1
Vol. 51, No. 11/12
Nov-Dec 2016
Monthly Newsletter (otherwise known as The Donkey Tale ) of the
P.O. Box 32, Santa Rosa, CA 95402 * Phone: (707) 583 -2350
Email: [email protected] * Website: democlub.org
Inside This issue:
Club Contact Info
2
Club Business Meeting
2
SRDC Club News
3
N.O.W. Celebrates at 50! 4
Congrats!/Protest Photos 5
Executive Board Reports 6
Calendar of Events
7
So. Co. Dem Clubs
7
Thank You, Volunteers! 8
December 14th Dinner Meeting
Location: Santa Rosa Veterans’ Memorial Building,1351 Maple Ave, Santa Rosa (across from the So. Co. Fairgrounds)
We will be collecting food
donations for the Redwood
Empire Food bank, so please
bring along any canned or
non-perishable food items to
add to the donation box.
Also, the Wine Country Young
Democrats will be on hand,
collecting new (or clean & in
good condition) coats and
other items such as socks and
travel-size toiletries.
Our Program this month:
SRDC’s Year-end
Celebration and Dinner
with Our Elected Officials
As we did last year, we have invited the Elected Officials who represent Santa
Rosa at various levels, to share this special evening with us. We do not yet
know how many of them will be able to attend, but we are again hosting an
informal “open mic” forum—a brief opportunity for them to address our
membership during our usual program hour. Join us as we bring to a close another year, celebrating our
successes and enjoying the companionship of our brothers and sisters as we
face the challenges of the year ahead.
MENU
With Special Musical Guest: Douglas
Cross
who will provide acoustic guitar music during the Mix n Mingle and dinner
portion of our evening. We enjoyed his music for our club last year and are
pleased that he will bring his music to us again this year. Douglas appears
at various venues around the Marin-Sonoma area.
Program Schedule:
5:45 pm— Mix & Mingle, no-host bar
6:30 pm — Club Business Meeting (see pg. 2 for info.)
7:00 pm — Dinner*
7:30 pm — Program— Always Free to Everyone!
*Dinner rates (Payable at the door, cash or check ):
Special for December—Everyone pays $15!!
Please be sure to
have your checks
for dinner and/or
dues made out in
advance, payable
to SRDC. Thanks!
Appetizers:
Crudités
Main Course:
Green Salad
Tri-Tip Roast
(Vegetarian option: Lasagna)
Baked Potato Bar
Glazed Carrots
Join or Renew your 2017 membership: $20 Individuals; $30 Family
Dessert:
RSVP no later than Wed., 12/14, 11:00 AM
Online: http://democlub.org/rsvp or Phone: 707-583-2350
Assorted Pies & Cakes
SRDC Mission Statement: to educate members & encourage participation in the democratic process and in the Democratic Party.
2
December:
Join the Santa Rosa
Democratic Club Today!
Business Meeting...
A
t our December business meeting, our main agenda items
will be:
 Individuals — $20 year
* Presentation on the HUTS project, a tiny house project
 Families — $30 year
recently profiled in The Press Democrat. Eileen Bill, SRDC’s
1st Vice President has been an active participant in this
project.
 Renewal
 New Member(s)
* Executive Board Election for 2017-2018 term
 Mail this form with your check to:
Nominating Committee’s recommended slate of Executive
Board members will be presented to the membership for a
vote. (See page 3 for more information.)
SRDC, P.O. Box 32, Santa Rosa, CA 95402
Memorabilia For Sale
Name(s): ___________________________________
We will be selling buttons, bumper stickers and t-shirts from this
past election, commemorating the amazing Hillary Clinton/Tim
Kane candidacy. This is your last chance to buy, for a reduced price,
that special keepsake of this past election. All proceeds go to the So.
Co. Democratic Party to help defray the costs of these items.
Address: ____________________________________
We will also have some cloth bags with the Sonoma County
Democratic Party logo, which are good year round, for the low price
of $5. They make great gifts for your fellow Democrats!
 Yes! I would like to be added to your newsletter
email list. [You will receive 2 to 3 emails per month and we
City:______________________, CA Zip:_________
Phone: ________________ Cell: ________________
Email: _______________________________________
do not EVER share your contact information with anyone!]
SRDC Leadership and Club Information
The Santa Rosa Democratic Club Executive Board meets the1st Tuesday of every month, 6-8 pm, at the Sonoma County
Conservation Action offices, 540 Pacific Ave, Santa Rosa, CA 95404.
Members are always welcome at Executive Board meetings and are encouraged to attend!
General Membership dinner meetings are held on the 4th Wednesdays of January, March, April, May, June, July, August,
September, and October, and on the 2nd Wednesday of December. There are no general membership meetings in February and
November, however, the Executive Board meets every month.
Contact us:
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 32, Santa Rosa, CA 95402 Phone: 707-583-2350
Website: http://democlub.org
Email: [email protected] RSVP for dinner: http://democlub.org/rsvp
For questions about the newsletter or to submit items, send emails to: [email protected]
You may leave messages for any member of the leadership team at the club’s email address or phone number listed above.
They will be forwarded to the appropriate person.
2015-2016 Officers:
At-Large Alternates;
Sandy Reynolds, President
[Vacancy] 1st Vice President, Programs
Diane Brooks, 2nd Vice President, Membership
Bonnie Petty, Communications Vice President
Mary Fiumara, Treasurer
Jim Neary, Secretary
Eileen Bill
[Vacancy]
Members-At-Large
Mark Franaszek, Webmaster
Laura Tighe
Terry Bell
Nanci Hoban
Volunteers:
Jean Erbland and Sam Krahn —Thanks for stepping in at the
last minute to help out at the bar last month! Salute!
Gregg Jann, Bar Change
John Johnson, Hobbyist Event Photographer
Kitchen:
Andrea Stilwell, Chef
(Andrea’s Husband and Son assist with serving)
SRDC Mission Statement: to educate members & encourage participation in the democratic process and in the Democratic Party.
3
Santa Rosa Democratic Club News
October Meeting
It is always a great pleasure to have Congressman
Mike Thompson with us and
that was no exception in October. It was fun to hear him
talk of the protest on House
floor earlier this year, when
he and the other Democrats
joined Congressman John
Lewis in a sit-down strike,
calling attention to desperate
need for sensible gun control
laws. Thompson, a Vietnam
veteran, gun-owner and hunter, was appointed to
head the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force and
has been instrumental in helping set sensible policies
for reducing gun violence. Thompson filled us in on
the latest happenings in Washington and did a bit of
stumping for Hillary, of course. If only…
Executive Board Election
for 2017-2018
The term of office for the Santa Rosa Democratic
Club Executive Board seats is two years and the current term is coming to a close in December. As per
our bylaws, the membership will be asked to vote for
members of the Executive Board at the December
meeting.
The current board members have each expressed
their desire to continue serving for another two-year
term in their current roles, with the exception of Eileen Bill, 1st Vice President, Programs, who is stepping into one of the 2 open Alternate positions. With
the resignation of Lori Kunkle in September, Alternate Nanci Hoban has assumed Lori’s At-Large position. The two remaining vacant board positions and
the current nominees for those positions are:
* Alix Shore - 1st Vice President, Programs
* Janet Reynolds - At-Large Alternate
All members in good standing, who have been
members for at least 3 months, are welcome to run
for any office regardless of the current boardmember’s desire to continue in that office. Nominations
of eligible members can be made from the
floor at the December meeting.
You can see the current list of Executive
Board Member positions on page 2.
Annual Crab Feed:
Feb 24, 2017
Yes, it really is time to start planning to attend the Sonoma County Democratic Party’s Annual Crab Feed. Tickets will be
available beginning in January, 2017 and
are $50 each for individuals. Last year, 16
of our club members went the extra mile,
paying $90 per ticket, which allowed the
club to be a sponsor of the event and receive a reserved table. If members are interested in doing the
same thing this year, President Sandy Reynolds has
offered to help coordinate that and members should
contact her at [email protected]
Silent Auction Basket Items
Each Democratic Club is asked to provide items or
gift baskets for the silent auction, during the annual
Crab Feed. The money raised supports our future
election process and the candidates that the Sonoma
County Democratic Party endorses. Last year our
club’s baskets brought in approximately $700, in addition to our club’s sponsorship of the Crab Feed.
We need your help in collecting the items to fill
the many (last year, over a dozen!) baskets we will
be donating. Here is a list of the basket “themes” for
which we need items to be donated.
Grandma's babysitting basket
Lavender Basket
Birthday basket
Picnic Basket
Cooking basket
Italian or other cuisine baskets
Designated Driver basket (Coffees, cups,
non-alcoholic beers, sparkling juices etc.)
Health and Fitness Basket
And, of course, any unopened alcohol is always welcome. Please contact Board Member Nanci Hoban
[email protected] if you have donations.
SRDC Mission Statement: to educate members & encourage participation in the democratic process and in the Democratic Party.
4
N.O.W. Celebrates 50th Anniversary
By Marion Aird
A
great time was had by all at Santa Rosa Finley
Center on October 22nd as over 100 women and
men gathered to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the
National Organization for Women. Representative Mike
Thompson issued Certificates of Special Congressional
Recognition: one to our NOW Chapter and one each to
attendees Helen Rudee, the first woman elected to the
Sonoma County Board of Supervisors; to Donna Born,
first woman Mayor of the City of Santa Rosa; and Molly
MacGregor, National Women’s History Project (NWHP)
co-founder. NOW Sonoma County Chair Elaine Holtz
was presented with her Certificate by Sonoma Mayor
Laurie Gallian.
It took many helping hands and hearts to help make this event a success. A special thank you to
all the women who attended and contributed to the event. To the Charles M. Schulz Museum and
Research Center for their support and providing those wonderful Lucy posters. It was fun for all
having Lucy present. A special thank you to Molly MacGregor, N.W.H.P. and Shekeyna Black, Coordinator of the Sonoma County Peace and Justice Center for helping get the word out, and again
thank you to all that attended.
A showing of the short film “Lady on the Horse” chronicling the efforts and life of Inez Milholland was a feature of the evening’s celebration.
Food is always a challenge and a special thank you to Angela Keller a.k.a. Angie and her team at
the Safeway Marlow Road store for putting together such great trays and for their donation. Thanks
to Pacific Market, Raley’s and Trader Joe’s Santa Rosa stores for their donations, as well. And a special shout out to the bakery staff at Oliver’s who made the extra effort to place the very significant live yellow roses on the 50th Anniversary cake.
I believe NOW is as important today as it was when it began 50 years ago. We have come a long
way but we still have a ways to go. August 2020 will commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the
passage of the 19th Amendment -Women’s Suffrage. NOW Sonoma County has extended an invitation to join in the planning of a super special event to mark the 100th anniversary here in Sonoma
County. Stay tuned…
On October 8th, dressed all in white and sporting
their distinctive yellow, white and purple sashes,
members of both NOW Sonoma County and
SRDC, met in downtown Santa Rosa to participate in a ceremonial march to commemorate the
suffragette movement and to encourage citizens to
register to vote.
SRDC Mission Statement: to educate members & encourage participation in the democratic process and in the Democratic Party.
5
Congratulations Elected Officials!!
C
ongratulations to Our Endorsed and Newly Elected Officials
Santa Rosa City Council
Sebastopol City Council
Julie Combs*
Neysa Hinton
Chris Rogers
Jack Tibbetts
Santa Rosa City Schools Board
Santa Rosa Junior College Board
Laurie Fong
Don Edgar*
Jenni Klose*
Mariana Martinez
Ed Sheffield
West Sonoma County High School District
Windsor Unified School District
Diane Landry*
Esther Lemus*
Ted Walker*
George Valenzuela*
The * indicates incumbents whom we re-elected
Electing Democrats to all offices locally as well as statewide and nationally is a
top priority for the Democratic Party and Democratic Clubs everywhere.
Photos of Standing Rock Protest in SR
SRDC Mission Statement: to educate members & encourage participation in the democratic process and in the Democratic Party.
6
Executive Board & Treasurer ’s Reports
TREASURER’S REPORT:
EXECUTIVE BOARD REPORT:
From President Sandy Reynolds
From Treasurer Mary Fiumara
Board Activities
October 2016 Report:
Since the last report in October, the SRDC Executive
Board has been very busy individually and collectively
involved in the local, state and national elections, as well
as participation in rallies and vigils with a number of
local organizations.
A few examples:
Communications V.P., Bonnie Petty, participated, as a
representative of North Bay Jobs with Justice, in the
Nov. 15th rally in Santa Rosa, in support of the Standing
Rock water protectors in North Dakota. She was
interviewed by Elaine Holtz, host of Women’s Spaces,
on radio station KBBF (89.1 FM) on November 21st. You
can hear that archived program by going to
http://www.womensspaces.com/Radioarchivekbbf.html
Bonnie has long been an activist with NBJwJ and the
Living Wage Coalition, advocating for economic and
social justice, affordable housing, workers rights and
immigrant rights.
Also at that first rally in support of Standing Rock,
Eileen Bill, Program V.P. , participated as a member of
350 Sonoma. But she has also been active in the building
of the tiny H.U.T.S. (Harold’s Utilitarian Transitional
Shelters) and an article in The Press Democrat on
November 27th pictures her work, along with the
background story of the project. She will be speaking
briefly about that project in the Business Section of our
December meeting.
And I know I saw many of our members at the 500strong Standing Rock rally in downtown Santa Rosa on
Dec. 4th, during which the fantastic news was announced
that the Army Corps of Engineers had halted (at least for
now) the pipeline. A sweet —and much longed-for—
victory.
The board continues to seek opportunities, building
connections to other organizations, and finding new ways
for members to participate and to take a stand on
important issues. We all know that we will need to step
up our participation as we face the impacts of the
upcoming Trump administration.
Watch this newsletter and visit our website at
www.democlub.org to keep abreast of social and
political events and other ways to stay connected and
engaged in the democratic process.
There were 71 people in attendance, not counting
Andrea and her 2-man crew. Again, the food and the
program were wonderful. Please remember to pay
your 2017 Membership Dues starting in December.
If you are paying by check, please make it out to
"SRDC" and have it completely filled out in advance to help speed up the check-in process. And
paying with exact cash is also appreciated. We are
expecting a large crowd for our December meeting,
so we need your help in keeping the line from getting too long!
Income:
There were a total of 62 paid dinners.
53 paid $15.00
$795.00
9 paid $20.00
$180.00
Total Paid Dinners
$975.00
Membership Dues (Renewal & New): $60.00
Bar
$218.00
50/50 Raffle
$56.00
Total Income/Deposit
$1,309.00
Expenses:
Dinner Expenses
Rent
Office Supplies (Stamps)
So. Co. Dem. Party (Sponsorship)
Gift for Chef Lori Kunkle (Misc.)
Total Expenses
$674.52
$430.00
$18.80
$250.00
$133.76
$1,507.08
Total Income for October
Total Expenses for October
Loss
$1,309.00
$1,507.08
- $198.08
Balance as of 10/31/16
$7,023.80
(Our balance on 10/31/2015 was $4,453.15)
SRDC Mission Statement: to educate members & encourage participation in the democratic process and in the Democratic Party.
7
Mark Your Calendar
Saturday, Dec 10, 9:30—11:30 am – Blue
Green Eggs & Ham Breakfast — 2016
Election Season Analysis, Sponsored by
SCDP, SCCA and other local allies. Panel discussion led by Senator Mike McGuire. Breakfast
provided by Ceres Project
Location: Glaser Ctr, 547 Mendocino Ave, SR.
Breakfast tickets - $25
Tickets For info, call SCCA at (707) 571-8566
Monday, Dec 12, 2-3:30 pm— Constituent Resources Fair, with Congressmen Jared
Huffman & Mike Thompson
Location: Finley Community Center, 2060 West
College Avenue, Santa Rosa CA 95401
Contact: Huffman’s San Rafael District Office at
(415) 258-9657.
Monday, Dec 12, 6 pm—Holiday Party—
Democratic Club of Southern Sonoma
Monday, Dec 12, 10 am— “HRC” Appre- County Potluck
Location: Cavanaugh Ctr, 428 8th St, Petaluma
ciation Coffee Gathering, A discussion with
Rep. Mike Thompson on Looking Ahead & Moving
Forward. Attendees MUST RSVP, please!
Location: Carpenter’s Local 751 Labor Center,
1706 Corby Ave, Santa Rosa
Contact: Send RSVP to Mary Jane Bowker at
[email protected] or 707-226-8989
RSVP:
RSVP: Therese Horsting at [email protected]
Monday, Dec 19, 6 pm— SCCA’s Annual
Holiday Party
Location: 540 Pacific Ave, Santa Rosa
Contact: Kerry Fugett, [email protected]
or call (707) 571-8566
Save the Date! 29th Annual SCDP Crab Feed! Friday, February 24, 2017
Sonoma County Democratic Clubs
Sonoma County Democratic Central Meets 2nd Tuesdays, 6:30 PM at CTA office,
2490 Guerneville Rd, Santa Rosa
Committee
Democratic Club of Southern
Sonoma County
Bleys Rose, Chair, 707-575-3029 [email protected]
Meets 3rd Wednesdays, 6:30 PM at Nutrition
Site Clubhouse, 211 Novak Dr, Petaluma
Therese Horsting, Chair, 707-795-3579
[email protected]
Meets: contact club for information
David Dearden & Arthur Shostak, co-chairs,
707-539-2658 [email protected]
Meets 3rd Wednesdays, 5:30 PM at KBBF
radio, 1700 Corby Ave, Santa Rosa
Caroline Banuelos, President, 707-328-3240
[email protected]
Sonoma Valley Democratic Club
Meets 4th Mondays, 6:30 PM at Seven Flags
Clubhouse, 300 International Blvd., Sonoma
Beth Hadley, President, 707-939-8322
[email protected]
Windsor Democratic Club
Meets 4th Thursdays, 7:00 PM at Windsor
Round Table Pizza, 8499 Old Redwood Hwy,
Windsor
Barry Hirsch, President, 707-546-5720
[email protected]
Oakmont Democratic Club
Sonoma County Latino
Democratic Club
Wine Country Young
Democrats
Meets: 3rd Mondays, 6:00 PM Location varies, Mary Watts, President, 610-761-5837
contact club for information.
SRDC Mission Statement: to educate members & encourage participation in the democratic process and in the Democratic Party.
8
Don’t Forget to RSVP Today!
for our December 14th Dinner Meeting
no later than Wed., 12/14, 11:00 AM
Online: http://democlub.org/rsvp
or Phone: 707-583-2350
Advertise in the Donkey Tale!
Members of SRDC have the opportunity to advertise
their business in the Donkey Tale. All ads must be camera-ready art, business card size (3.5”x 2”).
Rates:
1 month: $20
5 months: $70
3 months: $45
10 months: $120
The newsletter is published 10 months a year (excludes February & November) and is emailed to 500 people in our county.
If you are interested, please contact
Bonnie Petty, Donkey Tale editor, at:
[email protected]
Please note: the Santa Rosa Democratic Club does not in any
way vouch for the services offered. Consumer awareness is the
personal responsibility of each person.
From SRDC & the Sonoma County Democratic Party...
Thanks to all the election volunteers
T
here are so many people to whom we wish to extend our sincere gratitude. In particular, we’d like to acknowledge the
extraordinary efforts by Val Hinshaw, manager and director of the Democratic Headquarters from set-up in April to teardown in November! She enlisted the help of several other people who coordinated projects and kept the office humming and
volunteers busy:
F
Clio Tarazi - volunteer coordinator * Debbie Dean and Jeff Schecter - front desk coordinators *
Janet Reynolds and Pam Hom - voter registration coordinators
or those of you who may still be feeling a little down after the election, remember, we have lots of reasons to be grateful that
we are part of an incredible community here in Sonoma County. Don’t give up. Stay involved with your local Democratic
community. In the meantime, consider these words of thanks from the Sonoma County Democratic Party’s website:
We are so very grateful for your contributions of talent, time, and energy. Your dedication to our cause was inspiring. Your
passion and enthusiasm were energizing. Your commitment was unwavering. Hundreds of volunteers worked thousands of hours to
create a better community. While our highest goal of electing a Democratic president was not met, in Sonoma County, we can hold
our heads high. We won 70% of the local races that SCDP endorsed. The electorate too often overlooks these local offices –
where there is direct impact on our lives, and where we can hold our elected officials most accountable. We could not have
achieved such a high success rate without you. To reach that winning rate, our volunteers:
Registered 1,651 voters * Prepared 20,000+ door hangers * Mailed 22,622 slate cards * Filled 200+ shifts, applying
170,500+ labels * Made 8,783 GOTV phone calls * Canvassed 6,243 houses * Provided Poll-watching in 26 precincts for
5,340 voters
On behalf of the SCDP, thank you for all your contributions – you made a difference!
SRDC Mission Statement: to educate members & encourage participation in the democratic process and in the Democratic Party.