Lamorinda Democratic Club Members and Friends,
Mark your calendars! It’s time for the LDC New Year’s Open House on Thursday, January 13, via Zoom at 7 pm.
Please let us know if you plan to participate by this Thursday, January 6.  Email Russell Creighton at Webzoom@LDclub.org and let him know you’d like to attend!
This will be the first Lamorinda Democratic Club general meeting of the year. Whether you are a founding member of the club, or a newbie, this will be a chance to meet, mingle, and reconnect — as well as we can — during these challenging times.

THANK YOU to those of you who have already joined or renewed your membership for 2022! If you haven’t yet done so, there are two easy ways to pay your 2022 annual dues:

  1. Go online: https://ldclub.org/join/
  2. Mail a check for $60 to:  Lamorinda Democratic Club, P.O. Box 31, Orinda, CA 94563

Questions about membership or getting more involved? Please contact LDC Membership Chair Mike Rusk at MEMBERSHIP@LDclub.org. Annual dues should never be a barrier to Lamorinda Democratic Club membership. If you are a student or cannot manage the annual dues this year, please just reach out to Mike. All inquiries are confidential.

As you know, 2022 is another election year. Although LDC Precinct Organizers did not have a break because of the 2021 California gubernatorial recall,  the Precinct Organizing Team is amazingly dedicated, determined, and energetic, and will soon be prepping for 2022 Democratic voter outreach. Your membership dues are critical to the success of the LDC Precinct Organizing Project. They allow us to reach tens of thousands of Contra Costa voters, neighbor to neighbor. Your membership dues and donations pay for the nuts and bolts of the program: stamps, printing, and paper. We make every single dollar go a very long way, and each membership allows us to reach dozens of Democratic voters. The sooner you renew or join, the better and more efficiently we can engage, educate, and elect. Please join or renew today!
Wishing each of you good health, love, and joy in 2022,
Tracy Brog
Lamorinda Democratic Club President
Are you a Democratic candidate in 2022? Do you know someone running for office?
The Lamorinda Democratic Club is now accepting applications for candidate endorsement by the club. Please contact Craig Cheslog at endorsements@LDclub.org

December, 2021 Letter

Lamorinda Democratic Club Members and Friends,
I hope that you and your families have managed to stay healthy and safe through another roller coaster of a year and that you are able to enjoy the holiday season.
Thank you for staying involved in the Lamorinda Democratic Club through 2021: attending monthly zoom meetings, joining in Thursday morning “Coffee Club” get-togethers, contributing annual dues, and reaching out to voters as LDC Precinct Organizers. Your  participation ensured that we engaged, educated and elected Democrats – the mission of the Lamorinda Democratic Club.
Being part of the LDC team reminds us that the power of working together for the common good can deliver the optimism and energy we all need to fight weariness in the face of adversity. It allows us to see challenges as opportunities.
When faced with the California gubernatorial recall election in the fall, LDC precinct organizers and volunteers readied, rallied, and reached over 22,000 Democratic voters in Contra Costa County — producing Democratic voter turn-out numbers above 80% in most of the precincts in which our team had a presence.
2021 once again demonstrated the importance of staying connected, informed, flexible and creative. Although we would have liked to come together in person for our January general meeting, we will instead be hosting a Zoom “Open House,” like we did last year. Attendees from last year’s event enjoyed the virtual open house as a fun way to exchange ideas and get to know one another a bit better. I hope you will be able to join us on Thursday, January 13, for the first general meeting of 2022.
I look forward with hope and optimism to the possibilities of 2022— and reflect with gratitude on the opportunity to be a part of this terrific team. May the new year bring the good health, peace, energy, and the snow and rain 😉 that we need to keep going!
Best wishes,
Tracy Brog
Lamorinda Democratic Club President

November Letter
Lamorinda Democratic Club Members and Friends,

If the autumn of 2021 has taught us anything, it’s that “All politics are local” is ringing louder and truer than ever before.

From Virginia school board fights over false narratives about “Critical Race Theory,” to Texas legislative attacks on reproductive rights, local issues exploded onto the national scene and may likely have the staying power to drive the elections of 2022.

The Lamorinda Democratic Club has always recognized the power of LOCAL. We know the importance of understanding what’s happening in our neighborhoods, and harnessing the influence of our local members, organizers, and activists to affect change in, and well beyond our communities. And we know that our mission to “engage, educate, and elect Democrats” can make a positive, lasting change in the lives of our families, neighbors, and the friends we have yet to meet.

Please join us for the next, and last, LDC General meeting of 2021, when city council members from Concord, Lafayette, Moraga, Orinda, Pleasant Hill, and Walnut Creek will be presenting Adapting to Climate Change—a Local Update this Thursday, November 11, at 7 p.m. via Zoom. If you would like to receive a Zoom link, please send email to: webzoom@LDclub.org

How is climate change already affecting local city planning for housing, transportation, land-use and development, water, energy, traffic, local economy, emergency management? Our Thursday meeting will provide an opportunity to hear from local elected leaders about adaptation strategies, actions and ideas, and about some of the specific challenges our communities face.

Thank you to the following invited speakers for participating in what we hope will be just the first in a series of presentations dedicated to the topic:

  • Carlyn Obringer, Concord City Council
  • Carl Anduri, Lafayette City Council
  • Wei-Tai, Lafayette City Council
  • Teresa Onoda, Moraga Town Council
  • Amy Worth, Orinda City Council
  • Ken Carlson, Pleasant Hill City Council
  • Kevin Wilk, Walnut Creek City Council
  • Cindy Darling, Walnut Creek City Council

In this season of grace and giving, thank you to each and every member and friend of the Lamorinda Democratic Club for doing your part to respect and improve the lives of our neighbors—regardless of their immigration status, their race and ethnicity, how they’re employed, where they live, or who they love.

Thank you for your compassion, empathy, and understanding.

Thank you for listening to all sides of the argument, trusting science, and recognizing reason.

Thank you for being part of the LDC team, and for making a difference.

May the Veterans among you enjoy a peaceful Veterans Day. Thank you and your families for your service.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Best,

Tracy Brog
Lamorinda Democratic Club President
On the Calendar:
Time to Renew or Join!

The Lamorinda Democratic Club Membership 2022 Renewal Campaign begins officially on Tuesday, November 30, which also happens to be “Giving Tuesday!” Please remember the LDC when you are writing annual checks for your favorite non-profits! To join, renew, or donate, please click on this link, or you may mail a check to:

Lamorinda Democratic Club
P.O. Box 31
Orinda, CA 94563

Questions about membership? Contact LDC Membership Chair Mike Rusk at membership@LDclub.org

LDC Thursday Morning Coffee

Join us on the first and third Thursdays of the month at 10 a.m. for lively banter about the news and politics of the day! If you are new to the Club, or new to town, this is a particularly great way to meet some long-time members and friends of the LDC, as well as some LDC Board members.

We’d like to know what’s on your mind! Contact: membership@LDclub.org

How to Run a Political Campaign
The Democratic Party of Contra Costa County is offering two trainings this month: :

Contra Costa Democrats Connecting!

Join the Contra Costa Young Dems and the Lamorinda Democratic Club for a no-host get-together on Wednesday, December 15, 7-9 p.m.

Drop in at Headlands Brewing in Lafayette to meet new Dems or reconnect with friends!

3420 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette
Facebook Event Link: https://fb.me/e/1qfacSPtE
In Memoriam:

Our community will miss long-time Lamorinda Democratic Club member, Betty Karplus of Orinda, who passed away on September 22.

“What a wonderfully talented, generous, and energetic person she was!” from LDC Board Member Mary Ann Hoisington.

“A brilliant, and remarkable woman — modest, down-to-earth, and kind.” from LDC Board Member Valerie Sloven.

Betty was a World War II welder, a physicist, researcher, teacher, Orinda Citizen of the Year, a pioneer for the rights of students with disabilities, mother of seven, grandmother of sixteen, and great grandmother of sixteen! In her 70’s, Betty joined the Peace Corps and worked for two years in a home for handicapped children, in Jamaica. The obituary in the Orinda News included a photo of Betty in July 2021, painting a picnic table in Sequoia National Park—as part of a refurbishment project—her way of celebrating her 95th birthday. She was 96 years old. To those of you who were lucky enough to have called Betty a friend, our sincerest condolences. No doubt, her life well-lived will continue to inspire so many of us.