I’m thrilled to announce the California Young Democrats (CYD) Ambassadors.

Through this program we have placed two to three CYD members on each Standing Committee as non-voting members. This program builds on the 25 percent of our Standing Committee members that are under the age of 35.

Our CYD Ambassadors will be able to learn from our current committees and gain experience working within our party’s Standing Committee structure. This experience will help them become more valuable contributors to our party and, I hope, leaders of the next generation of Democrats.

The CYD Ambassadorship Program will help us develop the next generation of party leadership. I am proud to announce our first Class of CYD Ambassadors and their assignments.

I look forward to one day hearing that members of the first class of CYD Ambassadors are officers of our party and co-chairs of our Standing Committees.

Thank you,

Rusty Hicks
Chair, California Democratic Party

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Dear Delegate,

The Assembly Delegate Election Meeting’s (ADEM) election process can be one of the California Democratic Party’s greatest assets in organizing the state and getting more activists involved in the Party.

Traditionally, the ADEM elections have been a less than robust process. In fact, statewide turnout in ADEM elections typically included no more than 12,000 voters. Starting in 2017, turnout increased exponentially with approximately 33,000 people voting, then again in 2019 with 41,000 people voting.

However, as more people became engaged in the ADEM process, several issues arose, including how elections are operated, how locations are selected, and the need for consistent staff and volunteer training — these issues cannot be ignored.

As a result, I have created an Ad Hoc Committee on ADEM Elections to address these concerns and ensure this process is a true organizing opportunity for our Party. During the Executive Board meeting, I announced the Co-Chairs of the Committee, Ricardo Cisneros, Coby King, Lara Laramendi, and Emily Ward. I am happy to announce the rest of the committee today:

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I’m proud to report that the Blue Wave is still rolling. This time it’s in Assembly District 1, where Democrat Elizabeth Betancourt came in first with 39% in the special election primary in the longtime Republican district in Shasta County. I know many of you have spent months organizing to support Elizabeth, a farmer and environmental advocate. At this past weekend’s Executive Board — much more on that below — we sent 2,000 text messages in support of her campaign. We’ve got her back through the runoff in November and will certainly keep you posted on ways to support her campaign.

Speaking of our Executive Board meeting, thank you to each and every one of you who showed up to volunteer your time to building the Party you want to see and strengthen our efforts to prepare to take back the White House in 2020. And a special thank you to CDP’s staff who worked around the clock all summer to organize the weekend — quite a feat to pull off. Read on for highlights and important links below to recap the incredible work you all took part in this weekend.

A More Inclusive, Progressive, Safer, and Stronger Party