California Democratic Council

The California Democratic Council (CDC), a federation of local volunteer clubs, was established in 1953; under the direction of founding president Alan Cranston, the CDC was able to balance its electoral and legislative goals; CDC endorsements and campaign support led to the first full statewide slate of Democrats in 40 years (1954) and also figured prominently in the election of Edmund G. "Pat" Brown as CA governor in 1958; as the CDC's focus became increasingly ideological, tensions led to a steady decline in its membership and presence in CA politics; membership peaked at 75,000 in 1964.

Biography

The California Democratic Council (CDC), a federation of local volunteer clubs, was established in 1953; under the direction of founding president Alan Cranston, the CDC was able to balance its electoral and legislative goals; CDC endorsements and campaign support led to the first full statewide slate of Democrats in 40 years (1954) and also figured prominently in the election of Edmund G. Pat Brown as California governor in 1958; as the CDC's focus became increasingly ideological, tensions led to a steady decline in its membership and presence in California politics; membership peaked at 75,000 in 1964.

Historical Note

The California Democratic Council is a voluntary affiliation of local activist Democratic Party clubs, formed in 1953 by individuals interested in improving the status of the Party in California. The Council was one of the first Democratic Party groups to recognize a gay caucus (1972). A gay caucus was recognized within the official structure of the California Democratic Party in 1977.

Organizational History

The California Democratic Council (CDC) was founded in 1953 by a group of concerned Democrats. They were galvanized by State Senator George Miller, Jr., who called a meeting in Asilomar to discuss "What's wrong with the Democratic Party in California." In the early 1950s, even though the majority of California voters were registered Democrats, there had only been one Democratic Governor in the 20th Century and the Republicans held the majority in both houses of the Legislature, and a total of 111 out of the 162 elective, partisan offices in the state. The CDC was created as a link between the volunteer democratic clubs and district councils, and the official party structure (State and County Central Committees and elected officials). Besides encouraging membership in the local clubs, one of the CDC's primary responsibilities was to arrange for pre-primary endorsements of candidates (which the Central Committees were not allowed to do). This was needed to cut down on problems caused by the cross-filing of Republican candidates in Democratic primaries and divisive primary campaigns that carried over to the general election and allowed the Republican candidate to win the seat.

The CDC's first convention was held, November 1953, in Fresno. Alan Cranston (later State Controller and then U.S. Senator from California) was elected the first President, serving until 1957. The CDC began seeing improvements immediately, and, by 1958, there were more than 500 local clubs with almost 40,000 members, and even more importantly the Democrats had gained dominance in elected positions, in many cases reversing the 1952 numbers: eleven Democratic to 29 Republican State Senators in 1952 to 28 Democrats and 12 Republicans in 1958. For statewide offices the numbers switched from 2 Democrats and 10 Republicans in 1952 to 10 Democrats and 2 Republicans by 1958.

In 1957 the CDC organized a Resolutions Committee to increase the grass-roots influence on party platforms and policies and in 1959 held the first "full-blown" issues conference as the center of the annual convention, where small groups "discussed topics ranging from nuclear fission to election reform law." This successful format was repeated in 1960, while the 1961 convention focused on "Organization." Club membership and convention attendance continued to increase into the early 1960s (with 60,000 members and 2300 delegates in 1962); convention attendance began to decrease in the later 1960s.

The CDC was involved in a number of civil rights issues: promoting Black and Brown Caucuses, pressing the president in 1963 to appoint Mexican-Americans to government positions, calling for the seating of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party Delegation at the 1964 Democratic National Convention, and direct and economic support of Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers in 1966. The CDC also took a stand on the Vietnam War, calling for a "political settlement" in 1965. After President Johnson failed to remove US troops by September 1967, the CDC held a Special Convention in Long Beach where they decided to run a Peace and Equality Slate. CDC President Joseph Wyatt is credited with being instrumental in convincing Eugene McCarthy to join the 1968 Presidential race. Martin Luther King Jr., graced the 1968 Convention with a speech just three weeks before his assassination. The CDC's Women's Caucus started in 1968 and the CDC was one of the first Democratic groups to recognize a Gay Caucus (1972). In 1969 the board of directors added five positions, giving representation to women, youth, labor, Black and Brown caucuses. However, it was not until 1975 that a woman (Wallace Albertson) was elected CDC President. Albertson served until 1981.

The CDC has remained active over the years as the progressive voice in Democratic Party politics. In 2001 they honored the memory of their first President Alan Cranston at the annual dinner at the May convention.