Big news this week at our California Democratic Party's LGBTQ Caucus!
As of October 1st, Luis Zamora and Sasha Renée Pérez announced their joint decision to step down from their leadership positions as Caucus Co-Chairs.
Earlier this year, Sasha Renée Pérez who also serves as Mayor of Alhambra won her March 5th primary election becoming the Democratic nominee for State Senate District 25. Mayor Pérez is heavily favored to win her election in November in a safe Democratic district succeeding longtime State Senator Anthony Portantino.
Last month, Luis Zamora was appointed by San Francisco Mayor London Breed to the San Francisco City College Board of Trustees. Trustee Zamora is favored to hold the seat in November after earning endorsements from the San Francisco Democratic Party, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, the Alice B. Toklas Democratic Club, Equality California, and the LGBTQ Victory Fund.
Pérez and Zamora's resignations allowed for the leadership transition to yours truly and Shay Franco-Clausen as the new Co-Chairs of our CADEM LGBTQ Caucus.
Thank you to everyone who has reached out for their congratulatory well-wishes. Without uncomfortably turning this into a cringe, rah-rah post about myself -- because that's also not my style -- I do want to introduce club members to my amazing new Co-Chair Shay Franco-Clausen.
If you haven't had an opportunity to meet Shay, she is a fierce and dynamic powerhouse, who advocates tirelessly to empower, educate and prepare the community to take their rightful seat at the decision making table.
Overcoming many adversaries and barriers growing up in the Bay Area, Shay engages her community with empathy and diligence with “first person” experience, serving on many boards and commissions to create stronger, comprehensive legislation benefiting marginalized communities that she has proudly risen from.
Shay has a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy and Law degree from Mills College, working on her Executive Leadership in State and Local Government at Harvard Kennedy School and has been instrumental in many legislation wins, campaigns and initiatives in California.
Her advocacy has led to the passing of Senate Bill 273 (Senator Rubio) that "Expanded the Statute of Limitations on felony Domestic Violence”, protected 1,000 acres of California's most threatened pieces of land in Coyote Valley, passed Proposition 17 that restored voting rights for people on parole, worked to remove Involuntary Servitude from the California Constitution, is currently working on more.
Shay serves as Co-Chair for the National Black Justice Coalition “Good Trouble Network,” Victory Fund Campaign Board and Black Leadership Caucus, Adult Advisor for California High School Democrats, Alameda County Commission on the Status of Women and Courage California C4 Chair.
She's been amazing to collaborate and work with over the last two years as LGBTQ Caucus Vice Chairs, she is an inspiration to everyone she works with, and she knows how to win elections.
We've got a few weeks left in this election, and while we are busy organizing for campaigns locally and helping where and when we can for the Harris-Walz ticket, Shay and I have been discussing a robust organizing plan moving forward post-election that would include all of our Stonewall Democratic clubs and chapters throughout the state.
For now, let's continue organizing and contacting voters. Early voting starts on October 7th. There's a lot of work to do, but we got this!
Let's win everything on November 5th!
For truth, justice, and a better tomorrow...
Ryan Trabuco (he/him/his)
Club President
San Diego Democrats for Equality
