Stonewall Democrats of Sacramento

PRESS RELEASE: Sacramento Stonewall Democrats Launch "StopAndrewPugno.com" in campaign against Proposition 8 Author and Republican nominee in Assembly District 5

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 18:10:48 -0800

PRESS RELEASE: Sacramento Stonewall Democrats Launch "StopAndrewPugno.com" in campaign against Proposition 8 Author and Republican nominee in Assembly District 5.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 17, 2010
CONTACT: Patrick Holstine, Communications Chair, 916.716.5889 | communications@sacstonewall.org

Sacramento Stonewall Democrats Announce the Launch of "StopAndrewPugno.com"

Sacramento -- Sacramento Stonewall Democrats Launch "StopAndrewPugno.com" in campaign against Proposition 8 Author and Republican nominee in Assembly District 5 The Stonewall Democratic Club of Greater Sacramento announced the launch of "StopAndrewPugno.com" - an effort to help keep homophobia out of the California State Legislature. Andrew Pugno is the Republican candidate for Assembly District 5 in the Sacramento region and in 2008 co-authored Proposition 8, the California measure that stripped marriage rights from same-sex couples.

"Since graduating from college, Pugno's career has exclusively focused on the effort to deny gay and lesbian couples the right to marry," said Sacramento Stonewall President Christopher Moore. "Now, StopAndrewPugno.com is exclusively focused on the effort to deny Pugno a seat in the California State Legislature."

Pugno crafted Proposition 22 which enshrined marriage discrimination into law in the year 2000, then in 2008 co-authored Proposition 8 to amend California's Constitution to take away same-sex marriage rights, and now he continues to serve as legal counsel defending Proposition 8 in the federal marriage trial before Judge Vaughn Walker in San Francisco. Earlier this week, Pugno asked Judge Walker to allow government agencies and private businesses to nullify recognition of the more than 18,000 same-sex marriages performed in California.

"This campaign is not about Andrew Pugno as a person," continued Moore, "This campaign is about his record, and the fact that all it includes is taking away the rights of gays and lesbians. It is absolutely ridiculous that one would consider this adequate qualification to tackle the complex problems facing our state legislature. Not to mention, it is horribly offensive to me as a gay man."

Besides his history of homophobia, Pugno is facing other serious criticism. He is being labeled a "carpetbagger" after recently relocating his residence when local press outlets revealed he was actively campaigning for the Assembly seat without actually residing within the district. Furthermore, the Fair Political Practices Commission received complaints that Pugno broke legislative ethics laws when, as a young staffer for the late Senator Knight, he used State Senate Resources to craft the anti-gay Proposition 22.

Pugno will face off against Democratic candidate Dr. Richard Pan in the November General Election. Pan has been endorsed by the Sacramento Stonewall Democrats, meaning he is 100% supportive of LGBT rights.

For more information, contact Patrick Holstine at 916.716.5889, or by e-mail at communications@sacstonewall.org. In addition, see www.StopAndrewPugno.com.

Four Freedoms Awards: FDR Speech and List of Recipients

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 14:55:49 -0800

FDR's Four Freedoms Speech

Here is a link to the full text of FDR's Four Freedoms Speech which serves as the background and basis for Stonewall's Four Freedoms Awards:

http://docs.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/OD4FREES.HTML

Full List of Four Freedoms Awards Recipients:

Freedom From Fear
2004       The Court of the Great Northwest Imperial Empire (CGNIE)
2005       The Honorable Gary Miller
2006       Yvonne Neis
2007       Mayor Heather Fargo
2008       The Satender Justice Coalition
2009       Tina Reynolds of Equality Action Now
2010       Dr Jennifer Choy, DO

Freedom of Speech and Expression
2004       Gail Lang
2005       Marghe Covino
2006       Honorable Willie Brown
2007       Jay Hansen
2008       Alice Huffman, NAACP
2009       City Council Member Ray Tretheway
2010       Fred Palmer, Publisher Outword

Freedom of Worship
2004       Rev. Don Fado, St Mark's United Methodist Church
2005       Rev. Charles Cooper, Metropolitan Community Church
2006       Rev. Dr. David Thompson, Westminster Presbyterian Church
2007       Rev. Robyn Hartwig, Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer
2008       Rev. Lindi Ramsden, Unitarian Universalist Society
2009       Rev. Dr Brian Baker, Trinity Cathedral
2010       David Schenirer, McClatchy High School Student & Member Congregation B'Nai Israel

Freedom from Want
2004       Ellen Pontac and Shelly Bailes
2005       Paul Curtis
2006       County Supervisor Illa Collin
2007       State Controller John Chiang
2008       Ralph Seibert, student youth counselor
2009       Mike Whiteside
2010       Betty Yee, Chair, State Board of Equalization

Special Awards
2004       Judy Shepherd (Grand Freedom Award)
2005       Chrissy Gephardt (Grand Freedom Award)
2006       (no special award)
2007       (no special award)
2008       Laurie McBride (President's Award)
2009       Attorney General Jerry Brown (President's Award)
2010       Speaker John Perez (President's Award)

Stonewall Endorses Dr. Richard Pan in his Race Against Prop 8 Author Andrew Pugno in AD5

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 14:50:37 -0800

At the June General Membership Meeting Sacramento Stonewall endorsed Dr. Richard Pan in Assembly District 5. Dr. Pan won last week's Primary and will face off in November against the Republican nominee - Proposition 8 author and a man who has made a career out of directing hate toward the LGBT community - Andrew Pugno. To learn more check out https://panforassembly.com/ and also www.stopandrewpugno.com.

Pugno has been closely involved in the Federal Prop. 8 trial in San Francisco where he is fighting hard to preserve the discrimination he helped write into our State Constitution. Let's stop Pugno and elect Dr. Richard Pan to the Assembly in AD5! Dr. Pan will fight alongside the LGBT commmunity and will be a tremendous ally as we turn AD5 Blue and shut the door on Pugno and his homophobia in November! You can also follow the closing arguments in the Prop. 8 trial at http://twitter.com/EqualityOnTrial.

Sacramento Stonewall Hosts California Attorney General Candidate Forum This Saturday!

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 12:42:24 -0800

Come listen to the Candidates and Directly Ask them Your Questions:

Assembly Member Ted Lieu*

Assembly Member Pedro Nava*

Chris Kelly, Chief Privacy Officer for Facebook*

* - confirmed candidates who returned Stonewall questionnaire by the deadline

The AG Forum will be moderated by Patricia Eichar, Co-Chair of Sacramento Lawyers for the Equality (SacLEGAL).

Special Date and Time:
SATURDAY, APRIL 24th
10:00 am

Radisson Hotel
500 Leisure Lane
Sacramento

Immediately following the Attorney General Candidate Forum, we will take up endorsement and votes in the following races and ballot measures:

Sacramento County and City:
·         Sacramento County Sheriff
·         Sacramento County Board of Education (SCOE), Dist 1
·         Sacramento County Board of Education (SCOE), Dist 2
·         Sacramento City Council District 3

State:
·         Governor
·         Lieutenant Governor
·         Attorney General
·         State Superintendent of Education
·         Secretary of State
·         State Treasurer
·         State Controller
·         Assembly District 10
·         Proposition 16 - New Two-Thirds Requirement for Local Public

Electricity Providers
·         Proposition 14 - Elections: Open Primaries
·         Proposition 15 - California Fair Elections Act

Federal:
·         Congressional District 5
·         Congressional District 10

Join us this Saturday morning at the Radisson!

Sacramento Stonewall Endorses Tretheway and Kennedy for City Council, Bera for Congress

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 13:23:28 -0800

Sacramento Stonewall Democrats voted to endorse Ray Tretheway for Sacramento City Council District 1, and Patrick Kennedy for Sacramento City Council District 5. The endorsement votes took place at the General Membership Meeting on Monday April 12 after the Candidate Forum.

Sacramento Stonewall thanks all the candidates for participating, and for their commitment to equality for the LGBT community. Video of the Candidate Forum will be available on the website soon. Stay tuned for updates in Stonewall Weekly.

Also, Sacramento Stonewall has voted to endorse Ami Bera for U.S Congressional District 3. Congrats! Thank you Ami for your commitment to equality for the LGBT community!

Get Your Four Freedoms Tickets Now!

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 15:09:22 -0800

Click here to purchase tickets now for the 2010 Four Freedoms Awards Dinner!

http://www.sacstonewall.org/events/4freedoms2010

Join us as Sacramento Stonewall Democrats pay tribute to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's famous Four Freedoms Speech by awarding deserving individuals who embody the spirit of the Four Freedoms: Freedom from Want, Freedom of Speech and Expression, Freedom of Worship, and Freedom from Fear. In addition, this year's President's Award goes to California Assembly Speaker John A. Perez.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010:

5:30 - Cocktails and Auction
6:30 - Dinner

Want to put a table (10 people) together or SPONSOR the event at a higher level with promotional benefits? E-Mail Chris Moore at president@sacstonewall.org for more info!

Tables and individual tickets are available here.

Location: Radisson Hotel, 500 Leisure Lane, Sacramento, CA
When: 5:30 PM
Ends: 9:00 PM

March AD5/AD9 Candidate Forum Videos Online

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 14:54:06 -0800

Our March Candidate Forum is available to view online, thanks to Kelli Meador and Laughing Sheep Productions.

The March Candidate Forum highlighted races in California State Assembly Districts 5 and 9. While no candidate reached the 60 percent threshold needed to secure our endorsement, the debate was lively and informative. If you missed it, now you can see it online by following the links below.

Here are the videos:

Stonewall Candidate Forum Series: California State Assembly District 5 from Laughing Sheep on Vimeo.

Stonewall Candidate Forum Series: California State Assembly District 9 from Laughing Sheep on Vimeo.

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 22:14:09 -0800

Sacramento Stonewall Sponsors

Healing Touch Chiropractic
www.fixmyback.com

Radisson Hotel
www.radissonsac.com

Dawn Dais, Graphic Designer
www.dawndais.com

Bean Counters CPA
www.beancounterscpa.com

Sestak Lighting Design
www.sestaklightingdesign.com

Sacramento Stonewall Partners

Democratic Party Organizations

Democratic Party of Sacramento County
www.sacdems.org

California Democratic Party
www.cadem.org

Democratic National Committee
www.democrats.org

California Assembly Democratic Caucus
democrats.assembly.ca.gov

National Stonewall Democrats
www.stonewalldemocrats.org

Women Democrats of Sacramento County
www.wdsc.net

Statewide LGBT Organizations

Equality California
www.eqca.org

National LGBT Organizations

Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)
www.glaad.org

Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
www.glsen.org

Human Rights Campaign
www.hrc.org

National Center for Lesbian Rights
www.nclrights.org

National Gay & Lesbian Task force (NGLTF)
www.thetaskforce.org

OutProud: The National Coalition for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Youth
www.outproud.org

Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians & Gays (PFLAG)
www.pflag.org

Service Member's Legal Defense Network
www.sldn.org

December 2009 Newsletter

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 21:29:34 -0800

Follow link below to see PDF of December 2009 Newsletter:
December 2009 Newsletter

February Candidate Forum Videos Online

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 16:27:23 -0800

Our February Candidate Forum is available to view online, thanks to Kelli Meador and Laughing Sheep Productions.
The February Candidate Forum highlighted races in Sacramento City Council District 7 and Sacramento County Board of Supervisors District 1. At the General Membership Meeting following the Forum, the club voted to endorse Ryan Chin for City Council, and Phil Serna for Supervisor.

Here are the videos:

Stonewall Candidate Forum Series: Sacramento City Council District 7 from Laughing Sheep on Vimeo.

Stonewall Candidate Forum Series: Sacramento County Supervisor District 1 from Laughing Sheep on Vimeo.

"Strong Mayor Initiative" Forum Available Online

Sun, 17 Jan 2010 22:54:49 -0800

We had 120 people in attendance at the Radisson Hotel in January for the "Strong Mayor Initiative" Forum, which was covered by local news outlets including KCRA 3, FOX 40, and the Sacramento Bee. Here's a link to the Bee's coverage:

http://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/2455120.html

Strong Mayor Initiative - 2010 Forum Series from Laughing Sheep on Vimeo.

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:55:53 -0800

Sign the Petition! Stop Andrew Pugno!

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:27:05 -0800

Stop Prop 8 author Andrew Pugno in his bid for California State Assembly!

Click Here to Sign the Petition

Andrew Pugno was the principal drafter, spokesperson, and instigator in the drive to strip equal marriage rights from gay and lesbian Californians. His success came when his long-time efforts concluded in the passage of Proposition 8.

Now he is the Republican front-runner for Assembly District 5.

If elected, who knows how much damage he could do to LGBT people and their families across the entire state?

Sign the Petition to Keep "Mr. Proposition 8" from being elected!

Press Release: Sacramento Stonewall Democrats Early-Endorses Mary Hernandez for Sacramento City Unified School District Board of Education, Area 2

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:22:59 -0800

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 11, 2009
CONTACT: Christopher Moore, Club President
530.713.0914 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 530.713.0914 end_of_the_skype_highlighting | president@sacstonewall.org

SACRAMENTO - The Stonewall Democratic Club of Greater Sacramento voted to early-endorse Mary Hernandez for Sacramento City Unified School District Board of Education, Area 2 at its General Membership Meeting Monday November 9, 2009.

"We feel so fortunate, as a club, to have this opportunity to back such an outstanding candidate," said Club President Christopher Moore. "We are extremely confident that her campaign will be a success and we are dedicated to working vigorously to ensure she is elected."

"Hernandez's campaign speaks to the very core of the mission of Sacramento Stonewall" said Mike Mendez, Chair of the Political Action Committee. "Her election to office as an openly gay woman will provide a shining example that highly qualified LGBT individuals can proudly serve the public. Furthermore, Mary's history as a tireless advocate makes us confident that she will be an extremely effective Board Member."

Following the vote to endorse Mary Hernandez, the club also voted to make a $10,000 contribution to her campaign. Sacramento City Unified School District Board of Education, Area 2 covers the communities of Midtown, East Sacramento, River Park, College Greens, and Tahoe Park.

The Stonewall Democratic Club of Greater Sacramento is one of the largest Democratic clubs in the region and is one of the largest LGBT Democratic clubs in the United States. Sacramento Stonewall works toward Democratic values for all.

From Left to Right: Mike Mendez, Mary Hernandez, and Chris Moore

Press Release: Sacramento Stonewall Extremely Disappointed by Maine's Passage of Question 1

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:46:29 -0800

October 29, 2009

Sacramento Stonewall Extremely Disappointed by Maine's Passage of Question 1

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 29, 2009
CONTACT: Christopher Moore, Club President
530.713.0914 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 530.713.0914 end_of_the_skype_highlighting | president@sacstonewall.org

SACRAMENTO - Sacramento Stonewall is extremely disappointed in the decision by Maine voters to repeal that state's law that would have extended equal marriage rights to same-sex couples.

"It continues to disturb me that our systems of governance in individual states and our nation as a whole can allow a bare majority of voters being driven by a well-funded campaign of lies and deception to arbitrarily strip a historically-marginalized portion of our citizenry of their rights," said Sacramento Stonewall President Christopher Moore.

"Pro-equality Californians feel the same pain Mainers feel today, and perhaps the worst part about the whole thing is that the same nationwide homophobic forces were behind both ballot initiative crusades. These groups are like a plague invading states one by one, spreading their awful rhetoric and enshrining homophobia into the law" said Moore.

Nearly 48 percent of Maine voters cast their vote in favor of marriage equality. Their commitment to equality is a testament to the hard work done by thousands of volunteers from states across the nation. While opponents of equality will claim victory in Maine, a Domestic Partnership law in Washington state is on its way to victory after approval by voters there. In addition, the citizens of Kalamazoo, Michigan, voted to uphold a local ordinance that banned discrimination based on sexual orientation and throughout the country openly-gay candidates are celebrating successful runs for office.

"We have come so far, so fast," commented Moore, "The mere thought that ten years ago nearly 50 percent of voters in a state would cast a ballot in favor of equal marriage rights for same-sex couples was almost unthinkable. Now we are so close. We must remember that this is yet another opportunity for those of us who fight for equality to redouble our efforts and work harder than ever until our goal of full equality for all is a reality."

The Stonewall Democratic Club of Greater Sacramento is one of the largest Democratic clubs in the region and is one of the largest LGBT Democratic clubs in the United States. Sacramento Stonewall works toward Democratic values for all.