September 2019 Culver City Democratic Club

Activewww.CulverCityDemocraticClub.com Democrat Email: [email protected] • Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/culvercitydems General Meeting — 7p.m. Wednesday, September 11, 2019 Veterans Memorial Building, 4117 Overland Avenue Meeting Program: Candidate for Supervisor Herb Wesson; LA County Democratic Party Chair Mark Gonzalez President’s Message by Pete Rockwell Jeanna Harris is our new 2nd VP Jeanna Harris was elected Second Vice second supervisorial district. Sponsor for President at the Club’s August gener- al meeting. The 2nd VP is chair of the The other speaker at the September September Ways and Means Committee, which meeting will be Los Angeles County is in charge of fund raising. I’d like to Democratic Party Chair Mark Gonza- meeting: ask all of our members to support the lez. Some members have questions for Club’s fund raising efforts as much as Mark about the endorsement of candi- Jeanna Harris possible, because we have the most dates. important presidential election of our dorsement shall be established by the Early primary Executive Board prior to the endorsing lives coming next year, as well as a lot Since the California primary election meeting.” The Executive Board voted of local elections that need attention. has been moved up to March 3 of next to use ranked choice voting to choose year, the Club will need to make an The more money the Club has, the big- Club endorsements for the March 2020 endorsement for President this year ger impact it can have on election out- primary. Because this way of voting is in order to make it in time to mail out comes. unfamiliar to most of our members, postcards with the Club endorsement. I’d like to thank Ronnie Jayne Solomon it seems appropriate to discuss, ask for all the great work she did on behalf I think we should vote to have endorse- questions, and air any concerns. of the Club as 2nd Vice President. We ment voting at our November meeting, Ranked choice voting is not a new idea. love you, Ronnie. and I will call for a vote on that at our Barack Obama proposed a ranked September meeting. Fiesta la Ballona choice voting bill when he was in the I’m writing this after spending most Illinois State Legislature. Several Bylaws change cities already use it, as well as some of last weekend in the Club’s booth We will be voting on a bylaws change Democratic Clubs. at Fiesta la Ballona. We met a lot of at the September 11 general meeting. people, signed up some new members, It will be on whether to add the follow- What our Executive Board has pro- gave away some free stuff, sold some ing article to our Club bylaws: posed is a ballot that allows for first, buttons and t-shirts. second, and third choices for a given “Article XVIII. Parliamentary Author- Our booth had visits from all four office. ity. The rules contained in the current Democrats running for LA County Su- edition of Robert’s Rules of Order New- For example: If my first choice gets pervisor in the second district: Herb ly Revised shall govern the Club in all eliminated for too few votes, my second Wesson, Sharis Rhodes, Jan Perry, cases to which they are applicable and choice candidate will receive my vote. and Holly Mitchell. in which they are not inconsistent with My first choice candidate can’t win, but We had a cardboard cutout of Barack these bylaws and any special rules of my ballot still might have a say in the and Michelle Obama that was pretty order the Club may adopt.” outcome. popular. Lots of visitors took selfies The same thing happens if my second with the Obamas. This bylaws change is recommended choice candidate falls short of enough by the Executive Board. votes: that candidate drops out, but the Meeting program third choice on my ballot gets counted. One of the speakers at our September Ranked Choice Voting 11 general meeting will be Los Angeles Also on the agenda for our September If no candidate reaches the 60 percent City Council President Herb Wesson, meeting will be the voting procedure endorsement threshold on the first who is running to replace Supervisor for our candidate endorsements. The ballot, there will be a second ballot as Mark Ridley Thomas in LA County’s Bylaws state that “A procedure for en- usual. Culver City Democratic Club: Active Democrat September 2019 — Page 2 Karen Bass and most Democrats in Los Angeles County have signed up to co-sponsor Medicare For All, HR 1384. Why? by Craig Scott Frequently Asked Questions entitled to a single, high standard of for healthcare under Medicare for About Medicare For All care. All? Simply put, no. Studies show that the Shouldn’t we try something that Can the country afford Medicare average family will pay less than they isn’t as disruptive to our current for All? currently do for health care. system first, like a medicare buy-in Yes! In fact, Medicare for All will save or public option? us money. What we can’t afford is Isn’t Medicare for All a political Medicare buy-in and a public option our current wasteful, unsustainable pipe dream? plan both perpetuate current inequal- health system where upwards of 20 That’s the same thing many people ities in our system of healthcare. percent of every health care dollar said about passing the Civil Rights Band-aid measures on top of the ex- gets diverted to insurer and Big Phar- Act, banning child labor and extending isting commercial insurance systems ma profits, marketing and advertising, the vote to women. will do nothing to remove the profit million-dollar CEO salaries, and bill- motive from healthcare. Commercial ing, instead of being used for patient Comments expressed in the newsletter care. health insurance will continue to cost are the opinions of the authors and do patients and taxpayers hundreds of Will my family pay more money not necessarily represent the position billions of dollars. of the Culver City Democratic Club Why should I give up a private insurance plan if I like it? General Meeting: Even the best private insurance plans 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, in this country do not cover the com- prehensive list of services without any September 11, 2019 out-of-pocket costs that Medicare for Veterans Memorial Building All does. 4117 Overland Avenue Will people be able to choose the Corner of Overland Ave. doctor, hospital or specialist they and Culver Blvd. want? Of course! Medicare for All does not change your current relationships with your medical providers. Upcoming Events I hear that Medicare for All sys- September 3 tems like Canada aren’t as good as ours. Will my care get worse under City Council Special Meeting Medicare for All? Please come to support the No, your care will improve under Vote 16 Culver City Team Medicare for All. Everyone would be Herb Wesson During Public Comment Supervisor candidate September 9 Di’s Corner: Herb Wesson to speak at City Council Meeting by Diane Rosenberg September Club meeting September 11 The Club would like to thank Ronnie Los Angeles City Council President Jayne Solomon, who was our 2nd Vice Herb Wesson is running to replace CCDC General Meeting President, for all that she has done Mark Ridley Thomas as County Su- September 23 for the Club over the years. She has pervisor for District 2. turned the reins over to Club member City Council Meeting Herb will speak at the Club general Jeanna Harris, who is now our 2nd meeting on Wednesday, September October 5 or 6 Vice President. And we want to 11, at the Veterans Memorial Build- welcome her. State Democratic Party ing, 4117 Overland Ave., Culver City. On Monday, August 19, I went into Pre-Endorsement Cedars-Sinai Hospital to have my Herb has been a member of the Cul- Conference right shoulder totally replaced. It ver City Democratic Club for many went very well. I am now home years. He stopped by our booth at Fi- October 16 recuperating and the healing begins. esta la Ballona last Saturday to talk CCDC General Meeting I will have a sling on for six weeks. with voters and answer questions. Culver City Democratic Club: Active Democrat September 2019 — Page 3 The Culver City Democratic Club booth at Push for Culver City Fiesta la Ballona was a great success Council to put 16-year- old voting on the agenda On September 3, Vote16 will ask the Culver City Council to put the group’s measure to allow 16 and 17 year olds to vote in Council elections on the agenda of a future Council meeting. Supporters of Vote16 are encour- aged to go to the City Council cham- bers at 9770 Culver Blvd., at 7 p.m. September 3, and speak on behalf of this measure. Or you may email written comments for the record to: [email protected] For more information contact Vote 16 Culver City at: Email: [email protected] website: vote16culvercity.org instagram: vote16cc twitter: vote16cc facebook: Vote16 Culver City

Resolution calling for Sarah Hager and Rebecca Rottenberg, of Vote 16 Culver City, pitch their idea for al- climate debate lowing 16 and 17 year olds to vote in Culver City Council elections to Los Angeles City [The following resolution was passed Council President Herb Wesson in the Club booth at Fiesta la Ballona. unanimously by the members at the Au- gust general meeting.] Whereas, the climate crisis represents an urgent and existential threat to civ- ilization, with an international consen- sus of scientists agreeing that human- ity must drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions 45 percent by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050 if the world is to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, and is not a single issue but rather a multi faceted, complex crisis intersecting with public health, foreign policy, jobs and the economy, labor, civil rights, immigration, agriculture, housing, transit, outdoor recreation, and every facet of American lives; and Whereas, the Democratic National Committee has so far refused to permit a climate debate, and is barring pres- idential candidates from participating in non-DNC-sanctioned debates, de- spite calls for a climate debate from 16 Democratic presidential candidates, Club President Pete Rockwell, Club member Karim Sahli, Corresponding Secretary multiple Democratic members of Con- Cynthia Hart, State Senator Holly Mitchell, Club member Carlene Brown, past Club gress, and over 225,000 signers of a pe- President Amy Cherness, Isabel Cherness, and past Club president Darryl Cherness tition delivered to DNC headquarters in the Culver City Democratic Club booth at Fiesta la Ballona on Sunday, August 25. June 12, 2019, and instead is encour- (Michelle and Barack Obama are on the far left of the picture.) (See CLIMATE on page 4) Culver City Democratic Club: Active Democrat September 2019 — Page 4 Culver City Democratic Club Vote to amend bylaws P.O. Box 4254 At the September 11 meeting we Culver City, CA 90231-4254 will vote on whether to add the fol- lowing article to our Club bylaws: “Article XVIII. Parliamentary Au- thority. The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the Club in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these by- laws and any special rules of order the Club may adopt.” This bylaws change is recommend- ed by the Executive Board. C. Alan Jennings, professional reg- istered parliamentarian, writes in Robert’s Rules for Dummies: “The rules in Robert’s Rules are soundly based principles of parlia- mentary law that take into account General Meeting — 7p.m. Wednesday, September 11, 2019 the rights of the majority, the mi- Veterans Memorial Building, 4117 Overland Avenue nority, the individual, any absent members, and the collective rights Meeting Program: LA City Council President Herb Wesson; of all these groups.” LA County Democratic Party Chair Mark Gonzalez

(CLIMATE from page 3) aging networks hosting debates to Culver City Democratic Club ask climate questions (climate was Application/Renewal Form only brought up for four questions — 15 minutes in four hours of debates June 26-27, thus demonstrating that Name: ______Phone: ______encouragement isn’t delivering a sub- Email: ______stantive debate); and Address: ______Whereas the DNC’s resolutions com- mittee will consider a resolution au- ______thored by Tina Podlodowski (and in- I declare that all the individuals listed for membership are registered Democrats troduced at DNC’s June 29 executive committee by Jess Durfee/Christine Signed: ______Pelosi/Garry Shay) calling on the DNC Membership Dues: Dues may be waived for financial hardship to allow a climate debate in which Presidential candidates debate climate  Member $30  Student $20 policy (along with a weak substitute  Supporting Member $75  Sustaining Member $125 resolution supported by Tom Perez  Lifetime Member $500 Additional Contribution: $______calling for no substantive change in  After July 1: $45 for the rest of this year and all of next year! DNC rules); both to be presented at the DNC meeting August 22-24, 2019; Please make your check payable to: Therefore, be it resolved that the Culver City Democratic Club Culver City Democratic Club supports P.O. Box 4254, Culver City, CA 90231-4254 the Podlodowski Resolution calling for OR Click “Join/Renew” on our web site: CulverCityDemocraticClub.com a substantive climate debate, not the For questions please call Membership Secretary Diane Rosenberg at weak Perez-backed resolution, and (310) 398-5328. further urges Rusty Hicks, Alex Rook- Please check here to receive the paper newsletter in the mail  er and all DNC members from Califor- Please renew for 2019 if you haven’t already done so. nia to support a stand-alone climate The dues period runs concurrent to the calendar year. debate among Democratic Presidential Renewals are due by January 1st of each year. NO REFUNDS. candidates.