Democratic Club
by Mary Larson
LW contributor
Diana Carey, former vice-chair of the Orange County Democratic Party and a current school board member, was the featured speaker at the LW Democratic Club’s final gathering of the year on Nov. 30. Her presentation titled “Where Do We Go From Here?” ended with a challenge to those in attendance.
Before issuing that challenge, Carey outlined current efforts to use local school board elections across the country to cripple public education. She compared it to what happened during the earlier civil rights movement in the South.
She indicated that it appears that most challengers to incumbent school board members across Orange County were defeated in the November election. However, Carey predicted that there would be more recall efforts that Democrats would need to challenge in the near future.
Carey went on to point out the number of races in the just completed 2022 General Election in which only a few votes separated the winners from the losers. She challenged the club members to begin immediate efforts to prepare for the 2024 elections. She urged that in doing so the LW Democratic Club should focus on talking about the Biden administration’s successes to date which she listed as:
• Rebuilding infrastructure
• Benefits and services for veterans exposed to toxins
• First meaningful gun violence reduction legislation in 30 years
• Supreme Court justice Ketanji Brown-Jackson
• Student debt relief for middle- and working-class families
• More people working than at any point in American history
• More people have health insurance
• Executive orders protecting reproductive rights
• Providing funding to K-14 schools
• Providing relief to households during the pandemic ••• Democrats are reminded that there will be no club meeting this month. The next meeting will be on Wednesday, Jan. 25. Mariann Klinger, who is expected to be a candidate in a runoff election for Seal Beach City Council District 5, is scheduled to be the featured speaker.
The LW Democratic Club will work in support of Klinger during the weeks leading up to the Jan. 31 election. Anyone interested in helping in the effort to support Klinger’s election should contact sblwdemocraticclub@gmail.com or call 562-596-0450. ••• Thanks go once again to all Democrats and supporters who played such an important part in helping to make sure that Katie Porter continues to represent the LW community in Congress. The club is especially thankful for her focus on issues such as mental health, ending corruption, preventing gun violence and preserving Medicare and Social Security. ••• For more in-depth reporting on issues, Democrats and supporters are can subscribe to the club’s electronic newsletter for free. To subscribe, call 562-296-8521 or email democraticclubsblw@gmail.com. People are asked to include their full name, address and phone number and party affiliation.
