California 11th District Focus: San Joaquin, Alameda and Santa Clara Counties

Santa Clara Democratic Club 2010 Endorsements:
Don't forget to vote in November, and here are the recommendations for local non-partisan races and ballot measures.

Local Non-Partisan Races, Nov 2, 2010

# Santa Clara County Supervisor District 1: Forrest Williams
# Campbell City Council: Evan Low, Rich Waterman
# Gilroy City Council: Peter Arellano, Art Barron, Peter Leroe-Munoz
# Los Gatos City Council: Judy Glickman
# Los Altos City Council: Matt Sweeney
# Milpitas Mayor: Pete McHugh
# Milpitas City Council: Nancy Mendizabal, Althea Polanski
# Morgan Hill City Council: Rich Constantine, Gordon Siebert
# Mountain View City Council: Margaret Abe-Koga, Ronit Bryant, Jac Siegel
# San Jose City Council District 5: Xavier Campos
# San Jose City Council District 7: Madison Nguyen
# San Jose City Council District 9: Donald Rocha
# Santa Clara Mayor: Jamie Matthews, Chris Stampolis (dual)
# Santa Clara City Council Stea 2: Mohammed Nadeem
# Santa Clara City Council Seat 5: Patricia Mahan, Teresa O'Neill (dual)
# Saratoga City Council: Pragati Grover, Yan Zhao

# San Jose/Evergreen Area 4: Maria Fuentes, Andres Quintero (dual)
# San Jose/Evergreen Area 6: Richard Hobbs
# West Valley/Mission Area 1: Jack Lucas
# Santa Clara County Office of Education District 2: Michael Chang
# Santa Clara County Office of Education District 6: Craig Mann
# Santa Clara County Office of Education District 7: Adam Escoto
# Santa Clara Valley Water District Area 4: Linda Lezotte
# Santa Clara Valley Water District Area 7: Brian Schmidt
# East Side Union High School District: Frank Biehl, Leo Cortez, Manuel Herrera
# Alum Rock School District: Darcie Green
# Berryessa School District: David Cohen
# Evergreen School District: Sylvia Alvarez, Merrilee Claverie
# Franklin-McKinley School District: Buu Thai

Local Ballot Measures for November 2010

Measure A: Santa Clara County Children's Health Protection. Healthy Kids is one of our region's most significant achievements and provides health insurance to all uninsured children who are not eligible for other public programs. Measure A's $29/ year parcel tax will prevent disenrollment in Healthy Kids and ensure all eligible children in the county have access to health insurance and the preventive care they need. VOTE YES.

Measure B: Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority. Our local roads are in need of repair. Adding $10 to the fee for each vehicle registered in the county will enable us to repair potholes, repave and maintain local streets, pay for projects to mitigate congestion and pollution, and increase our access to state and federal matching funds. VOTE YES.

Measure E: Foothill-DeAnza Community College District. Community colleges have never been more important, both as an affordable entry to college and as centers for retraining workers displaced in today's harsh economic times. This six-year $69/year parcel tax would guarantee a stable base of local funding, immune to state budget cuts, ensuring continued access to a quality, affordable education and training for the careers of tomorrow. VOTE YES.

Measure G: San Jose/Evergreen Community College District. This bond measure would fund construction of energy efficient, technology-driven teaching classrooms and labs; upgrade outdated plumbing and electrical systems; and make needed repairs throughout existing facilities. These upgrades and repairs are crucial to meeting the increased demands on our local community colleges. VOTE YES.

Measure H: Santa Clara Unified School District. Funds from this bond measure would pay for upgrading fire, safety and security systems; installing solar panels to increase schools' energy efficiency; and upgrading and expanding existing school facilities. VOTE YES.

Measure I: East Side Union High School District -East Side Union High School District. A six-year, $98/year parcel tax would provide funds to retain and attract teachers and support staff, increase student access to science, math and core academic classes required for college admission, and ensure continued funding for art, music and athletics. VOTE YES.

Measure J: Franklin-McKinley School District. This bond measure would fund much-needed repairs and upgrades to current facilities by modernizing classrooms and replacing old roofs, plumbing and electrical systems, and increasing energy efficiency. VOTE YES.

Measure K: Moreland School District. Funds to upgrade science labs and computer technology, maximize energy efficiency, improve disabled access, and repair existing facilities would be provided by this bond measure. VOTE YES.

Measure L: Cambrian School District A six-year, $96 parcel tax would ensure local funding to maintain strong core accelerated programs, attract and retain quality teachers, support smaller class sizes and improve access to computers and libraries. VOTE YES.

Measure M: City of Campbell Business License Tax. This measure would raise the business license tax, set in 1982, by $50 (limiting annual cost-of-living adjustments to 2%) to maintain and protect city services. VOTE YES.

Measure N: City of Campbell Transient Occupancy Tax. To avoid deep cuts in city services, this proposal would increase the existing tax charged to hotel guests from 10% to 12%. VOTE YES.

Measure O: City of Campbell (Clerk and Treasurer). Currently, only two cities in Santa Clara County elect their City Clerk and Treasurer. Making these offices appointive, as this measure provides, would enable the city council to set professional criteria for the jobs and potentially consolidate these positions, saving thousands of dollars in salaries and benefits as well as the cost of periodically placing these positions on the ballot. VOTE YES.

Measure P: City of Morgan Hill (Clerk and Treasurer) Currently, only two cities in Santa Clara County elect their City Clerk and Treasurer. Making these offices appointive, as this measure provides, would enable the city council to set professional criteria for the jobs and potentially consolidate these positions, saving thousands of dollars in salaries and benefits as well as the cost of periodically placing these positions on the ballot. VOTE YES.

Measure S: City of Palo Alto Consolidate Elections to Even Years. Consolidating the city election cycle with county and state elections will help reduce the city's election costs. VOTE YES.

Measure T: City of Mountain View Utility Users Tax. This measure would update the city’s Utility Users Tax to apply to both older and newer telecommunication technology. The existing rate of 3% would not be increased. The tax would not apply to Internet access, e-mail, video programming or digital downloads. VOTE YES.

Measure U: City of San Jose Marijuana Tax. Funding for city services like emergency response, libraries, pothole repair, and youth and senior programs would get a boost from this measure authorizing a tax of up to 10% on gross receipts from marijuana businesses in San Jose. VOTE YES.

Measure V: City of San Jose Arbitration. This measure places limits on binding arbitration for police and firefighters. VOTE NO.

Measure W: City of San Jose Retirement Plan. Measure W is a hastily crafted measure that creates a two-tiered pension and benefit plan, effectively excluding future hires from the current employee benefit structure. VOTE NO.
November 2010 Statewide Propositions

Proposition 19: California Democratic Party is NEUTRAL on the intiative to legalize Cannabis.

Proposition 20: This initiative expands the Prop 11 redistricting commission to include Congressional districts. Funded largely by a Republican billionaire, this measure could cost Democrats seats in the House of Representatives, weakening our ability to fight an increasingly radical Republican Party. VOTE NO.

Proposition 21: The state parks initiative, authored by former Assemblyman John Laird, raises the vehicle license fee by $18, keeping all parks open at restored hours, reducing the maintenance backlog, and allowing all Californians with a registered vehicle to get into any park free of charge. VOTE YES.

Proposition 22: This measure would prevent the state from borrowing funds used for transportation, redevelopment or local government projects, even during severe fiscal hardship. While local governments bristle at state raids on local coffers, this bill would effectively divert a large chunk of funding for education and other essential state services toward local redevelopment agencies. VOTE NO.

Proposition 23: Funded by millions in campaign contributions from out-of-state oil companies, Prop 23 would repeal AB 32, the state's landmark global warming law, stifling our ability to generate green jobs and locking into place for the foreseeable future our dependence on fossil fuels. This initiative must be defeated. VOTE NO.

Proposition 24: This initiative closes corporate tax loopholes that add at least $1.7 billion annually to the budget deficit. According to the League of Women Voters, "These tax breaks primarily benefit larger, multi-state businesses, and appear to have gone primarily to very large, profitable businesses." At a time when schools, healthcare and public safety are being cut to the bone, California doesn't need to give away billions to wealthy corporations. VOTE YES.

Proposition 25: Restoring majority rule for the state budget process is crucial to getting our state moving again. Prop 25 replaces the current two-thirds requirement for passing the state budget and related bills with a simple majority. Passing this ballot measure means that Californians will no longer be held hostage by an intransigent minority. We cannot afford to let this one fail. VOTE YES.

Proposition 26: The exact opposite of Prop 25, Prop 26 would require a two-thirds majority for fees, levies and other potential revenues that now require a simple majority. The last thing our state needs now is another buckle on the budget straitjacket. Just as Prop 25 must pass, Prop 26 must fail. VOTE NO.

Proposition 27: This proposition would eliminate the Prop 11 Redistricting Commission entirely. The current commission is overwhelmingly white, male and wealthy - hardly a representative group of Californians. Redistricting would again fall to the hands of the legislature, which is elected by the voters to make these kinds of decisions. VOTE YES.

Here are some resources for Democrats in the 11th Congressional District of California.

Propositions: (My recommendations for this year's ballot propositions)

Yes on Proposition 19
No on Proposition 20
Yes on Proposition 21
No on Proposition 22
NO on Proposition 23
Yes on Proposition 24
Yes on Proposition 25
No on Proposition 26
Yes on Proposition 27

Jerry Brown for Governor:



Carly Fiorina: "Out of Touch"



Carly Fiorina: Contra Nosotros:



The latest from Jerry McNerney's campaign:



Local educators endorse Congressman McNerney

Mayors and Supervisors Endorse Congressman McNerney

Congressman McNerney introduces bill to fight outsourcing

See more endorsements for Jerry McNerney here.


Democratic Alliance for Action in Santa Clarita:

Democratic Alliance for Action in Santa Clarita is a local grassroots organization fighting to keep California blue. They meet the fourth Thursday of each month at Vincenzo's Pizza - 24504 1/2 Lyons Avenue, Newhall
Please Order Food and Schmooze before 7 pm (doors open 5:45 pm).
Make sure to sign in at the check-in table.

For more info:

661-309-4DAA (4322), Michael Kulka, president
Democratic Alliance for Action PO BOX 802481, Santa Clarita CA 91380-2481


Santa Clara County Democratic Club is a progressive organization dedicated to informing voters, encouraging citizen involvement in the political process, and promoting Democratic Party values.

General Meetings are held every third Monday of each month (except one summer month and December) at a local restaurant. Watch our home page for details and locations. Everyone is welcome to join us for dinner at 6 p.m. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. Club meetings feature interesting guest speakers informing us on issues and candidates. For more info: e-mail: president@DemocraticClub-SCC.org

Alameda County Democratic Party: coordinates the party's activities throughout the county, making endorsements, organizing events and directing resources to support local, state and national candidates. Its governing body, the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee, is charged under state law with overseeing the Party's local activities and campaigns, under the general direction of the California Democratic Party. The Central Committee consists of members elected from each of the county's State Assembly Districts, as well as the Democratic nominees for Congress, State Senate, Assembly, and State Constitutional office.

The Alameda County Democratic Party Central Committee meets the first Wednesday of every month (except during election months) at the San Leandro Library, (Dave Karp Room), 300 Estudillo Ave., San Leandro. Meetings begin at 7pm.

Check out their entire calendar here.

For more information, Email: info@acdems.org, Phone: 510.537.6390

Asian Pacific American Democratic Caucus of Alameda County:

The Democratic Party is the party of equal opportunity and access.
* Democrats believe in providing quality education for everyone who seeks it, ensuring healthcare for all who need it, and protecting services for seniors who deserve it.
* Democrats advocate for a fair and balanced immigration policy.
* Democrats want to build and support small businesses and promote diversity in the awarding of government contracts.
* Democrats believe in fighting for and upholding civil rights.

In short, the Democratic Party shares the beliefs and aspirations of Asian Pacific Americans. For more information, email us at membership@apacaucus.org.
or call 510-522-7797

For upcoming events, go here.

Democratic Club of Greater Tracy:
As Democrats, we value human dignity, social and environmental justice, equal opportunity and fairness. Working together, we can elect candidates who will embrace those values and make our community a better place for all.

We hope you will join with us. Here at our website, you’ll discover how you can connect with other Democrats, gather information, and find many different ways to get involved in shaping our future.

Meetings are held at 7 PM on the second Wednesday of the month on the third floor of the Platinum Conference Center (in the Old Opera House) located at 902 N. Central Avenue, , Tracy, CA 95376.

Contact: Marvin Rothschild
E-Mail: marvinrothschild@yahoo.com

Latina Democrats of San Joaquin County
Contact: Carmen Fernandez
(209) 944-0118

Democrats of Greater Stockton: Meetings at 7 p.m. the second Tuesday of every month at UJ’s Restaurant, 7628 Pacific Ave., Stockton

Contact: Richard Blackston
Club Phone: (866) 752-3367
E-mail: webmaster@stocktondogs.com

Drinking Liberally Stockton
Third Friday of each month, 7:00 pm
Iguanna Wanna
7555 Pacific Ave Front of Bar
Stockton, CA, 95207

Contact: Joel Carignan
(209) 351-3397

Manteca Democratic Club
Contact: Bill Perkins
(209) 239-7650 or perkinsbill@comcast.net

Greater Lodi Area Democrats:
Contact: Marcia or Dean Savage
(209) 368-6493 or marsav@yahoo.com


BIODIESEL IN THE 11TH DISTRICT:

I also want to highlight where you can get biodiesel in and around the 11th District.

Rotten Robbie, 1304 Piedmont Rd, San Jose, CA, 95132, 408-259-5535, Offers B20 (good in ANY diesel engine), CASH, CREDIT/ 6AM-11PM

Western States Oil Company, 1790 S 10th St, San Jose, CA, 95112, 408-292-1041, Offers B99, 7AM-5PM M-F; SIGN PAPERS FIRST

Rotten Robbie 310 N Whisman Rd, Mountain View, CA, 94043, 650-965-2609, Offers B20 (good in ANY diesel engine), CASH, CREDIT CARDS/ 6AM-10PM

The Green Station, 136 Gilman Ave, Campbell, CA, 95008, 831-425-9100, Offers B99, TUES, THURS, FRI 4-7 CASH/CHECK