The Official DCD Logo

 

 

Location
Wellman 202
Hours
Wednesdays, 6:30 PM
Websites
DCD WebsiteFacebook Page
Donate to Davis College Democrats
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/davis-college-democrats-pac-1


DCD is UC Davis campus representative of the youth branch of the Democratic Party. DCD is looking for motivated members interested in being involved in the nationwide grassroots effort of the Democratic Party to help you regain control over your lives, future, and country. Come to our meetings, precinct walk with us, bring your tired, your poor, and your huddled masses yearning to be free!

For more information about us, join our Facebook group, Email [email protected], read the DCD Constitution by downloading it here: DCD Constitution.doc

Dream it. Change it. Live it!

A Short History of DCD

Our earliest known records consist of photocopied SOAC (Student Organizations and Activities Center, the precursor to SPAC) registration forms dating back to 1982, with the Registration of "Young Democrats at UC Davis". At the time of registration, the club had 42 members.

The most recent incarnation of DCD occurred when Cecilia Escamilla-Greenwald and Scott Lay refounded the club and separately served as president in the 1990s. The club was formed as an alternative to the then-existing Davis Young Democrats, which the founders argued was too focused on campus politics and not enough on state and national issues and elections.

DCD President Avi Singh successfully ran for ASUCD Senate as an Independent in the Winter 2005 ASUCD Election.

On November 12th, 2006 the DCD declined to endorse ASUCD Senate candidates by refusing to suspend its bylaws.

On November 26th, 2006 DCD members voted to approve a club constitutional amendment allowing them the ability to endorse registered Democrats running for ASUCD Senate and ASUCD President. Then prominent members Mario Lopez, Max Mikalonis, and Steve Ostrowski voted for the amendment while Joseph Bleckman and AngelaPourtabib voted against.

During the May of 2007, a second Constitutional Amendment updated the offices of the club, created new committees, resolved bylaw conflicts, and undid the November amendment, once again requiring candidates for ASUCD Senate and Executive Offices to be active members of the Davis College Democrats.

DCD hosted Bill Clinton @ UC Davis on January 15, 2008, where he spoke to a packed crowd of over 7800 in the ARC Pavilion, with another 3500 being unfortunately turned away. This was one of the many accomplishments that led to DCD being named the California College Democrats Chapter of the Year.

DCD has become increasingly involved with ASUCD, first backing DCD members Jack Zwald and Previn Witana in their successful election ASUCD Senate, and then again in their successful bid to be ASUCD President and ASUCD Vice President.

Members of DCD have become increasingly involved with the Yolo County Democratic Central Committee (YCDCC), where as of July 30, 2010 they held two of the six officer positions, and the Democratic State Central Committee (DSCC) which many prominent members won election to via the Assembly District Election Meetings (or ADEMs).

Former DCD President, Sam Mahood also served as the state-wide California College Democrats (CCD) Vice President of Finance, and DCD Vice President of Political Affairs, Kelsey McQuaid, served as the CCD Communications Director. DCD has had significant fundraising success over the last several years through our "Indigo Awards" fundraiser, which was pioneered during the tenure of then-DCD President Max Mikalonis by then-DCD VP of Membership Don Gibson.

DCD had the honor of hosting President Bill Clinton on campus once again on October 9, 2012 in a rally to support Congressman John Garamendi, Congressman Jerry McNerney, Dr. Ami Bera (now Congressman), and Jose Hernandez for their election bids. Over 8,000 people were in attendance, and DCD was given the opportunity to meet and take a picture with former President Clinton, making for a memorable election cycle.

DCD Executive Board '23-'24

  • President: Aiden Ledbetter
  • Executive Director: Andrew Han
  • Membership Director: Kylie Sheridan 
  • Political Affairs Director: Sonja Wooley 
  • Finance Director: Hana Jafari

DCD Executive Board '22-'23

  • President: Frances Haydock

  • Executive Director: Aiden Ledbetter

  • Membership Director: Josh Tomblin

  • Political Affairs Director: Jackson Mills 

  • Finance Director: Andrew Muench

DCD Executive Board '21-'22

  • President: Michelle Andrews 

  • Executive Director: Luca Moretti 

  • Membership Director: Frances Haydock 

  • Political Affairs Director: Jackson Mills 

  • Finance Director: Oliver Snow

DCD Executive Board '20-'21

  • President: Aurora Schünemann

  • Executive Director: Evan Cragin
  • Membership Director: Adriana Leal
  • Political Affairs Director: Daniel Bazargun
  • Finance Director: Yesenia Valencia 

DCD Executive Board '19-'20

  • President: Brooke Pritchard

  • Executive Director: Molly Mermin
  • Membership Director: Matthew Tam
  • Political Affairs Director: Cecelia Garofoli
  • Finance Director: Khalil Malik 

DCD Executive Board '18-'19

  • President: Maiya de la Rosa

  • Executive Director: Aaron Latta
  • Membership Director: Alexandra Meyer
  • Political Affairs Director: Emily Jones
  • Finance Director: Kevin Rotenkolber 

DCD Executive Board '17-'18

  • President: Perrin Swanlund

  • Executive Director: Christian Monsees
  • Membership Director: Francisco López-Montaño
  • Political Affairs Director: Morgan Cunneen
  • Finance Director: Kevin Rotenkolber 

DCD Executive Board '16-'17

  • President: Elizabeth Oramas Diaz
  • Executive Director: Antoine Menager
  • Membership Director: Perrin Swanlund
  • Political Affairs Director: Morgan Cuneen
  • Finance Director: Christian Monsees

DCD Executive Board '15-'16

  • President: Rebecca Salgado
  • Executive Director: John Cummins
  • Membership Director: Nathan Bentham
  • Political Affairs Director: Inez Kaminski
  • Finance Director: Sara Rogers

DCD Executive Board '14-'15

  • President: James Cheap
  • Vice President of Communications: Rebecca Salgado
  • Vice President of Political Affairs: Nathan Bentham
  • Vice President of Finance: Rachael Salisbury

DCD Executive Board '13-'14

  • President: Caroline Shimeld
  • Vice President of Communications: Ellen Coughlin
  • Vice President of Membership: Eric Olsen
  • Vice President of Political Affairs: Yasmine El-Gabry
  • Vice President of Finance: Karim Poonja

DCD Executive Board '12-'13

  • President: Ruy Laredo
  • Vice President of Communications: Jessica Penny
  • Vice President of Membership: Caroline Shimeld
  • Vice President of Political Affairs: Jeffry Villatoro
  • Vice President of Finance: Henry Johnston

DCD Executive Board '11-'12

  • President: Albert Aramayo
  • Vice President of Communications: Haley Sage
  • Vice President of Membership: Christine Harms
  • Vice President of Political Affairs: Aref Aziz
  • Vice President of Finance: Zeeve Rose

DCD Executive Board '10-'11

  • President: Sam Mahood
  • Vice President of Communications: Sierra Feldmann
  • Vice President of Membership: Albert Aramayo
  • Vice President of Political Affairs: Kelsey McQuaid
  • Vice President of Finance: Amani Rashid

DCD Executive Board '09-'10

  • President: Brandon J. Craig
  • Vice President of Communications: Kelsey McQuaid
  • Vice President of Membership: Baxter Boeh-Sobon
  • Vice President of Political Affairs: Kevin Navarro
  • Vice President of Finance: Sam Mahood

DCD Executive Board '08-'09

  • President: Don Gibson
  • Vice President of Internal Affairs: Brandon J. Craig
  • Vice President of Membership: Jack Zwald
  • Vice President of Finance: Ayla Kapahi
  • Vice President of Special Events: Previn Witana

2009-2010

Membership – Throughout Fall Quarter, the meetings consistently packed Wellman 212. In mid-October, DCD sent 28 students to Lake Tahoe for the California Young Democrats’ biennial political training. Additionally in mid-April, DCD carpooled 13 students to Los Angeles for the California Democratic Party’s annual state convention. Of those 13 students, 11 were voting delegates on endorsements and party platforms.

Finances – Behind the work of President Craig and Vice President of Finance Sam Mahood, DCD returned to a financial stability. Under Vice President of Finance Mahood, DCD hosted the most successful fundraiser in club history and one of the most successful in California College Democrats.

Voter Registration – Due to hard work and unique methods during an off-election year, DCD was able to register over 500 students to vote in fall of 2009 (half of which registered were democrats). This total ranked second amongst California College Democrats chapters and they were recognized for their efforts at Lake Tahoe with the “SuperObama” cutout they still use to table on the quad.

Campaigns – DCD was able to perform campaign invasions in Congressional District 10 for then-Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi and Assembly Districts 5 (which was flipped from Republic to Democrat in the 2010 election) and 9 (which we held following Dave Jones’s election as Insurance Commissioner). Throughout September and October, DCD connected interested students to the “Yes on Measure P” campaign in Davis, which allowed students to gain valuable campaign experience. In late-October and early-November, Craig was in Maine campaigning for “No on Question 1”, their equivalent of Proposition 8.

Lobbying – Due to the fact that it was on off-election year, DCD focused on getting its voice heard via lobbying. Throughout the year, they lobbied on behalf of higher education and voting reform. DCD met with the offices of four state legislators in Spring Quarter, but the best example of lobbying was in December when Craig and Vice President of Communications Kelsey McQuaid spoke before the Joint Committee on the Master Plan for Higher Education.

External Organizations – DCDers became deeply involved in outside Democratic organizations as a result of their work. Craig, McQuaid, Jack Zwald, and Max Mikalonis served as officers for the Yolo County Democratic Central Committee (as Secretary, Executive Director, Vice Chair, and Parliamentarian, respectively). Don Gibson served as the ’09-’10 Political Director for the California College Democrats and McQuaid and Mahood were elected as ’10-’11 California College Democrats Communications Director and Vice President of Finance, respectively.

2007-2008

  • Work on Local Campaigns in May, 2008
  • Bring in Local Elected Officials on a Monthly Basis, and provide opportunities to work on their campaigns.
    • DCD hosted Bill Clinton @ UC Davis on 1-15-2008, where he spoke to a packed crowd of over 7800 in the ARC Pavilion, with another 3500 being unfortunately turned away. This was one of the many accomplishments that led to DCD being named the California College Democrats Chapter of the Year.
    • California Secretary of State Debra Bowen spoke on April 8th in Young 198 about the importance of voting and preventing election fraud.
    • California State Assemblywoman Lois Wolk spoke with DCD during Fall 2007 about the budget, her time in the Assembly, and the State Senate.
    • Three Incumbent members of the Davis City Council, and Democratic Candidates running for those seats, participated in DCD's first Democratic Candidates Forum.
    • County Supervisor Helen Thomson spoke with DCD during the Winter Quarter 2008.
    • Candidates for the vacant 4th district county supervisor seat spoke with DCD during Winter and Spring Quarters 2008.
    • Individual City Council Members and Candidates have spoken with the club throughout the year.
  • Continue to debate the Davis College Republicans and bring Political Dialogue to the campus.
  • Hold Monthly Movie Nights, among other social activities both on and off campus, to promote unity within DCD and Have a Little Fun!
    • Not true, we never had a movie night. - GregWebb
      • Last one we tried to have was interrupted by Bill Clinton.... - M.
  • Bring Political Opportunities to YOU, from internships in the Capitol or with local electeds to working on campaigns while thinking globally and acting locally to build your personal experience and Elect Great Democrats!
  • Reach out to and work with other local democratic organizations, from the Davis Democratic Club and the Yolo County Democatic Central Committee to the Sac County Young Dems and the California College Democrats and California Young Democrats.

June 2010 Endorsements

Federal

Barbara Boxer for US Senate Mike Thompson for US House of Representatives

State

Jerry Brown for Governor Janice Hahn for Lieutenant Governor Debra Bowen for Secretary of State John Chiang for Controller Bill Lockyer for Treasurer Pedro Nava for Attorney General Dave Jones for Insurance Commissioner Tom Torlakson for Superintendent of Public Instruction Mariko Yamada for State Assembly

Local

Don Saylor for Yolo County Supervisor Cass Sylvia for Public Guardian/Administrator

Propositions

Yes on 13 No on 14 Yes on 15 No on 16 No on 17

Yolo County Democratic Central Committee

Jack Zwald Sam Mahood

Davis City Council Candidates Forum/Questionnaires (2010)

The Davis College Democrats and People's Vanguard of Davis co-hosted a forum with all five candidates for Davis City Council on Wednesday, May 12th. Per organizational rules, only registered Democrats (Joe Krovoza, Sydney Vergis, and Daniel Watts) are eligible for endorsement, but both non-Dems (Jon Li and Rochelle Swanson) accepted invitations to participate anyway.

If you would like to read the Vanguard's coverage of the forum, you can see it here.

If you would like to read each candidate's questionnaire, they are available for download below.

Joe Krovoza: Joe Krovoza - Online.doc Sydney Vergis: Sydney Vergis - Online.doc Daniel Watts: Daniel Watts - Online.doc Jon Li: Jon Li - Online.doc Rochelle Swanson: Rochelle Swanson - Online.doc

November 2006 Ballot Initiatives

The California Democratic Party was successful in passing Proposition 1A-1E, Proposition 83 and Proposition 84. The California Democratic Party was also successful in defeating Proposition 85 and Proposition 90.

Our Accomplishments in Photos

 

Brandon and Kelsey with Assemblymember Mariko Yamada.

DCD's 3rd Annual Indigo Awards.

Kelsey, Kevin, Baxter, Max, and Key at a rally for marriage equality.

DCD invading CD 10 for John Garamendi.

DCD with Insurance Commissioner candidate Dave Jones at the CYD Tahoe Retreat.

DCD with Attorney General candidate Pedro Nava.

DCD with Lieutenant Governor candidate Janice Hahn.

Sam, Baxter, Brandon, and Kelsey with CDP Vice Chair Alex Rooker and Assemblymember Mariko Yamada.

Max introducing Former President Bill Clinton at his campaign stop at UC Davis on January 15, 2008

DCD with Governor Jerry Brown at the Debate watch party

Related Websites

Take a Look at the New CA College Dems Site!

Check out the National College Democrats

Why we are Democrats!

Join the Young Dems Revolution

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2005-06-03 21:59:53   Woot! —AngelaPourtabib

2006-04-02 21:19:32   Count Me In for the Convention! It sounds like its going to be great! —EricTindall

2006-04-25 20:44:27   Levy is also heavily republican backed.... —JamesSchwab

  • This makes sense given that there are no Republicans running (since Forbes just registered 'Decline to State'). They've got to vote for somebody. My guess is that those will be Ruth and Mike, given Stan's strong anti-Covell Village stance.
  • Additionally, on Mike's page, he does not list the Republican endorsement (if there is one). This indicates that he is willing to fight for city council election solely on the merits of his own, liberal, platform, as opposed to as a figure that has been backed by a several political parties. When the DCD interviewed him, he said he didn't know if the Republicans had endorsed him. —MaxMikalonis
  • In Davis, it is political death to say you are supported by Republicans. Mike told some conservative people on the ASUCD that Republicans are backing and working for him, so either he is telling the truth or lying and trying to ride the fence. JamesSchwab

2006-04-25 21:14:36   Well good thing the position is non-partisan... although word on the street says that the Republicans actually haven't endorsed him... but I'm sure whoever you heard that from wouldn't mislead you James —AngelaPourtabib

2006-07-25 22:31:56   Treasurer Joseph Bleckman was greatly pleased by the BBQ. With the leftovers he brought home he was able to eat for days. I'm disapointed though that none of the pictures truely captured my Evil Mustashe that I had back then. —JosephBleckman

2006-07-25 22:42:57   Nice job on the pics! —PaulAmnuaypayoat

2006-08-01 10:57:48   State party meeting this weekend in Burlingame! Anyone interested should join us in checking it out! —AngelaPourtabib

2006-10-03 23:30:24   I was rather pissed today at DCD. I planned on attending the "Meeting @ 8 PM at 212 Wellman". It was closed. Fortunately for many of the classes planning on meeting there, signs had been posted redirecting people to various places. No such luck with DCD. I went to Cafe Roma to see if maybe they'd congregated over there; no such luck. —SS

2006-10-03 23:47:11   We actually went to the Coffee House to have our meeting tonight. We didn't actually know that classes were redirecting people so I guess this time was just a case of bad luck. —AngelaPourtabib

It really wasn't bad luck. I'm not affiliated with the Democrat or Republican group on campus, but I received this message after joining the DCD Facebook Group. It was sent out just last night at 11:30 P.M. by your vice-president:

The DCD are Having their First meeting of the Quarter this Tuesday, October 3rd, at 8pm in Wellman 212. During this meeting we will be Revising and Discussing our plans for the following weeks, including when we can Table to Increase our Visibility, Promote our Candidates, and Educate the UCD Public on the Issues We Stand For. We have a Table, We have Materials, and We have a Plan... All we need now is For YOU to attend Our Meeting and Together We Can Make The Difference! See you tomorrow! Max Mikalonis Davis College Democrats Vice President

I showed up to Wellman Hall 10 minutes early. There were several groups and multiple postings of cancelled classes, groups that were being directed elsewhere and so on. It wasn't bad luck that I couldn't find anyone affiliated with DCD, nor was it bad luck that I used my phone to search the Wiki, your website as well as several administative pages on the Facebook only to not find even 1 contact number or update to find out what had happened. The only clue I had was that the Wiki mentioned you meet at Cafe Roma as well. Nothing was going on over there either.

Really, I don't mind the goof. It was a little disappointing, but it wasn't bad luck either. I only want to point this out now because it seems obvious you guys need to regroup on recruiting methods. —SS

2006-10-04 02:19:12   Saul, Perhaps we left too late, perhaps you didn't see us, but we did gather as a group by the lawn, there WERE people affiliated with DCD in the area, and several new members did come with us to the CoHo, though I do know of two other than you that slipped through the cracks because of the impromptu room changes. That being said, I can't control the plumbing in Wellman Hall, and our Main Event is actually NEXT Tuesday's Meeting as opposed to This Tuesday's, so everything else so far has been closer to Icing on the Cake. —MaxMikalonis

2006-10-04 09:24:08   Who spends time to complain about this?? Especially when they dont even identify as Democrat? —JamesSchwab

2006-10-04 11:37:51   Uhm, the guy planning on showing up to the next meeting? What's up with the presumptuous question, dude? Is my vote not good enough for you? —SS

2007-05-30 18:59:45   Officer elections were crazy yo... —AngelaPourtabib

2007-05-30 22:19:06   Questionable election but Bleckman for President! —GregWebb

2007-05-30 22:54:24   Next year will be great with our new leadership and we will make sure those who weren't elected. I really hope that with next fall we can "rush" many more people into the great causes that we support. Also does anyone want to write a resolution in support of making sodexho employees UC employees? —DonGibson

2007-07-24 01:01:22   DCD should endorse Dennis Kucinich and invite him to come to our meeting. —GregWebb

2007-10-03 10:25:02   Cecilia Escamilla Greenwald told me about how the Davis College Dems came around in the early 90's, so she might have more information about how it started. Also, I'm going to ask George Andrews about Igor Berman who I believe was President of DCD back in 00-01 and then jumped ship to DCR, and which left the club a little disorganized for a few years. That's what I remember from a previous conversation with George and Avi. —JamesSchwab

2007-10-28 17:06:47   I think Cecilia was in the mid 1990's and Scott was the late 90's. —JamesSchwab

  • Actually, Cecilia and I were at the same time (1994-96). The campus's previous organization, Davis Young Democrats, had become overly involved (in our opinion) in campus politics, and wasn't affiliated with the statewide California College Democrats, California Young Democrats or the national College Democrats of America. Since I was president of California College Democrats at the time I transferred from Orange Coast College, we pushed Davis Young Democrats to affiliate, but it just wasn't their thing. Thus, after fighting the student activities bureaucracy for separate recognition (by then, DYD President Peter Nguyen was president of ASUCD, and felt that the clubs were competing), and with the help of Cinthia Hamner-Portugal (who served as Regional Director of College Democrats of America) and others, we got the club off the ground. We did have a tradition of working with DCR in a mutually beneficial way. We never had rallies together, but sponsored debates and forums that increased the visibility of party politics (rather than just ASUCD politics) on campus. Of course, this was during and after the "Contract with America" year of 1994 and through Clinton's 1996 re-election, so the parties looked starkly different. - ScottLay
    • Thanks! Do you know what happened with DCD during the middle ages of 97-01? -JamesSchwab
    • Very Interesting. We actually have a member who is interested in speaking with our previous Presidents in order to get the groups history down on paper. She's starting with Angela, but will be talking with yourself and Cecilia soon enough. -Max Mikalonis
    • The story of Igor Birman being president and jumping parties is true, and a few other leaders struggled to maintain activism. Also, DCD got caught up in the same thing that was the downfall of the Davis Young Democrats—ASUCD politics. So, someone would run for leadership of DCD as a conduit to getting elected to ASUCD rather than to provide a connection to state and national politics. And, frankly, few things turn off more people than state and national politics, but student government is one. (I can say this as past president of the Law Students Association at King Hall and someone that did a lot of statewide student government stuff, albeit not ASUCD.) Most importantly, however, campus political activism goes in waves. The "everyone's safe" redistricting didn't help...many of us came together on campus to fight to save Congressman Vic Fazio in the 1994 Republican landslide. Vic was in line (3rd of 4th) to be Speaker of the House, and he was in a competitive seat. Across the state, young Democrats and Republicans used to find their connection to politics through local Assembly, State Senate and Congressional campaigns. Those campaigns are just not exciting anymore, at least in the general election. More often, we're fighting within parties (see the race between two good friends of mine Cabaldon v. Yamada for an example). So, instead of having a big fight to win the 8th AD in the general, when Democrats are united as one, we spend a year divided over who the nominee is, and that nominee is almost certainly going to win the seat in the general. Anyway, that's far more than you asked for!—ScottLay
      • Thanks again! That's a great insight about the affects of safe districts on party involvement too.-JamesSchwab

2007-11-26 22:37:14   I love how DCD and DCR joined together for last Monday's rally. Good job proving you're the same party. —JessicaRockwell

2007-11-26 23:28:02   What rally did DCD and DCR both participate in? —JamesSchwab "they raised money for the families of fallen soldiers. I wasn't a big fan of how the rally went down (DCR insisted on the pledge and the national anthem) but there are worse things in the world people can devote their time to." Andrew

2008-01-18 16:42:49   I went to Kleiber to see the debate. Wasn't able to attend the reschedule and sorry to have missed it. —MischaGushiken

  • Sorry about that. The UCD Administration put a class over our Debate time, which we reserved over the break, and it didn't show up on the room reservation system until it was too late. The event was fantastic and I'm pretty sure one of my friends recorded it, so when it hits YouTube, links will be posted. We will be doing another one in April, and it'll be even better. —-M

2008-09-25 22:24:07   Anyone planning to watch tomorrow's debate? I'm looking for someone with a TV who would like to watch the debates together, as I have no TV. —IDoNotExist

2009-03-31 18:45:16   DCD throws some good parties. —CodyDuncan

2011-09-25 23:00:32   Join us from October 4-6 as we celebrate the beginning of the 2011-2012 academic year. For more information, check our website and Facebook Group and Page (links are at the top of the page). —albertaramayo

2014-10-29 08:11:15   I am annoyed and using Davis Wiki as a vehicle to voice my frustratation. On Tuesday, October 28th, 2014, the Davis College Democrats sent out a spam email to a large number of UC Davis organization, including graduate students in the Language and Literatures division, advertising a public speaking event later this fall. Over the course of the day I received over 48 messages that were "unsubscribe" requests. I am hoping this academic club wants to position themselves as a professional organization of new young political leaders. Such a breach in email etiquette doesn't really help their image. In short, Boo, College Democrats. —EricJensen

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