In This Newsletter:

Elect Democrats! Engage Now!
 

Ballots drop the first week in October, and we have only a few weeks left to engage with voters. Below are opportunities to engage and tools to assist with those efforts. With your active support, we will elect Democrats up and down the ballot in the Central Valley. To get involved now, click on any of the links below or contact Krista De La Torre at 559-313-4345 or [email protected].

Coordinated Campaign Texting Program

https://www.mobilize.us/cadems/event/328986/

CADEM Endorsements

https://cadem.org/vote/endorsements/

Forward to any voter to find the endorsed candidates/ballot measures for a specific address:

Join Outreach Circle (via a mobile device)

http://cadem.vote/ocdl

The best way to get voting information & actions

Trainings: Tuesday, 9/29 - 6-7 pm & Sunday, 10/4 -- 11am-noon: https://www.mobilize.us/cadems/event/331014/

Our Endorsements

In addition to supporting Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for the presidency and vice presidency, there are many critical local races.

Visit https://cadem.org/vote/endorsements/ for the endorsements specific to your address.

If you have questions or need more information, contact the Democratic Party HQ at 559-495-0606 or [email protected].
 

Congress District 4                                                               Brynne Kennedy

Congress District 16                                                             Rep. Jim Costa

Congress District 21                                                             Rep. TJ Cox

Congress District 22                                                             Phil Arballo

Assembly District 31                                                             Dr. Joaquin Aramula

Fresno County Board of Education Trustee Area 3              Daren Miller

State Center Community College District Trustee Area 2     Nasreen Johnson

State Center Community College District Trustee Area 3     Dary Rezvani

State Center Community College District Trustee Area 7     Abena Cruise

Mayor of Kerman                                                                   Espi Sandoval

Mayor of Selma                                                                      Louie Franco

Fowler City Council                                                                Alexander Grimaldi

Fowler City Council                                                                Patric Jones

San Joaquin City Council                                                       Eva Luna

San Joaquin City Council                                           Maria “Cristina” Covarrubia

Sanger City Council District 1                                                Esmeralda Hurtado

Sanger City Council DIstrict 3                                                Daniel Martinez

Fresno Unified School District Trustee Area 5                       David Paredes

Fresno Unified School District Trustee Area 6                       Claudia Cazares

Central Unified School District Trustee Area 4                       Shawn M. Brooks

Clovis Unified School District Trustee Area 4                         Noha Elbaz

Clovis Unified School District Trustee Area 7                        Christopher Casado

Mendota Unified School District                                       Kevin G. Arias-Romero

Sanger Unified School District Trustee Area 1                   Sebastian Ardemagni

Sanger Unified School District Trustee Area 4                       Vao Pa Her

Selma Unified School District Trustee Area 2                        Jaspreet Nagra

Calwa Recreation and Park District Director                          Laura Garcia

There are also several statewide ballot propositions, which have the potential to change California for decades to come. The Democratic Party endorsements are as follows:

YES   Prop 14 issues bonds to fund and support stem cell research in California, to be spent on research, trials and programs, as well as start-up costs for now facilities. The UCSF branch operation in Fresno County is on the list of places that could receive this aid.

YES   Prop 15 would legislate that commercial and industrial properties, exempting agriculture, should have their taxes based on what the property is worth, and not based on whatever it was originally purchased for.

YES   Prop 16 seeks to end California’s existing ban on affirmative action. The current law states California “cannot discriminate against or grant preferential treatment to persons on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin.” Scientific studies show that the greatest indicator of income potential in America is still your parent’s income, which is still heavily tied to all those factors. The imposition of legal equality alone cannot remedy generations of past inequality.

YES   Passing Prop 17 would allow Californians on parole for felony convictions to vote. Currently, the state constitution requires that felons complete both their prison sentence and the entirety of their parole before they are allowed to vote. It is unclear to what degree removing voting rights benefits the public as a deterrent against crime. There is a fundamental moral benefit to civil liberties gained by allowing citizens who are trusted to live among society to vote on how that society is governed.

YES   Prop 18 allows any 17-year-old who will be 18 in time to be eligible for the general election to be allowed to vote in the primary for that election. California’s recent adoption of the Top Two Open Primary makes this additional change more needed, as the primaries are not simply for the political party endorsements, but in fact decide who is listed on the real ballot.

YES   Prop 19 would require that inherited homes that are not used as principal residences, such as second homes or rentals, be reassessed at market value when transferred. In addition, the proposition would increase the number of times that persons over 55 years old or with severe disabilities can transfer their tax assessments from one to three and allow eligible homeowners who are over 55, severely disabled, or whose homes were destroyed by wildfire or disaster, to transfer their primary residence’s property tax base value to a replacement residence of any value, anywhere in the state. The measure also expands tax benefits for transferring family farms.

NO   Prop 20 seeks to expand the list of felonies for which early parole is restricted and allow additional types of crime including credit card fraud, firearm theft and organized retail theft to be charged as felonies. It would also add 51 crimes to the list for which early parole is restricted and mandate parole boards to consider a parolee’s marketable skills and “attitudes on crime” before allowing a release. The proposition would institute mandatory DNA registrations for a wide range of convictions including shoplifting, grand theft, domestic violence and drug possession. California already imprisons an exceptional percentage of its population in a prison system that is extremely expensive and often life-threatening to its inhabitants.

YES   Prop 21 will allow local governments to enact rent control on housing that was first occupied more than 15 years ago, with an exception for landlords who own no more than two homes. Current housing costs are unsustainable in California and are still rising faster than the rate of new construction, so communities need every tool available to help the public during this new depression we are plummeting into.

NO   Prop 22, sponsored by Uber and Lyft, aims to undo a law that passed last year and closed the loophole that allows those companies to employ their fleet of drivers without giving them rights and protections as employees. Uber and Lyft’s abuse of independent contractor designations has created a toxic labor market where drivers can end up losing money by working due to wear on their vehicle, their liability for damage and lack of health coverage. 

YES   Prop 23 establishes state requirements for kidney dialysis clinics. Necessary kidney dialysis treatments for end-stage renal disease are typically covered by Medicare and Medi-Cal with fixed rates, while private insurance is accepted with often exceptionally higher rates than these government programs. This proposition requires that rates be kept consistent and that the same level of care is provided for all individuals regardless of insurance. Requires that a physician, nurse practitioner or nurse’s assistant be available at all times.

No Position   Prop 24

YES   Prop 25 would replace cash bail with risk assessments for detained suspects awaiting trials. The risk assessment system is already in place; it is just called the decision over whether to grant bail. A cash bail system ensures only the wealthy walk free while the destitute stay in jail. This proposition is vigorously opposed by the bail bond industry. 

DOWNLOAD State-Propositions-on-the-2020-November-Ballot
 

Voting by Mail
 

 

Fresno County Vote Center and
Ballot Drop Box Information

Democratic Party HQ

Democratic Party HQ is open Monday-Friday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Contact us 559-495-0606, or [email protected]) today for your Biden-Harris yard sign. Donate to support the local Democratic Party via ActBlue or by mailing a check to Fresno County Democratic Party, P.O. Box 5795, Fresno, CA 93755.

Our newsletter is prepared by Francis Horan.

Democratic Party Headquarters: 1033 U Street, Fresno, CA 93721

[email protected]
559-495-0606

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