At last night’s slightly unusual election meeting in the Rotunda Room of the Vets Auditorium, many or most of the 60-plus members looked as if they had celebrated 60-plus birthdays. Mr. Valtierra, a full generation younger, may have demonstrated a locutional gap with the senior Culver City Dems when he talked about his motivation for attracting younger Progressives. “For the sake of long-term sustainability,” he said. Now there is a phrase foreign to older members.
Profiling the Prez
A 44-year-old magna cum laude graduate of Harvard University where he majored in visual and environmental studies, Mr. Valtierra, a family man, is a computer consultant. He has owned his own business, Valtierra & Associates, for the past 14 years, the length of time the mid-Wilshire native has lived in Culver City. He was elected by acclamation, along with the rest of the slate selected by the Nominating Committee chaired by Laura Stuart. Ms. Stuart herself is a pretty busy person. She is the chair and the face of this year’s renewal of the weeklong community celebration Fiesta La Ballona in August. Along with Mr. Valtierra, the new year’s roster of officers stars Ronnie Jayne as First Vice President, Brenda Williams as Second Vice President, Lee Welinsky as Recording Secretary, Eric Fine as Treasurer and Diane Rosenberg as Membership Secretary. That still leaves one opening, for Recording Secretary.
’05 Was a Little Noisier
The calmness and harmony of last night sharply contrasted with the most fiercely contested election in the half-century of Democratic Club history two years ago. On a memorable January evening in ’05, the ticket of Darryl Cherness, son of a founding member, and Tom Camarella defeated the team of incumbent President Gerald Sallus and City Councilman Alan Corlin. Here is how The Front Page described the scene: “It may be weeks before the somewhat new leadership of the Democratic Club can tally the wreckage and determine how many angry members have carried out their Election Night threats to resign over the way (the) heavily attended meeting was run.”
The Outgoing Chief
Mr. Valtierra succeeds as President the high-powered Mr. Camarella, who brought unprecedented dosages of spectacular energy and showmanship to each of the last 12 monthly meetings. At 60 years old, Mr. Camarella may be almost a generation older than his successor, but he showed long dormant Dem Club members that he still possesses more pep than two or three 20-year-olds combined. Unlike his successor, Mr. Camarella is a lifer in politics. Politics has been his day job and night-time job.
The New President’s Program
Having consulted with the well-connected Chris Stampolis, president of the California Democratic Council and past president of the California Young Democrats, Mr. Valtierra would like to associate Culver City Dems with the Young Dems, where the age limit is 30. Confronting the prospect of aging Democrats plagues community clubs all over the state, Mr. Valtierra said. He understands why younger Progressives aren’t involved because he was outside the circle when he was their age. He just wasn’t interested in politics. Now he is. But the Loyola High School alum hastened to add that he didn’t join the Democratic Club to be an officer. He said he only wanted to make a difference as a participating member.
