Newport Beach Women's Democratic Club
Creating a civil forum for the discussion of political ideas.
Come join this fabulous group of intelligent, interesting women and enjoy great discussions of the major issues of our day.
NANCY PELOSI FUNDRAISER, MAY 23, 2012 AT THE BAHIA CORINTHIAN YACHT CLUB. NBWDC MEMBERS CAN QUALIFY FOR A FIFTY PERCENT DISCOUNT - CONTACT US TODAY! HEAR HER CANDID REMARKS ON HOW THE DEMS PLAN TO TAKE BACK THE HOUSE!
Obama Breakfast What a fabulous event - having President Barack Obama here in Newport Beach in Jeff and Nancy Stack's home on Evening Canyon Drive in the Shorecliffs section of CDM last Thursday! We were given instructions to be there between 7:30 and 8:15 am when the doors would be closed for security. Valet parking provided control of the cars driven by the attendees.
NBWDC members and friends accounted for over 10% of the people who were there. We also had members in front of Five Crowns Restaurant to ensure that the President was greeted by locals who were delighted to have him in our community.
We were in a giant white tent, rumored to have been built on a platform over the swimming pool and patio. Since we were overlooking the canyon, the tent walls were closed in the rear. Reportedly Poppy and Big Corona Beach were closed to allow for security. When we arrived, we were checked against the guest list and given wrist bands if we were going to have a photo with the President - $10,000 contributions and up. We were then ushered into the tent and offered access to several food stations brimming with appetizing breakfast foods, including a mushroom quiche, fresh salmon, prime rib wraps and various croissants and pastries.Golden Truffle provided ham quiche, spinach quiche, assorted cheeses, breads, crackers skewered fruit displayed on palm trees, dried fruit, croissants, assorted muffins, and granola with fruit and yogurt. Everyone enjoyed breakfast until those finishing their pictures began to arrive signaling that the President was soon to come.
He spoke from a small platform at the northeast corner of the tent for about twenty minutes and then entertained questions for another twenty, He was articulate and personable. He thanked our host and hostess, Jeff and Nancy Stack and local fundraiser, (and our Speaker on Thursday) Steve Meyers personally for their efforts to create a successful event. To make things fair, he announced that he would take questions boy-girl, boy-girl, which provoked good humored laughter. His first questioner asked about the number of former corporate and Wall Street execs in his administration. He answered directly, stating that Timothy Geithner had, in fact, always worked in public service - at the Fed, etc, contrary to some belief and that every member of his administration had been deeply vetted for their belief that their job was to work to create a strong and successful middle class. He did say that he took pride in the fact that his administration had not had one scandal in spite of all attempts to discredit it.
During his comments, he did say that one of the key goals for his administration was to ensure that his daughters had the same opportunity for success as another person's sons had - receiving a warm round of applause.
He was charming and full of energy and everyone was treated in a respectful manner even though we were clearly surrounded by heavy security for the 160 attendees. All attendees had been vetted by the Secret Service the Friday before the event.
One nice touch was the Seal of the President of the United States cookie from Wonderland Bakery that we received on the way out of the breakfast at 11:00 am.
COME BE A PART OF HISTORY WITH US! JOIN US IN OUR HOME TOWN FOR
BREAKFAST WITH PRESIDENT OBAMA IN CDM, Thursday, Feb. 16th 7:00am Contact DrSue@aol.com immediately for ticket info or RSVP online at: http://my.barackobama/february16coronadelmarbreakfast?custom1=4807904
FINALLY,,,THE TRUTH: September 22, 2011 9:55 AM
Elizabeth Warren: “There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own. nobody.”
By Lucy Madison http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20110042-503544.html
An August video of Massachusetts Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren on the campaign trail is heating up on the internet, and some commentators are pointing to the clip - in which Warren makes a case for progressive economic policies - as evidence that the newly minted Democratic candidate could give incumbent Republican Senator Scott Brown a run for his money.
In the video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htX2usfqMEs&feature=player_embedded), which was filmed at an event in Andover, Mass., Warren rebuts the GOP-touted notion that raising taxes on the wealthy amounts to “class warfare,” contending that “there is nobody in this country who got rich on his own. Nobody.”
Warren rejects the concept that it is possible for Americans to become wealthy in isolation.
“You built a factory out there? Good for you,” she says. “But I want to be clear: you moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for; you hired workers the rest of us paid to educate; you were safe in your factory because of police forces and fire forces that the rest of us paid for. You didn’t have to worry that marauding bands would come and seize everything at your factory, and hire someone to protect against this, because of the work the rest of us did.”
She continues: “Now look, you built a factory and it turned into something terrific, or a great idea? God bless. Keep a big hunk of it. But part of the underlying social contract is you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along.”
Warren’s entrance into the Massachusetts Senate race marks her first-ever political bid - and while the longtime consumer advocate is beloved by a number of liberals, some wondered if her lack of political experience would prove crippling in the contest.
The Washington Monthly’s Steven Benen, however, points to the video as an explanation as to “why Warren has a strong base of supporters who adore her.”
“If there are lingering concerns about whether Warren could be an effective speaker on the stump, I think those questions are being answered,” Benen writes. “If more Democrats were able to make the case for the underlying social contract as effectively, our discourse would be vastly less mind-numbing.”
TEN THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT RONALD REAGAN: just some of the many reasons we would never want to see our children taught that this was a great president.
1. Many of us believe that Ronald Reagan's actions as President deregulating Wall Street and dismantling FDR's safety net were the direct cause of our current economic woes. FDR's regulations and taxes had created 50 years of the highest standard of living in the world for the middle class and protection from the greed of the robber-barons.
2. The Savings and Loan crisis created the greatest banking collapse since the Great Depression. By 1989 over half of the Savings and Loans had failed, along with the FSLIC fund that was created to insure their deposits. This crisis by 1995 had cost American taxpayers $153 billion.
3. The Keating Five, cronies of Sen. John McCain, received slaps on the wrists for having taken down these banks.
4. The junk bond crisis and the beginning of the "greed is good" era.
4. The endless attacks on labor, starting with the Air Traffic Controllers the first week he was in office. Reagan, a former union President waged war on organized labor, the very people who built this country, attacking it on every front.
5. Reduced taxes for the wealthy while increasing taxes on the middle class seven years in a row,
6. Constant reductions in the security net for the middle class, including throwing the mentally disabled into the streets and removing social security benefits for widows and their children,
7. Iran-Contra, Reagan approved of and many of his staff were convicted for illegally providing arms to Iran to be given to the Contras.
8. Moving our country from the biggest lender nation in the world to the biggest debtor nation in the world (at the end of Bush Sr's term) - That is not even mentioning the damage he caused to the UC system as Governor.
9. The presidency of Ronald Reagan in the United States was marked by multiple scandals, resulting in the investigation, indictment, or conviction of over 138 administration officials, the largest number for any US president at the time. (Google)
10. Nov. 8, 1989 Reagan accepted a $2 million check from the Japanese, supposedly a birthday gift. This was as he left the White House during a decade when the Japanese had been accused of unfair trade practices with American companies leading to the gutting of our entire electronics industry and severe damage to our automotive industry.
And that was just the beginning...
Please join us at POLITICS, SEX & COCKTAILS
Celebrating 38 YEARS OF ROE V. WADE
Presented by The Community Action Fund of
Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties
Featuring guest speaker
Maggie Linden
Senior Vice President Public Affairs
Ogilvy Public Relations
- The Changing Political Landscape –
And
Kathy Kneer
President & CEO
Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2011
Original Mike’s | 100 S. Main St. | Santa Ana, CA 92701
6:00 p.m.
Hors d’oeuvres, Drinks, and Mingling
6:45 p.m.
Program
Keynote Address by Maggie Linden
Awards Ceremony
8:00 p.m.
Event close
CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS
______________________
Prior Public Events:
OC Health MarchOC Health March August 31, 2009
OC Health March August 31, 2009
NANCY PELOSI FUNDRAISER, MAY 23, 2012 AT THE BAHIA CORINTHIAN YACHT CLUB. NBWDC MEMBERS CAN QUALIFY FOR A FIFTY PERCENT DISCOUNT - CONTACT US TODAY! HEAR HER CANDID REMARKS ON HOW THE DEMS PLAN TO TAKE BACK THE HOUSE!
Obama Breakfast What a fabulous event - having President Barack Obama here in Newport Beach in Jeff and Nancy Stack's home on Evening Canyon Drive in the Shorecliffs section of CDM last Thursday! We were given instructions to be there between 7:30 and 8:15 am when the doors would be closed for security. Valet parking provided control of the cars driven by the attendees.
Obama Breakfast What a fabulous event - having President Barack Obama here in Newport Beach in Jeff and Nancy Stack's home on Evening Canyon Drive in the Shorecliffs section of CDM last Thursday! We were given instructions to be there between 7:30 and 8:15 am when the doors would be closed for security. Valet parking provided control of the cars driven by the attendees.
NBWDC members and friends accounted for over 10% of the people who were there. We also had members in front of Five Crowns Restaurant to ensure that the President was greeted by locals who were delighted to have him in our community.
We were in a giant white tent, rumored to have been built on a platform over the swimming pool and patio. Since we were overlooking the canyon, the tent walls were closed in the rear. Reportedly Poppy and Big Corona Beach were closed to allow for security. When we arrived, we were checked against the guest list and given wrist bands if we were going to have a photo with the President - $10,000 contributions and up. We were then ushered into the tent and offered access to several food stations brimming with appetizing breakfast foods, including a mushroom quiche, fresh salmon, prime rib wraps and various croissants and pastries.Golden Truffle provided ham quiche, spinach quiche, assorted cheeses, breads, crackers skewered fruit displayed on palm trees, dried fruit, croissants, assorted muffins, and granola with fruit and yogurt. Everyone enjoyed breakfast until those finishing their pictures began to arrive signaling that the President was soon to come.
He spoke from a small platform at the northeast corner of the tent for about twenty minutes and then entertained questions for another twenty, He was articulate and personable. He thanked our host and hostess, Jeff and Nancy Stack and local fundraiser, (and our Speaker on Thursday) Steve Meyers personally for their efforts to create a successful event. To make things fair, he announced that he would take questions boy-girl, boy-girl, which provoked good humored laughter. His first questioner asked about the number of former corporate and Wall Street execs in his administration. He answered directly, stating that Timothy Geithner had, in fact, always worked in public service - at the Fed, etc, contrary to some belief and that every member of his administration had been deeply vetted for their belief that their job was to work to create a strong and successful middle class. He did say that he took pride in the fact that his administration had not had one scandal in spite of all attempts to discredit it.
During his comments, he did say that one of the key goals for his administration was to ensure that his daughters had the same opportunity for success as another person's sons had - receiving a warm round of applause.
He was charming and full of energy and everyone was treated in a respectful manner even though we were clearly surrounded by heavy security for the 160 attendees. All attendees had been vetted by the Secret Service the Friday before the event.
One nice touch was the Seal of the President of the United States cookie from Wonderland Bakery that we received on the way out of the breakfast at 11:00 am.
COME BE A PART OF HISTORY WITH US! JOIN US IN OUR HOME TOWN FOR BREAKFAST WITH PRESIDENT OBAMA IN CDM, Thursday, Feb. 16th 7:00am Contact DrSue@aol.com immediately for ticket info or RSVP online at: http://my.barackobama/february16coronadelmarbreakfast?custom1=4807904
FINALLY,,,THE TRUTH: September 22, 2011 9:55 AM
Elizabeth Warren: “There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own. nobody.”
By Lucy Madison http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20110042-503544.html
An August video of Massachusetts Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren on the campaign trail is heating up on the internet, and some commentators are pointing to the clip - in which Warren makes a case for progressive economic policies - as evidence that the newly minted Democratic candidate could give incumbent Republican Senator Scott Brown a run for his money.
In the video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htX2usfqMEs&feature=player_embedded), which was filmed at an event in Andover, Mass., Warren rebuts the GOP-touted notion that raising taxes on the wealthy amounts to “class warfare,” contending that “there is nobody in this country who got rich on his own. Nobody.”
Warren rejects the concept that it is possible for Americans to become wealthy in isolation.
“You built a factory out there? Good for you,” she says. “But I want to be clear: you moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for; you hired workers the rest of us paid to educate; you were safe in your factory because of police forces and fire forces that the rest of us paid for. You didn’t have to worry that marauding bands would come and seize everything at your factory, and hire someone to protect against this, because of the work the rest of us did.”
She continues: “Now look, you built a factory and it turned into something terrific, or a great idea? God bless. Keep a big hunk of it. But part of the underlying social contract is you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along.”
Warren’s entrance into the Massachusetts Senate race marks her first-ever political bid - and while the longtime consumer advocate is beloved by a number of liberals, some wondered if her lack of political experience would prove crippling in the contest.
The Washington Monthly’s Steven Benen, however, points to the video as an explanation as to “why Warren has a strong base of supporters who adore her.”
“If there are lingering concerns about whether Warren could be an effective speaker on the stump, I think those questions are being answered,” Benen writes. “If more Democrats were able to make the case for the underlying social contract as effectively, our discourse would be vastly less mind-numbing.”
TEN THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT RONALD REAGAN: just some of the many reasons we would never want to see our children taught that this was a great president.
Please join us at POLITICS, SEX & COCKTAILS
Celebrating 38 YEARS OF ROE V. WADE
Presented by The Community Action Fund of
Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties
Featuring guest speaker
Maggie Linden
Senior Vice President Public Affairs
Ogilvy Public Relations
- The Changing Political Landscape –
And
Kathy Kneer
President & CEO
Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California
President & CEO
Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2011
Original Mike’s | 100 S. Main St. | Santa Ana, CA 92701
6:00 p.m.
Original Mike’s | 100 S. Main St. | Santa Ana, CA 92701
6:00 p.m.
Hors d’oeuvres, Drinks, and Mingling
6:45 p.m.
Program
Keynote Address by Maggie Linden
Awards Ceremony
8:00 p.m.
Event close
CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS
______________________
Prior Public Events:
OC Health MarchOC Health March August 31, 2009
6:45 p.m.
Program
Keynote Address by Maggie Linden
Awards Ceremony
8:00 p.m.
Event close
CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS
______________________
Prior Public Events:
OC Health MarchOC Health March August 31, 2009
COMMUNITY ACTIVISM: NBWDC marched on Congressman John Campbell's Fashion Island, Newport Beach Office demanding that he hold a Townhall on Healthcare.
Thank you to Roger for producing this video and capturing this monumental March for the Healthcare Public Option. And listen to our very own President, Dr. Sue as she speaks at the end of the video!
A coalition of Orange County community individuals and groups for a “Townhall March” for a public healthcare option was held on Aug 31st.
Monday, August 31st
11am to 1pm
Please meet us at the corner of Newport Center Drive and Santa Rosa near Fashion Island in Newport Beach.
For information please log to www.ochealthmarch.com or email ochealthmarch[at]gmail.com
May 24th: Come and hear the DPOC Executive Director talk about Voter Outreach. SEE CALENDAR PAGE FOR DETAILS.
April 26th Meeting: We heard Dr. Bill Honigsman give us the facts on ObamaCare and the changes the Republicans want. American Health Care is in a disastrous state with middle men and insurance companies stealing a higher and higher proportion of the health care dollar from physicians and patients alike. We are 27th in the world in quality and rapidly declining as the profit motive erases all other considerations. Only 15% of physicians belong to the AMA and most physicians favor a single-payer, medicare-type of system. Thank you to our hostess, Lisa, for such a warm environment for our gathering.
March 29 Meeting: Marla Bird hosted a warm and informative meeting. Our speaker, Maggie Forster Schmitz of UN Women filled us in on the progress being made worldwide in empowering women and girls and the challenges we still face.
Feb 23rd Meeting:
Jan. 26th Meeting - Karyl Ketchum gave our members a riveting presentation on the hostile culture at CDM High during the Prop 8 furor. Scheduled performances of the musical RENT were almost bought out by a local right wing group and students were threatened and bullied online. We thank Brenda McCroskey for hosting us in her incredible home.
Jan 17 - a group of our members attended the Dianne Feinstein campaign kickoff in Laguna Woods.
December - dark.
Nov. 17 Meeting: Marion Jones was our hostess for an educational meeting featuring Laguna Beach Mayor Toni Iseman and a great discussion of her challenges and accomplishments-filled career. Great meeting!
Oct. 27th Meeting: We had a great meeting at Nancy Geerlings with Newport Beach Mayor Pro Tem Nancy Gardner and were filled in on many local issues by this level headed, thoughtful woman leader. A number of our members also participated in the benefit for Dem Party Chair, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and were delighted to hear of her plans for the re-election campaign. We are looking forward to Laguna Beach Mayor Toni Iseman for our Nov 17th meeting (see Calendar Page for details.)
Sept. 22 Meeting:
April 26th Meeting: We heard Dr. Bill Honigsman give us the facts on ObamaCare and the changes the Republicans want. American Health Care is in a disastrous state with middle men and insurance companies stealing a higher and higher proportion of the health care dollar from physicians and patients alike. We are 27th in the world in quality and rapidly declining as the profit motive erases all other considerations. Only 15% of physicians belong to the AMA and most physicians favor a single-payer, medicare-type of system. Thank you to our hostess, Lisa, for such a warm environment for our gathering.
March 29 Meeting: Marla Bird hosted a warm and informative meeting. Our speaker, Maggie Forster Schmitz of UN Women filled us in on the progress being made worldwide in empowering women and girls and the challenges we still face.
Feb 23rd Meeting:
What a great meeting! In addition to our usual wonderful members, we were joined by a cadre of enthusiastic, charming and very smart new and potential members. And, much thanks to our hostess, Mary Piekert, for making us feel so welcome.
Democratic Party Fundraiser Steve Meyers energized the group with his story of his path to activism and Democratic ideals. He filled us in on the behind the scenes thinking at campaign headquarters and current, up to the moment poll results on the President. And Victoria Johns Schoor shared the documentary she is finishing on the story of the addition of women to the all boys Philadelphia Central High School and the impact on that initial class of women. We followed these delightful speakers with a meeting interspersed with laughter and good will.
Steve announced that he is planning a visit to Newport Beach by the first woman Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, and I will be updating you on that event as it develops. Although she had help, some of us attribute many Democratic achievements to Speaker Pelosi's stewardship and would find an evening with her fascinating.
One of the changes we have made is to request that members step up to an Assistant Chair role so our current Executive Committee does not end up overwhelmed. It is also much more fun to complete tasks with a partner who can cover for you when you need to travel, etc. Thank you to those who have stepped up. Hopefully, all of these positions require no more than a few hours a month, at most, or we will try to split the work further. With such capable and talented women, we can have a real impact on our political world by working smarter not harder.
Please take a look at member Jean Ardell's column in today's Newport Beach Independent providing a refreshing point of view on the events surrounding the breakfast - wonderful. And bravo to our members who expressed themselves in letters to the editor in response to the hostile letters in the Daily Pilot. As Steve urged us, it is time for Dems in the OC to stand and be counted. Thank goodness for our party and for what we stand for. What would the country look like without us?
To put a smile on your face, thanks to Vicki Zimmerman for the very funny bumper stickers below. Enjoy!
Please put Thursday, March 29th on your calendar for our next meeting at Marla Bird's Cameo Shores home.
Jan. 26th Meeting - Karyl Ketchum gave our members a riveting presentation on the hostile culture at CDM High during the Prop 8 furor. Scheduled performances of the musical RENT were almost bought out by a local right wing group and students were threatened and bullied online. We thank Brenda McCroskey for hosting us in her incredible home.
Jan 17 - a group of our members attended the Dianne Feinstein campaign kickoff in Laguna Woods.
December - dark.
Nov. 17 Meeting: Marion Jones was our hostess for an educational meeting featuring Laguna Beach Mayor Toni Iseman and a great discussion of her challenges and accomplishments-filled career. Great meeting!
Oct. 27th Meeting: We had a great meeting at Nancy Geerlings with Newport Beach Mayor Pro Tem Nancy Gardner and were filled in on many local issues by this level headed, thoughtful woman leader. A number of our members also participated in the benefit for Dem Party Chair, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and were delighted to hear of her plans for the re-election campaign. We are looking forward to Laguna Beach Mayor Toni Iseman for our Nov 17th meeting (see Calendar Page for details.)
Sept. 22 Meeting:
"I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar". We were
reminded of the great days of the suffragettes by our speaker, Dr. Kimberly Salter at last night's inspiring presentation about the upcoming celebration of the centennial of women winning the right to vote in California (sixth state)..
reminded of the great days of the suffragettes by our speaker, Dr. Kimberly Salter at last night's inspiring presentation about the upcoming celebration of the centennial of women winning the right to vote in California (sixth state)..
Centennial Tea: You are all invited to a free Tea (donations requested) in Laguna Beach on Oct. 22nd to celebrate that fact. We already have eleven members signed up to attend. Please contact VP Nancy Geerlings ngeerlings@sbcglobal.net, if you would like to join us so she can tell you about a carpool locations, etc.
Truman Awards Dinner: The big DPOC fund raiser with Speaker, Gov Jerry Brown is on Tuesday, Oct, 20th at the Irvine Airport Hilton and our club has been asked to buy a table - about $145 a ticket. Please contact me asap DrSue@aol.com
if you are interested and we can arrange to go together.
Our own member, Lorraine Prinsky is hosting her campaign kickoff event for Orange Coast College Board Trustee on Sunday, Oct.23rd at 2:00pm. Contact her at : lorraine4trustee@gmail.com, for info.
OFA is hosting a special event in Newport Beach showcasing Congresswoman and Chairwoman of the Democratic Party, Debbie Wasserman Shultz to kick off campaign fundraising for the election. This will be a small cocktail party with beginning contributions of $750, but promises to be a great night. Please contact our member Jean Ardell, jeanardell@yahoo.com, if you are interested.
We are proceeding to try to unravel the disposition of our funds from Kinde Durkee. And we found out that according to the current re-districting plan, we may end up with Dana Rohrabacher as our 48th Congressional District Representative - OMG!. It was a very busy meeting, highlighted by the great job done by our Communications Chair, Anne Moloney, producing a new three-ring binder with roster and important info for each of our members using Joan Morris' wonderful logo art. It was a very busy, but satisfying meeting.
Given the state of our country and the dangers doing nothing poses, please do not sit by while your government is being controlled by others. Plan to become active and join us for our next meeting on the 4th Thursday of October - 10/27 at Nancy Geerlings home to enjoy the wonderful view and hear about all of your club's activities.
Below, you will find the statement that has turned politics on its ear by Elizabeth Warren - see today's NY Times Paul Krugman article. Elizabeth is running for the Senate in Massachusetts and has taken on the Republican outcry of class warfare by her timely observation that "there is nobody in this country who got rich on his own. Nobody."
June 23rd Meeting on Getting Our Message Out Discussion with local Press.
May 26 meeting: Thank you to Susana Hegstrom for hosting our May meeting with RJ Victoria from DPOC and Henry Vandermier from DFOC on voter registration and election issues. It was a very interesting meeting. April 21 meeting: HUMAN TRAFFICING -Thanks to Loretta Leat for hosting our fascinating meeting on Human Trafficing in Orange County. Our members were deeply moved by the stories we heard and promise to look at this issue again in the future. March 24 meeting: Patty Humphreys hosted our March meeting. Susan Kopicki spoke on Child's Pace and their support if after school care for low income families and Melissa Fox reported on upcoming training by California Women Lead and invited our members to join that and the National Women's Political Caucus.
Nancy Geerlings has replaced Joan Morris as our Vice Pres. and Anne Moloney is our new Communications Chair. Welcome aboard, ladies!
Feb 24th meeting: We had a great time at our February 24th meeting enjoying Nancy Geerlings' breathtaking view and hospitality (Thank you, Nancy) while celebrating our success at getting the offensive Reagan statue moved from the Civic Center and having the artist reassessed. While we appreciate the concerns of those who live by Castaway Park, we are relieved that citizens of our sensibilities, walking into our own city hall, will not be offended by the celebration of a President we consider directly responsible for America's current financial problems and the attacks on the middle class. We also celebrated the Coalition Partner of the Year Award we received from Planned Parenthood.
May 26 meeting: Thank you to Susana Hegstrom for hosting our May meeting with RJ Victoria from DPOC and Henry Vandermier from DFOC on voter registration and election issues. It was a very interesting meeting. April 21 meeting: HUMAN TRAFFICING -Thanks to Loretta Leat for hosting our fascinating meeting on Human Trafficing in Orange County. Our members were deeply moved by the stories we heard and promise to look at this issue again in the future. March 24 meeting: Patty Humphreys hosted our March meeting. Susan Kopicki spoke on Child's Pace and their support if after school care for low income families and Melissa Fox reported on upcoming training by California Women Lead and invited our members to join that and the National Women's Political Caucus.
Nancy Geerlings has replaced Joan Morris as our Vice Pres. and Anne Moloney is our new Communications Chair. Welcome aboard, ladies!
Feb 24th meeting: We had a great time at our February 24th meeting enjoying Nancy Geerlings' breathtaking view and hospitality (Thank you, Nancy) while celebrating our success at getting the offensive Reagan statue moved from the Civic Center and having the artist reassessed. While we appreciate the concerns of those who live by Castaway Park, we are relieved that citizens of our sensibilities, walking into our own city hall, will not be offended by the celebration of a President we consider directly responsible for America's current financial problems and the attacks on the middle class. We also celebrated the Coalition Partner of the Year Award we received from Planned Parenthood.
We did have some discussion about whether our club would like to explore putting energy toward raising funds for a statue for a Democratic President to be honored. We will make a final decision at our next meeting, but most members felt that our limited time and energy could be better used in other directions. We thanked our member, Melissa Fox for sharing some very exciting events working toward the development of women candidates. One of the new ventures we explored for our group was hosting a training day giving us information about state, county and local appointments, commissions and offices which should be held by women just like us.
Some of these appointments and commissions are volunteer, but some are well paid and seldom go to women because we just don't know about them. You or your daughter or niece or neighbor might be the ideal candidate.
Reagan Statue controversy brings out crowd at City Meeting, Feb 22nd:
Reagan Statue controversy brings out crowd at City Meeting, Feb 22nd:
Congratulations to those of you who turned out last Thursday at the City Arts Commission meeting to express your discomfort with the placing of a statue of Ronald Reagan in front of our new city hall. As many of you read in the Daily Pilot, over 100 interested community members attended and eighteen spoke. Only one person, the chair of the donor group who raised $50,000 through a link on the city web site, spoke in favor and the attendees were quite vocal about their opposition.
Some of us were Democrats and spoke about our displeasure with the choice of Ronald Reagan - see below some of the reasons for that feeling. But, most speakers were incensed by the choice of a political figure at all and that the city council did not follow their own procedures for the selection of art in public places. From what I can gather, the artist had shopped his statue at a mayor's meeting and councilmembers Keith Curry and Rush Hill, who had previously worked for Reagan, jumped at the chance to buy the statue as part of the Reagan Centennial celebration.
After the public forum, the council deliberated and decided to send the issue back to the city council for clarification. Several arts experts denounced the artist and his work as "plop art", which is just plopped into a location, appropriate or not. The feeling was strong that this magnificent location deserved a quality piece of art representing our city and its advantages.
The general discussion was firm, but respectful. As of right now, we do not know whether the city council will address this issue at their next meeting on Feb. 22nd or if the entire discussion will be postponed to a bi-partisan citizen group as we proposed. One of the speakers, Dr. Judy Rosener from UCI. reminded the group that according to her research, government bodies make different decisions when groups of concerned citizens are present than when we are not. So, it is essential that we remain vigilant about our concerns being seriously addressed by the city council. The comment of the donor chair, repeated in the paper that "they were the only hundred people in Newport Beach opposed" was just fair warning of the belief of some in this community that the 34% of us who are Dems and 18% who are Independents just don't matter. Republicans are only 54% of this city and if they lose as many voters in the next two elections as they have in the last two, they will go below half.
I will keep you posted about whether we need a turnout at the city council meeting. I am so proud that our club was an important part of this exercise in democracy. What do they say? Use it or lose it? 
Please remember that our next meeting is on Thursday, Feb. 24th at Nancy Geerlings home on King's Road. Feel free to bring other potential members.
Feb 3 2011
NBWDC TO BE HONORED AS COALITION PARTNER OF THE YEAR BY PLANNED PARENTHOOD!
I am delighted to announce that our club has been chosen by PPOSBC as COALITION PARTNER OF THE YEAR as a result of our commitment and efforts to support Planned Parenthood and its work.
We are very pleased to receive this honor and have chosen to replace our January meeting with attendance at PPOSBC's Feb 3rd fundraiser. It is on a Thursday evening and we would like to have as many of our members at the event as possible. Please see BOX -left for information on reservations for Politics, Sex & Cocktails. Let me know if you are going and we will arrange to meet for carpools in front of Macy's at Fashion Island.
This is an opportunity for us to once again join hands with Planned Parenthood to make sure that no one can roll back the right of every woman to make an individual personal choice about reproduction issues and her body. We have come too far to let anyone limit our freedom.
So, here is to a very Happy New Year to each of you and CONGRATULATIONS to you and to our club for our work to protect women and girls! As we have learned, whenever you are in a long, hard battle it is critical to Celebrate the Successes to keep us energized to continue to stand up for what we believe. So, let's come together for an inspiring and exciting evening on Feb. 3rd. SEE BOX FOR INFORMATION.
Holiday Break
October 21 - Brenda McCroskey hosted our Campaign information night and we learned about the California Propositions for the Election. Thank you Brenda for a lovely evening.
Sept. 18: We did have the cocktail party/fundraiser for Beth Krom and Melissa Fox on September 18 at Mary's home and learned about the progress of our two women candidates and provided support for them. We have signs if any of our members want to put them in your yard.
RALLY ON THE ROOF: Our club is a co-sponsor for this event, monday. Oct. 11, 5:30- 7:30 www.rallyontheroof.com to support female OC candidates - please join us.
July 29: Thank you to Mary Peikert for hosting our women's Campaign Training planning meeting. Unfortunately, we had 23 signups rather than the 30+ that we needed to fly down State Democratic Party Trainers so that event was cancelled with the expectation that we may join with other progressive OC women's groups to plan an event in the future.
June 24: Diane Moss, our Treasurer, shared her incredible experiences helping the Ndebele tribe of Zimbabwe promote their carvings, including the famous "tall blonde" giraffes. What an extraordinary example of how much one or two individuals can accomplish to make the world a better place. Thanks to Joan Morris for hosting.
May 20th: Our meeting was quite productive. We resolved to move forward with our plans to improve our knowledge of how political campaigns are successfully run and how our skills as activists can be improved and used most productively. While our club will take the lead on this, Lori Vandermier has been given assurance of the interest and participation of the other OC Progressive women's groups who came up with this objective with us at the meetings at the Duck Club. The current groups are: NOW, UNIFEM, National Women's Political Caucus, Women In Leadership, Planned Parenthood, American Association of University Women, Women For: Orange County, and Progressive Women of North Orange County.Our Hillary Crosby, Controller of the CA Democratic Party, spoke with us at the meeting and the state party will conduct the training. At our meeting last night, we decided to have a one day training session on a Saturday in early September. Bev White is chairing the facility committee and will be contacting venues this week. Our thanks to Bev for being our gracious hostess last night.
NBWDC TO BE HONORED AS COALITION PARTNER OF THE YEAR BY PLANNED PARENTHOOD!
I am delighted to announce that our club has been chosen by PPOSBC as COALITION PARTNER OF THE YEAR as a result of our commitment and efforts to support Planned Parenthood and its work.
We are very pleased to receive this honor and have chosen to replace our January meeting with attendance at PPOSBC's Feb 3rd fundraiser. It is on a Thursday evening and we would like to have as many of our members at the event as possible. Please see BOX -left for information on reservations for Politics, Sex & Cocktails. Let me know if you are going and we will arrange to meet for carpools in front of Macy's at Fashion Island.
This is an opportunity for us to once again join hands with Planned Parenthood to make sure that no one can roll back the right of every woman to make an individual personal choice about reproduction issues and her body. We have come too far to let anyone limit our freedom.
So, here is to a very Happy New Year to each of you and CONGRATULATIONS to you and to our club for our work to protect women and girls! As we have learned, whenever you are in a long, hard battle it is critical to Celebrate the Successes to keep us energized to continue to stand up for what we believe. So, let's come together for an inspiring and exciting evening on Feb. 3rd. SEE BOX FOR INFORMATION.
Holiday Break
October 21 - Brenda McCroskey hosted our Campaign information night and we learned about the California Propositions for the Election. Thank you Brenda for a lovely evening.
Sept. 18: We did have the cocktail party/fundraiser for Beth Krom and Melissa Fox on September 18 at Mary's home and learned about the progress of our two women candidates and provided support for them. We have signs if any of our members want to put them in your yard.
RALLY ON THE ROOF: Our club is a co-sponsor for this event, monday. Oct. 11, 5:30- 7:30 www.rallyontheroof.com to support female OC candidates - please join us.
July 29: Thank you to Mary Peikert for hosting our women's Campaign Training planning meeting. Unfortunately, we had 23 signups rather than the 30+ that we needed to fly down State Democratic Party Trainers so that event was cancelled with the expectation that we may join with other progressive OC women's groups to plan an event in the future.
June 24: Diane Moss, our Treasurer, shared her incredible experiences helping the Ndebele tribe of Zimbabwe promote their carvings, including the famous "tall blonde" giraffes. What an extraordinary example of how much one or two individuals can accomplish to make the world a better place. Thanks to Joan Morris for hosting.
May 20th: Our meeting was quite productive. We resolved to move forward with our plans to improve our knowledge of how political campaigns are successfully run and how our skills as activists can be improved and used most productively. While our club will take the lead on this, Lori Vandermier has been given assurance of the interest and participation of the other OC Progressive women's groups who came up with this objective with us at the meetings at the Duck Club. The current groups are: NOW, UNIFEM, National Women's Political Caucus, Women In Leadership, Planned Parenthood, American Association of University Women, Women For: Orange County, and Progressive Women of North Orange County.Our Hillary Crosby, Controller of the CA Democratic Party, spoke with us at the meeting and the state party will conduct the training. At our meeting last night, we decided to have a one day training session on a Saturday in early September. Bev White is chairing the facility committee and will be contacting venues this week. Our thanks to Bev for being our gracious hostess last night.
The key topics chosen by the group were: 1. Fundraising, 2. Field, 3. Messaging (including emerging technologies) and 4. Communications. The objective of the training will be to increase the knowledge and sophistication about running successful campaigns of the members of progressive women's groups in Orange County. As many of you know, in the past state and national Democratic organizations wrote off most Orange County campaigns as unwinnable for Democrats. This willingness to hold training and work with us by Hilary and the state party shows that more of our seats are in play and that we need to step up our game to win them. Please let me know of other groups that you think might want to be involved. The second component was whether we have the resources to host a major fundraiser for Senator Barbara Boxer on the day of our training. While we are still in discussion about that, our group concluded that we would need to see a real interest in co-hosting such an event with other entities to be sure that we could come up with a good return for the Senator. I will keep you posted on that. We need volunteers from our group to ensure that this event will be successful. Please email me back if you want to join the: 1. Training , 2. Facilities, 3. Communications or 4. Fundraising committees. The load is light if we all shoulder our share.
PRIOR MEETINGS:
April 22nd meeting - OC Sheriff Sandra Hutchens spoke to our group about the work she has done to clean up the OC Sheriff's Office and return it to an organization we can be proud of. Thank you to Brenda McCroskey for providing her stunning home and to Sheriff Hutchens for a great presentation. Joan Morris has yard signs for the sheriff if you're interested.
PRIOR MEETINGS:
April 22nd meeting - OC Sheriff Sandra Hutchens spoke to our group about the work she has done to clean up the OC Sheriff's Office and return it to an organization we can be proud of. Thank you to Brenda McCroskey for providing her stunning home and to Sheriff Hutchens for a great presentation. Joan Morris
March 25 : Our March meeting was in a great location thanks to Jovonna Kingkade and we learned about the Democratic Foundation of California from Chair, Dan Jacobson. Mike Glover also told us why we should support him for office. Thanks JoVonna for a delightful evening
Feb 25 meeting: A big thank you to Joan Morris for hosting our Feb. 25th meeting in her lovely home. A wonderful sunset greeted us and set the tone for an informative and warm time. Please send Joan a birthday greeting if you have a chance since, as many of you know, she was a Leap Year Baby and only gets to officially celebrate once every four years. Of course, that makes her our oldest teenager in the club! Joan Morris, 15 Carmel Bay Drive, CDM, CA 92625 2templeton@cox.net HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOAN! (whatever age you are!) And I thought only those of us with summer birthdays lost out.
Feb 25 meeting: A big thank you to Joan Morris for hosting our Feb. 25th meeting in her lovely home. A wonderful sunset greeted us and set the tone for an informative and warm time. Please send Joan a birthday greeting if you have a chance since, as many of you know, she was a Leap Year Baby and only gets to officially celebrate once every four years. Of course, that makes her our oldest teenager in the club! Joan Morris, 15 Carmel Bay Drive, CDM, CA 92625 2templeton@cox.net HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOAN! (whatever age you are!) And I thought only those of us with summer birthdays lost out.
Local candidates were well represented at the meeting. Steve Young is running for Newport Beach City Council from District 3, but we can vote citywide so he requests our support. Our own member, Melissa Fox shared her latest campaign handout with us and reminded us that without our support she certainly cannot win. Beth Krom sent a representative and thanked us for our very successful fundraiser at Marla Bird's home in November. Just to update you on current numbers, Republican registration in Newport Beach was 2008 - 57.9% and in 2009 - 55.7% and that is HERE. Irvine is only 4000 votes from turning Democratic Blue and Huntington Beach is close. We are gaining and just need to keep up the good work.
David Trujillo gave us an update on Planned Parenthood challenges and the state budget. He shared a web site
www.pledgeapickiter.org in reponse to pickets at abortion centers and asks for our help. Also check www.considerthisOC.org for a new salon-inspired peaker series that PPOC is sponsoring. Finally, JoVonna has offered her home for our March meeting on Thursday, March 25th. Please save the date because we have important work to do. Be sure to bring your dues $50 - adult, $40 - 60+senior or mail them to Diane Moss, 34385 Camino el Molino, Capistrano Beach, CA 92624. You will not be on our roster or mailing list unless you are a registered member of the club.
January - members met privately for State of the Union Address viewng parties,
November 3rd Marla Bird's Home: Benefit for Beth Krom celebrating her one year kickoff to win john Campbell's seat in our Congressional District. President Obama won this District in 2008 and it is now in play.
September 24: Duck Club OC Progressive women's Groups met to hear author Elizabeth Ghafferi speak about her new book, Outstanding in Their Field: How Women Succeed on Corporate Boards. The groups agreed that we should form a Coalition to prepare women for leadership and to successfully run for office.
July 2009 - State of California Controller John Chiang shared his knowledge of the budget drama in Sacramento with our members at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club. This informative presentation was videotaped and hopefully we will post some excerpts to this site. The Executive Committee met on August 6th at Suzanne Savary's home to clarify roles for our recently appointed Secretary, Mary Piekert, Treasurer, Diane Moss, CPA, and Communications Chair, Gloria Park. We will be dark in August and will resume our meetings on Thursday, September 24th. See you in September...
Past Meeting Recap
Our fabulous women members!
December 2008 Yes, we will...
Suzanne and Patty asked one night if we were the only Democratic women in Orange County and said, "Let's form a club!" and met with Debbie, who said, "Why Not?", and met with Shirley who said, "I'm in", and met with Joan, who said, "I'll host" which led to the intrepid seven, Linda, JoVanna, Debbie, Joan, Suzanne, Patty and Shirley, who said, "We Will" and the rest is history (herstory)! ;-)
We now number over 80 members and are still growing...
January - members met privately for State of the Union Address viewng parties,
November 3rd Marla Bird's Home: Benefit for Beth Krom celebrating her one year kickoff to win john Campbell's seat in our Congressional District. President Obama won this District in 2008 and it is now in play.
September 24: Duck Club OC Progressive women's Groups met to hear author Elizabeth Ghafferi speak about her new book, Outstanding in Their Field: How Women Succeed on Corporate Boards. The groups agreed that we should form a Coalition to prepare women for leadership and to successfully run for office.
July 2009 - State of California Controller John Chiang shared his knowledge of the budget drama in Sacramento with our members at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club. This informative presentation was videotaped and hopefully we will post some excerpts to this site. The Executive Committee met on August 6th at Suzanne Savary's home to clarify roles for our recently appointed Secretary, Mary Piekert, Treasurer, Diane Moss, CPA, and Communications Chair, Gloria Park. We will be dark in August and will resume our meetings on Thursday, September 24th. See you in September...
Past Meeting Recap
Our fabulous women members!
December 2008 Yes, we will...
Suzanne and Patty asked one night if we were the only Democratic women in Orange County and said, "Let's form a club!" and met with Debbie, who said, "Why Not?", and met with Shirley who said, "I'm in", and met with Joan, who said, "I'll host" which led to the intrepid seven, Linda, JoVanna, Debbie, Joan, Suzanne, Patty and Shirley, who said, "We Will" and the rest is history (herstory)! ;-)
We now number over 80 members and are still growing...
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NEWPORT BEACH WOMEN'S DEMOCRATIC CLUB: The Newport Beach Women's Democratic Club was chartered by the Democratic Party of Orange County in February of 2008.
MISSION STATEMENT: To support the Democratic Party by providing a civil forum whereby Democrats and like-minded people can unite to discuss political issues, become educated and informed, and work together to raise awareness within the community through the promotion of Democratic principles and values.
MISSION STATEMENT: To support the Democratic Party by providing a civil forum whereby Democrats and like-minded people can unite to discuss political issues, become educated and informed, and work together to raise awareness within the community through the promotion of Democratic principles and values.
