August 26, 2019 Your Fresno County Democratic Party Newsletter

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Your
Fresno County
Democratic Party
Newsletter: August 26, 2019
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** In This Newsletter:
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CDP Reaffirms Support of High-Speed Rail (#CDP-HSR)

CD22 Democratic Candidate Forum: The Battle to Oust Nunes (#CD22Forum)

QueerOut Awards Gala (#QueerOut)

A Message from CDP Chair Rusty Hicks (#CDP-RustyHicks)

DHF Seeks Organizers for Education Reform and Youth Leadership (#DHFOrganizers)

AB5 Versus the Gig Economy Wild West (#AB5WW)

Candidate and Campaign Treasurer Workshop (#CampaignWorkshop)

Save the Date! (#SaveTheDate)


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On Aug. 25, at the California Democratic Party’s Summer Executive Board meeting, a resolution was passed reaffirming the CDP’s support of high-speed rail. The resolution states the following:

California High-Speed Rail Proof-of-Concept

Whereas the United States’ largest source of greenhouse gas emissions is transportation, with the proportion of CO2 from transportation being 40% above national averages in California, and California legislators have already established the most aggressive target for greenhouse gas reduction in North America, with the goal of reducing carbon emissions in California to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030; and

Whereas the horizon of the Cap-and-Trade Program that partially funds the High-Speed Rail project is December 31, 2030, and the Legislative Analyst’s Office found that total proceeds until 2030 will provide a steady source of funding ranging from $7.1 billion to $18.4 billion on a cumulative basis, which, at the high end, would be sufficient to cover the delivery of the Silicon Valley to Central Valley Line; and

Whereas the San Francisco to San Jose Peninsula Corridor Funding Plan allows access to the $600 million for the Caltrain Peninsula Corridor Electrification Project, which represents 30% of the total funding for the $1.98 billion project and an environmentally sustainable way of alleviating the road congestion that contributes to the bulk of carbon emissions in a proof-of-concept model that will demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of high-speed rail and Green New Deal projects;

Therefore be it resolved that the California Democratic Party supports the completion of the High-Speed Rail project to bring greater spatial equity across the state for people of color and poorer communities, foster sustainable land use and housing patterns that allow for more housing at all income levels to be placed near transit, drive the creation of union jobs with prevailing wages as part of a more sustainable economy, and the reduction of greenhouse gases through less driving in California; and

Therefore be it further resolved that the California Democratic Party supports the proof-of-concept of the High-Speed Rail section from the Silicon Valley to the Central Valley.


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On Aug. 28, the Fresno County Democratic Party is hosting a candidate forum featuring the Democratic candidates for Congressional District 22: Phil Arballo, Bobby Bliatout and Dary Rezvani. The event will be at the Democratic Party HQ (1033 U St. ([link removed]) ) at 6 p.m.

In 2016, the firmly Republican 22nd Congressional District came within 5 percentage points of being turned blue. Amdrew Janz gave Rep. Devin Nunes the toughest fight of his political career, with Janz raising an amazing $9.2 million in campaign funds.

In 2020, Janz will be running for mayor of Fresno, but Nunes is still in office catering to the worst cadres of Trump conservatives with an unending stream of conspiracy theories and bizarre personal attacks against his detractors and an imaginary “deep state.”

Nunes’ hostile rants and lawsuit threats against the Fresno Bee, his Russian apologia and his attempts to sue Twitter over a parody account named Devin Nunes’ Cow are an ongoing insult not just to our Valley but to our entire system of American government.

However, there are challengers looking to unseat him.

Phil Arballo is a financial adviser who graduated from Fresno State and is a member of the Central California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. His campaign has focused on improving water quality and opposing the Republican international tariff war that has hurt the Central Valley, as our agricultural industry relies heavily on exporting their goods.

Bobby Bliatout is the CEO of a series of Fresno-based community clinics, Greater Fresno Health Organization (GFHO), and a founder and chief information and financial officer of Sacramento-based community clinics, Health and Life Organization Inc. (HALO). The son of Hmong immigrants, Bliatout declared his candidacy as part of his effort to fight to improve the Affordable Care Act and to protect the retirement security of all Americans.

Dary Rezvani owns a local automotive repair facility in Fresno, Mid Valley Auto Repair. As a Congressional candidate, he has called for measures to ensure sustainable water use and clean drinking water in California and insists that global warming is a national priority.


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On Oct. 12, the second annual QueerOut Awards Gala will showcase local people and organizations for their outstanding achievements toward advancing our Queer/LGBT+ community in the Central Valley. Among the many honorees, Marsha Conant has been selected to receive the Queer Hero of the Year award. Conant is president of the Fresno Stonewall Democrats, a club devoted to advancing the equal rights of all people, regardless of sexual orientation, preference or identity. Tickets for the gala can be purchased at www.commonspacefresno.org/queerout.


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My singular focus has been on strengthening the Party and ensuring that we are in a stable and strong position to build toward Democratic victories in 2020. To that end, one of my top priorities as Chair has been, and continues to be, creating a Party that reflects the full diversity of our state’s nine million Democrats.

I’m proud to announce that the Party’s new standing committee membership is 56% women and transgender and non-binary, 20% LGBTQ, 60% people of color, 24% under 36 years old, 16% individuals with a disability and 71% elected delegates. Click here to view the standing committee appointments ([link removed]) .

In addition, we’ve been hard at work building a safer and stronger California Democratic Party, free of misconduct and harassment. I convened a Task Force to address these issues directly, and the Task Force developed a report with specific policy and operational protocols for protecting victims and holding harassers accountable. Read their recommendations about our new CDP policies and new operational protocols here ([link removed]) .

I’m also thrilled to announce that, building on the Blue Wave in 2018 that swept all seven of Orange County’s Congressional districts, we’ve officially flipped Orange County to majority Democratic. We’ve registered hundreds of voters in recent weeks, and there are currently 547,458 Democratic voters across the county.


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The Dolores Huerta Foundation (DHF) is continuing to expand its community organizing work in several areas, including education reform and youth leadership development. The DHF is eager to hire a few dynamic individuals committed to organizing for social justice.

The DHF seeks an Education Program Associate to educate, train, organize, and engage community members to advocate for health and racial equity in their schools. The Education Program Associate will create curriculum and facilitate bilingual educational trainings for parent and community leaders in targeted school districts. Click on the link for more information about the DHF Education Program Associate ([link removed]) .

Click on the link to view all of our DHF Current Openings ([link removed]) .


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By Francis Horan

Automation is sweeping through the global economy, and every one of us can now envision a day when our own job might no longer exist. Automated truck driving, robotic delivery services, digital cashiers, AI customer service, automatically written news stories and computerized legal services are coming.

However, this sunset of traditional jobs has arisen at the same time as the “gig economy.” Internet access has given underemployed workers the economic mobility to easily pick up small part-time jobs, letting an increasingly redundant labor force flow rapidly into any area of the economy that still has the potential for growth. Yet, by escaping the traditional labor system, these “gig” workers have also slipped free of the protections that workers fought for centuries to obtain.

Services such as Uber and Lyft, along with many other new on-demand companies, benefit enormously from existing in this “contractor” loophole. The cheap prices they offer consumers are possible in a large part because the companies have pushed off many of the traditional industry costs and risks onto their contractors.

Independent contractors were never meant to be a corporation’s core labor force. But every gold rush comes to an end, and the slow wheel of legislation is now starting to grind toward these tech companies.

If passed, California AB 5, introduced by Assembly Member Lorena Gonzales (D–San Diego), would transform many of these independent contractors into employees. It would require that a worker be free from the company’s control, doing work that isn’t central to the company’s business, and have an independent business in that industry in order to be considered an independent contractor.

That would codify into law the recent California court ruling referred to as “Dynamex.” Numerous tech corporations are fighting AB 5, understandably, as in many cases it would slash their profitability or even eliminate their entire competitive edge. Organized labor is in favor of the bill, as it would allow workers in those industries to unionize and gain access to safety nets such as unemployment insurance.

Workers themselves seem to be split, some wanting to risk the lack of protections and safety net to retain the unprecedented flexibility of this app-enabled employment, whereas others feel they have been taken advantage of.

Statewide industry advocates have been scrambling to amend exemptions for particular job classes under the bill, including truck drivers, medical industry professionals and various cosmetology jobs with a long list still lobbying to be included.

A Fresno area “I’m Independent Coalition” meeting in July gathered opponents of the bill, where one speaker, James Hosey, voiced his concerns that these new regulations would prevent new companies from gaining ground in the profitable on-demand economy, particularly minority-owned companies that face higher barriers when it comes to securing initial investments.

Off in Sacramento, Governor Gavin Newsom has remained ambiguous on his opinion toward the bill, instead choosing to play the mediator between all the factions.

A newly created corner of the economy will need new regulation; the question is whether AB 5 is the right form of that regulation.


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A free workshop for candidates and treasurers sponsored by the Fresno County Elections Department will take place on Oct. 17 at 6 p.m. at the Fresno County Elections Facility (4525 E. Hamilton Ave., Fresno ([link removed]) ).

Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) presenters will cover several topics of importance to candidates and their campaign treasurers. To register, contact Chrystal Babcock at 559-600-3044 or [email protected]. (mailto:[email protected].)


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September 2: Labor Day Festival ([link removed])

October 11:
Stonewall Democrats Fund-Raiser with State Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara

October 19: Fresno County Democratic Women’s Club Eleanor Roosevelt Luncheon

February 1, 2020: Fresno County Democratic Women’s Club Fund-Raiser

March 3, 2020: California Presidential Primary Election ([link removed])

April 17, 2020: Fresno County Democratic Party Annual Spring Fund-Raiser

Elect Democrats in Fresno County!

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