My Heard on the Tom/Toms column reports on the mismanagement, incompetence and outright destruction of grassroots politics. Usuualy, it is GOP committees I report on. Happy to show the Democrats are also collapsing at an organizational basis.
“The members of the Central Committee had already elected a new board, with Seaside Mayor Ian Oglesby as chair, set to be seated in November, after Election Day. But following months of dissatisfaction with Araujo’s leadership – including one previously failed attempt to remove Araujo from her position – the majority group of defectors found a path forward. They could amend the bylaws to strike the phrase “at the beginning of November” to describe when new board members would be seated. If approved, the update to the bylaws would take effect right away, so the board members elected back in May would be seated.
“Clearly a majority of this body is advocating some urgent change,” argued Brian McCarthy, also a member of Marina City Council. “It’s not a reflection on the current chair’s job. It’s about the need for some urgent change.” Araujo’s supporters argued for a smooth transition, as previously scheduled. Margaret Serna Bonetti decried the ouster as “Trumpian.”
The committee voted 24-7 to change the bylaws, speeding up the transition.
But then an excruciating debate followed in which Araujo argued that “immediate” meant the change would take effect after the next general election, meaning November 2028 – despite the obvious meaning to most everyone else of “right now.”
The Democrat Establishment was willing to make changes—for the November, 2028 election. Will the Monterey GOP be able to use this to promote the Party or lose the opportunity?
Democracy is messy, and that is especially true within the Monterey County Democratic Party.
Sara Rubin, Monterey County NOW, 9/12/24 https://www.montereycountynow.com/opinion/local_spin/democracy-is-messy-and-that-is-especially-true-within-the-monterey-county-democratic-party/article_48ad6a8c-708e-11ef-b585-df77f2109bd1.html?utm_source=Monterey+County+Weekly+Newsletter&utm_campaign=510bf1234f-MONTEREYCOUNTYNOW_20240907_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_73ff5a7fa1-510bf1234f-424946429
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If there has ever been a season to watch political parties eat their own, this is it.
First came the drama of the presidential race, as pressure mounted – including from the Weekly’s editorial board – on Joe Biden to step down from the race. Then came the Monterey County Democratic Central Committee, which met on two consecutive Tuesdays, Aug. 27 and Sept. 3, to make endorsements for the Nov. 5 election. “This is the most important work we do,” Chairperson Karen Araujo said.
That was while she was still chair. After they made endorsements for local office (qualifications: must be a registered Democrat, even in the mostly nonpartisan races) and ballot measures, Araujo was ousted from her position.
The members of the Central Committee had already elected a new board, with Seaside Mayor Ian Oglesby as chair, set to be seated in November, after Election Day. But following months of dissatisfaction with Araujo’s leadership – including one previously failed attempt to remove Araujo from her position – the majority group of defectors found a path forward. They could amend the bylaws to strike the phrase “at the beginning of November” to describe when new board members would be seated. If approved, the update to the bylaws would take effect right away, so the board members elected back in May would be seated.
“Clearly a majority of this body is advocating some urgent change,” argued Brian McCarthy, also a member of Marina City Council. “It’s not a reflection on the current chair’s job. It’s about the need for some urgent change.” Araujo’s supporters argued for a smooth transition, as previously scheduled. Margaret Serna Bonetti decried the ouster as “Trumpian.”
The committee voted 24-7 to change the bylaws, speeding up the transition.
But then an excruciating debate followed in which Araujo argued that “immediate” meant the change would take effect after the next general election, meaning November 2028 – despite the obvious meaning to most everyone else of “right now.”
An obsession with rules and bylaws and procedure has had the problematic effect of bogging down the Democratic Party with talking about rules and bylaws and procedures, instead of talking about the things they agree on – which is to say, most things – and focusing on technicalities instead of elections.
“It’s not fun being the person who says, ‘eat your vegetables,’” Araujo said.
Indeed. Members seemed so tired of hearing her say it, they were ready for an immediate change. It was painful listening to people argue against letting Araujo complete the final two months of her term gracefully. But then it was even more painful to listen to her try to define “immediately” as four years away, holding on even after the vote. Both sides accused each other of circumventing the democratic process.
After some bizarre antics about technicalities, including a vote to overrule the chair’s definition of “immediately,” Oglesby was installed as chair.
“We can either try to swim together or we are all going to sink together,” Oglesby said. “If you want to continue to argue among yourselves you can, but I’m not going to put up with that – this is not the place. I am going to make sure the majority is not going to overrun the minority, but it’s a democratic place where majority rules… We have to get some things done in a short amount of time.”
To that end, the committee also voted to authorize the creation of a new PAC for the purpose of raising money for a voter guide to the Nov. 5 election. While it’s hard to imagine that the party’s activities in blue Monterey County in a blue state could have any impact on the presidential election, they certainly could have an impact on local elections.
Supporters of the painful ouster say the mailer is why they had to act urgently. “I feel confident the new leadership is going to do a better job at fundraising,” says committee spokesperson Jesus Valenzuela, also a Salinas City Councilmember who is up for re-election. “My hope is we’ll be able to raise enough to have a mailer out, so we can have all of the endorsed candidates on there.” (Valenzuela did not seek the party’s endorsement in his bid for re-election; one of his opponents’ names, Cary Swensen, will appear.)
