From Newsletter Editor SM Thomas:
If you are reading this newsletter, it is likely that you are already a member of (or know about…) the Culver City Democratic Club. As a club member you are already involved and informed about Culver City politicians, School Board members and most, if not all, local governmental issues and activities.
Many of you are also involved in a number of other political activism groups. Most of us know all the names of all the local activism groups. But it may be difficult to keep up with what each one has to offer as we approach the Midterm Elections. Each one is doing its part to keep people engaged and connected to like-minded individuals. There is a degree of overlap in the focus, and many are focused both on valuable short term (2026 midterms) as well as longer term (2028 and beyond).
If you are currently making your Action Plan for what to do in the next month before the Midterms, you may want to review what each group is doing. Your focus can be national, local, in-person or remote. There are many viable options to make a difference.
We each need to tailor our Action Plan based on what we can achieve. If you have the logistical bandwidth, and want face to face contacts, read our separate insert on In Person Activism for National Campaigns.
If you are still looking broadly for the right focus, consider the organizations below:
MoveOn Election 2026
MoveOn Election 2026 has four categories for action:
- Candidates
- Events
- Get Involved
- Get Voter Ready
For Candidates, Move On has endorsed three candidates in California: Marni Von Wilpert, Derek Tran, and Randy Villegas. The MoveOn election strategy is to win back the voters who sat out the 2024 election because they did not believe the Democrats would improve their lives. The website lists 43 total candidates endorsed, eleven of which have already won their elections in 2025 or 2026.
Events Map currently does not show on the ground events scheduled for California, but there are Phonebank events for various locations across the country. Suggested local events to be set up include:
- Join or host an election event to volunteer for candidates,
- reach out to voters,
- tailgate parties, and
- showing up at the polls.
Get Involved page links for Local Organizing Groups, Monthly Activist Calls, Volunteer opportunities from your own home.
Get Voter Ready is a potential must use and must share! By filling in name, address and birthdate, you can Check Your Registration Status, Request a Mail in Ballot, Register to Vote, and Find Your Polling Place.
Swing Left West LA
Swing Left is a national organization where people can find their nearest congressional swing district, and associated support activities. In addition to the specifics listed in the “In-Person Activism” section, for areas of Phone banking, Fundraisers, and Letter writing, check the websites for updated opportunities between now and the midterms.
Indivisible
HANDS OFF OUR VOTE is Indivisible’s largest ever election protection program, designed to stop Trump from messing with the Midterm elections.
Checking the INDIVISIBLE website could (should?) become a daily routine between now and the midterms. Using the Mobilize digital platform, updated every day, Indivisible displays available actions in three categories:
- Closest Events this week
- Virtual Events today
- Quick Action for right now
INDIVISIBLE also has a series of Courage Collectives Courage Collectives that are based on
a series of Pillars:
- Business
- Civic
- Education
- Faith
- Healthcare
- Media
- Military/police
- Other
Courage Collectives leverage members’ identities within their pillars to encourage noncooperation with the authoritarian regime. You can search by Pillar or browse All Collectives All Collectives | Indivisible to find your best fit.
As a menu of options, there are many ways for each of us to raise our game and take action.
From Past President Jeff Schwartz:
Dear Readers,
The challenges we face can seem overwhelming, and so can the options to fight back. Where are the best places to put your time and money this campaign season?
Here are some options.
- Local Campaigns
My top suggestion is to directly support candidates and ballot measures you believe in, especially if they are also endorsed by this club. Your money and time will have the greatest impact closest to home. Culver City elections have sometimes been decided by as few as 16 votes and campaign budgets have rarely exceeded $100,000, so every door you knock and dollar you give matters. The donation limit for City Council is $1160, so you can max out for one and a half Stevie tickets. Billionaire Michael Hackman flooded the pool in 2022, spending over $600,000 through various PACs to elect Dan O’Brien, but he is selling off his Culver City properties, so is no longer a local “stakeholder.”
Here are the campaign websites for our local endorsed candidates and propositions. Each features links to donate and volunteer.
- Re-elect Mayor Freddy Puza for Culver City Council
- Thomas Aujero Small for Culver City Council
- Re-elect Triston Ezidore for Culver City School Board
- Re-elect Brian Guerrero for Culver City School Board
- Re-elect Stephanie Loredo for Culver City School Board
- Yes on AA: Parcel Tax for Schools
- Yes on YV: Vote 16
Also consider Marissa Roy, who we have endorsed for LA City Attorney. She will not be on the ballot in Culver City, but obviously what happens in LA significantly affects us. The incumbent, Hydee Feldstein-Soto, failed to make the top-two in the primary. Soto had worked with LA Council Member Traci Park to fight affordable housing, defend exploitative landlords, and protect LAPD’s right to assault protestors and journalists. That NIMBY/landlord/police coalition (which included some of our local Democrats) boosted Park to win outright in the primary. However, in April, Soto’s office inadvertently leaked thousands of confidential LAPD records, leading the Police Protective League to withdraw their endorsement and instead back Deputy District Attorney John McKinney, who took second in the top-two primary. LA now has the chance to replace Soto with Roy: a transformative progressive leader.
- Issue-Based Organizations
Some important local nonprofits, such as Ballona Creek Renaissance and Bike Culver City, are 501(c)(3) organizations, which means they are allowed to advocate for policy changes but not to endorse candidates or ballot measures. Groups can also form under 501(c)(4) which permits more political activity, but then donations are not tax deductible. Some issue-oriented 501(c)(4) groups active in Culver City include:
- Streets for All
- Abundant Housing LA
- California Environmental Voters
- The Sierra Club has both a c3 and c4 – here’s the political branch.
- Equality California
If you want to put your time and money into elevating transit, housing, etc rather than individual candidates, these are good options.
- Local General Organizations
However, there are also a good number of organizations devoted to voter education and to supporting progressives within the Democratic Party. These groups can be important for building coalitions around the intersections of multiple issues which can endure beyond a single candidate’s run:
Note that Working Families Party and DSA are not “third parties” like Peace & Freedom or the Greens. They do not run their own candidates but organize support for Democrats who align with their values.
- State & Federal Campaigns
We are very lucky to have Assembly Member Isaac Bryan, State Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, and Representative Sydney Kamlager as our State and Federal legislators and are proud that they are members of this club. None of them faces a serious challenger this election, but all deserve your support and it is always worth spending time with them and their teams.
The state races likely to be heavily contested include Insurance Commissioner, where we have endorsed Jane Kim, who is running on a transformative platform of public disaster insurance for all, and several tax propositions:
- Yes on 3: Maintains State Income Tax Rate on Top 2%
- Yes on 40: One-time 5% Wealth Tax on Billionaires. Propositions 41 & 42 would negate 40, so this is a three-in-one campaign.
- No on 43: Would require a ⅔ vote to create or raise local taxes, starving local services
- National General Organizations
Maybe you are inspired to support Abdul, Talarico, Ossof, or another exciting Democrat in another state. You can send them money directly, but maybe you also want to be part of the national Democratic resistance. Through national branches and affiliates of the organizations our editor mentions above, there are opportunities to participate in remote phone banking.
However you choose to spend your time this campaign season, you will be connecting with your neighbors and allies, building real-world social networks. Watch your email for our weekly Campaign Calendar, listing opportunities to organize and socialize!