June 2023 — Update from the Chair

The theme for June was outreach. I and several local DEM Central Committee members traveled to Los Angeles to attend the California Democratic Party organizing convention. Itara O’Connell, Carol Turner and Annie Ballard met with caucus leaders, committee chairs and state politicians over a three day period. These activists secured dates for several notables to visit Nevada County. Notable visits start with Adam Schiff’s visit August 8th and we are working to host the other two DEM senatorial candidates in the coming months.

Next I attended the Auburn Area Democratic Club potluck to mingle with our ‘down the hill’ cousins. Auburn-based activists regularly attend our events in Nevada County, and it was time to reciprocate.

Regionally, an all-day meeting was held with leaders in attendance from surrounding alpine, foothill, and urbanized counties within our new congressional district (CD3). The conference at the Auburn veterans building focused on how to respond to changing demographics and new political opportunities for progress.

The outreach theme was further acted upon locally when our own Nevada County Central Committee met at the Briar Patch to pass a unanimous motion sending $1,000 to embattled Shasta County DEMS where supervisors recently voted to remove electronic voting machines so that ballots must be hand counted -- a waste of time and money, as well as an easier opportunity for ballot tampering.

Outreach will remain the theme all summer. DEMs participated in the annual 4th of July Parade, are hosting a July 19th office party at our headquarters for our volunteers, calling low propensity voters in CD#3, and will have a double-size booth this year at the county fair, August 9th through 13th.