Town Hall Forum Will Bring Democrats Together at Community Center

Worried that the state’s new primary election law will shut out Democrats in East County, the local Democratic Club is holding a Town Hall Forum on Wednesday to discuss this and other issues.

“Not only will the [district] lines as we know them no longer exist next year, but more races for the state Legislature and Congress will be competitive,” writes Jess Durfee in the March edition of The Progressive Voice—newsletter of the La Mesa-Foothills Democratic Club.

Durfee, co-chairman of the state party’s Voter Services Committee, will help lead the forum at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the La Mesa Community Center on Memorial Drive.

This is one of a series of forums for San Diego County Democrats, said the newsletter.

“Our county party has progressed dramatically each year by every measurable standard,” Durfee said.

But local Democrats note “only one of the 36 potential redistricting commissioners [in the new reapportionment system] is from San Diego County,” said the newsletter.

Moreover, the new primary system could eliminate East County Democrats from the 2012 November election, said the club.

“Under the new provisions [of the open primary system] the top two vote-getters in the June primary election will face off in November,” the club said. “This means that Democratic voters in East County would have to choose from two Republicans!”

The club includes members from La Mesa, Mount Helix, San Carlos and the San Diego State University area of San Diego, and is led by president Linda Armacost.