Monthly Archives: July 2018

California Politics, Red to Blue California, Swing Left

SF Chronicle: California Dems giving House Republicans run for their money

Repost from the San Francisco Chronicle

State Dems giving House Republicans run for their money

By John Wildermuth, July 22, 2018
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Democrats looking to flip GOP-held House seats in California are turning in surprisingly strong fundraising performances as the election approaches — a sign, they hope, of an insurgent energy that will be needed to win districts that have gone Republican for decades.

But votes, not dollars, are what make election winners, and GOP leaders are convinced they have the issues to bring their voters to the polls in November.

Democrats outraised their GOP opponents in 10 of the state’s 14 Republican-held congressional districts in the three months that ended June 30, in some cases by huge margins, according to campaign finance reports made public by the Federal Election Commission.

Continue reading SF Chronicle: California Dems giving House Republicans run for their money →

Benicia City Council, Solano County Board of Education

Three Benicia candidates pull papers for election in November

Repost from the Vallejo Times-Herald
[UPDATE ON 8/13: City Council race: Hughes & Schwartzman not running, Birdseye & Strawbridge official]
[NOTE: The Progressive Democrats of Benicia have not yet endorsed any candidates for the November election.  Posting of this article does not constitute endorsement.]

Dean, Strawbridge, Largaespada all official candidates

By John Glidden, 07/20/18, 6:27 PM PDT 

Benicia City Council challengers Christina Strawbridge and Lionel Largaespada became official candidates on Friday after they each submitted their own candidacy paperwork, according to the Solano County Registrar of Voters website.

Strawbridge is seeking another council run after residents declined to re-elect her in 2016. Largaespada is also running for the Benicia council for the second election in a row.

Councilmen Mark Hughes and Alan Schwartzman are up for re-election on the five-member Benicia City Council.

SOLANO COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION

Meanwhile, Dana Dean became a certified candidate on Friday [for] the Solano County Board of Education, representing Trustee Area 3.

She was first appointed to the board in March 2013 and then ran uncontested for the same seat in 2014. Prior to joining the county, Dean served on the Benicia school board for five years.

Trustee Area 3 includes the city of Benicia, a portion of East Vallejo, sections of South and East Fairfield, the city of Cordelia, Collinsville, and Travis Air Force Base.

California Politics, California's 10th District, Josh Harder, Swing Left

Swing Left news & volunteer opportunities

From Swing Left and Swing Left California 10
[See also our Progressive Dems of Benicia SWING LEFT PAGE.]

Welcome to the latest Swing Left District Dispatch – a collaborative effort of hundreds of volunteers around the country to compile new, actionable stories from each Swing District, once a month.

District News

Compiled by the Swing Left volunteers of CA-10

District CA-10

  • CA-10 Candidate Josh Harder’s support surging: Josh Harder placed second in the CA-10 primary and is gearing up to face incumbent Rep. Jeff Denham in November. Democratic enthusiasm gave rise to a 12-point surge in Democratic vote share, compared to 2016’s primary. Meanwhile, Rep. Denham’s share of the vote dropped to the second-lowest of any incumbent Congressional candidate in California.
  • GOP party loyalty trumps helping DREAMers: Trump’s immigration policies put GOP incumbent Jeff Denham in a tough spot. Denham ultimately dropped efforts to bring a vote on a bill that would create a path to citizenship for DREAMers, signing onto a GOP-authored immigration bill instead. https://lat.ms/2tzUFVZ
  • Riding the blue wave: Josh Harder is one of ten new additions to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s “Red to Blue” program, highlighting candidate Harder’s strong grass-roots engagement and local support. https://bit.ly/2z8Q9mk

Action Opportunities

District CA-10

[Editor: the following are more distant opportunities.  For closer events, see our PDM Swing Left page.]

  • Saturday, July 14 – 10 AM – 2 PM
    Swing Left Modesto Canvass
    Location: Modesto, CA–venue TBD
    Reach out to [email protected] and/or get more info here! https://bit.ly/2IOoV3T
  • Saturday, July 21 – 10:00 AM
    Canvass for Josh Harder
    Location: Smyrna Community Park- 2650 Fowler Rd, Ceres, CA
    Host Contact Info: [email protected]
  • Sunday, July 22 – 3 – 6 PM
    Swing Left Marin House Party
    Location: Fairfax, CA – venue TBD
    Host Contact Info: [email protected]
    Please RSVP for detailsAdditional Events in the CA-10: https://bit.ly/2ry83u0