Democratic Club
by Mary Larson
LW contributor
The next meeting of the LW Democratic Club will be on Wednesday, April 20. Out of concern for the well-being of a number of the community’s most vulnerable members and the convenience of the featured speaker, the meeting will be held via Zoom. Login information via the computer or phone can be found in the club’s newsletter or by calling (562) 296-8521. Those who need information about using Zoom should call (562) 412-0898.
The meeting will open with a presentation by Judie Mancuso, who is running for election in the newly configured 72nd California Assembly District. Her principle opponent is Republican Diane Dixon. Incumbent Cottie Petrie-Norris had previously defeated Dixon for the 74th Assembly District in 2020.
Mancuso’s candidacy has been endorsed by the LW Democratic Club, the CA Democratic Party and a long list of well-known community leaders. She is a Laguna Beachbased community and nonprofit leader. Her early career was spent leading large teams in the information technology industry.
Mancuso is currently the founder and CEO of Social Compassion in Legislation. In 2019, she was named among the top 10 of the top 100 most influential people in Orange County.
Also during meeting, club members and supporters will discuss other Democratic Partyendorsed candidates for the June 7 Primary Election, including Congresswoman Katie Porter.
One of the most interesting races will be the one for Orange County superintendent of education.
Reportedly, Orange County voters haven’t had to vote for a superintendent of education in over 20 years. The current superintendent, Al Mijares, was appointed in 2012 and was re-elected unopposed in 2014 and 2018. A Voice of OC review found that only one candidate at a time has run for the position since at least 2002.
This year will be different because of all of the controversy being generated around school boards throughout the country.
This year, Mijares challenger is Stefan Bean, whoserves on the board of the Orange County Classical Academy, a charter school program organized by Jeff Barke. Jeff is the husband of Board of Education President Mari Barke. The board recently authorized an expansion of the academy in a 3-1 vote.
For more in-depth information, Democrats and supporters can visit the club’s booth outside Clubhouse 6 on Tuesdays from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. People can subscribe to the club’s newsletter by emailing democraticclubsblw@ gmail.com and include their full name, address, phone number, as well as party affiliation.
