Progressive-leaning Scotts Valley and San Lorenzo Valley residents who are looking to become more politically active no longer need to go all the way to Santa Cruz to get involved in the Democratic Party.
Officially affiliated with the Democratic Central Committee of Santa Cruz County since November 2013, the Crosson North County Democratic Club is an organization for Democrats living in the northern portion of the Santa Cruz County with the stated goal of bringing issues specific to the San Lorenzo Valley and Scotts Valley to the forefront of the political conversation — as well as advancing Democratic Party goals, supporting local elected Democratic officials, and working on the elections of Democratic candidates.
The North County has been without such an organization since 2006, when the original incarnation of the current club disbanded after two decades.
“There’s been a real void,” said Linda Kerner, who has served as an organizer in both incarnations of the club. “It’s been a topic of conversation for some time and the time has been right to bring the Democrats back to North County.”
The current club is named in honor of the late John and Deloris Crosson, longtime San Lorenzo Valley residents who were very active in the previous club.
To officially kick off the club, there will be a public forum to discuss social safety net programs in North County held at Bruno’s BBQ at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 24.
Club President Amanda Robinson said that idea behind the forum was to get representatives of government and social services organizations in one room to inform participants of services available, and for the community to brainstorm ways that the community can strengthen that safety net to help provide basic needs in the area.
Scheduled to speak at the forum are Supervisor Bruce McPherson; Cecelia Espinola, director of the Santa Cruz County Department of Health and Human Services; Jennifer Anderson-Ochoa, executive director of Mountain Community Resources; Linda Meyer and Andy Immel of Valley Churches United Missions; and Chief Deputy Jim Hart of the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office.
“We really wanted to focus on the social safety net and these are the best representatives,” Robinson said. “We want to find out what we can do.”
Kerner agreed that working with social safety nets was a good jumping-off place for the club.
“So many people are struggling to make ends meet,” she said. “As a group, we said ‘What can we as a club do?’”
More than 50 members have already signed up for the club, Robinson said, and new members were being welcomed at each of the club’s monthly meetings — held the first Tuesday of each month at Bruno’s BBQ at 5:30 p.m.
For more information about the forum, or the Crosson North County Democratic Club, call 431-6163.
