The third Monday in January, Martin Luther King Day, is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service. People of all racial and ethnic backgrounds celebrate the holiday by performing individual acts of kindness through service to others.

In recognition of the holiday, Tehachapi Mountain Democratic Club spent the morning picking up trash along Tucker and Valley Blvd. Wearing masks and bright vests, members picked up lots of plastic bags and discarded masks. This is a service they perform several times throughout the year.

The Club was established in 1980 and has grown from a membership of about a dozen to many times that number. More information is available at tehachapidemocrats.com.

- Jan 9

Democrats ZOOM to meeting

Democrats Plan for the Future

Tehachapi Mountain Democratic Club, during its January meeting, looked at results of the 2020 election to understand how they might improve chances of winning Assembly and Congressional seats in the next election. Paul Mitchell, Founder of Redistricting Partners, presented his analysis of the vote. He explained that the 2020 election was unique because of high voter turn-out. At 80%, it was the highest number of total voters in California history. The high number was because anxiety promotes voting, and the pandemic and the vote-by-mail process got people to the polls. Mitchell said this rate may not continue in the next election and low turn-out is unfavorable for Democrats.

Another factor in elections is redistricting which is scheduled to take place after the census is completed. Sophia Gomez, an associate of Redistricting Partners, explained some of the possible outcomes. She said California growth is below the national average, and since districts are drawn based on population, the state may lose a congressional district.

Candidates for Assembly District Delegates were also present at the meeting. Sandy Reding, Neil Sannappa, Nicholas White, and Megan Russell each introduced themselves and described their work within the Democratic party. The Club noted that Nicholas White, who now lives in Bakersfield, grew up in Tehachapi and is an enthusiastic worker within the Party.

Salvador Solorio Ruiz was unable to attend the meeting, but he sent a video thanking the Club for endorsing him in his successful election to Delano City Council. He is the youngest member of the Council and is bringing new ideas to that body.

Information is available on www.tehachapidemocrats.com.

- Dec 31, 2020

Vote for Assembly District Delegate

All California Democrats interested can run to be an Assembly District Delegate and must file and submit their candidacy with the State Party by 5 pm PST on Tuesday, December 15, 2020. The deadline to request a vote-by-mail application is Monday, January 11, 2021 at 11:59 pm PST. All voters must apply for a vote-by-mail ballot by registering to vote via an online form at:

https://ademelections.com/?isCandidate=False

If a person does not have the ability to request a vote-by-mail ballot online, they can request a ballot by calling the Sacramento CADEM HQ at (916) 442-5707.

The deadline to return the 2021 ADEM ballot is Wednesday, January 27, 2021.

More information on the role of Assembly District Delegates is available at the ADEM page on the CADEM website:

https://adem.cadem.org/