January Endorsements
February 3, 2010 by Nik, under Blog, Home.
On January 28, 2010, the Cal Berkeley Democrats endorsed four bills, ballot initiatives, and policy positions regarding both state and federal government. Members voted unanimously to support AB 656, the California Democracy Act, an end to the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
- AB 656 would place a 9.9% “severance” fee on oil companies, which drill in our lands and profit from our resources. Currently, California is the only oil-producing state without such a fee. AB 656 would raise $1 billion, all of which would be reserved for higher education.
- The California Democracy Act would end minority rule in the state legislature by removing the two-thirds requirement for budgets and taxes. It would allow the majority to govern in accordance with democratic principles, and end the current gridlock in Sacramento.
- The military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy currently mandates the discharge of openly gay service members. DADT is both a national security problem and a moral problem. Under it, the military has expelled thousands of capable soldiers during wartime. Moreover, DADT condones homophobia and denigrates service members who risk their lives for their county.
- The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), already passed by the Senate, would bring meaningful and long-overdue reform to our health care system. It would move our nation closer to universal coverage, insuring 31 million Americans and reducing up to 45,000 unnecessary deaths per year. It would also institute consumer protections, and shield Americans from abusive practices like rescission, discrimination based on pre-existing conditions, and annual or lifetime caps. PPACA would both expand coverage and lower costs, while actually reducing the deficit by more than a trillion dollars.
All four proposals have been added to Cal Berkeley Democrats’ platform. Cal Dems will work to support them over the coming months and beyond.
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The Cal Berkeley Democrats is the official arm of the Democratic Party at UC Berkeley.
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Mills Health Care Forum
December 21, 2009 by Nik, under Blog, Home, Media.
On December 7, Cal Dems Robbie Bruens and Nik Dixit spoke at a health care forum hosted by the Fem Dems at Mills College. Thanks to the Fem Dems for arranging the fantastic event!
Photos are below, and videos can be found here.
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Cal Dems at the Concessions!
December 19, 2009 by Maxim, under Home.
Not Pictured: Max Lord, Anna Trejo
On Saturday, December 5, a group of nine Cal Dems volunteered their time to go work the concession stand at the Men’s Basketball Game vs. Iowa State. To be honest, at first I wasn’t looking forward to spending 6 hours of my Saturday evening selling hot dogs, but hey, for 10% of the revenues, I figured it was worth it. But at the end of day not only did we make $176, it was a lot of fun! Granted, there was the occasional “difficult” customer, but overall we had a great time! To top it off, we got to eat $8 worth of food!
Cal Dems is definitely going to do this again, and when we do, I hope to see a bunch more of you join us! If we get enough people, we might even be able to work two stands and make twice the money!
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The Great Debate
December 2, 2009 by Anais, under Blog, Home, Media.
Watch the highlights!
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The Great Debate 2009: National Health Care Reform
November 17, 2009 by Nik, under Blog, Home.
Last Thursday, Cal Dems participated in its annual Great Debate versus the Berkeley College Republicans! The topic was national health reform, and it was a blast for all involved.
The event could not have happened without the hard work of many other individuals and organizations.
First, thanks to the Undergraduate Political Science Association, which put the debate together. They make this happen every year, and we apprericate their work.
Secondly, thanks to Professor Hassner for moderating. Very few professors are willing to sacrifice their evenings, and he acted with all the fairness and impartiality we could have hoped for.
Last, but not least, thanks to the Berkeley College Republicans for debating alongside us. As said on Thursday, we may have a friendly rivalry, but it’s always a pleasure to discuss our views and have a civil debate of ideas.
Over the next few days, we’ll have media coming in from the event. We’ll get some pictures on Flickr,* a video on YouTube, and some policy posts on our blog. Stay tuned!
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P.S. For in-depth policy analysis of BCR’s proposals, read this post. For more Cal Dems has done on health care, visit our Health Care Action Center!
* Update: Photos are up!
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Senator Mark Leno at Cal!
November 17, 2009 by Pegah Zardoost, under Blog, Home.
Join the Cal Dems on Tuesday, November 17th from 5:00 to 6:30 P.M. in West Pauley Ballroom in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Student Union Building for an event that’s sure to please – State Senator Mark Leno on The Future of LGBT California. Senator Leno represents San Francisco and authored the Harvey Milk Day Bill legislation, amongst many other shining accomplishments. So do join us! Bring your friends and wear your Cal Dems shirts!
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Making Tahoe Bear Territory
October 30, 2009 by Daniel, under Home.
This year’s CYD Lake Tahoe Retreat was incredible! Cal Dems was the largest college contingency at the retreat this year with over 40 members (and we made sure everyone knew it with every chant of “Go Bears!”). We had a blast getting to know each other and meeting other Young Dems from chapters around the state. Additionally, we met many candidates for statewide office and attended great leadership trainings on fundraising, health care reform, and many other topics.
We were humbled to be recognized at Tahoe as one of the top ten clubs in the state for voter registration, and to have our President, Claire Viall, recognized for all the wonderful things our club has been involved in this year, such as voter registration, health care reform advocacy, and LGBT issues. Thanks to all the Cal Dems who attended for making it so much fun for every one of us!
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Health Care Action Center
October 28, 2009 by Nik, under Blog, Home.
To help you lobby your representatives and advocate for health reform, Cal Dems has launched a Health Care Action Center!
Visit it at calberkeleydemocrats.com/healthcare to:
- Get the facts with our Health Care Fact Sheet
- Watch our video, “Expectations in Care”
- Read our op-ed, “Health Reform and Young People”
- Sign our petition for a public option
- Call your member of Congress
…and more!
Please visit calberkeleydemocrats.com/healthcare, and tell your friends to do the same. We’re the closest to reform that we’ve been in decades, and we must keep up the pressure.
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Phone Bank for Equality!
October 16, 2009 by Nik, under Blog, Home.
Stand up and defend equality! This may be Equality Month, but the LGBT community is still under attack.
For example, in Maine’s election on November 3, Question 1 will ask voters to eliminate marriage rights for same-sex couples. This contest will come down to the wire, and it’s one we can’t afford to lose.
Thankfully, there is something you can do. This Saturday, the Courage Campaign, Equality California, Cal Dems, and the San Francisco Democratic Party are hosting a phone bank on campus to make sure Maine votes NO on 1.
Volunteer to phone bank on Saturday and defend equality!*
From 12 to 4 in Eshleman Hall, we will call Maine’s citizens and tell them to vote NO on 1. We will tell them to reject the discrimination and bigotry which have pervaded our society, and denied equal rights for years.
Equality has strong momentum nationally, and we must make sure it continues. We can’t afford another Prop 8.
Sign up to phone bank for equality on Saturday!
Come for a few hours, a few minutes, or however long you can. But, please do come–Maine’s LGBT community needs your help.
* If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact our Finance Director, Andy Kelley.
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Walkout Advocacy Letters
October 1, 2009 by Nik, under Blog, Home.
At our meeting last Thursday, almost 100 Cal Dems signed letters urging their representatives to protect higher education in California.
You can view a copy of our letter here.
We told Sacramento to look for new revenues–including tobacco and oil severance fees–before squeezing students, faculty, and the future of our state. Our message was clear: we would rather have affordable education than affordable cigarettes.
This was a great first step, but it won’t be our last. Education is too important to fail.
