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California Democratic Party Chairman Rusty Hicks, who is seeking re-election to a four-year term, is criticized by some party leaders who say he is “failing at the core duties” of his job and want the governor Gavin Newsom is doing something about it. .
In a letter to the governor obtained by The Chronicle, several party officials called on Newsom to “take urgent action” to ensure the party has a strong leader ahead of a possible re-election for governor and midterms. next year.
The letter does not specify what the urgent action would be and Newsom does not have the authority to replace the party chairman. But he can endorse an opponent or refuse to support Hicks.
Hicks’ only opponent of re-election so far is former public schools superintendent Delaine Eastin. Voting lasts from March 24 to April 21. Hicks won the post of president in 2019 after Eric Bauman resigned.
The letter blames Hicks for a variety of democratic issues, including a failure to engage the “emerging immigrant populations” in Southern California and the Central Valley that contributed to the loss of four House seats last year by the party.
The signatories include Carlos Alcala, chairman of the Chicano Latino caucus; RL Miller, chair of the environmental caucus; Sean Dugar, member of the party’s executive council; Soli Alpert, chair of the Progressive Young Democrats Caucus; and Amar Shergill, Chair of the Progressive Caucus. Alcala, Miller and Shergill are also members of the party’s executive council.
“We can do better than Rusty Hicks,” the letter says. “We hope you agree.”
Newsom does not. Its strategist Dan Newman told The Chronicle that “the governor continues to have complete confidence in the California Democratic Party and President Hicks as we work together to weather the pandemic crisis.
Hicks said by email, “With 57,000 volunteers and the largest low-dollar donor base in our history, the California Democratic Party is aggressively moving towards a better future. I look forward to doing even more in the years to come. “
Joe Garofoli is the principal political writer of the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @joegarofoli
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