CYD Candidate Questionnaire
CANDIDATE INFORMATION
1. Name as it will appear on the ballot: First Name Middle Initial or Nick Name David R. 2. 3. 4. 5. Last Name Phelps
Office Sought: President, California Young Democrats Are you the incumbent? Yes NO Are you a Voting Member in Good Standing of SFYD? Yes NO How many years have you been a member of SFYD or other YD Chapters? I have been a member of the San Fernando Valley Young Democrats for about 6 years. 5. Contact Information: Home Address: Campaign Phone: Campaign Email: Campaign Website:
Phelps4cyd@gmail.com http://phelps4cyd.org (website launch pending)
CYD Candidate Questionnaire
POLITICAL BACKGROUND
Beginning with the most recent position, please list previous leadership and elected roles in the Young Democrats and other relevant Political or Leadership Organizations. Office/Role
CYD Vice President of Membership
Elective/Appointive?
Dates Held
Leadership Role (if any)
Please see attached accomplishments list
Office Director, Obama for America
Elected statewide by March 2008 – the chartered chapters Present of CYD at annual Democratic state convention Appointed Fall 2008
CYD Regional Director, Los Angeles County
Elected by members in April 2006 – L.A. region at March 2008 convention Elected by Democratic Feb. 2005 – Feb. activists and club 2007 members at bi-annual General Membership meeting
Field Organizer, California Democratic Party Victory ’06 Coordinated Campaign Vice Chair, Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley President, San Fernando Valley Young Democrats Vice President, San Fernando Valley Young Democrats
Assisted in the overall operation of the Northeast Denver campaign office in Colorado Founded and chaired the LA Young Dems Regional Network of chapters, which met quarterly I was Field Organizer in the joint campaign headquarters of the CDP and DP/SFV in the November 2006 election.
Elected by club Jan. 2004 – June Please see attached membership annually 2005 accomplishments list Elected by club Jan. 2003 – Jan. membership annually 2004 Please see attached accomplishments list
QUESTIONNAIRE
1) Why are you running, and what makes you qualified for this position? I’m running for this office because I believe I have the skills and experience to work with our leadership and chapters throughout the state to continue the success we have experienced in 2008. CYD and youth activism in general has historically operated on the ebbs and flows of electoral cycles. I am seeking this office because I believe that together we can put best practices and an infrastructure in place to stabilize our momentum and ensure that the 90 chapters that chartered with CYD this year, will not only stick around in 2009, but will grow and flourish. As CYD president, I will take the strategies I learned as local chapter vice president and president (3 years), CYD region director (2 years), VP of Membership (1 year), as well as from the CDP and OFA and apply them directly to CYD: Trusting and empowering local leaders, embracing new technologies, growing our base through respectful communication, and bringing idealism back into our politics.
CYD Candidate Questionnaire
Our success in 2010 and beyond depends on our own ability to change and grow for the better - as individuals, as leaders and as an organization.
2) What are the main challenges facing the California Young Democrats as an organization in the context of this position? How will you address those issues if elected? I see three main opportunities for CYD to grow and prosper as an organization in the coming year: INFRASTRUCTURE In my many discussions with chapter leaders throughout the state, the commonality lies in cultivating a strong infrastructure. Both large and small clubs look to CYD for different resources. As CYD president, I will work with established clubs like SFYD to provide you with additional resources to expand upon the areas you are good at (political advocacy, issue discussion and debate, fundraising and many others) as well as to assist your chapter in developing in other areas of operation that your chapter sees as opportunities for improvement and growth. There are unlimited opportunities for new chapter development, and as CYD president, I hope to work with our more established chapters, like SFYD, to spread the YD presence to neighbor communities and campuses. As president, I will work with our next VP of Membership and Region Directors statewide to support our smaller clubs, providing them the tools and resources they need to grow, while continuing to expand the YD movement into the red and rural parts of California. Chapter participation must be encouraged at the regional level. That’s why I will focus on strengthening CYD from the bottom up - empowering regional directors and local chapters to create an infrastructure for them to communicate and expand. Regional Directors have consistently been the most under-rated leadership positions in CYD, although they are among the most critical of positions. I have identified candidates in regions throughout the state that are qualified, willing, and able to take an active role in organizing the region, identifying areas of growth for new chapters while engaging current chapters. As President, I will ask that all Region Directors to establish regional cabinets that bring together the chapter leaders from throughout the region to meet on a quarterly basis. These meetings will provide opportunities for individual chapters to discuss what they’re up to, consider coordination of chapter goals and provide opportunities for personalized workshops on fundraising, advocacy and membership. FINANCES As CYD President, I will work closely with the VP of Finance to establish concrete fundraising goals that will at a minimum raise our revenues to match last year’s total budget with an eye to increasing sponsorships to expand our staff into developing regions, as we have with in San Diego with a part-time Regional Organizer to facilitate and coordinate the development of new chapters and increased regional activity. Our
CYD Candidate Questionnaire
Executive Director up until this point has been partly funded by the Young Democrats of America’s Executive Director Program. YDA is no longer in a financial position to uphold that agreement, so we will have to compensate for that with a $30-$40,000 in additional revenues. I am also committed to working with the next VP of Finance to host webinars and regional workshops showing chapters how to improve their own fundraising efforts using the model I created for my local chapter resulting in our $40,000 annual operating budget. LEADERSHIP STABILITY Systematic leadership transition is critical in maintaining successful chapter operations. Two years ago, I proposed the Leadership Transition Initiative (LTI) to uniquely address the inherent officer turn-over that routinely occurs in high school and college chapter leadership. The LTI, now in its beginning stages of implementation, suggests several “best practices” for success, including: 1) Setting appropriate terms of office for chapter officers so that leadership can “hit their stride” heading into important general election efforts. 2) Identifying and recruiting able juniors, sophomores and even freshman to take on leadership positions within developing high school and college chapters to ensure that a chapter doesn’t fall apart after its founders graduate. 3) Encouraging the establishment of “immediate past president” roles in each chapter to provide for institutional memory and mentorship opportunities. 4) Providing opportunities for young worker chapters to adopt high school and college chapters thereby offering valued kinship while allowing for vertical integration and providing often needed fundraising assistance. 5) Keeping an annual calendar of reoccurring events that can be passed down form one set of officers to the next, taking into account traditional state party and campus programming. 6) Establishing effective ways for storing and passing on important chapter documents to future chapter officers through technology or other proven record keeping practices. 3) Identify two major challenges facing young people in the context of the position you seek? What specific commitment will you make to address these issues if elected? Last year’s election engaged hundreds of thousands of young people in the political process. Many of them did not care about politics previously, nor did they believe that their voice or their vote would make much of a difference. The presidential race and Barack Obama fundamentally changed that. While these young activists remain involved in one form or another, many of them joining our YD chapters throughout the state or chartering new ones on their own, they still do not identify themselves as Democrats. It is in this area that we, as the youth arm of the party, must focus our efforts. Our Peer-to-Peer Programs will play a large role in that education. As president, I will commit to focusing our outreach and education to our new young activists and peers in the values of being a Democrat; emphasizing the importance of electing good Democrats to state and local office. If we don’t, we are doomed to
CYD Candidate Questionnaire
experience the same fate that President Clinton did in 2004 when a Republican-controlled congress came into power and stifled the administration’s ability to effect progressive policies. The second major challenge will lie in engaging our high school youth. The earlier we can engage people, the more likely they will be an active participant in the political process and the more likely they are to vote Democratic. That’s why I’m committed to strengthening our high school caucus and ensuring that we have at least 10 high school chapters in every region of the state by 2010. 4) If elected, what ideas and commitments would you put forward to engage more of California’s, and San Francisco’s, young people in the political process? What specifically would you do? It has been shown that young people are more likely to engage in community service first, before they participate in politics or elections. The trend is slowly shifting, but there are many younger people who see their involvement in the form of community service. Meeting with the spirit of President Obama's call for community service, CYD should encourage our membership and chapters to participate in community service projects in their communities. Cultivating relationships with community non-profits will only assist chapters like SFYD in to build on opportunities for advocacy down the road, whether it be in the form of a panel speaker or help from an organization during an election or lobby effort. We would encourage and coordinate this involvement on a regional basis so as to maximize the involvement of high school and college members and provide opportunities for building stronger relationships with community non-profits and leaders. As president, I will work with Region Director to identify those service opportunities that complement the needs and interests of members in those regions best. I would also reach out to those groups to build the relationships we need to insure the experience is a positive one for the cause and our chapters alike.
5) Please describe in sufficient detail at least one of your accomplishments that has improved the lives of young people. These examples should illustrate effective skills and capabilities which apply to the office you are seeking. These accomplishments may have occurred at any time in your personal, professional, or public life. Since 2005, I have been a leading advocate for the American Plan for Presidential Primaries, a comprehensive reform plan intended to restore fairness to the primary schedule and empower young (and old) voters across the nation to become more involved in the political process. Prior to my involvement on this project, the American Plan was just another wellintentioned idea published in a political science journal. Over the last four years, I have traveled around the state, educating (with the dedicated assistance of the Plan’s author, Thomas Gangale and LA Region Director Damian Carroll) thousands of Democrats about the American Plan. In an effort of this magnitude, it’s easy to be discouraged or
CYD Candidate Questionnaire
sidetracked, but my determination to see that national electoral reform shows that young activists can make a difference on the national stage. In August 2005, we were successful in capturing the UNANIMOUS support of the Young Democrats of America, including the delegations of New Hampshire and Iowa! Because of this groundswell of support, the American Plan was formally endorsed by Chairman Art Torres and the California Democratic Party at its January 2006 meeting. The creation of this momentum took an incredible amount of coalition building, leadership and patience to secure the support of these diverse interests. Additionally, thanks to Chairman Torres, the American Plan was the ONLY plan listed as a viable reform in a recent DNC Commission report on the presidential selection process for the Democratic Party. In July 2006, I traveled with Mr. Gangale and Damian to present the Plan before the National Association of Secretaries of State. In 2008, From the Polls to the Primaries was published, chronicling our lobby effort. In early 2009, a bi-partisan commission has been formed to study the alternatives, and the American Plan has been identified as one of the primary alternatives to systemic reform. Simply put, this has truly been a grassroots effort. These accomplishments cannot be understated given the scope of these reforms. Fighting the skepticism of many political insiders, I have significantly contributed to setting the election reform agenda for the presidential selection process in 2012. While the work is far from over, the American Plan has a real chance for consideration by both Parties for implementation in that election.
EXPERIENCE
Please list or describe your current and past activities in the community in which you have acquired skills relevant to the office you are seeking. Include your roles in the activities and when you were involved. Involvement consists of many areas such as family, neighborhood, community, employment, or public life. Please explain how your experiences would make you an effective advocate for young people as a CYD office holder.
CYD Vice President of Membership (2008-Present) As Vice President of Membership, I worked to not only retain CYD’s 58 chapters statewide, but capitalize on the energy and engagement of young people during the presidential election and expand our membership to new heights. o Not only did CYD retain over 95% of its existing chapters, we received applications for over 90 chapters this year – almost doubling the number of chapters statewide and signifying the largest expansion of membership in CYD history. Authored the first-ever “Margin of Victory” Report highlighting the individual accomplishments of CYD’s chapters during the 2008 Primary, recognizing YDs who ran for office, and providing statistics on YD turnout. Prioritized communication to and between our chapters, including the expansion of our online presence through a focused effort to increase participation and interaction on Facebook. o Created the 1500 Facebook Challenge last summer, calling on our members statewide to reach out and recruit their friends to join the CYD group. The Challenge resulted in an increase from 400 to over 1650 members today!
CYD Candidate Questionnaire
Worked with our Region Directors to establish regional Facebook groups so that chapters could communicate with each other about chapter events and other political happenings. With each chapter’s president listed in these groups, young dems know who to contact to get involved in their area.
CYD Regional Director, Los Angeles County (2006-08) Worked to rebuild relationships between L.A. area chapters and CYD. Initiated quarterly regional meetings with chapters to present the membership benefits of CYD and encourage chapters to partner with each other on programs. In 2006, I worked with SFVYD to establish the Grants Program to offer financial assistance to new and growing clubs in red areas looking to grow their membership or enact innovative projects. o This was the first program of its kind in the state to provide financial assistance from one chapter to another. As the Grants program enters its third year, SFVYD has provided over $5,000 in grants to chapters throughout the state. Worked with local young activists to charter eight new high school and college chapters – the Los Angeles region possesses one of the largest number of chapters in the state. Laid the ground work regionally for an emerging Adopt-a-Club program by encouraging established clubs to adopt and mentor younger clubs in the Los Angeles area.
Chapter President (2004-05) - Vice President (2003) San Fernando Valley Young Democrats Worked with other youth activists to lead the chapter in growing from 15 members to over 250. Worked with Executive Board and members to grow our annual operating budget from $250 to $40,000 in less than 4 years through relationship building, a solid fundraising model and building a reputation as an organization that sets goals and achieves them. Worked with club membership to design and distribute Young Voter Education Guides targeting 18,000 Young Democrats in four elections since 2005. In 2005, I worked with chapter leadership to coordinate the ONLY mayoral debate in Los Angeles dedicated to youth issues. In partnership with the LA County Young Democrats, David and SFVYD secured EVERY major candidate for mayor, filled a 250 seat theatre with young voters and community leaders, and had it moderated and broadcast by NPR throughout the region. As president, I was honored to accept the award on behalf of SFVYD for 2005 Chapter of the Year at the state party convention. SUPPORT I am proud to have the support of several CBAY chapters that believe in my ability to work in all areas of the state. A complete list of my chapter endorsements is listed on my facebook group. As of the writing of this questionnaire, of the 13 CBAY chapters that have endorsed in this race, I have earned the support of 12 of them:
CBAY Chapter Endorsements Marin County Young Democrats Sonoma County Young Democrats Chabot College Democrats San Jose State Univ. Democratic Caucus Stanford College Democrats Lick Wilmerding High School YDs Campolindo High Young Democrats
CYD Candidate Questionnaire
College Park High Young Democrats Tam High Young Democrats Branson High Young Democrats San Rafael High Young Democrats Bellarmine College Preparatory YDs Community/Elected Officials Asm Democratic Caucus Leader John Pérez Asm Asst Majority Leader Paul Krekorian Asm Appropriations Chair Kevin De León LA County Dem Party Chair Eric Bauman Mitchell Schwartz, California Campaign Director, Obama for America Yvette Martinez, Political Director, No on Prop 8 Campaign John Cleary, President, Stonewall Dem Club Dina Cervantes, Past Chair, CA State Student Assoc. *Partial List **Titles for identification purposes only