News from Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara Democrats have been working on their own County Platform for some months now. It’s a new and exciting way of bringing the activist community together to focus on a shared vision for the county – not re-inventing the state Political Platform but narrowing the focus to Santa Barbara County politics.

It’s an exercise that all County Central Committees should note and adopt as part of their own program as it has proved to be challenging and thought-provoking as well as bringing in new ideas and fresh enthusiasm, building interest in the local Party and reinforcing the Democratic mission.

Santa Barbara Democrats are meeting this Sunday to work on a final version which will be presented to their Central Committee for approval in July. Copies will be made available for Ventura and San Luis Obispo to consider, and hopefully to benefit from, as they go ahead with plans of their own.

The Roosevelt-Hamer Dinner originally set for May 9th has been rescheduled. Postponed because of the Jesusita fire, it will now be held on June 27th 2009 at the Santa Barbara Women’s Club (Rockwood) at 670 Mission Canyon. Reservations for the original event will be honored but guests are urged to re-confirm at sbdems@gmail.com or leave a message at 805-965-8030.

Santa Barbara Democrats helped to host a presentation on the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) on May 26th. The Employee Free Choice Act, supported by a bipartisan coalition in Congress, would enable working people to bargain for better benefits, wages and working conditions by restoring workers’ freedom to choose for themselves whether to join a union. Speakers at the Santa Barbara Forum included two of the journalists who were dismissed by the Santa Barbara News Press for trying to form a union, and they made a powerful case for the need for this legislation to pass. Forums supporting EFCA give Central Committees an opportunity to get this issue into public awareness. Let’s hope for more local action putting pressure on the last stand-out Senators, which include our own Senator Dianne Feinstein!