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Resolution in Support of Community Microgrids

Resolution in Support of Community Microgrids

December 10, 2019 by Miles in / /

WHEREAS, recent power outages have levied enormous costs, the threat of grid disruption is not going away, there is an inherent vulnerability in transmitting large volumes of energy over long distances, transmission networks will always be subject to disruption by natural and human (negligence, terrorism) elements, dramatically declining costs for solar and storage have changed the economics of distributed energy, and ensuring power for critical facilities is a paramount public safety priority to protect the health and well-being of California’s citizens; and

WHEREAS, new employment opportunities from substantial grid modernization programs could be created not only for the labor workforce currently employed by utilities, but for other skilled workers looking for a steady job offering prevailing wages and benefits, and PG&E’s bankruptcy means that many jobs associated with PG&E are at risk, and one way to ensure these jobs remain viable is through redeployment in a massive effort to build energy resilient infrastructure at tens of thousands of critical facilities located throughout California, most of which are public facilities which would appropriately be subject to labor agreements; and

WHEREAS, relevant microgrid pilot project experience funded by the CEC could be rapidly replicated and up-scaled, building upon lessons learned from the existing California Energy Commission (CEC)- funded pilot projects, as well as the almost 2,000 microgrids currently operating in the United States, and this modernization effort can start at critical facilities in low income and disadvantaged communities in high fire threat districts that are likely to experience future power shutoffs, expanding upon priority criteria already developed by the CPUC for the Self Generation Incentive Program (SGIP), and community microgrids can be optimally implemented through a proposed local energy resiliency planning methodology called Advanced Community Energy, integrating local government general planning and distribution energy planning in a fundamentally new way;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Sonoma County Democratic Party urges our town councils, county supervisors and state legislators to research and incentivize the development of community microgrids; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Sonoma County Democratic Party calls for passage of legislation to establish a state program to provide funding, technical expertise, best practices and local capacity building to help all cities and counties plan and implement local Advanced Community Energy (ACE) systems, including community microgrids.

Resolution adopted by the Sonoma County Democratic Party on December 10, 2019

Resolution on the Tree Protection Ordinance and the Climate Emergency

Resolution on the Tree Protection Ordinance and the Climate Emergency

November 12, 2019 by Miles in / /

WHEREAS the climate scientists represented in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have made clear that what humans do in the next 11-12 years will determine if we and our planet’s unique biodiversity survive, and the County has passed a Resolution acknowledging the Climate Emergency (September 2019); and

WHEREAS trees, woodlands, and forest offer one of the best means by which we take carbon out of the atmosphere and keep it stored in the ground and trees grow relatively slowly; and according to William Moomaw, doctor of physical chemistry at M.I.T. and author of five IPCC reports, “Standing forests are the only proven system that can remove and store vast amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere at the scale necessary to keep global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius this century. It is therefore essential to not only prevent further emissions from fossil fuels, deforestation, forest degradation, and bioenergy, but also to expand our forests’ capacity to remove carbon from the atmosphere and store it long-term. If we halted deforestation, protected existing forests, and expanded and restored degraded forests, we could reduce annual emissions by 75 percent in the next half a century;” and

WHEREAS there is currently a request before the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors to pass a temporary “time out” on significant “county-approved” permits and applications (not including fire safe efforts occurring around individual homes and cities) that propose to remove trees in large numbers;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED the Sonoma County Democratic Party urges the County Board of Supervisors to take the next logical step before the end of the year and call for a temporary “time out” on significant tree removal proposals until such time as the update of the Tree Protection Ordinance is completed.

Resolution adopted by the Sonoma County Democratic Party on November 12, 2019

Resolution Calling for the Senate to Return from Recess and Pass Bipartisan Gun Violence Prevention Legislation Passed in the House during February 2019

Resolution Calling for the Senate to Return from Recess and Pass Bipartisan Gun Violence Prevention Legislation Passed in the House during February 2019

August 13, 2019 by Bill Stone in /

Resolution for Senate to Return from Recess

WHEREAS gun violence in the United State of America has been growing for decades, reaching a new and intolerable level with the mass shooting in Gilroy, El Paso, Dayton, and Chicago during a one week period. On an average day, 100 people die from gun violence, accidental shootings, or suicide, and

WHEREAS the House of Representatives passed HR 8, the Bipartisan Background Check Act, and HR 1112, the Enhanced Background Checks Act, during February 2019. Senate Leader McConnell, who carries the self-designated nick name as “The Grim Reaper,” refuses to allow a vote in the Senate. This month, McConnell has refused repeatedly to call the Senate back into session during the August Recess and deny Republican Senators a vacation even though Senators in his own party and all Democratic Party Senators support returning to work in order to take up this important legislation, and

WHEREAS Speaker Pelosi and the entire Democratic Party delegation is prepared to return to Washington, DC during the August recess to reconcile differences in the bills already passed in the House with legislation that would be passed in the Senate so that a bill could be sent to the White House for signature before the end of this month.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Sonoma County Democratic Party (SCDP) calls on Senator Mitch McConnell to immediately call the Senate back into session for the purpose of passing HR 8 and HR 1112 which were passed by the House of Representatives during February and are pending consideration in the Senate right now, and

THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the SCDP will send this resolution with a cover letter calling for immediate action to Senator McConnell, all members of the California Delegation in both the Senate and House, Senator Grassley, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, and President Trump.

Resolution adopted by the Sonoma County Democratic Party on August 13, 2019

Resolution Affirming Support for Ranked Choice Voting in Sonoma County

Resolution Affirming Support for Ranked Choice Voting in Sonoma County

July 9, 2019 by Bill Stone in

Resolution Supporting Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) in Sonoma County

WHEREAS in 2002, San Francisco voters adopted Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) at the ballot, a system that allows voters to rank their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd candidate choices and initiates an instant run-off election if no single candidate reaches over 50% of the vote, thereby eliminating the need for voters to return to the polls for a second election; and

WHEREAS other Bay Area communities including San Leandro, Berkeley and Oakland have successfully adopted Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) as the method used in Mayoral and Council seat races; and

WHEREAS in addition to preventing costly and low-turnout run-off elections, Ranked Choice Voting has led to more positive and substantive campaigning and less mudslinging in a number of races, with candidates recognizing the need to appeal to the broader electorate for support; and

WHEREAS compared to winner-take-all systems, Ranked Choice Voting encourages more diversity in candidates and voters, and generally has resulted in an increase in election victories by candidates of color in counties that have adopted it while more than doubling voter turnout in some counties;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Sonoma Democratic Party hereby affirms its support of Ranked Choice Voting, as stated in the 2018 California Democratic Party Platform, for selecting Mayor and city council members in all of the cities in Sonoma county, and that it also be used in selecting the county supervisors; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Sonoma Democratic Party calls upon the elected representatives and administrators in each of the city and county jurisdictions mentioned above to take immediate steps to begin the assessment of Ranked Choice Voting, and its implementation as early as the 2022 election cycle for the aforementioned offices.

Resolution adopted by the Sonoma County Democratic Party on July 9, 2019

Resolution Calling for a Democratic National Committee (DNC)-Sanctioned Climate Debate

July 9, 2019 by Bill Stone in

Resolution Supporting Climate Debate

WHEREAS DNC Chair Tom Perez has shown no evidence of a rule prohibiting candidates from showing up to non-DNC-sanctioned presidential primary debates, and such a rule is neither in the memorandum of understanding signed by the candidates nor in the rules passed by the DNC Rules Committee to date; and

WHEREAS the content of the June 26-27 debates shows that we need a climate debate now more than ever since the questions asked were buried deep in the debates, and skated over the surface of the climate crisis; and

WHEREAS the climate crisis isn’t just another single issue, but an overarching, complex problem affecting the economy, national security, jobs, immigration, economic justice, the finance and real estate industry, the food we eat, and every facet of American life; and

WHEREAS on June 29, the DNC’s Executive Committee considered two resolutions — one explicitly calling for a climate debate, the other merely asking the networks to give “appropriate time” to climate questions and encouraging candidates to show up at non-televised forums — and the full DNC will vote on both resolutions August 22-24;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Sonoma County Democratic Party urges all Democrats to sign the online petition at https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/tell-the-democratic-national-committee- hold-a-climate-debate which calls for the DNC to host a presidential primary debate on climate solutions; and also objects to the rule prohibiting candidates from showing up to non-DNC-sanctioned debates; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the Sonoma County Democratic Party urges that the full DNC adopt the DNC Executive Committee’s resolution explicitly calling for a climate debate, and will send a copy of this resolution to all of our California DNC members urging them to vote for that resolution at their August 22-24 meeting.

Resolution adopted by the Sonoma County Democratic Party on July 9, 2019

Sonoma County Democratic Party opposes DCCC blacklisting policy.

Sonoma County Democratic Party opposes DCCC blacklisting policy.

April 10, 2019 by Miles in /

Resolution opposing DCCC’s blacklisting of firms working with primary challenges against incumbent U.S. House Democrats

WHEREAS the possibility of being challenged in a primary is one of the most effective way of holding our incumbent Democratic representatives accountable; and

WHEREAS shielding Democratic incumbents from Democratic primary challenges can be seen as an attempt to stifle our party’s democratic process in choosing the best candidates to assertively work for and uphold Democratic values, and principles as expressed in our Platform; and

WHEREAS the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), the House Democrats’ campaign arm, is a PAC that has issued a rule that by effectively restricting campaign resources gives incumbents who already enjoy immense advantages, even further advantage over Democratic party primary challengers;

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Sonoma County Democratic Party disapproves the undemocratic rule that weakens our party’s ability to nominate and elect the strongest leadership possible, and further erodes Democratic voters’ confidence and faith in our party’s adherence to fair election contests; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Sonoma County Democratic Party calls upon our representatives to the DNC to urge the DNC to demand that the DCCC rule be amended to only apply to challenges to incumbents in swing districts, or be withdrawn entirely.

Resolution adopted by the Sonoma County Democratic Party on April 9, 2019

Sonoma County Democratic Party Endorses Green New Deal Resolution

Sonoma County Democratic Party Endorses Green New Deal Resolution

April 8, 2019 by Miles in /

Resolution from 350 Bay Area’s Youth vs. Apocalypse program, urging Democratic Party support for GND Resolution.

WHEREAS the time to address the adverse impacts caused by humans on earth’s climate, and the adverse impacts caused by inequality on society is urgent, and

WHEREAS the observable signs of climate change – sea rise from the melting of the earth’s ice caps,massive fires, intensified storms, and droughts – hurt everyday people, wildlife, and the vital ecosystem functions upon which we all depend, and

WHEREAS the young people of our world will bear the consequences of actions not taken, inaction today represents generational theft on a scale previously unseen and unimaginable;

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Sonoma County Democratic Party thanks the student members of 350 Bay Area’s Youth vs. Apocalypse program, Sonoma County CA, for their urgent call to support the concept of the Green New Deal as an environmentally and economically sound solution to address adverse impacts of climate change and income inequality, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Sonoma County Democratic Party calls upon the California Democratic Party to urge our elected representatives at the state and national level to work towards ensuring that all future acts, laws, and regulations of state and federal governments are consistent with the tenets of the Green New Deal by signing on to and actively supporting the principles and goals it expresses.

Resolution adopted by the Sonoma County Democratic Party on March 12, 2019