Fresno County Dems News and Information

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Newsletter: August 31, 2022
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** In This Newsletter:
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Say Farewell to Michael Evans (#Michael)

The Constant Battle for Reproductive Freedom (#Reproductive-Freedom)

Statewide Proposition Endorsements (#Propositions)

PACT Act Passes (#PACT-Act)

Democratic Victory for the Economy and Climate (#Inflation-Reduction-Act)

Student Debt Relief and Interest Rate Cap (#Student-Debt)

Get Your Signs! (#Signs)

The District Attorney Against Democrats (#DA-Granstanding)

Inflation Dropped Flat but Prices Still High (#Inflation)

Can California Rethink Water? (#Water-Ca)

Precinct Captains (#Precinct-Captain)

Fellowship Program (#Fellowship-Program)

Democratic Party Website and HQ (#Dem-HQ)

Join us to say farewell to Michael Evans

Michael Evans, longtime Democratic political organizer, community leader, mentor, friend and past County Party Chair is relocating out of state.

Please join us for a farewell fundraising event on Friday, September 9, 2022 - 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on the grounds of Henry Perea's home and say farewell and thank you to Michael!

Your support for this event will help the Fresno County Democratic Party register voters, educate voters and get out the vote to elect Democrats.

For more information, contact 559-495-0606 (tel:559-495-0606) or [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .

Tickets for this event are available at [link removed]

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The Trump administration, in the midst of all their chaotic malevolant incompetence, had one area where the Republican Party acted in efficient concert. They confirmed rafts of judges to positions in some cases stolen from the Obama administration by McConell’s strategy of obstruction at all cost. The crown jewel of this strategy was of course the denial of Merrik Garland's spot on the Supreme Court.

Now we are seeing the true danger of conservative law. The fall of Roe is the beginning of something dark. Our country has many dark legacies derived from denying people their bodily autonomy, and the conservatives who want to pull our society backwards desire those times with relish are an existential threat. Conservatism is never about small government, it is only about small protections. The rallying cry for states’ rights was about preserving the privilege to keep people as slaves, and with that greater battle over such forces have to focus on less public violations of bodily rights.

But while the conservative threat to rights has been strengthened by the enduring legacy of the judiciary focused Trump Administration, the voting public can still protect itself. Anti-abortion campaigners thought they would be able to lock away women’s freedoms in Kansas but the ballot measure placing abortion bans in the state consitution failed decisively.

As much as the Republican Party has come out against it, we are still members of a democratic republic, and we get the government our system votes for. That means we all have to keep fighting, because the instant progress halts we fall backwards.

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Democrats get things done. Congress promised our service members and their families that we will take care of them. President Biden signed into law the historicSergeant First Class Health Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022 ([link removed]) . ([link removed]) This comprehensive legislative package will expand healthcare to over 3.5 million veterans exposed to toxic substances during their military service. This is the first time in history that those suffering from exposure to burn pits and airborne hazards will receive healthcare benefits from the VA.

The Valley’s own Jim Costa is proud to have co-sponsored this legislation so that millions of American veterans will finally have access to the care and benefits they’ve earned and rightfully deserve.

There are only 48 democrats in the senate, facing off against 50 Republicans. Senate Democrats have managed to form a coalition with 2 independents but they are still outnumbered by the professional victims in red hats. But by acting like adults the Democrats have gotten important things done, even managing the

The Inflation Reduction Act includes the largest-ever federal effort on climate change — close to $400 billion — caps out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors on Medicare to $2,000 a year and extends expiring subsidies that help 13 million people afford health insurance. By raising corporate taxes, the whole package is paid for, with some $300 billion extra revenue for deficit reduction.

But it is only one tenth of what President Biden wanted, which shows how weak and tenuous the Democratic Party’s position is in without more election victories. Laws can only be made through compromise, and right now the average elected official is too far from the progressive goal we need to survive as a culture. This does not replace Biden’s initial 10-year, $3.5 trillion Build Back Better initiative. We lost universal preschool, paid family leave and expanded child care aid. As a consequence, families have been forced to pay the cost of fighting inflation and executing needed improvements to our nation alongside corporations.

President Biden was skeptical of student debt relief for a long time, but the wing of the progresive movement that favors it has won him as a supporter. The new policy not only wipes up to ten thousand dollars of debt off of the overburdened calculations of many Americans, but also contains important provisions limiting how much interest can be tacked onto the original loan amount. This is an amazing moment.

People who struggle the most to repay their loans don’t fit a common perception. They are less likely to be baristas with six figures in debt and a graduate degree than blue-collar workers who have a smaller amount of unpaid loans but never graduated college. That worker, Biden said, has the “worst of both worlds — debt and no degree.”

The cap on household earnings to qualify for repayment means this policy focuses most on those who need it most, minority groups and people who had a few semesters of college but never got the degree.

Republicans are trying to rally their reaction around the primitive instinct to lash out at anyone getting something good that you yourself did not get. It is hard to be happy about good things happening in the world if you happen to be left out, but it is still unquestionably good.

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“Defend Choice ([link removed]) ” and “Democrats Deliver Internet Access ([link removed]) ” signs are available at the Fresno County Democratic Party HQ (1033 U St. in downtown Fresno ([link removed]) ). Donations accepted.

Fresno’s District Attorney Smittcamp has a history of pursuing cases against elected Democrats she knows do not have anywhere near enough evidence to have a chance at conviction. The Fresno Bee and other valley voices have started to find this suspicious. The failed push against Joaquin Arambula collapsed with all the lackluster deflation that Smittcamp’s team would have been able to predict from the beginning. But if her goal is not convictions, but merely dragging accusations through the public eye, then she is doing quite well. Arambula was physically assaulted outside his home by a group of right-wing protesters.

Then Smittcamp failed to bring charges against any Fresno councilmembers for supposed Brown Act violations related to Granite Park (despite going out of her way to publicly insinuate their guilt)

Now Fresno’s politically conservative DA has turned the city’s engine against Councilman Esparza, over the accusation that he told a city employee he had to do what the council majority told him or he could lose his job. Since the council does rule by majority and does control such employment, it is unclear if the statement would be a crime even if true, but Smittcamp has instead pushed the term felony extortion into the media. The sole source of the Esparza case himself said he “never intended or desired for this matter to be made public, much less prosecuted.” He went on to say that it was “unfortunate that some people will try to use the circumstances for political or personal gain.” It was our own personal far-right Bredefeld who has pushed this case forward, and Smittcamp who decided that the very sparse he-said he-said of one backroom politics conversation case was worth pushing forward on.

Smittcamp knows there is no way her team could get a “beyond reasonable doubt” verdict out of a retelling of a single sentence. But just like how James Comey continue to push avenues he knew were pointless to drum up negative headlines for Hillary Clinton at key moments, it seems Lisa Smittcamp to value stoking scandal as much as enforcing the law.

Month by month inflation was at 0% for the month of July, which could be a good review of the government’s efforts at limiting price hikes. Of course, many citizens were confused by the official terminology, and complained very loudly about anyone celebrating the reported 8.5% July inflation number, not quite understanding that it means prices are up 8.5% since LAST July.

However, all the damage of the previous price hikes are still being felt, and with shortages and delays from pandemic closures, agricultural failures, and war it is hard to predict what will happen next.

This can partly explain Biden’s timing on issuing the student debt forgiveness. If the free fall has been halted, then encouraging a new confidence in spending can help prop up a battered economy. Wiping debt can be a slow additive stimulation to consumer spending, as households have the same income but now feel more safe spending another segment of it on things they can use today.

Climate change is hitting California hard and will continue to do so. Over the coming decades, the total water supply will drop by 10%. At some point, increasing the efficiency of our systems or trying to build more dams cannot work because there will simply not be enough water to distribute.

This means we cannot simply advocate for water efficiency, we have to have overall reductions. If increased efficiency in commercial farming simply allows more production with the same allocation, then our crisis will continue to get worse. In our water account, we are already deeply overdrawn and some day very soon the interest will come due in a devastating way.

Our legal system is not helping. Western water rights are a bedrock of insanity for a water-scarce economy. The “use it or lose it” system of allocating river flows by who owned a stretch of the riverbank even if it leaves the lower reaches bone dry means the ag industry is actually punished for any reduction in their total demand.

Preventing water from reaching the Delta is another disaster with a burning fuse. Some of the most productive farmland in the state is sinking in drying reclaimed marshland, as the salty ocean water gets sucked up from the bay by our pumping efforts, ready to destroy and poison all that cropland if a levey fails.

Our state constitution claims all the water belongs to the people and state of California. We need to build a new system that looks at water from the base level as the scarce necessity it is rather than an infinite for-profit commodity.
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Want to help us win in 2022? Be a precinct captain! Become a part of our team! To join us, e-mail [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Re%3A%20Precinct%20Captains) or sign-up for the next Precinct Leaders training session at:
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We are helping to create the next generation of Democrats in the Central Valley. Are you a student interested in getting involved and learning more about the political world? You would be ideal for our fellowship program! For more information, e-mail [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Re%3B%20Fellowship%20Program) .

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Visit Your Democratic Headquarters! Our office is open, and we can’t wait to see you again! Help us register people to vote or change to vote by mail. Pass out candidate or issue literature and pick up candidate swag! Sign up to help us around the office!

News and events will alway arise faster than this newsletter can come out. That is why the Fresno County Democratic Party website is the best place to get regular updates on upcoming events in the area, as well as information on ways to get involved. There is also information on scheduled meetings of the many Democratic clubs in Fresno County, so you can find one that most suits you and your interests

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The Democratic Party HQ (1033 U St ([link removed]) .) is open 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Monday–Friday. Call 559-495-0606 (tel:559-495-0606) or e-mail [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Re%3A%20Newsletter-8-31-22) for information or to volunteer.

Support your local Democratic Party by donation viaActBlue ([link removed]) or by mailing a check to Fresno County Democratic Party, P.O. Box 5795, Fresno, CA 93755.


Our newsletter is prepared by Francis Horan.

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