The California Democratic Party’s Organizing Department is excited to highlight the stories of our team members who are passionate about making a difference throughout our state. From leading our organizing efforts to connecting with local community leaders, our organizing team is working in every corner of California to ensure we continue to elect Democrats up and down the ballot.

Leslie Diaz

Intern

My name is Leslie Diaz-Guerrero. I am from a small town called Ripon which is located within the Central Valley. Recently, I graduated with my associates in political science from Modesto Junior College. This fall, I will be attending the University of California, Davis to attain my bachelors in political science-public service. 

After interning with Congressman Josh Harder, I became passionate about organizing and grassroots advocacy.  As a member of the Grassroots Democrats HQ and an organizer for CADEM, I am excited to have the opportunity to educate communities about the issues at stake, provide information and resources to empower people to advocate effectively, and more. My work will include building strong relationships with voters, educating voters about the importance of political participation, and encouraging voters to get involved in the democratic process to elect great candidates.

Joseph Anastacio

Intern

My name is Joseph Anastacio and I am originally from Stockton, California. As a student at the University of California, Riverside, I'm excited to join the California Democratic Party as an intern. I became an organizer and a committed Democrat following the 2020 election and the devastating events of the insurrection that followed. Seeing the rise of extremism on the right and their efforts to push regressive and anti-Democratic reforms was a wake-up call for me. It became clear that active involvement was crucial to counter these threats and to help elect Democrats who stand for progress and democracy. Motivated by a desire to protect our democratic institutions and advance inclusive policies, I joined the movement to amplify the democratic presence in elected spaces.

As a child of two immigrants, my parents worked hard as a teacher and warehouse worker.  Through my lived experience, I am deeply passionate about electing leaders who prioritize supporting and protecting immigrant communities through better pathways to citizenship, expanding access to higher education with incentives for careers in teaching, and fiercely defending labor unions against union-busting efforts. These issues are at the heart of my work as an organizer, driving my commitment to creating a more just and equitable society for all. By advocating for these causes, I aim to empower our communities and ensure that every voice is heard and represented in our government. 

As a college student committed to democratic values, I’m focused on energizing my peers to understand the importance of their vote and how it shapes California's future. I’m working to connect students with candidates who reflect their needs and values. Through organizing campus events, creating strong networks among young leaders, and pushing for policies that matter to us, I'm helping to build a solid democratic presence across the state. My goal is to make sure we win key battleground seats and have a powerful team of Democratic leaders ready to drive positive change and represent the up and coming generations.

Natalie McGinnis

Intern

Hi, my name is Natalie McGinnis! I just graduated from Sierra Community College and am transferring to the University of California, Davis this fall! I am from Roseville, California. I am a Democrat because the Democratic Party most aligns with my values and concerns within the political landscape. I first became an organizer within the California Democratic Party after hearing about the position during a women’s rights rally. As I work as an organizer, a few of the topics I am most passionate about include women’s rights, equality, public school education funding, and climate change awareness. To ensure California continues to be a democratic state, I work with Democratic candidates and spread awareness to potential voters. I hope to see you at the voting booth!

California Democrats Taking Action

California Democrats participated in a Day of Action throughout Folsom, Rocklin, and Roseville for Jessica Morse for Congress,  Porsche Middleton for State Assembly, Neva Parker for Assembly, and Hla Eklhabit for Folsom City Council.

Weekend of Action in the Central Valley

Democrats in the Central Valley partnered with the Bay Area Coalition, Indivisible Yolo, CYD Davis College Dems, Tulare County Democratic Central Committee, Kern County Central Committee, and Kings County Democratic Central Committee to connect with voters about Adam Gray for Congress, Rudy Salas for Congress, Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria, and Jessica Self for State Assembly.

Canvassing in Santa Clarita & Palmdale

Hundreds of volunteers participated in kicking off a weekend of action in Santa Clarita and Palmdale for George Whitesides for Congress, Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo, Kipp Mueller for Senate, and Richard Ortega for Assembly! 

CADEM Opens Palmdale Office

The California Democratic Party celebrated the opening of its Palmdale Office. CADEM Officer Diana Love kicked off the event in partnership with Antelope Valley Progressive Democrats, Latinos Democratas Unidos, SEIU 2015, CA Teachers Assoc., CWA, AV Democrats for Change, Swing Left West Valley, and GDHQ.

Democrats Take Action for Will Rollins, Lisa Middleton, and Christy Holstege

The California Democratic Party is a volunteer based organization! Our community activists are committed year-round to work with our organizing team to get out the vote and protect our democracy. CADEM is thrilled to highlight our local volunteers who continue to do their part in the Forever Organizing work.

Judith Bolker

My name is Judith Bolker and I currently live in Daly City, California. Originally from Nampa, Idaho, I am a nurse and a physical therapist. I am also a 3rd degree black belt in Aikido.

I am passionate about protecting and preserving our democracy and first became engaged in politics when Barack Obama ran for president.  Every Saturday, I made calls  and had such a good time! When Hillary Clinton ran for president, I took six weeks off my job as Nurse Manager to run the morning phonebanks at the Hillary Headquarters. Each day, we had 50 volunteers participate in phonebanking. I was involved with training the volunteers and making sure that phone lists and scripts were up-to-date and accessible.

Once I recovered from the devastating loss in 2016, I joined the Swing Left San Francisco leadership team and helped grow the chapter from 30 to 4,000 members. In 2018, my husband took a sabbatical in Oxford, England, and I became involved in Democrats Abroad UK.  I brought California-style organizing to Oxford, hosted phonebanks and postcard writing groups at our flat and at local pubs, held voter registration events at the various Oxford Colleges where American students were taking a year abroad to study, and helped run the phonebanks in the London Election office during GOTV.  I became the Vice Chair of the Oxford Chapter of Democrats Abroad and was nicknamed the California Tornado!  I am still involved with Democrats Abroad and serve as the Co-Chair for the Democrats Abroad California State team.

When we returned to the United States in 2019, I became involved with Swing Left Peninsula.  I also became the Regional Organizer for the Center for Common Ground, whose mission is to educate and empower voters of color in voter suppression states. When 2020 rolled around and we had to move our in-person phonebanks to Zoom, I developed a model for Zoom phonebanking that was very successful. Our numbers increased to 315 callers during each phonebanking event as we functioned as a DNC hub.

When the election was over and it was clear that the Red Wave was only a Red Trickle, a few of my fellow phonebank leaders and I decided to form the Bay Area Coalition (BAC). We started with 5 grassroots organizations and 1 Democratic County Committee. Our coalition now consists of  47 grassroots organizations and multiple Democratic County Committees with a total of more than 40,000 volunteers and a core team of very experienced organizing leaders.

Our vision is to effectively harness the power of thousands of volunteers to win key races to promote a more equitable and just society. Our reach has expanded beyond the San Francisco Bay Area to Sacramento, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles. We created a unique organization that partners effectively with the California Democratic Party. Since 2023 we have registered 1,627 new voters, knocked on 20,908 doors, held 3,900 conversations, and received 2,302 pledges to support our Democratic candidates. We have also made 1,000,000 phone calls and spoken to almost 25,000 voters.   It's time to go all out!  We are stronger together!

Looking for a way to get involved in mobilizing or registering voters in your community? We want you on Team Forever Organizing.

Whether you're interested in calling voters, knocking doors, hosting organizing actions with your Democratic club or group, or registering first time voters on College campuses, we're thrilled to be doing the good work with you.

Can we count on you to join us for an organizing action this month? Your efforts could mean the difference between winning and losing battleground Congressional districts this year.