Resolutions
Whereas the California Democratic Party platform maintains that, “California’s prosperity depends on jobs that provide a minimum standard of living and improve every Californian’s quality of life”, but many working Californians, including essential workers, parents and seniors, have full-time jobs yet struggle to make ends meet because the minimum wage has not kept pace with the cost of living, is worth less today than it was 50 years ago, and would be approximately $24 per hour today; and
Whereas the most recent available data, which does not include the effects of COVID-19, shows that more than 6.3 million Californians lack enough resources to meet their basic needs and more than a third of Californians are living in or near poverty and that Californians cannot support a family on the current minimum wage of $15 per hour; and
Whereas, despite being employed full-time, Californians who are paid the current minimum wage often must rely on the State's social safety net to meet their basic needs and Californians’ wages are not keeping up with inflation or our state's rising cost of living.
Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved:
Therefore, be it resolved, that the Marin Democratic Party supports an increase to the California minimum wage to $18 per hour by 2025, and that in each year thereafter the minimum wage be adjusted to keep pace with the cost of living in California; and Be it further resolved, that we call on the California Democratic Party to adopt this resolution and the DCCM will share this with elected officials and endorsed candidates.
Passed: May 5, 2022
Resolution to reform law enforcement and reallocate funds to reimagine public safety in California Adopted by the Democratic Central Committee of Marin July 2, 2020
Whereas, in June, 2020, the Democratic Central Committee of Marin (DCCM) passed a resolution calling for, “meaningful systemic change against institutionalized racism, economic suppression and opportunity inequalities”; and California Attorney General Becerra called for, “broad police reforms and proactive efforts to protect lives”, and hundreds of thousands of people, in protests and in council chambers throughout California and across the nation, have called for an end to excessive and militarized policing; and
Whereas, police reform and use of force guidelines are only a first step toward ending the violence against marginalized communities which are still traumatized and brutalized by existing policing practices, and reform and oversight alone have proven ineffective in ending the violence; and
Whereas, dismantling systemic racism, and the policies that support it, will take a full reimagining of public safety to include investing in our communities for schools, jobs, housing, health and welfare, reallocating resources to those programs, and employing mental health, medical and other professionals to replace much of conventional policing.
Therefore, be it resolved that the DCCM calls on state and local elected officials, and law enforcement agencies, to immediately adopt AG Becerra’s use of force recommendations, and, in addition, begin reallocating money away from law enforcement budgets and into alternatives for public safety that invest in communities, and broader oversight and accountability, and do so with all deliberate speed, to enact meaningful change within this fiscal year; and
Be it further resolved that this resolution be sent to state and local elected officials, and law enforcement agencies, and that a DCCM Reimagine Public Safety ad hoc Committee be formed to monitor progress and report regularly to DCCM.
Resolution in Support of the Arrest and Prosecution of all Officers in George Floyd’s death and for a Full Investigation and Reform of Police Culture that Allows Brutality and Racial Injustice to Exist Adopted by the Democratic Central Committee of Marin June 4, 2020
Whereas, for too long law enforcement in this country has targeted African Americans and other people of color, often unjustly arresting, beating and even killing them, for minor crimes or no crimes at all; and
Whereas, George Floyd was only the latest victim in this string of injustices, brutally assaulted and killed under the knee of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on May 25, 2020, while other officers abetted his actions in front of many bystanders and TV viewers across the country; and
Whereas it is up to people of all races, ethnicities and colors, particularly white people, whose silence in the face of this injustice equates to condoning violence, to speak out and take action against these tragedies that terrorize people of color.
Therefore, be it Resolved that the Marin County Democratic Central Committee condemns the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police and asks that police culture that allows this brutality anywhere in the U.S. be investigated and corrected and that federal policy be enacted as needed. and
Let it further be Resolved that we acknowledge Mr. Floyd’s death as part of the ongoing problem of systemic racism throughout our nation’s history that must be faced and reconciled; that we call for meaningful systemic change against institutionalized racism, economic suppression, and opportunity inequalities; that we support the California Democratic Party African-American Caucus and ask that the California Democratic Party join us in this effort.
Resolution of the Democratic Central Committee of Marin in support of the adoption of a new name for Sir Francis Drake High School
Whereas, the Democratic Central Committee of Marin embraces social and economic equity for all Californians; and
Whereas, Resolution 20-1 of the Tamalpais United High School District “recognizes that institutional racism within our system has created harmful environments for our (students who identify as) Black, Indigenous and People of Color” and commits the Tamalpais United High School District Board of Trustees “to address the symbols of institutional racism and white supremacy;” and
Whereas, our historical understanding of Sir Francis Drake’s significance in Marin is constantly evolving, with renewed awareness of his actual participation in the Atlantic slave trade and his symbolic role in legitimizing colonialism, white supremacy, and Indigenous erasure during the 19th and 20th centuries; and
Whereas, we recognize that these associations can alienate some community members but not others, which has divided the school community of Sir Francis Drake High School and created a barrier to belonging that is racially and ethnically inequitable; and
Whereas, members of the Sir Francis Drake High School community have sought to address these problems by adopting a new name that better represents its inclusive values, so that the school is currently operating under the temporary name of High School 1327; and
Whereas, we recognize that it is in the interest of everyone in the community to conclude the renaming process promptly, to prevent further unnecessary conflict over the name;
Therefore, Be It Resolved
That the Democratic Central Committee of Marin supports the adoption of a new name for Sir Francis Drake High School by the Tamalpais United High School District without delay.
Adopted May 10, 2021
Resolution to Stop the Privatization of Traditional Medicare via the proposed ACO-REACH Program
Adopted: November 10, 2022
Whereas, a new program started under the Trump administration introduces a way in which those on Traditional Medicare can be moved to a for-profit insurance model without their consent using the program known as ACO-REACH, which at the present time is under no Congressional oversight, and allows its insurers to keep up to 40% of their revenue as profit and overhead, thereby giving them a dangerous financial incentive to restrict care for Traditional Medicare beneficiaries; and
Whereas, Medicare will pay these programs more money for patients with more complex diagnoses, thereby providing a strong incentive to engage in a fraudulent practice known as “up coding,” meaning that they exaggerate the coding of beneficiaries’ diagnoses which is already happening in the Medicare Advantage programs, resulting in higher costs to Medicare than if the beneficiaries were in the Traditional Medicare program, thereby making it likely to produce insolvency of the Medicare Trust in 2026 which has been projected by the Congressional Budget Office; and
Whereas, the fundamental difference between for-profit health insurance models and Traditional Medicare is that for-profit insurance limits care in order to provide maximum profit for its shareholders through narrow networks, requiring pre-approvals, and denials of care;
Therefore be it resolved that the Marin County Democratic Party recognizes the danger that the ACO-REACH privatization plan poses to Traditional Medicare; and
Be it further resolved that the Marin County Democratic Party will send a letter to Xavier Becerra, Secretary of Health and Human Services, with copies to President Joseph R. Biden, Senators Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla, and our Congressional Representative Jared Huffman, alerting him to the danger to Traditional Medicare and the need for termination of the ACO-REACH program before it is scheduled to start in January 2023.
Resolution on Immigration Democratic Central Committee of Marin County Adopted July 5, 2018
Whereas, the Trump Administration and the Republican Congress have not taken any productive action on Immigration Reform, and instead have taken several destructive actions, including:
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Cancelled the DACA program
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Implemented a zero-tolerance policy at our Southern border, making all entry into the U.S. a federal crime
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Separated children from their parents, without background checks, adequate tracking or oversight for children
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Disregarded United Nations Human Rights Office standards for the treatment of refugees
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Criminalized individuals and whole families even though many are lawfully seeking asylum from deadly and dangerous circumstances in other countries, and now putting them in prison in contravention of U.S. law
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Denigrated people of color and falsely characterized them in sub-human terms; and
Whereas, the Trump administration has fueled an atmosphere of hatred and discrimination against all immigrants seeking refuge in the United States, which has led to intolerance and an increase in discrimination and poor treatment of immigrant communities;
Therefore, now be it resolved, that the California Democratic Party affirms its commitment to undertake affirmative immigration reform, and take action against the abusive, immoral, inhumane, and illegal treatment of migrant children at our Southern border, and calls upon the Democratic Delegation of Congress to take immediate steps to ensure that migrant children are tracked for rapid family unification and, if necessary, placed with organizations designed to care for the emotional, physical, medical, and educational needs of minors, with proper oversight and monitoring by independent institutions; and
Be it further resolved, that a copy of this resolution be sent to Democratic members of Congress, media outlets, and the Democratic delegation of our CA State Legislature.
Jimmy Carter Jamboree 2017 – adopted September 7, 2017
Resolution: Protect San Anselmo Mayor Brian Colbert, San Anselmo Residents, Staff and Elected Officials
Whereas it is evident that ill-intentioned people with access to firearms and other weapons can inflict extreme harm upon citizens, public servants, public institutions and governmental processes if allowed to; and Whereas, threats of physical violence that were racial in nature have been made that broadly targeted the Mayor, those in Town Hall, and possibly other members of the public and the Town Council, according to Central Marin Police Authority (CMPA); and
Whereas, possession of weapons may give these threats added weight; and Whereas, the duties of the CMPA and the Marin County District Attorney Lori Frugoli are to protect and defend public servants and the public in general from threats, including racially charged threats of violence; and Whereas, we wish, by these actions, to assure aspiring minority politicians of our unswerving commitment to their safety as well, and
Whereas, the person allegedly making the threats was not charged, and his jail release included no conditions,
Therefore, be it resolved that the DCCM calls on CMPA to continue to monitor threats against Mayor Colbert and other public officials, to vigorously enforce laws against threatening behavior, and to continue to press the District Attorney, as we do with this resolution, to prosecute those making such threats to the fullest extent of the law, including hate crimes if appropriate; and Be it further resolved that the DCCM calls upon District Attorney Frugoli to take every measure possible to protect Mayor Colbert, his family and all San Anselmo residents, employees and citizens, including charging those making threats with the serious crimes allegedly committed.
Adopted on June 3, 2021