What We're Doing
Recognition
Our Vice-President for Programs, Ivan Light, was given a full page feature in the Claremont Courier on December 31, 2005. It was in the paper's recently instituted feature 'Name of Note' in which significant Claremont residents are recognized. Ivan's work with the club was given prominence.
The November 2005 Election
I am certain that all Democrats are happy with the outcome of the November 8th election.
It was a challenge to defeat Arnold’s Propositions. However, winning elections and getting Democratic voters to participate in the election process require EFFORT. Some of our Executive Board and Executive Committee members volunteered to form an Election Committee for the November 8th election. Our goal was to increase voter participation. However, our objectives were several: to inform Democratic voters on the issues, defeat Arnold’s propositions, get Democratic voters to convert to permanent absentee ballots, initiate the development of precinct and neighborhood Democratic organizations. Members of this election committee were Betty Cramer, Bob Gerecke, Ivan Light, Gar Byrum, Jim Stripling, and myself.
As Democrats, our challenge is voter participation. Research has shown that permanent absentee voters are much more likely to participate in the election process than non-absentee voters. Democrats now have the option of voting permanently by mail, which was not available
many years ago. We made this appeal to most of our Democratic voters for the November election. Currently, and in the future, we must continue to appeal to the infrequent Democratic voters to become permanent absentee voters. This is a different type of EFFORT than we have applied in the past. It is more than just calling other Democrats from a calling/walking lists to remind them to vote. It requires us, as Democrats, to stretch our EFFORTS to the Democratic infrequent voter.
Thanks to Jim Stripling for acquiring and organizing our database so that we now have a membership list for Claremont precincts and neighborhoods. From this, we, as a Club, can frequently update this list. The report that I received via e-mail from the State Capitol on Tuesday, November 8th was a quote from a Field Poll that stated,
“ REPUBLICANS HAVE LOST THEIR EDGE IN ABSENTEE BALLOTS”. Historically, Republicans have outnumbered Democrats in absentee balloting, and for this reason contributed to higher voter participation than Democrats. Thus, we Democrats must keep this momentum in our precincts, which can lead to winning more elections. As DFA recognizes, elections are going to be won because of the EFFORTS of the grassroots, especially Democratic Clubs and PACS.
Thanks to Gar Byrum, who registered over 90 new voters at the Farmers Market in Claremont on Sunday mornings. Bob Gerecke, Rudy Mann, and Jim Stripling also contributed their time to this EFFORT.
To avoid making contact with voters an arduous task, our committee tried to organize volunteers to work in their precinct or neighborhoods. However, there were a few who extended themselves beyond their neighborhood. Carolee Monroe, Jack Monroe, and Lois Thompson were three Democrats who stretched and extended. Kudos and thanks to Carolee, Jack, and Lois.
As our EFFORTS expanded, members of our Democratic Club started volunteering to contact Democrats within their precincts and neighborhoods. Members, who volunteered are as listed: Betty McClellan, Cynthia Linton, David Levering, Debi Evans, Ann Kirk, Myra and Al White, Merrill Ring, Bob Mays, Pat Lunde, Charles Freeman Allen, Liz Allen, JoAnn Sorrensen, Davetta Williams, Mary Noonan, Jack Schuster, Ned Freed and wife, Norma Law, Lois Thompson, Gary Richard Miller, Luis Duran, Peggy Rhoades and Tom Blackburn. I also had a Democrat to volunteer, who is not yet a member of our Club. We combined our efforts with The ALLIANCE, Young Democrats, and The UFCW Union to effectuate our objectives and theirs. ALLIANCE AND THE UFCW Union provided us with a lot of campaign literature as we coordinated our EFFORTS to defeat Arnold’s power grab.
Our coordinated EFFORTS evolved into Democratic teamwork. The election results in Claremont and statewide are posted on our website. Because of our EFFORTS, we were able to get approximately 80 Democrats to convert to permanent absentee ballots. We contacted Democrats in all 10 Claremont Precincts, and one precinct, (listed as a County precinct), with over 13,000 registered Democratic voters residing in them. In Claremont, there are 20,811 registered voters. Only 8,441 turned out to vote, 40.56% of the voters. I also have the election results as reported by precincts in the State, which I will be happy to share with members of our Club, who express an interest.
In the next election, we will decide who will be the next Governor of California. It is going to require more EFFORT than shown in the November 8th election. We have more than 190 members in our Club and if everyone will participate in defeating Arnold, it will lighten the load of the few who participated in the election of November 8th. Yes, we were victorious in this past election, but our EFFORTS need improvement.
ZEPHYR TATE-MANN, J.D. JVCDC Vice-President for Membership, Chair, Election Committee
A Call to Keyboards: Get Published Here!
As you all know, it is extremely hard to get letters to the editor, much less longer op-ed pieces, published in newspapers. One of the results of that has been self-censorship on the part of prospective letter-writers: people don't write what they want to say because the likelihood of its being printed is so very low. Consequently, lots of worthwhile expressions of views never get written.
This site and the pages devoted to specific topics are our opportunity to improve that situation.
Your letters are not simply welcomed but requested.
Unless it is sheer trash (which no member of the JVCDC would write), or pornographic or Republican, it will get published.
Length is not a consideration. We have no limits on how many letters can be published.
It will not be denied publication because the editor must present a 'balanced' slate: only Democrats are welcome here in the first place.
Go to the full story.
(You need the Adobe Reader to open it.)
2005 - 2006: Years of Education
During the next two years, the Jerry Voorhis Claremont Democratic Club intends to conduct an educational campaign with the aim of reminding people, both in our community and nationally, of fundamental Democratic values and their policy consequences.
We must point out vividly how the Republican Party, especially as embodied in the current administration, deviates from those values.
Nevertheless, we will not hesitate to indicate where Democrats are failing to live up to their own values.
This program will be carried out by various means: public gatherings, information disseminated, materials published in both print and over the Internet.
Download the Education Agenda for 2005 - 2006.
Our Headquarters
On July 11, 2004, with a party attended by about 300 people, the club opened the headquarters that its political action committee sponsors at 879 East Arrow Highway in Pomona. It maintained the headquarters through election day, November 2, 2004, providing buttons, bumper stickers, and yard signs, and running voter registration, precinct walking, and get out the vote activities.
Village Venture 2004
Once again the club maintained a very successful booth at the Claremont Village Venture on October 23. With an important election looming and anti-Bush sentiment high, we provided a very large number of lawn signs, bumper stickers, pins and other campaign materials. No doubt this helped carry Claremont for the Democrats.
Fourth of July, 2005
For the first time, the club had two booths in Memorial Park (set-up courtesy of Rudy Mann and Jim Stripling.) One booth, organized by Betty Cramer, was our usual information booth at which we distributed information about the Democratic Party and our club. The second booth was a bookstall at which we offered used paperbacks donated by Mary Bardford, while requesting a goodwill donation. For the parade, Laurie Shrage's sons carried our banner in front of Rudy Mann's truck, which had been decorated by Zephyr Tate-Mann and Jim Stripling and which carried several of our members who greeted the onlookers. Mary Anne Schultz was especially effective in arousing cheers from the crowd.
Club Members Receive Recognition - 2005
Our Vice-President for Membership, Zephyr Tate-Mann, has been appointed to the California Democratic Party's Platform Committee. This is one of the seven standing committees of the State Central Committee. It develops the blueprint for the California Democratic Party and formulates the Democratic vision statewide. Congratulations to Zephyr.
In addition, three members of our Executive Board were honored this year by the Los Angeles County Democratic Central Committee as 'Democrats of the Year': Bob Gerecke (President), Zephyr Tate-Mann (VP-Membership) and Gar Byrum (Political Liaison Committee Chair). Two other members of our club were also honored - Idalia Smith and Vivian Yoshioka - for their work with other Democratic organizations. Last year, our VP-Programs, Ivan Light, received the honor. Congratulations to all.
Back in July, Ivan Light was a John Kerry delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Boston.
Moving into the 21st Century
This interactive and informative website has been developed by our Treasurer, Merrill Ring, and volunteer technical professional Bonnie Yelverton. We will continue to add features as they are suggested and as we discover their potential. Give us your suggestions!
In addition, we are now distributing our newsletter (the 'Voorhis Voice') by email to those who give us their email address. This saves paper (i.e., trees), reduces our costs, and enables you to store you copies electronically. We continue to mail it to those who can receive only a hard copy. Our hope is that everyone will eventually receive it electronically, so we can devote our financial resources more efficiently. If you are not receiving the 'Voorhis Voice' by email, please send your email address to the address at the bottom of this column.
(909)-626-8100
P.O. Box 1201, Claremont, CA 91711