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Proposal Details

Proposal ID10
ProposalEndorsement: Victor Juan Verdin, State Assembly, D-51
PresenterCounty Council
Floor ManagerMike Feinstein
PhaseClosed
Discussion12/04/2019 - 12/05/2019
Voting12/06/2019 - 12/09/2019
ResultAdopted
Presens Quorum6 0.5001
Consens Quorum0 0.6666 of Yes and No Votes

Background

This proposal is to consider endorsement of Green Party member Victor Juan Verdin for State Assembly District 51

GPLAC Bylaws 5-2.9(c)http://losangeles.cagreens.org/bylaws/2016-07-02#section5-2.9 state that among the responsibilities of the County Council are to "Endorse Green Party members who are candidates for public office and make a statement of support for candidates for public office who are not Green Party members." GPLAC Bylaws 9-4.2(c) require 2/3 for approval for candidate endorsements and statements of support, and a 3/5 quorum of county councilmembers.

At its November 10 teleconference, the GPLAC authorized an email blast to all Greens who have successfully filed for public office in March 2020 elections notifying them that the GPLAC will conduct an endorsement vote and that Greens may be considered for such endorsement by filing out a questionnaire simliar to https://losangeles.cagreens.org/elections/green-endorsement-questionnaire; that the GPLAC will conduct a vote by the end of 2019 on said endorsement and that the GPLAC will email out said endorsements to the Greens in the district or jurisdiction in which the endorsed candidate is running.

Victor Juan Verdin filled out the questionnaire and submitted it on December. The contents of the questionnaire are printed in the Resources section below.

In order to be printed in the official voter information guide that goes out to all registered voters, the GPLAC's endorsement needs to be reported to the LA County Registrar of Voter by Wednesday, December 11 by the Green Party of California (GPCA) Liaison to the Secretary of State. This discussion and voting is designed to conclude on Monday, December 9, in order to effectuate that communication.

Proposal

That the GPLAC endorse Victor Juan Verdin for State Assembly, District 51

Resources

1. Campaign Information: Victor Juan Verdin, Committee to Elect Victor Juan Verdin for California's 51st 2020, victorjuanforad51@gmail.com, P.O. Box 63281, Los Angeles, CA 90063, facebook.com/victorjuanforAD51/
Office Sought: Member of the Assembly 51st District
Number of candidates/Number of seats: 2
Number of incumbents running: 1
Link to the race (where available on website of the city clerk, county registrar, or California Secretary of State)

2. Campaign Contact Information
Name of candidate: Victor Juan Verdin
Campaign Email: victorjuanforad51@gmail.com
Campaign-controlled website:
Campaign social media links: facebook.com/victorjuanforAD51/
Name of campaign committee and treasurer: Committee to Elect Victor Juan Verdin for California's 51st 2020, Victor Juan Verdin, treasurer.
Link to campaign committee (where available on website of California Secretary of State, the Californa Fair Political Practices Commission or the Federal Elections Commission)

3. Candidate Information
To provide a sense of who you are as a candidate, answer any/all of the following questions:
- How long have you been registered Green? Why did you join the Green Party?
Response: My name is Victor Juan Verdin and I have been a registered Green since 2018. I joined the Green Party during my involvement with Kenneth Mejia's 2018 Congressional District 34 campaign. Many of the Green Party values resonate strongly with my own political philosophy: implementing policies that help working people, fight greed and unbridled capitalism, and defend the rights of the earth.
- Have you ever sought office before? Have you ever held elected office? If yes, when, what office(s) and what party(ies) were you registered with; and what were the results? (if ran previously when a Green, can use link to that race in GPUS Elections Data Base https://www.gpelections.org/)

Response: I have never sought office before nor held elected office.

- What are you qualifications for this office? Have you ever served on a governmental or non-profit board, commission or task force?

Response: My qualifications include a strong interest in serving the public good by promoting, advocating, and legislating revolutionary policy change that benefits people and not corporations or special powerful interest. I have first hand experience living in poverty, having massive amounts of student debt, being without basic healthcare, living in my vehicle, being discriminated against for being an immigrant, person of color, and gay. These experiences have provided me with insights that compel me to reject the politics of neoliberalism and austerity. Additional qualifications include a Bachelors Degree in Communications with multiple minors, experience working in private and public education, and a sense of dedication to our state's well being and progress for all not the elite few.

- Describe how you decided to run for the office you are seeking. Are you an incumbent?

Response: My decision to run for office has come after witnessing firsthand the unfair political maneuvering of the dominant political class in my congressional district. Money rules mine and many congressional districts. Unfortunately, it seems that many in our communities, especially those often most affected by horrendous government policies, are not aware how they can affect change for the better. This is often from not having a viable alternative to the prevailing culture of money in politics. Thus, we need more everyday people running to oppose self interested politicians and to expose the truth about our privately financed leaders. In California, Democrats who run unopposed must be challenged at every opportunity for every single bit of legislation which has been urgently needed (single payer universal healthcare, tuition-free public colleges and universities, a public state bank, and drug decriminalization) but which under their misguidance has never comes to pass. In running for office, I intend to give working class people, and everyone who is aptly aware of the shortcomings of our state political system, a chance to a correct path to good governance, people-first policies, and an end to political monopoly.

- Describe your major accomplishments as a Green, and how they relate to the office you are seeking.

Response: My major accomplishments as a Green include leading the efforts to pressure a U.S. Congressperson to support strong Green New Deal measures by co-occupying his congressional office with the Sunrise Movement, publicly speaking against the Los Angeles's Department of Water and Power plan to fire up three gas powered electric plants along California's southern pacific coast, volunteer coordinating for Kenneth Mejia's 2018 congressional run, campaigning for state wide rent control in 2018 and 2019, supporting my local Tenant's Union, and participating in many Green supported shows of support for peace, human rights, and ecosocialism in Los Angeles, within and in surrounding congressional and state assembly districts.

4. Campaign Strategy
To provide a vision and overview of your campaign, answer any/all of the following questions:
- What are the goals of this campaign? How does the campaign plan to achieve them?

Response: The goals of this campaign are to elect me to California's State Assembly wherein I will push forward legislation which is urgently needed and which can be implemented right away such as permanent statewide rent control, universal single payer healthcare, a reduction of state held prisoners, a strong Green New Deal which restores and protects our environment, and many more. The goal of this campaign is also to expose the incumbent's ties to moneyed interest and corporate agendas. My incumbent has taken money from pharmaceutical companies, telecommunications companies, insurance companies. The people must be made aware of the company she keeps. The incumbent has failed to push forward legislation or pressure her Democratic colleagues which addresses the urgent needs of working class people, students, immigrants, people of color, tenants, and many more who are deprived of sound and beneficial legislation. My campaign's plan will be to canvass communities, information on hand, with tactical teams of canvassers, allies, and volunteers to disseminate our platform and expose our current assemblyperson's lack of vision, action, and political courage. Combining the power of social media, leaflets, word of mouth, and campaign speaking events, especially at community and senior citizen centers, my campaign plan will carry forward a message of good government through better leaders. In addition, my campaign plans to coordinate with the local and neighboring congressional, city, and state Green candidates for mutual support. Through our strong ground presence in the community my campaign will demonstrate the nature of my candidacy: the people are behind me, because I am for the people.

 
- What has to happen for you to be elected? If victory in your campaign is defined by something other than being elected, what is it?

Response: I must win the majority of votes to be elected. The majority of active voters in my congressional and state assembly districts are older third generation voters, many of whom are Latino/a/x, from Spanish speaking communities but also from diverse social and economic backgrounds. Of course, I must appeal to the majority of the constituency, social and cultural background notwithstanding, and appeal to their genuine desire for change. Victory in my campaign would be primarily defined by winning the general election and unseating the establishment party, which has been the cause of much unnecessary strife, of many lives lost, and of continued oppression in our communities (support for wars around the globe, opposition to political reform, i.e. suppression of third parties, and a catalyst for a nationwide homeless crisis). However, victory would also be defined by the level of politicization my campaign would create in the communities I would hope to reach. Everyone alined with Green, socialist, strongly progressive values must be politicized and having done this, like sunlight, water, and fertile earth to a dormant field, my campaign will have achieved a great victory on the continuous road to an ecosocialist revolution.

- What are the major issues in the race? On what issues is the campaign centered? What strategies will the campaign use to get your message out?

Response: The district is facing a rash of retaliatory evictions in the wake of the recent California Rent Cap (AB1482). The incumbent, Carrillo has made no effort to stop the retaliatory evictions or condemn them or Ellis Act abuses which are affecting disabled and elderly tenants. Our water in the district is polluted and efforts to get rid of the district's only organic garden are on the threshold. These and many more issues dealing with social inequality, lack of single payer universal healthcare, homelessness, and environmental pollution, (including the urgently needed clean up the lead laden Exide battery recycling plant) will be central issues addressed by my campaign. Strategies my campaign will use to get the message out are community forums, speaking events, canvassing, media outlet ads, and a coordination effort to support local organizations already speaking out on these issues.

 
- What is the fundraising goal of the campaign? How much progress has been made towards that goal?

Response: The fundraising goal of the campaign given the amount the incumbent Carrillo has would be $65,000. The progress toward this goal has been slow. Our efforts continue and social media posts inviting donations will also continue to be made.

- Will you have a candidate statement in the official voter information guide? If so, how many words? If it already has been submitted and/or is published, provide a link or attach the statement.

Response: Currently we don't have the funds for a candidate statement in the official voter information guide but the campaign will get a candidate statement out through alternative means: social media, campaign websites, give statements in independent voter guides, and buy advertisements in local community media markets.

- What endorsements do you have/expect to receive?

Response: I have the Peace and Freedom Party endorsement and currently seeking more.

- Please comment further on any of these campaign strategies your campaign may utilize – fundraising, volunteers, staff, literature, direct mail, door-to-door, phone banking, endorsements, robo-calling, debate participation, other.

Response:

Fundraising: My fundraising team will focus on raising money through targeted social media ads, local media markets, and small dollar donations from the community through community speaking events and forums. Fundraising brainstorms are ongoing.

Volunteers: Tabling events will be used to gather volunteers. The campaign website will also direct supporters to a volunteer sign up sheet. Direct canvassing is expected to garner volunteers as well.

Staff: Staff will be compiled of local Greens and community members.

Literature: Literature, being printed in black and white, and containing the most important points of my platform, will be disseminated through canvassing, forums and speaking events, email blasts, direct mailers, and social media posts.

Direct mail: The campaign intends to raise money with which to send out direct mailers containing information on me, my campaign, my platform and any pertinent election information.

Door-to-door: This campaign will actively knock on doors, train volunteers to gather door to door support for our campaign, and disseminate campaign literature.

Phone banking: Phone banking will be assigned primarily to out of state supporters tho not exclusively.

Endorsements: Currently seeking endorsements.

Robo-calling: NO robo calling.

Debate participation: Will participate in debates and will actively call to debate the incumbent.

other:

5. Campaign and the Green Party
To understand how your campaign connects to the Green Party, answer any/all of the following questions:
- What is the campaign's relationship to the Green Party? How can the Green Party support the campaign? How can this campaign increase the visibility of the Green Party and it's platform? How would this campaign help grow the Green Party?

Response: There are currently 1,818 registered Greens in my district. My campaign will work to activate all 1,800 Greens and make this assembly district into a ecosocialist stronghold, a foothold of Green progressive values. Once people are aware that many of the policies which the Green Party supports would highly benefit their community, the party will be in a better position to advance, to run more candidates and gather registration and allies. The Green Party can support my campaign by endorsing, generating volunteers, and distributing campaign literature on my behalf. Supported by the Green Party, my campaign will clearly distinguish itself as fiercely for the people and against moneyed interest.

 
- Does the campaign have any substantial disagreement with the positions and platforms of the Green Party of Los Angeles County and/or the Green Party of California; if so where and why?

Response: I would like to see the full decriminalization of sex work, knowing that there is a difference between sex trafficking and agreements between fully consenting adults. I would also like to see the full decriminalization of drugs because addiction is a medical condition not a moral failure. The autonomy of adults is an important issue in mine and my slatemate's campaigns.

- Would the campaign be willing to write a post-election report for internal campaign analysis by the GPLAC, or make an oral presentation to the GPLAC County Council on the same?

Response: Yes.
- Would the campaign be willing to write a post-election campaign report for public use by the GPLAC, GPCA and/or the GPUS for their newsletters, websites and social media?

Response: Yes. Already working on it.

References

GPLAC Rules and Procedures Article 7: Endorsed Candidates http://losangeles.cagreens.org/rules/2016-11-13#ARTICLE_7 states:

Any endorsed candidate shall be expected to campaign in a manner that

- accurately represents the decisions of the Green Party of Los Angeles County, the Green Party of California and the Green Party of the United States, including endorsement of other candidates;
- generally supports the principles and policies of the Green Party of California platform and any additional issue and policy positions taken by the Green Party of Los Angeles; and where there is a disagreement between the positions of the endorsed candidate and those of the Green Party of California and/or the Green Party of Los Angeles County, be willing to state how this is so and why;
- does not misrepresent the candidate's own record nor that of others and makes a good faith effort to be factually correct;
- does not use prejudicial, biased, or offensive language, images or graphics with respect to race, gender, ethnicity, physical ability, spirituality, sexuality, or age;
- is in compliance with all applicable laws regarding being a candidate for public office

GPLAC Rules and Procedures 5-4.3 Use in Support of Endorsed Candidates http://losangeles.cagreens.org/rules/2016-11-13#ARTICLE_5 state:

Candidates endorsed by the GPLAC County Council shall have an email announcing their endorsement sent by the GPLAC to all registered Greens in their district for whom the GPLAC has email addresses. Endorsed candidates shall have a minimum of at least one additional email sent on their behalf in both the primary election and the general election (where there are both). The County Council shall retain the option to send to send additional emails at its discretion.



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