April 2020 Culver City Democratic Club

Activewww.CulverCityDemocraticClub.com Democrat Email: [email protected] • Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/culvercitydems Saving the Planet in the Time of Pandemic–CCDC will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day at its First Virtual Meeting Keynote Speaker: RL Miller, Chair of Democratic Party’s Environmental Caucus. Also, Patricia McPherson on Protecting Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve We’ll have our April general meeting at 7pm on Wednesday, April 22, but it won’t be all in one room, because of America’s need to stop the spread of the deadly Covid-19 virus. Instead, using the virtual meeting app Zoom, members who RSVP to [email protected] will re- ceive an email with a link to the online meeting. The first 100 people to RSVP will be able to participate from home if they have internet access. They will also need either a smartphone or a computer with a camera. An unlimited number of people will be able to call in and hear the meeting on a landline or cellphone. If you don’t have internet access there is a simple way to listen to the program on a telephone. When you RSVP you will receive an email with instructions on how to participate in the meeting. The internet link, call-in number and instructions will be in the email you receive. If you have questions, please email [email protected] or send a text with your name to Pete Rockwell at 415-254-5338. For people who aren’t able to partici- pate, the meeting will be recorded and posted on the Club’s website (www. CulverCityDemocraticClub.com) and our Facebook page (https://www.face- book.com/CulverCityDems/). RL Miller to be Keynote Speaker At the April 22 meeting, our keynote speaker will be one of the most respect- ed California Democratic Party chairs, RL Miller of the Environmental Cau- cus (which grew from 60 to 600 mem- bers under her as chair). She’s also the founder of Climate Hawks Vote, whose mission is to build grassroots political power for the movement to address the climate crisis. (See Earth Day Meeting on page 5) Culver City Democratic Club: Active Democrat April 2020 — Page 2 Virtual Meeting — 7p.m. Wednesday, April 22, 2020 The Culver City Democratic Club will hold its first online membership meeting, on the 50th anniversary of EARTH DAY, with Climate Hawks Vote founder RL Miller President’s Message by Pete Rockwell We have no choice—we MUST rise to this challenge As I was writing this article I happened knew, from learning about the to see a press conference on local TV experience the Chinese government announcing that the city and county of had with the disease, that people with Los Angeles are starting to take action no symptoms could be carrying the to see that the shortage of N95 respi- disease and spreading it for weeks. rators is addressed here in Southern California by setting up partnerships with local manufacturers and local governments. Los Angeles area public officials aren’t waiting for the federal government to rescue our healthcare workers from this problem. They are taking matters into their own hands. The same press conference made it clear that the Southern California local govenments were making Covid-19 test #thisisNOTprotection kits from a South Korean private com- N95 respirator (face mask) The Culver City Democratic Club’s pany available to labs and hospitals in Second VP, Jeanna Harris, is a regis- our area. South Korea started testing as many tered nurse. She sent me this picture This is certainly a good thing, but it asymptomatic people as they could in that she got from her union, National also shines an especially harsh light on order to slow down the epidemic. The Nurses United. She said nurses have the failure of the Trump administration United States did nothing like that, been taking selfies wearing bandanas to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. and even refused to use the test kits and putting the pictures on Facebook. that the World Health Organization Covid-19 testing had on hand. Instead we tried to Right now, healthcare workers do not In the United States, there’s a se- have the protective equipment they create our own test kit. This was a vere shortage of the test kits that are monumental mistake. Now, it looks need to keep working and protect needed to identify people who have themselves from Covid-19 — a virus like the situation here will get much been infected by Covid-19. Not only worse before it gets better. that’s spreading like a grass fire all is this a problem because it means For now, all we can do is stay home to over the planet and killing thousands we are not able to identify which pa- avoid spreading the disease. Follow the of people. Many of these workers have tients have Covid-19 and which have advice of experts about hand washing, recently been told to use scarves in flu or pneumonia — it means that it’s social distancing, and other personal place of proper masks, because there is harder to identify healthcare profes- precautions Also, please stay away a critical shortage of N95 respirators. sionals and first-responders who are from hospitals and emergency rooms carriers of Covid-19 but don’t have When doctors and nurses are per- unless your problem is a matter of life any symptoms. It also means that to forming surgery or interacting with and death. patients that may be carrying a com- slow the spread of the disease we need municable disease, a particular type of to tell everybody to stay away from No more paper newsletter face mask (also known as an N95 res- everybody else, instead of putting The Club newsletter will be online pirator) is recommended to be worn. only carriers of the disease in quaran- from now on. If you want a paper These masks are regulated by the tine. South Korea used testing to slow newsletter, you can print one on your FDA. To learn more, read about Per- Covid-19’s spread, and it looks today home printer. If you don’t have a print- sonal Protective Equipment (PPE) on like the technique they used worked. er, text me your name (415-254-5338) the website of the Centers for Disease South Korea and the United States or email me and I will make sure you Control (CDC): https://www.cdc.gov/ both reported their first cases of get a paper newsletter. Covid-19 is coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/respira- Covid-19 on the same day: January 21, only one of the reasons for this change. tor-use-faq.html 2020. The South Korean government [email protected] Culver City Democratic Club: Active Democrat April 2020 — Page 3 I was a poll worker at Warner Elementary School in Westwood—It was a nightmare At lunch hour all tablets used to check place them in the box. Many ballots people in were slowing down. The sys- were randomly found at the table or on tem kept syncing, which caused every the floor. We quickly ran out of English ballot to be posted as provisional. We write-in ballots. tried switching between tablets that People were very frustrated and yelled were not syncing. Sometimes it worked, at us. The check-in machines were au- but ninety percent of the time it didn’t. tomatically giving out provisional bal- After lunch hour the lines got bigger. lots because the system was lagging. By 2 pm, wait time had increased from Ninety percent of voters got provision- an hour and a half to three hours. At al ballots after the lunch rush and all that point the tablets couldn’t find through the evening. people in the system. Even when they The system kept notifying us that the brought in their information ballots, voter was receiving a provisional bal- by Emily Dibbiny the scanner couldn’t read their regis- lot because the tablet was syncing, but What I witnessed March third as an tered personal info. they failed to sync all day long. People election worker in Los Angeles County We had to register people as new vot- were very angry because they were not was a crime. ers, even though they’d lived at the happy to get a provisional ballot. Their Most voters couldn’t be found in the same address for years, and even if information was correct, and there was new system. If they showed up with the they’d voted in 2018. We couldn’t pull no need for them to be issued a provi- affidavit printed out, their record was up their info because the system was sional ballot. The voters were frustrat- nowhere to be found. Everyone who crashing. It also wouldn’t allow us to ed because they waited three hours in prepared a poll pass had it rejected as print out ballots for any new registered line just to get a provisional ballot. “voter not found” when it was scanned voters that we were logging in that day. Our leader was stretched out between at registration. After hitting “print” the blue tab would helping elder voters and answering an- A lot of voters who signed up for vote- disappear as the printer froze. gry voters’ questions. by-mail ballots didn’t receive them. We ran out of voter info booklets in The printers kept freezing and we Some voters registered as “non-parti- English very quickly. Most UCLA stu- couldn’t print out any type of ballot. san” never got their crossover ballot. dents were able to find a sample bal- At that point we were forced to give The new system allowed us to give vot- lot online, but older voters were over- write-in ballots in foreign languages to ers a crossover ballot, but not everyone whelmed with the technology. We were people who didn’t know the language was able to wait for three hours in line trying to help them as much as we because we ran out of English forms. during lunch hour. The minute it was could but there were only four of us. People kept yelling at us and we had no lunchtime the lines started growing answers. We were trying to accommo- People yelling at us, non-stop stress, and the new system crashed because of date hundreds of voters but we didn’t the overwhelming numbers. no food, no breaks We started setting up at 6 am and have the resources. Many older voters were not comfort- opened at 7. During training we’d been The voter information that was found able with the technology. Some of them told to close at 8 pm. At 8 pm we pointed in the system was accurate and up to- walked out with the ballot thinking it out who was the last person in line and date. There was no need for a provision- was their receipt. We had to chase them after that everyone got turned away. We al ballot but it was the default setting down and ask them to scan it back into were never informed by officials that we for the tablet because it kept syncing. the machine they’d gotten it from. had to keep polls open till 10 pm. The system automatically gave no op- People were confused and they would tion but provisional ballots. We had no breaks. All four of us had walk over to the check-in table with never done this before. The lead person Many of those voters were on their their ballot before they’d finished vot- kept calling the “help line” but no re- lunch break: a chef, UCLA nurses, etc. ing. We had to instruct voters to go sponse. People were getting impatient Some had to go back to their shift and back to the same machine and scan waiting in line for three hours so they abandoned the line. the ballot back in, but by then some wrote in their candidates on write-in machines were occupied by other vot- ballots that had no serial numbers or Poll worker training ers. So they would insert their ballot When I registered to become an elec- envelopes. in the drop-off box. But many people tion worker I was given minimum in- walked out not knowing what to do Voters were tossing these write-in bal- formation. I tried to look up everything even though we explained the full pro- lots at us without waiting for us to give online. I was told everything would be cess when they checked in. them instructions on how to properly (See Poll Worker on page 4) Culver City Democratic Club: Active Democrat April 2020 — Page 4 ( Poll Worker from page 3) She told me that I could leave after Voters were sharing wrong info with mailed to me, but it came very late. A lunch rush hour. That never happened other people, telling them to use write- week before election no one had an- because that’s when things started go- in ballots. By the time they got to the swered my calls or messages. I regis- ing crazy. My conscience wouldn’t al- check-in table, some had a written tered online for training. low me to just walk out and leave hun- ballot inside the pink envelope while I was able to look up training in per- dreds of people in line. I was printing their provisional ballot, son. I showed up, but my info wasn’t on Most provisional ballots processed by so I had to ask them to throw out the file even though I had a log-in and ID other poll workers were not completed written ones. They would have had two assigned. properly. Only the voter’s section was types of ballots in the same envelope. I don’t think the other volunteers were I only received info in the mail for train- filled out on pink envelopes but the paying attention to that issue. ing but no address where to show up. election worker explanation was left Finally the lead at my station called to blank because we were overwhelmed. The drop-off box was so full that we ask why I didn’t show up on Saturday, Void ballots were being stepped on all couldn’t insert more envelopes, but we the first day of voting. She called me over the floor. There were protest vot- had no back-up box. One of the other on Monday, begging for help, because ers who didn’t want a provisional ballot volunteers opened it up. I didn’t see it was only her and one more volunteer. and left all paperwork on the check-in who. Anyone could reach in and touch I asked her if I would get paid. She said table and marched off. We had to can- any ballot. It was a nightmare keeping we are just volunteers. So I showed up cel their ballots because they refused people away from the box. Some were at six in the morning out of the kind- to vote with a provisional ballot. They just dropping off mail-in ballots. ness of my heart because I wasn’t sure took off to another election center try- These problems need to be fixed before if I was going to get paid for the day. ing to see if its system worked better. November. Continuity of Democracy in the Time of the Corona-geddon tween exercising their constitution- gan in which he expressed his “deep al right and putting their health at concerns” and called on Logan to mail risk. When disaster strikes, the saf- a Vote by Mail ballot to every regis- est route for seniors, individuals with tered voter in the County 29 days be- compromised immune systems or oth- fore the November 3rd General Elec- er at-risk populations is to provide ev- tion. Myself, I am taking no chances. ery voter with a paper ballot they can I have already re-registered to vote as return by mail or drop-off site. This a permanent vote-by-mail voter. (At: is a nonpartisan, common-sense solu- https://registertovote.ca.gov/ )

tion to the very real threat looming For more information about the Nat-

this November.” ural Disaster and Emergency Ballot Act of 2020, go to page 9 of this news- And so, Senators Wyden, Klobuchar letter. and others are introducing the Nat- ural Disaster and Emergency Ballot Secretary Padilla’s response to the by Cynthia Hart Act of 2020. This bill would require March Mess is on page 10 of this After reading Emily’s story (“I was a all states to allow citizens to vote by newsletter. Poll Worker”), I can only say “Yipes! mail. The bill even provides fund- What if that were happening during ing to assist states in setting this a General Election at a time of Natu- up. Both of our California Senators ral Disaster or Emergency or Global have stepped up to co-sponsor the Pandemic! Imagine crowds of voters bill. Please take a moment to call or with no room for social distancing and email our Senators and thank them hundreds of people touching the same for their support! touch-screen voting equipment! Imag- Happily, we are already covered here ine many poll workers and voters with in Los Angeles County. After the vulnerabilities due to age or underlying March Madness at the polls, Califor- health condition. Double Yipes!! nia Secretary of State Alex Padilla As Senator Ron Wyden has put it, dashed off a sternly worded letter to “No voter should have to choose be- County Registrar-Recorder Dean Lo- Culver City Democratic Club: Active Democrat April 2020 — Page 5 (Earth Day Meeting from page 1) Patricia McPherson How to Our second featured speaker will be activist Patricia McPherson, president Join the Culver City Democratic Club online of the Sierra Club’s Grassroots Coali- 1. Go to the Club’s website: tion. For twenty years she has worked on public health and safety issues www.CulverCityDemocraticClub.com around the oil and gas industry, with 2. Click on the Join / Renew button: a focus on protection of the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve, as well as stopping the Big Dig. For members needing online help If you are not familiar with Zoom, we can set up a short practice meeting. Text youur name to Pete Rockwell at 415-254-5338, or email [email protected] 3. This will take you to the Actblue website

If Trump alone can fix our coronavirus crisis, then why the hell hasn’t he? by Robin Abcarian Los Angeles Times In 2016, as Donald Trump accepted the Republican presidential nomination, he said the “system” was broken. “I alone can fix it,” he darkly proclaimed. At the time, his dictatorial demeanor chilled me to the bone. 4. Join the Culver City Democratic Club! But you know what’s crazy? Now that we’re facing a problem that he alone really can fix, he has totally like one. He waited until Friday to in- Thursday picked a fight with New whiffed. voke the Defense Production Act, and York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has re- still only in a limited way, saying he quested 30,000 ventilators. The mighty blowhard in the Oval Of- will use it to ensure General Motors fice has once again revealed himself to “I don’t believe you need 40,000 or begins making and prioritizes produc- care more about the stock market, his 30,000 ventilators,” Trump told Sean tion of much-needed ventilators. But flagging company businesses and his Hannity. “You know, you go into major what took him so long, and what about own reelection than the health of the hospitals, sometimes they’ll have two the range of other things needed in the American people. ventilators. And now, all of a sudden, fight? they’re saying, ‘Can we order 30,000 Let me explain. And when the federal government has ventilators?’” For decades, presidents have had the belatedly gotten involved, it has dith- Yes, you very stable genius, that’s ex- ability to invoke a Korean War-era ered, as we saw last week when a ven- actly what they are saying! law, the Defense Production Act. The ture between General Motors and Ven- act would have allowed Trump weeks tec Life Systems to produce ventilators By Friday morning, it seemed, Trump ago to order manufacturers to create appeared to be falling apart. “The only realized the predicted ventilator short- desperately needed medical supplies thing missing,” reported the New York age was not a hoax. He angrily tweeted — including things as simple as masks Times, “was clarity from the govern- insults at GM and its CEO Mary Barra and gloves or as sophisticated as venti- ment about how many ventilators they for seeming to backtrack on the num- lators — and use the massive logistical needed — and who would be paid to ber of ventilators the company pre- power of the American military to as- build them.” dicted it could turn out, warning that sist in the task. he might have to invoke the Defense So instead of being able to make a Production Act, but not immediately And though he has declared himself a grand announcement about the joint doing it. “wartime president,” he has yet to act venture days ago, the president on (See Robin Abcarian on page 6) Culver City Democratic Club: Active Democrat April 2020 — Page 6 Di’s Corner: by Diane Rosenberg Andy and Diane Rosenberg At our general meeting on March 11, Maeve are sponsoring Giza, from State Senator Holly Mitchell’s of- April’s General Meeting. fice, came by with Certificates of Recognition to be given to the new 2020 officers, as well as IN MEMORY OF Certificates of Recognition for Club mem- Herb Rosenberg ber Rick Tuttle, recipient of the Trudy and Hal Cherness Democrat of the Year Award, beloved Husband and Father and Sarah Hager, recipient of the Rising Star Mark Stuart Rosenberg Award. Congratulations to Rick, Sarah and all beloved Son and Brother the newly-elected Club officers.

(Robin Abcarian from page 5) that now faces us. Why has he allowed states, counties “They said they were going to give us Brooks, the son of Mel Brooks and the and cities to fend for themselves, and 40,000 much needed Ventilators, ‘very late Anne Bancroft, became something to find themselves bidding against quickly,’” Trump tweeted. “Now they of an internet sensation last week each other for crucial equipment? are saying it will only be 6000, in late when he posted a video urging young- “I don’t know whether it’s sheer incom- April, and they want top dollar. Al- er people to get serious about social petence, whether it’s ideology,” said ways a mess with Mary B.” distancing. “If I get the coronavirus, Brooks. “But this is why we have big It took a barrage of criticism for Trump I’ll probably be OK,” says Brooks, in government. It is literally in our Con- to finally sign the memorandum re- his father’s garden, as his 93-year-old stitution to provide for the ‘common quiring GM to “accept, perform and father looks on through a plate-glass defense.’ This is not a state-by-state prioritize” federal contracts for the window. “But if I give it to him, he fight; it’s a national fight. It would be government contracts for production of could give it to Carl Reiner, who could like responding to Pearl Harbor by let- ventilators. give it to Dick Van Dyke and, before ting deal with it.” Always a mess with you, too, sir. I know it, I’ve wiped out a whole gen- Though China was not transparent eration of comedic legends.” The video, In the absence of a full-throated gov- with its own citizens when the nov- appropriately enough, has gone viral. ernment response to the shortages el coronavirus was first discovered, it of personal protective equipment, or When I reached Brooks Thursday af- reported the discovery to the World PPE, citizens have stepped in to fill ternoon, he was at home in Venice Health Organization on Dec. 31. the void. My friend Dayle has been sit- with his wife and teenage son, study- On Jan. 12, the WHO announced ting at her sewing machine in Santa ing a 2017 Department of Homeland that China had shared the genetic Monica turning out face masks for the Security document with the unwieldy sequence, “which will be of great im- Million Mask Project. UCLA engineers title, “Biological Incident Annex to portance for other countries to use in are working with doctors to make face the Response and Recovery Federal developing specific diagnostic kits.” shields with 3-D printers. They never Interagency Operational Plans.” The “What could have happened from the should have had to do these things in annex is part of the National Response moment the virus was first discovered the first place. Framework, which lays out in excru- is the federal government could have ciating detail how the federal govern- “What could have happened from the moved swiftly and silently to prepare ment should respond to a “biological moment this virus was first discovered us,” said Brooks. “And while that incident,” such as the virus that caus- is the federal government could have may not have stopped the virus from es COVID-19, which, as of Friday, has moved swiftly and silently to prepare coming to our country, it would have afflicted nearly 86,000 Americans and us,” said Max Brooks, the apocalyptic stopped the panic.” killed at least 1,275. novelist whose deep research for his Instead, Trump spent January and novels has left him with a lot of well-in- “On Page 31, on line 15, it literally February downplaying the danger. formed thoughts on disaster planning. says the goal is to support PPE needs, “One day, it’s like a miracle, it will dis- “And while that may not have stopped which involves utilization of the De- appear,” he said on Feb. 27. the virus from coming to the country, it fense Production Act,” said Brooks. would have stopped the panic.” “It’s right here in the plan, studied by He had a chance to be the miracle worker he believes himself to be. Brooks, 47, author of “The Zombie state, local and federal agencies. They Survival Guide,” and “World War Z: have been trained for this. They are And he blew it. An Oral History of the Zombie War,” ready to go.” Robin Abcarian is an opinion colum- is intimately familiar with the feder- So what could account for Trump’s nist at the Los Angeles Times. She al government’s granular planning for reluctance to pull this powerful lever writes about news, politics and culture emergency situations such as the one with real force? on Wednesday and Sunday. Culver City Democratic Club: Active Democrat April 2020 — Page 7 Trump says quiet part out loud: ‘You’d never have a Republican elected in this country again’ Jen Hayden ly irked him? Democrats insisted on day off work, the long lines, finding a Staff provisions to safeguard voting, provide babysitter, and so on? The answer isn’t more polling locations, and/or move to complicated. Democrats vastly out- Just kidding! He spent the morning mail-in voting like California and Col- number Republicans nationwide and talking to his Fox friends live on-the- orado have quite successfully done in increasing the number of people who air to complain about the coverage recent years. Makes sense in the mid- can vote likely means shrinking the he’s been getting and generally act- dle of a global pandemic that is project- Republican power grip on everything ing like the unqualified, incompetent ed to kill 200,000 Americans, right? from the White House to your local narcissist running the country during According to Donald Trump, making school board. Heck, even independents a global crisis that he truly is, only a outnumber Republicans these days. day after he publicly suggested New sure people can vote is “crazy.” He York healthcare professionals might then added that if we took these kinds And that, friends, is precisely why be hoarding masks for their own per- of steps and provided adequate fund- Donald Trump and Republicans are sonal reasons. ing, “you’d never have a Republican doing everything they can to limit how elected in this country again.” He said many people vote. From creating vot- While there were plenty of hair-raising the quiet part out loud. While the stim- er ID laws to reducing the number of moments during his rambling morning ulus package did include $400 million polling locations to refusing to allow session on Fox News, he did provide for voting protections, that is a far cry people to vote by mail, it’s all meant to a quote that should be newsworthy. from the $2 billion experts say is need- suppress the vote. It’s been very effec- During a discussion about the $2 tril- ed in 2020. According to The New York tive for Republicans in the past and for lion stimulus package he just signed Times, the $400 million was a settle- once in his life, Donald Trump might to slow the economic tsunami rolling ment with Republicans who only of- be right about the long odds of Repub- across the country, he lamented the fered $140 million of the $2 billion. licans getting elected if we actually provisions Democrats tried to attach I mean, it is 2020, why can’t we all mail create a system wherein all the people to the stimulus. What provision real- in our ballots at this point and skip the can vote.

SATIRE FROM THE NEW YORKER TRUMP CATCHES MELANIA WATCHING CUOMO BRIEFING WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)— An awkward scene unfolded at the White House on Tuesday after Donald J. Trump came upon his wife, Melania, furtively watching New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s daily coronavirus briefing. According to White House sources Trump was walking down a corridor of the Family Residence when he heard a familiar nasal voice emanating from the Lincoln Bedroom, droning on about masks and ventilators. Bursting into the room, Trump came upon his wife watching Cuomo with rapt attention. Caught by surprise, Melania quickly turned off the television and claimed that she was only watching Cuomo “to see how many big terrible mistakes he makes.” While her husband seemed to accept her explanation, the incident raised eyebrows at the White House, where, for weeks, the First Lady has been vanishing midday to watch the Governor’s daily COVID-19 updates. Reportedly last week a White House staffer observed Melania alone in the Lincoln Bedroom, the lights dimmed, the room illuminated only by the flickering image of Andrew Cuomo. Unaware that she was being watched the First Lady was overheard murmuring to Cuomo “You be best.” Culver City Democratic Club: Active Democrat April 2020 — Page 8 Proposed Resolutions

Resolution on Ballot Design in the Resolution on Vote By Mail in the November 3, 2020 General Election November 3, 2020 General Election WHEREAS, The Primary Election of March 3, 2020 WHEREAS, Governor Gavin Newsom has decreed was characterized by voting screens not working a Stay-At-Home social distancing advisory to slow properly, long lines, long waiting periods at the new down the rate of infection with the coronavirus voting centers; and COVID-19 in order not to overwhelm our hospitals WHEREAS, candidates running for the same office and our inventory of personal protective equipment were placed on different pages with the result (PPE) stockpiles; and that voters could have missed voting for some of WHEREAS, COVID-19 has been compared to one of the candidates if they had not pressed the “more” its coronavirus pandemic predecessors, the Spanish button on their voting screens; and Flu that occurred between 1918 and 1920, we must WHEREAS, voters who registered to vote by mail prepare for the current pandemic to last months did not receive their ballots in time and had to drive rather than weeks in realistic terms; and to Norwalk to vote early; now, therefore, be it WHEREAS, COVID-19 can be spread by everyone RESOLVED, That the Culver City Democratic Club pushing the same buttons when voting and urges the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/ congregating in one place without maintaining the County Clerk to allow all eligible voting residents recommended six feet separation; now, therefore, of the County of Los Angeles to vote by mail in the be it November 3, 2020 election to avoid the technical RESOLVED, That the Culver City Democratic Club problems encountered in the March 3 election; and urges the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/ be it further County Clerk to mandate all eligible voters in Los RESOLVED, That Culver City Democratic Club urges Angeles County to vote by mail in the November 3, that the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/ 2020 election to protect the health of the County’s County Clerk list the names of the candidates residents and poll workers; and be it further running for the same office on the same page of RESOLVED, That, when passed, this resolution be the ballot, just as it was done for the Presidential distributed to all the Democratic Clubs chartered candidates, so that the voters can view and evaluate by the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, to ALL the candidates at the same time. California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, and to Los Respectfully submitted: Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/ County Clerk Khin Khin Gyi Dean Logan. Ronnie Jayne Solomon Respectfully submitted: Tom Camarella Khin Khin Gyi Ronnie Jayne Solomon Tom Camarella

Culver City Democratic Club: Active Democrat April 2020 — Page 9 Natural Disaster and Emergency Ballot Act (NDEBA) of 2020 Sponsored by Senators Klobuchar and Wyden and Senators: Hirono, Baldwin, Coons, Sanders, Markey, Van Hollen, Booker, Smith, Harris, Jones, Feinstein, Peters, Durbin, Merkley, Murphy, Stabenow, Blumenthal, Warner, Murray, Heinrich, Udall, Warren, Duckworth, and Cantwell Problem: Ohio, Louisiana, Georgia, Maryland, and registration application, absentee ballot application, or Kentucky have delayed their presidential primary an absentee ballot. elections due to the COVID-19 coronavirus. The Natural ● Require states to offer their downloadable and Disaster and Emergency Ballot Act (NDEBA) represents printable absentee ballots currently made available to a commonsense solution to ensuring the 2020 elections military and overseas voters, to domestic voters who and future elections are resilient to emergencies, (1) requested but did not receive an absentee ballot for including natural disasters and pandemics, and that we the 2020 election and (2) to voters with disabilities who are protecting the voting rights of those in harm’s way requested an absentee ballot and reside in a state that as well as emergency responders. Natural disasters and does not offer secure accessible remote ballot marking public health emergencies are occurring more frequently technology. and with greater impact than ever before, affecting the ability of victims and first responders to vote on Election ● Charge the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) Day. The lack of voting options in many states and with creating a uniform domestic downloadable and sufficient emergency ballot procedures leaves many printable absentee ballot that can be used starting in voters disenfranchised. COVID-19, hurricanes Harvey 2022. and Irma, and wildfires in the Western United States ● Direct all states that do not already use ballot tracking are recent examples of the damage and disruption that systems to use envelopes with an Intelligent Mail public health emergencies and natural disasters can barcode (IMb) to allow voters to track their ballot for the cause. 2020 and successive elections. The bill would specifically: ● Charge the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security ● Ensure that voters in all states have 20 days of early Agency (CISA), in consultation with the General in-person voting and no-excuse absentee vote-by-mail Services Administration (GSA), EAC, the United States and ensure states begin processing (but not counting) Postal Service, and states to create a domestic ballot votes cast during early voting or by mail 14 days before update service for election officials to provide voters Election Day to avoid delays in counting votes on with updates on their ballot for the 2024 elections and Election Day. beyond. ● Ensure states implement a specified signature curing ● Guarantee that all voter registration applications procedure for voters. submitted by mail or online, up until and 21 days prior to Election Day, are deemed valid. Any state may have a ● Provide additional accommodations for Native deadline closer to Election Day. American voters including allowing tribes to designate ballot ● Require states and jurisdictions to establish a publicly available contingency plan to enable eligible Americans pickup and drop-off locations and not requiring residential to vote in the case of an emergency and establish an address for election mail. initiative to recruit poll workers from high schools and ● Authorize funds necessary to reimburse states for the colleges as well as from other State and local government cost of implementing the Act, such as providing absentee offices. ballots and prepaid postage, and purchasing additional ● Provide all voters with the option of online requests for ballot scanners and absentee ballot drop boxes. absentee ballots and require states to accept requests ● Authorize funds necessary to reimburse states for received up until and 5 days prior to Election Day. Any the cost of developing or purchasing and implementing state may have a deadline closer to Election Day. secure remote ballot marking to enable voters with ● Guarantee the counting of absentee ballots postmarked disabilities to mark their ballots at home and vote by or signed before the close of the polls on Election Day mail. and received up until and on the 10th day following ● Provide $3 million in additional funds to the EAC for Election Day. supporting states in implementing the Act. ● Ensure states provide self-sealing envelopes with ● All requirements will go into effect for the 2020 general prepaid postage for all voters who request a voter election and thereafter. Culver City Democratic Club: Active Democrat April 2020 — Page 10 Culver City Democratic Club: Active Democrat April 2020 — Page 11 So it’s all about helping the economic victims of the coro- Will We Flunk navirus lockdown. How are we doing? The good news is that thanks to Democratic pressure, the Pandemic CARES Act, the $2 trillion not-a-stimulus bill that be- came law less than three weeks after Trump dismissed Economics? the notion that Covid-19 might pose an economic prob- lem, is mostly focused on the right things. The core pro- Our government suffers from visions of the legislation are aid to hospitals, the unem- learned helplessness. ployed and small businesses that maintain their payrolls; By Paul Krugman these are exactly the kinds of things we should be doing. New York Times What’s especially remarkable is that we got mostly sensi- Just a month ago Donald Trump was still insisting that ble legislation even though the president was talking non- Covid-19 was a trivial issue, comparing it to the “com- sense, pushing for — what else? — tax cuts as the solution mon flu.” And he dismissed economic concerns; after all, for the economy’s problems. Actually, I can’t think of any during flu season, “nothing is shut down, life & the econ- other recent example in which Republicans agreed to ma- omy go on.” jor fiscal legislation that mainly involved spending to ben- efit the needy, without any tax cuts for the rich. But pandemics come at you fast. Since Trump’s blithe dismissal, something like 15 million Americans have The bad news comes in two parts. lost their jobs — the economic implosion is happening so First, the bill falls far short of what’s needed on one cru- quickly that official statistics can’t keep up. cial dimension: aid to state governments, which are on the In our last economic crisis the economy shrank around front line of dealing with the pandemic. Unlike the feder- 6 percent relative to its long-run trend, and the unem- al government, states have to balance their budgets each ployment rate rose around five percentage points. At a year. Now they’re facing a surge in costs and huge revenue guess, we’re now looking at a slump three to five times losses; unless they get a lot more aid, they’ll be forced to that deep. cut spending sharply, which will directly undermine es- sential services and indirectly deepen the overall slump. And this plunge isn’t just quantitatively off the charts; it’s qualitatively different from anything we’ve seen be- And it’s not clear when or whether that hole will be filled. fore. Normal recessions happen when people choose to Senate Republicans are hostile to the idea of another res- cut spending, with the unintended consequence of de- cue package; White House officials are reportedly still stroying jobs. So far this slump mainly reflects the delib- talking about tax cuts. erate, necessary shutdown of activities that increase the Second, decades of hostility to government have left us rate of infection. poorly positioned to deliver even the aid Congress has As I’ve been saying, it’s the economic equivalent of a med- voted. State unemployment offices have been underfund- ically induced coma, in which some brain functions are ed for a long time, and red states have deliberately made temporarily shut down to give the patient a chance to heal. it hard to apply for benefits. So the surge in unemploy- ment is overwhelming the benefits system; Congress may While a deep slump is unavoidable, however, good poli- have voted disaster relief, but the money isn’t flowing. cies could do a lot to minimize the amount of hardship Americans experience. The problem is that the U.S. po- The loan program for small businesses is also, by all ac- litical landscape has long been dominated by an anti-gov- counts, off to a shambolic start. And those $1,200 checks ernment ideology that left us unprepared, intellectually everyone is supposed to get? Many Americans won’t get and institutionally, for this crisis. them for weeks or months. What should we be doing? Serious economists have al- It doesn’t have to be like this. Canada has already set ready reached a rough consensus over the appropriate up a special web portal and phone system to provide policy response to a pandemic. The bottom line is that emergency unemployment benefits. Germans have been this isn’t a conventional recession, which calls for broad- pleasantly surprised by how quickly aid is flowing to the based economic stimulus. The immediate mission, beyond self-employed and small businesses. an all-out effort to contain the pandemic itself, should in- But decades of conservative attacks on the idea that gov- stead be disaster relief: generous aid to those suffering a ernment can do anything good have left America with a sudden loss of income as a result of the economy’s lock- unique case of learned helplessness. And this is combined down. with utter lack of leadership from the top. It’s true that we could suffer a second round of job losses We know what we should be doing in terms of economic if the victims of the lockdown slash spending on other policy, and Congress passed a relief bill that, while flawed, goods and services. But adequate disaster relief would was better than I expected. But right now it looks as if our address this problem, too, helping to sustain demand. response to the economic emergency will fall far short. Culver City Democratic Club: Active Democrat April 2020 — Page 12 Our country is now facing its worst crisis in modern history by An important precedent for that ap- deductibles, co-payments and out-of- April 5, 2020 proach was taken in the recent stim- pocket healthcare expenses for the un- ulus package in which grants were insured and the underinsured. No one We are in the midst of a COVID-19 provided to the airlines for the sole in America who is sick, regardless of pandemic that could lead to the death purpose of maintaining the paychecks immigration status, should be afraid of hundreds of thousands of Americans and benefits of some 2 million workers to seek the medical treatment they and infect millions of others, and we in that industry through September need during this national pandemic. are entering an economic downturn 30. We must expand that program to Let me be clear: I am not proposing that could be worse than the Great De- cover every worker in America and we that we pass Medicare for All in this pression of the 1930s. must make it retroactive to the begin- moment. That fight continues into the Last week, 3.3 million Americans filed ning of this crisis. This is not a radical future. But, for the moment, we must for unemployment. This week that idea. Other countries, such as the UK, act boldly to make sure everyone can number doubled to 6.6 million claims Norway, Denmark, France, and oth- get the health care they need in the — ten times higher than any other ers have all come up with similar ap- coming months. week on record. It is certain that well proaches to sustain their economy and over 10 million people have lost their prevent workers from losing their jobs. 3. Use the Defense jobs — more than in the Wall Street Our primary goal during this crisis Production Act to Produce crash of 2008. must be to prevent the disintegration the Equipment and In this unprecedented moment in mod- of the American economy. It will be ern American history, it is imperative much easier and less expensive to pre- Testing We Need Unbelievably, in the United States that we respond in an unprecedented vent the collapse of the economy than right now, doctors and nurses are un- way. And that means that Congress trying to put it back together after it necessarily putting their lives on the must pass, in the very near future, the collapses. line treating people suffering from the boldest piece of legislation ever written To do this, we must also begin month- coronavirus because they lack person- in modern history. ly payments of $2,000 for every man, al protective equipment like masks, There are many, many issues that woman, and child in our country, and gloves, and surgical gowns. The CDC must be addressed in our response to guarantee paid family leave through- has directed health professionals to this pandemic, and working together, out this crisis so that people who are use homemade gear like bandanas or we will make sure they are addressed. sick do not face the choice of infecting scarves and some workers at the VA others or losing their job. are being told to re-use one surgical But today, I am outlining a set of six mask for a week at a time. HHS esti- core provisions that must be included 2. We Must Guarantee mated that our country needs 3.5 bil- in the next legislation Congress passes lion masks in response to this crisis. to support working people in this coun- Health Care to All try during this horrific crisis: Let’s be clear: we were facing a cata- President Trump has utilized the strophic health care crisis before the Defense Production Act thousands 1. Addressing the pandemic, and now that crisis has be- of times for the military and for en- come much, much worse. Already, 87 Employment Crisis and forcement of his immigration policies, million people are uninsured or un- yet he has resisted using its power to Providing Immediate derinsured. Layoffs will mean tens of save lives during the pandemic. That Financial Relief millions of people more will lose their is unacceptable. We must immediately current insurance — which will result and forcefully use the Defense Produc- There is little doubt in my mind that in countless deaths and bankruptcies. tion Act to direct the production of all we are facing an economic crisis that Already in the last two weeks, an es- of the personal protective equipment, could be even worse than the Great timated 3.5 million people have lost ventilators and other medical supplies Depression. The St. Louis Federal their employer-sponsored insurance. needed. Reserve has projected that 47 million more people may become unemployed And as the pandemic grows, we are We must also utilize this power to pro- by the end of June, with unemploy- seeing more and more reports of peo- duce antibody tests so we can begin ment reaching 32 percent. In my view, ple who have delayed treatment due to figuring out who has already contract- we must make sure that every worker concerns about cost. In this pandemic, ed the virus and has developed some in America continues to receive their uninsurance will lead to deaths and immunity to COVID-19. more COVID-19 transmissions. paycheck during this crisis and we In addition, OSHA must adopt a strong must provide immediate financial re- Therefore, during this crisis, Medicare emergency standard to protect health lief to everyone in this country. must be empowered to pay all of the (See Crisis on page 13) Culver City Democratic Club: Active Democrat April 2020 — Page 13 ( Crisis from page 12) 5. Provide Emergency Aid debt and consumer debt collection for care workers, patients, and the pub- 4 months. We must cancel all student lic during this crisis. We must crack to States and Cities loan payments for the duration of this down aggressively on price gougers Even as state and local employees like crisis, and place an immediate mora- and hoarders, and use any means nec- police officers, firefighters and para- torium on evictions, foreclosures, and essary to secure supplies. medics work on the front lines of this utility shut-offs. pandemic, states and cities that pay Brothers and sisters: In this unprece- 4. Make Sure No One their salaries are facing enormous dented moment in our history it is easy budgetary pressures. Goes Hungry to feel like we are alone, and that ev- Even before this crisis hit, one in ev- Congress must provide $600 billion in eryone must fend for themselves. But ery seven kids in America was going direct fiscal aid to states and cities to that would be a mistake and a terrible hungry and nearly 5.5 million seniors ensure they have the personnel and tragedy. Now, more than any other mo- in our country struggled with hunger. funding necessary to respond to this ment in our lives, we must remember Already in this crisis we see lines at crisis. In addition, the Federal Reserve that we are all in this together — that food banks and growing concern that must establish programs to provide di- when one of us gets sick, many more our most vulnerable communities and rect fiscal support and budgetary relief may get sick. And when my neighbor those recently unemployed may strug- to states and municipalities. loses their job, I may lose my job as gle to feed their families. well. 6. Suspend Monthly As communities face record levels Further, we cannot wait until our of food insecurity, we must increase Payments economy collapses to act. It will be far SNAP benefits, expand the WIC pro- Even before this crisis, half of the peo- easier and less expensive to act now, in gram for pregnant mothers, infants, ple in our country were living paycheck a very bold way, than to try to rebuild and children, double funding for the to paycheck. In America today, over 18 our country later. Emergency Food Program (TEFAP) to million families are paying more than If we work together and unite behind ensure food banks have food to distrib- 50 percent of their income on housing. these basic principles of economic and ute, and expand Meals on Wheels and Now, with growing unemployment, health justice, I am confident that we School Meals programs. When neces- families are facing financial ruin if we will not only get through this unprece- sary, we must also develop new ap- do not act quickly and boldly. dented crisis together but that we will proaches to deliver food to vulnerable lay the groundwork for a better and populations — including door-to-door That’s why we must suspend monthly more just America in the future. drop offs. expenses like rent, mortgages, medical

Supplements to the newsletter I’ve never seen such a convergence of world-changing events — the Covid-19 pandemic, the economic shutdown, and the most consequential U.S. election in my lifetime, In response, I’ve changed the CCDC newsletter to online-only and will put out supplements to the newsletter when it seems appropriate. This is the first one. I’m also appointing a newsletter committee whose main job will be to advise me on what to put into the newsletter. As you can see from this supplement to the April newsletter, I’m going to put in things I find in The New Yorker, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and other established publications. I’d also like to have elected officials and activists write pieces for the newsletter, either on a monthly basis or ad hoc. We have always printed member submissions and will continue to do that. —Pete Rockwell By Brendan Loper — The New Yorker