April 2006
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SFYD Important Dates
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April Monthly Meeting
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San Francisco
Women's Political Committee Debate
Wednesday, April 5, 2006
6pm
AD 12
candidates Fiona Ma and Janet Reilly
Location: State Building; 455 Golden Gate, Auditorium
Moderator: Belva Davis, KRON-TV
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Phone Bank for Francine Busby
Democratic House candidate for San Diego
Sunday, April 9, 2006
10:30 - 1:00pm
Join SFYD and fellow progressives at the weekly phone bank for Francine Busby, Democratic candidate for the House seat from San Diego.
For more information, click here
You should bring: your cell phone with weekend minutes, your enthusiasm and your desire to turn the Congress Blue in 2006! Scripts, information, food and drink will be provided.
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President's Column
by SFYD President Owen Stephens
SFYD Update:
First I want to welcome to the SFYD Executive Board, Dan Kurtz, who has accepted the position of Technical Director. We look forward to the amazing back-end, web based, progressive things he will be able to do for our organization.
It is a good time to be a Democrat. Feisty primary elections, important special elections, heck, even the California Young Democrat elections are just around the corner. There are a lot of things to do and places to be, and members of the San Francisco Young Democrats have been out volunteering and participating in our amazing democratic process. In the next two weeks, SFYD members will continue working hard to help Francine Busby win the open congressional seat in San Diego to replace disgraced Congressman, Duke Cunningham. We have already participated in an amazing phone bank on her behalf and I encourage everyone to help leading up to April 11th. See our Dates section for more information on how to help with her race this April 9th.
President's Perspective:
I literally cringe when people use the words "God", "Jesus", and "Church" in any day-to-day conversation. As an out, gay, liberal Democrat, there are a lot of things about "religion" that give me the heebee jeebees. Yet I feel sad about this response, because in my personal life, I am a spiritual and religious person. I council at a church camp for high school students every summer and winter, and I express my personal spirituality through the United Church of Christ, an old, mainstream denomination.
No matter our personal faith and spirituality, we all are aware that religion is huge part of the American political debate. The religious right is shown by our media constantly; they are invited to speak on talk shows, reported on by the news as "experts" and referred to by electeds all the time. The fact is, no matter how large a church Pat Robertson has, or a TV fan base, they are the loud minority of religious leaders in this nation. They make me fear and hate the word "religion" even as I happily go about my own personal journey. Our media ignores the diversity in religion in our nation, and they are breaking the trust with the American people as long as they allow this group to disproportionably represent and brain wash our society.
Last week a massive group of young people came to San Francisco for a worship and activism weekend. It was discussed in detail by the San Francisco Chronicle, and described an attack on San Francisco by the religious right. I feel nothing but pity and concern for the youth who attended. Like all youth they are partially a product of their up bringing, and are in the evolution of making their own decisions in life. I totally respect their coming to San Francisco to worship, but I was horrified by the conservative politics espoused by the leadership of the event, who consequently got to speak on TV, go on talk shows and get tons of coverage.
In contrast, the national United Church of Christ, a prolific religious organization was denied the opportunity this week to broadcast paid advertisements on all the major networks. The UCC and the advertisement are very welcoming, as the UCC is gay and diversity friendly, stating "God doesn't reject people, neither do we". The ad can be viewed at Accessibleairwaves.org.
If religion is going to be a part of the national debate, then it is time that our media start looking at the bigger picture of religion in our nation and stop catering to the religious right activists. As liberals and Democrats of many faiths and opinions, we too must recognize that many important victories, such as the civil rights movement, were brought about through good, liberal religious view points. We must embrace our diversity and demand that all voices be heard.
Register as a member of SFYD today by linking to http://www.sfyoungdems.org/SFYDSite/membership.htm.
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SFYD Endorsements
SFYD Endorsements for the 2006 Primary:
GOVERNOR: HON. PHIL ANGELIDES
LT. GOVERNOR: HON. JACKIE SPEIER
SECRETARY OF STATE: HON. DEBRA BOWEN
ATTORNEY GENERAL: HON. JERRY BROWN
TREASURER: HON. BILL LOCKYER
INSURANCE COMMISSIONER: HON. CRUZ BUSTAMANTE
SUPERINTENDANT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION: HON. JACK O'CONNELL
BOARD OF EDUCATION, DIST. 1: HON. BETTY YEE
Did you miss the SFYD Candidates Forum? You missed two awsome nights, but all is not lost. Visit our '06 PRIMARY CANDIDATE RESOURCE CENTER and read the questionnaires submitted by the candidates from both Forums. These questionnaires are extensive and address those important issues that young Democrats are concerned about today.
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Reese's World: Perspectives from the Editor
Strong Enough to Bend
by SFYD Newsletter Editor Reese Aaron Isbell, M.P.P.
Primaries can be a difficult time for partisans like you and me. We have to choose among our friends and colleagues in the Democratic Party who should lead us into the general election. And we all know that the general election is the one we really want to win.
There are so many issues to consider. Do we choose electability in the general election over core values? Do we have to choose between the two? Which Democratic candidate will appeal to the masses? Which Democratic candidate will help us move forward as a party and as a public? Is it worth falling on our swords over a fight between Democratic primary candidates when we know the real contest isn't for another 6 months?
Everyone seems to have the answers to these questions each time there's an election. And every time there's an election everyone seems to have another set of answers that works with their current mood, historical analysis, hopes, dreams, and political persuasion. Our party is constantly in a swirl over these issues, especially after considerable consternation over losses in recent years in general elections.
We keep looking for electability in all of our races. We also still push candidates who will win over the mass public with our core values so that we can have our core principles be electable too. This neverending quandary is before us each primary election.
And so every primary for every partisan race in local, state, and national races we argue over what's the best strategy, what's the best plan for the future, what's the best for the party, what's the best for the people, what's the best for you and me, and what's the best hope for winning. And every primary we struggle with arguing these ideas while trying to remember that we're all in this together to win in the general election.
And that's the toughest part. Because it's so easy to fight over these principles and ideas constantly when we all know that we're right and that we have the best plan for winning in the long run. And we all may just be right. And we each may be wrong. And the biggest difficulty of all may just be moving past our own individual preferences, swallowing our pride, and going forward together once we've made a decision as a party to win the general election against the real enemies.
Primaries are always a love/hate relationship for me. I love that we get a chance to push our party's candidates forward on issues we care about and frame the debate within our party on core values we believe in. I hate that we often fight between ourselves over electability and who's the most core-believer and so on.
Agreeing to disagree is easier said than done. And it takes real strength and grace to recognize small disagreements are less of an obstacle when considered under the auspices of the larger agreements and love for each other. The country singer Tanya Tucker once had a song way back that talked about being 'strong enough to bend.' And bending just ain't that easy, let me tell you.
But when we remember that our cause is greater than our individual inter-party fights, these disagreements can be seen as a testament to the strength of our party as a whole. Our primaries can prepare us for the real fight for the future of our public. And they can help us remember who we are as individual players and as a team. It's never easy to fight amongst friends, but we can agree to disagree for the time being, bend towards each other's perspective a little bit more, and move forward together for the larger goal of winning the general come November.
Reese Aaron Isbell, M.P.P.
Newsletter Editor
www.reesesworld.com
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Oil Revenues
by SFYD Board Member Brian Gardner
A few months back oil companies released their profits, proving that they made a killing while we paid for ever higher gas prices. I imagine that natural gas producers will turn in similar profits, despite this being a fairly tame winter throughout the country. The idea was kicked around in Congress that we should charge the companies for their overly high profits.
I hope my fellow liberals and progressives will forgive me while I say that taxing companies for outstanding profits is a bad idea. I plan to earn that forgiveness because I've got a much better solution. I am calling on Congress to mandate investment of these profits in sustainable and renewable non-nuclear energy.
This is the only legitimate pro-market solution that makes any sense in the long term, and it's an idea any believer in global warming, lover of the environment, or voter who wanted US energy independence would be sure to stand behind. Punishing the oil companies for making a profit is a completely preposterous idea. There's no way our capitalist system would carry that through, and it just seems vindictive. Mandating that those profits be invested in sustainable, clean and renewable energy on the other hand, is pro-market and forward thinking.
Two months out, we see what these companies are doing. It's no surprise that they are re-investing their profits. Nor is it a surprise that they are doing it in a way that they know best, namely seeking out new sources of oil. What is surprising is that no one seems to care that eventually this will not yield continuous profits. My solution is to allow the oil we have now to peter out, while building energy gathering devices for the future. These will create profits of their own, so the shareholders of the companies don't have to pay for their own success, instead they get rewarded by it, and government gets to play its proper role of regulation in a capitalistic society. Something it does far too infrequently of late.
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On the Mark in Sacramento
From the Desk of Assemblyman Mark Leno
Greetings San Francisco Young Democrats!
Very rarely is humanity blessed with a great leader like Cesar Chavez. His selfless dedication to an exploited and abused group of people inspired thousands who had been silenced. Each year, people across the state and nation celebrate and honor his legacy through marches, rallies, and events, including a state holiday on his birthday, March 31st. He continues to provide inspiration in the fight for equality and civil rights.
In this column, I would like to honor Cesar Chavez's contributions with a brief history of his life. Born in a small adobe-style home in Yuma, Arizona, he and his family moved to California when he was a teenager. Living in a barrio of San Jose known commonly as "Sal Si Puedes," which translates to "Get Out If You Can," his family worked in the fields to earn a living. Out of sheer need, Chavez halted his formal education after the 8th grade in order to provide for his family.
In early adulthood, Chavez served in the Navy, married Helen Fabela and began a family. While working in the fields, he came to the attention of those involved with the Community Service Organization (CSO), which helped organize underserved workers into labor unions. CSO created a new movement for Mexican-American rights and ushered in a new era of Latino activism. Chavez began working for CSO by registering Mexican-Americans to vote.
After a decade with the CSO, where he eventually became its national director, Chavez created his own organization, the National Farm Workers Association. Later joining with Filipino American members of the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee, AFL-CIO, and Dolores Huerta, the group came to be known as the United Farm Workers of American, AFL-CIO (UFW). This group was dedicated to fighting for economic justice for farm workers and became one of the most influential Latino organizations in the United States.
After witnessing years of abuse and maltreatment of his fellow farm workers in the grape fields in California, Chavez led the UFW and the nation through a boycott of all California table grapes, starting in 1967. The boycott, known as "La Causa," or "The Cause," eventually paved the way for California state laws that guaranteed bargaining and organizing rights for workers. It also led to the signing of the landmark Agricultural Labor Relations Act of 1975.
Chavez continued fighting for equality and fairness throughout the rest of his life. He sacrificed enormously for the cause, often fasting for days to bring attention to the hardships farm workers endured. His final fast in 1988, which lasted for 36 days, called attention to how pesticides in the grape fields were harming grape workers and their families. When Chavez passed away in 1993, many close to him attributed his death in part to the fact that he never fully recovered from that fast.
In 2000, California established the state holiday in honor of Cesar Chavez with the idea of it being a 'day on' rather than a 'day off,' to promote his tireless advocacy for civil rights. "If you want to remember me, organize!" was his response when asked how he would want to be remembered.
That is why I urge you to honor Cesar Chavez, not only by participating in the many rallies and marches scheduled around his birthday, but by considering devoting some of your volunteer time to the Cesar Chavez Foundation. To learn more about volunteer opportunities, please call (818) 265-0300, or visit http://www.chavezfoundation.org.
Today, the UFW is one of the most important and influential unions in the country. I was proud that they stood strongly in support of our marriage equality bill last year. Chavez's legacy of justice and equal rights for all people inspires us to keep the movement alive. His rallying cry "Si Se Puede!" which translates roughly to "It Can Be Done!" reminds us that our struggle for respect and dignity for everyone continues.
Cesar Chavez wrote, "Let us remember those who died for justice for they have given us life. Help us to love even those who hate us so that we can change the world." Si Se Puede!
Should you have questions or thoughts, please feel free to contact me at any time through my District Office at 415-557-3013 or keep updated on the web via: www.markleno.com
Yours,
Mark Leno
Assemblyman, 13th District
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From the Editor: Assemblyman Leno hopes to see his friends in the SFYD at his Campaign Kickoff this April 4th. For more information click here or to RSVP contact Nichelle Lyons at 415-775-0698 or email Nichelle@speakeasy.net
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Democrats Unveil Real Security Plan to Protect America
Washington, D.C.—Joined by veterans, police officers, firefighters, and first responders, House and Senate Democrats today unveiled their Real Security agenda, the comprehensive Democratic plan to secure America.
“The highest responsibility of government is to protect the security of every American,” said Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid. “After five years of Republican incompetence, Americans have had enough. They expect and demand policies that are tough and smart. They deserve Real Security.”
"In these times of unprecedented challenge and change, real leadership demands tough and smart polices that recognize that a stronger America begins at home,” said House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. “Democrats have set forth an agenda that offers a new direction, one that is strong and smart, one that understands the challenges America faces in a post 9/11 world, and one that demonstrates that Democrats are the party of real national security."
"We are committed to project our power to protect the American people and defend our freedom."
Under the plan, Democrats will rebuild a state-of-the-art military, defeat and destroy terrorists and end the spread of weapons of mass destruction, and ensure 2006 is a year of significant transition to full Iraqi sovereignty. At home, the Real Security plan calls for improving border security, investing in the security of our ports and mass transit systems, and ensuring our National Guard and first responders are fully manned, equipped, and funded. Democrats believe we should do this and much more, including making America energy independent by 2020 and ending our dependence on oil from the Middle East.
Speaking at the event, Rhode Island Senator and former US Army Ranger Jack Reed stated, “It has been over three years since the beginning of the war in Iraq, and nearly five years since the tragic terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, yet the Bush Administration continues to use rhetoric rather than reality when dealing with our nation’s security. We are engaged in a long war that transcends the boundaries of any one country. This struggle demands a strategy grounded in a realistic assessment of threats, not ideological presumptions. It also demands real and extensive resources and commitment. This is what our Real Security plan achieves.”
"Democrats have a plan to honor the service of our men and women in uniform by fulfilling the promises this nation has made to them,” said Congressman Ike Skelton of Missouri, Ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee. “We will ensure our forces are fully manned, trained, and equipped to meet the full range of 21st Century threats. The American people want and deserve to know that Democrats have a concrete plan to provide for a strong national defense, and this document proves our dedication to that important goal."
The Democrats were joined by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, General Wesley Clark, Harold Schaitberger, President of the International Association of Fire Fighters, and Joe Wynn of the National Association of Black Veterans.
Said Secretary Albright, "We face very serious challenges as a nation - one nation - and we need realistic policies and dedicated leaders committed to ending divisive politics and to protecting and defending our world from those who are filled with hate. It's time for a change."
“All Americans owe the brave men and women serving in uniform and their families an enormous debt of gratitude for the hard work, professionalism and sacrifice,” said General Clark. “The political leadership at the White House, the Congress and Pentagon owe them more. It is the responsibility of the commander in chief to lay out a strategy for success with benchmarks, timelines and budgets. That has yet to materialize, so it’s up to others to try to pick up the slack. This plan is an excellent step. I applaud Senator Reid, Leader Pelosi and my West Point classmate, Jack Reed for inviting Secretaries Albright, Perry and myself to participate.”
“Since 9/11, the administration has been long on rhetoric praising first responders and short on resources,” said Schaitberger. “Almost five years later, America’s hometowns continue to face critical staffing shortfalls of both fire fighters and police officers. First responders have not been provided the resources, training, equipment and technology needed to do their jobs effectively and protect the communities they serve. Simply put, this administration has not prepared our nation to respond adequately to the next disaster. We must do better.”
The five year record of the Bush Administration and the Republicans in Congress who have rubberstamped its every policy speaks for itself. Americans have recognized this dangerous incompetence and have had enough.
Democrats believe America deserves to be safer and more secure. Real Security is the comprehensive plan that will ensure our national security.
To read “Real Security: The Democratic Plan to Secure America and Restore Our Leadership in the World” click here: http://www.democraticleader.house.gov/pdf/RealSecurity.pdf
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SFYD Needs You: Recruitment for Committee Assistance
Volunteers Needed for
Important Year Ahead
2006 is an important year for California and an important year for SFYD.
Help us prepare for the year ahead by volunteering for SFYD's fundraising
committee. Stellar events and initiatives are planned - your talents are
needed. Contact Julia Thornton at jl_thornton@hotmail.com
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Political Classifieds
Editor's Note: The SFYD Newsletter will begin to create a regular Classified Section in the newsletter for political, campaign, or other related jobs/advertisements. If you'd like to advertise in the SFYD newsletter, email the editor, for inclusion possibilities. If you would like to contact the advertisers, do so directly as per the advertisement, not through SFYD.
Earned Assets Resource Network: 2 Positions: Development & Communications Manager and Policy Associate
Two Positions at award winning Nonprofit EARN ( www.sfearn.org), which
is growing. The positions are Development and Communications Manager
and Policy Associate (for EARN's statewide policy work)
HOW TO APPLY: Applicants should visit the website for more information, and email a resume and cover letter to: ben@sfearn.org
College Track, Executive Director: Phillips Oppenheim is assisting College Track in a search for a new Executive Director. As part of that process, we are reaching out to the community for suggestions and nominations. College Track supports high school students driven by the desire to become the first in their families to attend college.
To Apply: For further information or a full position description, please contact Mark Oppenheim or Nancy Painter at: west@PhillipsOppenheim.com.
International Institute of San Francisco, Immigration Attorney: The International Institute of San Francisco's Redwood City Branch Office provides legal immigration and citizenship services to over 5,000 people per year. We are seeking an experienced immigration attorney to join our staff and work on complex immigration cases with a special project called the Collaborative Resources for Immigrant Services on the Peninsula project (CRISP).
To Apply: : Send cover letter, resume, writing sample, and reference to Sheryl Bergman, 2600 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA 94063 or sbergman@iisf.org. For more information on the International Institute, see our website: www.iisf.org.
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