2022 SBCYD
Election Endorsements
2022 SBCYD Endorsed Candidates
Thank you for all of the candidates that submit an application seeking the endorsement of the San Bernardino County Young Democrats. SBCYD has had a history of endorsing candidates who exemplify strong leadership and progressive values. Below you will find candidates SBCYD members decided best represented the values interests of our community. We are proud to endorse the following candidates in the election this year.
2022 Election will take place on:
Tuesday,
November 8, 2022
State and Federal Offices
Derek Marshall
Christy Holstege
Eloise Gomez Reyes
Derek Marshall
California State Congressional District 23 (CA-23)
“Across the Inland Empire families are hurting. The prices of gas and food are through the roof, wages are stagnant, the pandemic continues but utility and rent moratoriums are over – people are working hard and are barely getting by.
Whether it’s enacting an emergency healthcare program for all, adding robust protections against evictions and utility shutoffs, or forgiving student debt, there is so much more than we can and must be doing to give working people relief.”
California State Congressional District 23 (CA-23)
Frankly, I’m angry and frustrated by these experiences, just like I’m sure many of you are but…
I’m an organizer, I’m a community activist, I try to help my neighbors, that’s what I do, that’s what gives me joy in life. So I’m taking action and I’m running because I don’t want my friends and neighbors to go through the same struggles and injustices I’ve experienced.
Christy Holstege
California State Assembly
District 47
Given the sharp spike of warehouse developments in our county, which are greatly contributing to the poor air quality and unjust rezoning practices, how will you use the powers of your office to tackle this very serious issue that is affecting so many of our neighbors and community members?
“We must ensure that as we encourage or approve new development, we are also prioritizing concerns about justice, workers’ rights, and the environment. This is especially important because marginalized communities, which are more likely to be located in industrial areas, have been disproportionately impacted by pollution and unfair zoning. We must incorporate protections for frontline communities in any legislation or decisions about new and existing warehouses to make sure they’re not left behind. […]”
California State Assembly District 47
Christy Holstege works as a civil rights attorney and community leader and currently serves as the Outgoing Mayor of Palm Springs.
She was first elected to serve on Palm Springs City Council in 2017 as part of the first all-LGBTQ city council in the country. Christy was re-elected in a landslide in 2020, serving as the city’s first ever female mayor, the city’s first millennial mayor, and the first openly bisexual mayor in America.
Christy has a wealth of experience as a community organizer and community leader, including serving on the board of directors for Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest and Eastern Coachella Valley (ECV) for Change. She also served on the Palm Springs Human Rights Commission and the City of Palm Springs Homelessness Task Force. Previously, Christy organized the No on Proposition 8 and No on Proposition 4 campaigns in 2008 at Planned Parenthood, and served on the board of directors for Democratic Women of the Desert, the Human Rights Campaign, Coachella Valley Housing Coalition, Well in the Desert, a resident-owned mobile home park, and Women Leaders Forum.
Christy earned a Juris Doctorate from Stanford Law School and a Bachelor’s degree in Cultural Anthropology from UC Santa Barbara. Christy is proud to live in Palm Springs with her husband Adam Gilbert, a small business owner and third-generation resident of Palm Springs, their new baby Aden born in October 2020, and their dogs Ollie and Layla in a home that their family has resided in for over 50 years.
Eloise Gomez Reyes
California State Assembly
District 50
Do you have any plans to address the shortage of childcare across the state?
“I 100% support expanding access to childcare services in California. We need to remove barriers to accessing childcare services. I authored AB 92, to make childcare more accessible to all families by creating a sliding scale for family fees, which are often imposed on low income families accessing subsidized child care. I will continue to work on legislation and support others who are addressing the shortage of affordable childcare in our state.”
California State Assembly District 50
For too long, we wanted leadership. We wanted action, and a voice in the process. Because of you and your efforts you have that voice. I’m running for re-election to the State Assembly to bring back the resources our community needs by fighting for working families, ensuring educational opportunity for all, creating jobs and economic development, and ensuring that California remains a a beacon of hope for everyone.
Eloise Reyes grew up near the train tracks in south Colton. Although her family had modest means they had great aspirations for their children. They knew it would take perseverance and a great education to live a better life.
As a young girl, she learned the value of hard work picking grapes and onions in the fields so she could buy new school clothes.
In order to pay for school, Eloise worked in the onion and grape fields. After high school, Eloise worked as many as three jobs to put herself through San Bernardino Valley College and the University of Southern California, after which she earned a law degree from Loyola Law School.
Because Eloise believes that local families should have convenient access to quality legal services, she was the first Latina in the Inland Empire to open her own law firm, starting in San Bernardino and then in Colton, where she grew up.
Local Offices
Aaron Bratton
Helen Tran
Misty Evans
Aaron Bratton
Ontario City Council
What is your position on expanding public utilities and services? What changes would you make to ensure these services are environmentally friendly and reliable?
“Public utilities should be expended. They need to be accessible to everyone in order to help level the playing field. We need to rely more on clean and reusable energy like solar and wind.”
Ontario City Council
My name is Aaron Bratton and I am a proud third generation Ontario resident. My grandparents moved here in 1956. I love Ontario. Ontario is my home.
I want our city to be the premier city of the IE. I want to attract good paying jobs with good benefits, so the people that work here, can live here, and play here. I want to build more affordable housing, and have compassionate treatment for the homeless that provides them the resources they need to better their situation. I want our residents to not just survive, but thrive.
I want to increase positive options for the youth, such as recreation, arts, and career-preparedness training. I want to build a bridge between community and law enforcement that involves healthy dialogue and interactions.
I want a healthier Ontario. An Ontario without congestion and pollution. I want to help create an Ontario of the 21st century. A better Ontario. A brighter Ontario.
Helen Tran
Mayor of San Bernardino
Have you been endorsed by any labor organizations? If so, which ones, and why do you think these labor organizations supported your bid for endorsement?
“Yes, I am proud to say I have the endorsement of the Central Labor Council. I also have the endorsements of San Bernardino Retirees Association, Painters and Allied Trades District Council 36, IBEW Local 477, Plumbers and Steamfitters Locals 364 & 398, IUOE Local 12, United Nurses Association of California, United Steelworkers Inland Empire Legislative Education Committee, SEIU Local 121 RN, SEIU Local 2015, Ironworkers 433, NUHW, Teamsters 1932, Sheetmetal Workers Local 105, Peace Officers Research Association Of California, San Bernardino Peace Officers Association, San Bernardino Sheriff’s Employee Benefits Association, San Bernardino County International Association of Firefighters Local 935, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1167, United Auto Workers, and the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters.”
Mayor of San Bernardino
Misty Evans
Hi-Desert Memorial Healthcare District Board of Directors
How do you think racism has had an effect on communities of color in San Bernardino County? How would you address the issues you believe are most important?
“I believe Racism is Systematic and widespread. As a Board of Director one of the things I did was research current Data on Racism to help write and sponsor a Resolution Declaring Racism a Public Health Crisis. I defended and debated this resolution, and it was passed with 3 voting yes and 2 voting no. In the resolution are certain realistic steps for the district to take. This resolution was used across the state of CA by Health Care Districts. I also made sure addressing Racism was added to the district’s Strategic Plan. We receive periodic updates on progress, and I also have asked for the district to collect our own data for our communities as San Bernardino is a large county that varies from more rural to suburban areas. I plan to continue to watch the development of the actions within the resolution and the progress from the strategic plan, while looking for further opportunities to collaborate and learn from community members. I am committed to eradicating Racism.”
Hi-Desert Memorial Healthcare District Board of Directors
Director Evans is a community-grown Registered Nurse having graduated from Copper Mountain College with her Certified Nursing Assistant Certificate, Associates Degree in Vocational Nursing, and Associates Degree in Registered nursing. Her passion has always been advocacy and ethics in healthcare. In her career, she has worked in several departments of Hi-Desert Medical Center and is currently working for I.E.H.P.
Her areas of interest and expertise include advocacy, policy, and promoting healthcare as a human right, while delivering quality and compassionate care.
After working as a local community Home Health Nurse and Case Manager, she saw the barriers patients faced while dealing with chronic, debilitating health issues which urged her to become a board member of the Morongo Basin Health District. During her term in office, she will continue to be a strong voice for patient healthcare needs, and advance access to care within our community. She believes healthcare is a human right and continues to actively seek ways to ensure this right for all.
School Boards
Christian Thomas Shaughnessy
Christina Gagnier
Crisol Mena
J. Steve Garcia
Mikki Cichocki
Resa Barillas
Christian Thomas Shaughnessy
San Bernardino Community College District Board of Trustees Area 4
Governments at every level are expected to receive critical infrastructure funds to be used over the next few years. How do you use those infrastructure dollars to improve your community?
“Many students don’t feel the 4 year degree path, let alone the 2 year degree path is for them and want vocational training to immediately access good jobs. We must construct a district wide labor center, and ideally a labor center on both district campuses to maximize on these desires, particularly when so many students have given up on community college education during the pandemic and high inflation period we are in. Furthermore we need construction that is green and environmentally friendly At San Bernardino Valley College we need more parking to accommodate the students, predominately of color and low incomes of all races, who have consistently been unable to access good parking due to poor planning. We must erase all obstacles to accessing education. Furthermore, there was a push to expand our DSO office that resulted in empty office space that is now going unused. We should have used that money for more available spaces for our precious students or expanding our child care center since many parents are now under pressure from their employers to stop remote work.”
San Bernardino Community College District Board of Trustees Area 4
Christian Shaughnessy is a proud alumnus of San Bernardino Valley College and local public schools. He was born to a working class family, with his mother a Filipina immigrant and father a union organizer. From a young age they taught him the importance of public service and fighting for working families.
Christian served as a full time youth community organizer who fought to stop the cycle of violence on our streets with Sigma Beta Xi Youth and Family Services. He is a former educator who taught children English overseas. He fought for immigrant and indigenous rights as a San Bernardino Valley College co-chair of the Chicano advocacy group Mecha and as a leader in student government. He worked to end the stigma behind our friend’s and loved one’s mental health issues with the student based non profit Active Minds. He has served as staff in youth and student inspiring campaigns across the nation fighting against corruption in politics.
After seeing his friends suffer from violence and poverty in the region, with one being shot and killed blocks from his childhood home; Christian knew that we had to change politics as usual and do everything we can to fight for education and mentorship to stop violence before it starts.
He is the only candidate who has pledged to refuse special interest and corporate PAC money and to have been an alumnus of the San Bernardino Community College District. He will also make history by being the first Asian American Pacific Islander trustee and youngest trustee in the history of the district, along with being another LGBTQ voice on the Board. With your help, we can elect a homegrown community leader to fight for students and working families in our district!
Christina Gagnier
Chino Valley Unified School District Governing Board, Trustee Area 3
In the last few years as many as 25% of youth under the age of 18 have been hospitalized due to attempted suicide. How would you use your position on the school board to help address the mental health crisis that is affecting children of all ages?
“We have invested in intervention counselors and more comprehensive mental health services. We are also working to partner with the City of Chino and City of Chino Hills to provide more 365 services for our students.”
Chino Valley Unified School District Governing Board, Trustee Area 3
Christina Gagnier is a professor, consumer privacy attorney, and business owner born and raised in Chino, and currently serves as the President of the Chino Valley Unified School District Governing Board.
Passionate about supporting local businesses, Christina served as the Chair of the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce from 2021-22, is currently its Immediate Past Chair, and has been on its Board of Directors since 2019.
The daughter of a public school administrator and a small business owner, Christina grew up in a household where the importance of quality education was front and center.
After working her way through school and graduating from UC Irvine and the University of San Francisco, Christina opened her first business. Christina is a consumer privacy attorney and advocate, fighting hard to defend personal privacy rights. A core part of Christina’s practice has been the protection of children’s privacy and children’s safety on the Internet.
In addition to her practice, Gagnier is a professor at the University of California, Irvine School of Law.
Crisol Mena
Ontario-Montclair School District Board of Trustees Area 3
What are your top 3 priorities as a future school board member? Explain.
“1- Education Access and Equity for ALL students.
2- Safe and Healthy School Facilities
3- Providing Superior Instruction and Appropriate Mental Health Services
- Ensuring that all students are adequately educated and provided all opportunities for success regardless of race, gender expression, immigration status, and disability. This is the best method to combat racism, poverty, and unemployment.
- Having safe and healthy facilities ensures that students can learn in a clean environment which also raises school moral and climate.
- Since Covid-19, education and mental health are equally important. Therefor, teacher training must include mental health awareness to ensure that each students learning ability is free of fear, depression, and uncertainty.“
Ontario-Montclair School District Board of Trustees Area 3
After weeks of considerable thought, I have made the decision to run for school board. I’m officially announcing my candidacy for Ontario-Montclair School District, Governing Board Area 3. I want to collaborate with education stakeholders to tackle challenges and to celebrate OMSD’s successes. I humbly request your consideration and support as I embark on this journey.
J. Steve Garcia
San Bernardino County School Board, Area B
What are your top 3 priorities as a future school board member? Explain.
“1- Social and Emotional well being of all students
2- A highly trained and culturally proficient teaching staff
3- School safety and security
All three priorities can greatly raise the school climate and culture which is the essential foundation for every school site. These are actually basic needs that still have not been met to reduce the continued alienation felt by parents and community members.”
San Bernardino County School Board, Area B
Mikki Cichocki
SBCUSD Board of Education
What are your plans to bring restorative justice to campuses and undo the school to prison pipeline?
“I developed the district’s youth court to keep kids on campus and reduce expulsions and other exclusionary practices while helping them understand the impact of their actions on their family and school community. I would advocate for policy and procedure to build not only site based youth courts but other restorative practices to campuses and classrooms. I would also expand and reinvigorate the district youth court to encourage more community involvement, opportunity for students and re-engagement with their school. One other thing that is missing is for re-entry processes for students who have been suspended or expelled as well as for students who are returning to the district. We need welcoming practices and peer/staff mentors to help them step back into the school family. I would encourage our staff to read Safe and Peaceful Schools (Winslade/Williams) and Better than Carrots or Sticks (Fisher/Frey). Those two books changed every thing about how I work with students. I had the mindset but not the practices. These books gave me the tools to create programs that built relationships with students and kept them engaged. “
SBCUSD Board of Education (Short-term seat)
Education has been my life. My parents were teachers in this school district. The ability to give back to the community that raised me is so important to me. I could write a novel about all I want to accomplish but I don’t believe that is necessary. Some times less is more. What I want to say is, I grew up here. I have dedicated my adult life to making things better for students, teachers and support staff across this state and in this community. Making San Bernardino, both the school district and the city better is my goal. We have to work together as community partners to achieve this goal.
Resa Barillas
Adelanto Elementary School District Member, Governing Board Area 4
There are a lot of issues important to SBCYD that were not asked about in this questionnaire. We would like to give you the opportunity to address any additional issues or to make any final comments about you and your campaign. Please use the space below to make your final comments.
“LGBTQ+ kids are at the greatest risk of self-harm, drug abuse, homelessness, poverty, depression, and suicide, but these risks drop significantly when LGBTQ+ youth are in accepting, validating environments. Having seen students, educators, and administrators act in ignorance or even act dismissively of LGBTQ+ students, I hope to push for not only LGBTQ+ education to dispel the damaging myths that harm the kids in our community, but for campus organizations that encourage allyship, and provide understanding for kids who feel marginalized and unsafe surrounded by toxic, homophobic & transphobic behaviors.
I believe firmly in the necessity of bodily autonomy and the safety it provides. This safe autonomy starts with a firm understanding of consent, what parts of our body are private, and even such simple basics like the real names of our body parts. When we provide the vocabulary of consent, our children are better able to communicate their boundaries and we are better able to protect them.
Furthermore, as an elementary school district, we are a support system for kids whose bodies are in the beginning and midst of significant change. We have a pivotal role in reducing the shame, fear, stigma, and misunderstandings that come along with it. This starts with age-appropriate, comprehensive sex education.”
Adelanto Elementary School District Member, Governing Board Area 4
When Resa moved to the High Desert in 2016, she saw a need in our community: to elevate the voices of the unrepresented, underserved, and unheard. She became a community organizer, hosting community information and advocacy events with state legislators, developing key community partnerships, and most recently, serving on the San Bernardino County Committee on School District Organization.
Now she is running for AESD Board of Trustees to ensure that our kids and teachers are getting the resources they need, and that our district is doing everything it can to attract, protect, and retain the best teachers in California.
Are You Registered to Vote?
If you are registering or re-registering less than 15 days before an election you will need to complete the Same-Day Voter Registration process and request your ballot in person at your county elections office or polling location. For more information on voter registration and voting locations, contact your local county elections official. To register online you will need:- Your California driver license or California identification card number,
- The last four digits of your social security number and
- Your date of birth.
SBCYD July 2022
Primary Endorsed Candidates
Connie Leyva
San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors
District 4
Have you been endorsed by any labor organizations? If so, which ones, and why do you think these labor organizations supported your bid for endorsement?
“Yes. Many. I started working in local Alpha Beta grocery market and worked my way up to be elected as the first woman President of the union – UFCW Local 1428 and then the first woman President of the 2.1 million member California Labor Federation. I fight for working people and the communities we serve. It’s what I’ve always done and will continue to do.”
San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors, District 4
Connie Leyva grew up and raised her family in the Inland Empire. She knows people here have always had to work harder to get a bigger piece of the economic pie.
As our state Senator, Connie helped lead efforts to raise the minimum wage and increase pay equity in the workplace. Connie worked to make the first year of community college free and expand access to career technical training. She fought to reduce air pollution in the region and create more local clean tech jobs. Connie was also nationally recognized for passing bipartisan legislation that eliminated the statute of limitations for prosecuting people accused of rape and sexual assault.
Now, Connie is running to be our next County Supervisor.
Connie knows the pandemic has taken a terrible toll on families in San Bernardino County. Workers on the frontlines and workers supporting the regional economy have been hit the hardest. Working families deserve a stronger voice locally to get things done faster, to protect people, and help us get back on our feet more quickly. As County Supervisor, Connie will use her experience bringing people together and getting Sacramento to invest more in the Inland Empire.
DeJonaé Shaw
San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors
District 2
How does the issue of housing affordability and cost of living affect the community you hope to serve?
“Many working people are struggling in San Bernardino County to pay the rent and save up enough to buy a home. Generations of families should be able to afford to live in our communities and strengthen their roots here. The median home price is more than $800,000. The state called for the construction of 180,000 new units annually between 2015 and 2025 to close the gap. We are building fewer than half as many, only about 80,000 new units per year. We must treat the lack of affordable housing as the crisis that it is. As county supervisor, I’ll work in tandem with state leaders to expand the county’s affordable housing strategy, (in both policy and funding), to include a greater emphasis on affordable home ownership.[…]”
San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors, District 4
The odds were stacked against DeJonaé Shaw. An absent father and a mother battling addiction. DeJonaé pieced together a broken childhood, sought out mentors, and lifted herself out of the cycle of poverty and addiction that traps too many.
She rose above the negative influences that surrounded her to become her siblings’ protector. DeJonaé grew up fast, taking on parenting roles as a child to make sure her brothers and sisters were fed and succeeded in school.
Now, DeJonaé is running for County Supervisor to bring true equity and opportunity to our communities so that we all have a safe place to learn, work, play, and thrive.
DeJonaé knows a strong education and hard work create opportunities to build a better life. When a car accident sidelined her dreams as a young graduate and left her homeless, she saved up and fought to get back on her feet again. She worked nights and attended classes during the day to become a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN). For more than a decade now, DeJonaé has been helping people in San Bernardino County get healthy.
When COVID-19 hit our community, DeJonaé did what she has always done — helped people in need. She stepped up with her coworkers to help keep patients safe from the virus.
As an experienced LVN, DeJonaé also became a leader in her health care union by advocating for the National Workplace Violence Prevention Health Care and Social Service Workers Act and helping to fight for fair contracts that improve wages and patient care.
2022-2023 SBCYD Executive Board
President
Christian Shaughnessy
Vice President
Brian Thomas Romo
Treasurer
Alex Beltran
Clerk
Vacant
Parliamentarian
Resa Barillas
Fundraising Director
Corey Allen Romo