America First Republican Club
By Hope Horning
LW contributor
The America First Republican Club hosted two candidates, Gracey Van Der Mark for State Assembly (72nd District) and Noah Von Blom for U.S. Congress (42nd District) on April 15.
The club’s mission is to educate, engage, and activate members as citizens to not only vote, but work to elect like-minded candidates. Members had the opportunity to get to know the candidates during the question and answer session.
The club has decided to sponsor a “Meet the Candidates” special event open to all Leisure World residents. The candidate speakers will be Tony Strickland, current State Senator of the 36th District, and Michael Gates for California Attorney General. The event will be held on Saturday, May 2, in Clubhouse 3, Room 2, from 1-3 p.m. Note that this event is not on the club’s usual meeting day or time.
Club volunteers have been distributing the LW Republican Voter Guide since the first week of April. The Voter Guide can hang on a doorknob so people can keep it handy until the ballots are mailed out the first week of May. The election is not until June 2 and many members have asked for a convenient way to remember the club’s best candidate choices. The Voter Guide door hanger is designed with bright, red, white and blue panels in a size that can be carried when voting in person.
In this election year with campaign season commencing, the membership is reminded of the importance of civility in discourse with others who disagree with their political perspectives. As Get-Out-The-Vote efforts begin, folks will be going door-to-door distributing campaign literature and engaging in conversations supporting various candidates. These efforts are not considered soliciting, and every year residents are reminded that such activities are allowed in Leisure World. It is a violation of the Davis-Sterling Act to remove opposition literature from neighbors’ doors.The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that door-to-door vote activities are protected political speech under the First Amendment. It is not commercial solicitation and cannot be subjected to bans, permitting, no GRF or municipal ordinances. In Leisure World, no GRF or Mutual policy can restrict these activities.
The club’s information booth will be outside Clubhouse 6 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays starting in May from 9-11 a.m. Those who have misplaced or not received the Voter Guide can stop by the booth for another one. It is expected that civility in discourse will be the norm. Residents need to abide by the Leisure World Code of Conduct and to act in a civil, respectful manner, avoiding disruptive or threatening behavior. Inappropriate behavior will no longer be tolerated and a report will be made to Security.
