MEMBERSHIP AND CALENDAR

Membership is past due! If you have not paid your dues, please do so now. Annual dues are a sliding scale of $15-30 dollars. Make checks payable to DWC. Send to DWC, P.O. Box 1901, Capitola, CA 95010. If you have questions about whether you paid or not, please email us at DWC.SantaCruz@gmail.com.

Calendar:

Tuesday, 9/10

Fall Social Mixer, Santa Cruz Bar Association

Meet the 2010 judicial candidates.

1461 Old San Jose Road
$30 SCCBA, 831-423-5031; sccbar@sbcglobal.net

"Historical Perspective on Women & the Law"

Thursday, 9/17, 5:30 pm

UC Hastings Prof. Kelly Weisberg
Chaminade, Seascape Room

$35 for WLSCC members; $40 for non-members
R. Connolly at rebecca.connolly@grunskylaw.com

25th International Costal Cleanup Day

Saturday, Sept. 19, 9:00am - 12:00pm
Where: Moran Lake County Beach

Info: www.surfridersantacruz.org

Santa Cruz County Fair 9/15 - 9/20

Democratic Party booth volunteers needed! The DWC is planning to work the booth on Friday, 9/18, but we need all shifts covered. Please sign up for shifts at www.cruzdemocrats.org or contact Nick Rivera at 214-6958 for more information.

OPERS Fall Fair 9/22, 3 - 6pm.

Help the UCSC Democrats register returning students! Please note that this will be in the sun and you will need to be able to stand for long periods of time.
East Field Center - East part of campus

Contact us at DWC.SantaCruz@gmail.com

The Diversity Center's Casino Night Fundraiser 9/25 7 -11pm.

The Dream Inn

Entry: $25 - $75 (discounts for contributing members)

For more information call: 425-5422

A DAY AT THE FAIR

A DAY AT THE FAIR

Pat Shand

If you haven’t visited the Santa Cruz County Fair in several years, this is an opportunity for you. The Democratic Central Committee has, as always, requested a booth in the big tent and now we need Democrats to take a two-hour shift during the run of the fair, Tuesday, September 15th thru Sunday, September 20. The booth will be open from noon to 11:00 pm every day.

If you volunteer, you will be asked to meet and greet the public for only two hours per shift any day of the Fair. You will be joined in the booth by one or more fellow Democrats. During your shift you will ask passersby if they are registered to vote, if not you can register them. Or perhaps they want to buy a Tee shirt or button which are tastefully displayed. Also there will be freebies to hand out to the children. You might be asked when the next elections are. You will have all of the information you need to run the booth. The 2010 election looms like the giant elephant in the room. All of our hard work must not be lost because the party became complacent.

The rewards are great: you get a parking pass, a ticket to the fair and the good feeling that comes when you know you have contributed to the cause. You will have plenty of happy people to talk to and you might even convince a GOP member to switch party affiliation.

You can sign up for a shift on the web page of the Democratic Central Committee,

www.cruzdemocrats.org to get information on what help is needed. Don’t miss out. This is great fun and you will be participating in THE cause. We can’t lose now to the negative guys.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Stephanie Harlan

Greetings everyone and I hope you had wonderful summer. The President is going to give a 15-20 minute address to students, and school districts in Texas, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Virginia, and Wisconsin have decided not to show it! And school districts in California have sent a letter home asking parents for permission to have their student watch it! I am shocked, but not surprised. Former President Bush did the same thing in 1991, and Democrats criticized him for it, but a Presidential address to students about education seems perfectly appropriate to me, and would make for a great discussion afterwards in the classroom. I taught for many years, and was always looking for stimulating topics to engage students.

The big issue lately has been health care, and I hope many of you were able to attend Congressman Sam Farr’s town hall meetings. We must keep up the pressure for meaningful health care reform with a government-sponsored option until it is accomplished.

One of our biggest opportunities for success is joining with others to make change happen. Our members attended the Democratic Club of the Monterey Peninsula’s annual Birthday Party for Congressman Sam Farr, the Pajaro Valley Cesar Chavez Democratic Club’s annual program featuring California State Democratic Party Chair John Burton, and we attend the monthly programs of the Carmel Area Democratic Women’s Lunch Club.

Working together we can accomplish much more than working separately. We will continue outreach to other groups as we get closer to the many elections in 2010 so we will be successful in electing a Democratic governor and Democrats to other important state and local offices.

Healthcare Reform Now

Healthcare Reform Now by Charlotte Waldo

During the August recess, our representative Sam Farr held several town hall meetings and forums regarding healthcare insurance reform. Congressman Farr met the highly inflammatory statements and questions of anti-reformers with reasoned, intelligent answers. There are a lot of special interests who are working overtime to kill healthcare reform. These interests are spreading deliberate lies about death panels, rationing of Medicare and in the latest round, saying that healthcare reform will lead to breast cancer. That some of these lies are taking hold speaks to the fact we need to do more work talking to our neighbors and families about what healthcare reform really means.

According to the World Health Organization, the U.S. spends more money on healthcare than any nation in the world, and yet we are ranked 37th when it comes to quality of healthcare. For over 90 years, progressives have called to reform our healthcare system so more people have affordable access to it. Now is the time to pass meaningful healthcare legislation, but that will only happen if we keep up the pressure on our leaders to stand firm and do our part to educate people about the real stakes. Today, 47 million are uninsured, and even those fortunate enough to have insurance face premiums and co-pays that have spiraled out of control.

There are many progressive provisions of healthcare reform shaping up in both houses. These provisions include prohibiting insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions and getting rid of lifetime spending caps on plans.

The major sticking point is the public option. The idea is that a public insurance plan would compete with private insurance companies. Advocates argue that this is a more cost effective way to treat people, citing the relatively low administrative costs of another government-run insurance plan, Medicare. If a person likes their insurance plan, they can keep it, or they can choose from a variety of insurance plans, including a public option. The Obama administration and many healthcare experts have stated that this is the best way to keep private insurance costs down.

Opponents of healthcare reform, including the most powerful insurance lobbyists are fighting tooth and nail against a public option. They argue that this plan is too costly and that private insurance could not compete with a non-profit public insurance. As of this writing, the Obama administration has indicated that while they still support the idea of a public option, they are willing to consider other reform measures. Obama will be addressing the nation this week and we will be getting a clearer understanding on where he stands on the public option and other reform measures.

As our representatives go back to Congress, we need to make sure that they understand that the majority of their constituents want health care reform now. As the Democratic Women’s Club, we have already sent letters to Representatives Farr and Eshoo and Senators Feinstein and Boxer encouraging them to support a public health care option. You can also help by writing the President and our representatives demanding that they pass a reform bill that insures quality, affordable healthcare for all.

LEGISLATION

LEGISLATION

Compiled by Zach Friend

U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer

Barbara Boxer asked the U.S. Forest Service to Focus Fuels Reduction on Vulnerable Areas in the following letter to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack regarding fire protections.

"California is in the midst of another fire season. Firefighters are hard at work from one end of our state to the other, tirelessly and selflessly protecting lives and property. There are many lessons learned whenever we face the threat of wildfire. One of the most important is the need for the federal government to focus its limited resources on fuels treatment in areas nearest communities before a firestorm occurs.

Throughout our state, millions of people live in close proximity of public lands. Too often, dead or dying trees and chaparral, in many cases where fire has not occurred for decades, becomes the fuel for fires that cannot be controlled without a serious threat to people and the communities they live in.

“I recognize that the U.S. Forest Service’s resources for hazardous fuels reduction are overextended, and I am a strong supporter of increasing federal resources available for these activities. However, I believe that it is very important for the U.S. Forest Service to focus its existing fuels reduction programs in areas where the threat to communities is greatest. "

Congressman Sam Farr, 17th Congressional District

"My thoughts and prayers are with the Kennedy family. My career has allowed me to know three generations of Kennedys, and it would be difficult to find a more generous, dedicated people. Ted was a tireless champion for those who needed him most, a pioneer in civil rights, education, health care and poverty issues.

"Ted visited Monterey in 1972 to campaign for Julian Camacho during his bid for Congress. I'll never forget introducing him at a local fundraiser. I was just 31. I also serve on the same committee as Ted's son Patrick and we often talk about the success his uncle Jack had in creating the Peace Corps and the great influence Bobby had on my life.

"Ted will be greatly missed in Washington, both for his inspiring leadership and his profound generosity. I offer him my sincere thanks for his service to our country."

State Senator Joe Simitian, 11th Senate District

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (the country's largest public utility) and

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa released a letter in support of Senate Bill 14 by

State Senator Joe Simitian. The bill requires investor owned utilities, publicly owned utilities, and energy service providers to procure 33% of their electricity from renewable sources such as wind, solar and geothermal by 2020. SB 14 passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee last week, and is currently on the Assembly floor awaiting a vote.

Asm. Anna Caballero, 28th Assembly District

Assemblywoman Anna Caballero held a news conference to announce the introduction of

Assembly Bill 752, a water bond that will help solve California’s water crisis. California is experiencing its third year of drought and over five hundred thousand acres of farmland has been idled due to the lack of water. It is estimated that $1.5 billion of agricultural production in the Central Valley has been lost because of the lack of water.

“Farmers are unable to grow their crops and thousands of farm workers are out of work. This water bond will help restore the ecosystem, important habitat, and it will fix the infrastructure of the deteriorating Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta,” said Caballero.

“The Delta is a major source of drinking water for Northern and Southern Californians, and it provides needed irrigation water for agriculture from the Sacramento Valley to the Imperial Valley. We have to act now before it’s too late.”

AB 752 includes funds for surface storage, drought relief projects, water conservation, groundwater cleanup, and $3 billion in Delta sustainability improvements, such as levees, infrastructure protection, and water quality.

The water bond will also designate funds for advanced water recycling, desalination, storm water solutions, and water reuse. AB 752 will give California voters the opportunity to approve a water bond during the November 3, 2010 state general election if approved by both the Senate and Assembly.