This post is a very very late campaign announcement – I was elected to be one of the 7 Other-Than-Self-Identified-Female (OSIF) delegates for AD18! I came in 6th place and the top 7 won seats.
The election results came out the week my partner, our cat, and I moved from our Lakeside neighborhood to Uptown. What’s followed has been a lot of moving and election related chaos that took more time to climb out of than I anticipated. This was my first election and I can only politely say that it was quite the ride. Part of my hesitancy to announce the results of my race stemmed from the shady handling of the election and the outright refusal by the current CDP Chair to adequately acknowledge problems and solutions presented by ADEM candidates like myself.
Nothing has changed and CDP Chair Rusty Hicks has turned all of his attention to his own re-election, which, if he wins, will continue to cement power in his hands and his hands only (more on that in a different post). So, mishandling of ADEMs election aside, I have a place at the table, an agenda, and plans to push through.
Information Accessibility and Transparency; making the Democratic Party easier to understand and participate in.
The foundation of my platform is built on the idea that how The CA Democratic Party works should be easy to understand and accessible to everyone. Information should not be held close by a few and doled out based on how well liked a person is, or how connected they are to other members of The Party.
In fact without this foundation of information sharing and accessibility both inside and outside of The Party institution, the rest of my agenda will be difficult if not impossible to meaningfully implement.
- Healthcare for all; anything that makes it possible to provide free coverage to all Californians (and beyond!) without the dehumanizing income assessment requirements.
- Housing as a Human Right; banning evictions, stronger tenant protections, building an abundance of homes for everyone, and repealing Article 34 to make social housing possible.
- Social Justice and Equity; seeking out and uplifting the voices of folks who are usually marginalized and discriminated against, and following through to address those inequities.
What good is a resolution if there’s nothing actionable outside of a performative vote?
How do you build continuous momentum for change if the results of your ongoing work are impossible to find?
How can you get things done if you don’t know who the decision makers in The Party are?
These are the questions that keep me up at night because I don’t have answers (yet).
I am a firm believer in being the change I wish to see in the world. I don’t wait for other people to take up the mantle I’m passionate about if it’s one I can carry. I’ve had some time to think, some helpful trainings from the Progressive Delegates Network, and a little bit of time to adjust. I know what I can do, right now, without having to wait for the Party Officers election and the upcoming convention; and that is to share the information that I’ve learned (and am learning) and my experiences as a first-time Assembly District Delegate (ADD) with all of you.
My immediate(ish) plans are:
- Writing a synopsis of how I understand the party works right now
- Make an infographic based on the (81 pages of) CADEM Bylaws
- Create a slate of my choices for CDP Officers
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