Dear John,

As we head into the holiday season, I wanted to reach out — not to ask for anything, but simply to say thank you.

2025 was unlike any year we could have planned.

When Donald Trump and his MAGA allies launched their scheme to rig the next election by manipulating congressional maps, California Democrats were suddenly faced with an unexpected, high-stakes challenge: Run and win a statewide ballot initiative to protect democracy in just a few short months.

Proposition 50 was never on the calendar. There was no runway. No advance budgeting. And yet, together as California Strong Democrats, we rose to the moment.

In a matter of weeks, Democrats across California ramped up a full-scale campaign: hiring organizers, mobilizing volunteers, countering misinformation, expanding our voter protection program, and talking directly with Californians about what was at stake for our democracy.

Because of your commitment, Prop 50 passed by a landslide, foiling Trump’s election-rigging plot and protecting California’s voice in Congress.

Throughout this year, whether you volunteered, organized in your community, made calls, knocked doors, shared our message, or supported this work in other ways, you showed what it means to be part of a movement that doesn’t agonize — it organizes.

We will be in touch again soon to share about our plans to flip seats and take back the House in 2026, but in the meantime I hope you’re able to rest, spend time with loved ones, and reflect on everything you helped California Democrats accomplish in 2025.

From all of us at the California Democratic Party, thank you for stepping up when it mattered most. I am deeply grateful to be in this fight alongside you.

Wishing you a joyful holiday season,

Yvette Martinez
Executive Director
California Democratic Party