New Democratic Club launches

by Paul Kozakiewicz

A new Democratic Club took its first steps toward representing Richmond District Democrats when about 20 people gathered at the Richmond Police Station Sept. 24.

The group feels the current crop of Democrats running the city, and the Richmond's other Democratic club, do not represent their views.

"The current Democratic club does not represent us," said Margie Hom-Brown.

According to Greg Smith, one of 10 board members on the new club, named the Richmond Reform Democratic Club, the City needs to move more towards the political center. He is a former president of the Richmond Democratic Club.

"I'm a liberal Democrat, but people look at me like a right-wing fascist," he said.

Smith urged the new club to represent the values of the average person.

The new club has some marked differences with other ultra-liberal, so-called progressive clubs. Its members support neighborhood schools and are opposed to legalizing prostitution and a city-takeover of PG&E, both on the Nov. 4 ballot.

The new club will also endorse three candidates for District 1 supervisor because voters have three choices with ranked choice voting. Many were disgusted when the Richmond Democratic Club gamed their endorsement process to limit their endorsement to one candidate, even though several other candidates running were members of the club.

"The current club is not democratic," Hom-Brown said.

Members of the new club are meeting weekly to hammer out a charter and bylaws and to endorse candidates in the upcoming election, with an eye toward sending out a slate card mailer.

Board members of the Richmond Reform Democratic Club are Smith, Hom-Brown, Judith Kahn, Tania Bauer, Keith Wilson, David Heller, David Golden and District 1 supervisorial candidates Fidel Gakuba, Brian Larkin and Nick Belloni.