Ever since his important win in the Iowa Caucus, endorsements have been piling up for Senator Obama all across the country, including Senator John Kerry, Senator Patrick Leahy, and Congressman Linda Sanchez (read below). And with the Big Tuesday Primary fast approaching, a few notable Californians have joined the movement.A key endorsement for Obama comes in the form of Los Angeles labor leader Maria Elena Durazo. As executive secretary-treasurer for the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, representing over 800,000 workers, Durazo’s endorsement speaks volumes. He already has attracted union endorsements in Nevada and now California is following suit. Read more about the endorsement here.A few newspapers have also let their readers know exactly how they feel this presidential primary. Speaking of Nevada, the Las Vegas Review-Journal came out on Wednesday in support of Obama in their January 19 primary; read about it here. And in California, the San Francisco Bay Guardian also determined the best Democratic candidate in the presidential primary was Senator Obama, citing his opposition for the Iraq War from the start as a compelling difference between him and the other candidates. Read it here.
We also have a live radio broadcast from Las Vegas, with California volunteers speaking about their experiences in Nevada canvassing for the Obama Campaign. Listen in here.
A few more days, and we all get to give him our endorsement, too.
Jaclyn, from our LA office, sent in this recap of our California Counts event this week at City Hall.In a dramatic show of unity, representatives Congressman Adam Schiff, L.A. Supervisor Yvonne Burke, Congressman Mel Levine, Assembly Member Ted Lieu, City of Pomona Mayor Norma Torres and City of West Hollywood Mayor John Duran, came together in front of Los Angeles City Hall on Wednesday, Jan uary 9th to announce their support for Barack Obama. Like many Americans, after taking their very time to carefully consider each candidate; after weighing local, national, and international concerns, they all came to one conclusion: that they would support Barack Obama for President of the United States. On January 9, they came together to say they want a new kind of politics and to talk about why this election is so important to all Californians. These honorable men and women proudly represent the diversity of support from Los Angeles’ various constituencies: African America, Latino, Asian, women and LGBT, to name just a few. As evidenced in their remarks, they strongly believe that Senator Obama is the one candidate who will be able to bring about change and to champion the rights of all Americans—from Los Angeles to California to the rest of the nation. Assembly Member Lieu remarked, “Senator Obama represents the best aspirations of Californians.” And many of the speakers said they see him as the one candidate to bring together all of the groups within the United States under a common goal: a transformation of our politics. The speakers also said that February 5th, the day of the California primary, is going to be a day to make history, a day to bring hope back into the minds and hearts of citizens across the nation. Congressman Schiff said, “California counts because whoever wins California, wins.” All of the speakers sought to confirm the belief that California, as well as the rest of United States, is not only ready for change, but is seeing previously low-impact voter constituencies, like the youth, coming out in droves to make that change happen. Supervisor Burke acknowledged the youth’s progress, mentioning that they may not have felt like they had a place in electoral politics, but Senator Obama motivates and encourages them to find their voice and their place in this process. It’s working.The message is a powerful one. Burke also made an emotional plea to the voters of California to not sleep through this revolution, this movement for change. There is much to be done in the way of action and some of those speaking passionately were those who have been supporting the Senator, by taking to the stage, and the phone, and the street, since the beginning of 2007. Los Angeles City Council President Garcetti and Mayor Torres went to the snow-inundated caucus regions of Iowa—shivering in the cold, but never wavering in their dedication to this candidate’s campaign. In a steadfast fashion, Torres remarked, “Barack Obama is the person I believe can unite this nation.” Last to come on stage was our Los Angeles Field Director, Buffy Wicks, letting Californians know what they can do locally to support Obama’s campaign. It is something we hear every day in the office: there is no task that is too big or too small; every step counts. And most importantly “California Counts” in a big way, so do not forget to vote for Barack Obama in the California primary on February 5th, 2008.
We're pleased to announce four new official campaign offices in San Jose, Palo Alto, Santa Ana, and San Bernadino, bringing us up to a total of 9 offices in California! Please come to our grand openings Sunday, January 13th, 1pm to 3pm at each location. We will have special guest speakers at each event.
Santa Barbara, Bakersfield, Sacramento, Oakland, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Fresno/Clovis, Los Angeles, Los Angeles (2pm), South Los Angeles, San Fernando Valley, Santa Monica, Rancho Cucumonga, Santa Ana, Riverside, San Diego
At our trainings last weekend, Greg and Heather signed up as California Precinct Captains. They have a special connection to Senator Obama. Greg grew up with him.
Back when Barack was known simply as "Barry," he and Greg went to school together in Hawaii. Greg had the bigger 'fro. Now, Greg and his wife Heather are working in Orange County; creating change in Orange County as California Precinct Captains. Hear their story on YouTube.Become an California for Obama Precinct Captain. Create change, one neighbor at a time.
Los Angeles:
New Hampshire Primary Watch Party: Tuesday, January 8th, 4:30pm, Los Angeles Campaign Headquarters, 3333 Wilshire @ Catalina, Ste. 950.
“California Counts”: Wednesday, January 9th, 12 noon, Los Angeles City Hall, 200 N. Spring Street (on 1st Street steps).
Bay Area: New Hampshire Primary Watch Party: Tuesday, January 8th, 4:30pm Oakland Campaign Office 436 14th Street, Suite 305 “California Counts”: Wednesday, January 9th, 12 noon, San Francisco Civic Plaza, McAllister & Polk.
San Diego: New Hampshire Primary Watch Party: Tuesday, January 8th, 4:30pm, Beachside Bar & Grill, 806 South Coast Highway, Encinitas. “California Counts”: Wednesday, January 9th, 12 noon, Community Concourse, 202 C Street. Sacramento: New Hampshire Primary Watch Party: Tuesday, January 8th, 4:30pm Sacramento Campaign Office, 2015 Q Street, Suite A, “California Counts”: Wednesday, January 9th, 12 noon, Sacramento City Hall, 915 I Street.
The Iowa caucuses are just 6 days away. On January 3rd, they'll start wrapping up at 6:30pm PST, and results will start coming in soon after.
Join campaign staff, fellow volunteers, activists, elected officials, and members of the community this coming Thursday, January 3rd at 6pm to watch the results come in.
We're holding California Counts! Change We Can Believe In. events at 12 noon the next day, Friday, January 4th. Join us for talks from campaigners returning from Iowa, DJs, and show your support for Senator Barack Obama!
One of the best ways California residents can help Senator Obama earn the nomination is to travel to one of these early states and help the campaign there: talk to voters, help with transportation, and help get the message out. In a story in the Santa Cruz Sentinel, Natalie Rojas talks about how why she's traveling to Iowa to support Obama and "see the action up close."
We're hoping to get Californians to come travel with us on our Roadtrips to Nevada. Nevada will be holding its caucus on Saturday, January 19th, and there's a lot we can do before then to make sure to help win the state for Obama. The team here in California has organized several trips; let us know if you can come with us! More info or Sign up. By the way, if the scheduled dates don't quite work, contact Menno for other options.
If you can't get away for a few days, there are excellent ways to help out right here in your own neighborhood, starting with our Precinct Captain Program.
Yesterday, Obama supporters opened the newest California office, this time in the state capitol, Sacramento. With offices already in Oakland, Los Angeles, and San Diego, the Obama campaign opened the office in response to the heavy demand from local volunteers.Special guests included Vice Mayor Kevin McCarthy, baseball legend Dusty Baker, and California Campaign Director Mitchell Schwartz. Oh, and me, California Field Director Buffy Wicks. Check out these photos from the office’s grand opening here.
We also got some great news in from Iowa: El Latino, Iowa's largest Spanish-language newspaper, has officially endorsed Barack Obama as their choice for the upcoming primary with the great headline, “To Elect Barack Obama is to Elect a Better Future for Everyone.” Check out what the editorial board had to say (the English translation):
“Although we are living in difficult times, we are also living in a time of much opportunity and hope. We believe that Obama is the candidate of hope and the future. We make the decision to endorse with conviction, bravery, and the confidence that he bests represents a better future for our families and community. We ask with all our heart that all members of the Latino community in Iowa attend that caucus to vote for Barack Obama, January 3 at 6:30pm.”
A few weeks ago, we were all happy to see the Zogby International Poll (November 26, 2007) find that Barack Obama, in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup, was the only Democratic Candidate who would defeat every single one of the Republican candidates in a general election…Well, today we got even better news. The tide in Iowa continues to shift in our direction with a new SurveyUSA poll released today shows that, if Iowa primary voters had their way, Obama would not only defeat all of the Republican candidates in a general election, but that he would do it by a double digit margin against every one. The results: Obama would defeat Giuliani by 19%, Romney by 12%, Huckabee by 13%, and McCain by 12%. Talk about a wipeout. You can find the survey here.In fairness, Hillary Clinton was also included in the poll, but she only defeated three of the Republican candidates and her margins were never larger than 4%. Still, Obama getting over 50% in a hypothetical matchup against all the Republicans is great news… That should dispel any notions about Obama being a viable general election candidate!There was also some good news for California. Hillary’s long had strong support in the Golden State, but recently, just like with the rest of the country, California voters are starting to see that Obama speaks for them. Another new SurveyUSA poll shows that Obama is closing the gap fast among potential California primary voters. Hillary led by 37% only two months ago, but Obama brought that gap down to 19% today. You can see the complete results here. Clearly all the hard work by volunteers and grassroots organizers is paying off.
Finally, here are a couple of pictures of supporters from the event here in LA on December 10, 2007, showing off their hope, spirit, and Obama gear:
We’ve got a roundup of important things from this weekend:Obama got the coveted endorsement from the Boston Globe (yeah, right here), and the news from Iowa gets even better and better: he got the Buttercow Lady! LA Times has a little entry on how this State Fair Winner is going to win over even more of Iowa!
Every weekend Obama supporters are holding canvasses throughout California and this last weekend they held a specific canvass to reach out to the Asian and Pacific Islander communities in San Francisco. Here’s a great summary from KPIX CBS Channel 5.
As you know, we recently opened a campaign office in San Diego -- our third office in California (watch the news coverage from Channel 6, Channel 8, Channel 9, and Channel 10). Are you in the area and interested in getting involved with the campaign? Join us for new volunteer orientation! We're holding it:
1502 6th Ave. (at Beech) San Diego, CA 92102 Map
Phone: 619.531.1108
We are also holding new volunteer orientations at the Los Angeles and Oakland offices. Use the contact numbers above to get more details.
But we know not everyone is in the vicinity of San Diego or Los Angeles or Oakland. For them, we offer another excellent way to get involved and make a difference: become a Precinct Captain.
In past years, the California primary has been held in June, when the parties' nominees have been all but decided. This year, California's primary will occur on Febuary 5th, after only four earlier nominating contests. Winning California will be a critical step towards making Barack's vision a reality.
Becoming an Obama Precinct Captain may be the single best way to help.
The Oakland team has put together a terrific set of online resources and information. It's never been easier to get involved in the campaign.
Senator Obama will be speaking in Los Angeles on Monday, December 10th. Among those honoring him there: Jessica Biel, Mehcad Brooks, Taye Diggs, Hill Harper, Scarlett Johansson, Kal Penn, Ryan Reynolds, Kate Walsh, Olivia Wilde, Will-I-Am. There will also be a special performance by Ne-Yo.
Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal CityWalk100 Universal City Plaza Universal City, CA
Event starts at 8pm. Doors open at 6pm — early arrival is suggested.
Limited VIP Seating: $250 General Admission: $50 Student Tickets: $25 (ID required at checkin)
RSVP required - click here!
Make calls to promote the event!
For more information call Adia Smith at 310.277.2008.
Sunday, December 2:
Saturday, December 8: all starting at 9:30am
On Wednesday night, over sixty women — grassroots organizers, community leaders, elected officials, and some women who've never participated in politics before — came to our three California offices and participated in a national conference call with the Obama Campaign. Together, we joined Michelle Obama and offices around the country to discuss strategy and brainstorm new ways to spread the message.
The NBC (SF) news said: "The women of the bay area, the Democratic Party wants you. The Obama campaign made its strongest pitch yet." Watch the news story. More coverage at FOX.
The new San Diego Office has opened at: 1502 6th Ave. (at Beech) San Diego, CA 92102 Map
Please come celebrate the opening of the third CA office of Obama for America this Sunday, December 2nd, from 11 AM to 4 PM. Join community leaders, area musicians and dancers, local artists, youth groups, religious leaders, and elected officials to show your support for the campaign. The event will feature live jazz/funk fusion from Helios Jive, African drumming, kora (21-string African harp), food, election organizing, and opportunities to get trained on supporting the campaign.
See you there!
We invite you to join a strategy meeting for California Women for Obama.
AGENDA
Wednesday, November 28, 20074:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Northern California:Oakland Headquarters 436 14th St., Suite 305Oakland, CA 94612510.268.1008
Southern California:Los Angeles Headquarters3333 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 950Los Angeles, CA 90010213.383.2008
RSVP to Margaret Richardson - mrichardson@obamaca.com. Please indicate Northern or Southern California.
