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

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consider a donation to support our new website & member services.