Sandy Emberland, Francis Okyere, Penny Strowger, George Corbin & Sylvia Navarro.
This Tuesday party members not only vote in their primaries but we also vote for the leaders of our local party.
The group above is running as a team to represent Democrats on the central committee. To read the list of all the candidates click here.
If you are planning to vote in this contest what questions do you have for the candidates?
If you are running for a seat on your central committee send in a statement and I will post it.
My first question:
Do you believe Hillary Clinton should drop out or take it to the convention if she is behind in total delegates next week?
California Primary Election Democratic Central Committee 2nd District - Ventura County Tues. June 3 Dear Brian, California's Primary Election is fast approaching - a week from today, Tues. June 3rd. If you have not already voted by mail, please take a minute and consider voting for the following candidates for Ventura County Democratic Central Committee for District 2. If you have already voted - thank you for your support. Please share this email with anyone in the 2nd district who may not know us. Candidates for Democratic Central Committee for 2nd District - Ventura County Sandy Emberland, Francis Okyere, Penny Strowger, George Corbin & Sylvia Navarro. We are a team of dedicated Democrats, active in various Democratic clubs and organizations. We have the energy and drive to continue the push to turn Ventura County even more BLUE. To find out a little more about us, check this out - Sandy Emberland* Pledged delegate for Barack Obama to Democratic National Convention from 24th CD
* Thousand Oaks resident 12 years; married
* Successful event coordinator & fundraiser for Conejo Democratic Club and Central Committee
* Delegate to State convention for 5 years
* Active in voter registration activities, precinct walking and support of local candidatesSylvia Navarro
* Elementary school teacher
* Conejo Valley/Thousand Oaks resident 34 years; married, mother & grandmother
* Past president of a charitable organization
* Evening manager of local Democratic office in 2004
* "Hands on" Democrat, including precinct walking, tabling, voter registrationFrancis Okyere
* President, Western Alliance Insurance Services
* Newbury Park resident, in US for 25 years, born in West Africa; married
* Former president Moorpark Chamber of Commerce, led record-breaking fundraising & membership drive
* Worked with city and state governments, also invited to White House on his successful "shop Moorpark" program
* Expanded his insurance business territory from Van Nuys to Bakersfield
Penny Strowger
* Secretary, VCDCC
* Conejo Valley/Westlake Village resident 36 years; widowed
* Retired manager - Prudential Insurance Company
* Active officer/chairperson in many organizations; current Director, Healthcare for All, Ventura County
* Delegate for State convention for 3 yearsGeorge Corbin
* Adjunct Professor of Business, CLU
* Conejo Valley/Thousand Oaks resident 34 years; married
* Retired Director of Learning & Development - State Farm Insurance Company
* Active in numerous community organizations over the years
* Current major project is on the Ventura County Committee for the Martin Luther King Memorial
We are all dedicated Democrats who want to make a positive change and help the Democratic Party grow in Ventura County.
Sincerely,
Sandy, Sylvia, Francis, Penny & George
Ventura County Democratic Central Committee
2nd District
Vote for these Five
Sandy Emberland
Incumbent
Sylvia O. Navarro
Teacher
Francis Okyere
Insurance Broker
Penny Strowger
Incumbent
George Corbin
Educator
Our Team
Sandy Emberland
Sylvia Navarro
Francis Okyere
Penny Strowger
Featured Article
We want to Accelerate Change
Earlier this year, Ventura County turned BLUE!
With more registered Democrats than Republicans in Ventura County now, we will accelerate change to raise the awareness of Democratic politics in our county.
Contact:
Dems4Change@gmail.comVote for our team in the
June 3, 2008 primary!
Sandy Emberland has posted on this blog several times. She is going to be a Pledged delegate for Barack Obama at the convention this year.
To read their platform click here.
Laura Winchester has been a regular contributer to this blog for the last couple of years. She has also been involved in Simi Valley by helping candidates and attending events.
I hope, for the good of the Democratic Party, that Hillary suspends her campaign soon and gracefully endorses Obama. We need to be a united party for victory in November. I heard today that Nancy Pelosi is ready to step in - we'll have to see how that comes out.
Sandy,
When did you choose to support Barack Obama?
Which of the other candidates are involved in supporting him that you know about?
Have you come out to support any of the congressional candidates in CA 24?
What about on the Republican side? I noticed Mike and Mary Osborn are running together as a team. That's about the closet they'll get to a team effort, I'm afraid, especially with the disgruntled Katie out there.
The Ventura County Democratic Central Committee will benefit from members who bring diversity in skills, backgrounds, age, ethnicity, etc., to the Committee. A calm approach which allows for passionate views to be expressed, while respecting the opinions of others, is important. As experienced VCDCC members, Sandy and I recruited a team which can provide what the Committee needs.
A election victory for our team will strengthen Democrats in Ventura County.
Yes, I personally support and have worked for a Congressional candidate in CD 24, an Assembly candidate in AD 37, and Hannah-Beth Jackson, who can and will win SD 19!
Brian, I first saw Senator Obama speak in LA in Feb of 2007 and was immediately impressed with his message of hope. I put a bumper sticker on my car that day & have never waivered. I heard him speak again at the State Democratic Convention in San Diego in April, 2007.
The members of our team for central committee are all Obama supporters as well.
The 24th CD is so gerrymandered, I think it will be very difficult to beat the incumbent. Hannah-Beth Jackson has a much better chance of returning the 19th state senate seat to the Democrats. Our voter registration drives have increased Democrats in the county and now we outnumber Republicans. We plan to continue the effort & help our local candidates get elected in November.
I applaud Penny & Sandy for running for re-election, as well as Sylvia, George, Francis and Matt, who are running for election for the first time to Central Committee.
Brian, thank you for linking to the little website Tom and I have set up to provide information to the voters.
As to your question regarding whether Hillary should stay in it until the convention, I believe at least 3 of us were already quoted on the subject in the newspaper. There is a link to it on our website on the "in the news" page.
The voters in the 2nd district will decide who they want to represent them locally for the next two years. Good luck to everyone on Tuesday!
I'm filling out my absentee ballot right now, and I haven't found enough information to really tell the difference between the 5 and the 2.
Why do the group of 5 feel the need to state their marital status in the blurbs above? What does that have to do with how you would lead our party?
If any of you are still reading, do you care to comment on what you feel is the main difference between the 2 groups?
I'll let the others speak for themselves, but what I think Laura and I bring are experience and a vision for the future of the Democratic Party in Ventura County.
You can find out more about our experience on our website, but we are the only candidates running who are elected members of the California Democratic Party Executive Board. We’re also the only candidates who took the initiative to form a PAC during the 2006 Conejo Valley school board race to raise money to stop Mike Dunn from packing the board with his cronies. Our reward for that was a higher profile that made us particular targets for virulent criticism from fringe elements of the Republican Party.
It is also significant that all eight of the candidates in this race are members of the Democratic Club of the Conejo Valley where I’ve been president since 2004. I’ve worked with all of them.
The Democratic Party nationally has had the right values for the last 8 years, but it didn’t matter because we didn’t hold the offices and have the votes to put those values into action. The California Democratic Party has had the right values for the last 5 years, but it didn’t matter because we didn’t hold the offices and have quite enough votes to put those values fully into action. The Democrats of the 2nd District have had the right values for over 20 years, but those values are rarely represented because we can’t elect Democrats who share them.
I admire all of our current candidates for taking the risk to run, and they all deserve our thanks for investing so much of themselves in the effort. But since at least 2004 not a single Democratic candidate in the 37th AD, 24th CD or 19th SD has ever been elected to prior office except Hannah-Beth Jackson. It’s no coincidence the 19th SD is the only local race that’s being followed state-wide because it’s considered so competitive.
Our vision for the future of the Democratic Party in Ventura County is of one that has qualified candidates for every elective office in the county, and winning those elections. We need to organize the Central Committee and work with local Democratic clubs to help interested Democrats get elected in local races starting with sanitary districts, water boards and cemetery boards. Then we help them get them elected to city councils and school boards. Then those become the Democrats who go on to the California legislature and Congress.
Only when the Central Committee commits itself to focusing on identifying, recruiting, supporting and electing candidates will the political climate change in the Second District. That’s what we’re committed to now.
Gary/Mongo Flamo/Somebody/Jill Dominque/M.Gibson, quit wasting taxpayers money and shilling for the Rep CC. This thread is for the Democrats.
No, it's not just for Democrats. It's for anyone with an opinion, yo-yo!
Mongo,
If the Republicans or you type up their statements to be published and answer questions of course I will post them.
No comment.
Except: go Penny and Sandy!
The decision is obvious. I'm going with the people who have gotten results. Tom Mullens and Laura Winchester.
Thank you, Tom. I really appreciate your taking the time to answer my question so thoughtfully.