CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATS MUST “STOP THE HARM AND START THE HEALING”
CA Democratic Party Resolution to Stop the Harm and Start the Healing
Respectfully submitted by Christine Pelosi (AD17) Chair, CA Democratic Party Women’s Caucus for consideration at the party’s May 2019 convention in San Francisco
WHEREAS the California Democratic Party endorsed the calls from #MeToo #WeSaidEnough #TimesUp and #YaBasta to serve with integrity and inclusion; however, recent harassment, discrimination, bullying, and abuse allegations by delegates and staff against multiple party officials have rocked the organization to its core, jeopardizing the voters’ trust in the progressive agenda that millions of us voted for in 2018; and
WHEREAS, the California Democratic Party’s internal policies enacted to require sexual harassment training pursuant to the November 2017 Executive Board We Said Enough resolution were insufficient to meet the needs of staff and stakeholders because the party has been sued for abuse, retaliation, and racial discrimination, with little transparency or accountability to the delegates and the public regarding these heartbreaking stories of harm and humiliation; and
WHEREAS we must act decisively to improve trainings, protocols, and power dynamics to assure staff and stakeholders alike that the California Democratic Party insists on respect and equity for all,
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the California Democratic Party will provide implicit bias and sexual harassment training for all staff, delegates, consultants, contractors, and community partners and will create the position of Ombudsperson to serve as in-house inspector general to conduct the trainings, track complaints, direct independent trauma-informed, victim-centered investigations, and report monthly to the Executive Board of the California Democratic Party as to the trainings and the complaints; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the new California Democratic Party Chair will address dynamics that lead to abuse with a transition team representative of all the candidates, a staff committed to diversity and inclusion, and equity in committee assignments reflective of the chair vote results so that California Democrats practice what we preach, stop the harm and start the healing.
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If you are a delegate to the California Democratic Party convention and wish to co-sponsor please email me your name and Assembly District (AD) number. Thank you for your consideration.
