Action Alerts

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June 2008 Primary - APA Caucus Endorsed Candidates

June 2008 Primary Endorsements
05 May 2008

The APA Democratic Caucus of Alameda County is proud to make the following endorsements for these selected Races and Measures.

State Senator; District 9; Democratic Party
• Wilma Chan, Democratic ..... www.wilmachan.org

Superior Court Judge; County of Alameda; Seat 9
• Dennis Hayashi ..... dh@dennishayashi.com

Council Member At Large; City of Oakland
• Rebecca Kaplan ..... www.kaplanforoakland.org

United States Representative; District 9; Democratic Party
• Barbara Lee, Democratic

United States Representative; District 13; Democratic Party
• Fortney Stark, Democratic

Member of the State Assembly; District 16; Democratic Party
• Sandré Swanson, Democratic

Member of the State Assembly; District 18; Democratic Party
• Mary Hayashi, Democratic

Member of the State Assembly; District 20; Democratic Party
• Alberto Torrico, Democratic

Member, Democratic Party Central Committee; County of Alameda; Assembly District 14


• Elizabeth Echols
• Karen Weinstein
• Cecilia E. "Ces" Rosales

Member, Democratic Party Central Committee; County of Alameda; Assembly District 16

• Mark E. Briggs
• Wayne Nishioka
• Sumi Paranjape
• James H. Oddie

Measure H Temporary Emergency 4-Year Parcel Tax -- Alameda Unified School District (2/3 Approval Required)
To offset severe state budget cuts to Alameda schools, minimize school closures, and protect the quality of education, student safety, class sizes, excellent teachers and staff and to restore prioritized cuts to music, athletics, advanced placement courses, shall Alameda Unified School District levy a temporary, 4-year emergency tax of $120 per residential parcel and 15 cents per square foot for commercial/industrial parcels (see the voter pamphlet), with exemptions for seniors, citizen oversight and all funds staying local.

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Candidate Questionnaires

Candidate Questionnaires are available for members to review:

link to see all responses

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DELEGATE to Dem. Convention-Denver 2008?

District-Level Delegates


Now Available! Click here to file Form A



For an overview of the 2008 Delegate Selection Process, including total delegate numbers and information on filing as an At-Large or PLEO Delegate, click here.


Remember These 2008 Dates: January 15 • April 2 • April 13

If you want to run to be one of California’s 241 District-Level Delegates to the 2008 Democratic National Convention (August 25-28, 2008 at the Pepsi Convention Center, Denver), here are the simple steps you will need to take to get started.

First, you must be a registered Democrat. While Democrats do allow Independents to vote in our Primary, we don’t allow anyone but a “card carrying” Democrat to run as a Delegate.

Second, what is your congressional district? If you don’t know, click here to look up your congressional district. You should also review the 2008 Delegate & Alternate Allocations by Congressional District to find out how many delegates are allocated to your district.

Third, from January 15, 2008 through April 2, 2008, Form A will be available on the California Democratic Party website. You may fill out Form A online or submit via fax. If you file online, we also need your signature on file to be “official,” so be prepared to fax or mail your signed Form A. When filing Form A, you must pledge your support for one presidential candidate. However, should your chosen candidate drop out of the presidential race prior to the Form A filing deadline of April 2, 2008, you have the option to re-file Form A and pledge your support to one of the remaining candidates (sort of like having a “Plan B” for your Form A).

Click here for Complete Form A Filing Instructions

Fourth, start hitting the gym . . . and your community, your work, local clubs, friends, relatives, high school classmates you haven’t seen in 20 years (great excuse to get back in touch) – any registered Democrat who lives in your same congressional district and supports your presidential candidate can attend the district Caucus and vote for you. They can even register as a Democrat right on site – that’s how easy we make it!

You and your supporters attend your presidential candidate’s Caucus on Sunday, April 13 -- although people can arrive earlier, sign in and cast a vote (they don’t need to stick around to hear the speeches or stay until the meeting is over). Voting can begin once a person has signed in and received their ballot. The Caucus will begin at 3pm, (but the doors open at 2pm for people to begin signing in -- and voting if they don’t want to stay. Anyone in line at 3pm will be allowed to sign in and vote.

The key to winning is to invite as many supporters (registered Democrats) who live in your congressional district as possible so they can vote for you. You can also bring signs and pass out literature, buttons, etc. Of course, you can always pick up extra votes by giving an inspiring one-minute speech, which hopefully will focus on your political passion and not the top five reasons you’ve always wanted to visit Denver.

Once the speeches are over and everyone signed in has cast their vote – the votes are then tallied. The presidential campaign committee and the California Democratic Party will notify and confirm all winners in each CD.

These elected Delegates will join more than 4,300 Delegates and 600+ alternates at the Democratic National Convention (August 25-28, 2008 in Denver, Colorado) and be front and center for the exciting speeches, after-hour socials, and one of the largest balloon-drops ever witnessed.

On August 29, 2008 after the confetti has cleared, Democrats will be in the final stretch on the road to the White House.

Downloads
2008 Delegate Selection Plan
How a Democrat Becomes a Delegate in California 2008
Delegate & Alternate Allocations by Congressional District

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MESSAGE FROM Robin Torello, Alameda County Chair

Alameda County delivers for the Democratic Party each and every election. We have one of the highest rates of Democratic registration in the state - and our Democrats vote! In last November's election:

Alameda County's turnout of 62 percent beat the statewide average by 7 percent;

Alameda County was one of only two counties where Phil Angelides won a majority of the vote;

Our other statewide candidates also ran about 20 percent above the state average here. Debra Bowen, for example, got 68 percent of the Alameda County vote, compared to 48 percent statewide;

Alameda County is home to Congressional victor Jerry McNerney, who defeated Richard Pombo in the 11th Congressional District. Among the four counties making up the district, Alameda County accounted for two-thirds of Jerry's margin of victory;

Our Democratically endorsed local candidates won over 86 percent of their races;

In addition to a CDP headquarters in Oakland, Alameda County Democrats organized and operated five local offices. Through these operations we reached thousands of Democrats and distributed more than 75,000 doorhangers by Election Day.

Our Alameda County Democratic Central Committee continues working hard to ensure that the Democratic Party in Alameda County remains strong. Working with an all-volunteer base, we are gearing up to put a Democrat in the White House in 2008. We have set ourselves the task of organizing to reach several key goals over the next two years:

+ Strengthen our ties to our natural allies in organized labor and the environmental, pro-choice, civil rights, women's and anti-war movements;
+ Create informational and training events to encourage greater activism;
+ Reinforce our commitment to winning local offices with candidate training and mentoring;
+ Expand the countywide Precinct Captain program;
+ Increase our emphasis on voter registration, focusing on those communities with strong loyalty to the Democratic Party;
+ Raise the funds needed to carry out an effective 2008 campaign.

In Alameda County, we know we play a crucial role in winning Democratic victories statewide. We are committed to the success of the Democratic Party and will do the work to get it done. Join us and make it happen!

Upcoming Events in Alameda County

March 13, 2008
5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Regional Pre-Endorsement Conferences for June 2008 Primary

March 15, 2008
9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Regional Pre-Endorsement Conferences for June 2008 Primary

March 28, 2008 - March 30, 2008
2:00 PM - 2:00 PM
California Democratic Party Annual State Convention


www.cadem.org.

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January 12, 2008 - Presidental Endorsement Vote and Proposition 92

Presidential Endorsement Vote/Props/Caucus Officers
APA Democratic Caucus of Alameda County Endorses Barack Obama for President and YES on Prop 92!!!


January 12, 2008-The Asian Pacific American Democratic Caucus of Alameda County is pleased to announce endorsements for the Feb 5 primary election. Key endorsements we would like to announce are for

+ Barack Obama for President
+ YES on Proposition 92, the Community College Initiative

We believe the candidacy of BARACK OBAMA represents a fundamental shift in the direction of both the Democratic Party and the nation as a whole. We wholeheartedly support his themes of progressive change, inclusion, and equality. The Obama campaign is also activating a whole generation of young people and formerly alienated voters to the possibility of change. Vote for Barack Obama for President.

PROPOSITION 92, the community college initiative is a critical reform in educational funding that is our state's best chance to guarantee a college education to all Californians. Community colleges provide access to the economy and upward mobility to all Californians, and especially to immigrants and working families. Prop 92 regularizes funding for community colleges, lowers and stabilizes student fees, and creates more local accountability to voters. Vote YES on Prop 92.

We urge all members of the APA Democratic Caucus as well as friends and allies to actively get involved in the primary election in support of our endorsements.

In order to take a position on candidates or ballot measures, a 60% supermajority vote was required. Instant run-off procedures were used in the presidential candidate endorsement.

The following are the full endorsement results:

Democratic Nominee for President Barack Obama
Prop 91-Transportation reform no longer supported by its initiators -
No
Prop 92- Support for community college students - Yes
Prop 93- Term limits reform - No Position (60% not reached)
Prop 94- gaming initiative - No
Prop 95- gaming initiative - No
Prop 96- gaming initiative - No
Prop 97- gaming initiative - No
Measure A- parcel tax for Children's Hospital - No Position (60% not reached)
Measure B- parcel tax for Children's Hospital - No

In addition to endorsements, the APA Caucus also elected new Board Officers for 2008. Congratulations to our new officers for 2008:

Rob Bonta, President
Jean Fong, Vice President
Suizi Lin, Secretary
Ken Pon, Treasurer

Congratulations to our new Membership Chair, Nicky Gonzalez Yuen.

Thank you, Sarah Kim-Lee and Stefani Komaru, outgoing Board officers, for your service to the Caucus.

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