whew! (and thank YOU!)

Dear Fellow Democrat,

Whew! Another important local election under our belts. The 2011 Santa Barbara City Council race was a tough one, and once again our volunteer activists stepped up to the challenge.

The good news is that with the election of Cathy Murillo, Santa Barbara's first Latina councilwoman, the conservatives no longer control a majority of seats. That will mean a return to Santa Barbara's values of environmental protection, smart planning and social justice.

Unfortunately, a margin of less than 250 votes kept us from electing a second Democrat this round. While Iya Falcone and Deborah Schwartz were not successful in this election, we are proud to have campaigned alongside these two amazing women, and look forward to working with them in the future to continue the fight for a more sustainable and equitable community.

I know that Cathy, Deborah and Iya are all profoundly grateful for the hard work of the Democratic Party, for the hours of volunteer activism and for the generous support of our donors.

We want to thank all of our volunteers and supporters, including the elected officials, small business owners and labor unions who donated time and resources to the Party over the past several months. Most of all we want to thank YOU for your continued support!

This campaign was about sending a message that Santa Barbara is a city that cares about defending the middle class and preserving our environment so our children and grandchildren can enjoy the quality of life we have been blessed with. Our candidates believed in a city that cares about what all residents have to say about the important decisions that affect our community. We will continue to work for those values.

We've got another HUGE year next year. In 2012, we'll be working hard to fend off the Republican bid for the White House. We'll also have a chance to turn our State Senate district blue, preserve the Democratic majority on the County Board of Supervisors, and re-elect Lois Capps and Das Williams!

So, rest up, have a wonderful Holiday season, and get ready for 2012!

Sincerely,

Daraka Larimore-Hall
Chair, Democratic Party of Santa Barbara County

MISSION

As Santa Barbara Democrats, we believe in a society and community based on solidarity and sustainability. We believe, quite simply that our country does better when everyone does better, and that we need to live in harmony with our environment. Our aim is to empower, educate and organize citizens and residents of Santa Barbara County. First and foremost, this means mobilizing voters to get to the polls and elect Democrats at all levels of government. We also hold elected officials accountable to the values and principles of our Democratic party, through public advocacy, coalition work, as well as through our endorsement process, which asks candidates seeking our support to pledge to put our shared values into practice.