The below are statements from candidates seeking election to Steering Committee or Delegate to the National Convention for Long Beach DSA.
Members will have an opportunity to submit questions to candidates at our June General Meeting.
Nominations are open until June 13th. Any statements received after this point will be published here barring any time restraints. Please see the nominations info for details.
Candidates are displayed below in the following format: First Name | Candidacy (Steering Committee, Delegate, or Both) | Pronouns
Jordan | Steering Committee & Delegate to National Convention | He/Him/His
Why are you a good candidate for steering committee?
I helped start the CSU Long Beach Young Democratic Socialists chapter & was elected co-chair. There I learned the importance of stream lining a chapter’s structure so members can participate at any level of involvement & time commitment.
In my time in DSA LB I have contributed to several committees such as anti-racism & electoral politics. Doing such things as helping organize the Huey P. Newton event & research on Long Beach’s electoral landscape. Many comrades have helped me sharpen my facilitation skills & become a better organizer over the past few months & I feel prepared to help the chapter on the steering committee.
If elected, what do you hope to accomplish during your term as a steering committee member?
To reorganize our chapter to focus on building capacity with our existing membership. We have a lot of on paper members that struggle to get plugged into our organizing work for a lot of different reasons. Our chapter needs to move to a structure that makes it simple for members to get involved in campaigns based on their skills & time commitment. Specifically having the chapter mobilize the entire membership for single, focused campaigns with a clear set of goals and end strategy. With the organizing being done by several working groups focused on specific skill sets.
For example: we could do a two month campaign to shut down the Long Beach trash incinerator. With a social media working group pushing info to the public, a direct action group organizing actions, member mobilizer group turning out members to actions, etc. This would a sustained push for about 2 months to build public pressure on decision makers until the incinerator is shut down. Then we would move on to the next campaign.
Why are you a good candidate for delegate to the national convention?
I attended the DSA regional conference this year & learned a lot about DSA’s national structure. The national convention is where members will be elected to the National Political Committee & important resolutions about DSA’s direction will be voted on. I served in the CSU Long Beach Associated Student government for several years & thus know how to use parliamentary procedure to push for our goals at the national convention.
If elected, what do you hope to accomplish during your term as a delegate to the national convention?
First to elect members to the National Political Committee (NPC) who support more local chapter control of funds & decision making in a democratic way. These candidates should also be able to hold the DSA national staff accountable. Second to pass resolutions at the convention that change DSA’s decision making structure to allow more democratic input from local chapters rather than just the NPC. This also means control over of the dues that all members pay to national. Thirdly to rework DSA National’s worryingly implemented Bernie Sanders 2020 campaign. The current campaign will drain all of DSA national funds & risk local chapter co-chairs to be fined by the Federal Election Commission for campaign finance violations. Our campaign should be implemented in a democratic way that allows local chapters to choose their level of participation.
James | Steering Committee | He/Him/His
Why are you a good candidate for steering committee?
My focus and experience in base building, coaching, and organization makes me an ideal candidate for steering committee. I was a member of the Long Beach DSA organizing committee and helped co-design our initial chapter infrastructure as one of the first co-chairs. Since then, I’ve helped facilitate organizing trainings for chapter members, co-organize the anti-racism committee and our police abolition work, and support the chapter in many other ways. With our chapter at an ideal point for reflection and re-organization, I would like to bring these experiences and skills to the steering committee team so we can do dope shit.
If elected, what do you hope to accomplish during your term as a steering committee member?
First off, I want to help co-create a type of strategic plan and platform that involves all members of the chapter in multiple ways. Our chapter has been around now for two years and we’ve cemented a solid stake in the Long Beach area. We’ve recruited lots of members but haven’t quite gotten the right groove of using people’s skills and time. We know our strengths and we know our weaknesses, and a plan for how we focus internally on building and supporting our maturing base is key to us winning our goals of democratic socialism. Above all tangible goals, I want my term to be focused on support and mentoring others doing base building. Our chapter has a lot of strength in having power be decentralized and I’m familiar with the time and intention that goes into having everyone feel empowered to make those decisions and give input.
Kevin | Delegate to National Convention | They/Them/Theirs or He/Him/His
Why are you a good candidate for delegate to the national convention?
I was a delegate to the national convention in 2017, and now have a better idea of what to expect and how to prepare. There are currently 50+ resolutions and bylaws amendments up for debate this summer. I want to help our delegation track and summarize these resolutions, and facilitate discussion within DSALB to develop our chapter’s positions on them.
Even more significant is the NPC election, which could likely have some ~50 candidates, all with positions and track records to research. If elected I will work with our delegates to determine which candidates are committed to transparency, supporting local chapters, and ensuring the resolutions we pass are actually implemented.
If elected, what do you hope to accomplish during your term as a delegate to the national convention?
Our chapter is transitioning, building out internal systems and structures (child watch, fundraising, communications, onboardong, etc.) that will support all of our campaigns and ensure a healthy chapter. After 2 years on Long Beach’s Steering Committee, I understand what support National gives here, and what they could make much easier. I want to see National lend more support to chapter infrastructure, so that individual chapters are not separately learning these skills from scratch.
I am also a member of the National Ecosocialist Working Group. At convention, I want to advocate for an ecosocialist Green New Deal as a national priority, and connect with other working group members to learn how they’re organizing for ecosocialism on a local level.
Alvin | Delegate to National Convention | He/Him/His
Why are you a good candidate for delegate to the national convention?
I want to represent the diversity of Long Beach and the triumphs that we as a community have overcome. I have devoted my focus for the working class and especially in labor. Having participated in actions and measures all across Long Beach I saw that exploitation that workers in the port and in the hotels suffer and I couldn’t just stare and watch, even before I joined as a junior in high school. I placed my trust in my skills writing to openly talk about workers cooperatives for long beach.
If elected, what do you hope to accomplish during your term as a delegate to the national convention?
To represent the youth and Asian community of Long Beach, I come from an Filipino Migrant background and that comes the burden of helping my community that is one of the most impoverished in the city, with labor issue abound and as a student in high school going to college, I want to represent the growing support of Socialism from the younger generation and to show that we have a voice and we’re proud of what we’re doing and help expand youth support through DSA and beyond
Miles | Steering Committee | He/Him/His or They/Them/Theirs
Why are you a good candidate for steering committee?
I am a good candidate to consider for the Long Beach chapter’s steering committee because I am willing to engage in work to realize an egalitarian and socialist future.
If elected, what do you hope to accomplish during your term as a steering committee member?
If elected, I hope to work in solidarity with comrades to develop a robust, fun, supportive, and effective chapter. Specifically, I hope to continue the valuable anti-oppression culture building that characterizes our community so we can better decolonize our minds and city to live healthy, active, political, and satisfying lives.
Jimmy | Steering Committee & Delegate to National Convention | He/Him/His
Why are you a good candidate for steering committee?
My drive and desire to devote the time and energy to build this chapter are what make me a good candidate for steering committee. I was raised to be strongly aware of what it means to be working class and of the gross injustice built into the structure of our society. I will do everything that I can to build our chapter into the vessel through which together we can achieve equity in our community.
If elected, what do you hope to accomplish during your term as a steering committee member?
If elected, my priority will be cementing the work of member mobilization as a central pillar of our chapter. That is, regularly engaging with all members to ensure that all voices are heard and building social ties and relationships so that we can truly support each other in our lives and struggles. We have a solid core of activists; let’s reach all of our members and help them realize their potential as well. With a strong base, so much more is possible.
Additionally, I will work to reconstitute the Labor Committee in some form. There is much that could be done to serve our community in this vein, be it wage theft education, fighting for fair working conditions all the way to aiding in the establishment of worker cooperatives. It is my hope that member mobilization will be able to help achieve these goals.
Why are you a good candidate for delegate to the national convention?
I previously represented our chapter at the founding convention of the California Progressive Alliance. While the politics represented there weren’t always in alignment with that of DSA, many of the attendees were
our comrades and allies. I built relationships with DSA members from San
Luis Obispo, San Francisco, East Bay, and with other activists such as
those providing services for the unhoused. A substantial portion of
those who I met there will be delegates in August and together our
voices would be amplified as we work together on our common causes.
If elected, what do you hope to accomplish during your term as a delegate to the national convention?
My goals in attending the national convention will be to guarantee that our members are fairly represented and to build relationships with members from throughout the country. National could be doing much more to serve local chapters and facilitate our work. The D in DSA cannot be silent and National cannot be unaccountable to the general membership.
Jackie | Steering Committee | She/Her/Hers
Why are you a good candidate for steering committee?
I have been the co-chair of another DSA chapter before I moved to Long Beach, and have experience organizing within that chapter and working through members of the national DSA staff and organizers. I have been involved in the Socialist Feminist Committee in LB, and the National Queer Socialists Working Group. I believe I have the tools to effectively help steer our chapter’s goals and activities along with the other members of the Steering Committee, while also soliciting and encouraging member feedback and suggestions.
If elected, what do you hope to accomplish during your term as a steering committee member?
My biggest goal would be to empower our current DSA members and increase participation in our events and committees. We have a number of very talented and committed organizers, and it’s important that we give them the tools and abilities to participate and be leaders in DSALB. This would mean offering training and support for any members who are interested in becoming better organizers in our community. I’d also like to expand and formalize our child watch program, making our meetings accessible to parents. This would also tie into my goal fostering more of the community aspects of our chapter by encouraging families to be part of day to day organizing activities and increasing the number of social events to enrich our members’ lives.
Elizabeth | Delegate to National Convention | They/Them/Theirs
Statements forthcoming.
Victor | Steering Committee | He/Him/His
Why are you a good candidate for steering committee?
I’m dedicated, resourceful, eager to learn & lead.
If elected, what do you hope to accomplish during your term as a steering committee member?
Strong member engagement through proven/researched organizing techniques.
Leanna | Delegate to National Convention | She/Her/Hers
Why are you a good candidate for delegate to the national convention?
As a DSA-LB delegate to Natl DSA Convention I commit to share my years of experience and ideas as a long-time left political and labor organizer with our other chapter delegates, to learn from the ideas and insights from other delegates and to play an ACTIVE role in working collectively to represent our chapter members’ priorities of specific issues, internal DSA democracy and accountability as well as electoral arena strategies so that chapters have a stronger and more effective voice in building our national DSA.
If elected, what do you hope to accomplish during your term as a delegate to the national convention?
Bring back to the chapter lessons learned from National DSA Convention — skills, contacts and networks, resources, political education, etc. and continue as an active DSA-LB member to both win democratic socialist victories here in LB and make our chapter stronger and more effective and a shared FUN culture!