Sign up now for our July 29 meeting via this form. You will receive a link to the Zoom shortly before the meeting begins.

In the weeks since George Floyd’s brutal murder at the hands of police officers, a new conversation about racial and criminal justice has sparked throughout our country. As progressives, we see ourselves as warriors in the fight against racism. However, our justice system is broken, and that leads to systemic inequality in many ways: from overcrowding in our prisons to brutality by police, we need to completely reassess how justice is administered. 

During the administration of our current District Attorney, Jackie Lacey, over 600 people have been killed in LA County by law enforcement without a single prosecution. Additional cases of rape and sexual harassment by officers were also ignored. Lacey ran unopposed for re-election four years ago.

Thankfully, we have an excellent progressive DA challenger this year, George Gascón, who has already been endorsed by the Santa Monica Democratic Club. Gascón, a Cuban immigrant, worked his way up through the ranks of LAPD and then served as San Francisco DA for eight years. He promises to create a new Civil Rights Division within the LA County DA Office. 

Gascón will join the Santa Monica Democratic Club for our July 29 meeting to discuss Criminal Justice Reform, how the recent protests have transformed the national conversation on racial justice, and what specific changes he would implement once in office.

Date:  July 29, 2020
Time:  6:30pm Doors, 7:00pm Program Start
Place: Zoom Conference Call
RSVP Here: https://forms.gle/eSzU3JR2LZoX7krR8

To expedite the check-in process, we are requesting everyone to sign in via this form in advance of the meeting so we can confirm your membership status. You will receive a Zoom link from us shortly before the meeting.

In addition to our town hall with George Gascón, we have a lot of official business to address this month. Read below for more details:

Legislative Committee Endorsements

At the July 29 meeting, we will hear our first official report from the SMDC Legislative Committee which has been researching bills which will be voted on this year in Sacramento.

We will consider endorsement of the following bills:
AB1436
AB2405
AB2406
AB3296
AB3352

Proposed Bylaws Amendments

At last month’s membership meeting, we reviewed proposed changes to the Club Bylaws to better allow for remote, virtual participation. Please review the changes in advance of our vote to amend the bylaws on July 29.

Review the proposed changes here. 
Review new Club bylaws in full here.

Additional July 29 Endorsement Votes

The Club membership will also take a vote to endorse a candidate in the Presidential Election, as well as to reaffirm our support for the Schools and Communities First ballot measure, now known as “Prop 15.”