California Democratic Party - Rural Caucus: State Party Resources

State Party Resources

Free Voter Registration Files
County Committee Chairs can now request the FREE disc of registered voters in their county. The legal notice states the following: "Upon written demand of the chair or vice chair of a party state central committee or of the chair of a party county central committee, the county elections official shall furnish to each committee, without charge therefore, the index of registration for the primary and general elections, for any special election at which a partisan office is to be filled, or for any statewide special election. The index of registration shall be furnished to the committee demanding the index not less than 25 days prior to the day of the primary, general, or special election for which they are provided. Upon written demand, the county elections official shall also furnish to the committee the index of registration of voters who registered after the 54th day before the election, which shall be compiled and prepared by Assembly districts. The county elections official shall furnish either two printed copies or, if available, one copy in an electronic form of the indexes specified in this section." Affiliated CDC clubs can also obtain free voter registration files for their areas directly from CDC.

Post Your Events on the State Party's Calendar
Emma Harper (who is in charge of party services up in Sacramento) has asked us to remind our membership about the calendar tool on the state party's website (www.cadem.org) This tool allows democratic organizations and groups to post their events on the party's web site calendar. It is a simple two minute process that organizations can do themselves. This gives you freedom to announce your events without having to depend on the party to do it. Please remind your clubs and any other democrats of this tool. If anyone has questions on how to post an event, please contact the state party office at 916.442.5707 and ask to speak with Andrew Drabkin. Andrew will answer questions and give help on how to use the calendar feature.

State Party Insurance Policy
We all get asked about club and county committee insurance so thought we'd pass on to you what we know....Emma Harper is the state party point of contact for insurance for central committees & clubs. According to Emma, central committees and chartered clubs are eligible for one time event insurance for a fee of $50.00. Basic insurance for a central committee is $675.00 annually and $575.00 annually for chartered clubs. If the central committee is the holder of the insurance policy yet holds joint activities with their chartered clubs, the central committee's annual policy will cover those events. In order for a club to be covered by it's chartering central committee's insurance, the event needs to be generated by the central committee and carried out by the club. For more information on this policy, contact Emma at 916.442.5707 extension 32.

Getting Democratic Gear
Does your local Democratic organization want Democratic Party items for your booth or table? The state party will provide literature, handouts, and Democratic gear. Contact Monique Pernell at the CDP Headquarters in Sacramento. Email her at monique©cadem.org or call 916.442.5707

Understanding the Pruneyard Decision
The PruneYard's role in American constitutional law. In the late 1970s, the PruneYard was involved in a free speech dispute with local high school students that was ultimately decided by the U.S. Supreme Court on June 9, 1980. In American constitutional law, the PruneYard is famous for its role in establishing two important rules:

1. Under the California Constitution, individuals may peacefully exercise their right to free speech in parts of private shopping centers regularly held open to the public, subject to reasonable regulations adopted by the shopping centers

2. Under the U.S. Constitution, states can provide their citizens with broader rights in their constitutions than under the federal Constitution, so long as those rights do not infringe on any federal constitutional rights

This holding was possible because California's constitution contains an affirmative right of free speech which has been liberally construed by the Supreme Court of California, while the federal constitution's First Amendment contains only a negative command to Congress to not abridge the freedom of speech. The Supreme Court rejected the shopping center's argument that California's free speech right amounted to a "taking" of the shopping center under federal constitutional law.

The vote to uphold the California decision was unanimous, although three justices disagreed with part of the reasoning in Justice William Rehnquist's opinion for the majority. Justices Thurgood Marshall, Byron White, and Harry Blackmun filed separate concurring opinions. Because of the Pruneyard case, people who visit shopping centers in California may regularly encounter people seeking money or attention for various causes, including charitable solicitations, qualifying petitions for amendments to the state constitution, voter registration drives, and sometimes a beggar. In turn, many shopping centers have posted signs to explain that they do not endorse the views of people exercising their right to free speech, and that if patrons do not give them money, the speakers will go away.