September 17, 1999 Quick News around the Web |
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News ...5 September 1999 TOP Club President Carol Norman Leaving California Carol Norman, the President of the Gardena Valley Democratic Club and former Lawndale Councilwoman, will be moving to New Jersey on October 12th to be closer to her family. Carol's husband Bert passed away three years ago. Our Club's First Vice President, Alicia Brewster, will become our new GVDC President following Carol's departure. 12 August 1999 TOP Bill Sanders, former Treasurer of the Beach Cities Democratic Club, died in late July, 1999, when canyoneering alone in the Utah wilderness. Bill was a leader in the Peace movement, working for the Office of the Americas, Sane-Freeze and Witness for Peace. He walked for peace across America and again from Moscow to then-Leningrad. He strongly supported the Sierra Club. In 1988 Bill was also instrumental in bringing Presidential candidate Senator Paul Simon to the South Bay. We will miss him greatly. Memorial services will be held on August 22, from 2-4 PM at the Pacific Unitarian Church, 5621 Montemalaga Drive, in Rancho Palos Verdes, followed by a reception. Contributions in Bill's memory can be made to: The Office of the Americas 12 August 1999 TOP Mark Erikson, former President of the Torrance Democratic Club, died of a heart attack on July 17, 1999, in Seoul, South Korea. Mark was 42 years old and had been teaching English in Korea for the past three years. He was a leader in the 1988 and 1992 Democratic headquarters in the South Bay and helped keep our annual Labor Day Picnic going until he left for Equador in the mid-1990s. Mark was also a great Grateful Dead fan. We will miss him. Our condolences go to Mark's family. A memorial gathering will take place on August 14th at 2 PM at Green Hills Memorial Park, 27501 S. Western Avenue, in Rancho Palos Verdes.
14 April 1999 TOP George Kiriyama loses LAUSD Board seat
George Kiriyama was defeated, 54% to 46%, by one of the candidates financed by Los Angeles Mayor Riordan. Riordan outspent Kiriyama at least 3 to 1, spending over $600,000. One ubiquitous TV commercial put the blame, in many viewers' eyes, on George for the toxic waste site that the semi-privatized Belmont High is being built on. The opposite was closer to the truth. When Riordan gave the victory speech for his candidates, he claimed his candidates were elected for reasons the commercials never even mentioned! Gardena, Lomita and other cities in the LAUSD won't appreciate the Mayor of Los Angeles attempting to dictate to other cities' schools. 13 April 1999 TOP Tell House to vote NO on MEDICARE VOUCHERS! Call and fax your Member of Congress tonight and tomorrow morning (April 14th) and tell them to vote NO on Medicare Vouchers! We don't want to force millions of older Americans to go into HMOs and pay more for less care! HMOs are already notorious for canceling the benefits of those who need them the most! 11 March 1999 TOP Elaine Hampton, a very active Club member for several years, died on March 11, 1999. Elaine led a troubled life and cared much for the downtrodden, as do many in our Club. She occasionally enjoyed shocking us into action, but her intentions were always good. We will miss her. 3 March 1999 TOP Mayor Don Dear elected to record 9th term! Don Dear was elected to his ninth 2-year term as Mayor of the City of Gardena on March 2nd! This unprecedented feat was really accomplished on the closing day of filing, when no other citizens of Gardena filed to oppose Don in the election, a result of the great work that Don has done as Mayor for the past 16 years! 3 March 1999 TOP Terrence Terauchi elected to Gardena City Council Terry Terauchi, our Club's 1st Vice President a decade ago, was elected to the Gardena City Council in a tough race. Terry spent a fraction of the amount spent by the leading vote-getter, and has many hardworking grassroots volunteers to thank for his victory. 29 January 1999 TOP Gardena Valley Democratic Club website wins award! The GVDC won the "Outstanding Political Website" award from Votenet on January 28th, 1999. You can see our award at the bottom of the GVDC Front Page.
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Things we're watching ...17 September 1999 TOP On September 29th, Ask Governor Davis to Sign SB 480 ! On Wednesday, Sept. 29, contact Gov. Gray Davis and ask him to sign SB 480, the California Health Care Bill. Governor Gray Davis or Governor Gray Davis Every group supporting SB 480, including the GVDC, is participating in the Call-In. 8 September 1999 TOP California Health Care Bill Sent to Governor Davis' Desk After being passed in the Assembly Appropriations Committee on Sept. 4th, SB 480 (Solis) was passed by the entire State Assembly. The State Senate agreed to the amendments made to the Bill in the Assembly. The Bill now awaits the signature of Governor Davis. SB 480 now calls for a single study of the state of Health Care in California and how alternatives such as Universal Health Care can better cover the millions of Californians who presently have no health care coverage. We thank all of the State Legislators who voted for SB 480, including all of the Democrats in the South Bay area. 19 August 1999 TOP California Health Care Bill Hearing Set for August 25th SB 480 (Solis), which will mandate a study of Health Care alternatives in California, including Universal Health Care, continues to move through the State Legislature. The Assembly Appropriations Committee has scheduled hearings on SB 480 for August 25th. The measure must be approved by the entire State Assembly before the legislature ends its session on September 10th. Please call your Assemblymember and ask them to support SB 280, doubly so if they are members of the Appropriations Committee. 12 August 1999 TOP Casini Spacecraft, carrying 72 Pounds of Plutonium, to Skim by Earth's Atmosphere On August 17th, at 8:38 PM PST, the Casini space probe, with 72 pounds of plutonium fuel aboard, will hopefully slingshot around the Earth on its scientific journey to Saturn, its destination. The Casini will pass several hundred miles over the atmosphere above central Africa. NASA claimed that chances of an accident releasing the plutonium into our atmosphere is a "million to one." However, more than 10% of the Titan IV rockets launched since the Casini have blown up on launch. A computer bug or mechanical failure could further increase the chances for catastrophe, causing the Casini to deviate from its course and burn up in Earth's atmosphere, which would release its nuclear fuel. Plutonium is the deadliest substance known. NASA is planning 11 more launches of similar plutonium-powered spacecraft .
17 April 1999 TOP VICTORY at Ward Valley! Only Gov. Davis' action remains The plan to bury long-lived radioactive wastes in unlined trenches above an aquifer near Needles, just 18 miles from the Colorado River, is dead. U.S. Ecology, the company that was to administer the site, has announced that it is ending its attempts to build the "low-level" nuclear dump that endangered Southern California's water supply. With Republican Gov. Pete Wilson -- a Ward Valley Dump supporter -- out of office, all Governor Gray Davis has to do is 13 April 1999 TOP California Health Care Bill on track SB 480 (Solis), which will mandate a study leading to Universal Health Care in California by 2003, is steadily moving through the State Legislature. The Senate Health & Human Services Committee will hold hearings on it April 21st. Most South Bay Democratic legislators support the measure. 27 March 1999 TOP CDP Endorses Universal Health Care At the recent State Convention of the California Democratic Party, a resolution supporting the idea of universal health care was passed overwhelmingly. The resolution was submitted by the Palos Verdes Peninsula Democratic Club.
GVDC
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From our mail ...12 August 1999 TOP California Democratic Party 2000 Platform Hearing Saturday, Aug. 14th
The CDP year 2000 Democratic State Platform hearing will be held on Saturday, August 14th, 1999, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. The hearings will take place at
14 April 1999 TOP Democratic National Convention August 14-17, 2000 The CDP reports that the 2000 Democratic National Convention will be held at the yet-to-be completed Staples Arena in downtown Los Angeles, from Monday, Aug. 14 to Thursday the 17th, 2000. 14 April 1999 TOP Annual California College Democrats Leadership Conference
The College Democrats of America, the California College Democrats and the California Young Democrats will hold their Leadership Conference from April 30th to May 2nd at UC santa Barbara. (In the future we hope they don't schedule this on the same weekend as the CDC State Convention.) 12 April 1999 TOP GOP: Struggling to Save Their Marriage to Big Money Democratic House Leader Dick Gephardt's "Outrage of the Week" concerns Republican opposition to campaign finance reform. Repub Senator Mitch McConnell told Repub State Chairs that "Hell's going to freeze over first before we get rid of soft money." He told them that if they got rid of "soft money" then they'd lose the House and the Senate. 11 April 1999 TOP Website for L.A. City election results here is the web site for LA City election results for Tuesday's election. 11 April 1999 TOP 2000 Primary Election Dates OCT 1--First day to circulate "Petitions in Lieu". |