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What's Inside?
- “If not us, who? If not now, when?” President’s Message – Marely Ramirez
- "Si no somos nosotros, ¿quién? Si no es ahora, ¿cuándo?" President’s Message in Spanish – Marely Ramirez
- Program for August 10 General Meeting – Brian Trotier
- Get Ready to Rumba! Concert in the Park on August 21 – Judy Bambace
- A New Dem Club Committee – Susan Marrinan
- Free Club Membership for Students – Tom Bernitt
- Club Highlights from July 2022 – Susan Marrinan
- We Rocked the Parade! – Patti Flores-Charter
- An Enlightening Conversation on Public Education – Brian Trotier
- Partisan & Non-partisan Races – Susan Marrinan
- Update on Coronado’s Lawsuit against SANDAG – Rebecca King
- Message from GO Team Coordinator -- Frank King
- Reminder: Calling All Chefs – Jill Rooney
- Cultural Calendar
- Save the Dates
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"If not us, who? If not now, when?"
John F. Kennedy
Greetings Fellow Democrats,
As we observe the political circus unfold across our nation, we acknowledge that much of it seems out of our control, but our patriotism prevails. Along with our involvement on the national stage, our club embraces community engagement, focusing on positive impacts toward local change, educating and encouraging our community to do its part to help save our democracy. We emphasize that voting on November 8th is crucial while addressing the urgent need to educate our friends and neighbors on topics specific to our community – to never instill fear, to fight disinformation, and to encourage civil discussions on topics that impact all of us.
Last month, our Standing Committees offered us fun, educational, and actionable events. We are grateful to Patti Flores-Charter who led the club’s participation in the Coronado Fourth of July parade, emphasizing among other topics: unity, civility, and empathy. Brian Trotier moderated a highly successful Community non-partisan forum on Public Education. This topic is especially critical as school boards are under attack from far-right radical ideologies across the country. City Council Member Casey Tanaka said it best: “We need to support our public schools.” The Legislative Committee made a call to action for us to attend the USMCA Tijuana River Watershed Public Meeting emphasizing the importance of coastal water health hazards. Finally, community advocate Angelle Maua provided an educational presentation on LGBTQ+ Pronouns, gender identity, sexual orientation, and the difference between them.
This month, we will learn more about City Council and School Board candidates. Our club will begin to monitor these races and inform our members, steadfastly focused on electing candidates who will deliver the best oversight and policy guidance to prepare our students to be educated, informed, productive citizens and leaders of their generation.
I am proud that we are a united club that continues to set an example of the importance of respect and civility, is determined to increase membership, is focused on being inclusive, and is intent on building a better and stronger democracy for all. While we cannot expect our vote to be the magical solution to every political challenge, our participation is the determining force in a community in need of embracing true democratic progress, always reminding one another: "If not us, who? If not now, when?"
Onward!
Marely
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Program for August 10 General Meeting
The program for the club’s next general membership meeting on August 10th will focus on the ongoing issues related to sewage, water quality and safety, and beach closures. Committed speakers to date include Coronado Mayor Richard Bailey, Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina, and Coronado Cays resident Lance Rodgers. This club meeting will be on Zoom, so stay tuned for details on registering to attend.
To register for this meeting please visit our event calendar and click on the zoom registration link for the August 10 general meeting.
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Get Ready to Rumba!
Please join us on Sunday, August 21, at Coronado’s Concert in the Park, featuring the fabulous music of Louie Cruz Beltran. This is an opportunity for club members, along with their families and friends, to enjoy an evening of live entertainment in Spreckels Park. The concert starts at 5 p.m., but we will gather starting at 4 p.m. to hobnob, commiserate, share hope for the future, and maybe even conspire to save democracy – followed by movin’ and groovin’ to the music. Bring your own chairs, blankets, food and beverages. Meeting place will be on the Sixth Street side of the park. Look for our club banner. Mark your calendars and let’s have some much-needed fun.
“Blending Afro Cuban rhythms with Jazz, Latin Jazz, Pop and R&B influences, Louie Cruz Beltran entertains with skilled execution on conguero and timbalero and as a vocalist. Over an impressive career, Louie has performed with such notable entertainers as Tito Puente, Natalie Cole, Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson and Hubert Laws. His original song ‘Cu Rumba’ was featured in the soundtrack of the 2013 feature film, Water and Power.”
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A NEW DEM CLUB COMMITTEE
Club bylaws have long provided for a Legislative Committee as one of the Club’s Standing Committees. Current members of this Committee are now asking the membership to approve a change to the bylaws at the General Meeting on August 10th to create a Public Policy Committee. The proposed amendment will be distributed to all Club members by email before the meeting.
Why this request for a change? The Committee members hope to expand the scope of its work to include a review of the underlying principles, values, and objectives that inform proposed legislation, ballot initiatives, and propositions and their impact. The Committee can then provide information to the membership on these policies and outline steps we can take to impact policy decisions.
Please consider joining this Committee as we review public policies impacting our lives, such as policies relating to beach closures and other health measures, Supreme Court decisions, and State and local housing policies, to highlight just a few. A committee focus limited to "legislation" misses opportunities to impact public policies that significantly impact us. Most of this Committee’s work is done by email, and meetings are very few. If you are interested in joining this exciting new Committee and working for change, please contact Susan Marrinan at spfinlay7@gmail.com.
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FREE CLUB MEMBERSHIP FOR STUDENTS
The Coronado Democratic Club Board has voted unanimously to waive the $10 membership fee for active student membership. Please get the word out so that our young Democrats can take advantage of this opportunity and join us in our current fight for Democracy.
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CLUB HIGHLIGHTS FROM JULY 2022
July 2nd- Patti Flores-Charter and Chuck Charter hosted a Paint-In Party at their home for club members. The get-together was a fun opportunity to join fellow Dems and paint some creative signs to carry in the 4th of July Parade while enjoying coffee, snacks, and good conversation. Thank you, Patti and Chuck.
July 4th- Approximately 40 club members, family, and friends marched in the Coronado 4th of July Parade. If you haven't yet had this exhilarating experience, mark your calendars for 2023. Don't miss this memorable opportunity!
July 9th- The Club invited the Coronado community to a panel discussion on Public Education in America. Eighty-four members of the community attended this outstanding, thought-provoking discussion. Thank you to Brian Trotier for putting the panel together and moderating this exceptional event.
July 20th- Angelle Maua (they/she) presented a Zoom program for club members on Pronouns, gender identity, sexual orientation, and the difference between them. Ms. Maua is the founder of The Gender Phluid Collective: thegenderphluidcollective.com. Do you know that there are 78 gender pronouns and 58 gender identifications? Although multiple gender traditions have existed for centuries, there is a great deal of current confusion around this topic. See A Map of Gender-Diverse Cultures There is much to learn about the complexities of gender development. This informative program suggests the first steps we can take toward becoming allies for currently disadvantaged people. This program was recorded and will be made available for future viewing.
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We Rocked the Parade!
The Coronado Democratic Club had a great turnout in this year’s 4th of July parade – around 40 participants walking, riding in cars, golf carts and on bikes, and decked out in red, white and blue finery that included fabulous new club t-shirts. In addition to the signs we made at our “Paint-In,” club members Jill and Tom Rooney had wonderful signs made that represented the themes of our march: civility, democracy, and ecology. Jill also arranged, with the help of club member Mary Taylor, to have music played. (“We will, we will rock you!”) Thank you Jill, Tom, and Mary, for your time and enthusiasm in making this a march to remember!
As we marched this year, there were more supportive cheers and thumbs-up for us than ever before. Our club donkey had its place of honor in the convertible and was a hit with the kids and adults. It was clear that by our participation, people here in town and across the bridge know the Coronado Democratic Club is alive and active in our community. In fact, the San Diego Union-Tribune featured us in its coverage of the parade! Mark your calendars for next year to join us in the parade to celebrate Independence Day by representing our democratic values.
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An Enlightening Conversation About Public Education
On Saturday, July 9th, more than 80 community members gathered in the Coronado Public Library’s Winn Room to hear a lively and informative discussion on public education. Panelists were Casey Tanaka, longtime CUSD U.S. History teacher, Coronado City Council Member and former Mayor of Coronado; Peter Bolland, Department Chair of Humanities and Philosophy at Southwestern College; Darshana Patel, PhD., Board Member at Poway Unified School District and President of the San Diego County School Board Association; and Jennifer Landry, CUSD faculty and President of the Association of Coronado Teachers. The discussion was moderated by club member Brian L. Trotier. The event was a huge success, prompting many requests for a follow-up panel discussion to be held later this summer. For a summary of this presentation, click here.
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Partisan and Non-Partisan Races
Local Elections: All local elections are non-partisan. Hiram Johnson, California’s 23rd Governor, wanted national politics out of local elections to dilute the Pacific Railroad's political power and eliminate big money's influence. He believed local problems need local solutions and successfully campaigned for a state constitutional amendment, Article 2, section 6, that made all local elections non-partisan. National parties may not nominate candidates for local office; party designations do not appear on local race ballots. National and Statewide races remain partisan; party designations appear on the ballots, and political parties nominate candidates.
Party Endorsements: In 1986, California voters passed Prop. 49, providing political parties could not endorse local candidates. It was held unconstitutional in violation of the 1st and 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. Therefore, political parties are not prohibited from endorsing candidates or from making campaign contributions in local races.
Partisan: A "partisan" is a supporter of a person, group, party, or cause. Candidates are partisan in that they support specific values. Voters have to determine what those values are. While a candidate's "politics" are not necessarily defined by political party, party registration is an important indicator of values. A review of the candidate's record, campaign website, and list of campaign contributors is crucial. Voters need to determine whether a candidate supports a national agenda that interferes with solutions to local problems. In other words, voters need to decide which candidates put Coronado first.
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Update on Coronado’s Lawsuit Against SANDAG
On June 20, 2022, the California Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, affirmed the dismissal of the City of Coronado’s lawsuit against the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), which sought to overturn the number of affordable housing units SANDAG allocated to Coronado in its most recent Regional Housing Needs Assessment. The appellate court agreed with the trial court that it lacked jurisdiction to hear the matter, because the Regional Housing Needs Assessment process established by the legislature for allocating housing units does not allow judicial review. The appeals court assessed both sides’ costs of the appeal to Coronado, Imperial Beach, Lemon Grove, and Solana Beach, who had filed the lawsuit jointly and all of whom had appealed the lower court’s ruling. Despite losing in the lower court on the face of their complaint, the Coronado City Council announced at its July 19, 2022, meeting that it had decided during its closed session to appeal the appellate court’s ruling to the Supreme Court of California. If unsuccessful, this means Coronado must develop 912 housing units over the next decade as part of its strategic plan. Stay tuned . . . .
To read the appellate opinion, click here: https://www.courts.ca.gov/opinions/documents/D079013.PDF. To read more about the Regional Housing Needs Allocation, click here: https://www.hcd.ca.gov/regional-housing-needs-allocation.
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Message from GO Team Coordinator Frank King
I'd like to extend my sincere thanks to the volunteers who canvassed in Coronado for the midterm primary election. This kind of election usually doesn't attract much voter turnout; only about one in four registered voters in San Diego County cast ballots in the election, but in Coronado that number was closer to 40 percent.
The November election will include two Coronado City Council seats and four seats on the Board of Trustees of the Coronado Unified School District. There also will be a full slate of statewide propositions, as well as runoffs for all of the partisan races. Hopefully, more Coronado Democratic Club members will step up and commit a few hours of their time to encouraging their Democratic neighbors to vote for Party-endorsed candidates up and down the ballot.
I will attend a GO Team Coordinators Summit on August 7. I'll have additional information for our volunteers in a future newsletter. In the meantime, we'll have online virtual training for new GO Team canvassers throughout the month of August. To sign up, please navigate to https://www.mobilize.us/sandiegodems/ and fill out the online form.
I look forward to working with you toward our common purpose of electing more Democrats to public office, here in Coronado and everywhere.
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WHAT’S COOKIN’?
REMINDER: CALLING ALL CHEFS
In last month’s Newsletter, we published an article called What’s Cookin’?, asking you to submit recipes for a club cookbook. In case you missed it, here it is again:
Everybody’s got a favorite recipe, right? As Democrats, we like to share, so we’re putting together a Coronado Democratic Club Cookbook full of recipes that are special to you, your culture or traditions, or some cuisine you simply adore. Cookbooks inspire us, teach us, and ultimately feed us. This will be a wonderful and creative way for club members to connect with each other from our own kitchens every time we make a meal.
The Cookbook Committee, led by Jill Rooney, will collect your recipes, along with any commentary, quotes or photos you want to add. The Committee will then organize them, design the book, and have it published and available for purchase. We need volunteers to help with this project.
Here are some suggestions for content:
Appetizers
Soups and Salads
Ethnic Foods
Meat Dishes
Vegetables and Vegan Dishes
Breads and Rolls
Cakes, Cookies, and Pastries
Cocktails and Beverages
Have fun with this! Come up with some clever political names for your dishes!
Please submit your entries to Jill at presshalf@gmail.com by September 1, so the book can be ready in time for the holidays.
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REMINDER: GO GREEN! HELP REDUCE WASTE!
The Hospitality Committee is doing a wonderful job of providing snacks, water and coffee at our General Meetings. Now you can do your part to reduce waste and help the environment by bringing your own coffee cup or reusable water bottle. It’s easy to start a BYO habit, but don’t worry -- we will have disposable cups available just in case you forget. We thank you and our planet thanks you.
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SAVE THE DATES!
Upcoming CDC
Meetings and Events
Wednesday, August 10: General Meeting on Zoom. Social at 6:30 p.m., Meeting at 7:00 p.m. Program: Ongoing issues related to sewage, water quality and safety, and beach closures. Speakers include Coronado Mayor Richard Bailey, Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina and Coronado Cays resident Lance Rodgers. Check our calendar for updates.
Sunday, August 21: Coronado’s Concert in the Park. The party starts at 4:00 p.m. Louie Cruz Beltran Concert starts at 5:00 p.m. Meet on the Sixth Street side of the park. Look for our club banner. Bring your chairs, blankets, food, and beverages.
Saturday, September 10: General Meeting on Zoom. Social at 10:30 a.m., Meeting at 11:00 a.m. Program TBD. Check our calendar for updates.
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Not a Member of our Club? Ready to Renew?
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2022 – 2023
BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
President: Marely Ramirez
Vice President: Bill Seager
Secretary: Rebecca King
Treasurer: Patrick Callahan
Member at Large: Susan Marrinan
STANDING COMMITTEES:
Programs: Pro Tempore Brian Trotier
Hospitality: Jenna McIntosh
Membership: Tom Bernitt
Legislative: Rebecca King
GO Team: Frank King
Communications: Laura Wilkinson
Scholarship: Patti Flores-Charter
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