TENANT PROTECTION

WHEREAS the Eviction Moratorium has expired allowing Landlords and/or Property Owners to issue property wide, no-fault eviction notices to every tenant under the guise of doing “Major renovations” as stated in the California Tenant Protection Act; and,

WHEREAS the no-fault eviction can be justified with nothing more than a Landlord’s and/or Property Owner’s expressing the “intent” to do major renovations with no process for accountability or verification that the renovations have or will be completed, and the amount of time to relocate as well as the monetary compensation to the tenant being evicted under the no-fault eviction process is not enough time or money to find a suitable place to live; and,

WHEREAS the steps needed to plug the loopholes and give reasonable resources to the tenants as well as protecting the Landlords and/or Property Owners against potential legal action should the major renovations not take place can be achieved by adding three new provisions;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Valley Grassroots for Democracy supports efforts to add accountability to the Landlords and/or Property Owners by requiring them to have permits granted before the tenants receive the eviction notices, that the time allowed for relocation be changed from 60 days to 90 days, and the financial compensation be equal to two months’ rent at market value which would allow the displaced tenants to be better equipped to compete in the rental market that they otherwise would not be choosing to enter; and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Valley Grassroots for Democracy will forward this resolution to the Members of the California Assembly.

Author: Shanna Ingalsbee AD 44

Sponsors: Shanna Ingalsbee AD 44

Sponsors: Brandon Zavala, Co-Chair Cadem Organizing Committee

Sponsors: Cadem Region 14 delegates 

Contact Information: Shanna Ingalsbee | [email protected] | 818 415-8698

(4-15-23, in support of DPSFV's resolution)

WHEREAS the tourism and travel industry is a major economic engine in Los Angeles, yet
many workers at airports and in hotels are struggling to keep a roof over their heads and
support their families; infrastructure investments and development are assuring future growth as
Los Angeles prepares to host the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics; in 2022, the U.S.
hotel industry reported average daily rate and revenue per available room that were the highest
for any year on record, i while LAX is expanding; ii and Los Angeles is number one in the nation
for new hotel rooms; iii and

WHEREAS the workers that keep the tourism industry functioning, safe, and profitable –
including hotel housekeepers, LAX janitors and security guards, airplane cabin cleaners, airline
catering workers, airline passenger service workers, LAX restaurant and retail workers – are
primarily from BIPOC and immigrant communities and are facing housing insecurity as housing
costs in Los Angeles rise, meaning that at the current living wage levels an LAX or hotel worker
would have to work 14 hours a day to afford adequate housing; iv v vi vii and

WHEREAS thousands of tourism workers and their families were among the hardest hit during
the pandemic, yet many now lack quality health insurance, as the health benefits requirement in
the Los Angeles Living Wage Ordinance (LWO) has not kept up with the rising costs of family
health insurance coverage according to an April 2022 report presented by the Los Angeles City
Administrative Officer to Los Angeles City Council in compliance with the LWO;viii and

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that that Valley Grassroots for Democracy
supports increasing Los Angeles Hotel and Airport Worker wages to $25/hr now and increasing
to $30/hr by 2028 including quality health care, and worker protections, as a matter of economic
justice, housing justice, and public safety;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Valley Grassroots for Democracy stands in
solidarity with workers and their unions UNITE HERE Local 11 and SEIU USWW in their fight to
improve workplace conditions in the Los Angeles tourism industry, including as they take action
to win stronger contracts, respect and dignity.

WHEREAS Sheriff Alex Villanueva became Sheriff of Los Angeles County on December 3, 2018 and has, since inauguration, demonstrated flagrant disregard and disrespect for the law, hubris, and obstruction to reasonable oversight and accountability of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department when truth, accountability and justice are under unprecedented assault across our nation and world as leaders brazenly lie, obstruct justice and obfuscate their record while rewarding loyalists and refusing to be held accountable, making it all the more important to denounce such threats to our safety and our democracy within our midst; and

WHEREAS Sheriff Alex Villanueva has re-hired former deputies discharged for misconduct because they volunteered on his campaign, withheld information and refused to comply with lawful subpoenas issued by the county inspector general, launched retaliatory tactics against oversight bodies, elected officials, and media personnel who attempt to do their duty with regards to providing transparency and accountability to the department, gave repeated inaccurate statements regarding the physical assault of KPCC journalist Josie Huang, and has stonewalled independent investigations into the deaths of Dijon Kizzee and Andres Guardado at the hands of Sheriff's deputies, among others; and

WHEREAS elected and appointed leaders across Los Angeles County have joined the call for Sheriff Villanueva to resign, including County Supervisors Sheila Kuehl and Mark Ridley-Thomas and Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission members Robert Bonner and Patricia Ocen, views encapsulated by Robert Bonner’s comments that “he's demonstrated on multiple occasions that he lacks the judgment needed to be the sheriff and that he's unable to provide the leadership needed by the Sheriff's Department” and Sheila Kuehl’s comments that “he has done nothing about deputy cliques within the department and that the county pays out millions of dollars in response to claims of excessive force by deputies”;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Valley Grassroots for Democracy calls for Sheriff Alex Villanueva to resign his office due to his failure to uphold his oath of office to bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the State of California, due to his abdication of his duties to ensure transparency, trust, and accountability within the Department he now leads, and due to his rejection of the values of the Democratic Party of Los Angeles County.  

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be sent to Sheriff Villanueva.

Written by:     Original Author Nick Greif, Elected Member, AD50

                       Valley Grassroots for Democracy

Date:               October 17, 2020

RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF PORT TRUCK DRIVERS

WHEREAS the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are among the nation’s most valuable engines of economic growth and are critical to global trade; yet because of misclassification of highly skilled port drivers as “independent contractors” working in an extremely dangerous industry, drivers are forced to toil in sweatshop working conditions for low wages and are denied basic rights and protections such as workers’ compensation, disability insurance, Social Security, minimum wage, and health and safety law protections; and

WHEREAS the industry has fought to avoid taking responsibility for providing and maintaining clean trucks that meet environmental emissions standards, requiring port drivers to shoulder the costs, and as a result, Southern California port drivers continue to be misclassified and their earnings have dropped below minimum wage – sometimes as little as 67 cents per week – because the industry forces drivers to pay expensive truck payments and other operation costs out of pocket and directly deducts these capital costs from drivers’ paychecks; and

WHEREAS the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have passed a Clean Air Action Plan calling for net-zero port emissions by 2035, in keeping with current climate goals, including use of a truck rate structure encouraging the use of near-zero and zero-emissions trucks, with the goal of transitioning to a zero-emissions fleet by 2035, and these laudable goals are neither achievable nor desirable by placing the burden of fleet transition on the backs of port drivers;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that as a matter of public health, safety, and both worker and climate justice, we, Valley Grassroots for Democracy, demand that all companies doing business at the ports follow federal, state, and local labor, tax and transportation laws, including on the issue of employee classification, and demand that industry, not port drivers, bear the costs of further fleet upgrades to meet climate goals; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we commit to standing in solidarity with port truck drivers and warehouse workers in achieving these demands as part of the Our People Our Port Coalition and pledge to engage actively in the coalition’s policy advocacy efforts to improve working and environmental conditions at the ports and hold trucking and warehouse companies accountable.

Valley Grassroots for Democracy___________________________________________

Organization Name

Cindy Kalman______________________________President_____________________

Name                                                                           Position

____________________________________________9/21/19____________________

Signature                                                                       Date

RESOLUTION CONDEMNING TRUMP’S BIGOTED and DISCRIMINATORY ACTIONS and STATEMENTS in the MANAGEMENT of the COVID-19 CRISIS

WHEREAS, the actions of the Trump Administration that deny stimulus checks to American families who have been affected by the COVID-19 crisis simply because one of the spouses is an immigrant; that plan to change Federal regulations to allow hospitals and healthcare providers to discriminate against LGBTQ+ families and individuals; and that exhort Trump’s followers with hate speech that target immigrants and minority groups, such as he is now doing against Asian-Americans, are against our party’s belief in diversity, common values, and commitments that unite all people, and

WHEREAS, the California Democratic Party’s platform states: “Racism is a public health issue that affects the physical and emotional well-being of persons of color” and that “everyone in this country deserves the opportunity to participate fully in the economic, cultural, political, religious, and social facets of society … regardless of age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, cultural heritage, national origin, citizenship status, disability, physical attributes, socioeconomic status, gender, race, or personal views on religion;” and

WHEREAS, we are reminded daily of the power of truth, and of our shared responsibility to stand against hate.  Silence is complicity, and we will never sit silently in the face of Trump and the GOP radicalizing COVID 19 by using terms such as “Chinese Virus” and “Wuhan Virus,” and adopting unfounded conspiracy theories about the origins of the virus, which has led to a surge of violence against Asian-Americans due to the perception that they are responsible for the pandemic, and

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Valley Grassroots for Democracy Democratic Club condemns these actions of the Trump Administration; and affirms our commitment to the full equality, inclusion, and acceptance of people of all races, gender identities and gender expressions in both legislation and official statements made; and, we reject the misuse of race to discriminate and exclude Americans from fair and equal treatment, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this resolution be sent to Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris; and Congressmembers Brad Sherman, Tony Cardenas, and Adam Schiff, so that they work to oppose discriminatory actions.

May 16, 2020

Written by Jane Wishon, Political VP, Stonewall Democratic Club

Cindy Kalman, President, Valley Grassroots for Democracy

Adrienne Burk, Past President, Valley Grassroots for Democracy

RESOLUTION RETHINKING THE POLICE

WHEREAS policing techniques have historically been used to victimize people of color, minorities, and certain religions and resulted in disproportionate actions taken against these groups that resulted in bodily harm, financial hardship and too often death, especially in the black and brown communities, and;

WHEREAS the militarization of police departments with equipment and weapons of war; the lack of transparency surrounding police actions with inconsistent use of bodycams and the inconsistent release of those and bystanders’ videos for viewing by the public, the code of silence used to protect fellow police officers (including the questionable results of internal affairs investigations and the power of the police unions), and the suppression and intimidation of the press, as evidenced during the recent protests;  the current application or disregard of laws that provide a level of immunity to police that are not afforded to their victims; have all led to more violence that is disproportionate, hard to control, monitor or reform, and is at a level that is unacceptable to the citizens they are sworn to protect.

WHEREAS the citizens of the United States want changes to police practices so that all citizens can feel secure instead of threatened, that situations that have historically been dealt with by the police can be handled in a proportionate and fair way, that situations that can be handled without police intervention (drug overdoses, mental health breakdowns for examples) are handled by the appropriate resources, that protestors’ constitutional rights are not violated, that the police are held accountable in a transparent and proportionate manner and that policies that escalate and cause bodily damage or death are reduced or eliminated, and;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED Valley Grassroots for Democracy supports reforming policing practices by: de-militarizing the police force, banning choke-holds, requiring police to de-escalate, requiring a warning before shooting, exhausting all other means before shooting, requiring other police to intervene in violent situations, banning shooting at moving vehicles, limiting the use of force against citizens, ending “qualified immunity” and instead requiring justification of actions and investigating violent incidents  immediately and transparently by an independent body and not the police or District Attorney, and making that information on the police available to the citizens including body camera footage and employment records within two weeks, and;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this resolution be sent to Mayor Eric Garcetti, President of Los Angeles City Council Nury Martinez, LA County Board of Supervisors, Police Chief Michel Moore, Sheriff Alex Villanueva, Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, and members of the House of Representatives Brad Sherman, Tony Cardenas, and Adam Schiff.

June 20, 2020

Written by Steve Krantz, Board Member

Adrienne Burk, Past President

Cindy Kalman, President

Valley Grassroots for Democracy

RESOLUTION TO SUPPORT INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM PROCESS REFORM

WHEREAS, the ballot measure was originally enacted to give the average voter in California a way to band together with like-minded citizens and get action on issues that were not being addressed by the Legislature, but now the ballot measure is increasingly being used by large corporations, big money groups and large lobbying interests as a way to circumvent the Legislature and to mislead the voter into passing their agenda; and

WHEREAS, the average Californian is now being asked to make judgments and vote on measures that are confusing and complicated, that few can understand, that do not state who is funding them, and are supported through ads and mailers with false or misleading information, thus making it difficult to make an informed decision on how to vote, resulting in only 9% of Californians being very satisfied with the process and a majority wanting changes to the process*; and

WHEREAS, Democrats support an open and transparent system of governance giving the voter the means to make informed decisions, and three reforms to the ballot measure process would ensure transparency, properly inform the voter, and make the system accountable by creating a citizens oversight board, improving the funding disclosures and developing a system to mitigate problems; and

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Valley Grassroots for Democracy urges our elected officials to make three reforms to the ballot measure process: 1) create a citizen’s oversight board (based on the Oregon model) where citizens will hold hearings and write the ballot summaries in plain language the voter can understand, 2) expand the funder disclosures to include top funders on the signature gathering sheets, and on all voting information material (which includes the citizen’s oversight board description), and require that top funders must be announced out loud in all radio and television ads, and 3) develop a system for hearings to find flaws, potential legal challenges and propose compromise; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that copies of this resolution be sent to Governor Gavin Newsom, State Attorney General Xavier Becerra, Secretary of State Alex Padilla, Speaker Anthony Rendon, President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins, Assembly Members; Adrin Nazarian, Jesse Gabriel, Luz Rivas, Laura Friedman, Christy Smith, Jacqui Irwin, Richard Bloom, State Senators; Bob Hertzberg, Anthony Portantino, Henry Stern, and Ben Allen

April 20, 2019

Written by Adrienne Burk, Past President, Valley Grassroots for Democracy
Cindy Kalman, President, Valley Grassroots for Democracy

*Public Policy Institute: Reforming California’s Initiative Process

RESOLUTION TO SUPPORT CONGRESS IN RESISTING THE TRUMP AGENDA 

WHEREAS, the Republican and Presidentʼs agenda is to quickly and completely as possible end hard fought for policies and laws; such as the social safety net (social security, medicare, the ACA, etc.), privatize and monetize institutions and services (prisons, schools, highways, federal lands, etc.) eliminate protections for our citizens (environmental laws, workers rights, human and minority rights, voters rights etc.), put forward less progressive policies (tax structures, class actions, consumer protections, etc.), and establish policies that make people less safe and secure (gun control, police reform, immigration reform, etc.); and

WHEREAS, Democrats have fought long and hard to champion these values and institutions, and believe they are the bedrock of our values; that all citizens deserve having a government that is behind them, to protect and serve them, to give them opportunities and to even the playing field no matter oneʼs age, gender, race, religion, wealth or abilities; and

WHEREAS, we stand with, support, and acknowledge our Democratic elected officials who have stood strong and spoken out against these Republican attempts to dismantle everything we Democrats stand for; and

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Valley Grassroots for Democracy urges our elected officials to continue resisting this agenda and continue to point out what the Republican agenda really is; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that copies of this resolution be sent to Senator Dianne Feinstein, Senator Kamala Harris, Representative Adam Schiff, Representative Brad Sherman, Representative Julia Brownley, Representative Tony Cardenas, and Representative Maxine Waters.

Written by Adrienne Burk, President, Valley Grassroots for Democracy
March 7, 2017

Print/download here

RESOLUTION TO FIX THE APPROVAL PROCESS FOR DEVELOPMENT IN LA

WHEREAS, the approval process for construction and development in Los Angeles has a number of problems that make it opaque, arcane and inconsistent; 1) inherent conflicts of interest in that developers hire their own consulting firms to do the Environmental Impact Study, 2) outdated Community Plans and General Plan For L.A., and 3) lack transparency in the approval process resulting in environmental impact, infrastructure stress, traffic congestion, and changing the nature of neighborhoods; and

WHEREAS, Democrats believe in transparency, accountability, value quality of life and stakeholders input, it is important that certain procedures in the approval process be changed: 1) have developers pay for Environmental Impact Study but contracted
through a blind system and managed independently from the developer, 2) every effort must be made to speed up the Community Planning and General Plan For L.A. process so that a cohesive, with updated city zoning framework, with a long term plan that takes into account stakeholders, the environment, traffic, infrastructure impact, and neighborhood character, and 3) that an approval process be established and made public that is both clear in its requirements and its steps to approval, so that
stakeholders, developers, the planning commission and the city council are clear and transparent about what is being done and that all requirements are being met.

WHEREAS, the needs of new housing while maintaining quality of life are great in our community it is vital that these issues be addressed quickly and comprehensively; and

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Valley Grassroots for Democracy urges our elected officials in the Los Angeles City Council to treat the approval process and city zoning with speed care and transparency; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that copies of this resolution be sent to Mayor Eric Garcetti, all 15 City Council Members and Planning and Los Angeles City Planning Commission President David Ambroz.

Written by Adrienne Burk, President, Valley Grassroots for Democracy
Patricia Dexter, Valley Grassroots for Democracy
March 16, 2017

Print/download here

2024 Valley Grassroots Executive Board:

Officers:

President: Patricia Dexter ([email protected])
Vice-President: Chris Long
Secretary:  Joyce Fidler   
Treasurer: Chad Jones

At Large: 

Steve Krantz, Membership 
Adrienne Burk
Doris Dent   
Lloyd Dent  
Cindy Kalman
Amy Rafti  
Gregg Solkovits  
Sue Weber

Officers and board members serve for one calendar year.

Past presidents
Kess Kessler
Agi Kessler   
Chad Jones  
Adrienne Burk
Cindy Kalman  
Shanna Ingalsbee  

Our Bylaws are available here.

Our Resolutions are available here.

Our Letters are available here.