Two presidents and two very different men. One a man of honor, truth and dedication to our nation. The other, someone who puts our nation in danger through his wanton disregard for our national top secret documents.
We watched with pride as President Joe Biden masterfully concluded debt ceiling negotiations with minimal damage to his policy achievements on our behalf. And then with shock as former President Donald Trump was indicted on 38 counts of holding onto hundreds of classified documents and then obstructing the government’s efforts to retrieve them.
Sobering times ahead.
But for now, let us focus on the man who is dedicated to our country. In the debt ceiling negotiations, President Joe Biden once again showed true leadership at a time when our nation desperately needed it. He followed what he knew to be the best way forward, and he got a deal done which saved our nation from economic hardship.
Biden stands up for the values that we as Democrats hold dear. As we celebrate Pride Month, he continues to fight for LGBTQ+ rights, which are in danger all over this nation.
Over and over, he shows what an ally we have in the White House.
Disability rights activist joins Central Committee
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When David Forderer was in sixth grade, a therapy assistant forced him onto a table to do exercises with him. Forderer, who has cerebral palsy, said he didn’t want to be on the table, but he was restrained from walking away.
That incident was one of many which shaped Forderer’s disability rights activism, now 30 years strong. His goal is to run for political office, and this month, he achieved another milestone along the way: he won an appointment to SCCDP’s Central Committee, representing the state’s 25th assembly district.
“I love being at the table when policymakers make decisions,” Forderer said.
Forderer currently advises state Senator Dave Cortese on disability rights issues. In fact, he helped Cortese craft a pupil rights bill that would ban educational providers from using certain types of restraints on students. The bill, SB 483, was introduced in February, and is awaiting committee hearings.
SCCDP advocates for ranked choice voting
Between election seasons, the Santa Clara County Democratic Party works to achieve progressive change through legislation, as we did recently with ranked choice voting.
Ranked choice voting has been promoted by political reformers as an antidote to our increasingly polarized elections, and the SCCDP has embraced it as part of its platform. This spring, we were able to push our advocacy one step further, when our chair Bill James testified before the state Assembly’s elections committee on behalf of AB 1227.
The bill, authored by Assemblymember Evan Low, would allow Santa Clara County to move to ranked choice voting. In California, this election reform has already been adopted in San Leandro, San Francisco, Berkeley and Oakland. Let’s hope AB 1227 will soon be law, so that Santa Clara County can follow suit.
Help us register voters
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We invite you to sign up here to help us register voters at community events this summer, including Juneteenth, the Rose, White & Blue parade, and Silicon Valley Pride. We’ll provide the materials and training, but we need your help!
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A win for homeless families: Last week, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted to co-sponsor a crucial funding application for an interim housing project that would serve homeless families in Santa Clara. Congratulations to local Dems Elysa Gurman and Shalini Venkatesh, and to their group Santa Clara Housing Advocates, for their advocacy of this project in the face of loud opposition.
Youth Takeover: In July, the SCCDP will once again yield the gavel to our youth at its Central Committee meeting. The youth delegates will introduce, debate and adopt resolutions, and the Central Committee will then take them up for adoption as the official positions of our local party. If you know students of high school age who may be interested in participating, please direct them to the online registration form.
Victory dinner & Fundraiser: Join us at our annual victory dinner and fundraiser this Sep. 22 in downtown San Jose. Click here for more details.
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Help us get the word out!
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