Platform

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Green New Deal

All members of the AD 41 People’s Action Slate helped mobilize to win California for Bernie Sanders, the only 2020 presidential candidate to run on a platform of a Green New Deal based on achieving carbon neutrality by 2030, a just transition, banning fracking, and prioritization of frontline communities:

    • Slate members/AD 41 Delegates Mindy Pfeiffer and Steven Gibson served as the two elected Bernie Delegates to the August 2020 DNC Convention representing the 27th Congressional District;

    • Slate member/AD 41 Delegate and Executive Board member Robert Nelson served as the elected Bernie Delegate Alternate to the August 2020 DNC Convention representing the 27th Congressional District.  Previously, he served as the elected Bernie Delegate to the DNC in 2016, and elected Jessie Jackson Delegate to the DNC in 1988.

    • Slate member/AD 41 Delegate Steven Gibson also served as 2020 Bernie Campaign regional coordinator for our district and led Bernie Delegates across the state in hosting an August 2020 shadow People’s Assembly which convened frontline movement leaders and everyday Californians raising public visibility of the need and exclusion of the Green New Deal and other urgent issues in the DNC Platform. 

    • Slate member Stephanie Schoen mobilized voters for Bernie as Lead Organizer of the grassroots Pasadena/Altadena/Sierra Madre for Bernie Sanders. 

    • Slate supporter/AD 41 Delegate Una Lee Jost Jost helped organize the grassroots California AAPI for Bernie Sanders;

    • Slate members and slate supporters also collectively dedicated hours of their time as grassroots organizers for Bernie Sanders' Presidential campaigns in both 2016 and 2020 by hosting grassroots campaign events, canvassing, tabling, phonebanking, recruiting volunteers, buying and handing out buttons, signs, bumper stickers, campaign literature, etc.

We are proud to be a slate consisting 100% of members of both the Democratic Socialists of America and Sunrise Movement, all of whom believe strongly in Sunrise’s principles.  We as a slate understand that climate scientists are in consensus that we need to achieve 100% clean and renewable energy by 2030 (a mere ten years now) in order to meet the scale of our climate crisis and avert irreversible climate catastrophe, WHICH IS NEEDED TO AVERT MASS GENOCIDE LEADING TO EXTINCTION OF THE HUMAN SPECIES THAT COULD VERY WELL OCCUR IN THE LIFETIMES OF OUR CHILDREN OR GRANDCHILDREN.  We also understand that this existential threat affects EVERY cause that we care about, whether one is concerned about healthcare, housing, criminal justice reform, immigration reform, you name it.  We seek to shape the California Democratic Party into one that champions climate justice, and supports efforts of those at the frontlines including the Sunrise Movement, 350.org, Greenpeace USA, Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund, and others.

We as a slate are also 100% in support of:

    • Our Revolution’s position that the United States must lead the world in tackling climate change, if we are to make certain that this planet is habitable for our children and grandchildren; and that we must immediately transform our energy system away from polluting fossil fuels, and towards energy efficiency and sustainability.

    • Sunrise Movement’s principles, including making climate change an urgent priority across America, ending the corrupting influence of fossil fuel executives on our politics, and electing leaders who stand up for the health and wellbeing of all people.  We are also 100% in support of Sunrise Movement LA’s calls to do everything we can to begin to transition our nation to 100% clean energy, fight to keep fossil fuels in the ground by stopping politicians from issuing new permits for pipelines, and calling for the creation of a clean energy economy powered by solar, wind, and other renewable sources.

We are also proud to count among our slate members and a team committed climate justice advocates including:

    • Slate member Monica Guzman who served as the previous Sunrise LA Strategic Coordinator, and is the founder/member of the Green New Now, a green business incubator that aims to empower queer and BIPOC climate activists through social cooperatives.

    • Slate member/AD 41 Delegate and Executive Board member Robert Nelson, and slate members/AD 41 Delegates Peggy Renner, Mindy Pfeiffer, Jordan Vannini, and Steven Gibson who, as part of Region 11 Delegates, co-sponsored Resolution 19-05.122 in Support of a Green New Deal  adopted by the California Democratic Party in June 2019. 

    • Understanding the linkage between environmental justice, climate justice, and indigenous rights, slate members/AD 41 Delegates Bobby Nelson, Peggy Renner, Steven Gibson, along with slate supporters/AD 41 Delegates Una Lee Jost and Julie McKune, also co-authored and co-sponsored Resolution 19-05.46 Expressing Solidarity with the Indigenous People of the World and Denouncing the Doctrine of Discovery adopted by the California Democratic Party Executive Board in August 2019. 

    • Slate member/AD 41 Delegate Steven Gibson who, with slate supporter/AD 41 Delegate Una Lee Jost, mobilized in support of the:

      1. August 2017 Summer for Progress lobby visit to Rep. Judy Chu’s office, which resulted in Rep. Chu co-sponsoring HR 2242, Keep It in the Ground Act of 2017 banning new fossil fuel drilling on leased federal lands and offshore shelf; and

      2. November 2018 Sunrise lobby visit to Rep. Judy Chu’s office which resulted in Rep. Chu co-sponsoring the Green New Deal Resolution.

    • Slate member/AD 41 Delegate Steven Gibson who, with slate supporter/AD 41 Delegate Una Lee Jost, as core leaders of the Progressive Asian Network for Action supported PANA’s May 2019 Asian/Pacific Islanders Townhall on the Green New Deal to shed light upon environmental injustices faced by Asian and Pacific Islander communities both in Southern California and abroad and to discuss how the Green New Deal can move us towards a sustainable green economy, healthier environment for our families and a future for life on planet Earth.

    • Slate member Ellen Finkelpearl who, as core member of Ban Single-Use Plastics, led efforts to mobilize against proliferation of plastic waste and the impacts of plastics on the landfill, public health, ocean pollution, and carbon emissions, and lobby for change focused on source reduction, producer responsibility and policies and measures to reduce single use plastic and improve efficiency of recycling and waste programs.

    • Slate members/AD 41 Delegates Mindy Pfeiffer and Jordan Vannini, have a 20-year involvement in the Slow Food Movement, which they consider one of their most significant achievements, including instrumental efforts in connecting small farmers with consumers in the farm-to-table movement.  This movement promoted buying from small farms (vs agribusiness), sustainability, buying locally, and fresh produce availability in underserved communities. 

    • Slate member John H. Doyle II, with a dual background in engineering and economics, who brings his valued perspectives as an experienced developer of greenfield renewable energy projects in the western United States from California to North Dakota. 

    • Slate member Susan Castegnetto who serves as an ex-officio council member to advise the Napier Initiative, an intergenerational educational and mentoring project and partnership between The Claremont Colleges and Pilgrim Place, a senior community committed to peace, justice and care of the Earth.  With environmental stewardship as a community priority at Pilgrim Place, the Pilgrim Place community unified in collaboration has significantly reduced the energy costs and carbon footprint of the whole community through three LEED certified buildings, installation of over 2,000 solar panels, initiating solar power and since 2000 a 50% reduction in water use.


Medicare for All

All members of the AD41 People’s Action Slate worked hard to help win California for Bernie Sanders, the only 2020 presidential candidate to unapologetically run on a platform of Medicare for All via a single-payer healthcare system:

    • Slate members/AD 41 Delegates Mindy Pfeiffer and Steven Gibson served as the two elected Bernie Delegates to the August 2020 DNC Convention representing the 27th Congressional District.

    • Slate member/AD 41 Delegate and Executive Board member Robert Nelson served as the elected Bernie Delegate Alternate to the August 2020 DNC Convention representing the 27th Congressional District.  Previously, he served as the elected Bernie Delegate to the DNC in 2016, and elected Jessie Jackson Delegate to the DNC in 1988.

    • Slate member/AD 41 Delegate Steven Gibson also served as 2020 Bernie Campaign regional coordinator for our district and led Bernie Delegates across the state in hosting an August 2020 shadow People’s Assembly which convened frontline movement leaders and everyday Californians in raising public visibility of the need and exclusion of Medicare for All and other urgent issues in the DNC Platform, with panels on the horrors of for-profit healthcare in COVID-19 and why and how to win single-payer in California alongside direct action.

    • Slate member Stephanie Schoen mobilized voters for Bernie as Lead Organizer of Pasadena/Altadena/Sierra Madre for Bernie Sanders. She was also active for over a year working with Healthy California and the California Nurses Association in support of Senate Bill 562, the Healthy California Act, to bring a single-payer health care system to California.

    • Slate supporter/AD41 Delegate Una Lee Jost co-organized the grassroots California AAPI for Bernie Sanders;

    • Slate members and team also collectively dedicated hours of their time as grassroots organizers for Bernie Sanders' Presidential campaigns in both 2016 and 2020 by hosting grassroots campaign events, canvassing, tabling, phonebanking, recruiting volunteers, buying and handing out buttons, signs, bumper stickers, campaign literature, etc.

We believe in achieving a world where everyone has the right to universal healthcare by winning Medicare for All via a single-payer healthcare system, and especially in a pandemic with more than 100 million people either uninsured or underinsured.  There is no reason not to implement Medicare for All.  It is supported by 69% of registered voters, including 87% of Democrats, and as Governor Gavin Newsom stated in October 2017: 

"A single-payer system drives down the cost of health care; drives down the cost of prescription drugs through economies of scale.  And it provides more effective, efficient, universal access for those who are uninsured."   

We seek to shape the California Democratic Party into one that champions health justice, and supports support efforts of those at the frontlines including National Nurses United, Physicians for a National Health Program, Healthcare for All - California, and others.

We as a slate are also 100% in support of:

    • Our Revolution’s position that healthcare is a human right, that our healthcare system needs to work for all of us, and that we must guarantee healthcare as a right of citizenship by enacting a Medicare for all single-payer healthcare system, as well as lowering the price for prescription drugs. 

We are proud to count among our slate members and team committed Medicare for All advocates including:

    • Slate members/AD 41 Delegates Mindy Pfeiffer and Steven Gibson who, as Bernie Delegates to the DNC representing the 27th Congressional District, were part of a historic coalition of 700+ DNC delegates led by Nevada's Bernie Sanders Delegation who voted AGAINST the DNC Platform, raising the public visibility of the need and exclusion of Medicare for All in the DNC Platform.

    • Slate supporter/AD 41 Delegate Una Lee Jost who, along with progressive delegates, submitted public testimony and succeeded in preventing the State Party from subversively changing its Platform to include equivocating language equating Medicare for All with a misguided public option.  We are proud to report that due to grassroots pressure from progressive delegates, the Party Platform continues to call for “publicly-funded single-payer...health care system that provides universal coverage for all Californians” without equivocation.

    • Slate members and team also collectively dedicated hundreds of hours of their time as grassroots organizers for the Healthy California and Medicare for All campaigns in an effort to win universal healthcare via single-payer health insurance from 2016 on by public testimony at hearings, hosting public forums, canvassing, tabling, phone banking, recruiting volunteers, buying and handing out buttons, signs, bumper stickers, campaign literature, etc.

Abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

All members of the AD41 People’s Action Slate  support abolishing ICE, by which we mean eradication of ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement), termination of the immigration-related components of CBP (U.S. Customs and Border Protection), and the demilitarization of all U.S. borders.   

We believe in a world where every individual lives and moves freely and a society in which racial equity is the norm and immigration is not criminalized.  We  seek to shape the California Democratic Party into one that champions a comprehensive approach to reforming the U.S.immigration system, and which supports anti-imperialism and international solidarity, that includes:

    • A fair pathway to citizenship and full integration for immigrants, trafficked victims, adoptees, asylum seekers, and refugees while offering them a protected status against criminalization, detention and deportation while they plead their cases. 

    • We call for an end to re-criminalization and deportation proceedings against all reformed immigrant inmates and support full pardons including a fair pathway to citizenship. 

    • We demand the repeal of unjust policies that remove due process for non-citizens. 

    • We demand reduction of visa backlogs, removal of national origin quotas, and granting a speedy process for family reunification, and increased funding for immigration courts.   We also call for reunification of asylum seeking families and reparations.

    • We call for the eradication of ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement), termination of the immigration-related components of CBP (U.S. Customs and Border Protection), and the demilitarization of all U.S. borders. 

    • We call for closure of for-profit incarceration facilities, as we oppose all policies that enforce, enable, allow, or otherwise support any systems or acts of child abduction, incarceration, or human trafficking. 

    • We oppose the businesses profiting from for-profit prisons and public financing of entities which engage in human trafficking activities.

    • We oppose U.S. military, political and economic intervention which brings death and destruction to sovereign nations, giving rise to, and exacerbating climate change and the human refugee crisis. 

    • We call for military reform to stop endless wars, and support anti-imperialism, international solidarity, and taking care of veterans.  

We seek to shape the California Democratic Party into one that champions immigrant justice, and supports efforts of those at the frontlines including the Detention Watch Network, National Immigration Law Center, Al Otro Lado, Mateo 25/Matthew 25 SoCal, ACLU,LA Voice, National Lawyers Guild, Amnesty International, and others.

We are also 100% in support of Our Revolution’s positions that:

    • Despite the central role immigrants play in our economy and in our daily lives, undocumented workers are reviled by some for political gain and shunted into the shadows. It is time for this disgraceful situation to end. We must pave the way for a swift legislative path to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants and protect programs like DACA.

    • The inhumane deportation machine must be dismantled by ending deportation programs, closing down private detention centers, offering humane treatment and asylum to victims of violence and minors fleeing from dangerous circumstances. 

    • The U.S. must move away from a policy of unilateral military action, and toward a policy of emphasizing compassion, diplomacy, and ensuring the decision to go to war is a last resort. 

We are proud to count among our slate members and team committed immigrant rights advocates including:

    • Slate member Johua Ulises Marmol, son of El Savadoran immigrants, who has worked on issues critical to the Latinx community, namely immigration reform, visiting detention centers, corresponding with immigrant detainees, and sponsoring an asylum-seeker whom he still accompanies through the process. He has learned from and worked with Al Otro Lado, Mateo 25 / Matthew 25 SoCal, Friends of Orange County Detainees, and Freedom for Immigrants;

    • Slate member Elizabeth Trejo, a first generation Mexican-American, who has seen firsthand the impacts that lack of healthcare coverage, housing insecurity, and police profiling have on marginalized communities, and whose lived experiences are what drive her unapologetic activism in defending disenfranchised communities. 

    • Slate member/AD 41 Delegate Steven Gibson who served as 2020 Bernie Campaign regional coordinator for our district and led Bernie Delegates across the state in hosting an August 2020 shadow People’s Assembly which convened frontline movement leaders and everyday Californians in raising the visibility of the impact of US interventionism on human rights and other urgent issues, including a “US Foreign Policy & Demilitarization” panel which slate member/AD 41 Delegate Robert Nelson served as featured speaker.  

    • Slate members/AD 41 Delegates Robert Nelson and Peggy Renner who, with slate supporters/AD 41 Delegates Una Lee Jost and Julie McKune, co-authored and co-sponsored Resolution 19-05.18 Condemning Binational Surveillance and Targeting of Journalists, Lawyers, Clergy, and Activists at the Border adopted by the California Democratic Party Executive Board in August 2019. 

    • Slate member/AD 41 Delegate Steven Gibson who, with slate supporter/AD 41 Delegate Una Lee Jost, mobilized in support of a July 2018 Lawyer Moms for America's lobby visit to Rep. Judy Chu’s office, which resulted in Rep. Chu commiting to do all she can to reunite migrant children with their families and end mandatory family separation; and 


Defunding the Police

All members of the AD41 People’s Action Slate support defunding the police, which for us means demilitarizing the police (including the military/industrial complex) and reallocating police funds to communities, education, and social services to proactively address the root causes of crimes and provide for community provision of public safety.

We believe in reimagining public safety by dismantling systemic racism in our criminal justice system and investing in a shared vision of community safety that actually works and reflects that Black Lives Matter.   We seek to shape the California Democratic Party into one that champions police accountability and a reimagining of public safety that includes:

    • Demanding a full, transparent, and independent investigation into the many law enforcement officers who have been documented brutalizing protesters, as well as all police officers who have records of complaints for violence, and reparations for the families of those murdered.

    • Demilitarizing of the police, and reallocating police funds to communities, education, and social services to proactively address the root causes of crimes and provide for community provision of public safety.

    • Direct investments in our communities, including community counseling, mental health services, youth development programs, small businesses, jobs-creation, and deeply affordable housing.  

    • Ensuring that public safety remains the responsibility of elected officials and communities—NOT private or contract policing.

    • An end to the death penalty; an end to private for-profit prisons, an end to cash bail, prioritizing rehabilitation and rooting out causes of crime, and democratizing what we call crime.  

We seek to shape the California Democratic Party into one that champions police accountability and a reimagining of public safety, and support efforts of those at the frontlines including the Movement for Black Lives, National Lawyers Guild, #8toAbolition, and others.

We are 100% in support of Our Revolution’s statement that:

    • African-Americans and Latinos are twice as likely to be arrested and almost four times as likely to experience the use of force during encounters with the police. They also comprise well over half of all prisoners, even though African-Americans and Latinos make up approximately one quarter of the total US population. We must change this by de-militarizing our police forces, ban for-profit prisons, turn back from the War on Drugs, eliminate mandatory minimums, and increase investment in programs that help individuals recover from substance abuse and mental health problems.

    • The U.S. defense spending is larger than that of the next seven largest defense budgets. We must firmly reject any increase to defense spending at the cost of cuts to domestic social spending. 

We are proud to count among our slate members and team committed criminal justice reform advocates, including:

    • Slate member/AD 41 Delegate Steven Gibson who served as 2020 Bernie Campaign regional coordinator for our district and led Bernie Delegates across the state in hosting an August 2020 shadow People’s Assembly which convened frontline movement leaders and everyday Californians in raising public visibility of the need and exclusion of defunding the police and other urgent issues in the DNC Platform, highlighting the need of investing in marginalized communities with a People’s Budget alongside direct actions to defund prisons and the police state.

    • Slate member Elizabeth Trejo, daughter of Mexican immigrants, who has seen firsthand the impacts that police profiling has on marginalized communities, including her very own brother being shot by the local police department in their home. These lived experiences are what drive her unapologetic activism in defending disenfranchised communities through electoral campaigns and direct actions alongside national and local community organizations.  

    • Slate supporter Kaveh Neeni, a core member of Black Lives Matter Pasadena.

    • Slate member John H. Doyle II, committed activist in support of Black Lives as founding member of Good Trouble Pasadena and the NAACP.  John is committed to bringing police spending in line with the benchmark for U.S. spending and use data to achieve a social outcomes return based on tax dollars invested, such as unarmed dignity officers (social workers and mental health professionals), a community bank, and broadening the definition of public safety to include an expanded role of the health services department, financial stability, and sustainable jobs.  

    • Slate member Susan Castagnetto, Director of the Intercollegiate Feminist Center for Teaching, Research and Engagement at the Claremont Colleges.  In her role, she has developed collaborative programs and conferences with social justice organizations, especially around criminal justice issues, prison abolition, and gender justice.  In 2020, she organized/co-organized events with representatives from Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth, California Coalition for Women Prisoners, Dignity & Power Now, Drop LWOP (Life Without Parole) Campaign, Mothers on the Frontline, and Arts for Healing & Justice Network. For more info, see her LInkedin Profile. 

    • Slate supporter/AD 41 Delegate Una Lee Jost who, with the support of slate members/AD41 Delegates, co-authored Resolution 20-06.18 to Support Defund the Police inspired by the Black Lives Matter Movement adopted by the California Democratic Party Executive Board on July 26, 2020.

Campaign Finance Reform

All members of the AD41 People’s Action Slate support campaign finance reform.  As a 2017 Harvard-funded study concluded, our government has been captured by those who represent the interests of powerful business organizations and a small number of affluent Americans.  Not surprisingly, our laws are skewed against the poor and working-class, and the fundamental rights, needs, and well-being of our families and communities are being assaulted on all fronts – our healthcare, environment, education, housing, and more.  We absolutely must enact crucial reforms to end the massive influx of corporate and special interest money corrupting our democracy.  

We seek to shape the California Democratic Party into one that champions campaign finance reforms, and supports the efforts of those at the frontlines including Public Citizen, California Clean Money Action Fund, RepresentUS, National Election Defense Coalition, Open Source Initiative, and others.

We as a slate are 100% in support of the following Our Revolution’s positions::

    • Citizens United, a 5-4 Supreme Court decision, resulted in enabling the wealthiest people and largest corporations in this country to contribute unlimited amounts of money to campaigns. This decision must be overturned and corruption in politics must end. This means fighting to pass a constitutional amendment making it clear that Congress and the states have the power to regulate money in elections. We must also eliminate super PACs and other outside spending abuses and work to aggressively enforce campaign finance rules. 

    • In order to protect our democracy, we must fight for a publicly financed, transparent system of campaign financing that amplifies small donations. We must also ensure that all Americans are guaranteed an effective right to vote. 

We are proud to count among our slate members and team committed democracy reform advocates, including:

Bridging the Economic Divide

All members of the AD41 People’s Action Slate see bridging the economic divide as a critical priority.  It is a shame that California has the largest wealth gap of any state in the nation. In a state with the fifth largest economy on the planet, and home to more billionaires than any single country in the world except the United States and China, Californians should not be forced to choose between a home and food, healthcare, childcare, and their jobs.  We seek to shape the California Democratic Party into one that champions an inclusive economy, with equity and abundance for all.  In addition to advocating all the policies mentioned previously (i.e. Medicare for All, Green New Deal, abolishing ICE and defunding the police), all of which are critical to helping bridge the economic divide, we are committed to the following slate priorities:

Our Platform:

  • Medicare for All

  • College for All & Cancel Student Debt

  • Disability Rights

  • Green New Deal

  • Fully Fund Public Schools

  • Universal Housing for All

  • Publicly Fund Elections

  • Internet Access for All

  • Uphold Immigrant, Indigenous, and Refugee Rights

  • End All Wars & Defund Military-Industrial Complex

  • Emergency COVID-19 Relief

  • Legalize Public Banks & Public Banks for All

  • Fight for Party Accountability & Democracy

  • Dismantle Racism & End Mass Incarceration

  • Invest in Care, Not Cops & Reimagine Public Safety

  • Universal Living Wage, Equity for Gig Workers

  • Protect Voter Rights

  • Animal Welfare

  • Build Community Power & Co-Governance


    For additional detail:

    • Emergency COVID-19 Relief: Our state and nation is in a state of crisis, with the pandemic wreaking devastating social and economic impact, and especially on those most vulnerable in our society.  This is not a time of half-measures, and we insist on immediate pandemic aid including just relief, recovery, and reconstruction for all, prioritizing working Californians and small businesses.  We seek to shape the California Democratic Party into one that champions emergency COVID-19 relief, and supports efforts of those at the frontlines fighting for immediate pandemic relief, including HealthyLA, National Nurses United, Movement for Black Lives, Senator Bernie Sanders, and others.

    • Housing as a Human Right: We believe that housing is for people, not for profit; we should not prioritize corporate landlord’s profit over the rights of our families to keep a roof over their head.  We believe that solutions must be led by those most affected, including low-income and communities of color that have been victims of housing instability due to racist housing policy.  We believe that housing policy must prioritize those most in need first, including domestic violence victims, formerly incarcerated people, veterans, those currently or at risk of homelessness, Section 8 tenants, people with mental health issues, people with substance abuse issues, and other vulnerable communities.  We call for a world where everyone has a safe, healthy, affordable home by stabilizing rents, ending homelessness, and closing loopholes used by Wall Street speculators, mega-developers and corporate landlords.  We seek to shape the California Democratic Party into one that champions housing as a human right, and supports the efforts of those at the frontlines including Housing Now! California, Tenants Together, Everyone In, and others.

    • Education Justice: We believe in a world with education justice by implementation of free tuition in higher education, cancellation of student debt, charter accountability, fully funding K-12 public schools, and supporting STEAM education.  In addition, we call for transparency and accountability for public funds taken into the segregationist, discriminatory (e.g. no special education) and privatized sphere of charter schools.   We seek to shape the California Democratic Party into one that champions education justice, and supports efforts of those at the frontlines including United Teachers of Los Angeles, California State PTA, California Retired Teachers Association, K-12 News Network, California BATs, Network for Public Education, and others.  

    • Employment Justice: We believe in a world with employment justice by calling for a living wage as standard; strong unions and worker protections, including for gig workers; good jobs for all; promotion of worker co-operatives; and disability rights in the workplace.  We seek to shape the California Democratic Party into one that champions employment justice, and supports efforts of those at the frontlines including Fight for $15, Democracy at Work, Warehouse Worker Resource Center, Rideshare Workers United, and others.

    • Tax Justice:  We believe in reforming our tax system so that it is based on a graduated progressive taxation according to wealth, not income.  We seek to shape the California Democratic Party into one that champions tax justice, and supports efforts of those at the frontlines fighting for tax justice, including PICO California, League of Women Voters of California, California Calls, and others.

    • Democracy Reform:  We believe in democratizing and reclaiming our public goods to increase the power of working people so that we can enact system change and build a better world for everyone, including:  (a) Decreasing the influence of money in our electoral system; (b) Saving the post office as a public right established by our Constitution; (c) Public banking responsive to community needs; and (d) Democratic management of transportation and communications channels.  We seek to shape the California Democratic Party into one that champions democracy reforms, and supports efforts of those at the frontlines including the California Public Banking Alliance, Public Citizen, California Clean Money Campaign, RepresentUS, National Election Defense Coalition, Open Source Initiative, and others. 

We as a slate are 100% in support of Our Revolution’s positions calling for the following policies to bridge the economic divide: 

    • Today, we live in the richest country in the history of the world, but that reality means little because much of that wealth is controlled by a tiny handful of individuals. To address that, the wealthy and large corporations must pay their fair share in taxes. 

    • Huge financial institutions must be broken up so they are no longer too big to fail. 

    • No one who works 40-hours a week should live in poverty. The minimum wage needs to be a livable wage of $15 an hour.

    • It is critically important to create jobs for disadvantaged young Americans by investing in youth jobs programs. 

    • Social Security must be expanded so that every American can retire with dignity.

    • Trade deals like TPP, NAFTA, CAFTA, and PNTR have cost the U.S. thousands of jobs, allowed corporations to shut down operations in the US and move work to low-wage countries where people are forced to work for pennies an hour. We must do everything we can to reverse these effects from current trade deals and ensure we don't sign on to any more that place corporate profits ahead of working class and poor people in the U.S. and throughout the world.

    • Every American who studies hard in school should be able to go to college regardless of how much money their parents make and without going deeply into debt. For that, we need to work towards making tuition free at public colleges and universities throughout America, stopping the federal government from making a profit on student loans. 

We are proud to count among our slate members and team committed community advocates supporting policies to bridge the economic divide, including: 

  • Education Justice: 

    • Our education-heavy slate includes six accomplished lifelong educators:

      • Mindy Pfeiffer, M.A. - Special education teacher (ret.)

      • Peggy Renner, Ph.D. (re-elect) - History professor (ret.)

      • Ellen Finkelpearl, Ph.D. - Classics professor

      • Susan Castagnetto, Ph.D - Feminist philosopher and Women’s Studies professor

      • Steven Gibson, Ph.D. (re-elect) - Author/Educator

      • Patricia Hernandez- Middle school math teacher

Plus the critical voice of a slate member student:

      • Elizabeth Trejo - Political science student and first-generation Mexican-American in the Cal State University system who quickly learned to be her own advocate navigating the higher education system after transferring from a local community college. 

    • Slate supporter Cynthia Liu of K-12 News Network, lead organizer of www.ReformCharterSchools campaign, led a tremendous grassroots ground game actively supported by slate supporters/AD 41 Delegates Julie McKune (member of the League of Women Voters’ Education Committee) and Una Lee Jost (parent and local school PTA Legislative Advocacy Chair) with the support of slate members/AD 41 Delegates Robert Nelson, Peggy Renner, Mindy Pfeiffer Jordan Vannini, and Steven Gibson, which helped result in passage of charter accountability bills AB 1505 and AB 1507.  Such grassroots efforts included:  

  • Housing Justice: 

    • Our slate includes leading tenant rights organizer:

      • Ryan Bell, who works as the Southern California Regional Coordinator with Tenants Together, a state-wide coalition of tenants’ rights organizations. He also serves as treasurer and member organizer with the Pasadena Tenants Union. Ryan has been a housing activist for 15 years, working to protect housing of last resort from corporate investment and building political will for community housing in Los Angeles County. 

Plus the critical voices of tenant slate members who make up half of our slate.

    • Many of our slate members and team were involved in statewide and local campaigns to gain affordable housing and rent control, including numerous hours invested in gathering petition signatures to get such measures on the ballot, as well as the most recent campaign to win Proposition 21, statewide rent control in California.

    • We work with and support efforts of organizations in the field, including Making Housing and Community Happen.

    • Many of our slate members and team were also involved in efforts in support of permanent supportive housing for our most vulnerable.

  • Employment Justice:

    • We are proud to count among our slate members and team committed employment justice advocates, including union members, and members of the Fight for $15 and Healthy LA coalitions, among others. We support organizations helping in the cause, including the National Day Labor Organizing Network.

  • Tax Justice:

    • We are proud to count among our slate members and team committed tax justice advocates, including:

      Slate supporters/AD 41 Delegates Una Lee Jost and Julie McKune, who, with slate member/AD 41 Delegate Steven Gibson and slate supporter Cynthia Liu of K-12 News Network, helped in support of The California Schools and Local Communities Funding Act of 2020 ballot initiative (Proposition 15) to close a longstanding commercial property tax loophole created with the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978 and reclaim over twelve billion dollars to California schools and communities, 40% of which would go towards California public schools.

While the Schools and Communities First initiative, Proposition 15, was narrowly defeated with the help of powerful interests who outspent us 20 to 1, we are encouraged to definitively know that at least 49 percent of voters share the vision of a California that prioritizes investments in our schools and communities and stops segregating public investment from Black and Brown communities - one we are yet determined to realize. 

Grassroots efforts in support of the historic effort to pass Proposition 15, in addition to numerous hours of gathering petition signatures to get the measure on the ballot, included:


Party Endorsements

We know that in order for all the causes we are fighting for to be made reality, we will need to address the Elephant in the Room - weakening the hold that powerful corporations and special interests have within the California Democratic Party.  

Without doing so, we will forever be having protests and meetings and lobby visits for cause after cause, all the while our families and communities continue to suffer and be neglected.  We must take hold of the power structure of the Party and be clear-eyed about the conflicts of interests that exist within the Party which weakens the Party’s resolve to endorse and expend party resources for only candidates committed to serving Main Street, not Wall Street.  

100% of our slate members are proud signers of the affirmation statement of the Progressive Caucus of the California Democratic Party for delegates candidates, which reads as follows:

As a member of the California Democratic Party (CDP) State Central Committee, I affirm the following:

1. I endorse the CDP Platform as the official statement of the California Democratic Party’s values and policy positions, while acknowledging that amendments are necessary to fully support the values of an authentic progressive movement.

2. I will not vote, in my capacity as delegate to the CDP, to endorse any candidate for public office, nor vote for any candidate for CDP Officer who solicits or accepts during the last two election cycles, contributions to their campaigns or to organizations they administer, from the fossil fuel industry, corporate real estate development, law enforcement, the healthcare, insurance, and pharmaceutical industries, for-profit incarceration, charter schools or any organization or corporation directly benefiting these industries. (This prohibition does not apply to individual employees of said organizations or industry, but does apply to its executives.)

3. I will not vote, in my capacity as delegate to the CDP, to endorse any candidate for public office, nor vote for any candidate for CDP Officer, that does not support fundamental human rights of all refugees, including the right to leave and return as described in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and affirmed by CDP Resolution 20.03.27.

4. I will not vote, in my capacity as delegate to the CDP, to endorse any candidate for public office, nor vote for any candidate for CDP Officer that supports legislation restricting our Constitutional freedom to advocate for the boycott, divestment, and/or sanction of countries that engage in routine human rights violations.

5. I support a reduction in CDP delegates appointed by Party leaders and elected officials, alongside divestment of power from the CDP Chair, in order to increase rank and file representation and democracy within the CDP.

By placing my signature below, I affirm that, as Delegate to the California Democratic Party, I support the issues listed above, will advocate and vote to advance them in our political discourse, will vote to endorse candidates for office that support these issues, and will commit to withholding my vote for those elected officials that act in opposition to them.