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http://www.latimes.com/politics/ess...and-a-raucous-start-1495247278-htmlstory.html
2017 California Democratic Party convention 2018 election California Democrats
MAY 19, 2017, 7:58 P.M.
REPORTING FROM SACRAMENTO
Rallies, F-bombs and a raucous start to the California Democratic Party convention
Phil Willon
The California Democratic Party convention started with a bang Friday night, with protesters disrupting speeches at the official kickoff and state party Chairman John Burton unleashing a series of F-bombs aimed at the demonstrators.
The chanting began when Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and Burton stepped up to the podium in a cavernous hall at the state capital's convention center, with protesters shouting demands that the party reject corporate donations and work to implement a single-payer healthcare system.
Burton, known for his salty language, lashed out quickly. He told protesters that the Democratic Party had been fighting for single-payer healthcare “since before you were born.”
“Hey, shut the ... up or go outside,” Burton said.
“Parade all you want, but unless we put it on the ballot or elect new Democrats you can walk up and down the street and people still aren’t going to have decent healthcare. So let’s get with it.”
Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez headlined the kickoff event and, seemingly accustomed to such a reception, delivered his speech in almost a thunderous shout — loud enough to drown out the chants.
Perez compared the atmosphere to holiday dinner with his extended family and told the hundreds of Democratic delegates in the crowd that, just like family, now was the time for all of them to come together.
“We have a raucous Thanksgiving dinner. We talk about politics. I’m Dominican. So we talk about the other thing, which is baseball,” Perez said. “And then at the end of the day, we get together and talk about our shared values.”
Most of his speech was a pointed rebuke of President Trump, ridiculing the Republican president for his “bromance” with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his push to repeal the Affordable Care Act
“Here’s one big thing we agree on. Donald Trump is an anathema to our values. Donald Trump is the most dangerous president in American history,” said Perez, who served as Labor secretary in the Obama administration. “Donald Trump has to go. And that is why we must work together as Democrats.”
Perez took over as chairman of the Democratic National Committee in February in the wake of the November election, which gave the GOP the White House, both houses of Congress and most of the nation's governorships and state legislative chambers.
Perez was considered the establishment liberal in his hotly contested race with Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota, the choice of the Bernie Sanders wing of the party.
Rick Deutsch, a business professor at the College of the Desert in Palm Desert, was among the protesters shouting loudest. He says Democratic Party leaders haven’t done enough to make single-payer healthcare a reality, even when it had the opportunity. He had no love for Perez.
“When the Democrats had full control of the House and Senate and presidency, we still ended up with a Republican healthcare plan,” Deutsch said. “I don’t want to hear from Tom Perez. Once again, the only thing we hear from him is platitudes."
But Teddy Gray King, a Piedmont councilwoman and Democratic delegate, wasn’t too happy about the protests — especially those aimed at Burton — saying there is “no greater progressive in California.”
“Our country is hurting right now, and those of us in the Democratic Party believe strongly that our election was stolen from us,” King said. “We’re like a family. We’re taking it out on each other. It angers me. It saddens me.”
MAY 20, 2017, 2:31 P.M.
I want the party unified, but we're not going to unify around the status quo. ... Consensus for consensus' sake is over.
RoseAnn DeMoro, leader of the left-leaning California Nurses Assn., which is pushing for single-payer healthcare
MAY 20, 2017, 2:28 P.M.
REPORTING FROM SACRAMENTO
Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom: 'Usually I’m scooping Jerry Brown’s ice cream'
Seema Mehta
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Jay L. Clendenin @jaylclendenin
CA Lt. Gov @GavinNewsom and wife @JenSiebelNewsom serve ice cream outside CA Dem Convention. #CADem17
1:38 PM - 20 May 2017
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Gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom mused about his duties as lieutenant governor as he courted Democratic delegates by scooping ice cream for them on a blazing hot Saturday.
“People ask what does a lieutenant governor do. What do they do? This is it,” he said in an exchange with a man in the crowd surrounding his ice cream tent outside the California Democratic Party convention. “See, know your job. Usually I’m scooping Jerry Brown’s ice cream.”
After delivering a lengthy speech painting California as the resistance to Trump, Newsom wooed delegates, took selfies and donned a plastic red nose to raise awareness about childhood poverty.
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Seema Mehta ✔ @LATSeema
Then Newsom and Burke donned red noses for end child poverty week, which is next week.
12:45 PM - 20 May 2017
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As he passed out ice creamm, Newsom was approached by Harmesh Kumar, a Democrat who has also filed to run for governor.
“Let’s have our first debate,” Newsom said to Kumar. “Rocky road or chocolate chip, which one? This is big moment. People want to know, they have a right to know.”
Newsom handed Kumar an ice cream cone before adding, “This is called sucking up to your opposition.”
2017 California Democratic Party convention
MAY 20, 2017, 2:24 P.M.
Single-payer healthcare backers disrupt California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon's convention speech
Melanie Mason
Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) introduced himself to convention-goers as a "slacker turned professor" now representing a southeast Los Angeles district in need of "environmental justice... social justice... economic justice" from progressive Democrats.
But his address was soon drowned out by chanters calling for single-payer healthcare, an emerging litmus test for the left that has inspired a number of outbursts at the Democratic gathering this weekend.
As single-payer cries grew, Democratic Party Chair John Burton interrupted to chastise the chanters with an expletive-laced plea to show respect.
With exasperation, he derided the interrupters for acting "like single-payer is controversial among Democrats."
In fact, although most Democratic legislators like to express their support for the concept of single-payer healthcare, many, including Rendon, have expressed concern about how such an overhaul would be financed.
2017 California Democratic Party convention
MAY 20, 2017, 2:01 P.M.
REPORTING FROM SACRAMENTO
Senate leader Kevin de Léon, as promised, stays mum on his 2018 plans
Melanie Mason
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Melanie Mason ✔ @melmason
"We are President Trump's worst nightmare," says @kdeleon in his #CADEM2017 convention speech
1:31 PM - 20 May 2017
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After a week of heightened speculation about his future plans, California Senate President pro Tem Kevin de Léon offered no hints on a potential run for governor during his Saturday afternoon convention speech, instead returning to familiar themes of jabbing at President Trump and touting California's economy.
Still, the slick campaign-style video preceding his speech and "Run Kevin Run" signs distributed in the hall ensured that the 2018 guessing game is not going away any time soon.
De Léon laced into Trump, his perpetual foil, throughout the speech.
"In our state, we celebrate diversity. We don’t deport it," de Léon said "We don’t ban it. And we sure as hell don’t wall it off."
Portraying California as the counterweight to GOP-led Washington, de Léon boasted, "Our Democratic-led Senate and Assembly have earned their highest approval ratings in three decades, while Republicans in Congress follow Trump over a cliff. They have lower ratings than the taco bowls at Trump Tower."
READ MORE
MAY 20, 2017, 1:38 P.M.
Sen. Kevin de Léon swipes at Trump's infamous Cinco de Mayo 'taco bowl' tweet
Follow
Melanie Mason ✔ @melmason
.@kdeleon's got jokes: Says of Trump's drag on Congressional GOP: "They have lower ratings than the taco bowls at Trump Tower."
1:32 PM - 20 May 2017
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2017 California Democratic Party convention California Democrats
MAY 20, 2017, 1:22 P.M.
California's top elections officer calls Trump voter fraud allegations a 'smokescreen' to distract from Russia charges
John Myers
California's secretary of state told delegates to the state Democratic Party's convention that President Trump's allegations of voter fraud last year are an effort to divert attention away from questions about his own presidential campaign.
"It's been a smokescreen to distract from the investigation into Trump's ties to Russia," said Secretary of State Alex Padilla in his convention speech Saturday.
Padilla has been a persistent critic of Trump's assertion, first made last November, that he lost the popular vote because millions of illegal votes were cast in the presidential race. And the president singled out California and two other states, even though no evidence exists of widespread illegal voting.
"The only mass fraud against the people of the United States of America are the lies being perpetrated by the president of the United States of America," Padilla said.
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John Myers ✔ @johnmyers
At #CADem17 @AlexPadilla4CA calls Trump voter fraud allegations a "smokescreen" to distract from Russia investigation.
12:08 PM - 20 May 2017
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The state's chief elections officer urged Democrats to focus on voting rights as a key issue in 2018. And he pointed to a handful of new California laws — including expanded automated voter registration at the DMV and a sweeping law that will replace polling places with more absentee voting — as steps in the right direction.
"Make defense of voting rights essential to who we are as a party," he urged delegates. "Voter participation is the oxygen to our democracy."
2017 California Democratic Party convention California Democrats
MAY 20, 2017, 12:47 P.M.
REPORTING FROM SACRAMENTO
Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom calls on California Democrats to be the 'resistance' to Trump
Seema Mehta
Gavin Newsom speaks at the California Democratic Party convention in Sacramento (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
Gavin Newsom speaks at the California Democratic Party convention in Sacramento (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom told California Democrats on Saturday that they must be the resistance to President Trump and offer an alternative vision for the rest of the world.
“We are all Californians. Wear it with pride. This is our moment,” the gubernatorial candidate said to thousands of delegates and activists gathered at the state party’s annual convention in Sacramento. “California Democrats: Let’s show the world that Donald Trump is the last vestige of a darker, obsolete past and offer a bold, new vision for a progressive and prosperous future.”
Newsom laid out an agenda that he said he would adopt if elected governor next year. He said ending childhood poverty in the state would be his “north star.” He also called for the expansion of early-childhood education, creating full-service community schools, making community college free for all of the state’s students, creating 500,000 apprenticeships by 2027, implementing universal healthcare and reforming the state’s justice system, including repealing the death penalty.
He said Trump’s policies were at odds with California on issues such as immigration, the environment, healthcare and the treatment of the LGBTQ community.
“It’s time to reject timidity, set ambitious sights and take real chances,” he said, pointing to his fight with President George W. Bush’s administration when he issued same-sex marriage licenses when he was mayor of San Francisco.
The move was controversial even among some Democrats at the time, but it is among the reasons Newsom is popular with party activists today.
“I believed then, as I do now, that it’s never the wrong time to do the right thing, and it’s always better to change the polls than to chase them,” Newsom said.
2017 California Democratic Party convention California Democrats
MAY 20, 2017, 12:37 P.M.
REPORTING FROM SACRAMENTO
State Treasurer John Chiang says California will take 'a different road' than the Trump administration
John Myers
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
State Treasurer John Chiang told California Democrats on Saturday that the state is charting its own course, different from the one taken by President Trump and Republicans in Washington.
"Together we will propose a different road for California," Chiang said to applause from the delegates attending the California Democratic Party convention.
Chiang, who announced his candidacy for governor last spring, said the state must take an active role in opposing Trump on a range of issues, including immigration crackdowns and a rollback of existing climate change policies.
"Every hour since Donald Trump took office, I find myself saying 'Not on our watch,' " Chiang said.
The 54-year-old Democrat from Los Angeles served eight years as the state's controller before being elected treasurer in 2014. He reminded the convention crowd of his fights with former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger during the state's economic crisis, including a 2008 showdown over whether Chiang should issue paychecks to hundreds of thousands of state workers.
"I know the ins and outs of how to run this state responsibly," he said. "I have a track record of getting the job done."
2017 California Democratic Party convention
MAY 20, 2017, 12:29 P.M.
REPORTING FROM SACRAMENTO
California Democrats say farewell to party leader John Burton. To no one's surprise, he responded with profanity
Cathleen Decker
Outgoing California Democratic Party Chairman John Burton is seen at the California Democratic State Convention in Sacramento on May 19. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
Outgoing California Democratic Party Chairman John Burton is seen at the California Democratic State Convention in Sacramento on May 19. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
California Democrats said farewell to chairman John Burton on Saturday, and John Burton said farewell to Democrats, in his usual fashion.
Most of it cannot be printed.
Burton, a fixture in state Democratic politics for half a century even before he took the party’s top position eight years ago, offered up an expletive-speckled thank you to party members that was characteristic of his tenure. After a crowd of Democrats, one after another, lauded him in speeches and a video shown to delegates in Sacramento’s convention center, Burton came to the microphone.
“Holy ... ,” he said.
It has been a rocky convention for Burton so far. On Friday night, his welcoming remarks to delegates were interrupted by shouts and chants from protesters demanding that party members back a state measure that would provide healthcare for all. (Not surprisingly, Burton, 84, gave back with vigor.)
Burton opened the general session Saturday with what seemed to be an effort to tamp down dissent, leading delegates in a chant supporting universal healthcare. He said he hoped that would forestall protests against others this weekend.
Many of those who jeered Burton were born well after he helped drive protests against the Vietnam War and for farm workers in the Central Valley, and spent decades seeking aid for the homeless and other needy Californians. The farewell that came shortly after the session’s opening provided something of a reminder of Burton’s legacy and his inimitable, if profane, style. It was a word even friends used to describe him in their remarks.
“He should walk around with a T-shirt with a warning label on it,” Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom said in the video, which featured nearly every prominent California Democrat for the last several decades.
But they also spoke of his years of work on behalf of liberal policies. Onstage with Burton on Saturday were officeholders he’s plucked from anonymity and helped propel into office, and politicians who had benefited from his protection in the 35 years he served in the House, state Assembly and state Senate.
Former state Sen. Martha Escutia broke into tears as Burton stood behind her.
“John was the safety net I never had growing up,” she said, then broke into a song of affection in Spanish.
Burton, never at a loss for words, seemed to have almost reached that point when it was his turn.
“I’m the man who made Martha Escutia cry,” he said with visible surprise. “She’s one of the toughest people I’ve ever known in my life.”
Burton seemed near tears himself as he recounted walking as a child in his native San Francisco with his father, who doled out whatever money he had to the poor.
When young John asked why, Burton recalled, “He put his finger in my face and told me he never every wanted me to walk past some guy in bad circumstances without leaving something in the cup.
“That’s what Democrats do. …There’s a lot of people out there that if we don’t fight for them, nobody’s going to fight for them because they don’t have any power,” he said.
Burton regained his typically cantankerous posture when he closed his farewell by addressing President Trump — bluntly, directly and defiantly.
“Now, all together,” he told the delegates, preparing to hurl an F-bomb. “[Expletive] Donald Trump.”
He raised both middle fingers toward the crowd.
For a moment, protests were forgotten, and the audience roared.
2017 California Democratic Party convention California Democrats
MAY 20, 2017, 11:59 A.M.
REPORTING FROM SACRAMENTO
Sen. Kamala Harris on Republicans who voted to repeal Obamacare: 'You need to lose your job'
John Myers
Sen. Kamala Harris takes the stage at the California Democratic Party convention in Sacramento. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
Sen. Kamala Harris takes the stage at the California Democratic Party convention in Sacramento. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
California's junior U.S. senator told California Democrats on Saturday that they should focus on defeating Republicans in the state's congressional delegation who voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
"Let's go to San Diego and Orange County and the Central Valley," said Sen. Kamala Harris of the districts represented by some of those Republicans. "If you vote for people to lose their healthcare, then you need to lose your job."
Harris' speech to the California Democratic Party convention was a broadside critique of most of the agenda promoted by Republican leaders in Congress and President Trump. She called the president's Cabinet a "billionaire boys' club" and said he had put a "target on California's back" on issues ranging from immigration to the environment.
But she encouraged rank-and-file Democrats to use their relative strength in California politics to defeat Republican House members who represent some of the state's swing districts. Seven Republicans represent congressional districts where Democrat Hillary Clinton beat Trump on election day last November.
"We win when we fight for the value that healthcare is a fundamental human right," Harris said. "Let's hold these Republicans accountable in their districts."
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For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.latimes.com/politics/ess...and-a-raucous-start-1495247278-htmlstory.html
2017 California Democratic Party convention 2018 election California Democrats
MAY 19, 2017, 7:58 P.M.
REPORTING FROM SACRAMENTO
Rallies, F-bombs and a raucous start to the California Democratic Party convention
Phil Willon
The California Democratic Party convention started with a bang Friday night, with protesters disrupting speeches at the official kickoff and state party Chairman John Burton unleashing a series of F-bombs aimed at the demonstrators.
The chanting began when Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and Burton stepped up to the podium in a cavernous hall at the state capital's convention center, with protesters shouting demands that the party reject corporate donations and work to implement a single-payer healthcare system.
Burton, known for his salty language, lashed out quickly. He told protesters that the Democratic Party had been fighting for single-payer healthcare “since before you were born.”
“Hey, shut the ... up or go outside,” Burton said.
“Parade all you want, but unless we put it on the ballot or elect new Democrats you can walk up and down the street and people still aren’t going to have decent healthcare. So let’s get with it.”
Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez headlined the kickoff event and, seemingly accustomed to such a reception, delivered his speech in almost a thunderous shout — loud enough to drown out the chants.
Perez compared the atmosphere to holiday dinner with his extended family and told the hundreds of Democratic delegates in the crowd that, just like family, now was the time for all of them to come together.
“We have a raucous Thanksgiving dinner. We talk about politics. I’m Dominican. So we talk about the other thing, which is baseball,” Perez said. “And then at the end of the day, we get together and talk about our shared values.”
Most of his speech was a pointed rebuke of President Trump, ridiculing the Republican president for his “bromance” with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his push to repeal the Affordable Care Act
“Here’s one big thing we agree on. Donald Trump is an anathema to our values. Donald Trump is the most dangerous president in American history,” said Perez, who served as Labor secretary in the Obama administration. “Donald Trump has to go. And that is why we must work together as Democrats.”
Perez took over as chairman of the Democratic National Committee in February in the wake of the November election, which gave the GOP the White House, both houses of Congress and most of the nation's governorships and state legislative chambers.
Perez was considered the establishment liberal in his hotly contested race with Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota, the choice of the Bernie Sanders wing of the party.
Rick Deutsch, a business professor at the College of the Desert in Palm Desert, was among the protesters shouting loudest. He says Democratic Party leaders haven’t done enough to make single-payer healthcare a reality, even when it had the opportunity. He had no love for Perez.
“When the Democrats had full control of the House and Senate and presidency, we still ended up with a Republican healthcare plan,” Deutsch said. “I don’t want to hear from Tom Perez. Once again, the only thing we hear from him is platitudes."
But Teddy Gray King, a Piedmont councilwoman and Democratic delegate, wasn’t too happy about the protests — especially those aimed at Burton — saying there is “no greater progressive in California.”
“Our country is hurting right now, and those of us in the Democratic Party believe strongly that our election was stolen from us,” King said. “We’re like a family. We’re taking it out on each other. It angers me. It saddens me.”
MAY 20, 2017, 2:31 P.M.
I want the party unified, but we're not going to unify around the status quo. ... Consensus for consensus' sake is over.
RoseAnn DeMoro, leader of the left-leaning California Nurses Assn., which is pushing for single-payer healthcare
MAY 20, 2017, 2:28 P.M.
REPORTING FROM SACRAMENTO
Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom: 'Usually I’m scooping Jerry Brown’s ice cream'
Seema Mehta
View image on Twitter
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Follow
Jay L. Clendenin @jaylclendenin
CA Lt. Gov @GavinNewsom and wife @JenSiebelNewsom serve ice cream outside CA Dem Convention. #CADem17
1:38 PM - 20 May 2017
6 6 Retweets 7 7 likes
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Gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom mused about his duties as lieutenant governor as he courted Democratic delegates by scooping ice cream for them on a blazing hot Saturday.
“People ask what does a lieutenant governor do. What do they do? This is it,” he said in an exchange with a man in the crowd surrounding his ice cream tent outside the California Democratic Party convention. “See, know your job. Usually I’m scooping Jerry Brown’s ice cream.”
After delivering a lengthy speech painting California as the resistance to Trump, Newsom wooed delegates, took selfies and donned a plastic red nose to raise awareness about childhood poverty.
View image on Twitter
View image on Twitter
Follow
Seema Mehta ✔ @LATSeema
Then Newsom and Burke donned red noses for end child poverty week, which is next week.
12:45 PM - 20 May 2017
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As he passed out ice creamm, Newsom was approached by Harmesh Kumar, a Democrat who has also filed to run for governor.
“Let’s have our first debate,” Newsom said to Kumar. “Rocky road or chocolate chip, which one? This is big moment. People want to know, they have a right to know.”
Newsom handed Kumar an ice cream cone before adding, “This is called sucking up to your opposition.”
2017 California Democratic Party convention
MAY 20, 2017, 2:24 P.M.
Single-payer healthcare backers disrupt California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon's convention speech
Melanie Mason
Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) introduced himself to convention-goers as a "slacker turned professor" now representing a southeast Los Angeles district in need of "environmental justice... social justice... economic justice" from progressive Democrats.
But his address was soon drowned out by chanters calling for single-payer healthcare, an emerging litmus test for the left that has inspired a number of outbursts at the Democratic gathering this weekend.
As single-payer cries grew, Democratic Party Chair John Burton interrupted to chastise the chanters with an expletive-laced plea to show respect.
With exasperation, he derided the interrupters for acting "like single-payer is controversial among Democrats."
In fact, although most Democratic legislators like to express their support for the concept of single-payer healthcare, many, including Rendon, have expressed concern about how such an overhaul would be financed.
2017 California Democratic Party convention
MAY 20, 2017, 2:01 P.M.
REPORTING FROM SACRAMENTO
Senate leader Kevin de Léon, as promised, stays mum on his 2018 plans
Melanie Mason
Follow
Melanie Mason ✔ @melmason
"We are President Trump's worst nightmare," says @kdeleon in his #CADEM2017 convention speech
1:31 PM - 20 May 2017
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After a week of heightened speculation about his future plans, California Senate President pro Tem Kevin de Léon offered no hints on a potential run for governor during his Saturday afternoon convention speech, instead returning to familiar themes of jabbing at President Trump and touting California's economy.
Still, the slick campaign-style video preceding his speech and "Run Kevin Run" signs distributed in the hall ensured that the 2018 guessing game is not going away any time soon.
De Léon laced into Trump, his perpetual foil, throughout the speech.
"In our state, we celebrate diversity. We don’t deport it," de Léon said "We don’t ban it. And we sure as hell don’t wall it off."
Portraying California as the counterweight to GOP-led Washington, de Léon boasted, "Our Democratic-led Senate and Assembly have earned their highest approval ratings in three decades, while Republicans in Congress follow Trump over a cliff. They have lower ratings than the taco bowls at Trump Tower."
READ MORE
MAY 20, 2017, 1:38 P.M.
Sen. Kevin de Léon swipes at Trump's infamous Cinco de Mayo 'taco bowl' tweet
Follow
Melanie Mason ✔ @melmason
.@kdeleon's got jokes: Says of Trump's drag on Congressional GOP: "They have lower ratings than the taco bowls at Trump Tower."
1:32 PM - 20 May 2017
4 4 Retweets 6 6 likes
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2017 California Democratic Party convention California Democrats
MAY 20, 2017, 1:22 P.M.
California's top elections officer calls Trump voter fraud allegations a 'smokescreen' to distract from Russia charges
John Myers
California's secretary of state told delegates to the state Democratic Party's convention that President Trump's allegations of voter fraud last year are an effort to divert attention away from questions about his own presidential campaign.
"It's been a smokescreen to distract from the investigation into Trump's ties to Russia," said Secretary of State Alex Padilla in his convention speech Saturday.
Padilla has been a persistent critic of Trump's assertion, first made last November, that he lost the popular vote because millions of illegal votes were cast in the presidential race. And the president singled out California and two other states, even though no evidence exists of widespread illegal voting.
"The only mass fraud against the people of the United States of America are the lies being perpetrated by the president of the United States of America," Padilla said.
View image on Twitter
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John Myers ✔ @johnmyers
At #CADem17 @AlexPadilla4CA calls Trump voter fraud allegations a "smokescreen" to distract from Russia investigation.
12:08 PM - 20 May 2017
2 2 Retweets 2 2 likes
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The state's chief elections officer urged Democrats to focus on voting rights as a key issue in 2018. And he pointed to a handful of new California laws — including expanded automated voter registration at the DMV and a sweeping law that will replace polling places with more absentee voting — as steps in the right direction.
"Make defense of voting rights essential to who we are as a party," he urged delegates. "Voter participation is the oxygen to our democracy."
2017 California Democratic Party convention California Democrats
MAY 20, 2017, 12:47 P.M.
REPORTING FROM SACRAMENTO
Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom calls on California Democrats to be the 'resistance' to Trump
Seema Mehta
Gavin Newsom speaks at the California Democratic Party convention in Sacramento (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
Gavin Newsom speaks at the California Democratic Party convention in Sacramento (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom told California Democrats on Saturday that they must be the resistance to President Trump and offer an alternative vision for the rest of the world.
“We are all Californians. Wear it with pride. This is our moment,” the gubernatorial candidate said to thousands of delegates and activists gathered at the state party’s annual convention in Sacramento. “California Democrats: Let’s show the world that Donald Trump is the last vestige of a darker, obsolete past and offer a bold, new vision for a progressive and prosperous future.”
Newsom laid out an agenda that he said he would adopt if elected governor next year. He said ending childhood poverty in the state would be his “north star.” He also called for the expansion of early-childhood education, creating full-service community schools, making community college free for all of the state’s students, creating 500,000 apprenticeships by 2027, implementing universal healthcare and reforming the state’s justice system, including repealing the death penalty.
He said Trump’s policies were at odds with California on issues such as immigration, the environment, healthcare and the treatment of the LGBTQ community.
“It’s time to reject timidity, set ambitious sights and take real chances,” he said, pointing to his fight with President George W. Bush’s administration when he issued same-sex marriage licenses when he was mayor of San Francisco.
The move was controversial even among some Democrats at the time, but it is among the reasons Newsom is popular with party activists today.
“I believed then, as I do now, that it’s never the wrong time to do the right thing, and it’s always better to change the polls than to chase them,” Newsom said.
2017 California Democratic Party convention California Democrats
MAY 20, 2017, 12:37 P.M.
REPORTING FROM SACRAMENTO
State Treasurer John Chiang says California will take 'a different road' than the Trump administration
John Myers
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
State Treasurer John Chiang told California Democrats on Saturday that the state is charting its own course, different from the one taken by President Trump and Republicans in Washington.
"Together we will propose a different road for California," Chiang said to applause from the delegates attending the California Democratic Party convention.
Chiang, who announced his candidacy for governor last spring, said the state must take an active role in opposing Trump on a range of issues, including immigration crackdowns and a rollback of existing climate change policies.
"Every hour since Donald Trump took office, I find myself saying 'Not on our watch,' " Chiang said.
The 54-year-old Democrat from Los Angeles served eight years as the state's controller before being elected treasurer in 2014. He reminded the convention crowd of his fights with former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger during the state's economic crisis, including a 2008 showdown over whether Chiang should issue paychecks to hundreds of thousands of state workers.
"I know the ins and outs of how to run this state responsibly," he said. "I have a track record of getting the job done."
2017 California Democratic Party convention
MAY 20, 2017, 12:29 P.M.
REPORTING FROM SACRAMENTO
California Democrats say farewell to party leader John Burton. To no one's surprise, he responded with profanity
Cathleen Decker
Outgoing California Democratic Party Chairman John Burton is seen at the California Democratic State Convention in Sacramento on May 19. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
Outgoing California Democratic Party Chairman John Burton is seen at the California Democratic State Convention in Sacramento on May 19. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
California Democrats said farewell to chairman John Burton on Saturday, and John Burton said farewell to Democrats, in his usual fashion.
Most of it cannot be printed.
Burton, a fixture in state Democratic politics for half a century even before he took the party’s top position eight years ago, offered up an expletive-speckled thank you to party members that was characteristic of his tenure. After a crowd of Democrats, one after another, lauded him in speeches and a video shown to delegates in Sacramento’s convention center, Burton came to the microphone.
“Holy ... ,” he said.
It has been a rocky convention for Burton so far. On Friday night, his welcoming remarks to delegates were interrupted by shouts and chants from protesters demanding that party members back a state measure that would provide healthcare for all. (Not surprisingly, Burton, 84, gave back with vigor.)
Burton opened the general session Saturday with what seemed to be an effort to tamp down dissent, leading delegates in a chant supporting universal healthcare. He said he hoped that would forestall protests against others this weekend.
Many of those who jeered Burton were born well after he helped drive protests against the Vietnam War and for farm workers in the Central Valley, and spent decades seeking aid for the homeless and other needy Californians. The farewell that came shortly after the session’s opening provided something of a reminder of Burton’s legacy and his inimitable, if profane, style. It was a word even friends used to describe him in their remarks.
“He should walk around with a T-shirt with a warning label on it,” Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom said in the video, which featured nearly every prominent California Democrat for the last several decades.
But they also spoke of his years of work on behalf of liberal policies. Onstage with Burton on Saturday were officeholders he’s plucked from anonymity and helped propel into office, and politicians who had benefited from his protection in the 35 years he served in the House, state Assembly and state Senate.
Former state Sen. Martha Escutia broke into tears as Burton stood behind her.
“John was the safety net I never had growing up,” she said, then broke into a song of affection in Spanish.
Burton, never at a loss for words, seemed to have almost reached that point when it was his turn.
“I’m the man who made Martha Escutia cry,” he said with visible surprise. “She’s one of the toughest people I’ve ever known in my life.”
Burton seemed near tears himself as he recounted walking as a child in his native San Francisco with his father, who doled out whatever money he had to the poor.
When young John asked why, Burton recalled, “He put his finger in my face and told me he never every wanted me to walk past some guy in bad circumstances without leaving something in the cup.
“That’s what Democrats do. …There’s a lot of people out there that if we don’t fight for them, nobody’s going to fight for them because they don’t have any power,” he said.
Burton regained his typically cantankerous posture when he closed his farewell by addressing President Trump — bluntly, directly and defiantly.
“Now, all together,” he told the delegates, preparing to hurl an F-bomb. “[Expletive] Donald Trump.”
He raised both middle fingers toward the crowd.
For a moment, protests were forgotten, and the audience roared.
2017 California Democratic Party convention California Democrats
MAY 20, 2017, 11:59 A.M.
REPORTING FROM SACRAMENTO
Sen. Kamala Harris on Republicans who voted to repeal Obamacare: 'You need to lose your job'
John Myers
Sen. Kamala Harris takes the stage at the California Democratic Party convention in Sacramento. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
Sen. Kamala Harris takes the stage at the California Democratic Party convention in Sacramento. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
California's junior U.S. senator told California Democrats on Saturday that they should focus on defeating Republicans in the state's congressional delegation who voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
"Let's go to San Diego and Orange County and the Central Valley," said Sen. Kamala Harris of the districts represented by some of those Republicans. "If you vote for people to lose their healthcare, then you need to lose your job."
Harris' speech to the California Democratic Party convention was a broadside critique of most of the agenda promoted by Republican leaders in Congress and President Trump. She called the president's Cabinet a "billionaire boys' club" and said he had put a "target on California's back" on issues ranging from immigration to the environment.
But she encouraged rank-and-file Democrats to use their relative strength in California politics to defeat Republican House members who represent some of the state's swing districts. Seven Republicans represent congressional districts where Democrat Hillary Clinton beat Trump on election day last November.
"We win when we fight for the value that healthcare is a fundamental human right," Harris said. "Let's hold these Republicans accountable in their districts."
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