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Minutes – SVYD July Membership Meeting – Monday, July 15, 2013

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Called to order at 7:17 p.m.

 

I. Welcome, Introductions, and approval of Agenda

II. SVYD Officer and Standing Committee Reports

   A. President- Joshua Barousse (3 min)

       i. Peninsula Young Democrats (PYD) report (Cory Wollbach): Partnering with Peninsula coalition for voter registration

ii. Momentum (Matt Dalton) – Provides mental health services, would like support from Young Dems, and event keynote will be by Robert Kennedy, Jr.

iii. CYD Update: We are chartered with CYD. They are trying to mobilize in 16th district elections supporting Leticia Perez. At stake democrat 2/3 majority in state senate. Bi-annual Tahoe retreat will be in November.

       ii. Bylaws committee – Time to review bylaws. President will appoint committee members. Committee will meet twice before submitting minutes at next meeting. If bylaws are not passed at next meeting, committee will meet two more times to submit for September meeting.

       iii. Moving Forward – Youngs dems will be on the ballot next spring and more awesome events are being planned.

   B. Vice President of Membership- Brandon Li (3 min)

        i. CYD API Caucus – Dues are currently being waived. Looking for new director

        ii. New membership form- will be online by tomorrow. Will send link via email.

        iii. College Committee – Launched. Lucas Ramirez will lead. Goal is to incubate College chapters until they are self sustaining

iv. New programs – Mentorships (currently hunting for mentors / form will be available to members seeking mentors soon), workshops (topics include Social Media, FPPC, Campaign organizing, nonprofits, candidate training, fundraising, policy forums, job hunting, and local political landscape), continue doing job postings, voter registration.

v. emails: We are now moving to Salsa .

    C. Secretary- Emily Ann Ramos (3 min)

i. website/social media update

a. We are now on google+. This will allow the possibility of live streaming meetings

b. blogs will now contain job postings, agendas, and minutes

ii. technology committee

a. 2 goals: support technology needs of SVYD; become a resource for technology issues

    D. Treasurer- Amanda Montez (3 min)

        i. Financial update

a. took two trainings CA filing system

b. we were an FPPC filer since 2008

c. We will refrain from accepting our disbursing money for now

d. Bylaws will be updated to include steps to have a secure treasury and training for treasurer, clear and open process on donations and transactions

e. We will hold off on accepting dues

f. Updating membership database (Brandon’s form)

g. We are suspending all expenditures and transactions

    E. Political Director- Eric Hernandez (3 min)

        i. Endorsement Update

a. 2nd year on board and would like to thank everyone involved in the last endorsement process.

b. Volunteers are needed for endorsed canidate Cindy Chavez for GOTV. Expect email

c. Next round of endorsements will be for Sunnyvale City Council

– Gustav Larson attended last meeting

– We will ask candidates to come to meetings

– Will run a voter registration drive to support Sunnyvale elections

– 3 Open seats a large

– Issues may need be addressed like affordable housing in this election

– 2 democrats are eligible for our endorsement

        ii. H.R. 2454: Aaron’s Law

a. Bill proposed by Rep. Zoe Lofgren and is currently in committee. Purpose to reform the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA)

b. Endorsement proposed by Emily Ann Ramos

c. Opened for discussion

– Members are not too familiar with CFAA and H.R. 2454

– Jeremy Barousse points out favorable point that bill was proposed by local democrat Rep. Zoe Lofgren

– Cory Wolbach Spoke in favor of the bill and and the progressive political activist it was named after

    F. Women’s Leadership Committee – Laura Pedersen (1 min)

i. Meets monthly – 1st or 2nd Wednesday of month at Fairmont Cocktail lounge

ii. 2 goals: gender parity (via membership drives and word of mouth) and get an SVYD woman elected into office by 2016

iii. Laura will leave for Law school this fall. Samantha Pedrosa will take over

iv. Omar Torres points out SVYD history of women presidents

III. Old Business

IV. New Business

A. Get well card for active SVYD member Jordan Eldridge. He is doing fine after surgery.

V. Announcements

A. Omar Torres: D2 walk on Wednesday beginning at Santa Maria Urban Ministry

B. Christina Ramos: Library commission / friends of the library feedback needed for D5

C. Jeremy Barousse : D8 roundtable coming up

D. Star Dormanesh: member of Santa Clara County Commission on the Status of Women – 40th anniversary fundraiser on August 23

E. Nick: Starting back up San Jose State Democrats chapter

F. Erica Schafer: Looking for GOTV volunteers for Teresa Alvarado D2 supervisor campaign

G. Alex Wara: from Jim Beals office – community coffee (August 16), Creek Clean up (August 24), Medicare event (October)

H. Corey Wolbach: Peninsula Young Dem meeting at Cafe Barone (August 25), Old Dot Society at Charles pub 8:00 p.m. tomorrow

I. Amanda Montez: Open Spaces district fundraiser – Free food / Monte Bello open space preserve  with Jerry Hill, Jim Bell, Rich Gordon, Don Corsle

J. Eric Hernandez: Santa Maria Urban Ministry has a summer speakers program funded by the save summer grant. Past speaker was SVYD member and Campbell Union High School district board member Kalen Gallagher. Upcoming speaker will Raul. Eric is also co-hosting Young Professionals fundraiser for Cindy Chavez.

K. Joshua Barousse presented outgoing Secretary and Treasurer, Victoria Ramirez and Colleen Haley with certificates to thank them for their service.

VI. Adjournment

A. Adjourned at 8:30 p.m.

 

Next Meeting: Mon, August 19, 2013 @ 7 pm- UFCW Local 5, 240 S. Market Street, San Jose, CA 95113

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Job Opening: Public Policy Associate (Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits)

Position Overview

The Public Policy Associate will support SVCN’s public policy agenda in the areas of research, data
analysis, and composing concise and well-written reports. There will be some Administrative work within
this position’s scope as well.

Read the full job description

About SVCN
The Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits (SVCN) champions the interests of nonprofits in Silicon Valley. We
are the major organization in the County of Santa Clara convening the nonprofit voice to focus on health
and human service public policy issues. We currently represent over 200 health and human service
agencies in the County of Santa Clara. SVCN works to ensure the nonprofit sector’s voice is heard and
that solutions are developed in ways in which Everybody Wins.

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SIREN has 4 job openings

Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN) is a leading immigrant rights organization in the South Bay dedicated to providing immigrant rights advocacy, community education and naturalization assistance to Santa Clara County’s diverse immigrant communities. The mission of SIREN is to empower low-income immigrants and refugees in Santa Clara County through direct services, community education and organizing, leadership development and policy advocacy. We believe that all people regardless of legal status or nationality are entitled to essential services, human dignity, basic rights and protections, and access to full participation in society.

Executive Assistant
The Executive Assistant (EA) provides general, administrative, events and volunteer coordination, accounting, operations, and technical support to the Executive Director. The EA performs complex and highly responsible office support work requiring independence, initiative, and direction. The EA is also responsible for the coordination of fundraising activities and the maintenance of the Rapid Response Network and SIREN’s website.

Policy & Organizing Program Director
The Policy & Organizing Program Director (POPD) is responsible for the program development, implementation, fundraising, and management of the policy advocacy and community organizing programs. The POPD will lead the development and implementation of advocacy strategies to promote immigrant integration. The POPD will work with SIREN advocacy campaign coordinator and community organizer to identify, develop, implement and evaluate advocacy and civic engagement strategies. The POPD also serves as a member of the leadership team and is a key part of organizational-wide activities including fundraising, communication and planning. The POPD reports to the Executive Director.

Advocacy Campaign Coordinator
The Advocacy Campaign Coordinator (ACC), working closely with the Policy & Organizing Program Director and community organizer, assists in developing and implementing SIREN advocacy campaigns to build immigrant power. The ACC will be responsible in coalition building and facilitating coalitions/partners/allies to promote immigrant integration. The ACC is expected to plan and coordinate meetings with community members and organizations as well as organize community events, trainings and other advocacy activities that will result in engaging immigrants and organizations. The ACC is also expected to promote SIREN and its full range of services to the community. The ACC reports to the Policy & Organizing Program Director.

Immigration Program Associate
The Immigration Program Associate (IPA) will provide citizenship application assistance, legal services, advocacy, and follow-up services to qualified applicants. The IPA will oversee outreach and publicity activities that encourage eligible immigrant community members to apply for citizenship and will participate in the planning and coordination of Santa Clara County’s Citizenship Day and other citizenship related events. Additionally, employee will handle intake for the Vietnamese Q&A Assistance Line.

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Agenda – SVYD July Membership Meeting

Meeting date: Monday, July 15, 2013

Download pdf

I. Welcome, Introductions, and approval of Agenda
II. SVYD Officer and Standing Committee Reports

A. President- Joshua Barousse (3 min)
i. CYD Update
ii. Bylaws committee
iii. Moving Forward

B. Vice President of Membership- Brandon Li (3 min)
i. CYD API Caucus
ii. New membership form
iii. College Committee

C. Secretary- Emily Ann Ramos (3 min)
i. website/social media update
ii. technology committee

D. Treasurer- Amanda Montez (3 min)
i. Financial update

E. Political Director- Eric Hernandez (3 min)
i. Endorsement Update
ii. H.R. 2454: Aaron’s Law

F. Women’s Leadership Committee – Laura Pedersen (1 min)

III. Old Business
IV. New Business
V. Announcements
VI. Adjournment

Next Meeting: Mon, August 19, 2013 @ 7 pm- UFCW Local 5, 240 S. Market Street, San Jose, CA 95113

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Netroots 2013: Bringing together progressives and technology in Silicon Valley

Two weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending Netroots Nation. For the first time, this convention was in our backyard, San Jose, the heart of Silicon Valley. SVYD took advantage of this and hosted a great after party at Mosaic that featured many local elected officials as co-hosts & co-sponsors. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet progressives from all over the country and share ideas to improve our communities. Netroots offered panels, training sessions, meet and greets, and special keynote speeches relating to technology and the progressive movement. Many of these panels were recorded and are available online. I strongly recommend everyone to view them.

 

The first panel I sat in was The New Netroots: Getting the Web We Want. Leading this panel was Timothy Karr, from Free Press. Other panelists were Ellery Roberts Biddle from Global Voices, Rainey Reitman from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), and Katherine Maher from Access Now. Originally, this panel’s main focus was on internet activism and its diverse community worldwide. With recent revelations involving the National Security Agency (NSA), the focal point of the conversation quickly became about the privacy in a world where information can easily be distributed to the public. Many questions arose from the event. Are we upset about how the NSA allegedly accessed phone records of U.S. citizens, or are we upset that we know nothing about the program? Should we be equally as upset about these measures if they are used on non-U.S. citizens? How does this reflect our country’s relationship with the rest of the world? No one had a complete solution, but each panelist introduced the initiatives their organizations have proposed to get answers like stopwatching.us or the “Restore the 4th” movement.

 

I won’t go into every panel and training session I attended, but I wanted to take note of an important panel, Building a Productive Partnership Between Tech and the Progressive Community. It’s easy to assume that our group, Silicon Valley Young Democrats, would be the bustling hub between the tech community and the progressive political community. It’s Silicon Valley after all. Unfortunately, this assumption is currently inaccurate. Why is that the case? The panel attributes this to miscommunication, varying methodology, priorities, and a little pride between the two groups. An example from the panel, included a story about how a web designer/programmer wanted to help with a local campaign back in 2008 . He walked into the campaign office and campaign staff sent him to another office to do phone banking. I’m not saying that phone banking isn’t important, but it shows how people in the tech community were not used efficiently because it was not the way things were done. Of course, the tech community didn’t do itself any favors with the progressive community when they tried to push a bill relating to increasing H1B visas without comprehensive immigration reform. It didn’t send a good message to other progressives. However, there were also examples of partnership between the two communities. One awesome example was the creation of the Technology Field Office in San Francisco for President Obama’s 2012 campaign.

 

Where does this leave us now that there isn’t a presidential campaign going on? I believe the solution lies in the two communities embracing each other’s issues. Pay close attention. Technology issues such as open government data, net neutrality, and internet censorship have a large impact in issues of women’s health, education, and corporate/government transparency. Technology may even help solve many traditional issues the progressive movement face, such as the amount of money big corporations and special interests pour into elections.

 

“Okay, the internet provides this opportunity now. To raise money. To get candidates elected. You know, it use to be there was just no way for a small group of people to go up against the power of Big Money, but one the things we’ve seen… In the past year, you know, using nothing but basically computers and you know, our own apartments, we’ve gotten 300,000 people to join our list and raised $1.2 million. I mean that just, you know, three people were able to make a huge difference like that and that, I think, means the internet really provides this chance where we can start taking on big corporations.”

– Aaron Swartz, during an interview about the beginnings of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC).

 

This leads me to the panel which was the highest priority on my lists of events to attend, Carrying on Aaron Swartz’s Legacy. This panel moderated by Charlie Furman from Demand Progress featured Senator Mark Begich, Representative Zoe Lofgren, Rainey Reitman from EFF, and Ben Wikler from The Flaming Sword of Justice. Swartz was a programmer who became a vocal political activist. As a programmer, he was involved with the creation of RSS, Creative Commons, and Reddit. As an internet activist, he founded the group Demand Progress, known for its campaign against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). In 2011, Swartz faced 13  federal felony charges when he bulk downloaded academic articles from JSTOR at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). 11 of those charges were based on the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA). Punishment could be up to $1 million and 35 years in prison. Rep. Lofgren pointed out some serious flaws in the law leading the charges against Swartz in her Wired Op-Ed introducing H. R. 2454 cited as “Aaron’s Law”. The bill has been referred to committee and you can view the bill and its progress online. Rep Lofgren also has a section-by-section summary on her website.

I am recommending everyone in SVYD to read about this bill. If you have questions about it, you are welcome to ask me. I intend to have our members vote to endorse this bill at our next general membership meeting. I have submitted my endorsement request to the political director. If the executive board approves this to be on the agenda, I want every member in SVYD to be informed about this bill. Also at the next meeting, I hope to start a technology subcommittee. Its focus would be on identifying and supporting technology issues and finding ways for SVYD to use current technology to advance its mission. I look forward to pursuing these goals with everyone at SVYD and welcome anyone who wants to join SVYD to help us promote the power of technology for a progressive cause.

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You can now pay your membership dues online using PayPal.

SVYD Annual Membership Dues



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Women in Non Profits

By Melanie Berringer

Women are not seen as leaders in our society. After all women still make up only twenty percent of Congress and three percent of management in Fortune 500 companies. One sector where the management issue is especially stark is in non-profits.  Women make up seventy percent of the workforce in non-profits, but they only make up forty percent of the management.  This is a problem.  In a female dominated work force, men are still being chosen to lead, leaving women underrepresented.  This is symptomatic of a larger issue in our society; women are not seen as leaders.

It is often said that women are much more empowered than we used to be.  We now have the vote, freedom over our bodies, and are equally represented in higher education.  These facts are said in order to prove how far we have come.

 

It is true, great strides have been made in women’s equality, and for that we should feel grateful, but it’s important to remember that we still have a ways to go.  We need to promote female leaders; in elected office, in education, and in management.  It’s not enough that we have more women in Congress than ever before, we have to keep pushing until it’s equal.

 

We have some amazing female leaders right now.  Women like Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, and Hillary Clinton have all been inspiring role models and we need to continue to support them, but we also need to strive to find and support female leaders all around us.  We also need to support male leaders who are sensitive to issues of equality.  Most importantly we all need to remember that while we are making great strides in gender equality, we must continue to push for more, until women are seen as equal to men as leaders as well.

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A Student Bill of Rights: to ensure higher education is a path out of poverty…not into it

By: Bob Wieckowski

Note: The Silicon Valley Young Democrats (SVYD) approved Assemblymember Wieckowski’s Student Bill of Rights during their March Membership meeting and it went on to be approved by the California Young Democrats (CYD) at the California Democratic Convention in April.

A college degree is still the best road to financial security, helping to improve quality of life for millions of American families. But with the soaring cost of higher education, the route is paved with too many potholes. A few wrong turns and poor choices can lead students straight off the road of financial prosperity, into a ditch filled with crippling debt.

In fact, with student loan debt now hovering above $1 trillion nationally, many financial experts predict this mass of red ink could swamp our economy. But with some key reforms we can make sure education remains a pathway out of poverty, not into it.

That’s why I am proposing a Student Bill of Rights, a four-bill package that focuses on debt prevention through education and easing the burden on student borrowers.

In the past decade, starting salaries for college graduates have fallen 15 percent, while education debt has soared 500 percent. Unlike federal student loans, which have multiple options for of deferment and forbearance, private student loans lack many of these crucial safeguards. With private student loans, a creditor can garnish 25 percent of a debtor’s disposable income. Preventing wage garnishment will make the lenders more inclined to work with students on manageable repayment plans and give graduates a chance to stabilize their finances.

This is why I introduced AB 233, which would allow a student debtor to claim an exemption from a wage garnishment on private student loans. It now awaits action in the Senate.

Students should also receive counseling on private loans, just as they do on federal student loans. Private loans, which are becoming more of a necessity for students seeking degrees, charge higher interest rates, lack several protections and are generally a riskier transaction. By requiring parity with the counseling students receive on federal loans, AB 534 ensures students will be able to make more informed decisions.

Recently, Congress designated April as Financial Literacy Month. But California is one of only four states that do not include personal financial literacy in their economic education standards. My Student Bill of Rights would create a Common Cents curriculum (AB 391) that includes coursework on savings, checking accounts, credit cards and ways to pay for college.

Last year college students took out more than $100 billion in loans. They are taking on more and more debt at an alarming level. Yet Congress in 2005 prohibited student debt from being discharged through bankruptcy. Virtually every kind of debt — even gambling debt — can be discharged through bankruptcy.

Since that time, the average student loan debt has increased 58 percent to more than $27,000. This needs to end. I am pushing Assembly Joint Resolution (AJR 11) to urge Congress to allow private student loan debt to be discharged via bankruptcy.

In his State of the Union address this year, President Barack Obama asked us to better equip our students for jobs in a high-tech economy. The Public Policy Institute of California says the state needs to dramatically increase its number of college graduates to meet the demands of its workforce in 2025.

The road to a strong and vibrant economic future for California will be much smoother if we act now to reduce rapidly growing student debt. Providing an affordable avenue to higher education has made California the ninth largest economy in the world. Burying students with thousands of dollars of debt will limit opportunity and financial security.

California can do better.

Upcoming Event: Student Bill of Rights

If you are available, please join Assemblymember Wieckowski on the UC Davis Campus (East Quad) on Wednesday, 5/22 @ 12:30pm, where student leaders will gather for a Rally to Tackle the Student Debt Crisis and urge the Legislature to pass the Student Bill of Rights.

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Women are Fighters

By Alex Wara

For the past decades women have always been told that they were not allowed to do something in society. We were told that we were not equal, so women marched at Seneca Falls. We were told that we were not allowed to make choices about our own bodies, so we took our case to the Supreme Court. We were told that a woman could never dream of holding prominent positions in government, so we ran for office.

 

Every time women have been told that they couldn’t do something, we have proven naysayers wrong and done something about it.

 

However, the sad reality is that even today when women are running for President, holding positions at multi-million dollar companies and becoming role models in their communities, there are still stereotypes and sexism that lingers in society.

 

We cannot ignore the fact that women still make seventy-seven cents on the dollar. Or that we still have to listen to our country argue about whether a woman should be able to make a decision about her own body and how we are still not clear on the definition of rape, when issues such as immigration, gun violence and the deficit take a back seat.

 

Here is something that many know but some have yet to find out: Women are fighters.

 

Just take a look back at the women’s history movement. There have been women that knew very well that they would be threatened, mistreated and tried to be stopped, but they kept fighting through all of the obstacles because they knew that there would be a better tomorrow for themselves and for those in front of them.

 

Even women today have to carry on the fight that women were fighting years ago.

 

It is up to every single woman and man to keep on fighting for equal rights for everyone, no matter their ethnicity, pay scale or sex.

 

As individuals we have to think about what we are doing to eliminate sexism in the work place and in our schools. When a woman is passed up for a job because of the sole fact that she is female, we shouldn’t call ourselves an equal world. When a little girl who is 5 years old already knows that she is not equal to her classmate, we still have work to do. When a high school student is too ashamed of the way she looks, we still have a long path ahead of us. Also, when someone doesn’t vote for a qualified candidate because she is a woman we cannot call ourselves a politically open minded country.

 

That is why it’s important to continue on the conversation about equality in our homes and communities. Think about the last time you mentored a young woman or volunteered at an organization that helps women and children in your community. Did you make your voice heard at the ballot box? Or did you stand back and let others guide the direction of your rights.

 

We cannot move forward unless we continue the fights that have been started for us and fight the new ones that have arisen.

 

Many people locally and nationally have started to bridge the gap of inequality but it seems that we have a long road ahead of us.

 

Not all of the issues will be fixed overnight but the sooner we get started the sooner we can build on the changes that those behind us started.

 

Let’s continue the fights that women have been fighting for decades.