Democratic Club
by Mary Larson
LW contributor
LW Democrats need to be aware that, beginning immediately, the monthly club meetings are scheduled for the fourth Wednesday of the month at 1 p.m. in Clubhouse 3, Room 9. Masks will be required. The meetings will also be accessible via Zoom. The goal is to provide an opportunity for all members to participate, those who feel comfortable meeting face-to-face indoors as well as for those who don’t.
The club’s first hybrid meeting took place on July 27 with Mariann Klinger as the featured speaker. Her presentation, titled “Patriarchal Power Grab: Still Alive and Thriving,” included information about California’s response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
The club anticipates hosting a major event in August that will feature an award to be given to the Congresswoman Katie Porter.
••• The new OC Registrar of Voters Bob Page has certified the official Orange County results of the June 7 California Statewide Direct Primary Election. It is encouraging that the number of ballots cast (636,497) was 87% higher than the 2014 Statewide Direct Primary Election (340,187). However, total voter turnout for the current election was still only 35%.
Of those Orange County voters who cast a ballot, 88.6 percent voted by mail and 11.4 percent were in-person. The popularity of voting by mail was evidenced by the results in our 47th Congressional District. Porter received 4,868 mail-in votes as compared to only 2,671 for her primary opponent, Republican Scott Baugh.
••• Porter has reported that the House has voted to enshrine the right to same-sex and interracial marriage into law. The newly passed bill repeals a 1996 law that defines marriage as between a man and woman. While it passed the House with bipartisan support, it needs to pass in the Senate to become law.
In the Senate, Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) have introduced the Respect for Marriage Act, a bill to repeal the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act(DOMA), enshrine marriage equality in federal law and provide additional legal protections for marriage equality.
••• Weather permitting, the SBLW Democratic Club’s Information and Hospitality Booth will be open in the parking lot outside Clubhouse 6 from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. every Tuesday through September. The booth will be open on both Tuesdays and Thursdays during October.
For more in-depth reporting about plans for the upcoming General Election, as well as information about the club’s upcoming programs, LW Democrats and no preferred party supporters can subscribe to the club’s free newsletter. This electronic newsletter is published twice a month.
People interested in subscribing can email democraticclubsblw@ gmail.com or call editor Mary Larson at (562) 296-8521. People are asked to sure to include their full name, address, phone number, as well as party affiliation.
