Category Archives: Endorsements

Endorsements, Meeting reflections

Meeting of Sept 8 – Secure Ballots and the Propositions

Election Prep Meeting
Tuesday, September 8, on ZOOM…

Secure Ballots and the Propositions…

PDB’s meeting of September 8 was all about preparedness for the upcoming election and our ability to vote and have our votes counted!

    • When will mail-in ballots be available?
    • Will ballots be delivered in time and be counted?
    • How do I make sure my ballot is counted?
    • How secure will the vote count be?
    • When will we know results?
    • What about Propositions on the November 3 ballot?
    • Should PDB endorse any of the Propositions?

In addition to the BIG election concern – GET BIDEN/HARRIS INTO THE WHITE HOUSE – there are lots of questions about the how the voting will take place, will mail-in ballot procedures ensure access to ballots by voters and timely delivery for the count, and is the process secure and accurate?

John Gardner, Solano County Assistant Registrar of Voters, brought us up to date on County and local efforts to help ensure all voters can vote.  Mr. Gardner is also active at the national level and with other states and will share how these issues are faring in other important areas that are vital to voter turnout and vote count on November 3.

There are also 12 statewide Propositions on the November 3 ballot.  And in Benicia we have legally non-binding Local Measure D which seeks the opinion of Benicia voters regarding the number of retail cannabis businesses in the city.

We discussed the 12 statewide Propositions on the November 3 ballot and local Measure D.  For some of the Propositions the PDB Steering Committee included a consideration for endorsement by members.  (Note that our vote on state propositions is only advisory: local Democratic clubs must follow the positions taken by our State Democratic Party when it comes to state propositions.)

Voting by members was held online again.

We hope that our discussions helped clear up many questions about your ballot, how to ensure its accuracy to be accepted, and determine which of the propositions seeking your vote are important for you and the Benicia community.

2020 election, Benicia City Council, Benicia Mayor, Endorsements, Local elections, Progressive Democrats of Benicia

Progressive Democrats endorse Steve Young for Mayor, Terry Scott for City Council

By Ralph Dennis, August 18, 2020

In this age of pandemic distancing, the Progressive Democrats of Benicia convened about 50 members and interested parties in a digital ZOOM Candidate Forum on August 11.

Candidate for Mayor Steve Young and candidates for City Council Trevor Macenski and Terry Scott gave opening statements, answered prepared questions and audience questions, and finished with brief closing statements.

Members of the Progressive Democrats voted whether and whom to endorse by an online poll on the PDB website.  Voting was open for a week following the Forum.

For endorsement, PDB bylaws require a vote of 50% plus one of those present and voting.

For Mayor of Benicia – Councilmember Steve Young

Results were overwhelming in the Mayoral race.  100% of the 43 members voting chose to endorse Steve Young for Mayor in 2020.  Congratulations, Steve!  Christina Strawbridge, who declined to attend, received no votes.

For Benicia City Council – Arts and Culture Commissioner Terry Scott

The race for City Council presented members with a wider choice.  Members could vote for up to two to fill the two vacant seats.  Incumbent Tom Campbell, who also declined to attend, received only 5 votes, or 11.6% of those voting.  Planning Commissioner Trevor Macenski received 13 votes, or 30.2% of those voting.  Arts and Culture Commissioner Terry Scott received support from 40 members, or 93.0% of those voting, and snagged our only endorsement for City Council.  Congratulations, Terry!

For more information or to order yard signs, volunteer or contribute, visit:

Endorsements, Meeting reflections

Meeting of August 11, 2020 – Local Candidate Forum


Endorsement Meeting
Tuesday, August 11
7:00pm on ZOOM…

Council and Mayoral Candidates

PDB’s August 11 General Membership meeting was a discussion with candidates running for Benicia Mayor and City Council. We  decided we no longer needed a second endorsement meeting (previously scheduled for Aug. 20) and so combined the meetings into one on Aug. 11.

All Democratic candidates running for Benicia Mayor and City Council were invited. Incumbent Councilmember Tom Campbell declined our invitation to attend without explanation. Vice-Mayor Christina Strawbridge, who is running for Mayor, also declined to attend citing “previous experiences with the group.”

As a result, we had plenty of time to hear from the Democratic candidates running for Benicia Council and Mayor who graciously accepted our invitation to discuss their campaigns and vision for Benicia with members of the Benicia community:

  • Candidate for Mayor: Councilmember Steve Young
  • Candidates for Council: Trevor Macenski and Terry Scott

Several members shared questions with us they would like the candidates to answer.  Here are the prepared questions that we asked each candidate.  And here is a video recording of the August 11 Forum.

Ralph Dennis
PDB Chair

HOW TO PARTICIPATE…

Endorsement meeting on August 11…
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Progressive Dems of Benicia will meet on Zoom.  Members and friends will receive Zoom login instructions by email.  If you are not currently on our member or interested parties email list and want to attend, you can either Become A Member,  OR,

if you are just interested and want to attend, go to our Contact Us page to ask for Zoom instructions by email.

The ballot and voting procedures…
For eligible members voting, the ballot will be posted with instructions on the PDB web site following completion of the Aug. 11 meeting. The voting period will be open until August 18, 5:00 pm PT.  You will submit your ballot via the online form.  We will verify members’ status. Results of the votes in each race will be published on Aug. 19.