Hello,  my name is Anita Narayana I've been an elected Central Committee Member for about 15 years.  I was elected when I turned 18, and I'm now 34. I've lived in Southern OC for 20 years (Aliso Viejo for the past 12 years), graduated from Capo Valley HS in 2004, and from UCI in 2010. Prior to living in OC, I was born and raised in a small town in Minnesota (St. Cloud). We moved to OC when my dad started a new job designing hard drives for Western Digital. I've since worked on several high profile political campaigns: working on the record with reporters, writing and publishing op-eds for candidates, preparing elected officials and candidates for interviews, debates, writing speeches, talking points and press releases.  I currently work for Tom Steyer's presidential campaign, as the Communications Director.  I'm very much a political junkie, and when I'm not doing anything political, you will find me with my dogs (hiking, at the beach or camping).

Orange County has gone through quite a political transformation in the 20 years that I have lived here and I have been in the middle of it pushing for that political change.  As a Democratic Party Central Committee member in 2004, I was the only person of color, only person under 50, and among the very few women.  The Democratic Party of OC (DPOC) then had zero paid staff, and then Chair Frank Barbaro often supported the party with his personal finances.  This was the Republican stronghold that helped launch careers of Nixon and Reagan.  15 years later after many political campaigns, and a lot of work to engage and bring people into the political process, the Democratic Party is very different. DPOC has an office, several fulltime paid staffers and raises a lot of money each year.  I am not the only person of color, there many more women, although we can certainly use more millennial representation. 

Thanks to demographic shifts and intense voter registration efforts, what was a solid red county once now has a Democratic voter registration advantage and not a single Republican Congress member (as of the 2018 election). I understand the grassroots campaign efforts that go into engagement in red areas that most political pundits write off and creating messaging to support candidates deemed at having no chance but defy odds.  

I'd love to continue my work on the OC Democratic Party's Central Committe and be a voice to millenial women of color.  My flyer can be viewed here, please share with friends.

You can vote for up to six people, and I hope to be among your top six choices so I can continue to be engaged and recruit more young people to the Democratic Party.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at: anita.narayana86@gmail.com, or reach out via Facebook.

I believe the Democratic Party needs to be open, transparent, representative of the community it serves.  Here in OC, we are becoming a much younger, and more ethnically diverse community than when I first moved here. Because of these demographic changes, we need to build our bench, elect Democrats in every local office in OC.  

People can talk about supporting universal healthcare, fighting climate change - and yes, I support those goals - but that's not what the Democratic Party of OC does.  Democratic Party is split into three tiers: national (DNC), state (CA Democratic Party -CDP) and every county within a state has a Democratic Party. The Central Committee is the governing board of the Democratic Party in OC (DPOC), six people are elected from each one of CA's 80 Assembly Districts.  (There are other ways, but this applies here)

As a current Central Committee, I know the main responsibilities of the DPOC are:

1) Recruiting and supporting local/county candidates (city councils, school boards, county supervisors, etc)

2) Chartering Democratic clubs

3) Voter registration

4) Can also make recommendations to the state party (CDP) on legislation, platform, bylaws. 

Lulu Hammad is a long-time community organizer and human/civil rights activist.  She has been co-leading Indivisible OC48 since 2017.  She also worked with the Arab-American Civic Counsel on voter registration and voter turnout efforts for the 2018 elections.  Her work focuses on engaging with community members at the grassroots level to drive voting and civic engagement more generally.  In particular, Lulu has focused on empowerment of women and people of color, as well as intersectional work among oppressed and disadvantaged communities.  Lulu is a progressive candidate who supports Medicare for All, comprehensive criminal justice reform, comprehensive immigration reform, an end to U.S. wars abroad, and prioritizing combating climate change as a national emergency, among other progressive issues.  She is Palestinian-American, having been born and raised in Jordan. She lives in Aliso Viejo with her daughter and husband.

I am Sudabeh (Sudi) Farokhnia, a service-oriented Risk and Audit professional from Iranian Dissent. I have lived two-thirds of my life in the United States; in Michigan for 16 years where I studied Accounting and Finance while managing a family restaurant that paid for my college.  In 2002, I moved to California and made Mission Viejo my new home. I have been working full time in major financial institutions, moving up the ranks while ensuring compliance with accounting principles and regulatory requirements while I cared for my disabled parents.

Doing the right thing is my guiding light in personal and professional life. I am an attentive listener and passionate for social justice and gender equality. As such, I have had the privilege of serving the community in various capacities, supporting various local nonprofit and professional organizations such as ISCC, KCIS, WHW, IABA, IIA, Child International, and OCIACC. Also, I am a recognized advocate for gender equality and serve in the Steering Committee of ICWIN (Iranian Circle of Women's Intercultural Network), a volunteer-based advocacy nonprofit organization with UN consultative status.

In addition, I am a current member of several local Democratic Clubs in Orange County such as Feel the Bern Democratic Club, South OC Democratic Party (SOCDP), Women for American Values and Ethics (WAVE) and Democratic Women of South Orange County (DWSOC).

40 years ago I marched on the streets of Tehran for Women’s Rights. Alas, four years ago I marched on the streets of Santa Ana for Women’s Rights and Dignity of Immigrant Communities. The past two years have made it evident there are catastrophic loopholes in the system of checks and balances of the US government. I want to represent my district and be the watchful eye and attentive listener that will help shed light on these loopholes and support efforts that will close these gaps, ultimately ensuring that the platform of the Democratic Party of Orange County is committed to Progressive initiatives, holding elected officials accountable and the structure of the party harbor people's power, inclusivity, and diversity.

I believe my community is eager for progress and would like to support candidates that will champion progressive agendas such as Single-Payer Healthcare, Ratification of UNCRC, ERA, and CEDAW at all levels. I believe access to Public Education, Debt-free Higher Education, and Affordable Housing is every citizen’s right. We must establish Sustainable Solutions for Global Warming, Sensible Gun Controls, Comprehensive Immigration Reform that protects DACA, and Overturn Citizens United.

We must STAND UP to Xenophobia, Violence and Hate rhetoric and practices. We must REMOVE ALL BARRIERS OF VOTING and ensure our elected officials are Accountable and Accessible to their constituents.

I am asking for your vote for the Central Committee of the Democratic Party of Orange County (DPOC) to amplify the voices of our district. I am also asking you to vote for my "Party of the People Slate" peers running to unify, represent, and empower the incredibly diverse communities of the 73rd Assembly District.