The antidote to the horror show that was the Republican Convention will be the grand opening of the Pacific Palisades Democratic Club’s new 2012 Westside Democratic Headquarters on the third floor at 1408 Third Street Promenade, just south of Santa Monica Blvd. on September 6.

A public ribbon-cutting ceremony and convention-watching party will run from 4:30–8pm, following an Organizing for America – CA open house from 12 – 5pm. Congressman Henry Waxman, Santa Monica Mayor Richard Bloom, L.A. City Controller Wendy Greuel, and L.A. Deputy Mayor for Neighborhood & Community Services Torie Osborn are expected to be present.

The evening is co-hosted by OFA-CA, which is subleasing space at the headquarters and will hold daily phone banks and other “Get Out The Vote” activities there between now and Election Day. The West L.A. Democratic Club is also lending support, and other local clubs may come on board as well.

The September 6 grand opening is set to coincide with the climax of this year’s Democratic Convention, at which President Obama will accept the party’s nomination as candidate for re-election in November. Guests will be served food and beverages, hear live speeches from the pols on hand, and watch the evening’s convention speeches on one of several multiple widescreen TVs in the headquarters.

“We are thrilled to have found such a great space for our 2012 PPDC Westside Democratic Headquarters, and plan to re-create the tremendous accomplishments of the Palisades Dem Club’s 2008 HQ on Wilshire and 9th in Santa Monica.Although our club is based in the Palisades, we have many members who live in Santa Monica, Brentwood, and Malibu, and wanted a central, visible, well-trafficked location to draw in as many volunteers as possible,” PPDC president Melissa Grant said.

“The Third Street Promenade is the perfect spot for an OFA – CA office,” Jane Crist, Neighborhood Team Leader, Organizing for America, said. “In 2008, the Obama team’s efforts at Wilshire and 9th put that field office among the top-performing phone banks in both the state and the country, with tens of thousands of persuasion and Get Out The Vote calls placed daily.

“Being located in a world-famous spot in one of Santa Monica’s busiest commercial districts will expose us to a multitude of potential volunteers and supporters, and we’re confident we can duplicate the successes of 2008,” Crist added.

The 2012 office opened and began conducting campaign business last Wednesday. It will be open seven days a week through Election Day, 10am to 9pm (though some days may go longer or shorter). While the primary focus will be on the re-election of the Obama/Biden ticket, PPDC will also focus on helping state and local Democratic candidates and on passage or defeat of the various ballot propositions on the November ballot.

In addition to phone banking and Get Out The Vote operations, the PPDC Westside Democratic Headquarters will be a hub for organizing bus trips to Nevada or other nearby swing states, as was the case in 2008.

Longtime PPDC board member Gary M.Bettman, instrumental every four years in the search for and management of a Santa Monica headquarters, is spearheading the effort to offer what aspires to be the Westside’s largest brick-and-mortar selection of Obama/Biden and other campaign memorabilia at the Promenade HQ.

He says, “We’ll have an even bigger selection than in 2008, with buttons, bumper stickers, lawn signs, and an array of interesting election-related merchandise to choose from.”

Besides the grand opening convention-watching party on September 6, PPDC will also host public viewing parties for each of the three scheduled presidential debates and the vice-presidential debate as follows:

First presidential debate: Wednesday, October 3, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado. Moderator: Jim Lehrer, Executive Editor of the PBS NewsHour

Vice presidential debate: Thursday, October 11, Centre College, Danville, KY, Moderator: Martha Raddatz, Senior Foreign Affairs Correspondent, ABC News

Second presidential debate (town meeting format): Tuesday, October 16, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY, Moderator: Candy Crowley, Chief Political Correspondent, CNN and Anchor, CNN’s State of the Union

Third presidential debate: Monday, October 22, Lynn University, Boca Raton, FL, Moderator: Bob Schieffer, Chief Washington Correspondent, CBS News and Moderator, Face the Nation

All debates will take place from 9 – 10:30 pm Eastern Time.

Other activities and events are in the works, but the central mission of the headquarters is to provide space for volunteers and campaign officials to come together to fight for Democratic victories on Election Day.

www.palisadesdemclub.org
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info@palisadesdemclub.org / 310-230-2084
PPDC Promenade HQ: hq@palisadesdemclub.org / 310-395-0155