July 2023 — Update from the Chair
The last few weeks have been a whirlwind. The end of June saw DCC member Itara’ O’Connell presiding over our table at the LGBTQ+Pride Family Picnic. A couple of days later, Patrick and Sean Johnson hosted a letter writing event at the Madelyn Helling Library where 17 people wrote to our newly elected congressperson, Kevin Kiley, telling him their preferences on several local and national key issues.
July 4th was the parade, of course. Twenty-five Democrats braved the heat to participate. A similar number of Republicans and other advocate groups organized floats next to ours, and greetings were cordially passed back and forth in keeping the fact that we are all Americans celebrating our nation’s birthday.
On July 7th and 8th five Nevada County Democrats, Laurie Segal, Itara O’Connell, Margie Joehnck, Sarah Daley, and Daniel Elkins, received training at a two-day organizing event, sponsored by the California Democratic Party. Thanks to the attendees for representing us “down the hill.”
Three days after the activist training was the monthly Congressional District 3 Regional Council (ROC) meeting on Zoom. As always, we traded notes on best practices to hold the GOP accountable in this difficult era. Fifty people from all around the district attended. At the meeting, Democrats from all nearby regions pledged support for a Shasta County recall campaign in response to the right-leaning county supervisors’ vote to remove voting machines, thus making ballot tampering more likely since hand counting is slower more problematic and hugely more expensive.)
Our busy month wasn’t over yet! The Ad hoc Events Committee met for final work on a new design for our fair booth this year. Nine people came to Volunteer Headquarters Committee Chair Noga Wizanski’s back deck for planning.
Finance and Fundraising Committee members met a few times this month to make sure Adam Schiff gets a hero’s welcome when he visits Grass Valley Center for the Arts, August 8th. (The link for the tickets is in the article above about the event.) More indictments should be raining down about by the time you read this, and Adam can suggest to us how to stay sane as the consequences unfold. I hear he’s good at comedy, which is probably the best antidote for the patriot blues induced by our lawless former President.
Some of us got a preview of Adam’s talk at the Sierra Forward Town Hall meeting online where Schiff was joined by another courageous California congressman, Eric Swalwell. Eric, who is from a Bay Area district, has been instrumental in the campaign to push back against the spurious MAGA narrative to have us deny the evidence of our own eyes and ears.
The third Thursday of the month was the regular NCDCC Central Committee meeting. It is an open event that any Democrat can attend. Come check us out if you have not already. We meet at the Briar Patch Market at 6:30 pm.
At the end of this crazy-busy month, we held an office party at our headquarters just off the Brunswick Basin. Thanks to the 144 calls made by Kathleen Schaffer, Susan Genovese, and Julie Enzor Wilson, we had 38 attendees. Most were activities or about to be activists. This outstanding even was planned by Margaret Munson and Kathleen Shaffer. The party even made some money, but more importantly, it made new friends.
All in all, a very busy and productive month that portends an even busier year as Nevada County Democrats defend our democracy, our freedoms, and help safeguard our planet.