Jul 20

July 28th – Healdsburg Growth Management Ordinance Community Forum

On Thursday, July 28th, a community forum will be held to explore Healdsburg’s November ballot measure to amend the city’s existing growth management ordinance. The forum will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Villa Chanticleer Annex, 1248 N. Fitch Mountain Road, in Healdsburg. The event is sponsored by the Windsor/North County Democratic Club, and is free and open to the public.

The current ordinance has been in place since 2000. It caps market rate units at 30 per year. The November ballot question seeks to expand the annual number of units allowable in a combination of multi-family and single family housing.

The forum will feature a panel of four Healdsburg residents with deep roots in the community. The panel will provide information as to what the revised ordinance contains and will offer two differing perspectives on how the proposed change will affect the city.

Speaking in support of the ballot measure will be Tom Chambers, currently serving his third term on the Healdsburg City Council and his third term as mayor. Also speaking in support of the measure will be Jim Brush, now retired from his public accounting firm in Healdsburg. He was recently named President and CEO of Summit State Bank.

Jim Winston, who drafted the existing Growth Management Ordinance which was passed by voters in 2000, will present in favor of maintaining the current ordinance. Gail Jonas, a retired attorney and former member of the Sonoma County Commission on Human Rights, will also speak; she favors keeping the current GMO in place while other solutions are sought to provide more affordable housing.

As Healdsburg has moved from a quiet agricultural community to a high-end tourist destination, the complexities of growth regulation have increased. The discussion at the forum should help those attending to make better-informed votes.

— Barry Hirsch, President, Windsor/North County Democratic Club

Jun 29

WDC at the Sonoma County Fair

This year, the Sonoma County Fair will run from Friday, July 22nd, through Sunday, August 7th. As was the case last year, the Sonoma County Democratic Party will have a booth throughout the fair, and the WDC has committed to staffing that booth on two Saturdays.

One each day, there are three time slots (11 a.m. to 3 p.m., 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., and 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.), and we’re looking for two or three volunteers to fill each slot. Volunteers do not pay to get into the fair, so if you volunteer, you have your off-duty hours, on your day of volunteering, to do whatever you want, at the fair.

Here’s where we stand with volunteers as of June 23rd:

Saturday, July 23

  • 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: full
  • 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.: full
  • 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.: one space available

Saturday, July 30

  • 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: full
  • 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.: full
  • 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.: two spaces available

 

If you’re interested in volunteering for one of the available spaces, please contact Rick Massell (in the “About Us” menu, above, select “Club Officers” for contact information).  And a big “thank you” to those who have already volunteered!

Jun 24

Was the Primary Process Rigged against the Political Revolution?

In a provocative presentation to the Windsor/North County Democratic Club on June 23, progressive activist Dale Axelrod contended that the primary process was rigged by the Democratic Party establishment against Senator Bernie Sanders in a way that even Senator Sanders may not have fully considered.

Axelrod contended that the nationwide voting process is filled with fraud. He particularly cited the problems with electronic voting machines, which are used in many states. Many of these machines do not produce a paper copy of the vote, making the audit of votes impossible. He opined that these machines are produced by corporate entities whose interests parallel those of establishment, big money politicians. One audience member challenged Axelrod’s “unfounded conspiracy theories,” which led to an interactive discussion between the presenter and those attending. Several attendees who had volunteered as poll workers in the June 7th Sonoma County primary election testified to the veracity of vote counting here.

Axelrod feels that Democratic Party unity this year will only be reached when the Sanders platform is fully embraced. Single-payer health care, a fifteen dollar per hour minimum wage, and other cornerstones of “the political revolution” must be adopted by the party before Bernie supporters could consider supporting Hillary Clinton. He stated that current Democratic National Committee Chairperson Debbie Wasserman-Shultz must be replaced prior to the national convention July 25-28 in Philadelphia to avoid a floor fight.

Axelrod ran unsuccessfully in Congressional District 2 to represent Senator Sanders as a delegate to the national convention. Regardless, he, along with many other committed Sanders supporters, plans to travel to Philadelphia to express, outside the convention hall, the need for change. He expects large crowds of like-minded demonstrators.

When questioned about where the Sanders movement goes from here, Axelrod said that activism will come from the bottom up, not anything organized by the campaign. Two millennial supporters at Thursday’s meeting, CynKay Morningstar and Cecili Antares, want to continue to work for the ideas for which Sanders has forcefully advocated throughout the campaign. They intend to follow the Senator’s suggestion to involve themselves in local politics. Rick Massell, past president of the Windsor/ North County Democratic Club, and a Sonoma County Democratic Party Central Committee member, suggested that a mentoring program be created to help people interested in running for office learn about the process. Morningstar and Antares responded to this notion with enthusiasm.

In closing, Axelrod resisted the suggestion to eliminate primary caucuses. He feels that the vote counting at the caucus site, in real time, is the most reliable antidote to potential vote-counting fraud.

— Barry Hirsch

Jun 24

Upcoming events

Two notes regarding about-to-happen local events:

  • Tomorrow, June 25th, 1 to 4 p.m.:  The Democratic Club of Southern Sonoma County holds it 8th Annual Backyard BBQ Bash. All elected officials and Democratic candidates, club members, family, friends, and the public are welcome! There will be music, a silent auction, and more

    Location: the home of: Bill & Maggie Fishman, 240 East St., Penngrove.    Suggested donation $15 per person, $25 per couple or family. (No one turned away.)
  • Monday, June 27th, 6:30 p.m.: Former ten-term U.S. Congressmember Lynn Woolsey will discuss “Why is this election so important?” at a meeting of the Sonoma Valley Democrats. All are welcome to the event, which includes remarks by Supervisor Susan Gorin.Location: Vintage House, 264 First Street East, SonomaTickets are $25 per individual, or $45 per couple, at the door. Wine and appetizers will be served. Funds will go towards the club opening a local office.
    More information.

 

 

Jun 18

Dale Axelrod to speak at the Windsor Democratic Club

Dale Axelrod, a longtime voice in Sonoma County progressive politics and a local organizer for Senator Bernie Sanders’s presidential candidacy, will be the featured speaker at the June 23rd meeting of the Windsor Democratic Club, at 7 p.m. at the Windsor Round Table Pizza, 8499 Old Redwood Highway.

Mr. Axelrod is the chair of the Outreach, Advocacy, and Legislation Committee of the Central Committee of the Sonoma County Democratic Party. This committee studies pertinent political issues and legislation, bringing recommendations of support to the larger County Central Committee. His presentation at the club will explore how supporters of Senator Sanders can continue to grow the Senator’s vision of a “political revolution.” Additionally, Mr. Axelrod will give an overview of how those disappointed by the outcome of the Democratic nominating process can best go forward to insure the defeat of “Trumpism.”

Possible changes to the Democratic Party nominating process, including the elimination of superdelegates, will also be touched on. Was the 2016 process rigged?

This meeting should be a must-attend for political junkies and anyone else interested in this year’s race for the presidency.

 

— Barry Hirsch

May 27

Upcoming meetings – July, August, and September 2016

The July 28 meeting will take place at Villa Chanticleer in Healdsburg. It will feature speakers on the proposed increase to the number of new residential units permitted per year in the Healdsburg.
 
The August 25 meeting will be a candidate’s forum; candidates for the Town Council of Windsor and the Healdsburg City Council will be invited to speak. This may be held at a larger venue than the Round Table Pizza meeting room where the club usually meets.
The September 22 meeting, at our usual place, will feature guest speaker Jerry Threet, the new Sonoma County law enforcement auditor.
All meetings begin at 7:00 p.m.

May 12

May 21st meeting of the Windsor Democratic Club

The Windsor Democratic Club will meet at a special time this month. Rather than the regular Thursday evening meeting, the club will meet on Saturday, May 21st, at 1 p.m. at the Windsor Round Table Pizza, 8499 Old Redwood Highway. The meeting will provide an opportunity for members and the general community to discuss and to suggest topics for upcoming Thursday meetings.

This forum will set the club’s agenda for the remainder of this important election year. In the past year the club has heard from local elected officials, advocates for proposed ballot measures, and representatives from various non-profits. The Windsor Democratic Club makes an effort to be responsive to community concerns and this meeting will provide the most direct way to hear what is on the mind of the public.

The meeting is open to everyone and folks are encouraged to come and help to set the club’s course for the second half of 2016. Pizza will be served.

— Barry Hirsch

May 03

Two Windsor Democrats compete to be Clinton delegates

Screen Shot 2016-05-03 at 11.39.12 AM

On Sunday, two Democrats from Windsor were in San Rafael, trying to be elected as Clinton delegates for the 2nd Congressional District, which includes Windsor, and is represented in Congress by Jared Huffman. The two from Windsor – Julia Donoho and Albert G. Handelman – are shown here with a full-sized cardboard cutout of Hillary Clinton.

As of mid-day on May 3rd, there had been no announcement of who was elected as potential delegates. (The exact number of Clinton delegates from the 2nd District will depend on what voters do on June 7th.) This post will be updated once that information is published.

(As Barry Hirsch – a 2012 delegate to the Democratic National Convention – noted at the WDC meeting last Thursday, delegates pay their own way to the convention. Also, Philadelphia in July?)

May 01

Report on Supervisor Gore’s presentation to the Windsor Democratic Club

At the April 28th meeting of the Windsor Democratic Club, Sonoma County Fourth District Supervisor James Gore candidly addressed many of the pressing issues confronting our community. An animated, engaging Gore shared his perspective and approaches when considering the complex and at times divisive challenges presented to the board for consideration and action.

With regard to a proposed countywide anti-GMO ordinance, Supervisor Gore said he strongly admired the grassroots group that gathered over 24,000 petition signatures in support of the measure, which would prevent genetically modified crops from being grown in the county. He feels that such an effort should be rewarded with a place on the November ballot, where a positive vote would result in this becoming county law. Instead, the Board of Supervisors voted to contract a study of the plan at a cost of $40,000, after which they will vote again. The supervisors could then vote to adopt the proposal as an ordinance, which would allow the board itself to change the law in the future. Gore didn’t favor the study, preferring immediate advancement to the ballot.

Gore talked about problems related to the current county process of how ordinances, including those for the county budget, are presented to the board. Complex legislation is often given to the supervisors by staff on the Thursday prior to the Tuesday board meeting where it will be discussed and decided. Given the inherent complexities of many of the ordinances, Gore feels that five days does not give sufficient time for adequate consideration. Additionally, this constrained time frame does not allow the community to fully respond, which raises questions relating to the transparency of the process. Related to this problem, Supervisor Gore discussed the difficulty of receiving reports from the twenty-six separate departments that constitute the county government without an established, effective process for deliberative decision-making.

To address the nuts and bolts problem of how the county bureaucracy works, Supervisor Gore helped create a governance ad hoc committee to report to the board with suggestions for making the county government more effective. He also worked to establish a seven-member Independent Citizens Advisory Committee on Pension Matters. Gore sought people to serve who had strong fiscal backgrounds, trying to avoid advocates with entrenched views from both sides of this hot-button, complex problem.

Throughout his presentation, Gore repeated his notion that “If there’s a problem, let’s fix it.” He debunked the characterization that the board is clearly divided along partisan lines. He expressed great respect for all members of the board, saying that agreements among members vary widely, depending on individual issues.

Gore stressed the need for innovative approaches when trying to find funding for the multiple pressing needs in the county, which has an inadequate budget to pay for everything. Unfortunately, things like increased salaries for county employees must be weighed against the need to repair our deteriorating roads. He continues to look for innovative solutions that move beyond knee-jerk politics.

 

— Barry Hirsch

Apr 20

Sonoma County Supervisor James Gore to speak at April 28th WDC meeting

Fourth District Sonoma County Supervisor James Gore will be the featured speaker at the April 28th meeting of the Windsor Democratic Club, at the Windsor Round Table Pizza, 8499 Old Redwood Highway, at 7 p.m..

Elected in November, 2014, Supervisor Gore will cover a wide range of topics of interest to the community. Mr. Gore last spoke at the club last August and will be following up on issues that were touched on at that time.

Born and raised in Sonoma County, Supervisor Gore studied at George Washington University in Washington, DC. After his graduation he went on to serve the Obama Administration in the Department of Agriculture. He has returned to Sonoma County to continue his career in public service, bringing his experience in the federal government to the county level.

This event, which is free and open to the entire community regardless of political persuasion, is a wonderful opportunity to ask questions of and exchange information with Supervisor Gore in an informal setting.

Pizza will be served.