LACDP Intern

Los Angeles County Democratic Party

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Los Angeles County Democratic Party
Chairperson	Mark Gonzalez
Headquarters	533 S. Fremont Avenue, Suite 410 Los Angeles, CA 90071
Website
https://www.lacdp.org/
Politics of United States Political parties Elections

The Los Angeles County Democratic Party (LACDP) is one of the California Democratic Party county committees. It acts as the official governing body of the Democratic Party in the county of Los Angeles. The county committee is headquartered in Downtown Los Angeles.

The essence of LACDP’s mission is to encourage the fullest possible participation of all Democratic voters and to disseminate the Democratic message, platform and philosophy. It is responsible for building the Party organization at the district, regional, and county levels; registering Democratic voters; and encouraging Election Day turn out among Democratic voters.

The LACDP serves 2.8 million registered democrats in the 88 cities and unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County making it the largest local Democratic Party entity in the country.

The LACDP is currently chaired by Mark J. Gonzales.

Membership

Membership on the Los Angeles County Democratic Party is determined by the by-laws of the LACDP. These members make up the official governing body of the Democratic Party in Los Angeles County:

Elected Members

Seven members who are elected from each Assembly District of Los Angeles County during Presidential Primary Elections.

Appointed Members

Elected Members who are appointed to fill a vacancy to one of the seven elected seats in an Assembly District voted by the  Membership of that Assembly District.

Ex-Officio Members

Those who serve on LACDP by the virtue of holding a city or statewide office if registered as a Democrat in Los Angeles County, list includes:

Incumbent officeholders for: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, State Treasurer, State Controller, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Insurance Commissioner, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Members of the State Board of Equalization, Members of the State Legislature, Members of the United States Senate, Members of the United States House of Representatives

• The Highest Finishing Democrat in the last general election for those offices referenced above
• County Sheriff, County District Attorney, County Assessor, and Members of the County Board of Supervisors
• Statewide Chairs or Presidents of official or chartered statewide Democratic Party Organizations
• Members of the Democratic National Committee
• State Officers of the California Democratic Party
• Assembly District Representatives to the Executive Board of the California Democratic Party, and
• The Chair of LACDP at the expiration of the immediately preceding term of office for elected members
• The Treasurer of LACDP (appointed)
• The Legal Counsel of LACDP (appointed)

Alternate Members  

Any Regular Member in good standing may appoint an Alternate Member, subject to the approval of LACDP, who serve at the member’s pleasure.

Associate Members

A Democratic Club chartered by LACDP may designate an Associate Member. The LACDP Chair may also nominate Associate Members. The designations/nominations are subject to ratification of the LACDP Policy Committee. They are non-voting members.

Organization

The Los Angeles County Democratic Party is organized into 17 standing committees: Ballot Measures, Budget, Campaign Services, Candidate Interview, Credentials, Community Outreach, Election Protection & Oversight, Finance, Events, Judicial Interview, Labor, Legislative Action, Organizational Chartering & Development, Program & Education, Resolutions, Rules & Legal, and Voter Registration & Development.

Committee Breakdown

Committee	Responsibility
Ballot Measures	Conducts research, analyses, hearings, and deliberations on statewide and local ballot measures; presents recommendations on ballot measure positions for LACDP consideration
Budget	Assists in drafting the LACDP annual budget
Campaign Services	Serves as an advisory body on campaign strategies
Candidate Interview	Conducts candidate endorsement recommendation process (i.e., candidate questionnaires and interviews) for countywide offices, City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Unified School District, Los Angeles Community College District, and election jurisdictions covering over four Assembly Districts; presents recommendations on candidate endorsement positions for LACDP consideration
Credentials	Responsible for credentialing and member registration process at LACDP meetings
Community Outreach	Work with community organizations to create community service opportunities for LACDP members and Democrats across Los Angeles County
Election Protection & Oversight	Serves as an oversight and advisory body on election integrity, voter rights, and voter protection issues
Finance	Responsible for finance development, including donor research, outreach, and fundraising efforts
Events	Responsible for organizing the two annual LACDP fundraisers: the John F. Kennedy “Profiles in Courage” Awards Reception in the spring and the Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt “Democrat of the Year” Awards Dinner in the summer
Judicial Interview	Conducts candidate endorsement recommendation process (i.e., candidate questionnaires and interviews) for judicial offices; presents recommendations on candidate endorsement positions for LACDP consideration
Labor	Advises LACDP on labor issues and labor advocacy actions
Legislative Action	Works with legislators and legislative offices to conduct research, analyses, and deliberations on legislation to create a list of recommended priority legislation for LACDP consideration; advocate on behalf of LACDP priority legislation
Organizational Chartering & Development	Charter Democratic clubs, organizations, and political action committees in Los Angeles County in adherence to the California Elections Code; develop new Democratic clubs/organizations
Program & Education	Develop special programs on topical issues for LACDP meetings and events, such as speakers or issue presentations
Resolutions	Conduct research, analyses, hearings, and deliberations on resolutions submitted to LACDP; present recommendations on resolutions for LACDP consideration
Rules & Legal	Serve as the authority on the by-laws and rules governing LACDP; presents recommendations on by-laws amendments for LACDP consideration
Voter Registration & Development	Creates and implements voter registration strategic plan; conduct voter registration at special events including at every naturalization ceremony in Los Angeles County

Endorsements

The Los Angeles County Democratic Party issues endorsements in local and municipal candidate races, including Los Angeles County offices, Los Angeles City offices, Los Angeles Unified School District offices, and Los Angeles Community College District offices. These endorsements become the official endorsements of the California Democratic Party. The LACDP also takes positions on local and statewide ballot measures.

The LACDP Candidate Interview Committee and Ballot Measure Committee oversee the endorsement process.