May 2006 |
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Table of Contents
CONGRATULATIONS! Additional congratulations go to the newly elected 2006/07 California Young Democrat Executive Board: President's Column
SFYD Endorsements for the 2006 Primary:
Reese's World: Perspectives from the Editor
I'm writing while riding the train from Sacramento to San Francisco. I've just attended the state Democratic Convention where SFYD's endorsed candidate Phil Angelides received the crowning achievement of the endorsement of the convention's delegates. It was a strong showing of support by the Party for the candidate those of us who are Party stalwarts and diehard true-blue Democrats want to move forward past June 6th, onto November, and beyond.
On the Mark in Sacramento
It is my great pleasure to be here today among Democratic friends and to stand in for Speaker Fabian Núñez who unfortunately cannot be with us. Let me say unequivocally, California is in strong and capable hands with Fabian Núñez as our Speaker. A gifted, talented and caring man, Fabian will lead this state for many years to come. I am often asked what the most surprising fact of life is in Sacramento. My sincere and ready answer is the severity of the partisanship. Coming from San Francisco, I never had to work with Republicans before so it is all new to me. But it is true. My Republican colleagues are convinced that my Democratic colleagues and I are completely, totally, absolutely out of our minds. We, of course, think the same of them. The difference being that we are right and they are wrong. Certainly, I understand that our job as legislators is to find common ground so that we can move our great state forward for the benefit of all Californians. But the challenge is so great because of the stark differences between the two parties. It is the difference between believing that health care is a basic human right and not a privilege for the wealthy few. It is the difference between believing that marriage is a fundamental right for all citizens, or NOT. It is the difference between believing that the wealthiest individuals and corporations should pay their fair share, or NOT. It is the difference between believing that all immigrants are human beings deserving of respect and dignity or NOT. Of course, there are shades of differences of opinion among all of us gathered here this weekend as well. In fact, that is the purpose of our convening - to debate those differences and reach some resolution as a party. But let's remember that after the primary battles of June 6th, when we wake up on the morning of June 7th, we regroup as a strong and united Democratic front. As such, we will do everything necessary to ensure that our values and our candidates prevail this November. I think we all realize that these are perilous times in America. With an ever growing Culture of Corruption in Washington, an illegal, unending war, mounting federal deficits, the de-funding of our social safety net and the quality of our air and water under assault, we need bold and courageous leadership. The damage done to our precious democracy by this one party domination in our nation's capitol directly impacts the health and wellbeing of Californians. Ten years ago we received over 95 cents per federal tax dollar sent to Washington. Today, we get only 79 cents back. The self-proclaimed "Collectinator" has failed miserably as we are perpetually shortchanged by his own party. When Governor Schwarzenegger, channeling the words of Grover Norquest declared that we need to "starve the beast of government," we said "NO, Governor, you're wrong!" When this Governor praised Richard Nixon as his personal hero and traveled to Ohio to ensure the re-election of a criminal George W. Bush, we said "NO, Governor, you're wrong!" When this Governor assaulted the livelihoods of our nurses, teachers, police officers, firefighters and all the honest and hardworking public employees of this state, we said "NO, Governor, you're wrong!" As we approach the general election, it is important that we as Democrats reflect upon the values we share with California voters. When government has no proper role in a given situation because to have a role would violate individual rights, the progressive value is freedom. Freedom is a deeply held American value. But conservatives are destroying our freedoms - the freedom of every woman to her own reproductive choices, the freedom to marry whom we choose and freedom from warrantless government searches. Remember the Terri Schiavo case when conservatives imposed government where it does not belong, denying her family their freedom to choose. When government acts as an arbitrator to settle disputes between private, unequal interests, the progressive value is opportunity. Opportunity is another firmly held American value. We believe that if one works hard and plays by the rules, the American dream should be within reach. A level playing field is all about equal opportunity which means eliminating discrimination. Opportunity is the provision of a quality, public education for everyone so that dreams can be realistically pursued. Of course, conservatives are opposed to equal opportunity. You don't see them on the front lines fighting to end discrimination. Their tax breaks for multi-millionaires, no-bid contracts and privatization of education and health care are all intended to keep the playing field imbalanced. We fight for consumer protections, for worker protections and for anti-monopoly policies. They continually fight against these equal opportunity efforts. When government acts to protect those who cannot protect themselves, the progressive value is security. But security means more than protection from disasters and criminals, foreign or domestic. Americans know that security also means the public protection of our health, wellbeing and of our environment. Conservatives work to dismantle Social Security and pension benefits. We fight to preserve the safety of the products that we use, the food that we eat, the water that we drink and the air that we breathe. Security is a progressive value. It is no secret that our one party government has made this country much less secure than it was a decade ago. Finally, the underlying progressive value is responsibility. Democrats believe that it is our responsibility to create policies which promote freedom, opportunity and security. We believe that it is our responsibility to end discrimination, to feed the hungry and to assist the unemployed. Conservatives don't believe that these are societal problems. They are all about "personal responsibility" meaning each one for him or herself which in reality means avoiding any responsibility for one another. With our values clearly in our mind and in our hearts, it is now time to go on the offensive. They took the governor's office. We want it back. They took the Secretary of State's office. We want it back. And the CA Democratic Party will be present and battling in every county in the state this year. Yes, we'll be in Los Angeles and the SF Bay Area. But we will also be in the Central Valley and the Inland Empire and in Orange County sharing our American values with voters. So, tell me, are you ready to organize and mobilize? Are you ready to educate and motivate? Are you ready to say good bye to Governor Schwarzenegger and to say hello to Speaker of the House Pelosi? Together we can win and secure freedom, opportunity and security for everyone. Yours, Mark Leno Assemblyman, 13th District From the Editor: You can see the webcast of his remarks here SFYD Needs You: Recruitment for Committee Assistance
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 Registered to vote? Are your friends and family registered to vote? The last day to register to vote before the June 6th election is May 22nd. Register to vote here by clicking here Editor's Note: The SFYD Newsletter runs 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. The Women's Technology Cluster Events and Relationship Manager The Women's Technology Cluster is the pre-eminent business incubator in the US dedicated to women leaders building technology-driven businesses. Our mission is to increase the number of successful companies and to leverage their influence. Through our dedicated community of proven CEOs, investors and industry experts, we provide extensive advisory services, coaching, and access to business and capital networks. SUMMARY: The Events and Relationship Manger is integral part of our organization which consists of 5 full time staff members. He/She is responsible for the management of WTC’s events, management of relationships with sponsors and partners and marketing. He/She is also responsible for one direct report, Marketing and Events Associate. For more information, contact info@wtc-sf.org or 415-421-5500 Research Manager Position for Discrimination Research Center: The Discrimination Research Center (DRC) currently seeks a full-time Research Manager. DRC, launched in 1998 by The Impact Fund, combines research, public education and advocacy to uncover and dismantle discrimination in access to employment and public services. DRC currently has three main programmatic thrusts: 1) the impact of Proposition 209 on public contracting and employment; 2) barriers to employment for formerly incarcerated people; and 3) access to health care and other public services. For more information, please visit www.drcenter.org or email drc@impactfund.org, SUBJECT: DRC Research Manager Position. Program Officer for the Global Bio-Cultural Initiative The Christensen Fund, founded in 1957 and located in Palo Alto in the San Francisco Bay Area, is an independent private foundation that has long supported international work in the arts and conservation science fields The Program Officer for the Global Bio-Cultural Initiative is an exciting new position charged with developing a grantmaking strategy for transforming understanding of the importance of - and links between - cultural and biological diversity, and strengthening collaboration between local groups and their global allies struggling with these issues. For more information go to: www.christensenfund.org. PR Professional in SF From mydd.com: I'm on the lookout for a PR professional in San Francisco who's interested in helping and promoting blogs. This job is perfect for a former journalist turned PR person who has decided that blogs are cool and full of promise. 3-5 years of experience in media/PR with some political background is ideal. You must be creative. Being overtly cynical but secretly idealistic is not a bad quality for this job either. Send resumes to stoller at gmail.com. Community Organizer/ Convention San Francisco Peoples' Organization (SFPO) is looking for an organizer to staff our new organization. This person will be supervised by Senior Action Network's director. He/She will coordinate the campaigns and projects of SFPO, including implementing the logistical, outreach and data management details for a convention of up to 500 people. Also, he/she will prepare materials, organize volunteers and attend some night and weekend meetings. Contact Jill@SeniorActionNetwork.org. Lyris E-mail Marketing Manager –Contract Position The Young Presidents’ Organization is an international peer network connecting more than 10,000 young CEOs in more than 80 nations. To learn more about our organization, please visit our public Web site at http://www.ypo.org. Our San Francisco marketing and communications office, located near the Embarcadero south of Market Street, is looking for a bright, energetic e-mail producer for a part-time contract position. The communications team is one of the most visible groups within the organization and is chartered with many different functions including corporate product marketing, corporate partner marketing, corporate services marketing, corporate event marketing, and corporate communications. For further information, contact jl_thornton@hotmail.com. |
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More then 15 members of the San Francisco Young Democrats descended upon Sacramento over the last weekend of April for the annual California Democrats Party State Convention. We joined with hundreds of young democrats from around the state and thousands of activists of all ages for a weekend that was both busy and successful.
