At the August 14 club meeting, Superintendent of Schools, Kevin Holt, highlighted the success that all San Marcos Schools have achieved. Many of the schools in the district are over 40 years old, need basic repairs or need to be expanded for future growth. Dr. Holt explained that if Proposition K, a school bond measure on the November ballot, is passed, the district will be able to complete many repair and renovation projects including the rebuilding of San Marcos High School. The cost for property owners will be $44 per $100,000 of assessed value. To view the Dr. Holt's powerpoint presentation, click here.

The Lake San Marcos Democratic Club hosted the California Democratic Council sponsored Democratic Leadership Training held at the Pavilion all day Saturday, July 31. Topics included How to Increase and Keep Your Membership, Fundraising Fundamentals, Club Finances, Use of Media, Club Finances, and Technology. Our Club was represented by nine members and was proud to share the use of our Pavilion for Democratic Club Leaders from Southern California. Click here to see photos of the event.

Our July Club meeting was a great success. Attendees listened to Kevin Kennan, the Executive Director for the ACLU, present a factual picture of the history and impacts of immigration – both legal and illegal.  He presented well researched data highlighted the historical patterns of immigration to the US from all over the world, the economic factors driving the flow, and the scope of the current issue of illegal immigration. He discussed statistical data about the economic impact of illegal immigration and the human side of the issue. He effectively debunked the media hype about associating crime with immigrants.  Along with our dedicated members, there were several guests who came with a genuine interest in acquiring trustworthy data on this emotionally charged topic. The Club hopes that our guests will be joining the Club and be part of our effort to help develop an “informed” community.

For more highlights from the meeting, click here

Olga Diaz Speaks to the Club

At the June 12th Club meeting, Olga spoke about the challenges of being the only Democrat serving on the Escondido City Council. She spoke about her love and commitment for her city. She said that her business background makes her able to look with a critical eye at the financial decisions that the city council makes. She spoke about the vehicle check points and what she perceives is the appropriate approach. It is always a pleasure to listen to an articulate, intelligent, public figure.

At the April 10th Club meeting, Sharlene Hamilton, member of Clean Money Campaign, Common Cause and League of Women Voters, explained Proposition 15, California Fair Elections Act. This proposal, passed by the legislature and signed by the Governor to be placed on the June 8 ballot, establishes a pilot program for the election of Secretary of State in 2014. Each candidate will be required to acquire $5 contributions and signatures from 7500 registered voters to have their name placed on the ballot. They can then voluntary commit to using only public funding for their campaigns. Sharelen highlighted the benefits of the program. More information can be found at: http://www.yesfairelections.org/

Health Care Presentation:

At the March 13th Club meeting, our member, Dave Roberts, Councilman from the Solana Beach City Council, discussed the current state of health care legislation. Dave predicted that the vote for the current health care bill will occur in the next 10 days. He encouraged the membership to contact our representative, Brian Bilbray (202) 225-0508, or (858) 350-1150, and state the following: Please vote for H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act, as passed by the Senate and vote for the House Reconciliation Health Insurance Reform Legislation which includes the President's proposals.

Dave says the best resource for Health Care Information is http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/health-care

50th Congressional District Candidate Forum:

At the February 13th Club meeting, 86 members attended the forum at which the members were able to hear the candidates for the 50th Congressional District’s positions on a variety of issues. Each candidate was given a 5 minute opening statement, answered questions from the audience and finished with a 2 minute closing statement. 

Francine Busby says that she is the experienced candidate. She knows the district and has made many contacts with individuals and businesses. She states that Brian Bilbray has neglected his duty to represent the needs of the district and that is why she is running. She feels that her previous candidacies have allowed her to establish strong name recognition in the district. She believes that the district has a strong economic engine in the technology area and that this strength should be used to create new jobs. Her goals are to promote health care reform, renewable energy, increase regulation on financial institutions to protect consumers, strengthen education, and promote equal rights for all. She supports the continued use of medical marijuana that has been legalized by the state, but does not want to legalize the use of marijuana for all.

Tracy Emblem believes she is the people's candidate for the citizens that can't fend for themselves. As a lawyer, she has worked for people whose civil rights were violated. She is endorsed by several labor unions and the Progressive Democrats of America. To defeat Bilbray, she will run a "people to people" campaign that focuses on contacting the voters of the district with less emphasis on raising money. She believes that her biggest responsibility is to bring jobs to the 50th district. To reduce the deficit, she wants troops brought home immediately. She says she will be an independent thinker when elected and will vote for what is best for the 50th. Her goals are to improve Health Care by expanding Medicare for all, go after the big bankers for bank fraud, reform the banking system, and be a strong advocate for Veterans. In addition to supporting medical marijuana, Tracy supports the legalization of marijuana for general use and advocates taxing it as a way to solve the financial problems of California. 

Jess Durfee, Chair, San Diego County Democratic Party speaks at club's January meeting.

At our January 9th club meeting, Jess revealed that San Diego County is now a "blue" county with approximately 6000 more registered Democrats than Republicans. He said that both state and national party organizations are looking to San Diego for organizational strategies that have been successful in our county organization. Jess, being recently elected to the Democratic National Party, has already had some influence in the way the national party organization operates by developing a resolution that requires the national organization to communicate with local chapters about voting recommendations. Jess has been our January presenter every January for the past 7 years, a tradition we hope to continue.