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SVDC EBoard Meeting Minutes - February 27, 2019

Executive Board Attendees: Art Cohen, Jeff Levin, Ed Cobb, Bill Barrett, Fred Rehhausser, Jeff Orloff, Catherine Williams, Michele Dauber, Jennie Richardson, Marika Krause, , and Vinod Menon, Guests: Frank Monachello, Cupertino Vice Mayor Liang Chao, Linda Sell

1. Check-in – Art Cohen

2. No additions/modifications to agenda

3. Guest: Liang Chao, Cupertino Vice Mayor re: Andrew Yang Event

Yang is a progressive candidate for President focused on:
Universal Base Income w/ How to Pay for it, Human Capital-GDP doesn’t measure human needs (parents, childcare, etc), Innovative Ideas – Trump supporters want hope, Event on Sat, March 16, Details TBD – panel with interview, Chao expressed that Yang’s goal is to promote his ideas, as he is not necessarily a viable candidate, Asking for SVDC support as co-host and help promoting the event, ACTION ITEM: Jennie Hutchinson will look into event as Programming Chair.

4. Guest: Frank Monachello (See Attachment 1)

SCCDP Democratic Party Precinct Captain Program Training in March, Swing Left’s Super State Strategy for 2020 – Voter Registration by Mail

5. January Board Meeting Minutes Approval

Changes/Corrections: Add “Minutes” to title, Correct typo in Item 12, Motion to approve: Michele Dauber, Second: Jeff Orloff, Amended Minutes will be posted on the Website, Motion to table until end of meeting for time to review: William Barrett,  Second: Jeff Levin, Motion passed by unanimous approval., PLEASE NOTE: Did not revisit at end of meeting. Need to approve via email.

6. Treasurer’s Report - Bill Barrett (See Attachment 2)

Membership: Need to evaluate Trial Members and Courtesy Members, We currently have no liability insurance, We have paid $550 per year in the past, Art: table to March Board Meeting to purchase insurance, ACTION ITEM: Fred Rehhausser will work with Jennie Hutchinson to evaluate insurance

7. Board Meeting Schedule:

November & December Board meetings conflict with holidays
Change November meeting to 11/20, Remove December meeting
Motion by Art Cohen, Second Fred Rehhausser, Motion passed by unanimous approval
ACTION ITEM: LezLi Logan to update meeting dates on website

8. Club Events: Jeff Orloff (See Attachment 3)

ACTION ITEM: ALL Please review attached event summary from last year and refer questions to Jeff Orloff
Do we want to continue with same BBQ venue?
Note low turnout last year due to competing events on same date
Lesson learned: Check Dem Party calendar and others

9. Guest: Environmental Committee – Linda Sell

SVDC endorsed SB100
ACTION ITEM: Consensus of board was to have Environmental Committee look into Green New Deal
Sunnyvale Dem Club Event with Ro Khanna on March 23, 3-5pm
Deb will send info to LezLi for website
ACTION ITEM: JENNIE HUTCHINSON & MICHELE DAUBER will work on developing a Green New Deal Call to Action for the August Meeting when Mike Levin is our featured speaker
ACTION ITEM: Environmental Committee will look into the Lehigh Cement Plant issues and report back to the board about possible Calls to Action

10. Newsletter – Jeff Levin, Fred Rehhausser

Article Submission Deadline is March 1
ACTION ITEM: (LezLi Logan) Add Fred to Communications Committee
Full Communications Schedule has been added to the website as a Google Calendar on private Board page, and Article Submission Dates have been added to the website on the Members page.

11. Privacy Policy – Jeff Levin

ACTION ITEM: Ed Cobb will revisit privacy policy loaded in Google Drive and post most recent version that incorporates sharing of info to Democratic Party.  LezLi Logan will edit and finalize the Privacy Policy on website.
 Jeff Levin raised a concern about what information is shared with the Democratic Party.  Consensus of the board was that we will supply no more than Member name and address to the Democratic Party.

12. Business Cards – LezLi Logan

Business Card design has been finalized.
ACTION ITEM: Confusion around whether or not the club would be paying for board member business cards.  The club will not pay for business cards.  Since the previous collection of orders assumed club was paying, LezLi will re-administrate collecting orders and handle ordering business cards. 
Other than Art Cohen, no one has indicated that their cards are a high priority, so this will be completed as time permits.
Michele Dauber reiterated her strongly held belief that we must use a union printer.  The plan is to use a union printer.

13.  Insurance for Events – Bill Barrett

Addressed in Item 6 above.

14. Facebook Ad for March Meeting - Ed Cobb

ACTION ITEM: - Ed Cobb will target Union/Labor with the Facebook Ad for March
Motion to approve $25 Facebook Promotion for March Meeting by Art Cohen, Second by LezLi Logan, Motion passed by Unanimous approval

15. Transition Team Update – LezLi Logan (See Attachment 4)

16. March Meeting Phonebank – Art Cohen

 Art proposed that each board member call 20 members to ask them to come to the March meeting to try to increase attendance.
Michele Dauber emphasized that she believes the drop in attendance is due to the closure of Harry’s Hofbrau, and we should not panic. We should wait until after our new long-term location is confirmed before calling people to ask them to attend.
Jennie Hutchinson explained that in her experience phone banking is not a popular exercise for volunteers.  LezLi Logan agreed.
Art offered to make some calls as President, reaching out to members to make a personal connection.  Consensus of the board was that this is a good idea.

17. Long-term Meeting Location - Fred Rehhausser (see Attachment 5)

Fred provided some information about the venues visited by Fred, David Donaldson and Catherine Williams (listed in attachment)
Michele Dauber listed the criteria she feels is most important: Cost, available parking, ease of getting there, long term availability, capacity with flexibility.
LezLi Logan emphasized that it is important that the board poll the members about our new meeting location criteria, as it was promised at the Feb General Meeting, and it is important for the board to follow through on such promises.
ACTION ITEM: LezLi Logan will create a poll for the membership re food at meeting. Fred will send a list of questions to LezLi for the poll.
It was noted that there has been a history of better attendance at meetings when food was available.
ACTION ITEM: Fred, Catherine and David will firm up details and provide the board with a recommendation via email for a vote.

18. n/a

19. NFL Resolution – Michele Dauber

NO REPORT

20. Debate Watch Parties in June/July – Art Cohen, Jeff Orloff

Art wants to offer watch parties to promote the club & foster partnerships with other organizations
ACTION ITEM: Jeff Orloff & Jennie Bradanini (Events Committee) will make arrangements for a location. Bill Barrett recommended Pizza Factory

21. Programming/Speakers – Jennie Hutchinson

Incorporating local Calls to Action into meetings to increase engagement
Currently plans:
April – Kimberly Ellis confirmed.
Michele Dauber suggests that we should invite the other candidates for CA party chair as well and make it an endorsement meeting (which requires appropriate notice). Perhaps make it a joint meeting with Sunnyvale Dem Club and Young Dems. 
May – Candidates for County Board of Supervisors
Tran declined, Magdalena and Otto replied YES, Rose Herrera and Peter Fung have not yet returned calls.
June - Sam Liccardo confirmed
July – Picnic
Eric Swallwell was invited to speak at our picnic but did not respond
Michele sent a text to Ro Khanna during the meeting, and he responded that he would speak at our July Picnic (details TBD)
August - Mike Levin (see note about Call to Action re: Green New Deal above)
September – Speaker with info regarding Education Policy (Adia Hoag can help arrange for speaker)
Oct – Still open
Nov – Still open
Fred Rehhausser suggested a State Senator Candidate Forum in Sep/Oct/Nov
Jeff Orloff suggested that debates on key issues would be excellent meeting topics.

22. Endorsement Committee Update – Fred Rehhausser

No report

23. Women’s Caucus – Jennie Hutchinson

No report (see Central Committee report in item 25)

24. McTaggert Meeting Report – Art Cohen

Spoke regarding Voter Choice (all mail-in ballots)
When Board of Supervisors votes, SVDC should have a Call to Action to encourage member participation

25. Central Committee Report – Michele Dauber

Michele and Jennie Hutchinson proposed a resolution re: CEDAW which passed the Central Committee board and is now on the agenda for full committee meeting (First Thursday in March, 3/7).  Resolution states that candidates must support CEDAW ordinance and gender equity analysis in their district (noted on endorsement questionnaire) to receive the Dem Party endorsement.  Gender Equity Analysis is done city by city.  (Cities for CEDAW) 

26. Fundraising Committee - Michele Dauber

Michele stated that the July picnic should be a fundraiser
She also noted that fundraising would be better pursued when we have a long-term meeting location confirmed.

27. Report to Central Committee – Michele Dauber

Michele indicated that she had reported the changes to the SVDC board, that we lost our meeting location, and our efforts to increase membership in economic, age, and racial diversity
ACTION ITEM: Michele will find out the requirements for obtaining Club delegates for Party endorsements.

28. Santa Clara Arts & Historical Consortium Meeting – Art Cohen

Annual fee for use of the Headan-Inman House is $170, due in June
ACTION ITEM: David Donaldson should send meeting ads to Art so he can share with the Consortium.

29. Adjourn

Next Meeting: March 27, Headen-Inman House at 7pm

Attachment 1: Frank Monachello

New Santa Clara Democratic Party Precinct Captain Program Update

Contacts: Titus Lin (titus_lin@yahoo.com) and John Comiskey (john1962@mac.com).
Titus and John are planning to introduce a Precinct Captain Program via a Precinct Captain training in March (currently looking at March 16 or 24) to train up volunteers..  After the training they hope to get captains started with their first round of door knocking to introduce themselves to their neighbors.  This will likely happen between March through May.  They will be asking precinct captains to walk their turf at least once a quarter.  John intends to personally walk with the first ten captains who sign up.

Swing Left’s Super State Strategy for 2020 - VRBM - Voter Registration By Mail

Mission: Win all the Houses in 2020, including the White House, the Senate, the House, and the State Houses key to rolling back Republican gerrymandering. If done right, we can not only beat Trump and the GOP—but also set up our country for a decade of progressive victories.

How We’ll Do It: By engaging voters and fundraising for campaigns in the 11 Super States, where the key fights of 2020 will be won or lost.  11 Super States:  Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Michigan,North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin.  Here’s how:

By targeting Super States.
By raising early money for the eventual Democratic nominees in Super State races.
By registering new voters in Super States by piloting an innovative tactic (VRBM - Voter Registration By Mail) that uses volunteer power anywhere to increase the number of people voting in Super States by writing personal letters to people who need to get registered.

Local VRBM Event: March 2, 2019, 11am to 1pm.  Location: The Alameda and McKendrie Street, San Jose near 880 and The Alameda intersection. Host Contact: carly@southbayswingleft.org   Learn about Swing Left's 2020 strategy, view Swing Left's national kickoff video and get started right away by writing letters to unregistered voters in Super States, with a registration form and instructions in the envelope.

Visit South Bay Swing Left for more here:

www.southbayswingleft.com
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SouthBaySwingLeft/

NOTE: Another Swing Left VRBM event is being held this Saturday, March 2nd, 10:00am to 4:30pm at 1121 Harriet Street, Palo Alto, CA 94301. Not required but you call 650-321-1171 to RSVP.

Attachments available upon request:

Attachment 2: William Barrett, Treasurer

Attachment 3: Jeff Orloff, Events Committee 2018 BBQ Invitation

Attachment 4 – LezLi Logan TRANSITION TEAM - UPDATE

Attachment 5 – New Meeting Location Search – Fred Rehhausser

Silicon Valley Democratic Club
General Meeting  •  February  18, 2019  •  Mayuri Indian Cuisine, Santa Clara

Meeting Notes Summary        

President’s Welcome – President Art Cohen (45 attendees at 7:37pm)

Through a quick show of hands, we learned 5 people saw the meeting notice on Facebook, 3 saw the ad in the newspaper, and 8 were notified by email

Quote in Feb. newsletter “What is right is not always popular, and what is popular is not always right,” was by Albert Einstein.

Proposed creating SVDC watch party events for the upcoming debates with discussion following.

K Patrice Williams, Emerge Graduate & Candidate for Solano County Supervisor

Visit her website at: https://kpatriceforsupervisor.com/

Email her at: electkpatricewilliams@gmail.com

Follow K Patrice on her Facebook page and find a copy of the slides from her presentation at:
https://bit.ly/2HreKVX

Make an Impact on Your Local Community: Civic Engagement Through Commissions & Boards

K Patrice Williams spoke about her experience on the Solano County Metropolitan Transportation Commission Public Policy Advisory Council, explaining the requirements of the role, and how she applies her personal lens of experience to review policy.

She explained that serving on local boards and commissions is a great way to start with public service.  Finding out about commission openings is as easy as a Google search.  Santa Clara County and City of San Jose websites provide fairly extensive resources for information.

Good questions to research in your search:  Does the position pay? (Some positions have a very small stipend, but typically not), How often do they meet?, Where?, Is the position open for application or is an appointment required?

A common misconception is that these positions require a great deal of relevant experience.  That is often not the case.  Your value is in your lens of experience and diversity of thought.

Why join?  Your community needs you!!

When you apply, it’s best if you can have the  recommendation of an elected official, activist, executive  director of a non-profit, even a board member of the SVDC! 

Audience Q&A
Q: Is there a great deal of competition to get on commissions?

A:  Some are more politically motivated than others.  Look who is on it, preview agendas and minutes, and make sure you get a key recommendation that will stand out for that commission. Use strategy much like applying for job.  Do your research about the decision maker for the position.

Q: What are the unique issues that face Solano County?

A: Solano Cty is facing quality of life issues with commute times and traffic. Connecting local jobs to local people is key. It’s important to note that increased time allows for civic engagement.  Commute times and traffic have significant impacts on wider issues of affordable housing, homelessness, and youth stress. 

Q: Why did you choose the MTA commission?

A: Personal experience with affordable housing issues, understanding how transportation hubs help communities to thrive because people can get to work, access healthcare, and attend schools.  The impact of transportation on low income and students is a primary motivation.Rebeca Armendariz,  Community Political Organizer at SEIU USWW
With additional information from Tim Brown and Sugay Siyoum

Impact of Government Shutdown on Local Service Workers

Rebeca explained that during the recent government shutdown, not only were direct government employees placed at risk, but also sub-contracted employees who provide critical services for NASA, and these workers will not receive missed pay.  These people are our neighbors who have families and obligations and experience other hardships in life just like us all.

Some of the employees sub-contracted for NASA are janitors, some of whom have worked there for over 30 years and others who are recent employees.

There was some local support from labor groups to get people through the 2-3 weeks for unemployment benefits to process, and some federal employees who were also impacted took the time to show their support by marching along with these contracted employees.  Some mortgage companies (not all) helped by allowing delayed payments.

However, challenges included unfair practices by subcontractors when choosing “essential workers”.  No shutdown timing is good, but this one was particularly stressful because it came at Christmas time, when most workers had already purchased gifts and did not have much expendable cash.  Employees were required to use their vacation first, so now they don’t have vacation time. 

Some of these folks lost over 160 hours of work and never will see that money again.  No one can compel the company to pay the workers who missed out.  

It’s very clear we need legislation to support contractors receiving back pay during a government shutdown.

And now, to make matters worse, NASA has been forced to cut costs by 30%.  Usually the result is that labor gets cut first, and fighting for insurance is on the agenda.

Audience Q&A
Q: Is anyone working to organize in the private sector?

A: There has been a sharp uptick in need for unionization since Trump was elected.

Q: How are you communicating the message to other unions?

A: Through social media and media reports at the time (but much of the reporting was not focused on blue collar workers), various rallies, and working with the South Bay Labor Council

Q: How should I respond about the benefits of unionization to a private company?

A: A union contract helps keep both staff and management accountable. It provides a set of guidelines for both sides and consistent expectations. Unions actually want the company to thrive (or they wouldn’t have jobs!).  Unions have higher retention rates which results in higher qualified workers. Unions elevate the level of respect and work standards for all workers (think of overtime, minimum wage, weekends off, etc).

✪✪ DURING THE BREAK, PRESIDENT ART COHEN ENCOURAGED MEMBERS TO SIGN UP FOR OUR VARIOUS CLUB COMMITTEES.  ONLINE SIGNUPS ARE AVAILABLE AT: HTTPS://WWW.SILICONVALLEYDEMCLUB.ORG/VOLUNTEERS/#COMMITTEES

Business Meeting   

Communications Committee Update - Recording Secretary LezLi Logan  Llogan@siliconvalleydemclub.org

Check out our website at: www.SiliconValleyDemClub.org

All members have been uploaded into the new Member Management System.  You can now create your own password, access your member profile to update your information at any time, pay for your renewals, and more.  Automated emails will alert you of our upcoming events, membership renewal dates and more.  Our Progressive Partners Calendar includes events hosted by like-minded organizations from throughout the South Bay and more to come! 

All members should have received an email inviting them to login and create a password. If you need any assistance, or have any questions, please contact LezLi Logan

Women’s Caucus Report  - Vice Chair Shalom Marquardt

Current focus is on the Lt. Governor of Virginia, who has been accused of sexual assault.

Next month our Call to Action will be presented by Ruth Silver Tabe – New changes in Sexual Harrassment Law, prevalence, immigration and retaliation, writing letters to increase statute of limitations.                             

Treasurer’s Report - Treasurer, William Barrett

          

✪ TONIGHT’S ACTION ✪

Please join the SVDC join together to help local service contractors affected by the mean-spirited and non-essential government shutdown!

Please join us for our next SVDC General Meeting  •  Monday Mar. 18 at 7-9pm

SVDC Executive Board Meeting  •  Wednesday, Feb. 27 at 7pm  •  Headen-Inman House, Santa Clara  

Find us online at www.SiliconValleyDemClub.org and on social media @DemClubSV

Please find the contribution envelopes on your table and
consider a donation to support our new website & member services.