Davis College Democrats

New DCD Constitution Now Viewable Online

2008-09-29T01:46:00.000-07:00

Click on this link or the link at the right to go to the club constitution page. The currently viewable constitution was decided on 6/4/08 during a club meeting. It's still pretty ugly but the HTML will be cleaned up soon. You can still view the old 5/16/07 constitution by clicking a link on the right of the constitution page.

UC Davis Leads California Colleges in Number of New Registered Voters

2008-09-28T22:22:00.000-07:00

Davis College Democrats has teamed up with Students for Barack Obama at UC Davis to register over 900 voters since school started less than a week ago! To put this number into perspective, Bush won Florida and stole the 2000 election with only 537 votes. UC Davis currently leads all California colleges and universities with new registered voters, smashing San Luis Obispo's record of 450.

Let's keep up the momentum! DCD and SFBO have a new voter registration goal of 5,000 by October 20th, which we can only do if we have committed boots on the ground. DCD and SFBO will be tabling out on the MU every Monday through Friday, 10 AM - 5 PM until election day (November 4th). Please get in touch with Jack Zwald, our Campaign Coordinator, and let him know when you're available to help register new voters on the quad and promote DCD.

Here are some other upcoming DCD events:

First Official Meeting
We'll discuss leadership opportunities and voter registration, and (even more importantly) the food will arrive at 7:00 (yay for free pizza). At 7:15, Students for Barack Obama will be holding their kickoff meeting.
Date: Wednesday, October 1
Time: 6-7 PM
Location: Giedt Hall 1002
Facebook event page: http://www.new.facebook.com/event.php?eid=44865691944

Rally: "Democrats Unite for Change" with Lt. Governor John Garamendi
Davis College Democrats and UC Davis Students for Barack Obama are proud to kickoff the year with Lt Governor John Garamendi.
Come rally with the most powerful Democrat in California's state government! Register to vote and learn how you can make a difference.
John Garamendi is the current Lieutenant Governor of California and is committed to protecting students and education.
Through his 32 years of public service he as always put students first. He protested and marched with students against the governor's proposed $5 billion cut to public schools. As a UC Regent he proposed a five-year moratorium on fee and tuition increases.
On health care, the economy, the environment, supporting veterans, and on social justice he has been one of the strongest leaders for our state.
"As a society, we have no greater responsibility than educating our children!" -- John Garamendi
Stay tuned for more exciting speakers!
Date: Thursday, October 2
Time: 12-1 PM
Location: Freeborn Plaza, between Freeborn Hall and the MU Bookstore
Facebook event page: http://www.new.facebook.com/event.php?eid=24188148238

BBQ/Tailgate Plus Voter Registration at home football game: UC Davis vs. Northern Colorado
Enjoy good times and good eats with the Davis College Democrats. We will register new democratic voters not just at UC Davis but more importantly, register visiting Coloradans before the all important November elections. Every new Democratic Coloradan registered will help tip the balance in this critical swing state.
Date: Saturday, October 4
Time: 3-6 PM
Location: Aggie Stadium

Stay tuned to this page or sign up to our facebook group at http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2200021792 for more updates!

Davis College Democrats Endorse Christopher Cabalden and Cecilia Escamilla-Greenwald

2008-05-07T13:45:00.001-07:00

The Davis College Democrats (DCD) followed up last week's City Council Candidates' Forum and Candidate Questionnaires by providing a huge splash for one candidate. After intense and heated debate on the subject, the organization came to a near-unanimous decision to support the campaign of UC Davis alumnus Cecilia Escamilla-Greenwald.

The support for Cecilia Escamilla-Greenwald came from her commitment to preserving the vibrant downtown, maintaining open space, and stance as a strong advocate for student and renter interests. Jack Zwald, Freshman Outreach coordinator, said, "I support Cecilia because she is the best candidate for students rights."

"I'm glad that our club was able to come together and reach a consensus on endorsing one qualified candidate," said Don Gibson, Vice President of Membership for the organization.
Though the discussions pertaining to the forum, questionnaire, and endorsements have been particularly fiery and at times contentious, the organization is excited about investing their time and energy into electing their preferred candidate.

"It was a very difficult decision for most club members," said Brandon J. Craig, Vice President of Internal Affairs.

That wasn't the only endorsement DCD made, though. The organization also voted to support Christopher Cabaldon, Mayor of West Sacramento, in his bid to represent the 8th Assembly District. They plan to campaign on his behalf in order to secure the seat, which is being vacated by Assemblywoman Lois Wolk as she aims to become the State Senator for the 5th District. She, too, has been endorsed by the club.

Brandon Key, a Vice President of Finance for the club, as well as a student intern on the Cabaldon campaign, said, "As a member of DCD and a staffer on the Cabaldon campaign, both Christopher and I are very happy to have won the support of every young democratic organization in the 8th Assembly District, along with a few across the river as well. Christopher is incredibly well prepared for the position and will be a strong leader for affordable education in the Assembly."

Davis College Democrats President Max Mikalonis is looking forward to campaigning for these great candidates. "We are excited about taking an active role in our community, and by campaigning on behalf of these student friendly candidates we hope to further raise the profile of student and young voter issues. College and Young Democratic voters will be the margin of victory come November, but we are mobilizing our peers for June in order to create positive change in the City of Davis and around the State."

####

The answers to our questionnaire can be found here: http://daviswiki.org/Davis_College_Democrats/City_Council_Candidates_Questionnaire,_2008

City Council Questionnaire Finally Answered!

2008-04-24T22:07:00.000-07:00

All five democratic candidates have answered our 12 questions! For our club endorsements I hope everyone can start to read through then and find who you believe is best for Davis.
http://daviswiki.org/Davis_College_Democrats/City_Council_Candidates_Questionnaire%2C_2008

State Assembly Candidates Questionnaire

2008-04-19T00:14:00.000-07:00

You can also check it out on daviswiki at: http://daviswiki.org/Davis_College_Democrats/State_Assembly_Candidates_Questionnaire%2C_2008

Will you work to get rid of the state requirement that forces cities to grow by a certain percentage every year by county?

California is facing a huge budget deficit. What do you think about the governor's plan to fix it and what are three specific provisions you would have in a bill aimed at fixing the state's budget shortfall?

How have you supported students and/or Young Democrats?

Do you support same-sex marriage?

How do you plan to support College Affordability?

What is your position on having lower punishment for non-violent crimes and drug possession?

How will you fix the broken prison system?

What do you think is a reasonable living wage and would you support implementing it? In your opinion, what does it mean to have a living wage?

How do you propose to achieve the goals set forth with AB 32?

Would you support the California High Speed Rail Initiative that is on the November ballot? How will you work to alleviate traffic concerns in this Assembly District?

Vice President of Membership Don Gibson to be a Delegate to the Democratic National Convention!

2008-04-15T00:03:00.000-07:00

Davis College Democrats is proud to announce that one of our own, VP of Membership Don Gibson, will be the only male delegate representing Hillary Clinton from California's 1st congressional district at the Democratic Party National Convention in Denver in August (now that's one long run on sentence). Last Sunday, at a high school in Napa, one of two caucus sites in the 1st CD for people running to be Hillary delegates, when the votes from both caucus sites were finally tallied, Don Gibson won more votes than any other delegate, male or female, and more votes than all his male competitors combined. Regardless of which candidate you support, both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were awarded a set number of delegates from California on Super Tuesday (oh so very long ago) and this is a huge victory for both Don and our club. We would also like to congratulate delegates throughout the state for their wins and especially CD 1's female delegate Pamela Cahill, and our young Democrat colleagues Ryan Loney and Paula Villescaz.

Davis College Democrats City Council Questionnaire

2008-04-11T20:08:00.000-07:00

Check it out on daviswiki:

http://daviswiki.org/Davis_College_Democrats/City_Council_Candidates_Questionnaire%2C_2008

Growth Policy:

· What do you feel is an ideal growth rate in Davis?

· High housing, rental prices, and a less than 1% vacancy rate cause 8,000 UC Davis students to live outside of the City of Davis. How will you work to create affordable housing in Davis?

· Do you believe there should be separate policies relative to group housing such as differences between Greek and Cooperative housing?

Student Issues:

· Do you support the tenant bill of rights as proposed by Lamar Heystek? See link http://daviswiki.org/Tenant_Rights

· What is your position on the current Davis Model Lease? And what changes or improvements would you suggest?

· Do you believe that students and faculty living on campus, including the West Village expansion, should have the ability to vote in city elections?

· How can the City of Davis better promote a positive relationship with the university and its students?

· How will you ensure that downtown Davis continues to meet the needs of students including safe entertainment options?

Social issues:

· Would you support the protection and expansion of family planning resources in the city?

· A living wage was just discussed at a recent city council meeting. How do you feel we should best implement a living wage and how much should it be?

· How will you address homelessness in Davis?

Environment:

· What have you done or will do in Davis to ensure that our city stays at the forefront of good environmental policies including alternative energy?

· One major issue with biking is plant material that is left in the bike lanes. What will you do to ensure that we do not have waste causing bikers to crash and increase bike safety in general?

Davis City Council endorsement in process, City Council forum, and 8th AD Endorsement in process

2008-04-10T00:45:00.000-07:00

More exciting news from the Davis College Democrats! We are currently in the process of forming and sending out questionnaires to all five Democratic city council candidates for the City of Davis, in alphabetical order by last name: Cecilia Escamilla-Greenwald, Sue Greenwald, Don Saylor, Stephen Souza, and Sydney Vergis. There is also a Green Party candidate, Rob Roy, but since according to the rules of our club constitution we are not allowed to endorse anyone but a Democrat, we will not be sending him a questionnaire. BUT, all the questions, and later, the responses we receive from the candidates will be posted both on this blog and on DavisWiki.org, so comments and concerns can be posted there. We will probably endorse two, or maybe even three city council candidates for the three open spots on the council. If we are definite on endorsing two city council candidates but get hung up on choosing the third, we will only endorse two. Stay tuned for the questions and more info!

Also, all five Democratic city council candidates have agreed to a forum that will be hosted by the Davis College Democrats at 7 PM, Wednesday, April 23rd, in a room TBA in Wellman Hall. We might be in either Wellman 26 (capacity 121 w/sloping seating) or Wellman 230 (capacity 79 w/flat floor). Questions directed towards the candidates during the forum will be partly based off of their responses to our questionnaire.

Lastly, we are working on a questionnaire that we will send to both Democratic 8th Assembly District candidates, Mariko Yamada and Christopher Cabaldon. Because the California Democratic Party (CDP) gave their endorsement to Christopher, the Davis College Democrats, as an official chapter of the CDP on the UC Davis campus, is only allowed to either endorse or fail to endorse Christopher Cabaldon. If we endorsed any other candidate, we would be dropped from the CDP (not a good thing). The questionnaire is still in the early stages of drafting but we should hopefully have a more finalized version done by Sunday, with the questionnaire hopefully sent out by Wednesday, April 16th. Our club will (again hopefully) vote to endorse or fail to endorse Mayor Cabaldon by April 30th at the latest. As with the City Council questionnaire, all questions and answers will be posted both here and on daviswiki.org as soon as possible.

Oh, and of course for the 5th State Senate district race, we have already given our endorsement to current Assemblywoman Lois Wolk, who we honored as our Legislator of the Year for 2007 in February.

This is just a small sample of how our club has been working to have a real effect on elections in our area. Want to get involved? Check out our calendar at the bottom of the page for the latest updates on club events. Or, come to one of our meetings (almost) every Wednesday in Wellman 234 at 8 PM. See you soon!

-Brandon Key

Davis College Democrats Endorsements!

2008-03-12T22:20:00.000-07:00

Davis College Democrats has endorsed the following candidates as of this evening's general meeting:

California Young Democrats Vice President of Finance:
Alissa Ko
She has been a great help to our club, giving us valuable advice over the course of planning our fundraiser. Because of our personal relationship with her and her previous experiences with fundraising, we think she will make a good VP of Finance for CYD.

5th Senate District:
(Current) Assemblywoman Lois Wolk
After naming her our "Legislator of the Year" for 2007, we thought it only appropriate to seal the deal by giving her our official endorsement. Her competition in the 5th senate district will be tough and every bit of support we can give to her candidacy will help to ensure that the district stays blue.

Photos from YDA Anaheim Convention

2008-03-03T22:41:00.001-08:00

To see our public album of photos from YDA Anaheim convention, go to:

http://s257.photobucket.com/albums/hh231/ucdaviscollegedemocrats/YDA%20Anaheim%203-3-2008/

I'm getting tired of putting all of them at the bottom of the blog, so from now on, you'll have to go through the laborious task of clicking the link

More notes from YDA Anaheim Convention

2008-03-03T16:11:00.001-08:00

More notes from YDA Anaheim Convention (2/29/08-3/3/08)

*Christine Pelosi (Daughter of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi)
Campaign Boot Camp
A campaign is a fusion of a mass social movement and a small business startup
Four "M"s:
Management
Message
Money
Mobilization
Always do FRIEND-RAISING before FUND-RAISING
Management:
1. Identify your personal call to service (why are you in politics?)
Where would you devote all your energy, even if you got no credit for it?
What are your visions, ideas, values?
2. Know your community
3. Build leadership teams
E in Email stands for evidence (Remember a guy named Mark Foley)
Message:
4. Define your message
Have a network of allies who can speak on your behald
"Young voters will be the swing voters of 2008"
5. Connecting with people
Money:
6. Raise the money
Mobilization:
7. Mobilize to win
Organize "truth squads", respond to negative attacks with explanations and in a positive way
Also: look into the Clean Energy Act in California. Trying to push for 50% of energy produced by California companies must be CLEAN energy by 2025. Holy moly!

*Issue Advocacy
Why do issue advocacy?:
Issues are important
Good way to brand your party
They mobilize people
Create success (especially in areas where there aren't a lot of Democrats, like much of central CA)
Money
Members/Data gathering
Cool ideas:
Global Warming
"Save the Ales" (because global warming affects beer production in a negative way)
War in Iraq
Flags of the Fallen. Put up a bunch of little flags that each represent a US soldier who died in Iraq. Very moving.
Also: We/I(Brandon)/DCD should go to a meeting of the state legislature. Sounds way fun! Kinda...

Environmental/Energy ideas. Actions we can take to raise awareness:
Increasing bike paths - Bike ride/parade
Biomass energy - internet campaign
Energy efficiency - Light Bulb Swap
Recycling/Compost Party
Scavenger hunt using Mass transit/alternative transport ONLY ****<-- scavenger hunts can be used for awareness about A LOT of issues
Art contest using recycled things
Note: Make sure to bring local candidates to any one of these events
Reciprocal events with other groups

DCD should pass a resolution in support of AFSCME's fight for Sodexho workers and for Disneyland hotel workers to have healthcare.

YDA Anaheim Convention Fundraising Training Notes

2008-03-03T15:31:00.000-08:00

Note: I (Brandon Key) e-mailed Mark Newman to get a copy of his fundraising powerpoint presentation.

*Training: "Fundraising 101"

Mark Newman, YDA Finance Committee Chair (guy who gave presentation)
marklnewman@hotmail.com
Amy Lewis, YDA Treasurer
treasurer@yda.org

Why do people give?:
Personal relationships/Party Affiliation/Loyalty
Desire to defeat the opponent
Social Connection/desire to join with cause or organization
Because they were ASKED!
Donations come from people of all income levels (so ask everyone)
Build relationships with people at all income levels
Have a fundraising plan:
How much you need? (fundraising goal)
Where will you get your money?
Who is going to help? (in some way, everyone in the club)
What are your resources?
What is the overhead?
A case or chapter/campaign statement explains where the money is going and why
Everyone involved in fundraising must be able to articulate the plan
Who do I ask?:
Best donors: people who know you or your organization personally
Always research the people you ask
Think beyond check #1, build a relationship with them so they can keep giving back
Making "the Ask" is the hardest part (so do your RESEARCH on them beforehand!)
Follow up!
After "the Ask", ask the people to open up their address books, find five more people who

might be willing do donate.
For next year, Legislator of the Year 2008: Christopher Cabaldon?
We should get business cards!
Think of donors not as donors, but INVESTORS. They're not donating to your club, they're

INVESTING (and thus, expect a return on their investment)
ASK for more (even double) than what you think they will give you, so they will give you

the amount you expect.
Always send out thank yous to donors: (DCD must do this!!)
Thank you note should be short and sweet. "Thank you for your support... it's because of

your support that..."
Make "thank you" look like it took some time
We MUST keep our records. Re-ask past contributors for more the second time around.
Maybe we should send out a monthly DCD newsletter to all donors and everyone interested

in the club.
For newsletter:
Always put an area where people can make a donation.
Send by email
Maybe make a quarterly newsletter if you haven't done a lot of stuff in just one month.
Worst that a possible donor can say: "no". Move on to another. You might want to go back

to this possible donor in the future, so leave off on a friendly note.
THINK OF DONORS AS INVESTORS!
Keep in touch. Give them reports. Show them how their investment is paying off.
For phone-calling possible donors:
Don't keep them on the phone for too long, no more than 5 minutes. Make the "ask" in the

first few minutes, otherwise, they're wasting your time that you could be using calling

other donors.
Think of doing mini-fundraisers in between! Bake sales, raffles, etc.

Easy DCD Photo Viewing

2008-02-27T23:22:00.001-08:00

Hey, want to see our photos online in a more convenient way than as thumbnails at the bottom of this blog?

Check out our public albums at:
http://s257.photobucket.com/albums/hh231/ucdaviscollegedemocrats/

Helping to call donors for the Feb. 27th fundraiser

2008-02-18T04:17:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody reading this blog! We could really use your help later today to do phonecalls to potential donors for the fundraiser honoring Lois Wolk on February 27th. It will be at Christopher Cabaldon's campaign office, 1401 Halyard Drive Suite 120, West Sacramento, CA from 4 PM to 8 PM (today 2/18). There are 3 solid land lines at the office, so a lot of the calls will be done by cell phone. Don't worry, reception there is good. Please call or e-mail Marcus Tang, Don Gibson, or Brandon Key if you would like to help out!

Campus Camp Wellstone Comes to Northern California!

2008-02-12T20:57:00.001-08:00

http://ucdavis.facebook.com/event.php?eid=10248221889

Event Info
Name:	Campus Camp Wellstone Comes to Northern California!
Tagline:	Because amazing grassroots training for FREE doesn't come around very often...
Host:	California College Democrats
Type:	Meetings - Informational Meeting

Time and Place
Start Time:	Saturday, March 8, 2008 at 10:00am
End Time:	Sunday, March 9, 2008 at 1:00pm
Location:	UC Berkeley, Room TBA
City/Town:	berkeley, CA

Contact Info
Phone:	916.743.9878
Email:	christinesmith@berkeley.edu

California College Democrats is proud to bring you Campus Camp Wellstone to Northern California.

Where: UC Berkeley, Room TBA
When: Saturday, March 8th 10 am to 5 pm through Sunday, March 9th 10 am to 1 pm

Cost: FREE

Lunch will be provided on Saturday.

If you need housing on Saturday night please let me know at (916) 743-9878 or christinesmith@berkeley.edu

PLEASE RSVP as soon as possible: by responding to this event and also sending me an e-mail at christinesmith@berkeley.edu

Campus Camp Wellstone is a 1.5 day training program held on college and university campuses around the country. Our program is non-partisan, and welcomes both seasoned activists and those who are completely new to progressive activism.

We focus on very concrete skills, like the nitty-gritty of campaign planning, coalition building, and message development. We also teach students how to successfully recruit and retain volunteers and develop new leadership.

Campus Camp Wellstone is both serious and exciting—serious because you’ll walk away with skills and tools for real-world campaigns, and exciting because it's participatory, vibrant, and led by young trainers. Trainers are leaders in community organizing, labor, and non-profit organizations.

Fundraiser Honoring Assemblywoman Lois Wolk

2008-02-12T19:50:00.000-08:00

Davis College Democrats invite you to their first annual fundraiser honoring

Assemblywoman Lois Wolk

Davis College Democrats are proud to award our local assemblywoman for her work on protecting our environment, consumers, and ensuring flood safety. Come and help support the Davis College Democrats and join us in congratulating Assemblywoman Lois Wolk on her hard work and her award.

Time: 6:00 to 8:00 PM
Date: Wednesday, February 27th
Place: Palm Court Hotel – 234 D Street
Davis, CA

You can be listed in the program as a sponsor at the following level:

$500 Super Student Sponsor (10 tickets)
$250 Student Sponsor (5 tickets)
$100 Student Advocate (3 tickets)
$25 per person ticket; $10 student ticket (with valid ID)

RSVP appreciated, but not required. Tickets will also be sold at the door.

Please make checks payable to: Davis College Democrats PAC and mail to: Davis College Democrats P.O. Box 279, Davis, CA 95617-0279
* FPPC#: 1303239

For more information contact Don Gibson (925) 872-0570 thedjgibson@gmail.com or Brandon Key (925) 487-7227 brandonhkey@gmail.com

Wednesday Meeting, 2/12/08

2008-02-12T19:49:00.001-08:00

That's right DCD'ers, it's time for another exciting week of Democratic discussions. We've got great stuff lined up for the meeting tomorrow, which will be at the same time and location as usual (6pm in Wellman 230). Here's a little sneak peek:

Speakers will be there from LEAD and GO.

The conventions will be discussed in greater detail.

Upcoming activist events.

Upcoming ballot initiatives with Chelsea.

And a fundraising update from Previn.

Make sure to be there and bring as many buddies as you can!

Brandon J. Craig
VP of Internal Affairs
Davis College Democrats

Welcome

2008-02-12T01:34:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the official Davis College Democrats (DCD) Blog, which should with any luck, become the official DCD website. This is the third in a proud line of failed or unused DCD websites, including daviscollegedemocrats.org and daviscollegedemocrats.nexo.com.
The Davis College Democrats is the official arm of the Democratic National Committee, The Young Democrats of America, The California Young Democrats, The California Democratic Party, and the California College Democrats (all at the same time) at UC Davis. We meet (just about) every Wednesday at 6 PM in Wellman 230. This might change to 8 PM in the Spring but that has yet to be seen.
To keep track of all the latest news and events, check out this blog, which will hopefully be updated often. You can also check out the calendar at the bottom of the blog for a more visually pleasing summary of everything we're doing. We also have a facebook group.
Stay tuned!