Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility Joint Announcement by CADEM Statewide Officers on 2021-2023 Committee Appointments July 1, 2021 - California Democratic Party

Joint Announcement by CADEM Statewide Officers on 2021-2023 Committee Appointments July 1, 2021

Our Party’s greatest asset is the unparalleled diversity seen and heard in the lived experiences and collective power of 10 million California Democrats. With our committee appointments for the 2021-2023 term, we are proud to uplift those stories and empower those voices at the tables where our Party’s most important decisions are discussed and decided. We are confident these appointees are best prepared to bring their passion and experience to help build a Party dedicated to improving the lives of all Californians.  

This will be accomplished with their focused support of our collective programmatic priorities — investing in our organizing infrastructure, expanding our communications programming, training our next generation of grassroots leaders, engaging in candidate political action and vital issue advocacy, and ensuring adequate financial support to carry out these priorities — as well as the sustained work required to transform our Party to an actively anti-racist organization centered on the values of equity and inclusion.

Our Collaborative Process

Together, we have engaged in a collaborative process to review applications and appoint 305 delegates to committees for the 2021-2023 term. Over the course of six weeks, each Statewide Officer has engaged with an equal voice in both our deliberations and final appointments.

With an unprecedented 770 applications – a 25% increase over the previous term – this process has not been an easy one. We are not able to appoint every applicant. However, we are grateful to every Delegate who expressed a willingness to serve. We look forward to continuing to work with each and every one of you to build an even stronger Party.  

Diverse Committee Membership

Overall, our committee appointments are the most diverse in our Party’s history. In addition, we have sought to empower the next generation of grassroots leaders by appointing an unprecedented number of young leaders and those who have never served on a Party committee with the intent of elevating these appointees into committee leadership roles in the future.  Here are some important highlights for committee members:

– 71% are new to their committee

– 52% self-identified female

– 67% are Delegates of Color

– 15% identify as Asian American Pacific Islander

– 14% identify as Black

– 31% identify as Latino

– 15% identify as Mixed Race

– 19% were born outside of the United States

– 30% are under the age of 35

– 34% are members of the LGBTQ community

– 16% are Delegates with a disability

– 5% are military Veterans

– 24% are Delegates residing in rural communities

Diverse Committee Leadership

Our diverse appointments extend beyond overall committee membership to committee leadership as well. We have sought to create more leadership opportunities with a number of first-time committee lead co-chairs and even more first-time committee co-chairs.  

Further, in the interest of creating additional leadership opportunities for others, we have limited the appointment of Party leaders – current and former party officers, regional directors, DNC members, caucus chairs, county chairs, and current CADEM executive board members – to committee or committee leadership positions. However, while we begin this important transition in committee leadership and members, we fully expect to actively engage Party leaders in other important ways in the coming weeks and months.

Here are some important highlights for committee leaders:

– 53% are new to their committee leadership post

– 51% self-identified female

– 61% are Delegates of Color

– 14% identify as Asian American Pacific Islander

– 11% identify as Black

– 36% identify as Latino

– 12% identify as Mixed Race

– 18% were born outside of the United States

– 30% are under the age of 35

– 25% are members of the LGBTQ community

– 12% are Delegates with a disability

– 5% are military Veterans

– 12% are Delegates residing in rural communities

Standing Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Our Party must foster an environment that is welcoming, inviting, and inclusive of every Democrat committed to our collective work. This work is not easy and requires a long-term commitment. Yet, it is vital to our success.

To that end, we will merge two current committees – the Standing Committee on Organizational Development and the Standing Committee on Affirmative Action – into one new committee – the Standing Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

In addition to integrating the historic responsibilities of the two former committees, the new committee will focus on long-term culture change in our Party including, but not limited to: (1)  improving our Code of Conduct process and procedures, (2) expanding our Justice, Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion (JEDI) Program to inform and educate Party leaders and Delegates, and (3) implementing our steps on anti-racism and racial justice to ensure full, fair, and equitable access to our Party for every Democrat.

Standing Committee on Organizing

Our work of engaging 10 million California Democrats is dependent upon our investment in long-term, year-round organizing. Building on CADEM’s 2020 Statewide Coordinated Campaign, we now have the Party’s first-ever Organizing Director, are expanding our human infrastructure with Regional Organizing Managers, and are investing in new organizing tools for grassroots leaders.

To engage even more Democrats in this important work, we will change the name of the Standing Committee on Voter Services to the Standing Committee on Organizing. The new committee will become more integrated with the work of CADEM’s Organizing Department.  We will seek to expand the membership of this important committee to coincide with the growth of the electoral and advocacy work in the coming months.  

Orientation and Training

Given the number of new committee members and leaders, CADEM’s Training Department will take the lead in developing and providing thorough orientation and a robust training regime for all appointees. This will include an introduction to other members, the charge of each committee, the committee’s relevant timelines and processes, and a series of Code of Conduct-related trainings.  

Lastly, we are committed to reviewing these committee and leadership appointments within 1 year. In the meantime, we are excited to work with all the new committee leaders and members – along with every California Democrat – to move our Party forward.

Credentials Committee

Lead Co-Chairs

Shawn Kumagai

Lara Larramendi

Co-Chairs

Ruby Duenas

Anastasia Foster

Ronald Gonzales-Lawrence

Demetrio Gonzalez

Jose Goris Jr.

Khoa Le

Susan McEntire

Nora Vargas

Jane Wishon

Members

Tim Allison

Frances Anderson

Paul Bailey

Alexandra Beltran

Steve Bott

Patrice Brown

Nicholas Campins

Temika M. Cook

Jodie Cooper

Arnel Dino

Denise El Amin

Dinah Frieden

Ryan McGilley

Davis Han

Marcus Ismael

Crystal Jackson

Andy Kelley

Stanley King

Elmer Martinez

Arianna Medel Cortes

Yvonne Molles

Suzann Reina

Megan Russell

Kevin Sabellico

Sousan Safakish

Mary Jane Sanchez

Paul Seo

Carol Taylor

Rafael Trujillo

Michael Vargas

Vanndearlyn Vong

Shelisa Williams

Tiffany Woods

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee

Lead Co-Chairs

Steven Auclair

Carolyn Fowler

Co-Chairs

Christopher Bowen

Kareem Gongora

Rob Howard

Shannon Ross

Marisol Rubio

Members

Wendy Bloom

Marilyn Cachola

Franky Carrillo

Eugene Fields

Mariam Ghazvini

Leah Herzberg

Fariba Hezar

Cherelle Jackson

LaNiece Jones

Li Lovett

Fabiola Orozco

Denise Penn

Luis Andres Perez

Vanessa Pimentel

Lalbabu Prasad

Angela Scott

Robert Service

Tracie Stafford

Caroline Torosis

Alfred Twu

Lisa Van Zevern

Mark Williams

Finance Committee

Lead Co-Chair

April Verrett

Co-Chairs

Glenda Barillas

Peter Kreysa

Harini Krishnan

Veronica Casarez

Evan McLaughlin

George Perezvelez

Keristofer Seryani

Members

Yousuf Bhaghani

Paul Cohen

Jeri Fromme

Susan Gutowsky

Kevin Hayakawa

Richard Hurt

Frank Lima

Lesia Louro

Cassandra Mancini

Kelli Maruccia

Maliha Noamani

Amit Pandya

Amy Pearl

David Pruitt

Andrew Rodriguez

Arturo Rodriguez

Marcial Rene Romero

Joseph Salas

Chris Snyder

Diana Sparagna

Paula Treat

Debra Vinson

Legislation Committee

Lead Co-Chairs

Margaret Granado

Amar Thomas

Co-Chairs

Cory Allen

Sascha Bittner

Georgette Bradford

Heidi Martinez

Guy Strahl

Amy Wiwuga

Members

Gloria Alvarado

Debru Carthan

Michael Colbruno

Michael Contreras

Todd David

John Erickson

Elizabeth Escalante

Ansermio Jake Estrada

Elizabeth Linnerman

Bobbi Lopez

Harpal Mann

Alexander Melendrez

Iman Novin

Freddie Quintana

Martin Rawlings-Fein

Marilyn Riley

Mariana Corona Sabeniano

Joy Sterling

Ann Turtle

Paula Villescaz

Rosalind Wyman

Carolyn Wysinger

Organizing Committee

Lead Co-Chairs

Martha Garcia

Steve Pierson

Sangeeth Peruri

Judy Pipkin

Luke Tesluk

Julie Waters

Co-Chairs

Susan Bolle

Edmundo Cuevas Lopez

Jess Durfee

Blake Hooper

Franz Kieviet

Tamara Levenson

Jason Lindsey

Karima Lynch

Abigail Mejia

Justin Meyers

Susan Pfeifer

Domenic Piturro

Michele Reed

Elissa Underwood

James Wisley

Members

Iyad Afalqa

Diana Aguirre

Paul Akinjo

Lisa Andres

Elina Antoniou

Ganesh Balamitran

Rene Bloch

Kristy Boer

David Brame

Manuel Buenrostro

Michael Chen

Victor Costa

Tiffany Countryman

Krista De La Torre

Poppy De Marco Dennis

Julie Diep

Jehoan Espinoza

Lee Fink

Yvette Flores

Bob Forshay

Eliseo Gamino

Olga Garcia

Monette Gavino

Valentin Godina

Susan Goodlerner

Brandon Harami

Dona Hare-Price

Lara Horgan

Kelly King

Annie Koya

Martha Kreeger

Luis Martinez

Angelita Medina

Daren Miller

Val Muchowski

Evelyn Nuno

Stephanie Ocampo

Richard Raya

Monike Reynozo

Matthew Rhoa

Fauzia RiZvi

Renay Grace Rodriguez

Sylvia Russell

Patricia Sabo

Jatinderpal Sahi

Marty Salgado

Patricia Sanders

Robert Schelen

Bonnie Shatun

Constance Sullivan

Elizabeth Talbott

Becca Taylor

Ali Tweini

Tomas Vera

Eric Warmoth

Ken Wyant

Joy Zhan

Zhihan Zou

Platform Committee

Lead Co-Chairs

Julie Soo

Michael Soto

Chair Emeritus

Howard Welinsky

Co-Chairs

Elizabeth Betancourt

Shanna Ingalsbee

Jonathan Lyens

Ajay Mohan

Gracie Torres

Ruben Zarate

Members

Kev Abazajian

Martha O. Acevedo

Daniel Bral

Douglas Case

Veronica Chavez

Arwen Chenery

Hannah Cho

Wendy Eccles

Kevin Hendrick

Corey Jackson

Kiyomi Kowalski

Brian Mineghino

Bijan Mohseni Calderón

Luz Portillo

Jaclyn Prager

Joely Proudfit

Tisa Rodriguez

William Rodriguez-Kennedy

Sal Rosselli

Michael Sweet

Sunny Zia

Resolutions Committee

Lead Co-Chairs

Agi Kessler

Brandon Zavala

Co-Chairs

Michael Burckhard

Rudy Espinoza

Naomi Goldman

Mary Rose Ortega

Stacey Reardon

Cruz Baca Sembello

Members

Franbert Calderon

Avinder Chawla

Andrea Beth Damsky

Katrina Dunn

Catherine Familathe

Christian Green

Gabriel Haaland

Tony Hale

Brigette Hunley

Hanieh Jodat

Chelsea Kelly-Reif

Bryan King San Juan

Andrew Lachman

Elise Moore

Lisa Murphy

Jane Natoli

Rodney Nickens

Nima Rahimi

Ehab Shehata

Analisa Swan

John Vassiliades

Alton Wang

Rules Committee

Lead Co-Chairs

Valeria Hernandez

Coby King

Chair Emeritus

Garry Shay

Co-Chairs

Jose Alcala

Kathy Bowler

Nicole Fernandez

Izeah Garcia

Drexel Heard

Olivia Lee

Members

Suzanna Aguilera-Marrero

Steven Alari

Kenneth Armstrong

Andrea Cardenas

Martha Escutia

Peter Gallotta

Glenn Glazer

Katie Jaycox

Abigail Kingsley

Harris Mojadedi

Anita Narayana

G.  Anthony Phillips

Nick Schultz

Sepi Shyne

Sarah Souza

Robin Torello

James Williams

William Wong

Mcclina Woods

Jimmie Woods-Gray

Laurence Zakson

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