Oct 30

Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom to Address SM Democrats on November 4

Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom will join the Santa Monica Democratic Club at a special event on Saturday, November 4!

Date:  Saturday, November 4, 2017
Time:  Doors open @ 11:00am, Event: 11:30pm-1:30pm
Place: Santa Monica Main Library – MLK Auditorium
601 Santa Monica Boulevard, Santa Monica

As the 2018 midterm season grows closer every day, SMDC is kicking off its series of meetings with candidates running for Governor of California.

First up, at a special day and time of November 4 at 11:30am, Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom will join us at the Santa Monica Library to discuss his campaign for governor.

Oct 30

Help Get Out The Vote in Virginia After Gavin Newsom Q&A This Saturday 11/4

There are critically important elections coming up around the country on November 7th, and the Santa Monica Democratic Club is hosting a Get Out the Vote phonebook in partnership with Code Blue on SATURDAY November 4th.  We’re focusing on flipping state legislative seats in Virginia from red to blue and fending off the chance that the Trump-supported, race-baiting Republican Ed Gillespie will defeat the Democratic candidate Ralph Northam in the tight race for governor.

The phonebank is being held in the community room at the Santa Monica Public Library Main Branch, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., following a separate event we are hosting — a Q&A with CA Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom, who is running for governor.  The Gavin Newsom event, the first in a series in which we are presenting all the Democratic gubernatorial candidates, will be held in the Library’s Martin Luther King Jr. Auditorium, and will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., leaving time for a short break before the phonebank that begins at 1:30 p.m.

An experienced Code Blue leader will get everyone up to speed and working those phone lists for simple Get-Out-the-Vote messages. (You won’t need to persuade people, just relay reminders to vote and how to get info about polling place locations, rides to the polls, and the like.)  Easy and fun!  You don’t need to stay for the entire session, but if you have not phonebanked with Code Blue before, please plan to be there at the beginning so you can receive the necessary training.

Snacks and beverages will be provided, we just need YOU!  Bring your passion to flip VA blue and your own cellphone, laptop / iPad / tablet, and chargers for your devices.  We’ll provide everything else needed to help you make a difference on this key, bellwether election.  Hope to see you November 4th!

Oct 22

October Meeting – Housing & Homelessness 10/25/17

For years, the region has been gripped by a full-fledged housing crisis with a severe lack of affordable housing for middle- and working-class families. The median cost of a house in Los Angeles County is $500,000, twice the national average, and in Santa Monica it is even worse at $1.4 million.  As more residents are unable to afford to continue to live in their home communities, we have seen a severe uptick in Ellis Act evictions. This, in turn, has lead to a large increase in the homeless population (a 23% increase in LA County since last year).

Because this issue affects us in so many different ways, organizers have convened a group of local officials to discuss the impact of the housing crisis at the city, county, and statewide levels:
– Richard Bloom, Member of the California Assembly, 50th District
– Sheila Kuehl, Los Angeles County Supervisor, 3rd District
– Rick Cole, City Manager of Santa Monica
– Kenneth Semko, Interim Chief, Santa Monica Police Department

Assemblymember Bloom and Supervisor Kuehl will join them first, from 6:30 – 8 p.m., to discuss these issues from a statewide and countywide perspective. City Manager Cole and Chief Semko will take the stage from 8 – 9 p.m. to discuss these issues as they pertain specifically to Santa Monica.
An opportunity for Q&A will follow each pair of speakers.
For first time and new members, the Executive Board of the club will be available from 6 – 6:30 p.m. for an informal meet and greet. The main program will start at 6:30 p.m.
The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be provided. Parking available. Handicap accessible. Please note the early start time in order to accommodate our speakers’ schedules.

Sep 14

September Membership Meeting 9/28/17

Thursday, September 28, 2017 @ 7pm – 9pm
McKinley Elementary School cafeteria (special location!)
2401 Santa Monica Blvd., 90404

In honor of Back to School month, we are hosting a meeting devoted entirely to the future of Pre-K-through-12 education in California.
Our panel of guests will include:
– Dr. Ben Drati, Superintendent, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District
– Ilene Straus, Vice President, State Board of Education and Former Principal, Santa Monica High School
– Marshall Tuck, 2018 Candidate, State Superintendent of Public Instruction and Former CEO, Partnership for Los Angeles Schools

For first time and new members, the Executive Board of the club will be available from 6:30-7:00 for an informal meet and greet. The main program will start at 7:00pm. The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be provided. Parking available. Handicap accessible.

Sep 14

Club Social Gathering – Monday 9/18/17

Regroup, Rethink, Refresh!

We’re having an evening drop-in social for members and friends to offer a time to gather, as we did in the days after the election, for time with compatible comrades. We’ll share stories on where we’ve been in The Resistance, where we are now in The Overcoming and our visions for The Rebuilding that will have to happen when we can undo the damage of the Trump apocalypse and advance the American dream and values.

We’re gathering at Vito’s Pizza for food, drink and socializing:

Monday, September 18, from 6 to 9 pm

Vito’s Pizza

2455 Santa Monica Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90404
310.884.5900
http://vitossm.com

Drop in when you can.  Vito’s offers pizza and tasty Italian food, with a full bar.  Enjoy the art display from the owner’s own collection.  There’s parking in back and plenty on the street, where meters go off after 6 pm, and the facility is ADA compliant.