North Texas Asian Democrats

As many of you know, I spend a great deal of time and effort vetting Democratic Primary candidates. Save for one precinct chair contest, the only race on the Democratic Runoff ballot in Dallas County is that for Dallas County Sheriff. We have the rare opportunity to choose between two candidates who have both served in the office they seek. I urge you to join me in voting for Lupe Valdez.

Lupe was first elected in 2004 when running countywide as a Democrat was a risky bet. I first met her shortly after that historic victory. Lupe inherited a mess when she took office in 2005 and I was most impressed by the tremendous strides she made over the next thirteen years. In 2018, she answered the call when our Party needed a candidate to run for Governor. Now, it's time for her to finish the job she started almost twenty years ago.

Early voting begins tomorrow, Monday, May 20th and run through next Friday, May 24th from 7:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. Election Day is Tuesday, May 28th. Not all vote centers will be utilized for this election, so find the one most convenient to you at dallascountyvotes.org.


Susan Bradley
State Democratic Executive Committeewoman
Senate District 16
[email protected]
Cell: (214) 718-5808

At the 2022 Texas Democratic Party Convention in Dallas, we voted to organize by Congressional Districts rather then Senate Districts. As a result, Congressional District Conventions are scheduled for Saturday, March 23rd. If you reside in Senate District 16, you may be in any of the six Congressional Districts in Dallas County. Convention locations are:

CD 5: Rowlett Community Center
CD 6 and 33: Dallas College Northlake Campus
CD 24: Dallas College Brookhaven Campus
CD 30: Dallas College Cedar Valley Campus
CD 32: Richardson ISD Administration Building

Registration for all six conventions will open at 9:00 A.M. and all are scheduled to convene at 10:00 A.M. It is highly recommended that you pre-register at texasdemocraticconvention.com. You can also make hotel reservations for the TDP Convention in El Paso June 6-8 and access a wealth of other information on the convention website. Resolutions, rule change proposals and platform plank ideas can be submitted at txdem.co/Convention-Resolutions.

The State Democratic Executive Committee held its first quarter meeting in Missouri City on January 20th. Among the highlights were:

-The 2026 TDP Convention was awarded to Corpus Christi. Owing to a lack of availability due to the World Cup, they were the sole finalist.
-The annual TDP operating budget for March 2024 - April 2025 was adopted.
-The report of the Internal Audit subcommittee of the Finance Committee was received.
-The last two proposals I will present this term on behalf of the Rules Committee were adopted. One was a clarification related to the rule change adopted at our December meeting regarding filling mid-term County Chair vacancies. The other addresses the membership of committees established by County Executive Committees. All members, including the Chair, will be elected by the CEC unless their continuing rules provide for an alternative method.

On February 15th, the SDEC approved the 2024 Call to Convention and State Convention Standing Rules in a special called virtual meeting. Last year, the Committee decided to move procedural and administrative Convention rules out of the Party Rules and create the new documents which represent standing rules for conventions.

The last SDEC meeting of the term will occur on Thursday, June 6th in El Paso, at the conclusion of which the State Convention will be called to order. It has been my honor to represent you. As always, contact me with any questions or concerns.

Susan Bradley
State Democratic Executive Committeewoman
Senate District 16
[email protected]
Cell: (214) 718-5808

Hi,

Our Dallas portion of TX 24 Convention is on Saturday, March 23, 2024, from 10 am to 2 pm, with check-in starting at 9 am, at Dallas College Brookhaven Campus, Bldg. H, 3939 Valley View Ln, Farmers Branch, TX 75244.

The JotForm (https://form.jotform.com/240447200724144) contains all the volunteer roles, advertisement options, and contribution details.

Feel free to fill it out, even if you've already submitted one through the state weblink.

If you have any questions, please call David Griggs, CD24 Dallas County Convention Chair, at 214-244-5979.

CD24-2024 Convention Sign Up Please click the link to complete this form.

Hexel is an advocate for public transportation AND a leader for NTAD. So proud to see the write up/interview done by KERA!

https://www.keranews.org/transportation/2024-03-12/dallas-urbanists-wants-you-to-ditch-the-car-and-try-public-transit?fbclid=IwAR30-RHB3UC5FmyfncIbKm8XPuJyZU6cQu7XTA_UJD91kkPxbOjHq_DR71w_aem_Aa6IpwzWuMWUSeCy1QOw4PRp9CSrX-NorVWzbjFnyvcWzNEkEbfq7UFL6zQL3RbUczY

This Dallas resident wants you to ditch the car and try public transit Hexel Colorado says it's possible to live in Dallas without a car — in fact, it makes life easier.

Let's help remind Trump to practice what he preaches... on 2/13/24, Trump himself said:

"If you didn't pay? You're delinquent?"

"Yes, let's say that happened. No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage [the judgment creditors] to do whatever they want. You gotta pay."

Visit TikTok to discover videos! Watch, follow, and discover more trending content.

Protect democracy -- become a poll watcher today! 👉 txdem.co/VoPro

📣 Introducing 2024 AADT primary endorsements‼️ These exceptional candidates have demonstrated unwavering dedication to AANHPI communities, embodying a strong commitment to progressive values. We proudly stand behind and wholeheartedly support their campaigns.

Please join us in voting for all of these Texan Democrats! 💙✨

📆 Early voting starts on Tuesday, February 20, and ends on Friday, March 1.

Full list at texasasiandemocrats.org/endorsements.

—
US Senate – Thierry Tchenko
US House, CD 3 – Sandeep for Congress
US House, CD 9 – Congressman Al Green
US House, CD 24 – Francine Ly for Congress
Bill Burch for TX Railroad Commissioner
TX Supreme Court, Pl 4 – Christine Weems
TX 127th Civil District Court – Judge R.K. Sandill
TX 5th Dist Ct of Appeals, Pl 9 – Judge Tina Clinton
TX 14th Dist Ct of App, Pl 5 – Frances Bourliot
TX Senate, SD 15 – Karthik Soora
Victoria Neave Criado for Texas Senate
TX Senate, SD 17 – Kathy Cheng for Justice
Daniel Lee for Texas HD26
TX House, HD 28 – Nelvin for Texas
TX House, HD 76 – Rep. Suleman Lalani
TX House, HD 92 – Salman Bhojani
Mimi Coffey for District 99, Tx House of Reps
TX House, HD 112 – Averie Bishop
Gene Wu for State Representative 137
TX House, HD 149 – Hubert Vo
Fort Bend Constable, Pct 3 – Constable Nabil Shike
Sean Teare for Harris County District Attorney

Published in the Chinese News is NTAD 2024 ENDORSEMENT.

162nd District Court
Kim Bailey

Dallas County Tax Assessor
John R. Ames

Dallas County Sherriff
Lupe Valdez

Texas House District 63
Denise Wooten

Texas House District 108
Elizabeth Ginsberg

Published in the Korean News

NTAD 2024 ENDORSEMENT.

Congratulations Again!!

162nd District Court
Kim Bailey

Dallas County Tax Assessor
John R. Ames

Dallas County Sherriff
Lupe Valdez

Texas House District 63
Denise Wooten

Texas House District 108
Elizabeth Ginsberg

Friends of Francine
Come join us to Meet & Greet our candidate Francine Ly and other candidates in the neighboring cities.

Location: Texas King
Time: 2-4 PM
Date: February 17

Anti-Muslim campaign mailers are showing up in districts around Houston and San Antonio

Voters who live in Texas House districts with competitive GOP primaries are receiving anti-Muslim mailers and texts attacking their representatives’ votes last year to commemorate Muslim holidays, such as Eid-al-Fitr and Ramadan.

The mailers, sent out a year after the lower chamber welcomed its first two Muslim members, have gone out to constituents in at least four districts — those represented by Reps. Mano DeAyala and Lacey Hull of Houston, Ellen Troxclair of Lakeway and Rep. Steve Allison of San Antonio, according to pictures obtained by Hearst Newspapers. Text messages with the same messaging went out targeting Troxclair and Rep. Jacey Jetton of Richmond.

Each of the mailers, printed in stark black, white and red, reads: “We don’t want Sharia law in Texas.” Then it asks why the lawmaker is “voting to celebrate Texas Muslims?” (Sharia is Islamic religious law, derived from the Quran, and is not a legal system in Texas or any other U.S. state.)

Similar cards were sent out in House Speaker Dade Phelan’s Beaumont district in December.

The mailers come amid an ongoing civil war within the Texas GOP, which has fractured in recent months after some Republicans alleged that party leaders were turning a blind eye to antisemitism and white supremacism.

The group behind the latest round of mailers is the Texas Family Project, a right-wing organization that advocates banning gender transition care for transgender children, removing what they consider “sexual content” from libraries and stopping “indoctrination” in Texas schools.

The organization’s president, Brady Gray, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. According to his LinkedIn profile, Gray took over the group last June after spending a little more than a year as the CEO of Pale Horse Strategies, a far-right consulting firm led by former state Rep. Jonathan Stickland.

Stickland has been under fire since October for hosting a well-known white supremacist at Pale Horse’s office in Fort Worth. He was later removed from his related post as head of the deep-pocketed Defend Texas Liberty PAC.

Will Franklin, an oil field investor who ran against DeAyala in the 2022 GOP primary but has endorsed his reelection bid this year, received one of the mailers at his home address a few days ago. He was among the first to post a picture of it on social media and said the mailer “represents a hate-filled attack, and it’s a wake-up call for every advocate of freedom to raise their voice.”

“One of my big frustrations, which hopefully was evident by virtue of the post that I made, is just how divisiveness and a dislike of people who are different is making its way into our party, and people are feeling comfortable to say that,” Franklin said in an interview Friday. “I think that’s repulsive.”

DeAyala, who also received one of the mailers at home, said he was appalled and disheartened that his votes for resolutions to recognize the Muslim community were being misrepresented and maligned. Both were passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, and only a handful of representatives registered as “no” votes.

The mailer also claimed that DeAyala supported using taxpayer dollars to celebrate Muslim holidays, which DeAyala said is false.

“It’s just a resolution and recognition,” he said. “That’s what we do as Texans. That’s who we are. It’s a shame there’s just a very small group of people that are trying to weaponize it this way.”

John Perez, the Spring Branch Independent School District trustee challenging DeAyala, clarified on social media that his campaign was not involved with the mailer, but he did not comment on its contents. He did not respond to an email inquiry.

In a text message, Allison said the mailers were “absolutely disgusting.” Hull did not respond to a request for comment. Neither of their opponents responded to requests for comment.

Brendan Steinhauser, an Austin-based GOP consultant, said the strategy of fomenting fear of people of different faiths and backgrounds is not a winning one, especially in a state as diverse as Texas.

“I think that there’s an unfortunate, long history of political operatives and candidates using fear and xenophobia, to borrow a word that’s out there, to increase their political standing,” Steinhauser said. “I think the good news is most Texans, most Americans, reject this sort of thing. And it will probably not help anybody who’s spewing it.”

Cary Cheshire, a far-right activist, sent out similar campaign ads in Phelan’s district in December criticizing the Beaumont Republican as “pro-Muslim.”

Cheshire’s mailer suggested Phelan was replacing Christmas with the Muslim holiday Ramadan, saying that “is obviously satirical, but unfortunately Dade Phelan’s pro-Muslim record is not.” (Ramadan takes place in the spring, not the winter.)

Cheshire did not respond to a request for comment for this story, but he previously defended the mailers he sent out in Phelan’s district.

“My card ridicules Dade Phelan and his pro-Muslim record,” he told the Texas Tribune, without explaining why he has a problem with the Legislature acknowledging a Muslim holiday. “I think Texans should be informed about the actions of their elected officials.”

The spate of hateful mailers comes in the wake of the Texas House last year welcoming its first two Muslim members, Suleman Lalani of Sugar Land and Salman Bhojani of Euless. Cheshire’s mailer referenced an Iftar, or breaking of the fast, event that Lalani hosted last spring at the Texas Capitol during Ramadan.

“These types of hateful tactics always fail,” Lalani said in a statement Friday. “I have faith this message of division will be resoundingly rejected by both Democrats and Republicans.

“Speaker Phelan, Rep. DeAyala and I have developed relationships based on mutual respect and a desire to serve all our constituents. We diverge on many core issues and are far apart on many policies,” he continued. “But we respect our communities and each other’s faith.”

Lalani and Bhojani authored the resolutions mentioned in both mailers. Resolutions are statements of opinion that don’t have the force of law, and hundreds are passed each year, typically to acknowledge momentous occasions, such as an award or big birthday, or the presence of a certain group in the gallery, such as a Boy Scout troop.

“These are all Texans,” state Rep. Tom Oliverson, R-Cypress, said on the importance of passing commemorative resolutions. “These are all citizens. And they’re all worthy and deserving of congratulations and respect and being included.”

Shariq Ghani, executive director of the Minaret Foundation, a Houston-based nonprofit that focuses on multifaith and civic engagement for the Muslim community, said his first thought upon seeing the latest mailers after the previous round of anti-Phelan ones was: “Not again.”

Ghani said he hasn’t seen this level of anti-Muslim rhetoric in campaigns since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Still, he said he’s encouraged by the numerous calls and texts he received from Texas Republicans expressing their disgust.

“It’s clear we’re not going backward,” Ghani said. The response to the mailers “really revealed how we have so much more in common.”

The result are in and at least 60% REQUIRED for NTAD 2024 ENDORSEMENT.

Congratulations!!
162nd District Court
Kim Bailey

Dallas County Tax Assessor
John R. Ames

Dallas County Sherriff
Lupe Valdez

Texas House District 63
Denise Wooten

Texas House District 108
Elizabeth Ginsberg

Thanks to all members who participated in last night endorsement vote!!


Thanks to the endorsement board!!

Temperature is dropping fast within the last few hours and will stay that way for the next couple of days.

For a list of North Texas Warming Shelters please go to https://cw33.com/news/local/a-list-of-north-texas-warming-shelters/

A list of North Texas Warming Shelters Most centers if not all will be open during operational hours if the forecast is 36 degrees or below, for more than two days.

I extend my deepest condolences on the passing of Eddie Bernice Johnson. Her three decades of dedicated service in the U.S. Congress, following a distinguished career in the Texas Senate and House, leaves an indelible mark on our nation. May her legacy of public service and commitment to North Texas be a source of comfort during this difficult time. With heartfelt sympathy, Francine Ly

Proudly representing our and congratulations on receiving the 2023 Dallas County Outstanding Court Staff Award!!

This weekend, in conjunction with APEC, where POTUS and China’s President Xi met to discuss US/China economic futures, our delegation proudly represented Texas at Civic Leadership USA and API Coalition inaugural National API Elected Officials Summit.

Thanks to Rep Gene Wu, Houston Councilman Andrew Chan, Alice Yi of Asian Texans for Justice, Victoria Li - Regional Director of .

Today, 11/7/23 is Election Day.

What is on the ballot? 14 Constitutional Amendments are on the ballot along with issues relevant to your city and/or district, such as school bonds, special elections to fill vacancies, etc.

Visit TikTok to discover videos! Watch, follow, and discover more trending content.

Early voting, General Election (Texas Constitutional Amendment), BEGINS on Monday, October 23, at 7 a.m. and ENDS on Friday, November 3, at 7 p.m.

Election Day voting is on Tuesday, November 7, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

"WE THE PEOPLE" are on the ballot each election. We'll be voting to create safer, stronger, and thriving communities.

For additional election information:
Contact Collin County Elections Administration at McKinney: (972) 548-4100 / Metro: (972) 424-1460. Website: https://www.collincountytx.gov/Elections

Contact Dallas County Elections Administration at (469) 627-VOTE (8683). Website: https://www.dallascountyvotes.org

Contact Denton County Elections Administration at (940) 349-3200. Website: https://www.votedenton.gov

Contact Tarrant County Elections Administration at (817) 831-8683
Website: https://www.tarrantcounty.com/en/elections.html

Denton County, TX Elections | Elections Information About Us Mission Statement: The mission of the elections department is to provide and administer secure, accurate and efficient elections in a convenient manner for voters in Denton County, insuring that every eligible voter has the opportunity to vote.

Did you know … you have the right to remain silent and do not have to discuss your immigration or citizenship status with police, immigration agents, or other officials.

Why is the U.S. doing better than Japan? Immigrations.

Want more? Come join us on 10/20 to hear more from our panelists at this important free Immigration Town Hall.

Again this is a free event but RSVP is required. http://Secure.ActBlue.com/donate/immigrationtownhall

The State Democratic Executive Committee met in Fort Worth on Saturday, August 26th. We were honored to have some of our SD 16 activists in attendance.

This meeting was dominated by rule change proposals - fourteen in all. The Rules Subcommittee of the Convention Committee spent a great deal of time developing updates to the Conventions article. This effort went past the mandated thirty-day threshold prior to the meeting, so their product was considered under the emergency provision laid out in the TDP Rules and passed by the full SDEC. Reforms include:

Giving each county the option to conduct precinct conventions prior to the County/Congressional District conventions

Mandating in-person or virtual preconvention caucuses prior to the State Convention for training/organizing purposes and to hear from candidates for convention offices

Subsequently conducting elections utilizing electronic voting for the Credentials, Platform, Resolutions and Rules Committees so that their work product will be available to delegates prior to the State Convention

Elimination of the Nominations Committee at the State Convention during gubernatorial years since its function is purely administrative

Shortening the deadline to add State Delegates after the County/CD Conventions from 30 to 23 days

Providing general session proxies for delegates in attendance but unable to sit with their delegation

Developing a system to check delegates in and out for the purpose of calculating quorum

I chair the Rules Committee, which had been hard at work since the last SDEC meeting in early May. Many of our recommendations fell under the category of housekeeping and were approved on the consent calendar. Three were discussed at length:

I appointed a subcommittee of the Rules Committee to propose reforms to the Grievance Commission process. Their proposal was approved by the full Rules Committee and adopted with one minor amendment by the SDEC.

I introduced a proposal to align the rules governing the removal of CEC officers with those that apply to TDP officers, specifically adding the option to remove a CEC officer for good cause. This failed to garner the necessary supermajority to pass but the new disciplinary process should accomplish my goal.

Another change I authored related to the process of filling mid-term County Chair vacancies. My proposal would codify the historical precedents that a Chair's resignation need not be approved by the CEC and that the vacancy may be anticipated due to a stated intent to resign on a future date or upon the election of a successor, thus eliminating gaps in the office when possible. A request was made for review by TDP's General Counsel and this was deferred until the December meeting.

We also passed two resolutions - one to endorse Proposition 9 on the November ballot in support of cost-of-living adjustments for retired teachers and the other emphasizing the TDP platform position in unequivocal opposition to school voucher schemes and stating in no uncertain terms that elected officials will be held accountable if they ignore it.

The next meeting will be a virtual one on Saturday, December 2nd. As always, contact me with questions or concerns.

Susan Bradley
State Democratic Executive Committeewoman
Senate District 16
[email protected]
Cell: (214) 718-5808

North Texas APAPA is hosting weekly information session weekly on Friday nights at 7pm on Electrical Vehicle (EV) Charging Readiness for the communities.

WISE Power is a private company with years of experience working with government entities to support public/private partnerships.

Please join us for this informative EV Charging Readiness for Communities as we work to implement the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program in North Texas.

Please register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/electric-vehicle-charging-readiness-tickets-696433018907?aff=oddtdtcreator.

Electric Vehicle Charging Readiness Get charged up for Electric Vehicle Charging Readiness, an online event that will equip you with all the knowledge and tools you need to emb

Join us on Wednesday, June 21st from 7:00 to 9:00pm for our first ever meet and greet. This is the first opportunity of many to learn and engage with our campaign to represent TX’s 24th Congressional District. Our conversation for the event will focus on the debt ceiling crisis and how this issue has affect us in our own backyard. We hope that you can join us to ensure that your voice is heard!

See you there!!

- Francine Ly

Francine Ly for Congress: First Meet & Greet · Francine Ly for Congress Join us on June 21st from 7:00 to 9:00 pm for an opportunity to meet and greet with Francine Ly who is running to represent Texas Congressional District 24. Event Location will be provided upon Registration for event. This is a chance to get to know the candidate and learn about her platform and vis...

The Anti-Asian Hate in Texas is really. Guess who has asked TX Senate to consider SB147 in a special session … MAGA Patrick.

Renaming it to add “hostile” will NOT make it any less discriminatory, unlawful nor unconstitutional.

The State Democratic Executive Committee met via ZOOM on the evening of Tuesday, May 2nd for the primary purpose of ratifying the Delegate Selection Plan governing the process of electing delegates to the 2024 Democratic National Convention after the conclusion of the public review and comment period. Some of the details of that plan were outlined in our last report.

The other major agenda item that night was Susan's presentation of three rule change proposals approved by the Rules Committee which she chairs. A housekeeping amendment to remove the details of the Delegate Selection Plan from the TDP Rules (since it is a separate document that is approved quadrennially) passed unanimously. A proposal authored by Susan to require candidates for all elections conducted in congressional district caucuses at the State Convention (such as permanent convention committees and statutory SDEC members) to be delegates received overwhelming majority support (40-11 with two abstentions) but less than the required 75% of statutory members, whether in attendance or not (47) as some were absent and not represented by proxy and others did not cast a vote or abstain. She will resubmit this proposal through the convention process next year where only a simple majority vote will be required.

Unanimous approval of the third proposal represented the culmination of Susan's years-long effort to adopt a conflict of interest policy that will apply to all Democratic executive committees in Texas. As some of you are precinct chairs, we want to share the new rule here:

"Article VI. Executive Committees

D. Conflict of Interest

Prior to making any comments or voting on a motion before an executive committee, any member who has received or will receive compensation or remuneration of any kind for advocating or opposing the adoption of such motion shall disclose this information to said executive committee. This rule also applies when compensation or remuneration has been received or will be received by the close family (spouse, domestic partner, parent, child or sibling) of a member. For the purposes of this section, "compensation or remuneration" would include if the member or their previously defined close family:

(1) is a candidate for a public office under consideration for nomination or endorsement;

(2) is a paid employee or independent contractor of a political committee or owner, paid employee or independent contractor of a consulting firm which is taking a position for or against an item under consideration;

(3) is an employee who serves or works in paid employment at the pleasure of a person standing for election to an office under consideration for nomination or endorsement;

(4) is an employee for a company under consideration for hire or contract; or

(5) otherwise receives monetary compensation for the purposes of taking a position for or against an item under consideration.

Such disclosures shall be included in the executive committee's minutes of the meeting.

If this rule is violated, the presiding officer shall inform the executive committee of the violation and, if the concerned member's vote changes the outcome of the decision, declare the vote of the concerned member was improper and the vote was invalid. The vote must then be retaken."

Our next meeting will be in Tarrant County on Saturday, August 26th. We will share venue details when we have them. All are welcome to attend. As always, contact us with any questions or concerns.

Susan Bradley
State Democratic Executive Committeewoman
Senate District 16
[email protected]
Cell: (214) 718-5808

Michael McPhail
State Democratic Executive Committeeman
Senate District 16
[email protected]
Cell: (972) 922-6295

I hope all of you are having a very Happy Mother’s Day.

Please share and join us for a North Texas Community Vigil in Dallas hosted by Dallas Asian Historical Society, Asian Texans for Justice, and many more extraordinary advocacy groups. Keynote speaker will be from the White House, Deputy Director Erika Moritsugu.

Addressing systemic racism, fighting hate Crimes, and collaborating with diverse organizations is a pathway we MUST embark upon together as Americans- in order to bring about the change to help our communities prosper.

The time to act is NOW!!

We must ask ourselves what is needed - NOT what is comfortable — to make OUR communities a better and safer place for everyone.

We can prevent gun violence and fund mental health resources by voting in democratic leadership, locally, statewide and nationally.