L.A. County Democratic Party

Statement from California Democratic Party Chairman Art Torres calling on Governor Schwarzenegger to sign SB 924, allow voters to voice their opinion on Iraq

“Regardless of the Governor’s views on the war in Iraq, California voters deserve the right to have their voices be heard. In this war that has now claimed more than 3,700 American troops, Californians have suffered the largest toll, having lost more than 400 of our own in Iraq.

“Recent polling shows that two out of three Californians support either withdrawing some or all of the U.S. troops now stationed in Iraq.

“The self-proclaimed ‘People’s Governor’ owes it to the people of California, our troops and their loved ones to let the voice of the voters be heard.”

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Following is an editorial from today’s Orange County Register:

Let Californians be heard on Iraq
There’s no good reason not to have a referendum on the Feb. 5 ballot.
An Orange County Register Editorial

It is difficult to imagine what great harm would be done by having a measure on California’s ballot in February calling on President Bush to begin the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. It would provide a snapshot of public opinion on what is shaping up to be the key national issue of the day. And it could spark more discussion among the people rather than the politicians.

The state Assembly voted Monday to put such a referendum on the Feb. 5 ballot. Since the Senate passed a slightly different version in June, it has been sent back to the Senate. Once the Senate agrees, it will go the Gov. Schwarzenegger’s desk for signature or veto. The governor hasn’t made up his mind and is said to be a little leery of having to address the issue.

He should go ahead and sign it.

One of the consequences of never having had a formal declaration of war (as we still believe the Constitution requires) before invading Iraq is that the kind of far-ranging discussion that should have preceded such a drastic step was short-circuited. A referendum in California would have no power to bind or mandate the president. But it would offer him and his advisers important information about how the people view the Iraq war almost five years on. Not that California is necessarily representative of the nation as a whole, but the views of Californians are not unimportant.

The most childish reason to oppose putting such a referendum on the ballot is the argument that even discussing the idea of troop withdrawal will hurt morale in the military in Iraq and perhaps even endanger the troops. There’s little or no reason to suspect this is true. We’ve read interviews with soldiers and Marines who support the mission passionately. We’ve read interviews with military people in Iraq who have become deeply disillusioned with the war – or convinced that the Iraqi people don’t want what America is offering as badly as the administration wants to offer it – and would welcome immediate withdrawal. We’re in no position to know the precise breakdown, but soldiers in Iraq have more than one monolithic viewpoint.

The one thing we’re quite sure of us that whatever they may think privately of their mission, the men and women on duty in Iraq are professional and well-trained enough that learning some people back home are questioning the wisdom of the war will not turn them into quivering blobs of self-pity and remorse who simply won’t be able to carry on. They have much more important (and threatening) things to worry about. The notion that their morale would crumble if such a referendum were held is a profound insult to them.

Even if a referendum on the war will have no immediate practical effect, it will provide valuable information. If it helps to inspire more wide-ranging and passionate (but civil and informed, we hope) discussion and debate, it will serve the purpose of strengthening civil society back home.

Governor Signs 2007-08 Budget

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the 2007-08 Budget into law on Friday, August 24. The Governor vetoed $703 million in General Fund spending, extensively cutting healthcare and socila service programs.

A new California Budget Project summary reviews the Governor’s vetoes, changes in the final budget agreement as compared to the plan passed by the Assembly in July, and reviews key policy changes in the budget.

To read more go to www.cbp.org

To link directly to the Governor’s summary of the 2007-08 Budget and a listing of his vetoes go to: http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/pdf/Enacted/BudgetSummary/FullBudgetSummary.pdf.

Statement of LACDP Chair Eric Bauman on Adoption of the Budget

“After seven weeks of holding the people and government of California hostage to a hyper-partisan right-wing agenda, enough Republicans in the State Senate finally broke free today to enable passage of the long-overdue state budget.

“This budget is by no means a great victory for the people of California, but in the face of unrelenting partisanship from the Senate Republicans, its passage is welcome.

“For weeks now we have watched as the Senate Republicans moved the goalposts every time a deal was at hand.

Did they do it to ensure a budget that protects those most in need? No!
Did they do it to ensure California remained fiscally sound? No!
Did they do it to cut spending on projects they hold dear? No!

“They did it in an attempt to strangle California’s landmark law to fight global climate change, an issue that has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on the budget and to attempt to advance other parts of their conservative agenda, so clearly out of step with the majority of Californians.

“It took concerted, outspoken and unbending leadership from Democratic Senate leader Don Perata and Democratic Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, who spoke out each day and refused to make a difficult budget even worse. It took the Governor traveling to Republican districts to demand these ideologues put the people of California ahead of their partisan interests.

“Many people have felt the sting of this unnecessary budgetary delay; especially small businesses that operate and provide services to nursing homes and child care centers. Community colleges, which faced the unknown as they prepared to begin the fall semesters and tens-of-thousands of students who did not know if their college grants and loans would be available in time to begin college.

“We urge Governor Schwarzenegger to spare those in greatest need, the elderly, disabled and others dependent on the state for healthcare and other critical services from further harsh cuts in the budget. Through the line-item veto process.

“The only answer to this budgetary insanity is the elimination of the two-thirds requirement for adopting a budget. The people of California should never again face the prospect of a small, unyielding, partisan mob, upending the operations of the State of California and forcing innocent people and small businesses to suffer.

“The LA County Democratic Party stands ready to join with our colleagues and like-minded groups across our state to once-and-for-all put an end to these budgetary shenanigans.”

URGENT VOTER FRAUD ALERT - LYNWOOD CITY RECALL ELECTION

Candidates Edward R. Jacinto and Jim Morton falsely claimed Democratic Party endorsement

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles County Democratic Party (LACDP) today learned that two Lynwood City Council candidates running in the Lynwood City Special Recall Election on Tuesday, September 25, 2007, have falsely claimed the endorsement of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party. 
 
Candidate Edward R. Jacinto, running to replace City Councilmember Fernando Pedroza and Jim Morton, running to replace City Councilmember Leticia Vasquez, have falsely claimed the endorsement on their campaign literature and at public events.
 
The Los Angeles County Democratic Party has not endorsed any candidates running in the Lynwood City Special Recall Election.
 
Jacinto and Morton have been sent official cease-and-desist letters by LACDP’s legal counsel. Additional actions against them may be taken to ensure the voters of Lynwood are not further misled.
 
“By falsely claiming the endorsement of the Democratic Party, these candidates have damaged the integrity of the election process and have misled voters.  We are outraged and do not condone their behavior in misleading voters in the name of the Democratic Party. This type of fraudulent behavior will not be tolerated,” said Eric C. Bauman, Chair of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party.
 
The Los Angeles County Democratic Party is the official governing body of the Democratic Party in the County of Los Angeles and works in cooperation with the State and National Democratic Committees.  LACDP is the largest local Democratic Party entity in the United States, representing nearly 2 million registered Democrats.
 
LACDP conducts the Democratic Party campaign in Los Angeles under the general direction of the California Democratic State Central Committee. It is responsible to build the party organization at the district, regional, and county levels, to register Democratic voters and to encourage Election Day turn out among Democratic voters.  The essence of LACDP’s mission is to encourage the fullest possible participation of all Democratic voters and to disseminate the Democratic message, platform and philosophy.
 
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The Los Angeles County Democratic Party

in collaboration with

The California  Democratic Party, Stonewall Democratic Club,
LA Stonewall Young Democrats, & LA County Young Dems

present

UNITY FORUM WATCH PARTY

August 9th, 2007

5:45 pm - 8:00 pm

at HERE Lounge

(Parking is available in parking lots on Santa Monica Blvd)
696 N Robertson, West Hollywood, CA
Free Admission

Join us as we watch a forum with the Democratic Candidates for President

Sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign and the Logo Network.

If you can’t join us, you can view the forum on online at  www.logoonline.com.

State curtails e-voting - L.A. system decertified; restrictions on two others

By Kevin Yamamura - Sacramento Bee Capitol Bureau - Saturday, August 4, 2007

California Secretary of State Debra Bowen, bowing to fears of computer fraud, Friday decertified Los Angeles County’s electronic voting system and sharply curtailed the use of two other machines that California counties had hoped to use to conduct the February 2008 presidential primary.

She said she would allow unlimited use of one system, Hart InterCivic, as long as security and auditing safeguards are implemented.

But in the case of two major companies — Diebold Election Systems and Sequoia Voting Systems — Bowen said she would allow just one machine per polling place, apparently to provide an accessible option for disabled voters.

Electronic voting critics had unsuccessfully lobbied Bowen’s predecessor to stop the machines’ use in California. More than three dozen California counties have invested millions of dollars in the technology and some will be forced to replace many machines by February under Bowen’s order.

“I reject the notion that I should not require changes in security simply because counties already own (the machines),” Bowen said.

The tested systems are used by 43 of California’s 58 counties and by 9 million out of 15.7 million registered voters, according to UC Berkeley.

CLICK HERE TO READ COMPLETE ARTICLE

REMEMBER FLORIDA IN 2000?

Ohio in 2004 and Florida again in 2006…

COULD CALIFORNIA BE NEXT?

According to Saturday’s San Francisco Chronicle:

“State-sanctioned teams of computer hackers were able to break through the security of virtually every model of California’s voting machines and change results or take control of some of the systems’ electronic functions, according to a University of California study released Friday.

“The researchers “were able to bypass physical and software security in every machine they tested,” said Secretary of State Debra Bowen, who authorized the “top to bottom review” of every voting system certified by the state.” CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE<

Secretary of State Bowen must decide tomorrow (August 3, 2007) whether to decertify these suspect electronic voting machines in order to protect the integrity of our votes, and she needs our support.

The Los Angeles County Democratic Party has joined with the Courage Campaign and Progressive Democrats of America in promoting an on-line petition in support of Secretary Bowen’s review of California’s electronic voting systems.

PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION TODAY!

We just cannot afford to wonder whether our votes are accurately counted in California elections. Not here. Not in the largest state in the union. But that’s just what some county election officials say should happen. Secretary Bowen’s review makes clear that some electronic voting machines are easily hacked — but some county election officials question the need for any security review of those machines.

Some county election officials don’t seem to care that voters lack faith in electronic voting systems. No wonder people say, “why bother to vote? They won’t count it anyway.” Now, we hear of Registrars that say there’s not enough time to make sure that every vote counts. This is pretty simple: if we have time to vote, we damn well want those officials to make the time to count our votes.

The greatest civic duty citizens have is to vote. Our government’s greatest duty is be certain each vote is counted, exactly as it was cast. Secretary Bowen was elected to fulfill this critical obligation. She needs our support NOW! PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION NOW and be sure your vote counts.

After seven years of George W. Bush in the White House, America desperately needs a change. California will lead the way in November 2008, but only if your vote counts.

Thank you,

Eric C. Bauman
Chair Los Angeles County Democratic Party

FOR RESERVATIONS OR INFORMATION PLEASE CALL 213-382-4111

TO ORDER TICKETS ONLINE PLEASE CLICK HERE

Dear Eric,

It’s going to be a long night for the U.S. Senate.

Senate Republicans are threatening to filibuster a bill by Senators Levin and Reed that would require President Bush to begin troop withdrawal within 120 days, with most coming home by April 2008.

But Senator Majority Leader Reid has decided that he’s not going to let them just make a threat and walk away — he’s going to make them stand up in front of the American people and show them just how much they want to stay in Iraq. A few Republicans have started to say the right things, but we don’t know whether they actually have the backbone to stand with the American people and vote the right way, and the threat of a filibuster gives them all the cover they need.

Now, let’s not kid ourselves: they can filibuster, and we probably won’t have the votes to stop them. But if Senate Republicans are against ending the war, then they should show it by voting against the legislation — a straight-up-and-down vote on a bill that the majority of Americans support. That’s how a democratic government works.

Instead, they’re threatening to block the vote, and we’re going to force them to explain themselves in front of the American people.

So let’s show Senator Reid that we’re united behind him. We’ve created a simple tool that will let you write a letter and fax it to your Senators instantly — you can let them know all night long just how much opposition there is to the war in Iraq.

Send your Senators a message right now:

http://www.democrats.org/IraqObstruction

A handful of Republicans loyal to President Bush plan to block the bill even though a similar version passed in the House by a 223-201 margin last week. Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Friday that we need to give the troop escalation time because it is just beginning to “show signs of military success.” But how many times have we heard something like that in the last five years?

As Senator Reid said yesterday:

“Republicans are using a filibuster to block us from even voting on an amendment that could bring the war to a responsible end. They are protecting the President rather than protecting our troops.

“They are denying us an up or down — yes or no — vote on the most important issue our country faces.

“I would like to inform the Republican leadership and all my colleagues that we have no intention of backing down.”

Tell your Senator that you’re not going to back down either:

http://www.democrats.org/IraqObstruction

Since the American people put Democrats back in charge of Congress, the Republican minority has resorted to obstructionism and political games to block any responsible progress toward ending the war in Iraq. Now they’re refusing to even allow a vote on bringing the troops home.

For the first six years of George Bush’s presidency, the Republican majority in Congress failed this country. They had their chance to make their case to continue the war in Iraq, and the American people didn’t buy it.

Now it’s your chance to make the case. Tell your Senators to pass the Levin-Reed amendment and bring the troops home:

http://www.democrats.org/IraqObstruction

Thanks for all that you do,

Gov. Howard Dean, M.D.
Chairman
Democratic National Committee

A Message to Democrats: Local & Global - Democrats Make a Difference

Being a Democrat is more than politics and photo ops, it’s about action.

That’s why the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, the California Democratic Party and Democrats around the nation will dedicate this year’s Democratic Reunion to a challenge we can all take on together - the fight for a cleaner environment.

Unlike our Republican Governor and President who lead with photo ops while blocking progress behind closed doors, Democrats in Congress, our state Capitol and in our neighborhoods will lead the way.

This year’s Reunion won’t be your normal house party event – instead, we’re going to plant trees, clean up local parks and beaches, and kick off community recycling programs. Will you host an event on July 28? Click here to sign up.

Democrats have already taken the lead on climate change, conservation and energy efficiency.

• Speaker Pelosi is leading with a legislative agenda in the House focusing on energy independence.
• The Senate passed an energy bill that will save Americans tens of billions of dollars each year, while reducing our dependence on foreign energy and cutting our oil consumption by seven million barrels a day within 20 years.
• Our state legislature is fighting to ensure that California will place science over politics and move toward the full implementation of AB 32.

The Democratic Party and the 50-State Strategy can be more than a driving force at the voting booth. By working together in towns across America, we can fight for Democratic principles like energy independence while planting the seeds of something a lot bigger - the field organization we need to take back the White House in 2008.

Change begins at home. This summer, let’s work on making our neighborhoods greener and cleaner – a good way to start on the road to cleaning up the Republican mess in Washington.

Work with us on Saturday, July 28 for a stronger Democratic Party and a cleaner America.

Sincerely,

Eric C. Bauman
Chair, Los Angeles County Democratic Party

Senator Art Torres (Ret)
Chairman, California Democratic Party