Friday, July 18 at 7:00pm

Westminster Hills Church
27287 Patrick Avenue, Hayward, CA
(Map and Directions)

Media Critic and Activist Norman Solomon

Norman Solomon, a nationally syndicated columnist on media and politics, will show excerpts from his new film War Made Easy and talk about the political situation.

Norman is an elected Obama delegate to the Democratic Nominating Convention in Denver in August and a member of Progressive Democrats of America. He has been writing the weekly Media Beat column since 1992.

Friday, June 20 at 7:00pm

Westminster Hills Church
27287 Patrick Avenue, Hayward, CA
(Map and Directions)

Assemblymember Mary Hayashi: The Budget Impasse in Sacramento

Assemblymember Mary Hayashi will discuss the budget impasse in Sacramento, its consequences, and how it might be resolved.

Assemblymember Mary Hayashi was elected to the California State Assembly in November 2006, representing District 18. She currently holds the Assistant Majority Whip position of the Democratic Caucus.

Assemblymember Hayashi's legislative efforts reflect her commitment to protect seniors, promote access to health care, and support public education.

Friday, May 16 at 7:00pm

Westminster Hills Church
27287 Patrick Avenue, Hayward, CA
(Map and Directions)

Reverend Williams: "Strip Mall Patriotism: Moral Reflections of the Iraq War"

Reverend Byron Williams, pastor, author, and syndicated columnist, will speak on themes of his new book, Strip Mall Patriotism: Moral Reflections of the Iraq War. The book consists of a series of essays covering four years of the American enterprise in Iraq.

Rev. Williams column appears twice weekly in the Oakland Tribune and frequently in the Hayward Daily Review. He also has a weekly column in the popular blog Huffington Post.

His articles have appeared in numerous other Newspapers and publications, including the San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Daily News, and the Atlantic Journal Constitution. He has appeared on numerous television and radio news programs including CNN, ABC, Fox News, and National Public Radio.

He has been pastor of the Resurrection Community Church since 2002. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and Master's Degree from the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley. His thesis emphasized the theology of liberation.

Rev. Williams's website states the following:

[Rev. Williams] is a self-described "Prisoner to Hope." Williams fuses theology with public policy to bring a fresh social justice perspective to the public arena. Williams draws a distinction between religiosity and theology and it is this characteristic that sharpens his critique of current events. His commitment to "changing the status quo conversation," prods his readers to think deeper about the critical issues facing Americans in the 21st century.

Friday, April 17 at 7:00pm

Westminster Hills Church
27287 Patrick Avenue, Hayward, CA
(Map and Directions)

Candidates Forum for Endorsement for the June 3 Primary Election

Superior Court Judge Seat No. 9: Dennis Hayashi, Victoria Kolakowski, Phil Daly and Dennis Reid have been invited.

18th A.D. Assemblymember Mary Hayashi, Jason Teramoto, 20th A.D. incumbent Alberto Torrico,and Congressmember Pete Stark, the latter two running unopposed, will state their case.

We will have a speaker on the two ballot measures, Measure 98 and Measure 99 and consider Measure I, a $205 million bond measure for the Hayward Schools.

Hayward Candidates Forum Update

Demos members endorsed four candidates for the Hayward City Council at our March meeting. They are:

• Barbara Halliday (four year seat)
• Bill Quirk (four year seat)
• Olden Henson (four year seat)
• Steve Bristow (two year seat)

Contact information for the candidates:

• Halliday: hallidahl@sbcglobal.net
• Quirk: BillQuirkforHayward@comcast.net
• Henson: ohenson@earthlink.net
• Bristow:HMSBristow@comcast.net

Call Ginny, 781-0944, if you're able to phone for Steve Bristow and/or Bill Quirk.

Friday, March 14 at 6:30pm

Westminster Hills Church
27287 Patrick Avenue, Hayward, CA
(Map and Directions)

Hayward Candidates Forum

Hayward City Council election will constitute the meeting. All candidates have been invited. Members of the Club will vote for endorsements and candidates who receive a majority vote will share $1500.

Only paid up members may vote, and ‘07 members may pay for ‘08 at the meeting and be eligible to vote. The Club by its by-laws may only endorse registered Democrats.

There will be a separate ballot for the two-year seat being vacated by Councilmember Doris Rodriquez, and the four 4-year seats, with one open seat now held by Councilmember Bill Ward.

Healthcare NOT Warfare – Sign the Petition

February 29, 2008

As Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) board member Norman Solomon pointed out in this article, “nearly one in six Americans has no health insurance, and tens of millions of others are woefully under-insured–while the war in Iraq continues to further skew the U.S. government's budget priorities.”

We say “Healthcare NOT Warfare” and ask you to join the campaign.

The time has come to redirect unnecessary and wasteful military spending to meeting human needs.

Among those needs is the healthcare crisis and we're focusing our attention on the Democratic Party by gathering signatures on a petition to prioritize “Healthcare NOT Warfare.” The signed petition will be distributed to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Democratic Committee Chairman Howard Dean, and your member of Congress.

In addition, we hope to pass resolutions to support “Healthcare NOT Warfare” at the upcoming local, state, and national Democratic conventions, and in cities, counties, and states across the country.

Please, sign the petition, and join us in this effort by taking action on one or more of the following items:

• Host a House Party–get your “Healthcare NOT Warfare” materials and house party kits, here.
• Download the flyer to distribute at meetings and events. Use it to bird-dog congressional candidates!
• Download the sample resolution, change it to meet your needs, and pass it at your local and state Democratic Parties, cities, and counties.
• Click here for additional resources and action items.

Friday, February 22nd at 7:00pm

Westminster Hills Church
27287 Patrick Avenue, Hayward, CA
(Map and Directions)

Mary Jo Foote from ACLU of Northern California presents

Police Accountability and Citizen Review

Mary Jo Foote will be discussing the issues of “Police Accountability and Citizen Review.” This includes the importance and impact of the decision by the California Supreme Court in Copley Press v Superior Court and SB 1019. In addition, she will touch on the current issues that ACLU of Northern California is working on, as well as issues at the national level.

Mary Jo Foote is on the ACLU of Northern California Affiliate’s Speaker Team and is a Board Member of the ACLU Paul Robeson Chapter for Alameda County. She lives in Berkeley, was raised in Hayward, and is retired from the Federal Government. Mary Jo has also serves on the Board of the Greater Hayward Democratic Club.

John Edwards Wins Demos 2008 Democratic Presidential Straw Poll

At the Hayward Demos Presidential Straw Poll, representatives of five Democratic Candidates gave presentations and answered questions from over 60 attendees.

• 56 persons cast votes for their top three Democratic candidates
• Candidate were given 3 points for 1st, 2 points for 2nd, and 1 point for 3rd

The results:

1. John Edwards
2. Dennis Kucinich
3. Barack Obama
4. Hillary Clinton
5. Bill Richardson
6. Mike Gavel

Notes: Dennis Kucinich received the most first place votes.
At the time of the Demos straw poll, Joe Biden and Chris Dodd had withdrawn from the race.

Thursday, January 31st at 7:00pm

All Saints Catholic Church
Senior Center (adjacent to the church)
2nd and D Streets, Hayward, CA
(Map and Directions)

Chris Brown: Humanitarian Crisis Continues for Palestinians in Strife-torn Lebanon

Presented by the South Alameda County Peace and Justice Coalition, All Saints Justice and Peace Committee, and Tri-City Peace and Justice.

Chris Brown, independent journalist in the San Francisco Bay Area, will focus on his recent trip to Lebanon where he observed the plight of the 31,000 Palestinian Refugees living in the Nahr el-Bared Refugee Camp. The camp was bombarded into ruins by the Lebanese Army from May-September 2007 when they defeated the Fatah al-Islam militant group who had retreated into the camp.

Palestinians, who fled the camp, are returning to try to restore their destroyed and looted homes and shattered lives. Chris will also discuss the problems and dangers Palestinian refugees and other residents of south Lebanon still face from the Israeli bombing and invasion of 2006. People daily face death and injury from cluster bombs dropped by the Israelis. This is complicated by the continuing Lebanese government crisis.

Chris served for three years as a member of the Christian Peacemaker Team in Hebron, Palestine, where he was seriously injured by settlers. On September 29, 2004, he and a colleague were attacked by five settler youths as they were escorting Palestinian children to school near Hebron.

Chris grew up in South Africa, where his father was a freedom fighter during the apartheid period. Chris produces and hosts a podcast entitled Crossing the Line: Life in Occupied Palestine.