Recordings & Information from Past DWMC Events

In our recent pivot to moving our events online as result of COVID-19, we now are able to share the recordings of our events online. Below, please find a description of, and link to, some of our previous events. We hope you enjoy!

Sustaining Democracy, Enabling Equality Honoring Pris Walton
September 11, 2022

The Democratic Women of Monterey County, CA welcome you to Sustaining Democracy, Enabling Equality Honoring Pris Walton

• Welcome and Land Acknowledgement: Anna Velasquez, Vice-President

• 9/11 Observance: Sean Edwards, CALFIRE Local 2881 BEU

• Luncheon Program: Nicole Hollingsworth, President

• Honor Mark Stone for a Decade of Service in the California State Assembly

• Presentation of DWMC Visionary Leadership Award to Priscilla Walton

• Local, State, and National Resolutions

Thanks to the Event Committee and Special Thanks to the owners and staff at Hacienda Carmel Valley, Robin Welch and the band Flight Crew, Chef Todd Fischer, and Teresa Matsui and the Matsui Foundation for the beautiful centerpiece donations at today's event.

Hacienda Hay and Feed Carmel Valley, CA September 11, 2022

George Floyd Forum: “Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow”
A Teaching and Learning Opportunity

Below, please view the DWMC in partnership with:

• NAACP

• Monterey County Black Caucus

• Monterey Peninsula College

• Cultural Infusion

• Nexus Wellness Solutions

• City of Seaside

For a thoughtful discussion on lessons learned and how we are moving forward two years after the murder of George Floyd.

MONTEREY COUNTY SHERIFF/CORONER & MONTEREY COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION, TRUSTEE AREA 1 CANDIDATE FORUM
APRIL 21, 2022

Below, please find the recordings of our DWMC April 21, 2022 Monterey County Sheriff/Coroner & Monterey County Board of Education, Trustee Area 1 Candidate Forum.

These two races are non-partisan; however, the DWMC, as a Democratic Club chartered under the Monterey County Democratic Central Committee, only endorses candidates who are registered Democrats. In the Sheriff/Coroner race, there are two such people: Joe Moses and Tina Nieto. Each candidate was given four identical questions in pre-recorded interviews which were then shared in our April 21, 2022 live Zoom regular event which is below. Also included is an interview with Annette Yee Steck who is the only registered Democrat running for Monterey County Board of Education, Trustee Area 1. In this meeting, participants were invited to ask questions through the online chat messenger. All questions were answered during the event or in the pre-recorded candidate interviews.

*** Please note there were some technical issues with sound during the live event, so for transparency, we are also including the pre-recorded interview that was shown during the April 21, 2022 event. This video is posted below the recording of the live event. ***

Below is the pre-recorded video shown during the
above April 21, 2022 live event.

Monterey County District 2 Candidates for Supervisors Interviews
March 24, 2022

Below, please find the recording of our DWMC District 2 (D2) Candidates Forum.

The D2 race is a non-partisan race however, the DWMC, as a Democratic Club chartered under the Monterey County Democratic Central Committee, only endorses candidates who are registered Democrats. In this race, there are four such people: Glenn Church, Grant Leonard, Adriana Melgoza Ramirez, and Regina Gage. Each candidate was given four identical questions in pre-recorded interviews which were then shared in our March 24th, 2022 live Zoom regular event which is below. In this meeting, participants were invited to ask questions through the online chat messenger. As not all candidates were present for the event, the questions were sent to the candidates to respond via email. Only three of the four candidates responded to the email. These responses are shared, unedited, below.

CANDIDATE QUESTIONS FROM THE PUBLIC

(sent via e-mail to candidates; three of whom responded via e-mail)

CANDIDATE: Glenn Church

1. How will you address the extraordinarily high rents facing the majority of residents in the county since adding more units is a LONG way off?

   I don’t believe that adding more units must be a long way off. The simplest way for more units is to convert larger ones into smaller ones. Since the 1970s, the average American home has increased in size by 1000 square feet. People once lived in smaller homes. Now, 2500 sq ft homes are common. When these homes come onto the market for rent, many families must pair up with 2-3 families in a home. If those homes were split into duplexes, triplexes or fourplexes, depending on the size, it would immediately increase the housing inventory in an area, lower rents and allow families to have their own homes. Building regulations need to be simplified to encourage these conversions. 
   
   I also believe that a stiff tax on dwellings converted to vacation rentals needs to be imposed. In addition, there should be a fee on dwellings built over a minimum size. These funds need to be used for rent subsidies.
   
   

2. Will you do town halls if you are elected?

   I have knocked on over 4000 doors in North County. The one-on-one interaction with constituents is even more valuable than town halls and something that I promise to continue. However, town halls are also essential. Instead of town halls held every few months or once a year where large crowds attend, I would implement a monthly or bimonthly townhall that would rotate annually through each of the 10-12 distinctive communities of district 2. 

CANDIDATE: ADRIANA MELGOZA Ramirez

1. How will you address the extraordinarily high rents facing the majority of residents in the county since adding more units is a LONG way off?
   

   I am a current renter and have been a renter all my adult life. I understand the high rent we must pay, and this is not something that I can just talk about from hearing it from others. I have not been able to afford to purchase my house because housing is no longer affordable even for the working class who make a decent wage. Rent has been becoming more and more of an issue for all in North County. We must look at current rent control ordinances in other areas and see if they can/will work for our area to address the high prices. We also should look into having more first-time homebuyer requirements and not have housing sold for more rentals. We also should work on creating a better and more affordable process for ADU so families can add additions to their housing for other family members.  

2. Will you do town halls if you are elected?

I can communicate with about 95% of my District since I speak English and Spanish. We still have community members who speak indigenous languages or other languages who we still need to look out for their best interest and find ways to include them in the discussion.

I know what it is to be underserved, excluded, misrepresented, stereotyped and much more. As a result, I dedicated my career and life to stop this from happening to others by having constant spaces for all to have a space and voice.

 The past years, I have worked to connect people to services and build their leadership in the community. This includes having town hall meetings and other community meetings. I plan to continue to have the space (town hall meetings) to continue to connect with the community as this is crucial for true meaningful representation. Any elected official should have and continue to have meetings with the community beyond the campaign season. I often see candidates have them only during campaigns. Unacceptable.

CANDIDATE: REGINA GAGE

1. How will you address the extraordinarily high rents facing the majority of residents in the county since adding more units is a LONG way off? 

   California is one of a few states that has rent control as AB1482 puts a limit of a 5% rent increase plus CPI for a maximum of 10%. Property owners have expenses, but many are seeing huge profits while the working men and women of this county struggle to make ends meet. As the Executive Director of Meals on Wheels of the Salinas Valley, I see firsthand how people must make monthly decisions whether to pay their rent, buy their medication or food. 
   
   Workforce housing is an option, but it must make sense for the needs of our workforce, not Google employees making six-figure salaries. Our county needs to reduce the bureaucratic red tape so that rental units, ADU’s, and granny unites can be built in a timely fashion. 
   
   County leaders need to start having honest conversations about the wages being paid by our Agricultural and Hospitality entities. These businesses are important, but they have traditionally paid less than livable wages. We need to consider whether we want more low-paying jobs like the proposed massive Amazon warehouse in Salinas. 
   
   

2. Will you do town halls if you are elected?

   Yes. This was one of my commitments when I ran in 2018. My commitment remains. The residents of District 2 rarely, if ever hear from their supervisor. They feel ignored and that their quality-of-life issues don’t matter to those who are supposed to represent them. As your next D2 Supervisor, I welcome the opportunity to engage with the residents to hear their concerns, issues, suggestions, and solutions. I will have town halls at different times to accommodate the varied schedules that people work. I’ll send out a regular newsletter in English and Spanish to let folks know what we’re up to and the projects we’re working on in District 2. I’ll extend my office hours so I can be available to people after 5pm. 

A Conversation with State Controller Betty Yee
January 27, 2022

(Please watch the video below)

On January 22, 2022 the DWMC welcomed State Controller Betty Yee as our keynote speaker. She shared the current strengths and challenges of the California Democratic Party.

A courageous fighter for the rights of the under-represented, Controller Betty Yee has spoken out and written on a host of progressive issues. In her second term as State Controller, she is focused on California’s affordability crisis and on policies that address California workers, affordable housing, healthcare, education, and economic growth. She has been passionate about environmental stewardship in the face of global warming.

Ms. Yee has been a lifelong Democratic activist with many campaigns under her belt. She is currently Vice-chair of the California Democratic Party. She is known for her record of fairness, transparency, integrity, and ability to resolve complex policy issues. She has received broad recognition for her work specializing in finance and tax policy and has represented California before the U.S. Congress on multistate tax issues.

Educational Disparities in Monterey County:
Successes and Challenges

The struggle for justice in our country happens locally every day in our classrooms. Join the DWMC as we honor Juneteenth and look deeper at the educational inequities that exist with three remarkable leaders from Salinas.  

Kenya Burton is a poet activist who performed her piece, "When You Feed A City Its People." Ms. Burton is the Salinas Youth Poet Laureate, an awardee of the New York Silver Key in Writing and NEA Big Read Award. Through her work, she tackles difficult themes around racism, classism, sexism, and the other “isms” that plague America. She hopes to promote understanding and equality for the next generation. 

Teacher Oscar Ramos discusses what we learned about equity during a pandemic. What issues were exposed during this unprecedented time? What gaps in resources were exposed as we transitioned to distance learning across all grade levels? The problems are bigger than we imagined. Mr. Ramos was born in Mexico and grew up working in California's agriculture fields. He attended U.C. Berkeley and has been teaching for 25 years in Salinas. His work in the documentary, East of Salinas, brings attention to young migrants’ struggles. He has been featured in the NY Times, Univision, and PBS. Most recently, he received the Cesar Chavez Human Rights Award from the California Teacher Association.

Teacher Vanessa Robinson discusses her experience teaching and advocating as a woman of color in the 21st century, during a pandemic. Ms. Robinson is a fourth-generation Salinas individual who attended local schools, including receiving her bachelor’s degree from CSUMB. She began her teaching career in South Monterey County 10 years ago and continues to advocate for her students, families, teachers, and communities in Monterey County. She is a current CTA State Council Delegate as well as a NEA Representatives Assembly Delegate. She is the Chair of the Women’s Equity Team for her Local Service Center, and in the 2020 election, added City Council Candidate to her list of accomplishments.

Watch the June 17, 2021 recording BELOW.

PRESS CONFERENCE: RE-IMAGINING POLICING, A CALL TO ACTION

On Saturday, July 25, 2020 the DWMC presented to the public the above, Re-Imagining Policing, A Call to Action. In support of this initiative, guest speakers included: Senators Anna Caballero and Bill Monning; Senior Legislative Assistant to Congressman Jimmy Panetta, John Assini; Activist/Revolutionary Poet, Queen Tay; Human Rights Advocate, Monica Tran Kim; Educator and 2020 Candidate for Salinas City Council, District 6, Vanessa Robinson and her 10-year old niece, Tattiana. Master of Ceremonies and Land Acknowledgment by DWMC President, Kate Daniels; Moderated by DWMC Co-Chairs of Inclusion and Diversity Program, Lisa Berkley, PhD and Jacqueline C. Simon, M.A.

Watch our July 25, 2020 Press Conference:
Re-Imagining Policing, A Call to Action Below.

DR. WILLIAM ARROCHA:

MIGRANTS AS PAWNS & FOES:
HOW THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DEHUMANIZES MIGRATION

Watch the JULY 16, 2020 DWMC WEBINAR HERE

Ann Ravel:
The Impact of Dark Money and Social Media on Elections

Watch this May 21, 2020 DWMC WebinAR HERE