PRESIDENT S MESSAGE. Dear Members and Friends,

Transcription

1 OF SANTA BARBARA COUNTY ON TI DI E ON TI C LE E PRESIDENT S MESSAGE Dear Members and Friends, DW EMOCRATIC OMEN of SANTA BARBARA COUNTY BOARD OF DIRECTORS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE PRESIDENT Mary Ellen Wylie FIRST VICE PRESIDENT Jill Dexter SECOND VICE PRESIDENT Hillary Blackerby TREASURER Sheridan Rosenberg SECRETARY Gina Fischer COMMUNICATIONS Kikka Bayly BOARD MEMBERS Sondra Aggeler Emily Allen Dianne Channing Beth Katz Amanda Pelch Marian Shapiro Angie Swanson STAFF Mary L. Lattin EX-OFFICIO Chrissy Elles Kathleen Modugno NEWSLETTER Gina Fischer Joshua Andersen DEMOCRATIC WOMEN OF SANTA BARBARA COUNTY P.O. Box Santa Barbara, CA Phone: sbdemwomen@hotmail.com WEBSITE As I write this, we are weeks away from the Presidential Election. I am grateful for this wonderful opportunity during these past months to work with so many talented and committed activist women to address the goals and mission of Democratic Women of Santa Barbara County. Throughout this year our organization has been deeply committed to and focused on our endorsements and supporting our endorsed candidates in the Primary and General Elections. We have advocated for legislation Mary Ellen Wylie & Susan Rose and issues that affect every family in our community and beyond. I especially want to commend the members of our Endorsement, Elections & Legislation Committee (EEL) for the outstanding job they have done in meeting the formidable timeline for completing our thorough and rigorous endorsement process. In electing Barack Obama President, the choice is clear and the stakes for our country and the world have never been higher. I am reminded of Robert F. Kennedy s words when he announced his presidential candidacy in 1968: At stake is not simply the leadership of our party and even our country. It is our right to moral leadership of the planet. At the local level, we must ensure that our community s quality of life and the protection of our coastline, open space, air, water and managed growth be placed in the hands of elected officials who share our values and priorities. You are needed now! Please join us as we fight to win this election! Time is very short and the forces against us are relentless. Volunteer for campaigns, serve as a poll watcher, donate money, promote Democratic candidates to your friends and relatives, and VOTE on November 4th. --Mary Ellen Wylie The Communications Committee thanks all those board members who contributed articles for this Issue. 1

2 DEMOCRATIC HAPPENINGS CAMPUS DEMS REGISTER THOUSANDS by Chrissy Elles The school year has officially started, and the Campus Democrats at UCSB are back to work! We started our school year with a bang by hosting an ice cream social with 3rd District Supervisor candidate, Doreen Farr. Over 100 students came to meet Doreen, play a game of human bingo and get pumped up for the election! Our club now has more than 600 members. To date we have also helped register more than 4,200 students. At our first official meeting, more than 200 students enthusiastically came to listen to Officers at annual officer retreat our guest speakers, Congresswoman Lois Capps, Hannah-Beth Jackson and Doreen Farr. It was quite an exciting night! To ensure Democratic victories in November, we are hosting precinct walks in Isla Vista, phone banking, organizing a trip to Nevada for Obama, and inviting students from across California to participate in a Campaign Invasion to help with our final push for voter registration. We want to thank the Democratic Women for always supporting us, and we promise to deliver Democratic victories November 4th! GREAT AMERICAN WRITE-IN by Angie Swanson In honor of Women s Equality Day, Democratic Women proudly participated in the 5th Annual Great American Write-In hosted by the Santa Barbara Pro-Choice Coalition. Several members of Dem Women participated with lobbying efforts of 25 local organizations. At our table, we gathered numerous signatures in support of AB 1962 (De La Torre); a bill that will ensure that all health insurance programs in California regulated under the Department of Insurance will be required to provide maternity coverage for all women. All letters were sent to the Governor s office. In addition to obtaining more than 1,000 signed letters, members of Dem Women and 25 activists participated in a Stand Up for Choice rally on the corner of State and Anapamu. Colorful signs were waved by an enthusiastic crowd showing their support for choice and the No on 4 campaign. The Pro-Choice Coalition is thankful for the participation and support of the Democratic Women of Santa Barbara County! 2 A SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR NEW MEMBERS! Without your membership, our organization could not continue to grow. Every year we become a stronger voice for women and democratic values in our community. Our members have an integral role in electing Democrats to public office! We are grateful that you chose to become a member of Democratic Women! Judy Anticouni Laura Benson Jack & Sylvia Camiel Merith Cosden Joan Crawford Cathy Culpit Lucie Curtiss Virginia M. Dale Lynda Davis Wana Dowell Elaine Duffens Brianna Eardley-Pryor Gloria & Jennifer Easter Ed Easton Rita Felcher Karen Fruchtman Carrie Cooper Griffith Andrea L. Gross Mary Harris Ursula Henderson Ed Heron Lynn Holley Grant & Peggy Jo House Beverlye Hyman Ann Jaqua Carole Jennings Ruth Johnson Lisa Leitz Laura Malakoff Christine L. Minasian Mary O Gorman Judith Poole Theresa Quintanar Terry Roof Max & Shelly Ruston Barbara Savage Sandy Sponcil Lynne Sprecher Olivia Uribe Judith Wilburn Debra Wyatt

3 ANNUAL LUNCHEON WITH RORY KENNEDY OUR 38TH ANNUAL LUNCHEON by Rita Felcher Saturday, September 20, 2008, our keynote speaker was Rory Kennedy, a most impressive and prolific documentary filmmaker. Rory, the daughter of Robert F. Kennedy, spoke about her films which confront serious social concerns such as AIDS, mental illness, domestic abuse, and drug addiction through personalizing the stories of ordinary people. One of her highly praised documentaries, Ghosts of Abu Ghraib, about abuses by U.S. soldiers at Iraqi prisons in 2003, premiered to critical acclaim at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival before being broadcast on HBO. Rory, a charming, articulate young woman, is a deeply committed activist and has temrory Kennedy porarily stopped filmmaking to devote her time to the Obama campaign. We were particularly impressed by her ability to connect her audience to social injustices and struggles that many Americans face, as their stories are often the subjects of her films. We were also impressed that she was able to overcome a migraine headache and still give a wonderful presentation and share her gift of filmmaking with us. Many thanks to our Co-Chairs-Jill & Ron Dexter, Co-Sponsor-Diane Meyer Simon, Co-Hosts-Supervisor Salud & Gina Carbajal, former Supervisor Susan Rose & Alan Ghitterman, Jan Montgomery, Betty Stephens & Lindsay Fisher, Joan & Erik Thomason, Anne Smith Towbes; Friends such as Congresswoman Lois Capps, Ghita Ginberg, Anna Grotenhuis, Sophia Haimovitz, Judith Hopkinson, Carol Palladini, Mary Ellen & Dennis Wylie. Kudos for Nancy Koppleman, Mistress of Ceremonies, for discussing her humorous election night Survival Kit, Hannah-Beth Jackson (Candidate for State Senate) in charge of the Live Auction which yielded sums from spirited, stunning and generous Democratic Women of Santa Barbara! Nancy Koppleman Most of all, many thanks to all of our contributing and attending members including our very own fabulous doyenne, Selma Rubin. A hot auction item--an autographed, one-of-a-kind Obama poster 3

4 USE THIS GUIDE IN THE VOTING BOOTH LIST OF 2008 ENDORSEMENTS NATIONAL President & Vice President Barack Obama & Joe Biden 23rd District House Rep. Lois Capps STATE 19th District Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson 35th District Assemblymember Pedro Nava COUNTY 3rd District Supervisor Doreen Farr GOLETA City Council Margaret Connell Ed Easton Water Board Lauren Hanson Bill Rosen CARPINTERIA City Council Kathleen Reddington LOMPOC City Council Cecilia Martner Darrell Tullis SANTA BARBARA School Board Annette Cordero Susan Deacon MONTECITO Union School Board Bob Kupiec MEASURES Measure A--YES PROPOSITIONS 1A--YES 2---YES 3---YES 4---NO! 5---YES 6---NO 7---YES 8---NO! 9---NO 10--NEUTRAL 11--NO 12--YES Remember to vote Nov. 4th or mail your permanent absentee ballot by Oct. 31st DEMOCRATS IN 2008 THE WINNING TICKET FOR CHANGE! Barack Obama & Joe Biden President & Vice President It s time to end 8 long and painful years of disastrous Bush policies--let s get out of Iraq, put our economy on the right track, invest in alternative energy, appoint Supreme Court Justices who will protect a woman s right to choose, and restore faith in America, at home and abroad! 4 Lois Capps Congress, 23rd District As a leading advocate for women s rights in our county, nation and around the world, we are excited for Congresswoman Capps to return to Washington with an even bigger Democratic majority in Congress as well as a Democratic President! Hannah-Beth Jackson State Senate, 19th District Our county needs a State Senator who has the interest of women, children, families and the environment at heart! There is no better advocate for us than Hannah-Beth Jackson. We are proud to endorse a candidate who has run a clean campaign while fighting back against an opponent who is on the wrong side of every issue that matters to us. Pedro Nava State Assembly, 35th District A strident environmentalist, Assemblymember Pedro Nava has served Santa Barbara County well. During his last term in the Assembly, Nava will continue to stand up to big oil companies whose negligence pollutes our local environment. He will also continue to fight the Governator s disastrous policies against working families. Doreen Farr 3rd District Supervisor As a longtime county resident, Doreen Farr is the only candidate for Supervisor who can save our pristine Gaviota Coast. We are impressed with the strong campaign she has run and are excited that her addition to the Board of Supervisors will create a prowoman, pro-working family, and pro-environment board majority! For more information on the candidates and their web addresses, please refer to our website: DemocraticWomenSB.org

5 OUR MISSION STATEMENT To promote Democratic principles, issues and candidates by educating the public, increasing voter participation, and ensuring election integrity, while collaborating with other Democratic organizations at the local, state, and national level. IN FOCUS: IMPORTANT PROPOSITIONS AND CAMPAIGNS NO ON PROP. 4 Protect Choice--What Part of No Don t They Understand? Proponents of Proposition 4, the Waiting Period and Parental Notification Initiative, have designed another ballot measure that would seriously endanger teenagers seeking abortions by denying them access to safe medical treatment without parental notification. This is the third time this amendment has been on a California ballot in four years! Having already failed twice, what part of NO! don t the zealots pushing this amendment understand? One reason Prop. 4 is deceptive is because it claims to promote family involvement in a teenager s reproductive choice. But we know that laws cannot mandate family communication. Also, teenagers in overwhelming numbers include a parent, guardian or trusted family member in their reproductive decisions and the small margin of teens who don t tell anyone about their need for an abortion almost always come from an abusive situation. Don t be fooled. This proposition is NOT about teen safety, because denying young women safe access to medical services makes them more likely to take matters into their own hands and that s dangerous! This thinly veiled proposition is merely another deceptive way to chip away at a woman s right to choose. Stand up for choice, vote NO on Prop. 4! NO ON PROP. 8 Support Marriage Equality For All Democratic Women takes a strong NO position on Proposition 8, which would eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry in California. We believe that all loving adult couples should maintain the right to have their relationships acknowledged by the State, and no one deserves to be treated as a second-class citizen. Our communities are stronger when everyone is afforded the respect and equality they deserve. GOLETA CITY COUNCIL Help Preserve the Good Land From Out-Of-Town Developers Goleta is under the threat of big development, but luckily Ed Easton and Margaret Connell are running for Goleta City Council because they are the best candidates to preserve the Good Land. And Dem Women couldn t be more proud to endorse and support their candidacies! In electing Ed and Margaret, it is our chance to reclaim a pro-environment, pro-family board majority. They will join current councilmember Roger Aceves and close the door on wealthy out-of-town developers seeking to make drastic changes to Goleta s General Plan, compared to their opponents who enjoy the comforts of such interests in their campaign coffers. Ed and Margaret together, they will help steer Goleta in the right direction! 5

6 IN CLOSING... Democratic Women of SB speak out! Dem Women offers an exciting new feature developed by members Amanda Pelch and Rita Felcher - the Pelch & Felch Blog where Amanda & Rita sound off. Topics range from local, state, national and world issues peppered with insightful remarks and witty observations. Easy to access. Easy to respond to. And venting, yes! In fact, we encourage it! Visit us at: Look forward to our Annual Meeting in December, more information to follow Business Card Ads We would really like to place your business size card in our next newsletter. Please call our message line for more information: DON T FORGET TO VOTE! DEFEAT McSAME & FAILIN--THE ULTIMATE BRIDGE TO NOWHERE D W EMOCRATIC OMEN of SANTA BARBARA COUNTY P.O. Box Santa Barbara, CA Pre-Sorted Standard U.S. Postage PAID Santa Barbara, CA Permit No