In this Issue... Page November Meeting Recap 2 I Don't Know My Country 3 Toward a More Perfect Union 4 Ballots Are Still Being Processed 5 People Power United 6 Thank You! 7 Election Demographics and Senate Results 8 Event Photos 9 Board Members 10
June 7 7 PM MEETING La Mesa Community Center 4975 Memorial Drive (social time begins at 6:30)
The progressive VOICE voice
The Progressive Voice is the monthly newsletter of the La Mesa - Foothills Democratic Club, serving the communities of La Mesa, Mt. Helix, San Carlos, Del Cerro, Allied Gardens, and the SDSU and other East County areas since 1984.
DECEMBER 2024
La Mesa City Council Meetings Tuesday, December 10, 6:00PM Tuesday, December 24, 6:00PM Link for live stream available at: cityoflamesa.us/247/City-Council
La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club General Monthly Meeting Minutes November 6, 2024 Location: La Mesa Community Center 4975 Memorial Dr, La Mesa, CA 91942 Meeting called to order at 7:00PM by President Tina Rynberg. Matt Strabone-La Mesa City Treasurer led the Pledge of Allegiance. Matt spoke about the election and how depressing the National Election results were for democrats, but we must come together as a group and support each other Tina Rynberg informed the group of her husband's health issues and thanked the board for their support. Tina announced that the board election would take place at our January meeting Tina asked the group to be kind to each other and support each other in this difficult time. Congresswoman Sara Jacobs thanked the group for the support with her re-election. The Congresswoman encouraged us all to come together united and keep on working through this difficult time. There will be some Trump supporters who will be harmed by Trump policies and ask that we not gloat , it will be time to welcome them back and build back our democratic base. Asks for volunteers to cure ballots. Tina announced our December Holiday Party. The club will provide ham, turkey and salmon. Tina asked the group to bring side dishes. More information about the party will be sent out soon. Chris Pearson asked Congresswoman Jacobs if it would be possible to work with other delegations from other states. “The fight for social and economic justice is a marathon. It begins before we’re born and it continues after we die and we do our part while we’re here.” It starts with volunteering to walk precincts, writing postcards, phonebanking, etc. Chris spoke about how in previous elections we have been in this position before-McGovern. We must get back on the horse, united and continue to work. Good news, abortion rights passed in seven states: in states that trump won. We need to start winning in two years from now. Data 70% of white males without college degrees voted for trump, popular vote Harris at 67 million and trump at 71 million, less voters than in 2016 and 2020. Trump won in Arizona but Democrat Ruben Gallego won the senate, 590,000 votes remaining ballots to be counted in San Diego County. On the US map of voters, cities are democratic and the rural areas are republican. Bring the republicans back as they were once democrats. State propositions 2, 3 and 4 and the constitutional right to marriage all passed, bonds 5 and 6, housing and ending slavery for prisons, minimum wage increase and rent control failed. Medical health and prop 36 passed. 975,000 ballots counted and 787,000 by mail. La Mesa City Council Lauren Cazares and Genevieve Suzuki won. Also, the merits of walking and contracting voters directly were presented. Terra Lawson- Reimer, Scott Peters, Sara Jacobs, Mike Levin, Adam Schiff, Akilah Weber, LaShae, Chris Ward, Tashap Boerner , Darshana Patel, Chris Fite, won. Republican Carl DeMaio won. Jay Steiger, Oday Yousif and Monique Silver lost. Many races are still too close to call. We need more support in East County in Santee, El Cajon and Lakeside. To access voting information go to https://www.sdvote.com/ https://www.sos.ca.gov/ Janet Castaños will attend the Zoom of Making Meaning and she encouraged the group to become involved in any organization to promote our democratic values. Go to https://www.mobilize.us/ Genevieve Suzuki thanked the club for the support. And the success of winning. Members spoke about their experience in volunteering . Miriam Plotkin-Veterans celebration and many opportunities to access free meals and discounts. To view the entire meeting on Youtube please go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-PKpFxG8Ts Meeting adjourned at 8:04PM Rosamond Trujillo-Blevins Secretary/Assistant Treasurer La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club
December Meeting Recap by Rosamond Trujillio Blevins
I Don't Know My Country by Suzanne Hansen
What happened on election night did not shock me. I was pessimistic about Kamala winning unlike so many of my friends and fellow Democrats. But I am ashamed of my country. The world sees America now as a laughing stock and worse, a terror. What will he do? Where I missed the mark on predictions, was in the Senate...so much red gives him a carte blanche to rule as a true dictator. And yes, it's terrifying. My life and the lives of all Americans changes from now on. So what can we do? What will we do? First of all, protesting is not the right direction. The country is far too red to change minds and you'll likely be arrested as a subversive. Everything needs to be done on the sly. Letters to the editor won't make it to publication due to the press being red as well. Just as in Germany in the 1940s, we will need help from the outside. The tariffs he will impose will cause huge increases to American goods, but will also cause our international trade partners to balk at trading with us. They may be interested in helping curtail the power of the American president. Just how, I've not learned enough to know how. The impact to Americans will be deep and enduring. He may feel the need to use the military to impose his desires on his own citizens. So insurrectionist thoughts must be curtailed due to the potential of arrest and worse. There are two areas where he will likely run into the greatest difficulties. First, internally, within the citizenry, will be the terrible increases in the prices of goods due to his tariffs. That may cause citizen unrest. Secondly, the roundup and incarceration of foreign-born residents in concentration camps will be met with worldwide consternation and countries will, through various means, put severe pressure on the United States. The United States of America will fall into a recession, perhaps even a depression. And the citizens will rebel. Will Americans eventually win a victory over the dictatorship? Only with outside help and time. Suzanne Hansen President, Alliance For Democracy of East County
Toward A More Perfect Union by Congresswoman Sara Jacobs
Well friends, this is tough. I won my re-election campaign, and I am incredibly honored to continue representing my constituents – and at the same time, we faced some immense losses, the impacts of which will only become fully clear over time. The day after Election Day, I spent hours talking with my team about how we’re going to spend the next two years: Where we’ll need to stand up and fight, where we can find common ground with our Republican colleagues, and how we are going to keep trying to rebuild people’s trust in government. When I’m faced with a problem, I jump straight into problem-solving mode. But later that night, as the results and ramifications of the election came into focus, the reality of what we’re up against really hit me. And the one thing I really wanted to do was to be with my community. I drove to La Mesa to spend the evening with the La Mesa-Foothills Democratic Club – one of the amazing grassroots groups that has spent the last two years (and more) organizing their friends and neighbors around the values and the people we care about. The first thing I wanted to say to them – and that I really want to say to all of you, too – is thank you. Thank you for putting your time and energy and heart in fighting for what you believe in – for kindness, for empathy, for taking care of one another. Despite the disappointing national results, San Diego County had some big, big wins, none of which would have been possible without on-the-ground organizing. As we move forward, even in the face of uncertainty and fear, we need to stay together – to stay in community, to not isolate ourselves or turn inward. The truth is, there are a lot of people who voted for Donald Trump who will be hurt by his administration and his policies. If and when that time comes, there can be no “I told you so.” There will be no gloating. That’s not who we are. The Democratic Party will have plenty of work to do in the coming months and years – and part of that must be doing everything we can to welcome back voters who are looking for solutions. We need to show them we care, and prove that we will fight for their families and to make their lives better. Win or lose, we care about people, and we don’t want to see anyone suffer no matter who they voted for. As we fight for a more perfect union and to make our party stronger and more accessible, I am so grateful, as ever, to have you by my side. Warmly, Sara
Ballots Are Still Being Processed by Chris Pearson
Please go to sdvote.com https://www.sos.ca.gov/ but it’s safe to say that local Democrats did quite well. We have five members of the US Congress in San Diego County. Four of them are Democrats: Levin, Vargas, Peters, and Jacobs. Harris lost the Presidency but carried San Diego County by over 220k votes. Terra Lawson-Remer won thereby keeping the Democratic Majority on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. Same with the San Diego Unified School District with wins by Bazzo, Barrera, and Whitehurst-Payne. Dems won the County Board of Education with wins by Robinson, Gonzales, and Evans. Lauren Cazares and Genevieve Suzuki won their races to cement the Democratic Majority on the La Mesa City Council. Akilah Weber will be representing us in the State Senate. LaShae Sharp-Collins won the race for the State Assembly in a top two Democratic race against Colin Parent. Think of that: two Democrats ran against each other to represent us in the State Assembly! None of this was even possible just a few short years ago. We won the Mayor’s race in Lemon Grove but lost the City Council. Races in Santee, El Cajon, and points east will need help in 2026 to field candidates employing campaign professionals with winning records. Nobody likes to lose in politics. When you lose you go home. The Harris loss is tough to take. Not as stinging as McGovern and Mondale but it still hurts. Trump won the electoral college and the popular vote. He’s our President. We are the loyal opposition. The fight and struggle for economic and social justice is a marathon that began before we were born and will continue after we die. We do our part, and we will. US Senator Cory Booker posted some inspiration on his Instagram page. The poem ‘Still I Rise’ by Maya Angelou: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DCRUYRyO59S/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng== Chris Pearson, VP-Political Action La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club
Candidate speeches and picnic
People Power United champions progressive values and power to the people. We are a group of people who believe in the possibility of change and work to make it happen. In this community, we will always speak out against racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, antisemitism, homophobia, misogyny, sexism, ageism, ableism, sizeism, elitism, transphobia, misogynoir, and bigotry! Take Action Join us! As a subscriber to the People Power United you will be notified of current issues, upcoming events, and calls to action. Please note we do not share data with anyone. We use the sign-up information to share current issues, events and calls-to-actions only. Take action Find an Event
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NEWSLETTER
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Who We Are, What We Do
Dear Supporters, I’m thrilled to share that, with 8,219 votes and 65.50% of the count so far, we’ve won this election! Your incredible support, trust, and belief in our vision made this possible, and I couldn’t be more grateful. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for every vote, every conversation, and every shared hope for our community’s future. Together, we’ve built something truly special, and I’m honored to continue working hard for you on the Helix Water District. This victory belongs to all of us, and I promise to continue making you proud. With deep gratitude, Mark Gracyk Helix Water District, Division 3
Thank You! by Mark Gracyk
Election Demographics and Senate Results
Event Photos
Board Members at Large
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www.lmfdems.com
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The La Mesa-Foothills Democratic Club represents the communities of San Carlos, Del Cerro, Santee, La Mesa, Mt. Helix, Allied Gardens, College Area, Casa de Oro, and other nearby communities. Monthly meetings of the La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club typically feature office holders, candidates for office, community leaders and subject matter experts.
Tina Rynberg President
About the Club...
Janet Castanos Trinity Dubrow
OFFICERS President: Tina Rynberg Vice President, Membership: Katie Sigeti Vice President, Political Action: Chris Pearson Vice President, Programming: Brenda Miller Secretary: Rosamond Blevins Treasurer: Gene Mullaly Assistant Treasurer: Rosamond Blevins Special Events Coordinator: Merrill Perry Past President: Linda Armacost
La Mesa-Foothills Democratic Club Claude and Beverly Cassirer, Founders