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The Progressive Democrats of Metro San Diego chapter met on Thursday, October 16th for a special event—making voter contact calls on behalf of some of the great Democratic candidates in San Diego. Founded by Judy Hess of Chula Vista, the Metro SD chapter agreed that a PDA priority is to effect change on a local level and develop future progressive assembly members and congressional candidates. Thus the October chapter meeting was titled "PDA Elects Progressives," and a dozen PDA members met up at their regular meeting place, Giovanni's Restaurant in Kearny Mesa. Leader Mike Copass assembled phone call lists and extended invitations to the candidates' field organizers, while members gathered extra phones and invited friends to the open-to-all event, which included members of DFA and other progressive groups. From 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., PDA volunteers rolled up their sleeves and steadily dialed local voters on behalf of Democrats, including Marty Block for 78th District Assembly, Brett Maxfield for 74th District Assembly, John Lee Evans for San Diego Unified School Board, Sherri Lightner and Stephen Whitburn for San Diego City Council, and others.
Jonathan Goetz, the field organizer for Democrat Marty Block (78th Assembly), came to the meeting in person to distribute phones and call lists, and rallied the volunteers. [Awkward sentence.] Goetz commented that the 78th District is the most highly-targeted Assembly race, and the California State GOP has bombarded 78th voters with misleading mailers in an attempt to slow hard-charging Community College Board of Trustees President (and former Dean of San Diego State) Marty Block. The positive response to the message that volunteer phone bankers delivered, steadily moved voter after voter into the "supporter" column. In the School Board race, strong progressive Dr. John Lee Evans thanked volunteers, noting that "the five member San Diego school board has a unique chance to go from a 1-4 Democratic minority to a 3-2 Progressive majority, if I am able to defeat incumbent Mitz Lee." Evans, a classroom teacher and Peace Corps volunteer, is endorsed by Progressive Majority, a group dedicated to advancing California progressive candidates up and down the ticket.
Special acknowledgement goes to Democracy for America progressive allies Kelly King and Carl Manaster, and to PDA members Beth Ehsan and Barb Cattedra. These are not easy times. Many San Diego PDA members are feeling the pinch of a strained economy and the downside of years of Wall Street deregulation—members have lost retirement savings, jobs, healthcare coverage, and, tragically, some may lose their homes—and in the face of these difficulties, we salute their willingness to engage in positive actions for change. Many PDA members are involved in the local Democratic Party "Grassroots Organizing" precinct leader program. As former chapter leader Judy Hess noted, "when I first joined PDA and learned about organizing, Rep. Lynn Woolsey advised me to run for delegate office and become a precinct leader. Now I supervise more than a dozen Chula Vista precinct leaders as a Community Coordinator." New chapter leader Mike Copass enthused, "We aren't a money group; we're a roll-up-your-sleeves activism group. It is great to see so many PDA members contributing their time to supporting progressive Democrats at all levels." There are still 10 days to mobilize voters, and for those who want to continue phone banking, call the local campaign field organizer today—they warmly welcome PDA support.
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