California Donor Table Moves $5 Million to Back Organizations and Candidates Committed to Serving California's Majority of Color

By investing in building power in Black communities and other communities of color, the funder network is advancing a powerful progressive agenda

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California Donor Table

Sep 29, 2020, 14:33 ET

OAKLAND, Calif., Sept. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- California Donor Table announced today that it is moving $5 million ahead of the November elections in progressive candidates and community organizations committed to building long-term power for Black, Indigenous, Latinx and Asian and Pacific Islander communities.

"With 12 percent of the U.S. population and the sixth largest economy in the world, California has a responsibility to lead the nation to ensure progressive policies that work for all communities," said Ludovic Blain, executive director of California Donor Table. "To build a truly progressive California, we must harness the current widespread wave of anti-racist sentiment to invest together in organizations and leaders that reflect and represent the full diversity of our residents."

In the wake of ongoing racial justice protests and wide spread anti-racist sentiment, the donor table is marshalling financial and political power to back leaders in progressive races committed to racial justice in action, not just words.

"We can only uproot white supremacy in California's political system if donors direct their money toward candidates and initiatives that will directly improve the lives of Black and other communities of color," said founding donor table member Quinn Delaney. "I encourage donors to join us to fight systemic racism and ensure that our elected officials prioritize the rights of California's communities of color."

Among the key priorities and races for the donor table:

LA District Attorney George Gascon: California Donor Table is investing in Imagine Justice Los Angeles to elect George Gascón as the next Los Angeles District Attorney. Imagine Justice Los Angeles is a coalition of faith based, community, and labor organizations working to build a more just and fair Los Angeles. The coalition includes SEIU Local 99 (Education Workers United), LA Voice Action, Community Coalition Action Fund, Color of Change PAC, Korean Resource Center Action Fund, and SEIU USWW. Los Angeles County is home to the largest jail system and one of the worst District Attorneys in the country. George Gascón has a proven track record of reducing crime and holding police accountable.

LA Board of Supervisors Holly Mitchell: California Donor Table is supporting Senator Holly Mitchell, known as the moral compass of the state legislature, in her run for the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors. California Donor Table has invested into Working Families for Holly Mitchell for LA County Supervisor, which is anchored by LA Voice Action, Council on American-Islamic Relations Action, Planned Parenthood Advocacy Project Los Angeles County Action Fund, New Way of Life Freedom Project, and Sierra Club California, and led by people of color from the district.

Adelanto City Council: California Donor Table is investing in I.E. United and Working Families Party to elect JayShawn Johnson, a San Bernardino native running for the Adelanto City Council, located in the High Desert of the Inland Empire. Like Adelanto councilmember Stevevonna Edwards, Johnson has been a vocal opponent of the 750-bed GEO immigrant detention facility located in Adelanto, as well as its proposed expansion. California Donor Table grantees I.E. United and Working Families Party are supporting his candidacy.

San Diego Board of Supervisors: California Donor Table is investing in Alliance San Diego Mobilization Fund, which is supporting Terra Lawson-Remer. Lawson-Remer is facing a Republican incumbent who is a strong supporter of Donald Trump. An additional race between progressive Democrat, Nora Vargas, and a business Democrat will shape the new board. These two elections will determine whether San Diego, California's second largest county with its second largest city, has a Republican majority aligned with Trump, or a solid Democratic progressive majority.

Antioch City Council: California Donor Table is investing in Lift Up Contra Costa Action and Tamisha Walker, co-founder and Executive Director of The Safe Return Project. Walker is running for the Antioch City Council District 1. She is a recipient of the Contra County Board of Supervisors' 2020 Humanitarian of the Year Award, a member of the Contra Costa Racial Justice Task Force, and a co-founder of Lift Up Contra Costa Action (LUCCA). The table's donors are funding LUCCA to support several candidates in Contra Costa, including Walker.

Originally called the Progressive Era Project, the California Donor Table began in 2005 with five donors from three families. Combining political strategy with community organizing and training, the project aimed to develop and support Black, Latinx, and Asian Pacific Islander progressive leaders, organizations and candidates. To date, the table has invested and aligned approximately $30 million over 15 years. It has financially supported 57 candidates (75 percent people of color, 51 percent women, 42 percent women of color, 23 percent Latina women, 14 percent Black women).

About the California Donor Table
The California Donor Table is a statewide community of donors who pool their funds to make investments in communities of color so they have the power and resources they need to (1) elect people who represent their values and needs and (2) help govern and hold decision-makers accountable. California Donor Table believes that California can and must lead the nation in becoming a healthy, just place to live with shared economic success and a democracy that works for all our people. Please visit: californiadonortable.org

SOURCE California Donor Table