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The California Democratic Council (CDC), is an independent California non-profit founded at conferences at Asilomar and
Fresno Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, maki ...
conferences in 1952-53 by future U.S. Senator Alan Cranston, State Senator George Miller, Jr. and other liberal Democratic Party activists, inspired by Adlai Stevenson's presidential candidacy; they intended to organize the existing "Stevenson Clubs" into a grassroots movement to win back control of California State Government from the Republicans, who then held the Governor's office and both US Senate seats. According to the group'
website
the organization, which coordinates the activities of Democratic clubs statewide, is the only one of its kind in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. After Cranston, its founding President, CDC has also been headed by Joseph Wyatt, Tom Carvey,
Simon Casady Simon Casady (June 16, 1852 – March 25, 1928) was a prominent banker in Iowa, best known for his role in organizing the Des Moines Bank, which later evolved into the Des Moines Savings Bank. Casady served as the president of the Des Moines Sav ...
, Gerald Hill,
John L. Burton John Lowell Burton (born December 15, 1932) is an American politician and attorney. He served as Chairman of the California Democratic Party from April 2009 until May 2017. A professor of California Politics at San Francisco State University, h ...
(former State Senate President Pro Tem and Congressman, and former Chair of the official California Democratic Party organization), Nathan Holden, Wallace Albertson, Lia Triff Belli, Robert W. Farran, African-American leader Quincy Beaver, State Party Secretary Jim Clarke, DNC member Chris Stampolis, Henry Vandermeir, Emilie Gatfield, Hilary Crosby, and since November 2019, Iyad Afalqa, who is the Chair Emeritus of the CDP Arab American Caucus. President
John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...
said: "I have always regarded the California Democratic Council as one of the United States’ most important centers of citizen participation in politics." In reality, Kennedy and his brother, Robert, were closely allied in California to the Los Angeles political organization of
Jesse Unruh Jesse Marvin Unruh (, ; September 30, 1922 – August 4, 1987), also known as Big Daddy Unruh, was an American politician who served as speaker of the California State Assembly and as the California State Treasurer. Early life and education Born ...
, the powerful Speaker of the State Assembly, who was considered the ''bete noire'' of the liberal organization.


History

The CDC "club movement" played an important role in the 1958 election of Governor Edmund G. "Pat" Brown and a slate of other State Democratic candidates (including Cranston as State Controller), the first Democratic administration in the State since the New Deal. In 1964, CDC endorsed the US Senate candidacy of its founding father, Alan Cranston, but he lost the Democratic nomination to former Kennedy Press Secretary
Pierre Salinger Pierre Emil George Salinger (June 14, 1925 – October 16, 2004) was an American journalist, author and politician. He served as the ninth press secretary for United States Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. Salinger served ...
- who was later defeated by George Murphy, the Republican nominee, in the General election. In 1966, the Council was bitterly split over the issue of American military entanglement in Vietnam. After a "horrendous struggle" in which Governor Brown and Cranston sided with a CDC faction that was more moderate in opposing the war policy of President Lyndon Johnson, both Brown and Cranston were booed and hissed at a CDC Convention. Cranston's sister later concluded that this rift with the Democratic leadership marked the beginning of CDC's decline.Eleanor Fowle, "Cranston, The Senator from California" (San Rafael, California, 1980) Two years later, CDC endorsed the anti-war presidential candidacy of Senator Eugene McCarthy over that of Senator
Robert F. Kennedy Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925June 6, 1968), also known by his initials RFK and by the nickname Bobby, was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 64th United States Attorney General from January 1961 to September 1964, ...
, who was supported by Unruh. Kennedy won the California Democratic Primary, but was killed on the day of his victory. Later that year, Cranston was at last elected US Senator, remaining in office for the next 24 years. Though he had somewhat distanced himself from the Council, his election symbolized the height of "citizen participation" in Party politics. As of 2016, the CDC continued to provide support services freely to the California Democratic Party Caucuses, County Democratic Committees and Chartered Democratic Clubs of California. Currently numbering over 512 active organizations as listed on the CDC Main website under th
Clubs/Organization Listing (currently under construction)
ALL of these organizations are automatically members of the CDC and receive basic rights and services from the CDC. Organizations which choose to Affiliate with the CDC, receive additional services such as free websites, leadership training and increased delegate count at CDC meetings. For a complete listing of current CDC projects and services please consult th
CDC Main website


Bibliography

* Francis Carney, "The Rise of the Democratic Clubs in California" (NY, 1960)
"Organizational History", California Democratic Council Records, 1947-1988


References

{{reflist Organizations based in California California Democratic Party