The August recess was hardly quiet with the President continuing in his unique manner, unwilling to find in his heart or his words the moral leadership to calm feelings after Charlottesville. He followed this with a decidedly unlofty use of his first Presidential pardon to free Sheriff Arpaio from punishment. At the behest of the President, Attorney General Sessions announced today that the Obama-era executive order on DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) is being rescinded, giving the Congress six months to act on the status of 800,000 immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children, if Congress so decides. Only days before Harvey slammed into Texas, the President signed orders reversing Obama-era federal regulations aimed at making infrastructure less vulnerable to flooding caused by climate change and sea-level rise when building or re-building after disasters. Steve Bannon and Sebastian Gorka may have departed the White House, but the President is still himself. He is now sporting approval ratings hovering at 34%, an historic low for this point in a modern presidency.
The Ventura County Democratic Party is already beginning to think about activities to support elections in 2018. It is likely to open an election office to support all Democratic candidates in our UFCW Orchid Building, beginning in January. I hope club members will volunteer enthusiastically in support of this effort when the time comes. We will also want volunteers to join the club's Endorsement Committee, so please let Committee Chair Tom Tibor know if you are interested in serving in this capacity.
The E-Board has decided to organize a Ready-to-Run Fundraising Event in January to support Democratic candidates, on or about January 20. Tom Tibor has agreed to lead this fundraiser, but he will need a number of volunteers who are ready to roll up their sleeves and work.
This month, we are looking forward to the Kennedy Legacy Dinner on September 24th at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Ventura ... with California Treasurer John Chiang as keynote speaker, Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones, and Board of Equalization Chair Fiona Ma acting as emcee. There will be a number of other elected officials and candidates in attendance. Carol Bley will be selling tickets at our Thursday meeting, and Ventura Party Chair John Griffin has promised us good tables based on our enthusiastic attendance at this year’s Spring Fling. I understand we have already filled one table and hope we will be able to fill a couple of more!
In the spirit of the Labor Day weekend, our featured speakers this Thursday will form a labor roundtable. We will also be electing our Vice President. Following our established precedent, CSU Channel Island Democratic Club co-president Jessica Romero is the nominee for the post. We will also take nominations from the floor, if any. I look forward to seeing you all there!