PLEASANT HILL, CA, – The Democratic Party of Contra Costa County (DPCCC) announced today that it has joined a national movement to create a new holiday commemorating the June 12th anniversary of Loving v. Virginia (1967), the Supreme Court decision that declared all laws against interracial marriage in the United States to be unconstitutional.
“Mildred and Richard Loving risked everything to ensure that all Americans can marry any other American regardless of their race or ethnicity,” said Rochelle Pardue-Okimoto, a DPCCC Alternate Member and Registered Nurse who authored the resolution. “This landmark civil rights victory deserves to be remembered. Loving Day will help inspire us all to continue the fight for a more just, multicultural society.”
The DPCCC will share the Loving Day resolution with President Barack Obama, local elected officials and the community at large. More information about Loving day can be found at www.lovingday.org.
‘Loving Day’ was just one of a series of positions that Contra Costa County Democrats announced today. Other passed resolutions include:
FOSSIL FUEL DIVESTMENT: The DPCCC added its name to a pending California Democratic Party resolution to encourage state divestment from fossil fuels. The resolution specifically calls upon the University of California and California State University endowments, the University of California Retirement Plan, and the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CALPERS) and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CALSTRS) institutional pension funds to immediately stop new investments in fossil fuel companies and to take steps to divest all holdings from the top 200 fossil fuel companies.
SUPPORT OF SB 277: After impassioned pleas on both sides of the issue, the DPCCC followed the lead of the California Democratic Party and voted to support SB 277. The bill, introduced by State Senators Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) and Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica), would abolish the personal belief exemption that currently allows parents to opt out of vaccinating their children prior to school enrollment. Removing this exemption would protect the public health of all Californians, especially infants and immunocompromised individuals, while preserving existing medical exemptions. More information about SB 277 can be found at www.vaccinatecalifornia.org.
OPPOSITION TO AB 1044: The DPCCC voted in opposition to AB 1044, a bill introduced by Assemblymember Catharine Baker (R-San Ramon) that would require school districts to adopt layoff policies that include a teacher’s evaluation rating as a significant factor in determining the order of dismissal.
RENEWABLE ENERGY STANDARDS: The DPCCC added its name to a pending California Democratic Party resolution that asks the State of California to move to a 100 percent renewable energy use portfolio by 2050, with all new energy being produced after 2020 conforming to that standard.
APRIL IS ‘DONATE LIFE MONTH’: The DPCCC recognized April as DMV/Donate Life California Month. The party also encouraged the Board of Supervisors and cities of Contra Costa County to proclaim the same and for all Californians to check “YES!” to become an organ donor and save lives when applying for or renewing their driver’s license or I.D. card. More information at www.donatelifecalifornia.org.
The support of the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County makes these resolutions the official position of the Party’s 257,782 registered members. With that designation comes letters of support to local elected officials and community organizations.
2 comments
Great, another fully paid holiday for government. This is another gimme trick. This does not mean I don’t love everybody. I do, but let’s get real. people can love each other without a holiday.
They can’t find some real things that need fixing? Fire Districts? Bozos running Antioch and AUSD? Brentwood Dispatch? Oakley PD? Idiots in Oakley with Fireworks?
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