By Martin G. Reynolds
FROM THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION
DENVER _ Those who rose early Monday morning to catch the “Convention Conversations” forum at the Denver Athletic Club were treated to some serious eloquence, passion and good old fashion humor.
On the panel to discuss this very heavy question were such a formidable bunch, I almost had to do a double-take when Denver Post Editor Greg Moore and I sat down with our yogurt and coffee. On the stage were House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), former Virginia Gov. Douglas Wilder, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., television host and journalist Tavis Smiley, and last but not least, Dr. Cornel West, the Princeton professor and best selling author. Read the rest of this entry »

If you don’t have a ticket to the Democratic National Convention next week, you can still watch Barack Obama’s nomination speech surrounded by like-minded Democrats.

Contra Costa Democrats are hosting “Denver in Danville” party at Crow Canyon Country Club on Aug. 28 at 6 p.m., complete with food, drinks and two big-screen televisions.

It’s also a fundraiser for the United Democratic Campaign of Contra Costa County. Proceeds will be used for the party’s campaign activities.

The event will be held at the Crow Canyon Country Club, 711 Silver Lake Drive, Danville. VIP tickets cost $200 for 2 tickets and 4 drinks; family package, $100 for two adults and children: general admission, $60; and seniors and students, $35 each.

For more details call 925-262-8544 or visit denver-in-danville-v-3.pdf

UPDATE 6/10/08 11:18 A.M. This event has been postponed due to a scheduling conflict. I’ll repost the new date as soon as it is available. Lisa v.

Maya Soetoro-Ng, half-sister of presumed Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, will be the special guest at a Richmond fund-raiser for the candidate on June 16.

(Soetoro-Ng is pictured on the right as photographed by Lucy Pemoni of Associated Press and appeared in Newsweek at blog.newsweek.com/blogs/thegaggle/default.aspx)

The event will be held from 5:30-8 p.m. at the Richmond home of Obama delegate and Richmond Councilman Harpreet Sandhu.

Other sponsors include retired Assemblyman Bob Campbell, convention delegate and former Pinole councilwoman Maria Alegria, delegate and Richmond Councilman Tony Thurmond, Richmond Councilman Nat Bates and delegate Maria Blanco, the executive director for the Earl Warren Institute on Race, Ethnicity and Diversity.

At $100 a person, it’s a relatively inexpensive fund-raiser, too, as organizers typically try to wheedle far greater sums from supporters.

To RSVP, contact Alegria at mlalegria@comcast.net or 510-758-7642 by June 14.

The five candidates running for Contra Costa County supervisor in District 5 will speak at an evening forum April 24 sponsored by the East County Democrats for Action.

The candidates include incumbent Supervisor Federal Glover of Pittsburg, Erik Nunn of Oakley, Don Parscal of Brentwood, and Antioch residents Gary Agopian and Mary Rocha.

The candidates will field questions from me and members of the audience.

The public forum will be held from 7-9 p.m. at the Boilermakers Local No. 549 Hall, 2191 Piedmont Way in Pittsburg.

The Lamorinda Democratic Club will host an Assembly District 14 candidates night on April 18 with the four Democrats running in the June 3 primary.

The candidates are Dr. Phil Polakoff, East Bay Regional Park District Director Nancy Skinner, Richmond Councilman Tony Thurmond and Berkeley Councilman Kriss Worthington.

The candidates are running for a seat held by Assemblywoman Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley, who terms out this year.

The forum will be held at the Orinda Community Church, 10 Irwin Way, in Orinda. The public is invited to attend. The cost is $5 for adults and students are free.

The club’s meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. followed by the candidates at 8 .m.

For more details, call 925-210-7337 or visit www.lamorindademoclub.com for more information.

Journalist Marc Sandalow, author of “Madam Speaker: Nancy Pelosi’s Life, Times and Rise to Power,” will hold a book-signing on April 17 at Saint Mary’s College Bookstore.

Sandalow, the former Washington, D.C., bureau chief for the San Francisco Chronicle, has written about how Pelosi rose in political influence to become the first woman Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The book-signing will be held from 4-5:30 p.m., at Saint Mary’s Bookstore, 1928 St. Mary’s Road in Moraga.

Assemblyman Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord, will host a second annual environmental fair in Concord Saturday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Cal-State’s East Bay campus on Ygnacio Valley Boulevard.

Get tips on where to dispose of electronic waste and how to reduce your carbon footprint.

Read on for DeSaulnier’s press release. Read the rest of this entry »

“Democracy For All: Pipedream or Possibility?

When: Wednesday, April 23, 2008 at 5:45 p.m.

What: “Democracy For All: Pipedream or Possibility” is an interview and book signing with Larry Diamond, Ph.D. The event is part of the USF Center for the Pacific Rim’s Public Diplomacy Project in the Asia Pacific led by Dr. Chiho Sawada, a Kiriyama Research Fellow at the Center. In 1974, nearly three quarters of all countries were dictatorships; today more than half are democracies. Diamond demonstrates that the desire for democracy runs deep, even in poor Pacific Rim countries. Diamond uncovers the extent to which democracy depends on the spirited grassroots activism of citizens as he dissects the causes of the recent “democratic recession.”

Who: Larry Diamond, Ph.D. has authored many books on democracy, is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford, founding co-editor of the Journal of Democracy, and co-director of the International Forum for Democratic Studies of the National Endowment for Democracy.

Where: Fromm Hall at the University of San Francisco. Fromm Hall is located at 2467
Golden Gate Avenue (at the corner of Golden Gate and Parker Avenue), but
it’s most direct to enter from Parker Street between Golden Gate and Fulton.

Public Info: The event is free and open to the public. Please call 415.422.6228 to reserve your seat.

Rep. George Miller, D- Martinez, will speak to struggling homeowners at a free Foreclosure Information Day in Richmond on Saturday, March 29.

Here’s Miller’s event advisory:

The bi-lingual, day-long event is being organized by a consortium of West County leaders, including Supervisor John Gioia, Assemblywoman Loni Hancock, Assemblyman Mark DeSaulnier, the City of Richmond and the Richmond Community Redevelopment Agency.

This seminar will offer advice on how to avoid a mortgage meltdown during the current credit crisis. HUD Certified Housing Counselors will be available to answer questions and information will be offered in English and Spanish.

As foreclosure rates in California and across the country continue to rise, Contra Costa County is experiencing the highest foreclosure rate in the San Francisco Bay Area. Studies show that more than half of homeowners do not seek help when they begin to fall behind on payments, but those who do seek help in the early stages of delinquency are more likely to avoid foreclosure. This seminar will address different ways through which foreclosure can be prevented and offer suggestions for where struggling homeowners can seek assistance.

WHEN: Saturday, March 29, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. (Miller will speak at 9 a.m.)

WHO: Congressman George Miller, Assemblyman Mark DeSaulnier, Assemblywoman Loni Hancock, Supervisor John Gioia, Mayor of Richmond Gail McLaughlin, Mayor of Hercules Joanne Ward, Vice Mayor of San Pablo Leonard McNeil,San Pablo City Councilwoman Genoveva Calloway, cities of Richmond, San Pablo, El Cerrito and Pinole, Richmond Community Redevelopment Agency, Neighborworks America, Greater Richmond Interfaith Program (GRIP) , Countrywide and Wells Fargo Maria Benjamin, Program Director- Community Housing Development Corporation of North Richmond,

WHAT: West Contra Costa “Foreclosure Information Day”

WHERE: Richmond Recreation Center

3230 Macdonald Avenue,

Richmond, CA 94804

Two political veterans will offer their thoughts at a free Saint Mary’s College forum on what to expect from Democrats and Republicans in the general election as the presidential campaign reaches the end of the primary season.

The event is set for April 2 at 3:30 p.m. at Haggerty Lounge, De La Salle Hall, Saint Mary’s College of California, 1928 St. Mary’s Rd., Moraga

Here are more details from the college:

Who: Tony Quinn, an expert in political trends and demographics, is the co-editor of the California Target Book, a nonpartisan analysis of California’s legislative and congressional elections. He has 35 years experience with California state government, including four years with the Assembly Republican Caucus and as director of the Office of Economic Research in the Department of Commerce.

Tim Farley is director of community and government relations at Saint Mary’s College. He previously served two terms as a Democratic city councilman in Martinez and was district director for former Democratic Assemblyman Joe Canciamilla ‘82. Farley was the Contra Costa Chairman of Bill Clinton’s presidential campaigns in 1992 and 1996, and was a 1996 Electoral College delegate.

The event, free and open to the public, is moderated by Lisa Vorderbrueggen, Contra Costa Times political editor.