weeks, but that didn’t stop the eager individuals who were chosen
to represent the state’s Democratic Party at its national convention
from rallying their allies and criticizing their opposition at one final meeting in Long Beach before they gather in Philadelphia
next month.
Executive meetings for the California Democratic Party delegates were held at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center June 17 to 19. There is a somewhat complicated process to decide who will be among the 546 delegates and 40 alternates, which include the pledged party leaders and elected officials (PLEOs), at-large delegates and the district-level delegates who are chosen by fellow
Democrats.
There are affirmative-action goals to include minority groups and members of the LGBT community. The final list of delegates will be official after all of
the votes are counted on July 7. The district-level delegates from the 47th Congressional District are equally divided between
men and women. Clinton supporters include Megan Kerr, Tonia Reyes Uranga, Uduak-Joe Ntuk and alternate Phyllis Schmidt. Sanders supporters include Kristen Cox, Isaac Romero and Yosh Yamanaka.
It’s a thrilling time for first-time delegates like Kerr, who also
serves as a board member for the Long Beach Unified School District.
“So, as I have become more politically engaged in the party process over the last several years, I’m fascinated by how it works,” Kerr said at the meeting. “I’m
looking forward to seeing people excited about the future of our country.”
Schmidt, a real-estate agent and long-time activist interested in immigration issues and social justice, is also happy to hear that she will be going to Philadelphia as an alternate who supports Clinton.
“It’s actually the highlight of my life,” the 87-year-old said in a phone interview last week. And while both camps expressed their delight at the opportunity to represent the area, both sides plugged their choice for president.
[aesop_image imgwidth=”500px” img=”http://www.signaltribunenewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Screen-Shot-2016-06-24-at-9.37.35-AM.png” align=”right” lightbox=”on” caption=”Hillary Clinton delegate Uduak-Joe Ntuk (far left) reaches out to Yosh Yamanaka (center) and Kristen Cox (right), delegates for the Bernie Sanders campaign following the California Democratic Executive Committee meetings on June 19 at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center. These delegates will be representing the 47th Congressional District at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.” captionposition=”right”] At a meeting for the Clinton supporters on Sunday afternoon, organizers stressed
the need to unify the party and to reach out to supporters of Sanders. It will be Ntuk’s third time to attend the Democratic National Convention, and while in previous times he has supported Barack Obama, this time he has endorsed
Clinton. He remembers the rift between Obama and Clinton supporters back in 2008 before Clinton eventually endorsed the president’s nomination. He compared the division between the Clinton and Sanders supporters to the rift eight years ago.
“This one!is again [a] contentious election,” Ntuk said, “and we’re looking for Sen. Sanders and his supporters to! work with the party to find common ground
and make sure we’re successful in November.”
Sanders supporters like Romero, a 26-year-old professional advocate
for civic engagement for Molina Healthcare, has spent a lot of time on Sanders’s campaign, and right now, unity within the party isn’t a priority yet.
“Bernie has made it clear that it’s not about him. It’s really about the issues and standing up for what the future needs,” Romero said. “So, based on that…We’ll
keep our ears open, and we’ll figure something out later on.”
Cox, another Sanders supporter, criticized Clinton’s ties to Wall Street and continued to plug her choice for president.
“I think we have to save our democracy, and he’s the only one that’s even trying to,” Cox said. Reyes Uranga felt very strongly about Clinton in her choice for president.
“I want in my lifetime to have a woman president,” she said, “ and to have the most qualified person running now is amazing. You know, we hit the jackpot with her. So, she’s not perfect, but I think that’s!what we need.”
Yamanaka criticized Clinton’s establishment ties, but he did warn that the July convention outcome wouldn’t be the end of the story for progressives like him.
“This movement is not over,” he said, as he noted that there will be more elections in two years and another presidential election in four years. “This is just the beginning of the political revolution that Bernie Sanders has started.”
