About Pacific palisades democratic club

Most importantly, the club has a membership base that supports Democratic ideals. They donate to the cause, attend events, and show up for canvassing, phone banking, and advocacy of local, state, and national issues and candidates.

HISTORY OF THE WESTSIDE DEM HQ

One of the most influential and exciting jobs the PaliDems have taken on is the opening of a Westside Democratic Headquarters every Presidential election year. 

These HQs train and equip thousands of volunteers to make calls and texts to Get Out The Vote in swing states for national races, and in California for local ones … host candidates and ballot proposition forums … feature debate-watch and other parties and events … charter buses to Las Vegas for voter registration and canvassing … and provide a gathering place for anyone who wants to make a difference and help Democrats win.

They’ve also hosted our famed collections of election swag, featuring a bigger in-person selection of election merchandise than you’re likely to find anywhere else in L.A.


2018: Blue Wave Midterms HQ

With the stakes higher than ever, we tried something new and supported a physical HQ space in a non-presidential election year, deep in the heart of Westwood. So many volunteers, buses to neighboring districts, calls, parties, etc. — boy, did we Get Out The Vote!

2016: Our WDHQ on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica was a huge success on several fronts


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The thousands of volunteers who pitched in made ours the #1 election HQ in California for calling and texting to Get Out The Vote for the Hillary campaign. We were instrumental in helping keep Nevada blue and putting Catherine Cortez Masto in Harry Reid’s US Senate seat. We helped California get even bluer, reelecting Rep. Ted Lieu and Assemblymember Richard Bloom … putting Kamala Harris into Barbara Boxer’s vacated US Senate seat … winning a majority of the ballot measures we backed … and securing supermajorities in the CA Legislature.

PPDC brought into the HQ the West L.A. Dem Club and the Santa Monica Dem Club to make it a true Westside coalition, and we’re most grateful for their support and the hours they put in to mount events and make the place hum.

But your organization — the Pacific Palisades Democratic Club — led the charge: finding, setting up, staffing, organizing, and, perhaps hardest of all without your help, providing the vast majority of funding for the HQ space, supplies, and personnel.

We couldn’t have done it without our members and supporters. And with the 2018 midterms and 2020 presidential race fast approaching, we need you to join or renew your membership today.


2012:  Third St. Promenade HQ

Thanks in no small part to our members and volunteers, 2012 was a tremendous year for California Democrats generally and for the Pacific Palisades Democratic Club in particular

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Barack Obama and Joe Biden were re-elected. Henry Waxman, Fran Pavley, and Julia Brownley were victorious. 

Proposition 30 was passed and Prop 32 defeated. And the results on seven other state ballot measures were in line with our endorsements.

Over a thousand volunteers came together at our Westside Democratic Headquarters on the Third St. Promenade to make it all happen. We registered more than 1200 new voters, made hundreds of thousands of calls, and organized swing-state trips.

The HQ was visited by Valerie Jarrett, senior advisor to President Obama.Others from the national campaign followed, to observe and to thank us for our efforts. We also played host to inspirational speeches and appearances by too many elected officials and dignitaries to list — Henry Waxman, Richard Bloom, Eric Garcetti, Wendy Greuel, and Eric Bauman among them.

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2008: our election headquarters on Wilshire Blvd. in Santa Monica expanded to house the Obama campaign and become one the top-performing Obama/Biden headquarters in the country


PPDC finds the most engaging speakers, from political leaders to journalists to newsmakers, to keep you in the loop on critical issues. We’ve brought you (partial list):

Senior Advisor to President Obama Valerie Jarrett, Clinton Labor Sec. Robert Reich

Sen. and VP candidate Kamala Harris, Sen. Barbara Boxer

Reps. Ted Lieu, Maxine Waters, Julia Brownley; Henry Waxman

Gov. Gavin Newsom, Controller John Chiang, Insurance Comm. Dave Jones

State Sen. Ben Allen, Assemblymember Richard Bloom, State Sen. Fran Pavley

L.A. County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, Sup. Zev Yaroslavsky

L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, Mayors Antonio Villaraigosa and Richard Riordan

City Councilmember Mike Bonin, City Attorney Mike Feuer, City Controller Ron Galperin, fmr Controller & current L.A. Homeless Services Auth. Comm. Wendy Greuel, fmr CM & current GM L.A. Economic & Workforce Development Dept. Jan Perry

Academy Award® winner Michael Moore, Peabody Award winner Robert Greenwald, Pulitzer Prize winnerMichael Hiltzik, cartoonist/author Brad Parker, Webby Award winner & TruthDig founder Robert Scheer, Nat’l Book Award winner Gore Vidal, Radio/TV host/author & Orwell Award winner Bill Press, commentator/authorJohn Dean, Emmy & Human Rights Award-winning author/activist Mike Farrell, NextGen America & Need to Impeach founder Tom Steyer, comedian Paula Poundstone, American Prospect Executive Editor Dave Dayen


Every couple of years we hold our special Political Courage|Human Rights Awards events, honoring, among others:

Sen. Barbara Boxer; Campaign for a Healthy California co-chair Dr. Paul Song

Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Dolores Huerta, JFK Library Profiles in Courage Award winner Mikey Weinstein

Author/activist Ron Kovic and Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg

Ambassador Joe Wilson, CIA Operative Valerie Plame, and new-media mogul Arianna Huffington

Emmy Award winner Phil Donahue, National Board of Review Best Documentary winner Ellen Spiro

These are unforgettable events, with newsmakers speaking passionately about their work. You won’t want to miss the next one.

Board meetings are held the first Tuesday of every month, 6:30 – 8:30 PM, on Zoom. These meetings aren’t open to the public — we hold many other public meetings and events, all listed here on the website and posted on our PaliDems social media accounts — but if you’re interested in attending, with an eye toward perhaps being invited to join our board, call 310-230-2084 or click here to email us.

Abortion and Contaception

Abortion & Contraception

We support the majority of Americans who understand that every woman should have access to quality reproductive health care services, including safe and legal abortion.

Education

Education

Forty years ago California voters approved Proposition 13, a bill designed to help homeowners avoid huge property tax bills. Unfortunately, it extended the same protection to corporations, creating a $9 billion loophole. If we want to improve the woeful state of our public education system, we need to close this loophole.

Environment and Climate Change

Environment & Climate Change

We must diligently protect our environment and aggressively fight climate change. We need to set and meet more ambitious, urgent targets including 100% renewable energy for California by 2035.

Citizens United and Money in Politics

Citizens United & Money in Politics

America can’t get corporate money out of politics until we overturn Citizens United.

Education

Education

40 years ago California voters approved Proposition 13, a bill designed to help homeowners avoid huge property tax bills. Unfortunately, it extended the same protection to corporations, creating a $9 billion loophole. If we want to improve the woeful state of our public education system, we need to close this loophole.

Reduce Wealth Disparity

Reduce Wealth Disparity

America now has more wealth and income inequality than any other major developed country on earth, with the gap between the richest and poorest Americans wider than at any time since the Great Depression. To fight income inequality we must do several things at once. First, we must demand that the wealthy and large corporations pay their fair share in taxes.

Scientific Research and Development

Scientific Research & Development

Science has been under attack, often for ideological reasons, often at the behest of major donors of Republican Party and the right wing (to obfuscate the damages caused by the fossil fuel industry, to block research on gun violence statistics, etc.). We need to return to the days of unbiased, unobstructed science.

Gun Control

Gun & Ammunition Safety Legislation

Despite California’s strict gun-control laws, it is important to augment them with still-stricter laws. We need to continue to support a ban on assault weapons as well as devices such as bump stocks used to turn rifles into automatic weapons.

Healthcare

Healthcare

Healthcare is a human right, not a privilege. A single-Payer/Medicare for All healthcare system would cover all California residents at a cost savings of $37 billion dollars a year to the state  — while providing ALL medically necessary care.

Living Wage

Living Wage

We need to increase the Federal Minimum Wage, and to tie that wage to inflation.

Voting Rights

Voting Rights

Fair and free elections and an open government are necessary for a free society

Social Security

Social Security

Protect and Expand Social Security and the Social Safety Net. We believe that it is imperative to oppose mandatory retirement while strengthening pensions, and extending housing, healthcare, and unemployment benefits to individuals 55 and older so that they can are guaranteed a dignified retirement. We oppose any attempts to privatize Social Security.

Immigration

Immigration

California Democrats support comprehensive immigration reform that is consistent with American values of freedom, opportunity, compassion, and respect for human rights. In that regard we are leading the nation with the California Dream Act: Students brought here as children can qualify for financial aid for college.

Peace and Diplomacy

Peace & Diplomacy

We are global citizens in a nuclear age, and so must live in peace and harmony with our neighbors. We demand that the Democratic Party renew its focus on diplomacy at home and abroad and that it function as a leader in both areas.

Social, Economic and Racial Justice

Social, Economic, & Racial Justice

Justice can only be achieved through understanding the connections between systemic racism, chronic poverty, environmental devastation, and war economics. 

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