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No April fooling, we have two great speakers for our next meeting!
John Saludes, a retired Forensic Accountant and Chair of the Nevada Gun Safety Coalition Legislative Committee, works diligently to advance common sense gun safety policies to save lives and reduce injuries. In 2014 he successfully gathered signatures to qualify the Background Check Ballot Initiative which passed in the 2016 election. That initiative was signed into law at the start of the 2019 Legislative session by Governor Sisolak and will become effective in January 2020.
Sharon Zadra, a former Reno City Council member, will address affordable housing in the Truckee Meadows. She has a great historical perspective and an informative presentation on community housing issues and how we can get involved.
John and Sharon will be happy to answer our questions. Please join us!
There is no admission charge. Our meetings start at 5:30 p.m. with a social time where we serve light appetizers. Donations are welcome to cover the cost of appetizers. Please invite your friends as we welcome both new and long time members to our meetings. We look forward to seeing you!
Our monthly meeting date is the first MONDAY of the month.
SAVE the DATE: Monday, May 6th for our next meeting at the South Valleys Library on Wedge Parkway.
To suggest future topics, please email Carol Cooke and Kathy Peltier.
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Why should you participate in South WashoeDEMS?
Now that most bills have been introduced in the 80th (2019) Nevada Legislative Session, did you know you have an opportunity to express your opinion in favor of or in opposition to bills? You can also provide comments to support your opinion. Constituent sentiment is valuable input to our legislators as they gather information for their decision making.
You will be taken to the 'Share Your Opinion with Your Legislators' page. Note that constituent contact information is entered on this page, but will NOT be made public. Legislators read their constituents' comments and may contact them for additional feedback.
If you are interested in tracking the progress of your bills of interest, refer to NELIS, the Nevada Electronic Legislative Information System. Soon the South Washoe DEMS will issue weekly Legislative Alerts which will report the progress of specific bills that are of interest to us. If you receive our Action Alerts, then you are automatically enrolled in our Legislative Alerts. To enroll in our Alerts, check out the Alerts!!! section below and click on the "I'm In! Sign me Up!" button.
When we had our last Neighborhood Gathering article in the September 2018 Newsletter, our organizer for these gatherings, Suzy Williams, told us to volunteer and think BLUE. Many of us were able to do as Suzy suggested to support the mid-terms: made phone calls, knocked on doors, hosted events, organized canvassing, housed out of state workers and much more. We know our collective efforts proved positive in the mid-term NV elections.
To celebrate our WIN in November, South Washoe DEMS members Paula and Jordan Paust hosted a gathering of Democratic neighbors from the precincts in the ArrowCreek neighborhood. Some had volunteered in 2018, some supported the volunteers, and others supported the Democratic party. At the gathering, not only was the 2018 win celeBrated (see the misspelled CELEBRATE on the cake), but guests were all energized for the work to be done for 2020. We appreciate the Pausts' efforts to show appreciation for volunteers and to keep the Blue Nevada momentum going!
The Leadership Academy collaborates with WashoeDEMS to recruit, train and mentor Assembly District Coordinators, Area Coordinators and Precinct Leaders in Washoe County. The Leadership Academy is coordinated by a core leadership team comprised of Kit Prendergast, Sandy Scott, Mary DeLaMare & Peter Barber.
If you are interested in a leadership role in your precinct please contact Sandy Scott by email at or (775) 378-1545. Once accepted as a precinct leader you will be invited to attend an upcoming training cycle which consists of three training modules (total 9 hours) held over three weeks.
The next Academy training cycle begins on Friday morning, April 5th 8:30 - 11:30 am at Rounds Bakery, 294 E. Moana, Reno, for three consecutive Fridays April 5th, 12th & 19th. The training is provided at no cost and each Precinct Captain must complete the three training modules to graduate.
We are committed to long-term neighborhood engagement and activism and welcome your involvement!
The Democratic Party of Washoe County will hold an election for Executive Board positions at 5:30 PM, on Tuesday, April 2, 2019, at Pine Middle School, 4800 Neil Road in Reno. Election rules, nomination forms and candidate information can be found at this link. Note that only members of the Washoe County Democratic Central Committee may vote in the election, and you must be present to vote.
Our optional e-mail Alerts program has been in operation since March 2017.
Our Action Alerts announce upcoming upcoming rallies, marches, meetings or other important issues that need quick action.
Legislative Alerts will be sent weekly during the 2019 Nevada Legislative Session. We will report the status of bills we consider particularly important as they progress through the Legislative process. The alerts will also report activity for the upcoming week.
Our next meeting will be on Thursday, March 28, 2019 at 6:00 pm hosted by Fred and Millie May. They live in the Damonte Rancha neighborhood at 2455 Makenna Drive. If you need directions, please call 870-6810.
Our next book is The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis.
If there are dangerous fools in this book, there are also heroes, unsung, of course. They are the linchpins of the system―those public servants whose knowledge, dedication, and pro-activity keep the machinery running. Michael Lewis finds them, and he asks them what keeps them up at night.
The book is available in hardback and audio from your local or online bookstores..
Please email the Mays for updates or details. For more information about our current book, a list of articles, and past books we have reviewed, visit our Book Club webpage.