Jackson County Democrats

About 30 progressive young folks from the Portland area will descend on the Rogue Valley on Friday to canvass some Ashland precincts about health care and to march in the Ashland 4th of July parade on Saturday.

The contingent of college-age youth are participating in PolitiCorps, a 10-week training project of the Bus Project and part of Week 4 will be the visit to our area.  They'll be spending Friday and Saturday nights bedded down on the floor of the Jackson County Democratic HQ.

Anneke Gronke, PolitiCorps staff, gave us the following information about the Bus Project and PolitiCorps:

Late on Monday night (June 29th), the state legislature ended their 2009 session. While it was impossible to fully protect children from the worst recession in a generation, effective advocacy made kids and their public schools a top priority.

The City of Medford invites you to participate in assisting with the development of a Five-Year Consolidated Plan.  The Plan is a requirement for obtaining Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds.  CDBG funds are used to assist low and moderate income Medford citizens with housing, health and human services, youth and family services, and homelessness.  Please take the survey by clicking on the link below.  The survey take approximately ten minutes to complete.  Thank you for participating and helping to plan for the future needs of our community.

"Our Treasurer Anna Dale Williamson tells me we are now down to 42 donors who are giving a total of $985 per month, an average of $24.02 per donor.  Some give $5 or $10 a month, others more." "...whether we can keep our headquarters open is subject to a whole lot of doubt.  Our current 3-year lease is up in April and right now, we don't have the resources to maintain it beyond that date." -- Allen Hallmark, Acting Chair JCDP

We need to double our number of Grass Roots to 84 donors.  Even in this terrible recession,

surely YOU and 42 MORE local Democrats are willing to give $5 or more a month to keep our local party organization solvent. 

If you are not yet a GRASSROOTS donor -- become one RIGHT NOW!!

Click here to download form to become a GrassRoots Member, or contribute from secure web page - Thank you!

(Presented by Allen in an off-the-cuff form at JCDCC of 6.25.09)

As most of you know, we have been able to rent and maintain an office for the Headquarters of the Jackson County Democratic Party for the past five years. For the past couple of years it's been located at 40 S. Central Ave., across from the Craterian Theater.

In my opinion, having an office in downtown Medford has made a huge difference.  Just having the office with our sign out front lets people know the Democratic Party is strong and getting stronger and that it's okay to be a Democrat.  And our office has attracted several valuable volunteers, including Charlie Sinclair and his wonderful wife Mary.  When they moved to the valley and saw the sign, they came in to investigate and we put them to work.

So, our having a permanent headquarters in downtown Medford that is very visible is a tremendously important factor if we expect to grow our party and to elect more Democratic candidates here in the future.  Our office is the hub of most of our activities and it's the base we need if we are to win two county commissioners races and some important state legislative races -- and the governor's race -- in 2010, which, amazingly, is next year.

Our Campaign Committee is planning a series of workshops at our office in the fall and winter to develop the political skills of would-be candidates and campaign managers and workers.  So, for those and a bunch of other reasons, I think we need to keep our Medford headquarters open for business.

However, as Charlie's budget report demonstrated, whether we can keep our headquarters open is subject to a whole lot of doubt.  Our current 3-year lease is up in April and right now, we don't have the resources to maintain it beyond that date.

A couple of years ago our former Vice Chair Gary Moore, working with a Fundraising Committee, reframed our fundraising goals for maintaining our  office on a long-term basis.  He & his committee proposed the idea of encouraging a lot of local Democrats to become "Grass Roots" donors & dedicating these donations to the Jean Maack Fund Office Fund that had already been established.  Jean Maack was essentially "Ms. Democrat" in Jackson County for decades, a real party stalwart and a Grass Roots donor!

GRASSROOTS donors are those who agree to donate regularly -- many of them authorizing automatic withdrawals from their bank account or their credit card. 

Gary presented this idea at several Central Committee meetings and many of you signed up to be GRASSROOTS monthly donors to our party for which we are very grateful. 

However, the number of our monthly donors has sadly begun to dwindle.  Our Treasurer Anna Dale Williamson tells me we are now down to 42 donors who are giving a total of $985 per month, an average of $24.02 per donor.  Some give $5 or $10 a month, others more.

This wonderful, but unfortunately it falls far short of the amount we need to pay for our basic office expenses like rent, electricity, Internet service, etc.  Charlie projected that we will raise $15,160 for 2009 in Grass Roots donations, which includes some donors who give on an annual or semi-annual basis but designate the money for Grass Roots.  But the Jean Maack Office Fund needs $27,800 to cover all the basic office costs for one year.

So, we're reforming our Fundraising Committee with Charlie Sinclair, Gwen McMahon and others.  That committee will be coming up with a couple of events  or activities to raise much of the money we need.  But in addition to that effort, we really need to do at this point is to double our number of Grass Roots donors.  Even in this terrible recession, surely 42 more local Democrats will be willing to give $5 or more a month to keep our local party organization solvent.  WE CAN DO THIS, CAN'T WE?

Volunteers from the Jackson County Democrats and from the local chapter of Health Care for America NOW! will staff an informational booth at the entrance to Lithia Park just of the Plaza in Ashland on the 4th of July.

"Reforming our nation's broke health care system is the number one issue right now and so we decided to partner with HCAN, which is working for reform that includes a public option," said Allen Hallmark, vice chair of the Jackson County Democratic Party.

Hallmark noted that the Health Care plank is an important part of the local party's platform: "We regard health care as a right and support efforts to amend the Oregon Constitution to that effect..."

Pat Burton, the party's new Volunteer Coordinator, is still signing people up to staff the booth.  You can reach Pat by phone at 951-9458 to volunteer. The booth will be open from about 8:30 am until 5:30 pm on the Fourth.  Please drop by if you're in Ashland for the parade and celebration.

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/house_overrides_school_budget.html  Click here to go to full article.

Thanks to all of you, Mothers Voices happened!

Neighborhood effort focuses on getting sponsors to provide regular donations for those in need

Please CLICK HERE >> to download and print out 

REGISTRATION FORM FOR AUG 8TH EMERGE WORKSHOP and mail to

Lynn Howe, 254 White Oak, Medford, OR 97504

For more information, call 541- 778-9600

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Action:

Please let Senator Bates know that you support this bill.  Click here: http://www.leg.state.or.us/writelegsltr/

HB2343 is particularly timely considering the recent arrest of two adult men for the alleged sexual assault of an intoxicated 14 year-old girl.

http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090623/NEWS/906230313

House Votes Unanimously for Justice for Rape Victims

HB 2343 affirms that rape is never the victim’s fault

Summary:

The Oregon House voted unanimously to pass HB2343.  This bill will protect rape victims by removing from consideration a victim’s behavior leading up to a sexual assault.

Contact Senator Bates and tell him that you support this bill.

Write to Governor Kulongoski and tell him to sign HB 2182 and HB 3300.  Go to:  http://www.governor.state.or.us/Gov/contact_us.shtml

Bills to promote Oregon’s green economy pass final legislative vote

Legislation will expand access to alternative energy loans and develop plan for green jobs growth

Summary:

On June 23^rd, the Oregon Senate passed two important bills HB 2182 and HB 3300.  HB 2182 will allow more projects that invest in Oregon’s green economy.  HB 3300  directs the state government to develop a Green Jobs Growth Initiative.

Action:Tell Governor Kulongoski that you support HB 2178 and HB 3104.  Go to:   http://www.governor.state.or.us/Gov/contact_us.shtml

Two bills helping veterans identify benefits and services pass in Senate

One will create comprehensive benefits website; another creates

service officer program on Oregon’s college campuses

Summary:

On June 23^rd, the Oregon Senate passed two important bills.  Both bills now await the Governor’s signature.  HB 2178 will create a Campus Veterans Service Officer Program to assist veterans use the GI Bill at Oregon public colleges.  HB 3104 will establish a website to help veterans take advantage of benefits and services.

Summary:

On June 24^th, the Oregon Legislature voted in favor of two important bills designed to protect homebuyers and borrowers.  HB 2189 will require loan originators to be licensed with the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services.  HB 2189 now moves to the Senate.

HB 3004 will prevent lenders or their affiliates from pursuing further action against a second mortgage once the home has already been foreclosed and sold.  HB 3004 was approved by the Senate and now goes back to the House for concurrence.

The Legislative Process