Beach Cities
Democratic Club
P.O. Box 2192, Redondo Beach, CA 90278 February, 2007
Next Meeting With Chuck Norris M16 rifle.
in Iraq Although they did not go into Bagh-
Tuesday, February 27, 7:30PM dad, their stops included the Al Asad
David K. Hayward Center Air Base and Hadatha Dam, the
2000 Artesia Boulevard
Our January meeting featured a slide
presentation by Jeff DuClos on his second largest hydroelectric facility in
Redondo Beach Iraq. Like much of the country’s infra-
recent trip to Iraq with Chuck Norris.
DuClos was formerly a corporate pub- structure, the dam is non-operational
The program will include a presen- and power comes from gas generators.
tation on proposals for the licist for Norris.
An actor and martial-arts master, They also visited the 44th Air Medical
Redondo Beach AES site by repre- Unit, which performs daily acts of
Norris is idolized by our service men
sentatives of the South Bay Park- heroism.
and women and his image appears
land Conservancy and others. SBPC DuClos was surprised by the num-
everywhere on military property. The
helps communities and local ber of women Marines he encoun-
governments to acquire parklands. tered. He played a short video showing
We will also discuss the March scenes of soldiers having fun, engaging
2007 Elections in Redondo Beach in combat, and interacting with Iraqi
and Manhattan Beach. citizens including children.
Chuck Norris is deeply committed
Teresa Bird Honored to humanitarian causes and donates
much of his time visiting with children
Teresa Bird has been named “Woman for the Make a Wish Foundation.
of the Year” for the 28th Senatorial
District by Senator Jenny Oropeza.
The California Legislature bestows this
yearly honor to outstanding women.
Political Art
Jeff DuClos presenting a slide show of By Diane Strack
A native Californian, Teresa has Chuck Norris’s work with the Make a
held numerous posts over the years
Wish Foundation
from PTA president to office manager
for Governor Jerry Brown. She organ-
ized a UFW grape boycott at super- photo from Delta Force is used on USO
markets in the South Bay and has recruitment posters. Soldiers enjoy
lobbied the city council on behalf of memorizing and reciting satirical facts
civil rights, women’s rights, and health from the Chuck Norris Fact Genera-
issues. She worked for Senator Ralph tor, an Internet phenomenon that
Dills for fifteen years and for John contains over 600,000 humorous
Tunney in his senatorial race. She has quotes and legends.
worked on special elections for Ruben DuClos’s presentation included
Ayala, Dick Floyd, Richard Alatorre, many examples of military humor, an
and others, and has been a delegate to essential ingredient for survival in the
the Democratic National Convention combat zones.
five times.
Teresa is a founding member of the Last October, the two spent a week
Beach Cities Democratic Club and the traveling around Iraq, where they
South Bay headquarters. She has three toured eleven facilities and met with
grown children. more than 18,000 service members.
Teresa will be honored at a cere- DuClos noted the prevalence of large
mony on March 5th in Sacramento. weaponry; everyone had at least an
Visit our Website at lafn.org/politics/bcdc
Page 2 Beach Cities Democratic Club
a media-heavy state like California, January Recap
From the money continues to be “the mother’s
President milk of politics.” Campaign profes- Local Endorsements
sionals know that it costs $2 Million to Following Jeff DuClos’s presentation,
Election 2008 – buy enough television time to drive we heard from our local candidates.
The California home just one thirty-second advertise- Pat Aust, running for
Primary ment. Winning the California Primary city council in Redondo
I usually use this therefore will only be possible with an Beach, is a retired fire
space to trumpet extraordinary amount of money. With chief with a long career
the Club’s upcoming events, promote California just a week after New in public service.
our candidates, or point out the fail- Hampshire, only candidates who fare Although he was not
ures of the Republican President, VP, well in the Granite State will have the allowed to be openly
and Governor. But this month I want momentum to raise money so quickly, Pat Aust political, Aust is a for-
to comment about something that or break through a news media more mer member of BCDC
appears to be wildly popular even interested in Anna Nicole Smith than and served on the board of the Beach
among local Democrats—moving the universal healthcare. Cities Health District. He is a member
California Presidential Primary to of the Medical Reserve Corps which
February. It seems the idea is gaining We have seen this before. In 2004, performs emergency medical response
momentum, and I think it is a John Kerry was running a distant third services. His major areas of concern
horrible idea. in New Hampshire. But his victory in include traffic, development, and
The premise is sound enough— Iowa caused a huge momentum shift public health and safety.
with the most residents and the most that saw him win by 13 points and ce- Carl Clark, running as an incumbent
diverse populace in the country, Cali- mented his place as the front-runner. for Redondo Beach School Board, was
fornia should have a major role in While a grass-roots campaign can represented by Amy Santa Cruz, a
choosing presidential nominees. Un- work even in the face of a media on- teacher in the district. Currently serv-
fortunately, the perceived cure is slaught, it cannot be done in a week. ing as school board president, Clark
likely to make the situation worse. There is not enough time to organize has presided over years of budget cuts
First of all, let’s separate the myths and touch base with voters inundated but kept them out of the classroom.
from the realities. The California Pri- by media images from the front- He is extremely accessible, returns
mary has never been as unimportant runners and well-funded candidates. phone calls, and takes care of prob-
as people seem to think. In 1968, it California rightfully should not be lems quickly. He is endorsed by the
would have swung the nomination to left at the tail end of the primary calen- Teachers Union.
Bobby Kennedy, if tragedy did not dar, but a snap primary does not
befall him that night. California enhance our influence. Sadly, the driv- Dale Petrulis, also running for
played a critical role in both 1976 and ing motivation of the legislators has Redondo Beach school board along-
1980, when challengers to the incum- nothing to do with national politics, side Arlene Staich, boasts 38 years of
bent presidents (Reagan, then Ken- but is an effort to overhaul the state’s educational experience. Petrulis has
nedy) won the primary and did not term limits before it forces them out of taught grades from kindergarten
concede until the convention. In office. By holding a February primary, through high school. She has written
1984, Walter Mondale could not the Legislature can place on the ballot over $3 million worth of grants for
claim the nomination until after Cali- a measure to extend the current term various LA Unified schools. With
fornia and five other states held their limits measures, and still allow them to celebrity Sheri Lansing, she helped
primaries. And while Bill Clinton’s file for re-election in time for a June found a program called Prime Time
nomination seemed assured, it was legislative primary. There is no doubt which recruits new retirees to bring
not until he beat Jerry Brown in Cali- that term limits in California are bro- their expertise into the classroom.
fornia that he had the delegates he ken (a topic for another column), but Kevin Sullivan, a candidate for
needed. The same was true for Al it’s their self-serving interest that the Redondo Beach city clerk, has a long
Gore and George W. Bush in 2000. Legislature has prioritized over univer- career in public service. A city council-
Moving up the California primary sal health care, education funding, and man for six years, he has also served as
will not enhance our power, but the state’s continuing structural budget labor coordinator for Cary Peck, vice-
instead will make Iowa and New deficit—and California’s own interest president of the LA County Labor
Hampshire even more important. In in national elections. Federation, and Secretary/treasurer of
Lee Fink
Page 3
Shipyards in San Pedro, an elected liberal idea was that the barriers the
I Am a Democrat government put up toward peoples’
position. He has been a trustee of pen-
BY LORI GEITTMANN freedoms would be removed. What
sion funds and auditor for local
unions. He founded a real estate mort- Many years ago, then Senator William Green and Dewey proposed was there
gage company in Redondo Beach and Fulbright of Arkansas said, “I can do are barriers put up to keep people
has experience in international anything I want in foreign affairs as from achieving their full potential that
banking. long as I vote against every civil rights have nothing to do with government.
Cindy Szerlip, also run- bill.” In my young, naive college days, I To create a free people, government
ning for city clerk: Larry thought that was terrible, until one of must be used to remove those barriers.
Fox spoke on her be- my friends got a Fulbright scholarship Civil rights laws would be an example.
half and said she has to Oxford. I also learned about Sena- Free public schools another.
been an accountant for tor Fulbright’s great record in foreign This is a vastly over simplified ver-
26 years, runs her own policy issues as chair of the Senate sion of Green and Dewey. For some-
Kevin Sullivan business, and has high Foreign Relations Committee. one who wishes to understand modern
technology skills that In the late 70s or early 80s, a Ku liberal philosophy and political ideas, I
would be useful in the position. Klux Klan leader was elected in a refer them to these two thinkers.
Don Szerlip, running for reelection to Democratic primary in San Diego Which gives the background to
Redondo Beach city council, described because Democrats did not field a can- what I wish to say about a Democratic
his commitment to public safety and didate in the primary. While the Klan Club. The purpose of a Democratic
neighborhood improvement. He leader’s chance of winning the general Club is to elect Democrats to office
helped staff up the police department election were very unlikely, his nomi- and to pursue our goals. It is not the
and upgrade its communications nation was of concern to the California “Good Government League,”
equipment. Every street in his district Democratic Party. “Common Cause,” or “The League
has been repaved and the used car lots He came to the State Party Con- of Women Voters.” It is fair to ask
removed. He pledged to keep up the vention with his followers as his our chosen candidates to adhere to our
improvements along Artesia Boule- appointees. I was on the Credentials platform and support our party. It is
vard, the Galleria, and the Pier, and Committee. There was a vote to expel also fair to ask them what they have
reinvigorate business districts in the him and his “toughie” appointees. I done for the party in the past. Finally it
city. asked how we could vote to exclude should be fair to withhold support if
Bob Bohner, running for Manhattan him. After all, we were a small “d” the candidates have disavowed
Beach city council, was represented by democratic organization. Our party Democratic candidates in the past.
Tony Hale. Bohner is the longest serv- chair pointed out that an organization Is there room for debate within the
ing member on the Planning Commis- can exclude anyone who does not party? There certainly is. There are
sion, serves on Parks and Recreation, follow its principles and the Democ- those of us who have chosen not to
and is president of the Sister City ratic Party could exclude anyone who support one candidate over the other
program. He is also a member of the didn’t follow its principles. That chair in a primary. I supported Adlai Steven-
Homeowners’ Association and Lions was Nancy Pelosi. son over John Kennedy in 1960. Once
Club. Although Manhattan Beach has Kennedy had the nomination, I was an
deemed city offices nonpartisan and
Now House Speaker Pelosi can enthusiastic supporter. There have
make any committee chair appoint- been times where I have resented the
discouraged candidates from seeking
ments she wants to, and it may be that heavy hand of party leaders in the
our endorsement,
she will not appoint a member to a nominating process. But not once have
Bohner has worked
chairmanship if she believes that mem- I actively worked against a Democratic
on many Democ-
ber is not voting the interests and candidate and endorsed one from an-
ratic campaigns.
ideology of the Democratic Party. other party. I may have considered it
In my mind, being a Democrat but once in the voting booth, I could-
Endorsements
means something; it represents my n’t do it. Oh how I hate it when I hear
The only candidate
philosophy of life. Thomas Hill Green, a Democrat say he/she voted for
receiving the requi-
the British philosopher, is said to be Arnold.
site 60% of the en-
the one who gave voice to the ideas The price of admission, I think, is
dorsement votes Dale Petrulis
that created the British welfare state. In loyalty.
was Dale Petrulis.
this country those ideas were put forth Debate?
by John Dewey. Basically the old
James McGreevy—310-320-1638
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Ray Waters—310-374-4744
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Lee Fink—310-370-3020
President
P.O. Box 2192, Redondo Beach, CA 90278
Democratic Club
Beach Cities
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