First President’s message

President’s Message by Pete Rockwell

The program for the February meeting

I first joined the Culver City Democratic Club in the summer of 2017. I went to a membership meeting and asked to circulate a petition I’d started to have a march for healthcare for all on the first anniversary of the Womens’ March. As things turned out there was a second Womens’ March on the date I had picked in January of 2018, and Cynthia Hart (my new wife) and I marched in it together. We have marched together in all three Womens’ Marches in Los Angeles.

Cynthia and I first met at the Fiesta La Ballona in August of 2015. We were volunteers handing out leaflets for the brand new long-shot presidential campaign of Bernie Sanders. Cynthia had been a member of CCDC off and on for nearly thirty years, but she had not been very active as a member.

Practically the day we went to our first meeting together we learned that the Corresponding Secretary of the Club, who had also been editing this newsletter, had just quit both tasks. Cynthia soon became the new Corresponding Secretary and I became the editor of the newsletter.

We both voted for Bernie in the California primary and for Hillary in the general election.

The only political experience I had before coming to the CCDC was as a union activist. I’m retired now, but in my life I have been a member of six different unions and I’ve worked full time for the Typographical Union and the United Food and Commercial Workers.

So... I join the Club and boom! I’m putting out the monthly newsletter. Then a year and a half later, boom! I’m president of the Club. It’s the kind of thing that might go to a man’s head if he wasn’t aware that nobody else wanted the job.

But I have a plan.

People are so mad at the would-be oligarchs in the Republican Party right now that they are joining the Resistance in greater numbers than I’ve seen in my lifetime, and I first voted in 1968—way back when you had to be 21 to vote. All we have to do is channel enough of that energy and determination into the Democratic Party to make the old donkey start kicking again like it did in the days of Franklin Roosevelt.

What’s this got to do with the February 13 meeting? We’ve invited Jackie Goldberg and Kelly Kent to take part in a panel on charter schools, the teachers strike and funding public education. That’s where we start. Then we take our country back.

Minutes of January 9, 2019 general meeting

January 9, 2019

Meeting began at 7:15pm

December’s minutes were accepted with corrections at 7:16pm.

Darryl Cherness announced: “The Culver City Council voted in favor of naming a portion of the parkway in front of the old municipal courthouse The Judge Harold I. Cherness Memorial Parkway” 

Darryl Cherness moved that the Club adopt the minutes as revised (correct spelling of Sydney Kamlager-Dove’s name in minutes). Disa Lindgren seconded. Minutes of the December 2018 meeting were approved with revision at 7:16pm 

Election of Officers: 
Darryl Cherness announced the slate of officers nominated by the Nominating Committee, which was selected at the November 2018 meeting:

President: Pete Rockwell
First Vice President: John Williams
Second Vice President: Ronnie Jayne Soloman
Corresponding Secretary: Cynthia Hart 
Recording Secretary: Shannon Theus
Treasurer: Eric Fine
Membership Secretary: Diane Rosenberg 

Darryl moved that nominations be closed. Disa Lindgren seconded. The new officers of the Club were elected by acclamation.

Amy Cherness suggested that ADEM candidates for the 54th Assembly District who were present at the meeting be allowed to speak to the body. A motion was made to this effect by Mel Widowski and seconded by Barbara Widowski. The motion passed and the following candidates spoke for two minutes each: 

Jeanna Harris, Greg Bartlett, Cynthia Hart, Leah Pressman, Robert Leahy, David Lyle, Shannon Theus, Khin Khin Gyi, Tom Camarella and Jeff Schwartz.

After the candidates spoke, President Amy Cherness introduced two speakers from Upward Bound who were the main speakers for the night. The issue being discussed was homelessness. After speaking, the people from Upward Bound took a number of questions from the body.

Disa Lindgren announced that there is going to be an evening when volunteers will count homeless people in Los Angeles County. Members were urged to participate and to meet at the Culver City Center at the time of the event January 22 through 24, 2019. You may sign up at www.theycountwillyou.org

Treasurer Eric Fine read the 2019 budget and urged its approval. Approval of the budget was moved by Darryl Cherness and seconded by John Williams. The budget was approved by unanimous voice vote. 

Ronnie Jayne Soloman moved that the Club endorse the Forward 54thslate seconded Pete Rockwell. After extensive discussion, an amendment endorse individual candidates instead of a slate was defeated and the main motion passed.

Report by Membership Secretary Diane Rosenberg: The 2019 Officer Installation and Awards Luncheon will be held at the Courtyard by Marriot in Culver City on Sunday Feb 10, from 11am to 3pm.

Corresponding Secretary Cynthia Hart asked the body for feedback on which social media platforms they participate in. She also urged members to frequent both the page and the group on Facebook, as well as “liking” and “sharing” items of interest that they see there. 

Khin Khin says show on Washington Blvd. Where 1:30-3:30 This Friday 

Club President-elect Pete Rockwell announced that while he is President there will be no editor of the Club newsletter. Instead, the newsletter will be produced by a committee of Club members that he plans to appoint. He asked people who are interested in serving on the newsletter committee to let him know.

Kimberly Ferguson, a member of the Culver City Human Relations Work Group, announced that the Culver City Council will take up the question of whether to establish a human relations committee for Culver City at the City Council meeting on January 28, 2019. She asked the Club to endorse the proposal and urged members to speak in favor of it at the January 28 Council meeting.

Kimberly moved that the Club endorse the human relations committee idea. Darryl Cherness seconded the motion. The motion passed with a unanimous vote. 

Gary Silbiger announced a community meeting to discuss the use by police of surveillance drones on January 15 at the Senior Center from 6:30 to 9pm. The meeting will be attended by members of the Culver City Police Department and it’s open to the public.

Darryl Cherness made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Shannon Theus seconded the motion.

The meeting adjourned at 9:40pm.

Our Endorsements for November 6, 2018

Vote, Vote, Vote!!! November 6th Endorsements. Click on the image for a full page version.            

Location Change: September 2018, Peace Center