Hosted by CDC and the San Diego County Democratic Party

This full day of intense training consists of a variety of political workshops intended for club/party leaders and activists who want to advance their leadership roles in the Democratic Party or are just getting started in politics!

A big THANK YOU to the following sponsors:
San Marcos Democratic Club
Garry Shay
Octavio Aguilar
Lee Ezzes
Dr. Michael McQuary
La Jolla Democratic Club
Fallbrook Democratic Club
Lee Ezzes
Christine Nava
Carmen Miranda-Griffith
Victor Sartoresi

Be a true grassroots leader – sponsor our training for $50 or more!
$50 - Activist
$100 - Supporter
$250 - Organizer
$500 - Leader

Seating is limited, all attendees must register by July 29, 2010!

Register here: http://www.cdc-ca.org/Training/

Click the link below for more information...


The California Democratic Party Structure
If you want to get involved with the party and rise through the ranks, you need to know the structure and the roles of the various arms of the party. Learn about the state officers, committees, caucus’, clubs, county DCCs, regions, etc., as well as how the State DCC is pulled together.

How to Run a Meeting:
Robert's Rules of Order Whether you are a club president, member, activist or a candidate, you should know the basics of parliamentary procedures. Most organizations, profit and non-profit, political or non-political, abide by these rules whether it’s a local club, state party, or a city council meeting.

Club Finances: How to Stay Out of Jail
Learn the does & don’ts of political finances.  Club leaders, treasurers, members, candidates should all have a fundamental idea of political finances.

Fundraising Fundamentals and Guidelines
What are the donation limits? Who do I contact? Why do people donate? And many other questions answered. This workshop is a must for all activists and candidates.

Fundraising Ideas & Projects
“Money is the milk of Politics”, right? If that’s the case then our clubs need a lot of milk! This workshop will provide you with ideas and projects for raising money – the right way!

Increasing and Keeping Your Membership
Now that you have your club or organization put together, how to go about finding members & volunteers, and more importantly, how do you motivate and hang on to them? Learn the strategies and tools used to help grow your organization.

Effective Use of Media
Learn the ins and outs of communications.  Develop relationships with newspapers and other publications.  Earned media, paid media, press releases and other topics related to publicizing your organization or your candidate.

Technology and Clubs
Learn about the many free technology tools such as websites, faxing, online applications, etc., that can be used by your club/organization. Additional topics: social networking, email etiquette, listserves

The Progressive Challenge
Learn about the top issues facing Democrats. Whether you are an activist or candidate, you need to be aware of what progressives expect of you and what we expect of our candidates. Talking points and concise messaging.
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NOTE: Please DO NOT RSVP unless you can stay the entire day! Our speakers have committed their time for this workshop and travel from around the state. We know this is a long day of intense training, but to ensure future training, we would like you to respect our speaker’s time investment! Thank you.

Seating is limited, so please RSVP by July 29, 2010

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Although over 100 clubs participated in the voting process, unfortunately not enough members voted to reach a quorum.

Therefore, CDC is not able to endorse any candidates or propositions based on this vote.

However, the results of the vote are shown below which indicates the direction that the vote had gone.

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The CDC meeting held on Friday, April 16, at the CDP 2010 Convention was a huge success with standing room only!



Starting out, Trent Lange, Californians for Fair Elections gave us an overview of Proposition 15.

Next, Senator Loni Hancock gave an overview of the Majority Vote Budget initiative which is designed to remove the 2/3 vote requirement from for budget decisions.

Finally Professor George Lakoff, University of Berkeley, talked about the California Democracy Act which is designed to remove the 2/3 vote requirement for both budget and revenue decisions.

One of the world's best-known linguists, Professor Lakoff is widely recognized for his research on metaphorical thought, the embodied mind, and the structure of language. However, his application of cognitive science and linguistics to politics has brought him to national attention.

His latest project is the California Democracy Act, an initiative on the November 2010 ballot designed to eliminate the 2/3 vote requirement for passing the state budget.

Join us as Mr. Lakoff explains his initiative compared to similar initiatives being proposed.

Here are a few words from George Lakoff:

Dear Friends,

The California budget crisis is a democracy crisis.

The 2/3 vote rules have destroyed democracy. A small minority of extreme conservatives - 37 percent - has been controlling the state legislature by saying no to all proposals until it gets what it wants. They want to destroy the ability of the state to serve public needs. They like the budget cuts. They don't care about the pain they have caused.

We - the majority of voters - can change all that. We can pass the California Democracy Act, an initiative on the November 2010 ballot. It is one sentence long - only 14 words. It is simple democracy.

"All legislative actions on revenue and budget must be determined by a majority vote."

It would make two minor changes in the Constitution: In two places, "two-thirds" becomes "a majority". That's all. And it can be passed with only a majority vote!

To get this initiative on the ballot and to pass it, we will need your help. 

For more information, go to www.CaliforniansForDemocracy.com - now.

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CDC made the trek north to Humboldt County for a full day of leadership training.

Thanks to Humboldt County Democratic Party Chair Milt Boyd and all of the Humboldt activisits who made us feel so welcome.  Even though the crowd was a bit smaller than our usual training sessions, we felt it was a successful day and that it was important to provide the same training opportunities that the rest of the state receives.

Special thanks to these generous sponsors who helped make the training possible:

• Milton Boyd
• Del Norte County Democratic Central Committee
• Ukiah Valley Democratic Club
• Susan Araiza Boys
• Matthew Owen

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Over 400 activists from across the state came together for the California Democratic Council and the San Diego County Democratic Party's joint Grassroots Democratic Convention held on September 26th in beautiful San Diego.



Our Grassroots Democratic Convention featured a full day of workshops, forums, and networking opportunities on Saturday.  There were morning, lunchtime, and afternoon plenary sessions where candidates and elected officials introduced themselves.  California State Attorney General (and possible gubernatorial candidate) Jerry Brown spoke during the morning session.






Convention Workshops Included:

• Ending Minority Rule in the California Legislature
• Labor - Fighting for the Middle Class
• Developing a Year-Round Precinct Program
• Cleaning Up California with the Fair Elections Act
  
• Citizen Activism and the Fight Against Blackwater
  
• Recruiting and Retaining Members
• New Technology Tools
• Media Reform and You
• California Election Trends
• Fundraising Tips
  
• Organizing for America
• Call for a California Constitutional Convention
• Candidate Training Track
• Intergenerational Leadership for Party Growth

Henry Vandermeir was re-elected president of CDC Saturday afternoon during the business portion of the event.  Heather Lacayo continues as CDC Secretary, Herb Engstrom as Treasurer, and Steve Cummings as CDC State Controller.

Our Saturday dinner event featured Congresswoman Linda Sanchez discussing the upcoming health care legislation followed by “Uncivil Liberties: A Panel Discussion on the State of Civility in Politics and Public Life”.

Saturday evening, we also presented two awards.  Jess Durfee (San Diego County Democratic Party Chair) received our "Volunteer of the Year" award for his commitment to CDC through his early and continuous support and his willingness to travel throughout the state to help with the delivery of our training program.  Working Blue received CDC's "Club of the Year" award.  This relatively new Labor Democratic club in Ventura has already raised thousands of dollars and held events with 500 in attendance.  This club has proven that when Labor and Democratic activists join forces, good things happen.

A second business session took place on Sunday morning where Henry discussed the next two year strategy for CDC.  Several resolutions were discussed at this meeting and voted upon.  The resolutions which were passed will be posted to this site shortly.

To those of you who attended, we hope you enjoyed the weekend!

To Jess, Ryan, Kendra and the entire San Diego County Democratic Party, a huge thank you from CDC for your hard work organizing and staffing the convention!  To Heather and Rosemary, thank you for your work Saturday with Credentials and to both Steve and Herb for assisting all weekend.

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