Aug 08

August 2018: the changing demographics of LatinX 

Update: A Windsor Times article of August 29, 2018, reports on how the meeting went.

Our August meeting will be on Thursday the 23rd at the Windsor Round Table Pizza restaurant, 8499 Old Redwood Highway.  Our speaker will be David Escobar, a former, long-time aide to a Marin County Supervisor, and currently Director of Programs & Operations for the Canal Welcome Center in San Rafael.

Mr. Escobar will speak on the changing demographics of LatinX  and the need to recognize indigenous Latinos within a socio-cultural framework.

David served for six years as a parole and probation officer with the Marin County Probation Department in the Adult Division, before becoming an Administrative Aide to former Fourth District Supervisor Steve Kinsey in Marin County, for 15 years. He took an early retirement to take on the position of Director of the State-mandated re-entry and rehabilitation programs at San Quentin State Prison. He is the currently Director of Programs & Operations for the Canal Welcome Center an non-profit in San Rafael.

 David identifies as an indigenous Salvadoran, and is recognized as a member of the Lenca-Poton nation, which encompasses the eastern region of El Salvador, Honduras, and parts of Nicaragua. He has attended the Indigenous Permanent Forum at the United Nations in New York for several years as delegate with the American Indian Movement and on behalf of his maternal grandmother’s Poton community.

 

 

 

Jul 14

A Solution for Getting News That You Can Trust?

Update: A Windsor Times article of August 1, 2018, reports on how the meeting went.

The July 26th meeting of the Windsor Democratic Club will feature Chase Palmieri, an entrepreneur and news junkie. In 2016, he was frustrated with the quality of online news and wanted a way to hold authors and outlets accountable, like a Yelp for news consumers. When he saw that none existed, he and his team built Tribeworthy. Tribeworthy allows users to review articles, creating an aggregate rating for every article, author, and news outlet.

At this meeting, Chase will be discussing why “Crowd Contested Media” is the only uncensored and scalable solution. He will demonstrate how the platform works, and provide ways to get involved.

Chase just became the co-host of Project Censored Radio, a nonprofit media watchdog founded in 1976 that airs on over 40 stations nationwide, including KPFA in Berkeley.

As with all fourth-Thursday regular meetings,  free pizza will be provided, and everyone is welcome.

Jun 24

Windsor and Healdsburg Council Candidates to Speak at June meeting

General election season has begun. Candidates for the councils of Healdsburg and Windsor can file their intention to run now for the November 6, 2018 election. The difficult issues facing local governments, such as housing needs versus sustainable growth, transportation needs versus climate protection, and federal immigration policy versus sanctuary cities, must be addressed.

At the June 28th meeting of the club, we’ll will hear from three candidates:

  • Esther Lemus and Rosa Reynoza for Windsor Town Council
  • Leah Gold for Healdsburg City Council

This is an opportunity not only to hear the candidates speak, but also to ask questions.

The meeting will be from 7 – 9 pm at the Windsor Round Table Pizza on Old Redwood Highway. The meeting is open to everyone, without charge, and free pizza will be provided.

May 28

Vote for change on June 5th – John Mutz for Sheriff

For the first time in more than two decades, we the people of Sonoma County have a real choice for sheriff. Not just of three experienced candidates, but also of the kind of law enforcement we want for our county.

If you believe, as we do, that the relationship between law enforcement and the communities it serves is broken and that respect for all must be restored, the best choice is John Mutz.

We did not arrive at this conclusion easily. Our Sonoma County Democratic Clubs and the Sonoma County Democratic Party devoted many hours to promoting and hosting forums on the Sheriff’s race, and interviewing and comparing the candidates. All have impressive resumes. All are aware of the challenges that lie ahead.

But only John Mutz has a track record of actually creating the change we need, of succeeding in the worst of circumstances. He was an LAPD station commander in 1992 when riots broke out following the beating of Rodney King. He was able to mediate between cops and communities, to defuse tensions and rebuild trust, and thereafter dedicated himself to bringing forward new initiatives in community-based policing, both in LA and nationwide. He has an impressive list of endorsements, from members of law enforcement and local elected officials to well-respected community leaders, including our local Democratic Party, the Latino Political Action Committee of Sonoma County, the Press-Democrat, the Argus-Courier, as well as other local news, community, and labor organizations.

It’s hard to overstate the importance of this choice. The sheriff leads our county’s largest law enforcement agency (responsible for 1,550 square miles, two city police departments, 600 employees and two jails) and is likely to be at the forefront of federal immigration challenges.

We have a unique opportunity to bring 21st century, community-based policing to Sonoma County, evolving from a warrior to a guardian mentality, ensuring that each and every resident is treated with respect. It won’t come our way again soon. Vote for change on June 5th. Vote for John Mutz.

Sincerely,

— Sandy Reynolds, President Santa Rosa Democratic Club

— Rick Massell, President Windsor/North County Democratic Club

— Therese Horsting and Michele Larkey, Co-Chairs Democratic Club of Southern Sonoma County

— Beth Hadley, President Sonoma Valley Democratic Club

— Tom Amato, President Oakmont Democratic Club

— Caroline Banuelos, President Sonoma County Latino Democratic Club

May 23

June 5th primary endorsements

The Sonoma County Democratic Party has endorsed a number of candidates for county-wide offices, as well as Regional Measure 3.  SCDP endorsements are here: http://www.sonomademocrats.info/2018/05/10/local-endorsements/ . Particularly notable are endorsements for Sheriff (John Mutz) and County Clerk-Recorder-Assessor (Deva Marie Proto).

Endorsements for state legislative positions are made by the California Democratic Party. You’ll find endorsements for Congress (CD 2 – Jared Huffman), State Senate (SD 2 – Mike McGuire), and State Assembly (AD 2 – Jim Wood) at https://www.cadem.org/vote/body/CDP-2018-Endorsements-Official-18-04-08.pdf, as well as endorsements for state-wide positions such as State Controller, and for state ballot propositions.

May 19

Town Council candidate Rosa Reynoza to speak at May meeting

On Thursday, May 24, Rosa Reynoza will speak at the Windsor/North County Democratic Club. The topic will be “community engagement and inclusiveness.”

Ms. Reynoza has been involved as a volunteer in her community since she was a youth growing up in Windsor. She even made the transition to local politics, running for Town Council in the November 2016. She currently contributes her time in helping those needing housing assistance, and is a declared candidate for Town Council in the November 2018 election.

As usual, the meeting is free and open to the public; pizza will be served.

May 05

Making a difference in Windsor on June 5th

The Windsor/North County Democratic Club voted, at its meeting on April 26, to actively campaign for two June 5th ballot measures:

* Regional Measure 3, which will (among many other things) provide funding to (finally!) eliminate the Navato Narrows on Route 101, and funding for the SMART train system to bring trains to Windsor (by 2021).

* State Proposition 68, which authorizes issuing $4 billion in bonds, state-wide, for parks, environmental protection, and water infrastructure in California.

The club leadership has come up with two immediate actions for the club’s campaign, because mail ballots should start arriving next week, and once people have voted, it’s too late to make a difference. Those two actions — for which we’re looking for more participants — are:

* On Sunday, May 6, we’re going to hand out flyers (see attached) at the Windsor Farmers Market, between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. (meeting at Cafe Noto at 9:45 a.m.). You can help by joining in for as little as a half-shift (90 minutes).

* On Saturday, May 12, we’re going to have a training session on canvassing, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., followed by lunch (provided by the club – pizza and salad and drinks; both training and lunch are at the Windsor Round Table restaurant), and then two hours of actually canvassing in Windsor neighborhoods. The canvassing will be asking voters to help bring the SMART train to Windsor by voting for Regional Measure 3, and — if they respond positively to the first topic — asking for their support for Prop 68, as well as generally encouraging them to vote.

The May 12th activity has another purpose: canvassing in other Congressional districts is one way for those of us in “blue” Sonoma County to help the Democratic Party to become the majority in the House of Representatives in January 2019. We’ll be announcing opportunities, possibly as early as next month, for canvassing and other ways to get involved in specific Congressional campaigns elsewhere in California; in the meantime, what we do on the 12th is both training and practical application of that training.

If you’re interested in helping on May 6th or participating on May 12th, let Rick Massell, the club president, know: email to rick @ sonic.com, or call 707-696-9364.)

Here’s our chance to do something great, locally, and to show that the Windsor/North County Democratic Club is going to be a factor in the June election.

Apr 28

Club Endorses Five of Six Ballot Measures in June, to Actively Campaign for Two

SMART expanding to Windsor? State parks made safer and drinking water made cleaner? Rainwater-capture systems not being added to your property tax? Ballot propositions going into effect five days after all votes are counted? Revenues generated from transportation fees and taxes going only to transportation funding?

These seem like easy choices to make, but for them to happen, voters must vote YES for each of five ballot measures of the upcoming June 5 primary election. (Vote-by-mail ballots go out May 7.)

To better understand these issues, the Windsor/North Sonoma County Democratic Club listened on Thursday to presentations on each of the six ballot measures on the ballot. Maureen Middlebrook, a former member of the board responsible for the Golden Gate Bridge, presented Regional Measure 3. John McCaull of the Sonoma Land Trust spoke on Prop 68. Club officers summarized the other measures, Props 69, 70, 71, and 72. The club voted to endorse five of the measures and to oppose one, Prop 70.

Regional Measure 3 would increase tolls on state bridges in the Bay Area, with revenues used to relieve traffic and improve public transportation. For Sonoma County and Windsor, the direct impact would be $40 million of funding for SMART (enough to bring the train system to Windsor, and begin working on getting to Healdsburg), widening of Highway 101 in the Novato Narrows to include carpool lanes, planning for improvements to State Route 37 from Vallejo to Novato, expanding ferry services, and upgrades to bus routes and bicycle lanes.

State Prop 68 authorizes the issuance of bonds for park expansion and improvements, natural resources protection, climate adaptation, water quality and supply, and flood protection. The $4.1 billion in bonds will be paid back over 40 years; the $200 million of interest and principal payments each year would be about 1/5 of one percent of the state’s budget.

After the club’s unanimous vote on all six measures, the club decided that to take action to promote Regional Measure 3 and Prop 68, including tabling, phoning and canvassing. To participate, please call 707-696-9364 or rickm@sonic.net

The other three measures endorsed by the club were (1) State Prop 69, which requires that certain new transportation revenues be used only for transportation purposes; (2) Prop 71, which sets the effective date for ballot measures to be five days after the Secretary of State certifies the results of the election, a reflection of the widespread adoption of mail balloting by voters; and (3) Prop 72, which excludes newly constructed rain-capture systems from property-tax reassessment, thus avoiding higher property taxes.

Prop 70, the one the club opposed, would make it harder for the state to use cap-and-trade revenues by requiring, as of 2024; that revenues sit in the fund until a bill specifying spending is passed by at least a 2/3 vote in each house.

To get info on the state propositions go to http://voterguide.sos.ca.gov. Information is also available at https://ballotpedia.org/California_2018_ballot_propositions 

— Rick Massell

Apr 23

Windsor Dems Get Ready for the June Primary

At its April 26th meeting, the Windsor Democratic Club will discuss six ballot measures (one local, five state) to be voted on at the upcoming June 5th election. The club will decide whether to add its endorsement for measures that have already been endorsed by the California Democratic Party or the Sonoma County Democratic Party (five of the six), and the extent to which the club will actively campaign in support or opposition to the measures.

The club will also discuss the extent to which the club wants to be involved in Congressional races outside of our own district, between now and the November election.

The California Democratic Party has endorsed state measures 68, 69, 71, and 72, and opposes measure 70. (Details of these measures are at https://ballotpedia.org/California_2018_ballot_propositions; this includes the official arguments that appear in the voter information pamphlet.)

Regional Measure 3, which includes funding to extend the SMART train system to Healdsburg, has been endorsed by the Sonoma County Democratic Party; information is here: https://ballotpedia.org/Bay_Area,_California,_Regional_Measure_3,_%22Traffic_Relief_Plan%22_Bridge_Toll_Increase_(June_2018) and here: https://mtc.ca.gov/our-work/advocate-lead/regional-measure-3 

If you’re not registered to vote, or know of someone who isn’t but wants to be registered, information on registering is here: https://www.dmv.org/ca-california/voter-registration.php . The deadline for registering for the June 5th election is May 15.

The April 26th meeting is free and is open to the public; pizza will be served.

Apr 02

Maureen McSorley describes U.S. immigration system at March 22 meeting

At its March 22 meeting, the club heard from Maureen McSorley, a Windsor immigration attorney, about the intricacies of becoming a legal resident.

Ms. McSorley said that there are approximately eleven million undocumented immigrants in the United States. Half of those entered the United States without inspection/authorization and the others are visa overstays – they entered the United States legally and then never returned.

According to Ms. McSorley, it can be very difficult for undocumented individuals to obtain legal status in the United States. Even for those who are married to U.S. citizens, the process is quite onerous. Unless you entered the U.S. with a valid visa, someone filed a petition for you before April 30, 2001,  or your family member is in the military, you have to go back to your home country to get a green card through a process known as consular processing.

The moment you step foot on your home country’s soil to do consular processing, you have a 10-year bar; you can’t come back for 10 years, if you lived in the U.S. for more than one year without authorization. This is called the unlawful presence ground of inadmissibility. You can apply for a waiver for this but only if you can show that your U.S. citizen or U.S. legal permanent resident spouse or parent would suffer extreme hardship should the undocumented family member not be admitted to the United States.

Surprisingly, children are not “qualifying relatives” for this waiver. So hardship to the children is not per se a factor. If the waiver is approved, the person goes to the U.S. consulate in their home country to be interviewed, undergo a background check, and get a medical exam. If they are approved, they can come back to the U.S. as a legal resident.

However, other grounds of inadmissibility could be found by the consular officer once the applicant is abroad. One such ground of inadmissibility which is being regularly encountered is that of “alien smuggling.” This is an issue if the applicant coming to the United States brought their child or other family member with them when they come here. McSorley often sees cases where a mother, often fleeing abuse, has brought her children here, not wanting to leave them behind because there was no one to care for them in Mexico or their lives would be in danger if left in the hands of the abuser. That mother would be deemed inadmissible due to alien smuggling, which would require another waiver.

It is currently taking U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) close to 1.5 years to adjudicate these waivers. The applicant is legally required to remain in their home country until this waiver is approved, meaning that the family might be separated for this very long period of time. During that wait period, the family has to make the decision either to leave the children in the U.S., separated, or take them to the home country to wait for the decision with their parent.

Along with other stress factors, going to the home country, such as Mexico, can be dangerous. Those who relocate to Mexico from the U.S. are often targeted by criminals who believe that they have money or have family members with money in the U.S.

Ms. McSorley says that consular processing is extremely stressful on the family members, most of whom are U.S. citizens and U.S. legal permanent residents. Not knowing if your loved one will return causes the family excessive fear and anxiety. If something goes wrong and a waiver is not approved, the family member could potentially not reenter the U.S. for ten years.

The anxiety surrounding how to handle the financial hardship of raising a family as a single parent, often after losing the income of the primary breadwinner in the family, is daunting. The emotional trauma of trying to cope with their children’s trauma at losing their loving parent is terrible. This complex process of getting legal residence is the best-case scenario for the undocumented.

“Comprehensive immigration reform,” long sought after by public interest groups and politicians, should provide fairer and more humane solutions. However, a consensus has not emerged on what those reforms should be.

To contact Maureen McSorley, send an email to: maureen at mcsorleylaw.com

— Rick Massell