Message from our AADC President Bex Campbell

What Are We Offering?

As I scurried around my house tending to the long list of chores I’d neglected to do all week, I

did what I normally do and caught up with my favorite podcasts. One of my favorite podcasts for the last year or so is The Bulwark, which is now hosted by Tim Miller. If you’ve never listened, you should give it a try.

Tim is a former Republican political staffer and self-proclaimed “never Trumper” and in my opinion an excellent podcast host. The episode I listened to welcomed Beto O’Rourke, former U.S. House Representative (D) from Texas and dedicated activist and advocate for democracy. Like most of the conversations on this podcast they talked about what’s in the news, what the guest is working on, and the insanity we are all living through. In the context of part of the conversation around where Democrats are falling short and missing the mark with the population at large Beto said, “what are we offering?” Meaning, what are we as Democrats offering when we say we can lead this country; why should people choose us? Let’s talk about it.

When we ask people to vote for a Democrat, we are asking them to look at who we are and what we value and we are hoping that aligns with who they are and what they value. But that doesn’t describe or explain what we offer. I actually think Pete Buttigieg, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation, explained it really well in a recent interview where he ran through the average day in the life of an American and spoke of how he hoped people experienced it.

Pete said he wanted you to have affordable transportation to your job, a job that pays you well. If you want to have a baby, he wants you to have access to parental leave. If you don’t want a child, he wants you to have access to family planning resources and the right to use those as you see fit. Pete went on to say if you have children, he wants that school to be a good one that educates your kid well. He wants you to come home from work to a safe neighborhood where the air is clear and the water is clean. And lastly he wants each person to be able to determine what their family looks like. And all I can think is; same. This is what I want for everyone. This is what most Democrats want for ourselves and our neighbors; this is what we offer when we say we want to lead. We want people to live comfortably and safely in a life of their own design. We want people to be successful and feel safe and not have to worry. We want to put policies and systems in place that allow each of us to live these kinds of lives. This is what we offer.

Have we always been good at putting this into practice? Nope, we’ve struggled. Setting up systems and writing policies that support all of this can be complex and sometimes we’ve gotten lost in the details. That doesn’t mean it’s not a worthy endeavor or a fool-hearted one. It means we keep going, our goals haven’t yet been achieved. It means we loop in more people, more

voices, to co-create more ideas. It means we collaborate and set smaller milestones and explain to folks the steps that will need to happen to get us where we want to be. Always keeping in mind, the famous saying attributed to Voltaire “we should never let perfect be the enemy of good." It means building a system that supports the complexity and beauty of the lives of all the

folks in the United States is an epic undertaking, AND Democrats are ready.

Engaging with Sierra College Students in these Turbulent Times

By: Leslie Moonshine

Students continue to flock to our table for surveys, snacks, swag, and discussion. Our surveys are the key to our engagement with students, and the current administration provides no end of controversial actions for us to use as survey topics!

In recent surveys we have tried to ascertain both student awareness of key issues and their thinking about them. One survey asked students about that week’s top news stories, including the Signalgate scandal, Elon’s efforts to influence the Wisconsin Supreme Court election, and massive layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Welfare. Another survey asked for students’ thinking on Trump “pronouncements,” like claiming Greenland and developing Gaza into a resort! Another focused on the controversial Trump tariffs.

We average 40-50 participants per visit. A number of students are our regulars, those who eagerly come by each time to see what the day’s survey topic will be. These students are often very politically aware and engaged. Some are from conservative families and appreciate having like-minded older adults to engage with in discussion. Most lean Democratic, though are registered as No Party Preference (NPP).

Many of the younger students are still developing their personal political views. A few of them are very independent thinkers! There are also conservative students who come by to take the survey and share their views. These are often the most interesting and impactful discussions we have with students.

With all our interactions, we strive to model healthy and respectful civic debate and provide a safe space for students to share their views. We also encourage evaluation of information and consulting reliable sources. We help students tune in to the world around them and stay abreast of political news. Ultimately, we hope to aid them in finding their voice, and ultimately, casting their vote! Lately, we’ve helped several students become more active by directing them to rallies, the 5 calls app, and more. (We even ran into one of our “regulars” at the Bernie & AOC rally!)

Though we’ve registered very few students this semester, we continue to provide information on how to check one’s registration, register on line, or re-register if the student has moved. (We have business size cards with a QR code that takes them to the California Secretary of State website.) And, of course, we’re ready and able to help them register in person if they choose!

For Sierra College Earth Day festivities on Thursday, April 24, we joined the Placer Action Network (PAN) to make “seed bursts” with students and encourage them to Burst into Action! Robert Sherriff, our Tuesday team lead, will also educate students on the importance of Mason bees in their gardens, complete with example “bee houses.” (Due to this special day, we were not be on campus either April 22^nd or 23^rd.) Look for the full report in next month’s newsletter! 

We have only a few weeks left to our campus visits for this school year. (Please help us make sure Sierra students have nourishment for their final exams by bringing your food donations to our May 1 monthly AADC meeting. We will make one final delivery to the Basic Needs Pantry on May 7.) We do not conduct outreach during the summer semester because of the scarcity of on-campus students and the often-brutal heat! Instead, we will rest up in anticipation of a busy fall season and the beginning of the 2026 election cycle.

SAVE THE DATE!

Join us for the return of the AADC Picnic & BBQ in the park! 

This family friendly event will be held on June 29 at Recreation Park in Auburn. Start time is 4PM. 

There will be good food, games, friends, and laughter! We will also hold a Silent Auction to help us reach our 2025 fundraising goal. Several wonderful prizes have already been donated, but we need more! Do you have something to contribute? (New items only, please), We are also looking for people who would like to donate a “service,” such as a home-cooked meal, a ride to the airport, or some special skill. (You can contact us via info@auburnareademocrats.com or come by AADC headquarters during Coffee & Conversation from 10 – 1 every Friday.)

And, of course, putting on such an event requires many helping hands! Are you a grill master? Do you love to decorate? Or maybe you’ve been hitting the gym and are willing to do the physical work helping to set up and clean up/tear down? We will have sign up sheets at the May 1 monthly meeting. Working together, we can make sure AADC is well-funded as we carry out the hard work of standing up for our Democracy!

More information will be coming soon.

Support Local Nonprofits

That Match Your Values

Wondering what you can do as an individual to help make our community safer, stronger, and more resilient? Consider making a donation to the local nonprofits that match your values. Help our local economy and our community. 

Big Day of Giving is an annual 24-hour giving event that benefits nonprofits in El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo counties. You can search on their site for local nonprofits.  

The Big Day of Giving is May 1. 



P.S. Support our local restaurants, and buy local😊

Article Headin

Friday's for Future Rally



Every Friday from noon - 1pm

Auburn City Hall

Coffee & Conversation Meet-Up



Every Friday from 10am - 1pm

Auburn HQ

Every person who stands up to the Trump regime’s lawlessness and cruelty summons others to do the same.

Every prominent politician who stands up to Trump’s tyranny invites other politicians to stand up to it.

Every institutional leader who defies Trump’s orders encourages other institutional leaders to defy similar orders.

When Harvard has the courage to say no to Trump, leaders of other universities are fortified to do the same. When law firms such as Perkins Coie and Williams & Connolly stand up to his tyranny, they make it easier for other firms to join them.

It is not that America lacks courage. It is just that we’ve become so cut off from one another — so atomized and isolated — that many of us feel alone. That loneliness makes us feel vulnerable and fearful.

Likewise, the leaders of many of our institutions — universities, law firms, museums, media — are so disconnected from one another that they fear their institutions are vulnerable to Trump’s tyranny.

But when all of us are surrounded by courageous people and brave institutional leaders, all of us become more courageous. We gain strength from the courage of others.

The lesson of history is that tyrants cannot be appeased. Appeasement only feeds their insatiable hunger for power.

Tyrants prey on people who feel unsafe and vulnerable. That’s the attraction of Trumpism — offering a false sense of security and inclusion. That’s what Hitler offered as well, and Stalin, and all the other “strongmen” in history — who ended up murdering millions.

But without mass submission, a tyrant is powerless.

As we resist Trump’s tyranny, America gains solidarity.

As we gain solidarity, we feel more courageous.

As we feel courageous and stand up to Trump, we weaken him and his regime.

As we weaken Trump and his regime, we have less to fear.

PRESIDENT 

Bex Campbell

VICE PRESIDENT 

Neva Parker

TREASURER 

Gail Bartlow

SECRETARY 

Leslie Moonshine

REPRESENTATIVE TO THE PLACER COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY 

Susan Roughgarden

FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE CHAIR 

Vacant

EVENTS COMMITTEE CHAIR 

Dorian Seamster

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE CHAIR 

Sandy Floyd

COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE CO-CHAIRS 

Julann Brown and Susan Roughgarden

VOTER REGISTRATION & OUTREACH COMMITTEE CO-CHAIRS

Gail Bartlow and Sandy Floyd