What's Inside?
  • President's Message by Susan Marrinan
  • January General Meeting Program 1/29/22 at 11:00am, social 10:30am
  • We Have a Plan and the Future Looks Bright - Strategic Planning Committee
  • Silver Medal - Council of Clubs Award Nominee
  • GO Team Updates - Frank King
  • Delta Beach Clean-up Event 2/10/22
  • Coronado Unified School Board Update
  • Let's Have Fun!
  • Skating by the Sea at Del Coronado Photos
  • Battle of the Bay
  • Cultural Events Calendar
  • Save the Dates!
  • Board Members & Committees
President's Message
Susan Marrinan

Critical Year for Democracy



Political seers predict that November 8, 2022, could be a turning point for the future of our democracy. It could be a red tsunami that obliterates our approach to a more just and moral nation. So what are we going to do? Stand on the beach and watch it coming? Run for higher ground? Turn off the news and ignore current events? Tempting as these responses may be, it is now time to stand and fight for democracy.
 
Democracy on the Line
Republicans have consistently subverted the will of the majority. January 6, 2021, Insurrection Day, makes it clear that many are ready to violently interfere with the orderly transfer of power, which is the hallmark of a democracy. On January 17, 2022, the nation celebrated Martin Luther King’s birthday. On January 19, 2022, Republicans celebrated Martin Luther King's birthday by blocking two landmark voting bills, joined by two Democrats. We rage about Dem Senators Manchin and Sinema because we feel betrayed. We should be focusing on the 50 Republican Senators in the 117th Congress whose goal is to make Biden a failed President, at the expense of the welfare of the people of this nation, while collecting their paychecks for being obstructionists and for doing nothing productive.
    
We see voter suppression laws in Republican states that are racist and anti-democratic. How is it justifiable when people of color are forced to stand in line for 8 hours to vote while there are no lines in White districts? Republican gerrymandering is making it difficult for the people's will to be heard via the voting booth. “What are Republicans for? …Name me one thing they’re for.” President Joe Biden, January 19, 2022. How about Republicans are for tax breaks for the rich, submission to a blatantly immoral party leader, refusal to be bipartisan, commitment to blocking any bill that might make Biden look good, and commitment to being in power regardless of the means necessary, including insurrection? When Obama was elected, the Republicans announced that their goal was to make his presidency a failure. They have the same goal with Biden as they would with any Democrat, the welfare of the people be damned. Republicans are roadblocks on the road to justice and are working to prevent the moral arc from bending toward it.
  
Martin Luther King, Jr. 
How would Martin Luther King, Jr. react to the January 6, 2021 insurrection videos?
January Meeting Program

Our speaker on January 29th will be Steph Johnson, the Founder and Executive Director of Voices of Our City (www.voicesofourcity.org). Voices is a non-profit organization that runs a choir for the homeless. Voices also offers a variety of services for the homeless and has helped numerous people living on the street find housing. You won’t want to miss this interesting program.
Looking ahead, our speaker in February (at our first evening meeting in years) will be Tina Friend, City Manager, and in March (the Blue Wave Brunch) the speaker will be Scott Peters.

NOTE: Due to ongoing and increasing concerns about Covid and as long as in person meetings are still allowed, the Board decided those attending in person must show proof of vaccination at the door and wear a mask at all times during the meeting. In addition, as long as these restrictions are in place there will be no food or drink served.
We Have a Plan and the Future Looks Bright

You spoke and we listened! Based on the responses in the survey many of you completed last Spring, the Strategic Planning Committee identified several major issues of importance to our members: voting rights, the environment, diversity and inclusion, criminal justice reform, and building community and club connections. At the Strategic Planning Workshop held in September, participants further refined these issues in an effort to create an action plan consistent with our club’s goal: to grow and engage our membership, especially younger and more diverse members. 

The Committee drafted its Strategic Plan recommendations based on this input, and at the December 9, 2021 Board meeting, the Board voted unanimously to approve them. Here are just a few of the highlights of how that plan will be implemented:
San Diego County Democratic Party
Council of Clubs
Club of the Year Award, Silver Medal

Dear Club Members, 
The Coronado Democratic Club was nominated for the San Diego County Democratic Party Club of the Year Award. Four clubs were nominated. Our club came in second – a silver medal.

Congratulations to all of our members who made 2021 a memorable and productive year. There are 80+ clubs chartered by SDCDP and all are impressive.

Congratulations to the AAIP Club which won the award. This club has worked hard to educate all Dems about the hate crimes being committed against Asian Americans and to help its community during these frightening times.
 
Thank you to Laura Wilkinson, Anna Webb, Brian Trotier, Terry Zack, Marely Ramirez, and Brad Willis for their contributions to the club presentation presented on Saturday January 15th to the Council of Clubs.. 

Thank you to all who sent suggestions and ideas for our presentation. It will be shown at our club meeting on January 29th and will appear on our website. It was an honor to be nominated. In my unbiased opinion, you will always be #1.
 
Best wishes and on to 2022.
Susan Marrinan 
Grass Roots Organizing During a Pandemic 
GO Team Report: 
Frank King, Go Team Chair

2020:

Elections were held during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the GO Team shifted its voter contact model from in-person canvassing to a virtual one, involving phone banking, emailing, texting and letter-writing. For the general election, some of the volunteers ventured out and distributed door hangers in a contact-free manner, without ringing doorbells.

In Coronado, we celebrated the election of President Biden and Vice President Harris, the re-election of Congressman Scott Peters and State Senator Toni Atkins, the election of Assemblyman Chris Ward and the election of District 1 County Supervisor Nora Vargas. With the election of District 3 Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer, two districts flipped giving Democrats control of the County Board of Supervisors for the first time in recent history.

In Coronado, we helped elect club member Casey Tanaka to the City Council and our club endorsed member and SDCDP endorsed candidate, Whitney Antrim, to the Coronado Unified School District Board of Trustees. Tim Nader, endorsed by our Club and SDCDP, was elected to the Superior Court Bench. 

2021:

Last year began as an off year, with no major elections anticipated, until the Republicans succeeded in qualifying a special election to recall Governor Gavin Newsom. The California Democratic Party joined forces with the Newsom campaign and the labor movement to defeat the cynical, Trump-inspired effort to elect one of their own as governor when they couldn’t do it in the 2018 general election.

The GO Team, which is an arm of the San Diego County Democratic Party, played an essential role in persuading Democratic voters to vote against the recall in this off-year, special election. Because there was only one issue on the ballot, a different approach was taken. Phone and text banking was organized directly by the County Party whereby volunteers logged onto a predictive dialer, while the various GO Teams focused on physical neighborhood canvassing and door hanger distribution. As many as 30 members of the Coronado GO Team participated in the Coronado Day of Action on August 28, 2021.

Congressman Scott Peters, who had addressed our general membership meeting earlier, gave our GO Team a great sendoff from Spreckels Park as we ventured out to canvass our neighborhoods. Many of our members volunteered to canvass on other Days of Action in various neighborhoods in San Diego County. As a result of the efforts of volunteers throughout the state, including in Coronado, the recall attempt was so resoundingly crushed by a margin similar to that in 2018, that the Republicans ended up not only defeated but totally demoralized. 

2022:

The GO Team’s work already has resumed. We will have our first primary and general elections since decennial redistricting, and Coronado finds itself in newly redrawn districts. We’re now in County Supervisor District 3, represented by Terra Lawson-Remer. Congressman Scott Peters will continue to represent Coronado at least until January 2023, but Coronado will be in the newly drawn 50th on that date. Coronado currently is in the 78th Assembly District, represented by Chris Ward.

On the date of the primary election, we will be in the 77th Assembly District, currently represented by Brian Maienschein. For the first time in recent history, California’s State Senate district boundaries no longer will be contiguous with Assembly district boundaries, each Senate district traditionally having consisted of two, consecutively-numbered Assembly districts. Coronado will continue to be in the 39th Senate District, currently represented by Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins. Due to boundary changes, many office holders may run in differently numbered districts than they currently represent.

Our GO Team activities for 2022 will begin with training in March. Training will be held at locations throughout San Diego County as well as several remote, online sessions. Coronado and Imperial Beach Democratic Clubs will hold a joint GO Team training session on March 12, 2022 in the Winn Room, at the Coronado Public Library.

One of the most important objectives of this year’s GO Team training is to get everyone on MiniVAN, the smartphone app that eliminates the need for paper canvassing lists and cumbersome data entry. Volunteers may download their walk lists and organize their canvassing route, as well as enter their contact results into their phone app, which will upload the information to headquarters in real time. Volunteers who otherwise had to do data entry are freed to do other, more productive work. And, of course, fewer trees will be sacrificed for the cause.

Please contact me at franking48@gmail.com to join other club members in getting out the vote. 
Delta Beach Clean-up

The Coronado Democratic Club has been invited to join Emerald Keepers and the Navy in a beach clean-up on Thursday, February 10th from 10 am until noon.
We will meet at Fiddlers Cove and we will be cleaning up Delta Beach. Dress is casual, beach clean-up attire. Please bring your own water and if you have gloves or a pick up stick, please bring them along. More details will be provided closer to the event.
Kezei Resignation

On January 11, 2022, Stacy Keszei, one of five trustees of the Coronado Unified School District Governing Board, submitted a letter of resignation. Her resignation was effective immediately. Ms. Keszei was elected to the board for the first time in November 2020 and has approximately two and half years remaining on her four-year term.

At the January 20 meeting of the governing board, the trustees decided to fill the vacancy by appointing a trustee to serve until the general election in November 2022. The process for the appointment will be decided by the board. However, it will include advertising the position, interviewing candidates at a board meeting open to the public and taking public input about the candidates. The new trustee must be selected by March 12, 2022.

Many club members made their feelings known to the board regarding this decision about how to fill the vacancy. Thank you for your activism. We must remain engaged as the board decides who will fill this important seat.

The school board is a critical part of the Coronado community. 

It matters who serves on the board.

Jean Seager
Let's Have Fun!!

Since many of you wanted more fun, hands on, activities, we are looking into attending one of the CHS basketball games before the end of the season. Potential dates are: February 1, February 4, or February 5.

If you are interested in joining the group for a fun outing, please email Brian Trotier at yale77@aol.com

Skating by the Sea

On January 2, the Club welcomed the New Year by sponsoring a club skate at the ice rink at the Hotel Del. Twenty-five or so members of the Coronado Democratic Club enjoyed a beautiful afternoon with family and friends. We gathered by the rink, on the grass, and relaxed with free hot chocolate provided by the Club.
 
The weather was balmy, the sky and sea were blue, and club members enjoyed skating and chatting with friends and family.

Thank you to Akshay Sateesh for suggesting this fun family event. He and his family were on holiday so could not attend and were missed. We hope this becomes an annual tradition, so if you missed this year, mark your calendar for 2023. See you on the ice next year!!!!!
Battle of the Bay

We have been challenged to compete in a Coed Soft Ball tournament with the Imperial Beach Democratic Club, the Chula Vista Democratic Club and the Bonita-Eastlake Democratic Club, scheduled for some time in late February or early March. Our volunteer Head Coach is Brian Trotier. 

Let’s join him and take home the Trophy!
If you can run, hit, cheer, coach, umpire, distribute snacks, or have any other softball related skill or interest, please contact Susan Marrinan at spfinlay7@gmail.com
Cultural, Diversity and Inclusion Calendar

February is Black History Month, celebrating the history and achievements of Black Americans.




February 1: National Freedom Day, honoring the signing by Abraham Lincoln of a resolution that later became the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that abolished slavery.
February 2: Candlemas, a Christian holy day that commemorates when Jesus was presented to the temple for the first time.
February 11: Asian-American Women’s Equal Pay Day, marking the fact that Asian-American women earn 90 cents for every dollar earned by white men.
February 12: Lunar New Year, a week-long festival that begins with the first new moon of the lunar calendar, celebrated in China as well as in Japan, Vietnam, Korea, and Mongolia.
February 14: Valentine’s Day, celebrated by western Christians as a saint’s day and as a secular holiday highlighting love.
February 15: Nirvana Day, a Buddhist commemoration of Buddha’s death.
February 15: Presidents’ Day, a U.S. holiday celebrating President George Washington’s birthdays and all the presidents after him.
February 16: Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday and the end of the Carnival season, celebrated by Christians as the last day before Lent and often full of feasting and celebration.
February 16: Vasant Panchami, a Hindu festival celebrating spring and Saraswati Devi, the goddess of art and culture.
February 17: Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent in the Christian calendar.
February 25-26: Purim, a Jewish holiday marking when the Jewish community in Persia was saved from genocide, celebrated by giving charity and feasting.
February 26: Mukha Bucha Day, also known as Māgha Pūjā, a Buddhist holiday celebrating the Buddhist community, spent giving alms, visiting the temple, and meditating.
February 27: Maghi-Purnima, a Hindu festival celebrated on the last day of Magha, a month focused on charity work, when devotees often take holy baths and do charity.
________________________________________________________________
Notice: The Coronado Democratic Club is in need of a volunteer(s) to provide this monthly Cultural Event calendar for our newsletters. If you are interested in please email Club Communications Chair laurawilkinson@mindspring.com
SAVE THE DATES!
Upcoming CDC
Meetings and Events





January: 
29: General Meeting, Winn Room, Coronado Library- proof of vax required, mask required- 10:30 social, 11:00 a.m. meeting: Program Speaker: Steph Johnson, founder and leader of Voices of our City.
 
February:
2/ 9: Board Meeting, location to be determined, 7:00 p.m. 
2/10: Delta Beach cleanup with Emerald Keepers. See announcement herein. Meet at Fiddler’s Cove at 10 a.m. 
2/12: CADEM Pre-Endorsement Conference, via zoom, for club delegates. 
2/23: General Meeting , Winn Room, Coronado Library, 7 p.m- Program/Speaker- Tina Friend, new Coronado City Manager- Covid-19 protocols TBD. 

March: 
3/4 to 3/6: CA Dem Party State Convention, L.A. 
3/12: Go Team Training, Winn Room, Coronado Library, 10:30 a.m. Learn how to canvass and get out the vote safely .
3/14: Board Meeting, location TBD
3/19: Blue Wave Brunch and General Meeting, including election of new President and Vice President, Feast and Fareway, 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Watch for invitation- coming soon.  
Not a Member of our Club? Ready to Renew?
2021 – 2022

BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
President: Susan Marrinan
Vice President: Brian Trotier
Secretary: Alexia Palacios-Peters
Treasurer: Patrick Callahan
Member at Large: Frank King

STANDING COMMITTEES:
Programs: Brian Trotier
Hospitality: Jenna McIntosh
Membership: Tom Bernitt
Legislative: Alexia Palacios-Peters
Go Team: Frank King
Communications: Laura Wilkinson
Scholarship: Patty Flores-Charter
Digital Specialist: Anna Webb