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

Hello good people!

Welcome to the new California Democratic Party—committed to making our entire organization more inclusive, diverse, transparent, and responsive to the needs of our delegates and other stakeholders across the state.

These are interesting times for the CDP. On the one hand, California Democrats are on a roll: We hold every statewide elected office and retain a supermajority in our Legislature. Last year, we flipped several Orange County congressional districts blue to strengthen the party’s overall position in California.

On the other hand, like many other major institutions, for years, the California Democratic Party has failed to fully value and leverage the experiences, energy, skills and relationships of all our constituents, including people of color, young activists, rural voters, seniors, veterans, women, immigrants, and those who may be participating in politics for the first time.

We can do better, and we will. Under the leadership of our new party chairman, Rusty Hicks, the CDP has put in place groundbreaking policies to ensure that our boards and committees more accurately reflect the diversity of our party.

We’re also committed to better meeting our constituents’ needs, both during election season and in between cycles. In direct response to your requests, the party has launched a bold, new initiative to help train fellow Democrats, cultivate emerging leaders, and build our capacity to reach voters and win elections up and down California.

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