, break down social barriers, and understand whom you should and should not trust. If we enter a culture of denunciation, you will want to know the psychological landscape of your daily life.
Tyrannical regimes arose at different times and places in the Europe of the twentieth century, but memoirs of their victims all share a single tender moment. Whether the recollection is of fascist Italy in the 1920s, of Nazi Germany of the 1930s, of the Soviet Union during the Great Terror of 1937-38, or the purges in communist eastern Europe in the 1940s and ‘50s, people who were living in fear of repression remembered how their neighbors treated them. A smile, a handshake, or a word of greeting – banal gestures in a normal situation – took on great significance. When friends, colleagues, and acquaintances looked away or crossed the street to avoid contact, fear grew. You might not be sure, today or tomorrow, who feels threatened in the United States. But if you affirm everyone, you can be sure that certain people will feel better.
In the most dangerous of times, those who escape and survive generally know people whom they can trust. Having old friends is the politics of last resort. And making new ones is the first step toward change.”
Say hello or thank you to someone today.
Liz Moore, Editor
Women's History Quiz
Women's History Quiz
To celebrate Women’s History Month, we compiled this trivia quiz. Some of the names may be unfamiliar to you, but their accomplishments paved the way for women of all generations to succeed.
Read moreMarch 2023 Message from Our Chair
March 2023 Message from Our Chair
WELCOME and CONGRATULATIONS to the newly elected Assembly District 5 (AD05) ADEMS: Annie Bowler, Tiffany D Sickler, Ellen Debach-Riley, Ann Keating, Nichole Trujillo Rice, Stephanie Goldman, John Savage, Tomas Evangelista, Sameer Kazim, Michael Saunders, Charley Riley, Leo Bennet-Cauchon, John Rector and Joe Mlakar. The E-Board representative is Michael Saunders from El Dorado County Central Committee. AD05 is composed of both Placer and El Dorado Counties and this group covers both geographic areas.
Read moreEqual Pay Day and the Pink Tax
Among the many holidays celebrated in America every year, one should be of particular interest to women and those who care about women. This year, Equal Pay Day will be noted on March 14th. Originated by the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) in 1996, its’ goal is to demonstrate the differences in what women are paid for their work, and for the products and services they buy/consume compared to men. While California women fare much better than those who live in many other states, there remain discrepancies.
DEMOCRATIC REALITY/REPUBLICAN MYTH
DEMOCRATIC REALITY/REPUBLICAN MYTH
A SERMON IN MESSAGING
by
Terry P Rodriguez
PCDCC Chair Legislation Committee
President Biden, in his February 7, 2023, State of the Union Address (SOTU), made clear to the nation, his administration’s position supports our nation’s police establishment in providing whatever is needed to maintain law and order in our communities. At the same time, he is also advocating the funding of social community programs that will work to reduce the causes of neighborhood crimes. The President’s State of the Union address (SOTU) strengthened our Democratic Party’s stance on this important issue, consistently, from the time he campaigned for this office to the present as the leader of our county. President Biden strongly countered GOP messaging that portrays Democrats as advocating reducing law enforcement funding.
The GOP has escalated this argument from myth into “fact” to their electorate since the “defund the police” movement gained momentum after the George Floyd incident in 2020.