California Central Committee Election

California Central Committee Election

Californians will elect central committee members at the primary election on June 5, 2012. The deadline for candidates to file their Declaration of Candidacy and Nomination Documents is close of business on March 9, 2012.

This is another opportunity to achieve a center of power and it won't come around again for another two years.

Qualifications

The qualifications in California are somewhat complicated, but only for people who have changed party designation recently. The county clerks and election officials are trained in what to look for. While I'm going to go through this here, your best and quickest choice is to just file. You'll be notified if you don't qualify. If you disagree, then you'll be able to investigate a little more to make sure the clerk didn't make a mistake.

Most importantly, you have to get on the ballot.

Central Committee membership and election is covered by statute in California. The legislature actually took the time to write separate rules for the different parties. You don't have to read these unless you'd like to go to sleep. But you can bet that the parties had the rules written to favor the insiders.

Democratic Party

Elections Code §7225-7229

Republican Party

Elections Code §7420-7424

American Independent Party

Elections Code §7670-7674

Peace and Freedom Party

Elections Code §7850-7857

You must live within the supervisor district or assembly district boundary.

You must be registered to vote (18 years old before the November General Election) and indicate a party affiliation for the party you want to represent.

You must not have changed party affiliation within three months of the filing date deadline (March 9, 2012) for the primary election in which you are running for election. There are exceptions to this.

While write-in campaigns are challenging, when no one else has filed for one of the available positions, it's a definite possibility.

I challenge you. Do you have what it takes to actually accomplish something of lasting effect? Or will you use one of your pat excuses? I've heard them all. (See The Power Is There for the Taking.)

To answer questions so that you can get yourself elected at your primary election, Project City Hall will host live teleconferences on March 1st and March 2nd (see below) to discuss strategy and answer your questions.

What:	California Precinct Committee Election Teleconference
When:	Thursday, March 1, 2012 at 8:00 pm (Pacific) Thursday, March 2, 2012 at 7:00 pm (Pacific)
Where:	Your home or mobile telephone
Details:	To receive teleconference call details, Sign up or text California PC, {your name}, {your e-mail address} to (973)498-8066

How to Determine Your District

1. Go to the California Secretary of State's Check Status of Your Voter Registration. All the counties have either a web page or a phone number where you can confirm your registration status.
2. We recommend that you find out, not only your status, but also your precinct, county supervisor district, and assembly district based on your residence address. Note that the district maps were redrawn in 2011, so make sure to ask for the new districts.

Getting on the Ballot

When you have a plan, you don't have to guess what to do next. Written plans are always better than winging it. With that in mind, we've put together the Precinct Committee Candidate Checklist to give you a starting point for your plan.

1. On some county web sites, you can download the Declaration of Candidacy, but you must pick up your Nominating Documents at the county clerk's office.
2. Call the county clerk and ask for the name, if any, of the current central committee members for your district and their contact information (e-mail address and telephone number).
3. Ask if the central committee member was elected in the previous election cycle, how many people from the precinct voted in the same party, and how many votes were cast for each central committee member on the ballot or as write-ins.
4. Join other Californians on the live teleconference call (see above) where you can ask questions.
5. Prepare printed information about yourself so that you can quickly communicate the information to everyone you meet (your neighbors) from your precinct. Also, see How to Present Yourself at a Precinct Caucus.
6. File your paperwork with the county clerk as soon as you can. The best approach is to file in person. When you do, you can ask to have your filing documents reviewed to make sure that you completed it as the clerk requires and get back a stamped copy across the counter. By statute, you can also authorize someone else to file your paperwork. If you think you'll need to do that make sure to get that form as well.

Winning the Election

Winning a central committee member election is relatively easy, even with someone running against you, which is possible, especially in highly populated districts. You can do it if you prepare in advance and have a plan. Many people are looking for leaders and will accept almost anyone who simply steps up to lead. Just look at your current set of elected officials for proof of that.

After the Election

1. Get a current copy of your state party committee by-laws and of your county party committee by-laws.
2. Find out from the out-going county party executive committee when the organizational meeting is scheduled to elect new officers.
3. Keep in touch, because we'll be producing training teleconferences about all the aspects of being an effective precinct committeeman.

Who Should Attend?

• Anyone who wants to take their country back.
• Anyone who values freedom and liberty.
• If you're already a precinct committeeman, attend to encourage others and to relate your own experience.

What You'll Learn

• The power of the central committee member.
• The best strategies for getting your petition signatures.
• How to win in a competitive race.

California County Precinct Contacts

All politics is local. We cannot reach the goal alone. We need your help. These people are actively recruiting precinct committeemen in their county. If you'd like to recruit for your county, add your comment to this article and a way to contact you.

County	Precincts	Population	Contact Name	Contact Method
Alameda	1,041	1474,368
Alpine	5	1,061
Amador	59	38,238
Butte	159	220,337
Calaveras	30	46,843
Colusa	18	21,204
Contra Costa	854	1,029,703
Del Norte	18	29,100
El Dorado	150	176,075
Fresno	712	909,153
Glenn	30	28,237
Humboldt	140	129,000
Imperial	108	163,972
Inyo	27	17,136
Kern	588	800,458
Kings	210	149,518
Lake	52	64,866
Lassen	44	34,574
Los Angeles	4,883	9,862,049
Madera	109	148,333
Marin	189	248,794
Mariposa	21	17,976
Mendocino	249	86,221
Merced	118	246,117
Modoc	20	9,184
Mono	13	12,774
Monterey	184	408,238
Napa	147	133,433
Nevada	99	97,118
Orange	2,109	3010,759
Placer	379	341,945
Plumas	29	20,275
Riverside	1,403	2100,516
Sacramento	1,330	1,394,154
San Benito	59	54,699
San Bernardino	1,391	2,015,355
San Diego	2,328	3001,072
San Francisco	580	808,976
San Joaquin	515	672,388
San Luis Obispo	152	265,297
San Mateo	555	712,690
Santa Barbara	318	405,396
Santa Clara	1,142	1,764,499
Santa Cruz	260	253,137
Shasta	150	180,214
Sierra	22	3,263
Siskiyou	72	44,542
Solano	214	407,515
Sonoma	453	466,741
Stanislaus	447	510,694
Sutter	62	92,207
Tehama	47	61,550
Trinity	23	14,317
Tulare	250	426,276
Tuolumne	68	55,644
Ventura	602	797,740
Yolo	146	197,658
Yuba	46	73,067

 

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