May 2017
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Photos from April 9, 2017 Awards Luncheon in Temecula
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DEMOCRATS OF SOUTHWEST RIVERSIDE COUNTY AWARDS LUNCHEON
The Democrats of Southwest Riverside County held it Awards luncheon and fundraiser on
Sunday April 9, 2017.
The event honored the past leadership of the club and gave a special award to Immediate Past
President, Thetis Pressley.
There were two speakers that gave very interesting thoughts during the ceremony.
Mr. Jono Hildner of the Sierra Club provided attendees with education and concerns
About which the environmental organization is very concerned.
Ms. Fauzia Rizvi gave a personal and inspiring account of how she grew up determined to
make a positive difference in her life and the lives of her family members. Her amazing life
continues, working with her talented and active family members and many of her dedicated
friends. Ms. Rizvi is the mother of ‘Maha’ Rizvi, a young woman who is using so many
teachings her mother provided. ‘Maha’ is now a representative for a California State Assembly
Woman.
All who gathered became even more socially and environmentally aware because of the
program.
Club 3rd Vice President and Fundraising Director Mike Troyer did a fabulous job organizing
and carrying out the entire special day for all.
Mark Wells
April 24, 2017
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Our May Message from President Jorge Lopez, DSRC
My friends and fellow Democrats, I am happy to report that we were able to secure the
Veterans of Foreign Wars location for our May 1st General Membership meeting. I’m
especially happy to report it because, as a Marine Corps veteran, I hope that our presence
there will help s us dispel the notion that Democrats don’t care about veterans, or that
Republicans have a monopoly on Patriotism.
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There are many issues affecting us locally, and regardless of what happens at the national
level, we still live in a conservative area of a blue county and state. Our presence in this area
must be known. Our presence in this area must be FELT. And felt in a positive way. With your
support, our club will be actively seeking out community events in our Assembly District where
we will set up a booth so we can give informational flyers, bumper stickers, buttons, re-usable
grocery bags, and hats… whatever our community members want. We can have lists of local
resources for immigrants, elderly, single parents, LGBTQ, physically, and mentally challenged,
veterans and other under-represented members of our communities and help people register
to vote or update their voting status.
We will ALL need to participate in this endeavor. Not only will we need people to find the
information needed, we’ll need volunteers to staff the booth and to walk the crowds. I will go
one step further in suggesting that we need people to attend and participate in the events in a
way that will show we are Democrats. We had discussed using the colors royal blue or navy
blue to be our identifier. Some have suggested wearing baseball hats, jewelry accessories, or
clothing. Whatever we choose individually, or as a club, we have to make the effort of
showing up to these events, looking people in the eye and just saying “Good morning”, “Good
afternoon” or “Good evening” and make small talk if we can. I have noticed that most of us
have much more in common than not. However, we don’t have to engage anyone, what
matters more is to show our fellow Democrats at large that they have a friend in us and that
we are there for them.
Now is the time to start gaining allies and supporters because next year we will have elections
once again. Everything that we do, big or small, should be with the thought of gaining one
more voter for our candidates at local, state and federal level. Everything. The fun is
inevitable. I start smiling just thinking of you. Why? Because, at one point, we were resisting,
revolting and fighting alone, in our own way, and now we have found each other and another
and another. If we are “snowflakes”, let us be a snow storm!
Jorge R. Lopez , DSRC - President
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Earth Day Science March – Signs created by our Members
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Donald Trump’s Presidency Has Inspired 11,000
Women To Run For Office
“Over ten thousand women isn’t a ripple — it’s a wave,” Emily’s
List president Stephanie Schriock said.
By Rebecca Shapiro
Emily’s List has seen an “unprecedented” amount of women interested in running for political
office, the group’s president Stephanie Schriock told The Washington Post on Friday for a story
about Democrats challenging Republicans in traditionally red districts during the midterm
elections.
“During the 2016 cycle, her group spoke with about 900 women interested in running for
school board, state legislature or Congress,” WaPo’s Ed O’Keefe and Mike DeBonis wrote.
“This year, they’ve heard from more than 11,000 women in all 50 states — with a few dozen
seriously considering House races, she said.”
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In December, The Huffington Post’s Emma Gray reported that former Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton’s loss in the 2016 presidential election had motivated women across the country to get
more involved with the political process. At the time, Emily’s List told HuffPost that the
organization raised $770,000 since election day, with more than one-third of those donations
coming from new donors.
Since its founding 30 years ago, Emily’s List says it has helped elect more than 100 Democratic
women to the House of Representatives, 23 to the Senate, 12 to governors’ seats, and
hundreds more to state and local office.
While research demonstrates that women have the same chance of getting elected as men
do, far fewer women run for public office. Research has shown that the reason for that
disparity ranges from men being more likely to be recruited for the job, to an ambition gap
that’s well established by the time women leave college. Research also says another main
barrier to women running for office is their role as the primary person responsible for the
majority of child care and households tasks.
Less than one month before the general election, The New York Times reported that the
number of women serving in office stalled in the 1990s, and the gender gap did not show signs
of tightening in the future.
But it seems that momentum has kept up if not surged since Clinton’s 2016 run and
President Donald Trump took office.
“Some of [the increase in interest] is absolutely a reaction to President Trump and his
policies,” Jean Sinzdak, of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University,
told NPR in February. “For others, it is Hillary Clinton’s loss.”
Other organizations that specialize in training women to run for political office say they’ve also
seen an increase in participants. She Should Run told Slate in January that 6,000 women had
contacted them since the 2016 election.
“Over ten thousand women isn’t a ripple — it’s a wave,” Shriock said last month. “Republicans
everywhere should sit up and take notice — because this is only the beginning.”
Huffington Post April 24, 2017