The Ventura Democratic Club hosted the first Town Hall Meeting where all three announced candidates for the new 26th District had the opportunity to answer questions from an overflowing audience. The declared candidates included Ventura County Supervisor Steve Bennett, Moorpark City Councilman David Pollock, and businessman David Cruz Thayne.

Watch the entire Town Hall HERE

Post-Town Hall interviews with individual candidates can be found HERE

The Ventura County Democratic Party has passed, by an overwhelming majority, a resolution highlighting concerns over the continued construction and operation of nuclear power plants in California.

Entitled Resolution Opposing Nuclear Energy Generation in California, the resolution urges Gov. Brown and the California Legislature to work with the Public Utilities Commission, the NRC, and industry to lay out a plan of action to responsibly phase out nuclear power to protect the economy, the health and safety of Californians, and our environment. It also calls for California energy policy to be focused on conservation, distributed generation, and the development of solar, wind, tidal, biomass conversion, and other forms of clean and renewable energy – all of which will cultivate new business activity and produce ample new jobs.

“This is a bold statement by Ventura County Democrats,” said Bruce Little, Resolutions Committee member and author of the resolution. “Up to now, most resolutions have narrowly focused on the issues of reactor safety and long-term storage of spent nuclear waste. Our resolution covers equally important issues such as diversion of weapon-grade materials, cost overruns and government subsidies, health and environmental problems with the entire nuclear fuel cycle, and the benefits of moving to renewable sources of energy production.”

In passing the resolution, Ventura County Democrats reject the need for nuclear energy generation, which is derived from faulty and inflated projections of consumption based on a profit system hostile to conservation and promoted with inaccurate claims of cost savings, safety, reduction in greenhouse gases, and increased world security.

The next general meeting of the Democratic Club of the Conejo Valley (DCCV) is Wednesday, February 9, 6:15 PM at the Thousand Oaks Main Library, 1401 E. Janss Road in Thousand Oaks.  The program is titled “Strategic Planning for 2012”.  John Griffin will guide us in an interactive strategic planning and goal setting session. We want to map out a successful strategy for the 2012 elections. You are all invited to participate. John Griffin is a Management professor of California State University, Channel Islands, business consultant, and Administrative Vice-President of our own DCCV.

 Our committee chairs will also be discussing their plans for 2011.

We welcome new members and the general public.

Ventura, CA – Thursday night, 3/25/2010 The Democratic Club of Ventura and Ventura County Democratic Party presented “2010 Democratic Candidate Town Hall” at the Topping Room, E.P Foster Library, 651 Main Street, Downtown.

Forty-five people attended the town hall meeting hosted by Helen Conly, Vice President and event coordinator. The program opened with political consultant and local software business creator David Maron, who was emcee.

Sheriff hopeful, Geoff Dean assured the audience that “political persuasion or party won’t be the catalyst behind him giving out future arrests. Criminality is not parceled out by whether or not you are a republican”, said the avowed Republican candidate.
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Written questions from the audience were also asked by Maron.

Next was Ferial Masry with a fifteen-minute presentation. Masry expressed the need for California, the 6th largest economy in the world, to strive to become the state where business owners create products and services that can be used globally, to educate and prepare our students to be the 21st century work force instead of going to foreign countries and to reconsider green initiatives that supplement sustainable energy resources and careers.

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The 37th Assembly District includes the following cities: Acton, Agua Dulce, Camarillo, Canoga Park, Castaic, Chatsworth, Fillmore, Los Angeles, Moorpark, Newbury Park, Oak View, Ojai, Piru, Santa Paula, Simi Valley, Somis, Thousand Oaks, Val Verde, West Hills, and Westlake Village.

As opposed to prior advertising, the program wasn’t televised although some of the content was captured by Todd Hoover a videographer from the Santa Clarita area.

Other participants were Ed Summers and Peggy O’Reilly, both running for Treasurer; Jim Dantona, running for County Clerk. For more information regarding the 2-1/2 hour town hall see: http://www.youtube.com/user/crazycatherder#p/u

Brian Leshon has been elected 1st Vice Chair to the Ventura County Democratic Party Central Committee. Brian currently serves as committee chair of the Communications Committee of the Ventura County Democratic Party as well as communications chair for the Ventura Democratic Club.

Brian Leshon has been the NewCarBuyingGuide.com’s CEO and Motorsports Editor since its inception, and he is also the co-owner of CyberAd Media, Inc.  Leshon cohosted several radio shows and has written hundreds of automotive and travel related articles, and photographed thousands of vehicles and locations for publication.  Leshon also provides consulting services to firms maintaining websites and web-based businesses in the arenas of Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing.   He was also an Audio and Video Recording and Post Production Engineer at major Los Angeles studios for 15 years.

Sandy Emberland has been elected 2nd Vice Chair of the Ventura County Democratic Party Central Committee.  She is currently Fund raising Chair of the Central Committee and was elected to serve her 3rd 2-year term in 2008.

Sandy was elected as an Obama Delegate from the 24th CD to the 2008 Democratic National Convention and attended the Presidential Inaugural in January.  She blogged from the DNC to the VC Star.  Since moving to Thousand Oaks in 1996, she has been active in the Democratic Club of the Conejo Valley, holding various executive positions and is a member of the Democratic Women’s Council of the Conejo Valley. Sandy supports Democratic activities throughout Ventura County – has clipboard, will travel.  In addition to fundraising, Sandy coordinated the Democratic Party’s booth at the Ventura County Fair.  Most recently she chaired the annual Kennedy Legacy Dinner for the VCPD.

Thousand Oaks entertained a bevy of political luminaries recently as the Sunset Hills Country Club hosted the annual Kennedy Legacy Dinner.  The event marks the kickoff of Ventura County Democratic Party fund raising for the next political cycle, introduction of political candidates and elected officials, and recognition of persons who have made special contributions.

Hannah Beth Jackson, former Assemblywoman, ably handled the duties of master of ceremonies for the evening.  Actor Peter Strauss paid homage to John, Robert and Ted Kennedy by incorporating passages from significant speeches each had given.  The tribute was especially moving as Strauss went into character for each brother.

Featured speakers included Lilly Ledbetter, who inspired the federal Fair Pay Act of 2009, and Los Angeles attorney Gloria Allred, who specializes in social justice and gender and minority rights cases.

The dinner concluded with the presentation of the Kennedy Legacy Awards.  “Tonight is really to celebrate the legacy of the Kennedy brothers,” party chairwoman Jill Martinez said.  “Courage and endurance. We really want to recognize people in the community that have those same kinds of traits.”  Allred received the John F. Kennedy Award for Inspiration; Ledbetter received the Robert F. Kennedy Award for Courage; Sharon Hillbrant, former chairwoman of the Ventura County Democratic Central Committee, received the Edward M. Kennedy Award for Endurance; and Brian Levy, president of the Simi Valley-Moorpark Democratic Club, received the Kennedy Legacy Award for Community Service.

Planning of the event was under the direction of Sandy Emberland, event chair, and committee members Sue Broidy, Helen Conly, Sandra Kinsler, Steven Brown, Sharon Hillbrant, Brian Leshon, and Ron Suckle.

The Ventura County Democratic Central Committee has elected former congressional candidate Jill Martinez of Oxnard its new chairwoman, replacing Oxnard attorney Joe O’Neill.

Martinez was elected by acclamation and will fill the remaining one year of O’Neill’s term.  O’Neill resigned to devote time to a new teaching appointment he will take on in addition to his law practice.

Jill is the former Democratic candidate for the United States House of Representatives in California’s 24th congressional district.  A Presbyterian minister, Martinez has worked for the Ventura County Area Housing Authority and taught professional ethics at California State University, Stanislaus and was co-host of the bi-lingual television program, “La Voz de la Raza” for ABC’s Stockton, CA affiliate.  In Stockton, she also worked as a City Civil Service Commissioner and a Police Chaplain.

One of her major platforms has been addressing poor housing conditions on the Central Coast of California. She has also expressed concern over health care, transportation, port security, the Iraq War, and globalization.  Martinez holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Hawaii, and a Master of Divinity from San Francisco Theological Seminary.

The Ventura County Democratic Party Central Committee has voted to only support healthcare reform legislation that includes a strong public option.  Here is the text of the resolution:

“WHEREAS, the heath care system of the United States is in crisis, with almost fifty million Americans lacking any health insurance, tens of millions more lacking adequate coverage, and millions more who do have private coverage paying increasingly unaffordable premiums, resulting in inadequate access to care and premature death, illness, or financial ruin for millions of Americans; and

WHEREAS, public polls show that an overwhelming majority of Americans want health care reform to offer the choice of a robust public option similar to Medicare in order to, in the words of President Obama, “keep the insurance companies honest,” while co-ops or so-called “triggers” are inadequate in and of themselves to address the health care crisis by creating significant competition for the medical insurance industry; and

WHEREAS, Republicans and their allies in the health insurance industry have organized and funded groups of extremists to disrupt efforts on the part of the Democratic majority and administration to reasonably discuss the issue with the American people, and have demonstrated an utter unwillingness to compromise in any way to pass meaningful health care reform;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Ventura County Democratic Central Committee urges Democratic members of Congress to vote for only such healthcare reform proposals as contain at least the choice for a robust public plan at all stages of the legislative process including conference and reconciliation, and encourages Democratic legislators to use any available parliamentary means to pass such reform;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Ventura County Democratic Central Committee shall send a copy of this resolution to all members of Congress who represent at least a part of the geographic region of which this Committee is the officially sanctioned body of the Democratic Party.”

The 37th Assembly District elected 6 women and 6 men to 2-year terms as members of the California state central committee and delegates to the state conventions.  The election drew a crowd of about 150 people from the assembly district.  Winners of the election:  Joan Adams, Jody Avery-Smith, Debbie Birenbaum, Sue Boloorchi, Roni Flowers, Kim Stephenson, William Carter, David Maron,  Sean Keenan, Ron Adams, Cleo Navarro, & Paul Markowitz. William Carter was elected as the representative to the executive board.  Jay Kapitz was elected from the 41st Assembly District.

The Conejo Teachers’ Union, Conejo PTA Council and the Ventura County Democratic Party will protest massive cuts to education funding this Thursday. Please show up with signs AND forward this message to anyone who does not want the Republicans to cut the education budget.

When: Thursday, February 5, 2009, 4:00 PM
Where: Senator Tony Strickland’s Office
Address: 223 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, CA 91362

Directions from North: 101 (south), Moorpark Road exit, Thousand Oaks Blvd (right)
Directions from South: 101 (north), to Hampshire Road exit, Hampshire Road (right),Thousand Oaks Blvd. (left)

PARK ON THE STREET. DO NOT PARK IN THE LOT.

Join the parents, teachers, administrators and friends of public education in calling for California State Senator Tony Strickland to pass a budget. Senator Tony Strickland’s negligence and desire to push a political agenda threatens our children’s future!

Spread the word. Please try to get at least 10 people from each school in Ventura County. It is important that you bring your children. Kids count! We cannot stand silently by and let our Senator, Governor and Legislators think the proposed cuts are okay with us!

Suggested Sign Quotations:
Invest in the future of our children and California!
Honk if you love educated people!
Name-of-your-School Teacher Against Education Cuts
Student Against Education Cuts
Tony Strickland Wants To Cut Education
Why Does Strickland Hate Kids And Teachers?
Children In California Count!
Tony Strickland Wants Public Schools To Fail
Strickland Gets an F!