Democratic Club
By Mary Larson
LW contributor
Leisure World Democrats are reminded that the next club membership meeting, originally scheduled for Jan. 20, has been rescheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 27, at noon via Zoom. The meeting will feature the importance of the upcoming special election for LW’s District 2 representative on the Orange County Board of Supervisors. The position was vacated by Michelle Steel.
There are 130,958 registered Democrats and 192,160 Republicans in the Board of Supervisors’ District 2. Both parties will be vying to attract the district’s remaining 64,146 potential voters. It is significant that the district overlaps 66 percent of California’s 48th Congressional District.
Email lwsbdemocraticclub@gmail.com for information about how you can be involved in the campaign to elect Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley as the District 2 representative on the Orange County Board of Supervisors. •••• With the recent presidential election heavy on his mind, California 72nd District Sen. Tom Umberg introduced four new measures on the first day of the 2021-22 legislative session. Each measure centers on voting.
In addition to authoring SB 29, SB 34 and SB 35 to protect voters and election workers, Umberg is the principal co-author of AB 37 with Assembly member Marc Berman. AB 37 will make California a permanent universal vote-by-mail state, which means every eligible voter will receive a ballot.
When Umberg was an assistant U.S. attorney, he investigated and eventually was instrumental in passing laws making voter intimidation at the polls a crime. In introducing the new bills, he is quoted as saying, “It is time for California to follow the lead of Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Colorado and Utah and make sure eligible voters have safe and accessible access to the polls.” •••• Democrats are also reminded that they are all eligible to vote for up to 14 people in the California Democratic Party-run election for the state party leadership body (the California State Central committee), regardless of whether they are members of a club. The election, usually held via Assembly-based caucus meetings, will be exclusively by mail ballot. To vote in this election, participants must register for a mail ballot by Jan. 11. Go to adem.cadem.org or email lwsbdemocraticclub@gmail.com for more information about how to register and vote in this election. •••• If you are a Democrat or a supporter and want to know more about the club, subscribe to the free electronic newsletter by emailing the editor, Mary Larson, at mlarson.telfords@gmail.com or by calling (562) 296-8521. Include your full contact information.
The Democratic Club welcomes new members and friends. All club memberships are now calculated on a January–December calendar basis. Both new and renewal 2021 membership forms are available by calling (562) 431-7275 or by going online at https://sblwdems. wordpress.com/democratic-club-membership-2/.
