Only active EBYD members may vote at our endorsement meetings. To be notified of future meetings, please join our mailing list or our social networks, using the links to the left.

November 2011 EBYD Endorsements:

Emeryville City Council

• Hon. Ruth Atkin
• Hon. Nora Davis
• Jacqueline Asher

Emeryville Ballot Measures

• Measure C: Yes
• Measure D: Yes
• Measure F: No

Oakland Ballot Measures

• Measure H: No
• Measure I: No Position
• Measure J: Yes

EBYD VP Hon. Igor Trigub is at back, EBYD member Hon. Jesse Arreguin is at left.

One visit to the White House changed my perspective on what is possible for us to achieve today. I hope it might affect yours too.

Last month I was honored to receive an invitation from the White House, asking me if I wished to meet with President Obama and his senior advisers  to discuss policies affecting the people I serve. Organized by the White House’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and the Young Elected Officials Network, which represents state and local electeds under age thirty-six, the briefing and visit promised me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ask questions of those who craft federal policies that affect the Bay Area. I was joined by my colleague on the Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board, Asa Dodsworth, along with Berkeley Councilmember Jesse Arreguin, East Bay Municipal Utilities Director Andy Katz, Alameda County Board of Education Trustee Marlon McWilson, AC Transit Board Member Mark Williams, and about 200 other electeds from across the country.

In some ways, this was a trip down memory lane for me. My personal biography is more intertwined with the President than he might realize. He was born of a Kenyan father and a Kansan mother; I had lived in three other countries before having the opportunity to call the East Bay my home. Despite his young age, a relative lack of experience in an elected capacity, and a funny name, he saw a distinct need to generate change from the stale politics of the past, and took the plunge. Sharing each of those three attributes myself, I was inspired enough by this bodacious move that I, too, chose to run for elected office three years ago. But since then, he on the national front, and I on a much smaller geographic plane, discovered just how difficult it was to push for fresh policies that depart so greatly from what we had been accustomed to – this, too, in the context of dramatic economic and partisan headwinds. When I read the submissions my constituents sent me in response to my solicitation for questions to ask of the President, it was palpable to me that disappointment and moroseness had supplanted the once-strong spirit of hope.

However, the words I heard from the President’s senior staff – public servants like Council of Economic Advisors Chairman Austan Goolsbee, Office of Energy and Climate Change Representative Heather Zichal, and Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra – imbued me with a newfound sense of optimism. I do not believe that such mantras of the Administration as expanding development of new forms of clean energy, rebuilding the middle class, and providing access to health care to all – each of which were discussed at length – are mere talking points; they underscore a genuine commitment of this president to, in the face of vicious resistance from all sides, achieve many of the policies he had promised.

The economy, while slow to restart, is being fueled by rapid expansion in the critical sectors of manufacturing and agriculture – a much different form of recovery than the previous one which indirectly led to the housing crisis that still affects our region. The latest in a long line of environmental grants, the Rooftop Solar Challenge, encourages consortia of municipalities and the private sector to propose strategies that would lower the administrative cost of permitting in rooftop solar installation. The Administration’s technology platform, driven by the goals of democratizing government data and bringing together entrepreneurs, has fostered a climate in which a starving art student who moonlighted as a waiter recently won, much less could enter, a design competition for a major federal contract. The Bay Area, a national leader in areas such as renewable energy generation, a green collar economy, and academic prowess, stands to deeply benefit from these initiatives.

Certainly, one visit does not equate to months and years of advocacy for the right policies. Undoubtedly, there are many aspects of President Obama’s domestic and international platform with which you and I both have our qualms. It is then most noteworthy that President Obama reasserted to us his interest in continuing to hear from you, our constituents. This point was reiterated to the visitors of the White House over and over, and, to put money where the administration’s mouth was, a booklet was given to all attendees that had the contact information for the intergovernmental affairs director of every federal agency. I encourage readers to continue to submit to me their questions and input, which I will guide to the right contact.

I return to the East Bay refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready to fight the crises that we are slowly but surely overcoming. I have the audacity to be optimistic once again, and I hope that my fellow Bay residents might, too, see a glimmer of sun above the clouds.

Igor Tregub is the East Bay Young Dems VP of finance. Please contact him at itregub [at] gmail.com with any input you might wish to pass along to the Obama Administration.

At its annual All-City Luncheon on April 27th, the Oakland League of Women Voters honored East Bay Young Democrats and supporters with the prestigious Making Democracy Work award for their blogs illuminating the inner workings of local government and encouraging public participation.

East Bay Young Democrats President Rebecca Saltzman writes Living in the O, EBYD Communications Director Jonathan Bair was honored for his blogs The DTO and FutureOakland, and EBYD member Echa Schneider publishes A Better Oakland. Aimee Allison, a friend of EBYD who did a wonderful job MC’ing our memorial for the victims of the Arizona shootings in January, received the award for her community news hub, OaklandSeen.

In addition to Jonathan Bair of The DTO, Rebecca Saltzman of Living In The O, Echa Schneider of A Better Oakland, and Aimee Allison of OaklandSeen.com, the League of Women Voters also awarded Zennie Abraham of OaklandFocus and Debby Richman of Today in Montclair.

Photo courtesy Lee Aurich.

California is redrawing her lines. For the first time, an independent citizen’s commission will be heading the effort to apportion state and congressional representatives, instead of the State Legislature. The 14-member commission has been selected from an initial applicant pool of over 30,000. Significant efforts were taken to create a commission that reflected the demographics of the state. The resulting demographic make-up of commission mirrors this work. The commission also evenly split among party affiliation: 5 are either registered Republican or Democrat and the remaining 4 are Decline-to-State, Green Party, or other party. All of this care was taken to ensure that the commission at least appeared neutral and removed from the influence of the political environment.

The new lines will be based on existing City and County lines, rather than on existing district lines or the residences of incumbent lawmakers. When City and County lines can’t ensure evenly-divided districts (465,674 people per Assembly District, with up to a 1% variation), the Commission is instructed to take into account communities of interest. Defining these communities will be part of the Redistricting Commission’s public hearings, in which we can all participate.

Defined, a community of interest is: “A contiguous population which shares common social and economic interests that should be included within a single district for purposes of its effective and fair representation.” What does this mean to you? What does it mean in the dynamism of demographic shifts and the movement inland by California residents along with the hard truth of geography? Redistricting asks us to examine what is fundamental and fair in representative government.

This commission is the perfect opportunity for you to shape this effort. The real work is set to begin and there is a way for you to participate. On Saturday, May 21, there will be a public workshop in Oakland (Place: TBD). We here at EBYD will keep you up-to-date and connected to the process – join our Facebook group for the latest information.

If you’re interested in taking part in the redistricting process, come to our mixer at Shashamane this Thursday, April 14th from 6 – 7:30. Ask anyone in the room about Redisticting and you will find out more.

We’d like to congratulate our young democrats in the surrounding areas who were elected to be delegates for the state party at the turn of the New Year. Please make sure to look for opportunities to get to know these folks as they are our voting representatives at the convention (just around the corner!). If you’d like to learn more about the CA Democratic Party Convention, join our Facebook group.

14th AD
Abraham Kneisley
Jael Myrick
Igor Tregub

16th AD
Nwamaka Agbo
Sean Dugar
Richard Fuentes
Abel Guillen
Jennifer Pae
Rebecca Saltzman
Esperanza Tervalon-Daumont
Chantal Reynolds

18th AD
Rocky Fernandez *
Julie Lind

20th AD
Aref Aziz
Alex Hilke
Deepa Sharma

* also elected to Executive Board

Last week I sat on my couch reading about what was happening in Madison, WI from my friends’ links on Facebook. It was hard for me to fathom this direct attack on working families in the name of a budget deficit. I take this assault personally. If it wasn’t for organized labor, my mother would not have been able to provide for my sister and me. I may be from California, but Wisconsin’s struggle is symbolic of what’s happening around the country.

As state and local budgets are struggling to balance their budget, we see an ongoing struggle for power. Who has it and how are they going to keep it? This is at the heart of the debate in Wisconsin. Although organized labor has agreed to concessions to help offset costs in the state budget, the Governor will not negotiate: he wants to essentially eliminate collective bargaining. This would be a major blow for organized labor and for worker rights – an inherent Democratic value.

Although I could have stayed in Oakland and supported the campaign from afar, I needed to go to Wisconsin. I called up my dear friends, used my frequent flier miles, and traveled to a city that I hadn’t visited since I was President of the United States Student Association. It brought back a lot of memories. In 2005, I traveled throughout the state numerous times for student organizing campaigns, and even though I felt like a fish out of water spending so much time in the Midwest, it also felt very comfortable.

It’s no joke when folks say there’s a friendly and charming feel to Madison. I had numerous conversations with complete strangers about the impacts this bill would have in their lives and for Wisconsin. As I walked along State Street (a street that connects the University of Wisconsin with the State Capitol), I saw solidarity signs everywhere. They’re along store front windows and countless people were walking with them. However, what took my breath away was walking in the Capitol building.

It was in the middle of the week and I had just missed a rally, so the crowd was going in the opposite direction. I was unsure if there were folks still in the rotunda, but as I walked in with no security check needed, I could hear chanting echoing throughout the halls. There were hundreds and thousands of letters, posters, and banners all along these walls. That was the first time I understood the term “the people’s house.” I passed by several sleeping bags and mats, and the following Friday night, security had to limit the number of people into the building because there were too many people sleeping in the Capitol preparing for the biggest action yet.

The national media outlets may not have covered the march and rally of Saturday, February 26th, but I sure felt it from head to toe. This was a true Wisconsin action. It was 16 degrees and snowing, but it didn’t keep people from marching around the State Capitol and participating in the rally that day. The rotunda was already at capacity and the line wrapped around the building.

Everywhere I looked there were displays of anger, humor, and sadness, in signs and costumes. From the plumbers union saying “Walker needs to be flushed” to a 4 year old girl asking the Governor to “Save my Future.” You can check out more signs here. This exemplified Wisconsin’s character. Despite the cold, thousands of people came out because this was about the livelihood of families in Wisconsin and its effect on families around the country.

At the rally, I listened to Bradley Whitford from the West Wing describe Wisconsin residents as stubborn because, “We fish through ice.” Another actor also stated today’s action is “a great union production – the lighting, make-up, and costumes look amazing.” A nurse with a heavy Wisconsin accent that “cannot be faked” expressed her deep concern for patient care if catheters are given by anyone other than a union nurse. A pilot who helped land a plane safely in the Hudson River proudly listed all of the union members aboard who saved all of the passengers. Every day, firefighters walked through the Capitol playing bagpipes to show their solidarity. Countless others have spoken up and will continue to put pressure on Wisconsin Republicans to do the right thing.

Last week, Governor Walker spoke on tape with a blogger who claimed to be John Koch. During an interview on Meet the Press, he clarified his statement about inciting a violent protest by “planting a troublemaker in the crowd,” because he will not allow anyone from outside the state to come and disrupt the debate. In reality, the actions throughout the last several weeks have proven to be very peaceful. Regardless of where we’re from, we can all make a difference.

People around the world are watching. From Ian’s Pizza receiving donations to feed demonstrators from 43 states and 10 countries including Egypt, to #WeAreWI being a frequent trending topic on Twitter, it is critical to keep the pressure on. Governor Walker has already threatened layoffs in order to balance the budget if none of the 14 Senate Democrats return to Wisconsin. As this continues to unfold, I urge you to take a moment to help. If you know ANYONE in WI, ask them to call their Senator. If you can donate, support one of the community organizations on the ground. Please keep educating your friends and family about what’s going on in Wisconsin.

I’m a firm believer that your time, talents, and treasure should reflect your values. If you believe in fairness, equality, and justice, then let’s keep this momentum going. After all, we are all Wisconsin.

Jennifer Pae is an At-Large Executive Committee Member of the East Bay Young Democrats.

On Thursday, December 2nd, the East Bay Young Democrats elected a brand new Executive Committee for the 2011 year!   This new board reflects the recently adopted changes to the clubs’ by-laws.  The new board will consist of nine (10) members instead of the previous thirteen (13).

We are very proud of our new governing body and look forward to working together to help bring young people into the democratic process and improve our communities here in the East Bay.  Please join in welcoming the new body of your East Bay Young Democrats!

That’s right!  Since the June primary, we have increased our outreach more than 10-fold!!

Stay informed with your official young voter guide from East Bay Young Democrats!  Download the pdf slate card!

Don’t forget to vote on Tuesday, November 2, 2010!!

Help us capitalize on our increasing success and donate today to help us send out these important voter guide.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

This will be THE candidate forum to go to in the East Bay for to meet the candidates for the most competitive races in Oakland, Berkeley, and beyond.

More details about invitees will follow soon, but save the date. You can bet that candidates for Oakland Mayor and City Council, and Berkeley City Council will be there, just for starters.

Read the candidate’s questionnaires here!!

RSVP on Facebook!

Thursday, September 9, 2010

7pm-10pm

UC Berkeley Campus

Genetics & Plants Biology Building, Room 100

(Near Oxford St. & Berkeley Way)

Take transit!

Take BART and get off at the Downtown Berkeley station.  Walk Up Center St. towards the campus.  Enter the campus via the “Main Entrance”.  The GPB Building is adjacent to the new building currently under construction.

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