| Ranked Choice Vote ID | 161 |
|---|---|
| Ranked Choice Vote | Election: Coordinating Committee, 12 seats, July 2018 - June 2020 |
| Number of seats | 12 |
| Type | Secret Ballot |
| Ranked Choice Vote Administrator |
Victoria Ashley, Brian Good, Laura Wells, Eric Brooks |
| Phase |
Discussion |
| Discussion | 05/07/2018 - 06/17/2018 |
| Voting | 06/18/2018 - 06/24/2018 |
| Voting ends at Midnight Pacific Time | |
| Result | N/A |
|
Presens Quorum |
16 0.5001 |
|
Candidates (Click on each candidates name to see their statements.) General AssemblyGreen Party of CaliforniaHosted by San Joaquin County Green PartySaturday/Sunday, June 9-10, 2018Location:Burwood 1 room of the Wentworth Education Center, 2707 Transworld Drive, Stockton, CA 95206.General InformationDraft AgendaMinutesDelegatesRegistration
|
No other candidate |
Background
According to Green Party of California (GPCA) Bylaws 8-2.1, "The Coordinating Committee shall be composed of up to 24 voting members, with 12 men and 12 women. Six men and six women shall be elected each year to serve staggered, two year terms" (http://www.cagreens.org/bylaws/2016-07-23#Section_8-2_Membership).
These seats on the GPCA Coordinating Committee (CC) are specified in our bylaws as apportioned for six “male” and six “female” California Greens. However, the current CC has concluded that the decades-old Green Party of California bylaws were not intended to exclude any Greens who are non-binary, or any Greens who identify not as male nor female, or not solely as male or not solely as female. Rather, these gender-specific bylaws were intended to prevent monopolization of power by those who historically, in western culture, have held power (cis-male) to the exclusion of those whose opinions or rights have historically been suppressed.
The CC has passed a Bylaws Interpretation that any California Green who identifies as non-binary gender, as not male nor female, or not solely as male or not solely female, is eligible to apply to be a candidate and run for election to a seat on the GPCA CC. The call for candidates and other information about the CC election shall include information to make clear that non-binary gender candidates are not excluded and are eligible to apply and run for election to the CC. For implementation of the election, to prevent cis-male candidates from taking seats from other candidates who receive higher votes than the cis-males, rankings between all candidates will be determined by having all candidates for CC seats run together in a single CC rank-choice-vote election for the total 12 seats. (There will NOT be separate ballots for 6 "male" seats and 6 "female" seats ). Cis-males will be limited to 6 seats for the 6 males who receive the best rankings. It is possible for there to be less than 6 males elected if other candidates rank better than one or more of the male candidates, even if there are 6 or more male candidates running.
According to 8-4.1 "Elections shall be conducted each year by the Standing General Assembly using Ranked Choice Voting with a No Other Candidate option, with the six week discussion period beginning on the first Monday of May and the one week voting period commencing immediately thereafter." (http://www.cagreens.org/bylaws/2016-07-23#Section_8-4_Elections). 8-4.3(b) adds that "A full and detailed explanation of Ranked Choice Voting, an explanation of the No Other Candidate option, and an encouragement that delegates make their choices seriously and a reminder that they do not have to fill all seats unless they feel there are enough qualified candidates."
This election is for twelve two-year seats for vacancies on the GPCA Coordinating Committee (http://www.cagreens.org/committees/coordinating) for two year terms running from July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2020. The Coordinating Committee's Duties and Authority are found here http://www.cagreens.org/bylaws/2016-07-23#Section_8-1_Duties_and_Authority .
Ranked Choice Voting is explained here http://www.fairvote.org/reforms/fair-representation-voting/choice-voting • http://www.fairvote.org/reforms/instant-runoff-voting • http://www.sfgov2.org/index.aspx?page=876 • http://www.acgov.org/rov/rcv.Ranking 'No Other Candidate' (NOC) means once NOC passed the approval threshold, no further candidates will be elected, other than those (if any) who have already been elected before NOC reached the threshold.
Candidate Information
* * *
Bio and Statement - Marla Bernstein
My name is Marla Bernstein and I am applying for a seat on the Coordinating Committee.
I am currently a member of the Coordinating Committee. I have been on the Coordinating Committee for 4 years. I was a member of the Finance Committee, Clearinghouse, and I am currently on the GPUS Delegation.
In the Finance Committee I did odd jobs, such as, data entry, helping move along the Fundraising letters, keeping track of payments, and participating in discussions about Budgets.
I want to continue on the Coordinating Committee. It is meaningful to me.
In the past I have been a volunteer for Pacifica Radio Archives and the Radio Station KPFK. I communicated with many different people. In the Archives I did organizational work with Archival material and recordings.
I have done a lot of work duplicating recordings on to CD.
Currently I had been looking out for an older person occasionally.
I help run the Los Angeles Friends Meeting [Quaker}. I help do odd jobs for a living.
My active participation in the Community in South Los Angeles has given me great insight into this particular Community.
I hope to continue to participate in the Green Party of California.
I have attended many General Assemblies in the past and hope to use my knowledge of people from all walks of life to Grow the Green Party of California.
* * *
Bio and Statement - Carol Bouldin
Background:
I have been a feminist activist since the 70’s, marching for the ERA and reproductive rights; I was a member of NOW, NARAL, WAVAW (Women Against Violence Against Women), participated in consciousness-raising and a local NOW group [even played the role of Susan B. Anthony in a play put on by the Orange County chapter], a member of ZPG (now Population Connection), supported the Sierra Club, registered Green in 1990 (subsequently was NPP and Peace & Freedom), campaigned for Bernie Sanders, then registered Green again in 2016 following his capitulation, then helped re-start the San Bernardino County Green Party, revived the Inland Greens, making it a Red-Green Coalition, campaigned for Jill Stein, have served on the county council and the SGA, and participated in the local incipient DSA.
Over the years I have participated in rallies/marches for social justice, labor rights, against the IRAQ wars, started a Move-to-Amend chapter in the Inland Empire, was part of the effort that resulted in passing a local resolution by the Redlands City Council, attended homelessness coalition meetings, worked against environmental degradation, was active in 3 different Occupies (OCV, Occupy Redlands, Occupy Riverside) where as a member of Women Occupy wrote the Women’s Declaration that was read at the femGA in Philadelphia in 2012, was very involved in opposing the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and have actively worked for Internet freedom/net neutrality. So I have been involved in a wide range of issues with a number of different groups.
Skills:
I am able to hear all sides of an issue and I think remain relatively rational and objective—I am a family therapist by profession, which involves lot of training and experience in communication and conflict resolution, so have some of those skills to bring to the table. I think I will be an asset in facilitating open and honest discussion and hopefully a moderating influence on the committee to help it reach well-considered, democratic decisions.
* * *
Bio and Statement - June Brashares
Biography:
I've been a registered Green Party member for over 17 years. I've served as an elected Member of the Coordinating Committee from 2012-2014 and 2016 to present.
From 2000-2009, I was active in the Green Party in San Francisco and was elected to serve on the SF County Council from 2002 to 2004. Since moving to Sonoma County in 2009, I've been a member of the Sonoma County Green Party County Council from 2010 to the present. I've also served as a member of the California delegation to GPUS from 2007 to 2011, and from 2012 to the present. I've been a Delegate to the National Green Party Conventions in 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016.
In 2000, I was the Campaign Manager for Green Party candidate Medea Benjamin's campaign for US Senate. I've also worked as the CA Campaign Co-Manager for Jill Stein in the 2012 California Green Party Presidential Primary, and on signature drives to successfully place Jill Stein on the ballot in Alabama, Kentucky and Virginia for the 2012 General Election for President. I have volunteered on numerous other Green Party campaigns.
I have a degree in Political Science from the University of California San Diego and have worked for organizations such as CalPIRG (1987-1988), USD's Center for Public Interest Law (1988-1996), the San Diego & Imperial Counties Labor Council (1998-1999), and Global Exchange (1999-2012). Since 2013, I've worked in the profession of clean renewable energy. I currently serve on the Steering Committee of the Local Clean Energy Alliance.
What I wish to accomplish on the Coordinating Committee:
I would like to continue to serve on the Coordinating Committee to help the GPCA operate effectively, be welcoming to new members and assist their engagement, and work toward the Green Party becoming a more robust electoral arm in the service of movements for social, environmental, racial and economic justice. I would like to focus on efforts that make the Green Party successful in increasing its diversity and the participation of young Greens.
Thank you for your consideration of my candidacy.
* * *
Bio and Statement - Iain Burnett
My name is Iain Burnett, and I aim to be a positive, forward-thinking, and effective addition to the Coordinating Committee for the Green Party of California. A recent member of the Green Party’s ranks, my life experience and education have prepared me to help progress this party to prominence in California politics.
Biography
I currently work as a project engineer at Traditional Medicinals, an herbal tea company based in Sebastopol. In addition to continuous improvement efforts, I also lead major capital projects that touch on all aspects of the company’s operations. As part of a small team, my duties are holistic and allow me to develop solutions that improve employee safety, product quality, and operating efficiency (in that order).
Prior to this, I started a company that sold custom survival packs; although ultimately unprofitable, the invaluable experience taught me the challenges and opportunities many small business owners face. Before entrepreneurship, I worked as a researcher and design engineer at a major biotech company, with a brief intermediate role as a manufacturing engineer at a defense company. Although these positions may be unusual on the resume of a Green Party member, my experiences have given me valuable insights into American economics
I received my bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from UC Santa Barbara in 2009, where I completed my senior project with the marine biology department’s estuary research program. This coming fall I plan to apply and, if accepted, enroll in Sonoma State University’s Masters in Public Administration program. My planned thesis is to develop a scalable and reproducible county apprenticeship program that transitions high school students into meaningful civic and corporate engagement, with an initial focus on underserved communities and the underutilized talent they represent.
My early life in a small suburb of Boston laid the groundwork for my values of respect and equality, helped by a public school system that emphasized civic engagement and my childhood involvement in the Scouts. An avid hiker since my youth, I came to love the wilderness and the plants and animals that co-inhabit our home planet. Besides for a two year stretch spent in eastern Washington, I have lived in California since 2004 and recently purchased a home with my wife in Sonoma County.
Goals
Since gaining the right to vote, I have participated as an independent in every election. Though I tended towards Democratic candidates, I researched each vote and followed my instincts towards whoever was best for the position, be that Green, Libertarian, or Republican. However, the past decade has jaded me toward today’s two-party dominated, old-boy network political system – due to corporate donations and behind the scene deals, candidates never truly serve the people or live up to campaign promises. I have long wanted to make substantial changes in this country for the benefit of our world and its inhabitants, and knew I needed to join the party that best shared my values to bring those goals to fruition.
Long term I seek elected office in administrative or executive positions, starting at the county level and working up as appropriate. To ready myself I need solid experience within the Green Party, and supporting the Coordinating Committee seems like the best way to help the party, today and tomorrow.
Issues-wise, my primary focus is economic equality and environmental protection; economy literally means management of the home, and the two are inextricably linked. However, I won’t bring any preconceived goals into my role – I am open to doing what the Green Party needs of me and developing as I grow into the position.
I would approach my responsibilities on the Coordinating Committee wholeheartedly, and see many similarities between my current job and the committee duties. My personal values, education, and experience have taught me to look at issues compassionately and get input from all angles, coming to the best solution possible within the constraints of scope, budget, and timeline. I am focused, dedicated, and patient, and know how to get things done and when to reach out for help.
Please consider my role in the Coordinating Committee as the beginning of a long term relationship with the Green Party that will serve the needs of all people in our state, country, and world.
* * *
Bio and Statement - Deatra Cohen
Since being elected to the GPCA Coordinating Committee late last year, I've learned so much about our state party. I've learned that there are many Greens who are passionately committed to growing this party not only in numbers but in our responsiveness to the concerns of the citizens of California. And by extension, by people around the world.
As we've seen in recent months, many important movements are quickly gaining momentum to strengthen workers' rights; to protect native lands from the destruction wrought by pipelines and other so-called development; to demand an end to wars here at home and abroad; to call for free healthcare and public education; to forgive crushing student debt.
GPCA must champion all of these concerns and more to be the transformative agent for change it is meant to be. Let's keep GPCA a transparent, democratic home for passionate people committed to overturning the current culture of exploitation both in their own communities and around the world. I have tried to do my part for the GPCA and my own community since helping reactivate the Green Party of Yolo County in 2016 and serving on my county council. My Green Party activities have also included serving as an SGA delegate, attending two of the last three GAs, helping plan last year’s Central Regional Gathering in Davis, and serving on the Fundraising Committee. Throughout, I have been a committed proponent of grassroots democracy, decentralization, transparency and helping rebuild the Green Party in rural California.
I'm committed to growing our party and keeping it a welcoming place for revolutionaries and peacemakers, environmentalists and educators and for anyone who has the passion and courage to confront what oppresses because a better world isn't just possible, it's mandatory.
My bid for a continued seat on the CC is to keep the momentum going because we've only just begun.
* * *
Bio and Statement - Mike Feinstein
I have been a Green since October 1988, was a founding member of the GPCA and co-facilitated the founding meeting; and have been involved on almost every level of the party, from Santa Monica where I live, to being one of the early global Green pioneers and eventually helping to found the Global Greens. I also served eight years on the Santa Monica City Council, including two years as Mayor.
On the Coordinating Committee I have played many roles over the years, and provided initiative, capability, capacity and institutional memory. I played a key role in the GPCA having a clear written work plan to keep track of dates and plan for key tasks, and having that also apply to the Coordinating Committee itself. I also spearheaded the effort to consolidate all of the Coordinating Committees internal procedures in one place, for perhaps 15 years or more, they were scattered in different documents and minutes.
As a designee of the Coordinating Committee, I’ve helped lead the way for our party to get our own section of the California Elections Code, after a decade of the party unsuccessfully trying. I also helped lead negotiations to get the State Elections Code amended to lower the voter registration threshold to keep the smaller parties on the ballot.
My strategic vision for our party is to change the electoral system so that we can be elected in proportion to our real support in society. I've been active visiting Greens around the world, and seen how we do under proportional representation systems. While we work towards that, I favor a strong focus on municipal races, and a mix of higher level races for wider visibility for the party, and the ability to speak to statewide and national issues.
* * *
Bio and Statement - Colt Gonzales
My name is Colt Gonzales and I would like to apply to join the Green Party of California's Coordinating Committee.
I joined the Green Party and began working on the Jill2016 campaign midway through 2016 with a group of locally organized Green Party members as "Central Valley for Jill Stein". After the election, we worked together to create our county's first official County Council. Since then our council has worked diligently to grow our county party and built necessary infrastructure to support those endeavors. While attending the past three GPCA General Assemblies I joined the I/T and Fundraising Committees. I have since been elected as a Co-Coordinator of both of these committees and work with their members and members of other committees to get things done. I am also an SGA Delegate and proud to say that our County Council will be hosting the next GPCA General Assembly in San Joaquin County in June 2018.
My goal in joining the GPCA has always been to help grow and maintain a strong party in order to facilitate a large influx of new Greens and socialist progressives. My goal as a member of the Coordinating Committee would be no different. We need to put up an even stronger challenge to the corrupt Democratic party and I want to be a part of growing that. I look forward to working with other committee members and appreciate your consideration of my application.
* * *
Bio and Statement - Randy Hicks
My name is Randy Hicks. I am a proud member of the Sacramento Green Party and of the state and national Green Party chapters. The reason that I joined the Green Party was due to the Democratic candidate for governor choosing to support the death penalty during the 2002 recall election. I have been involved in politics for 32 years supporting campaigns for various candidates who supported progressive causes. I also believe that after working for the Democratic party till the 2002 election, we need a 3rd party such as the Green Party that endorses and supports progressive causes such as Single Payer Health Care and Instant Runoff elections.
I was born and raised in an progressive area of Iowa, which is a very conservative state. I moved to Minnesota, where I received my Associates of Art degree in Sales and Marketing. I used my degree to promote progressive Green Party causes.
I moved to California, where I continued to support progressive causes. I had the opportunity to join Californians for Disability Rights, Inc., where I became active in supporting disability rights. I was then appointed by the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors to sit on the Disability Advisory Commission. As a member of the DAC, I learned to run meetings and Robert's Rules of Order. In addition, I have supported many other causes such as, environmental and economic justice, the Older Women's League. Health Care for All California, America Civil Liberties Union, LGBTQ rights, and introduced legislation on all of these causes to the California State Senate and Assembly.
As a member of LGBTQ community, I have worked with the Democratic party on LGBTQ causes. The Democratic party has only supported the LGBTQ community when they need our votes or are forced to support LGBTQ causes. For future generations of the LGBTQ community, the Green Party supports their causes.
As a proud member of the Sacramento Green Party, I believe that I can represent the key values of the party at the local and state levels. In addition, I ran for the Green Party council and won the seat. I am one of the few Green Party members who are currently sitting on an appointed or elected seat in Sacramento County.
What do I wish to accomplish on the Coordinating Council?
I am running for the Green Party Coordinating Council with new progressive ideas and bring a sense of order to the GPCA. As a member of the Coordinating Council, I also want to endorse the causes that serve all of our Green Party members at the local, state, national levels. I also wish to uphold all of the 10 key values of the Green Party.
As someone who has sat on the Sacramento Green Party Council and has ran successfully as a candidate for the Sacramento County Green Party Council, I have served all of the counties of California as a Green Party delegate in order bring change, progress, and viability to the Green Party.
I also believe that as a member of various county and state non profits and boards, I understand the processes needed to run a successful and organized campaign that represents and serves the interests of members of these organizations.
As a volunteer for various local and state government organizations who has ran successful campaigns for elected seat, I believe that I have the knowledge, experience, and knowhow to help the Green Party to be the party of the future.
I would be proud to represent the Green Party of California at the local and state levels.
* * *
Bio and Statement - Sasha Karlik
I have been an active, registered California Green since our party's founding in 1990-1992 and participated with integrity and earnest intensity in the 1990-1992 registration drive that qualified us for the California ballot. Since then I've been involved with the party in a various campaigns and grassroots efforts, including tabling, voter registration, ballot access campaigns for the Green Party and Green party Candidates in several states, marches and demonstrations. Since 2010, I have been serving on the GPLAC (Los Angeles County) County Council, and between 2014-2016 have served as the male co-coordinator. I also have a background in IT-related tasks, have worked with the GPCA's Cameron Spitzer in this regard since 1999 and in June 2013, was appointed to the GPCA IT Committee.
In May 2012, I was elected to the Coordinating Committee to fill the second year of an unfilled two-year term, then elected to a two-year term in 2013. Even before I was elected, I felt that my experience with Green values and my patience in understanding the challenges in implementing them in the real world, would serve me well as part of the Coordinating Committee. I enjoyed my time on the Coordinating Committee, but was only able to participate in some of the meetings, because of ongoing work obligations. However, my work schedule has changed and I currently have fewer time conflicts. I would like to run again for the State Coordinating Committee.
I am also a Longshoreman, (ILWU Local 13 member) in Los Angeles. Other interests are permaculture, integrative health and healing arts, music, science, spirituality, yoga, meditation.
I care deeply about our whole existence and all of the beings with whom we live and share this planet.
* * *
Bio and Statement - James Lauderdale
I am 69 years old and retired.
I live with my wife of 30 years in the San Gabriel Valley near Los Angeles in the 22nd State Senatorial District. We are both active in the East LA Greens.
I have been a registered Green since 2004, where I supported Peter Camejo in his several State and Federal election efforts. I had known Peter for over forty years. We had met and been associated in the revolutionary socialist movement beginning in the 1960’s.
Before retiring in 2014, I worked for seventeen years at various configurations of SEIU (Service Employees International Union, the largest union of public employees in the City and County of Los Angeles) in the capacity of organizer, and then doing administrative litigation. This latter was as lead senior civil service advocate, defending workers who were facing disciplinary action in the civil service system covering blue collar workers in the City of Los Angeles as well as thirteen other cities in LA County; I also handled disciplinary and contract violations that I litigated through the arbitration process.
In the mid nineties I was the chief negotiator for the Registered Nurses (SEIU) bargaining unit in Los Angeles County.
I also worked as the Arbitration Director and Negotiator for Local 132, Utility Workers Union at Southern California Gas.
I was a delegate for three years to the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor.
Prior to the union staff positions, I worked as Journeyman Union Carpenter for sixteen years in Colorado and California.
I attended college at the University of Colorado but was thrown out for antiwar activity during the 1970 Cambodia Invasion.
I became politically active around the Cuban Revolution and civil rights movement. I belonged to the Denver chapter of SNCC in 1964. I have been a militant, revolutionary socialist since I was fifteen.
I am from Boulder Colorado.
The work of building a ballot status, organizing party is difficult and extremely time consuming. It requires rethinking what it means to organize, and what it means to run and, occasionally, win. Our job is not to convince those who rule that we are trustworthy and competent, but rather to convince our newly emerging political base that those who rule are neither trustworthy or competent.
Politics in this country is about the social alliances that are wound together to create and enable class rule.
We need to stitch together a new social coalition the enables the transition to a new rule by a new class, the class of wage earners. Millions of these newly politicized people were energized and emerged out of the Sanders campaign, as well as new issues that have arisen and continue to arise. We need to organize them and enable them to exert an new and different kind of political power.
We need to register thousands more Green voters across the state to open up the California Green Party to being a truly statewide party. Our electoral campaigns need to see this registration process as central.
We need to fashion a national Party out of 50 statewide parties.
We need to be an electoral vehicle for the movements that are emerging.
We need to see the Green Party as a crucial but initial part of a process of building a party that can lead and activate millions. We have work to do.
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Bio and Statement - Jon Louis Mann
Web Page: http://www.smartvoter.org/2012/11/06/ca/la/vote/mann_j/
I would like to be on the Coordinating Committee to increase my participation as a Green so that it represents the ideals and to work toward making the Green Party a powerful voice in local, national and world governments. I am a committed member of the Green Party, promoting sustainability in our community and environment, justice in our social programs and as an advocate for resident rights in our local neighborhoods.
The Green part stands for nonviolence, social justice, grass roots, participatory, democratic, consensus decision-making as well as environmentalism. I would like to promote inclusion for anyone who has been disenfranchised from participating in local Green politics by attempts to exclude those who refuse to join personality cult role.
I have run for Santa Monica City Council 16 times and have only received the endorsement of the Green Party once, due to virulent opposition from Michael Feinstein for refusing to be one of his puppets, and for my strident opposition to local gentrification in Santa Monica. I was an activist in support of Measure LV in 2016 (the LUVE amendment), the resident referendum to oppose over development. Michael Feinstein manipulated the LA County Greens to OPPOSE measure LV!
I became radicalized in 1963 when I was based at Anacostia Naval Air Station in SW Washington D.C. during the Poor Peoples March On Washington. We were told there would be a race riot and confined to base. I was reduced in rank to Seaman for going AWOL to see Martin Luther King.
After the Navy, I was a member of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). After college I joined the New American Movement (NAM), founded by Dorothy Healy. I was also at Kent State, the Battle in Seattle, the Million Mom March and every Moratorium against the Vietnam war. Recently I was a Peacekeeper for Bernie Sanders at the Democratic National Convention.
I have long been a Santa Monica resident and internet activist. I became active in local politics in Feb. 1989 through the Public Electronic Network (PEN) and when the city pulled the plug on Pen I ran for City Council the first time.
The phenomenal growth of computer networking, what Alan Toffler calls the information revolution in his book, the"Third Wave", and the spread of the World Wide Web has given us internet surfing, web blogging, pornography, E-bay, Craig's List, Amazon, social media and a variety of interactive electronic interfaces that disseminate information, levels the playing field of information exchange and exposes bigotry, hoaxes propaganda and dis-information (Fake News).
Knowledge is power, whether it is truth to power, or not, as shown by tabloid journalism, talk radio and FOX News. All of this contributes to America's divisive, and often deviant, cultural image.
My top priority for Santa Monica is to Implement a Virtual Town hall on the city website to be the first municipality to provide free internet service to enable citizens to have direct input into policy making decisions, and transparency in order to hold city officials accountable by exposing incompetence, conflict of interest and corruption in city government.
RESUME
OBJECTIVE: To continue my airline career with supplemental charter airlines in a rapidly changing travel industry.
I was previously employed by American Trans Airways and worked Hadj, refugee, prisoner, United Nation peace keeper and military flights into Mideast, North Africa, Bosnia, Jordan, Timor, Cyprus, Darfur, Kuwait Afghanistan, Iraq and Vietnam.
Prior to that I worked for Intercontinental Airways providing the only civilian air transportation under difficult and sometimes hazardous conditions during civil disturbances in N'Djamena, Tchad.
MILITARY: United States Navy
EDUCATION: California State University at Northridge.
Bachelor of Arts – Behavioral Science
CREDENTIAL: District Intern Program - LAUSD
TRAINING: Peace Officer and Flight Attendant qualified
EXPERIENCE:
Los Angeles County: Deputy Probation Officer
California Youth Authority: Parole Agent
L.A. Unified School District: Pio Pico Middle School - 8th Grade
Intercontinental Airways: Flight Attendant Manager
American Trans Air: Flight Attendant
Santa Monica/Malibu Unified School District: Substitute Teacher
* * *
Bio and Statement - Lauren Mauricio
I was born and raised in Tulare County in a very conservative family. I assure you, I have come a long ways since then. In 2015, I was in my junior year of college, working on my Bachelor’s degree in History & Political Science at East Texas Baptist University in Marshall, TX when I started to view the world differently. In 2016, I dropped out of college, came back to the southern San Joaquin Valley, and started following Bernie Sander’s campaign.
When Bernie Sanders gave up the primary election, I started seeking out other presidential candidates. That’s when I discovered Dr. Jill Stein, the Green Party, and the Green New Deal. I discovered that the Green Party stood for everything I believed in: democracy, peace, and caring for each other and the environment. I had finally found my family, and I was all in.
I started attending Green Party meetings in late 2016. The Green Party of Tulare County had been dormant for many years prior, but thanks to the efforts of passionate, new members, such as Fernando Serrano and myself, we were reconnected with the state party. I was elected as our GA and SGA Delegate early last year, and I was reelected to these positions last July. As my county’s delegate to the GPCA, I have worked hard to keep my county chapter connected to the state party and to get them involved with the Green Party in a wider scope.
If elected to the state Coordinating Committee, I will seek unity within The Green Party of California. I believe that everyone who adheres to the Ten Key Values stands for the same major principles and that lesser differences can be worked out. I will seek fundraising solutions that will help grow the state party, not only in registration numbers, which is very important, but also in supporting our candidates running for office. I would also like to see inactive and dormant counties reactivated and involved in state party politics, because we need them.
Thank you for your consideration. I love you all, and I hope I have your vote. People, planet, and peace over profit!
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Bio and Statement - Ann Menasche
Biography
I have been a socialist, a feminist, an environmentalist and a grass roots activist for my entire adult life. Some of the highlights of my activism was organizing numerous anti-war protests from the days of Vietnam through the invasion of Iraq; marching with Harvey Milk for gay and lesbian rights in the 1970's; organizing the March for Women's Lives in San Francisco in the 1980's; founding a lesbian feminist organization that lasted through the early 90's; becoming President of my Legal Aid Workers Union (Local 2320 UAW) at my job; and becoming a central organizer for the local marriage equality movement a few years ago.
I have had a forty year career as a Civil Rights attorney fighting discrimination and injustice through the courts. Much of my work now is focused on the affordable housing crisis and the abuse of people who are homeless, especially those with disabilities.
My Green Party work & vision
I have been a Green since the Party first established itself in California. I was a candidate for Secretary of State in 2010, receiving 3% of the vote. I have worked for Nader and Jill Stein's campaigns. This past year, I helped found the San Diego Progressive Alliance with fellow Greens and with Berniecrats, modeled after the Progressive Alliance in Richmond. We are supporting a local candidate for City Council and Gayle McLaughlin's campaign on a state level. We also recently sponsored a forum that included some of our statewide Green Party candidates, Gayle, and corporate free local candidates.
I have been on the County Council for the San Diego Green Party for a number of years. For the last two years I have been serving on the Coordinating Committee and also co-coordinating the Election Reform Working Group.
My vision for the Green Party is that we can break out of our isolation and overcome a stacked electoral system to create a mass party of working people that can fight patriarchal white supremacist militaristic capitalism that is destroying the planet's ability to sustain human life, and that we can run serious campaigns that pose a real challenge to the corporate duopoly. To build such a party, we need to create a welcoming atmosphere and be open to bringing in new activists disillusioned with the Democrats, and working with other non-corporate forces to the Left of the Democrats. We should encourage the creation of Progressive Alliances at the local level while making sure they do not become a substitute for building our Party.
It is easy to get stuck in our ways when we are so small, and to become overly rigid. We can keep our Green values and independence while simplifying our procedures and remaining flexible enough to take advantage of the opportunities that may present themselves.
The Green Party should also begin to reflect the full diversity of the population in this state. That includes bringing in more people of color into the leadership and encouraging more women and people of color to run for office. While we should encourage people with the full range of gender identities and expression including those who identify as non-binary to join our party and to run for its leadership bodies, this should not be done by sacrificing the guaranteed 50% female representation we now enjoy. Those of us born female - half California's population - are still oppressed and discriminated against based on our sex as the "Me Too" movement attests and continue to be underrepresented in our government on all levels. In order to avoid pitting one oppressed or subordinated group against the other, we should continue the 50% female representation on the CC and turn the male positions into gender neutral ones open to everyone. Also, we should set aside seats for people of color to join the CC and actively recruit and encourage them to run for the CC.
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Bio and Statement - Nassim Nouri
Statement:
I am applying to the Coordinating Committee with the main goal of helping build an inclusive, effective and functional infrastructure for GPCA. Utilizing my experience in building and supporting collaborative teams and effective communication paths, I hope to help the Coordinating Committee in reaching the various GPCA organizations to integrate a state-wide inclusive vision. This enables us to proudly reflect our platform and values across the state and grow the Green Party of California through an organized voter registration and coalition building campaign.
My vision for the Green Party is for us to grow into more than an electoral alternative, but to take our place as the moral imperative in our government. To reach this goal we need to engage all those who have been driven out of participating in our democracy, and effectively communicate our platform, potential and pride in the Green Party.
Biography & experience:
I immigrated to the US from Iran at age 13 and went to school, college and graduate school on the east coast. I have lived in NJ, MD, LA, and for over 20 years, in CA. After an academic career in genetics and medical research and another, taking on many roles in science, R&D, operations, and marketing in biotech startups I retired from science in 2009. Since then, I have worked in philanthropy, volunteering and serving on boards of non-profits primarily focused on local and global health and education, currently I continue to stay engaged in a few of these organizations.
In 2015, I was politically activated and campaigned for Senator Bernie Sanders, helping build a very active ‘Silicon Valley for Bernie’ campaign group and running as a delegate for Sanders. I met Dr. Jill Stein during the DNC in Philadelphia and started campaigning for her as soon as I got back to CA, when I co-founded the South Bay for Jill Stein campaign group. I was joined by many Bernie supporters turned Green, and we applied everything we learned about grassroots organizing to revitalize the Santa Clara County Green Party.
My professional and technical experience, of potential use to the GPCA Coordinating Committee, include building highly functional and resource-limited teams, working collaboratively across disciplines and functionalities, setting up lean infrastructures, authoring technical and organizational literature, creating communication and media plans, websites, training & collateral packages. My experience also extends to Biotech operations, using enterprise resource management tools for manufacturing, production, document and inventory control.
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Bio and Statement - Ajay Rai
My name is Ajay Rai and I am reapplying to fill a vacant seat on the GPCA Coordinating Committee since my current term expires at the end of June 2018.
I am currently the GPCA CC member and also hold the co -coordinator position on the GP of Los Angeles CC. While on the CC, I have been pretty active in participating the meetings and interfacing with the IT issues since I was also the former IT co coordinator. I have been active at the State level of GPCA for the last 5-6 years and have been involved in building up the party apparatus through various means. I have attended several General Assemblies and been involved in state level campaigns.
Nationally, I have been involved in the GPUS Committee on Bylaws, Rules, Policies and Procedures and been an alternate delegate to GPUS.
Locally in Los Angeles, I am currently the co coordinator of GPLAC Coordinating Committee. I was also involved in couple of Green party election campaigns most notable with the Luis Rodriguez run for the California Governor office. I have been the LA county delegate to the GA for many instances.
I have participated in various social justice activities for more than 20 years. I have also been involved with the ACLU in Colorado and in Florida. I have participated and been recognized for my social justice works while in law school in Miami. Outside of the Green Party, I am software project manager with an engineering degree in electronic degree and a Masters' in Computer Science. I also have a law degree. I have worked in the computer industry for over 20 years. I have been a programmer and a designer both at startups and in large companies such as IBM. Currently, I am a co founder of a software product company concentrating on product development using web technologies.
Currently, the GPCA CC is losing good historical experience and knowledge with several experienced members leaving. I would like to stay on to provide a balanced prospective for future growth of the party, help in any technological initiatives that are urgently required for the party to stay relevant and for continuity of the committee. I would continue to work to increase membership of the green party by building processes for voter registration drives and setting/highlighting good governance practices.
Green Party of California
Member, GPCA CC ( 2016 - 2018)
Co chair of the GPCA IT committee (June 2014 - Oct 2017 )
SGA member from Los Angeles county, 2014 - now
LA county delegate to the GPCA General Assembly
Sacramento (Sacramento) June 17th
San Francisco (San Francisco County) May 14-15, 2016
San Jose (Santa Clara) June 27-28, 2015
Seaside (Monterey County) January 24-25, 2015
Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara County) June 21-22, 2014
Santa Rosa (Sonoma County) November 16-17, 2013
Napa (Napa County), June 22-23, 2013
Green Party of USA ( GPUS)
Member , Committee on Bylaws, Rules, Policies and Procedures, 2015 - now
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Bio and Statement - Tyan Schesser
Vision:
As a member of the Coordinating Committee my goal will be to strategize and organize for the purpose of expanding the participation and advancement of the Green Party. Our current political system is held captive by the two party system and the expansion of the Green Party is our strongest option to break free from a government continuously ruled by corporate profit driven elected officials who do not work to serve the people. By helping voters have viable Green Party candidates and increasing the public awareness of the Green Party's strength as a 3rd party, we can start to crack open a broken system and make way for a government that truly serves the people and cares for the planet rather than profiting greedy individuals and keeping us in perpetual wars which is accelerating us toward destruction.
Experience and Skills:
Campaign Coordinator, Angelica Duenas, Green Party – CA29 Congressional Election, January 2018 – Present
- Coordinate with Canvass Captain and volunteers for signature gathering to be on the ballot.
Field Organizer, Kenneth Mejia, Green Party – CA34 Congressional Election, Dec 2016 – April 2017
Managed west region of the district by supervising, training, and recruiting volunteers, organizing phone banks and door knocking, contacting key neighborhood allies, and initiating meet and greets in the district.
Strategized with core team to prioritize and schedule canvassing activities and increase voter turnout.
Supported media team by managing communication, coordinating interviews and publications, and conducting interviews for social media promotion.
Utilized NationBuilder, Facebook, Slack, PDI, and social media to coordinate and plan campaign activities.
California School-Age Consortium – Senior Trainer, 2011 – Present
Deliver professional development for “out of school time” program staffs, with additional certification in English Language Learners program and Science Action Club.
Provide coaching and technical assistance via phone, email, and site visits.
Strategize and collaborate with state agencies developing out of school time leadership.
Use internet-based platforms for admin, reports, data, and remote communications with collaborators.
Los Angeles Education Partnership – Community School Coordinator, 2013 – 2015
Supported 3 LAUSD pilot schools by surveying, strategizing, and planning with teachers, students, and partners for interdisciplinary projects, college access, student-led conferences, and internships.
Initiated public relations and partner recruitment by managing social media and targeted outreach.
Managed relationships with businesses and agencies such as Linked Learning, Glassell Park Neighborhood Council, JAXX Theatricals, and UCLA After School program.
Led collaborative job skills workshops culminating in mock interview events with 200 11th graders, 30 business professionals, and 5 partner agencies.
Community Corporation of Santa Monica, Affordable Housing, 2009 – 2013
Resident Services Coordinator
Organized with residents and partner agencies to build community by coordinating employment services, adult education, English language instruction, financial literacy, computer literacy, and youth services.
Planned monthly workshops including recruiting presenters and managing contracts and budgets.
Launched annual college bus tours for students to visit California Universities with their families.
Created marketing and administrative documents such as: weekly reports, attendance logs, waivers, contracts, and registration documents.
UP-Grade Coordinator (homework assistance program)
Created and implemented customized homework assistance program (called “UP-Grade”) in affordable housing community rooms, promoting a culture of academic success among members and families.
Supported parent capacity building and modeled as a peer advocate by joining IEP and school meetings with the goal of increasing parent self-efficacy.
Provided individual assistance for students’ college and financial aid applications.
Trained, managed, and mentored program staff and volunteers.
Wrote UP-Grade policies and procedures program manual.
Beverly Hills Physicians – Event and Promotional Marketing Coordinator, 2007 – 2009
Generated leads, contacts, and consultations by coordinating trade show presence in LA area.
Hired, trained, and supervised event staff.
Carney Educational Services, 2005 – 2007
After School Program Director
Managed and supervised staff for 7 sites including coordinators, teachers, and substitute teachers.
Hired, trained, and coached 30-40 person team to provide quality after school programs.
Managed relationships with school administrators, partners, parents, and stakeholders.
After School Site Coordinator, John Burroughs Middle School, Queen Anne Elementary
Managed 4-7 staff members program delivery of curriculum, instruction, snack, and supervision.
Managed communication with parents, teachers, administrators and central office.
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Bio and Statement - Adam Siegel
After decades of registering NPP (despite voting Green as far back as 1996), I re-registered Green in 2016. Since becoming active in the GPCA, I helped reactivate the Yolo County Organization in the fall of 2016, and currently serve on the Yolo County Council. I served as a delegate for the 2017 Kern General Assembly and attended the 2017 Ventura GA. I currently serve as a SGA delegate. I was appointed to the GPCA Bylaws Committee last year, and was recently elected Co-Co. I also currently serve as a GPCA member of the GPUS Platform Committee. As a Green activist, I helped organize last year's Central Regional Gathering in Davis, and am currently planning a second one to be held in the fall of 2018. As a member of an active County Organization, I have been part of a successful push to revise the GPCA Bylaws to ensure that both County Organizations and standing committees can not only function, but also thrive, as an influx of energy and enthusiasm revitalizes the Green Party. Outside my Green life, I have been a delegate for a number of statewide organizations over the years: California Federation of Teachers, Sacramento Central Labor Council, and the Librarians Association of the University of California. I have worked for the University of California for many years (as a librarian), and am a dual card (IWW/UC-AFT) rank-and-file shop steward.
If I am elected to serve on the Coordinating Committee I will continue the work I have engaged in since becoming active in the GPCA: empowering County Organizations, encouraging and building strong ties with Counties around the state, continuing to decentralize the state party structure, building a strong labor party caucus, and facilitating the electoral mission of the Green Party. While all the TKV are fully embroidered into my praxis and my everyday life, as a Green activist I am particularly committed to the values of Grassroots Democracy and Decentralization. If I am elected to serve on the Coordinating Committee, I will also make the strongest possible commitment to ensuring that the core values of the CC as a body include Feminism and Gender Equity (I am running for a male seat) and Respect for Diversity.
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Bio and Statement - Laura Wells
I have been a Green Party activist since 1992. I have been a member of the County Council of the Green Party of Alameda County for two separate terms (I live in Oakland). I was on the Coordinating Committee of the GPCA during the early 2000s, and again since July 2016. I served in various Working Groups and committees, including serving on the Media Committee as a spokesperson. I was co-editor of the local Green Consensus newspaper, and very happy to be one of the co-founders and editors of the statewide Green Focus newspaper.
In 2010, I ran for Governor of California, and for State Controller in 2002, 2006, and 2014. I am now in the process of running as an official write-in candidate for Congress, District 13, where incumbent Barbara Lee will be on the Top Two primary ballot unopposed. My platform has been to stop the damage Prop 13 has done to California since 1978; to tax the rich; and to implement public banks. When we “follow the money” we know that lack of money is not the reason the Democratic-Republican complex has failed the state, country, and world. There is money, but their actions have concentrated wealth and power in too few hands for decades.
My employment has been in financial systems, pension funds, Pesticide Action Network, Women’s Economic Agenda Project, SEIU United Healthcare Workers staff, and in Alameda County healthcare departments.
VISION
My vision for the Green Party of California is to continue, and strengthen, the turnaround that has been happening in the past two years. We need to make sure our resources - such as bylaws and other rules, committees and working groups, websites and other systems - help us expand participation at all levels. The huge efforts we have made to break up the concentration of control have been paying off in numbers of active counties, membership in committees, on-time reporting, and frequency and attendance at state General Assemblies. We are poised to get back on track with fundraising, media outreach, and candidate development and support.
I welcome your vote so that I can continue being on the Coordinating Committee to further the project to make the Green Party of California more capable, inclusive and welcoming. We are already the strongest independent party with great values, and we can help make the Green Party into the strong electoral arm of the social movements that is needed right now.
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Bio and Statement - Violet Rose Zitola
VISION:
Although my work for the Green Party is mostly focussed at the national level, I also believe it is important to make sure our state party is as strong and as inclusive as possible. My vision for the state party is to make sure our internal processes are simple and transparent, encouraging greater participation and empowerment of all that share our values.
I am a life-long active Green, having served in various positions at the local, state, and national level for nearly 20 years. The most valuable contribution I make to the Green Party is working with the broad set of personal political connections I have made as a Green Party activist over the years, both inside and outside the party. I'm in this for the long term, and intend to be a dedicated green for as long as I'm on this planet. Fundamentally, politics is about people, and I deeply honor the network of dedicated Greens that share our values.
Note: I am a queer trans woman and am applying for one of the female seats on the CC.
BACKGROUND:
My first experience in the Green Party came just before the 2000 election, when I attended a super-rally for Ralph Nader on the Boston University campus. I consider myself a life-long Green, and can proudly say that I've voted in every presidential election in which I've been old enough to vote, and never once for either a Republican or Democrat.
I was an organizer for Jill Stein's 2002 campaign for Governor of Massachusetts, and was an active member of the Green-Rainbow Party (GRP) of Massachusetts for many years. I was one of the founders of the Nashua River Green-Rainbow Local, and served several terms on the GRP State Committee (equivalent to the GPCA-CC). In 2004 I ran for the Massachusetts State Senate and was included in several televised debates.
I was a co-founder of MassIRV, a statewide coalition to promote Instant Runoff
Voting. I worked directly with two elected state legislators who filed several bills to implement IRV in Massachusetts elections. I gave many public talks and ran several mock elections, ultimately giving formal testimony to the Election Laws Committee. At one point, in a private meeting with nearly a dozen state legislators, I was able to thoroughly explain IRV and argue that had Massachusetts been using IRV in the 2002 election, Mitt Romney probably would not have been elected governor. The democratic primary had included several very strong and popular progressive democrats who ended up splitting the progressive vote and losing to a conservative democrat. She won the primary with only 31% of the vote, and had such weak support statewide that she ended up throwing the election to Romney, and the rest is history. Despite all that, they refused to support the IRV bills, which eventually died in committee. This experience galvanized my current position that working with democrats is utterly futile and we should run all-out campaigns to elect greens at every opportunity we have.
I was the national scheduler for Jill Stein for President 2012 from the beginning of the campaign up to the Baltimore convention. I worked with greens all over the country, setting up campaign tours and arranging for Jill to attend as many state conventions as possible. I spent many hours on the road with her, through more than a dozen states, and meeting greens everywhere we went. I spent countless hours on conference calls, discussing logistics and strategic priorities with some of the most active greens nationwide. As a result of this, and many conventions and gatherings over the years, I now have contacts and friends in many state parties. I appreciate the opportunity to put all those connections to work as a GPUS delegate.
During my previous term as a GPUS delegate, I served on the Presidential Campaign Support Committee, and was recently appointed to the Annual National Meeting Committee. There is much work to be done, and our most precious resource is the collection of dedicated Greens all over the country who put in many hours keeping this party alive. I am delighted to be a part of this organization.
Outside of the Green Party, I have a diverse technical background in science and engineering. I graduated from Caltech with a degree in Engineering and Applied Science. While I was an undergrad, I did geophysics research, comparing VLBI (quasar interferometry) and GPS geodetic surveying techniques. I also set up GPS station networks to measure co- and post-seismic displacement related to the 1992 Landers and 1994 Northridge Earthquakes. I spent two years as an engineer at NASA/JPL, building full-scale mockups of the Pluto Fast Flyby spacecraft, which later became the New Horizons mission, soon to make our first encounter with Pluto.
Later I joined the IT staff at Harvard University as a Research Computing Specialist, before moving on to do climatology research. My project was to analyze satellite and ground-based rainfall and streamflow data, looking for evidence of climate change. Sadly, a large grant from the Bush administration diverted my research group before we could get results. After leaving academia, I joined a startup company lead by one of the co-founders of Tesla Motors, where I developed and built lithium-ion battery packs for electric cars.
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Bio and Statement - Stephen Zollman
My name is Stephen Zollman and I am applying to be a Green Party of California Coordinating Committee member.
As a former San Francisco Public Defender, who represented our youth for over eight and half years, I am very concerned about access to quality education, health care and clean environments for our youth. I was appointed to the Sonoma County Child Care Planning Council and served as its advocacy co-chair for two years. I also served on the board of a Sonoma County nonprofit, River to Coast Children's Services board as its fundraising chair for a number of years. To generate more awareness of the need for greater diversity within our leadership ranks, I served as chair of Sonoma County Pride in 2014. I have served the family law needs of our low income through my Veteran owned law firm, as a lead on the State Bar's Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services and through representing parents in the dependency system. I would like to work to address the needs of our youth and continue to build diversity within our party. Being on the board of the national Military Law Task Force as well as being an officer within the American Bar Association can help facilitate this. I enjoyed serving on this committee as an alternate male co-coordinator.
Green Party work:
On a National level, I have been active with the Jill Stein for President Social Group, as well as working with Michael Dennis and a few others consolidating quotes and articles to be used for social media.
On a State level, I am an administrator for the California for Jill Stein page, I have also worked to support our candidates like Marnie Glickman and David Curtis.
On a Local level, I have been a Sonoma County Coordinator since 2013 when I established the Guerneville Greens, I am in the process of helping with the social media needs of county.
Thank you for all that you continue to do for the Green Party and for your consideration. I would be honored to receive your vote.