Candidate for
Democratic Party County Central Committee; County of San Francisco; Assembly District 12

The Democratic County Central Committee needs to focus on grassroots organizing to keep San Francisco a Democratic stronghold and then mobilize those voters to elect a Democrat as California's next governor and help re-elect Barbara Boxer to the Senate.

I believe the Democratic County Central Committee has three major responsibilities. They are to build a strong Democratic Party in San Francisco, mentor and support qualified Democrats for office, and weigh in on local issues that are in tune with the ideals of the Party.

Building a Strong Democratic Party:

The primary role of the DCCC is to build a strong Democratic Party in San Francisco. We need to expand the Party by registering new voters as Democrats. In particular the 12th AD offers a large group of university and community college students, a group with notoriously low voter registration, that we should energize and bring into the Party.

The County Committee should also be strengthening the Party's relationship with current Democrats. Their outreach to Democrats needs to be improved through an "internal" communications campaign. A first step would be clarifying the mission of the Party on their website and making it easier for people to understand what the DCCC does, ways to get involved in local Democratic events, and how to attend meetings. They should be a resource for and a liaison to the diverse local democratic clubs throughout the city and a bridge to Democratic efforts happening at the state level. Additionally, they should keep in touch with local Democrats through a newsletter that keeps people in tune with the issues that Democrats are fighting for.

Supporting Democratic Candidates:

The DCCC needs to mentor and support qualified Democratic candidates for office at all levels of government. The Democratic Party means different things to different people, and therefore not every candidate will appeal to everyone. We must focus on the issues that unite us as Democrats and support Democratic candidates that build on that common ground.

Championing Local Democratic Issues:

While the DCCC is not in the business of making city policy, it should be championing issues that are in line with the values of the Party. Unfortunately, too often the Committee is polarized on local issues and the deadlock inhibits its effectiveness. By getting back to the values in which the Party is rooted and by making real efforts to find common ground, the Committee can become a true leader on issues that Democrats are fighting for.

Additionally, we cannot cede the liberal branch of our Party to the Greens. We need to articulate our similarities and differences from the Green Party so that liberal Democrats will realize what they are giving up if they are thinking about leaving the Party.