The Thursday, June 3rd meeting of the Democratic Club of Camarillo will feature a party and tribute for Bill Hammaker’s 102nd birthday.  Bill, former county YMCA Director, and longtime outspoken advocate for peace is widely known as the ‘Professor of Peace.’  His favorite saying is: “God put me on this Earth to accomplish a certain number of things, and right now I’m so far behind, I’ll never die.”  The club extends an open invitation to all Democratic Clubs to join us for the celebration.

Socializing will start at 6:15 pm with a pot luck from 6:30 to 7:30 pm.  Bring a dish to share.  Cake and beverages will be provided by the club.  Our regular business meeting will start at 7:30 pm.  The club meets in the Orchid Building, 816 Camarillo Springs Road, which is located at the Camarillo Springs Exit from the South 101. The meeting is free and open to the public.  Call 805/469-3749 for additional information.

DCCV – WEDNESDAY, MAY 26, MONTHLY GENERAL MEETING
AT THOUSAND OAKS LIBRARY, 1401 E. JANSS ROAD

SOCIAL NETWORKING AT 6:15PM – MEETING AT 6:45PM

Local, County and State Candidates Forum

Candidates for 37th Assembly District, County Treaurer abd County Judges will appear.

The DCCV Spring Series continues with the fourth and final Pre-Primary Forums. Candidates for local, county and state offices will present their positions to and answer questions from our club members and guests.

Linda Parks debated an empty chair at the League of Women Voters forum Thursday night. Audra Strickland backed out at the last minute. Apparently, Audra isn’t interested in the public hearing what she has to say, perhaps because she really doesn’t have anything important to say. To Audra, schmoozing is more important. Schmoozing is the pursuit of important persons to improve financial contributions to her campaign. Damn the electorate, full wallets ahead!

Jim Dantona Campaign Update

Jim Dantona is running for Ventura County Clerk against Tea Party supporter Mark Lunn.  Jim spoke at the Democratic Club of the Conejo Valley on May 12 and spelled out the strategy against him:  Keep the Democrats home, Democrats won’t bother to vote.  The tens of millions of dollars spent by Whitman and Poisner has got the Republicans riled up and ready to vote.  Where will the Dems be?  Jim encouraged all Democrats to send urgent email alerts to 20 friends to put them on notice that:

1. The June 8th election is not a primary but the same as a general election in the case of the County Clerk race since there are only two candidates and one will be declared a winner on June 8th.

2. Jim wants to use improved technology in order to reduce the time it takes to count absentee ballots - currently as long as three weeks after the election.  Jim has already identified certain vote counting machines that are at issue.

3. Jim want to implement the findings of two grand jury investigations that found deficiencies in how your votes are being counted or possibly not being counted.

4. Jim’s opponent has no specific plan for fixing the vote counting system.  He says he wants to study it once he is elected.

More information about Jim Dantona for County Clerk can be found at www.jimdantona.com.

Description and Background

In 2008 the Ventura County Democratic Central Committee (VCDCC) officially recognized the Hon. Jack O’Connell’s service to Ventura County and the state of California by awarding a scholarship in the amount of $1,000 in the field of Public Service or Education.

Click here to download the application.

After growing up in Oxnard, graduating from Oxnard High School, receiving his B.A. degree from California State University Fullerton (CSUF) and his secondary teaching credential from CSU Long Beach, Jack O’Connell returned to teach government classes at Oxnard High School. His political career began with his election to the Santa Barbara County School Board. Starting in 1982, Jack served six terms in the California State Assembly and was Speaker pro tem. He then was elected to two terms in the State Senate. He was elected as State Superintendent of
Public Instruction in 2002 and overwhelmingly reelected in 2006. In 2007 he was inducted into the Ventura County Educators Hall of Fame. His lifetime commitment to education as a teacher, legislator, and the State Superintendent of Public Instruction makes Jack the perfect person to be honored by our scholarship program.

Eligibility and Requirements

• Resident of Ventura County
• Registered (or registration-in-process) for Fall Semester 2010 at any public college or
  university in California

• Graduate of a Ventura County high school
• 3.0 GPA (transcript should be available on request)
• Registered Democrat or Intent to Register as a Democrat when eligible
• Career Goal: Public Education or Public Service
• The successful scholarship recipient will e-mail the Scholarship Committee a brief
  follow-up describing his/her college experience at the end of the first quarter/semester.

Application Procedure

Download the PDF of the 2010 JOC Scholarship form.
Sign, date and mail the application with the two letters of recommendation and your essay to:
VCDCC Scholarship Committee
P.O. Box 1587
Camarillo, CA 93011

Applications must be postmarked by July 15, 2010. (Please note that you may need to include
extra postage.) If you need further information, please leave a message at 805-477-4411.

Prospective recipients will be notified the first week of August and arrangements will be made
for an interview. Following his or her selection, the winner will be honored at the Labor Day
Picnic September 6, 2010, which will be held at Freedom Park in Camarillo.

“Susan has the right mix of experience, credibility and courage to be an effective leader in Sacramento,” said City of Ventura Police Chief Ken Corney in announcing his endorsement of Susan Jordan in the 35th District Assembly race.

Chief Corney’s confidence in Jordan’s ability to best represent local interests in Sacramento is echoed by community leaders, public safety groups and officials throughout the district.

Corney joins the California Police Chiefs Association — a group which is highly selective in the races it endorses — along with the Ventura County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association, Oxnard Police Chief John Crombach, the Ventura County Professional Firefighters Association, Oxnard Firefighters, and Ventura City Firefighters in endorsing Jordan.

Named Ventura’s police chief late last year, Chief Corney is a very well-respected member of the community and has been an active volunteer and president of the non-profit Ventura Police Activities League, which provides after-school activities for local youths. He is a former assistant chief, patrol officer, field-training officer, SWAT team leader, gang investigator and crisis team negotiator.

“I have tremendous respect for Ken’s work in the community,” Jordan said. “He leads by example and building great teamwork. His confidence in my abilities to represent the citizens of the 35th Assembly District is an honor I do not take lightly. I will work very hard to make sure local concerns about public safety, jobs and education are addressed and that the state does not continue to drain money away from our cities.”

Other local leaders who have endorsed Jordan include former Ventura mayors and now Councilmembers Brian Brennan and Christy Weir, Ventura Unified School District Trustee Mary Haffner, Oxnard School District Trustee Denis O’Leary, Oxnard Mayor Tom Holden, Oxnard Councilmembers Bryan MacDonald and Irene Pinkard, Santa Barbara County Supervisor Janet Wolf, and former Carpinteria Mayor and Councilmember Donna Jordan.

After a successful career in the private sector, Jordan founded the California Coastal Protection Network (CCPN) in 1999 and serves as its executive director. CCPN is considered one of the top environmental advocacy organizations in California and Jordan has received numerous awards for her precedent-setting work protecting communities around the state. She was also Chair of the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission.

The non-profit advocacy group which acts as a voice for consumers across California has endorsed Susan Jordan for the 35th Assembly District seat.

“Susan Jordan has proven that she is tough enough to stand up to the oil and energy corporations. The Consumer Federation of California endorses her for State Assembly because she fights for the people, and against the powerful special interests,” said Richard Holober, Executive Director of the Consumer Federation of California.

Through Jordan’s non-profit California Coastal Protection Network she has waged large-scale campaigns to protect and empower communities around the state. She helped raise millions of dollars and mobilize thousands of people to stop the construction of a dangerous Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal off the coast of Ventura and recently helped defeat a proposal to open California State Waters to oil drilling for the first time in 41 years.

“I am not a career politician, but rather a proven advocate for the people who has shown time and time again that I can take on a fight, stay with it, and win it against all odds and against well-funded special interests,” Jordan said.

“I will take to the halls of Sacramento the skills I have developed fighting for the rights of working families and communities. I have a reputation of fighting for the public interest and for keeping my word,” Jordan said.

The Consumer Federation joins the Sierra Club, California League of Conservation Voters, AFSCME, California List, California Police Chiefs Association, the California Federation of Teachers, the California Labor Federation, the National Women’s Political Caucus and United Domestic Workers in support of Jordan.

After a successful career in the private sector, Jordan founded the California Coastal Protection Network (CCPN) in 1999 and serves as its executive director. CCPN is considered one of the top environmental advocacy organizations in California and Jordan has received numerous awards for her precedent-setting work protecting communities around the state. She was also Chair of the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission.

The California Legislative Latino Caucus, comprised of California State Senators and Assemblymembers, voted on Wednesday, May 5, 2010 to give a sole endorsement to Democrat Susan Jordan in the 35th Assembly District contest.

The Latino Legislative Caucus is dedicated to providing affordable housing, investing in our children, ensuring that higher education is affordable and accessible, creating well-paying jobs for working California families, and improving the overall quality of life for all Californians.

The Latino Caucus endorsement comes on the heels of the news that the California Police Chiefs Association endorsed Jordan as well, joining a long list of law enforcement and public safety organizations, including the Ventura County Deputy Sheriffs Association, Ventura County Professional Firefighters, Oxnard City Firefighters #1684, Ventura City Firefighters #3431 and Oxnard Police Chief John Crombach, among others.

“I am deeply honored to have earned the endorsement of the Latino Caucus,” Jordan said. “I look forward to working with the Caucus to fight for better access to healthcare, quality education for our children and good jobs and economic opportunities for all Californians,” she said.

After a successful career in the private sector, Jordan founded the California Coastal Protection Network (CCPN) in 1999 and serves as its executive director. CCPN is considered one of the top environmental advocacy organizations in California and Jordan has received numerous awards for her precedent-setting work protecting communities around the state. She was also Chair of the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission.

Demon Sheep II

At last month’s meeting we were happy to see that there are some really good Democrats running for local nonpartisan offices. As Democrats we are lucky to have such good choices. The only thing is that we cannot rely on luck to get them elected. The two County Offices that have open seats must be filled by Democrats. The local Republican Party has made it clear  where its focus is; they want to dominate the local scene. They are even challenging one of their own on the County Board of Supervisors. Low voter turnout usually hurts Democrats. We have worked hard to get a Democratic majority in the County. What good is all that work if we do not take advantage of it? We must get out the vote! If Democrats can take those seats a big message would be sent to the other side that they better look out for us in November.
Also at the April meeting candidates running for County Democratic Central Committee stood and introduced themselves. This is the first time that I can remember when most of the districts have challenges. This level of interest is encouraging. I wish I could say the same for our own club. This is a very important election year and we struggle to increase our level of participation. I am asking that all of you consider increasing your level of participation. That participation can come in many ways. Volunteer for a committee or to help get out the vote in your neighborhood. Make a financial contribution. Fund raisers cost time and money to put on. Writing a check for any amount is a big help in getting our message out. If your level of participation is just coming to our meetings, keep coming – all levels help.
Bill Gallaher, President