Fresno Stonewall Democrats will meet on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, at 5:30 PM, at Los Amigos Mexican Restaurant. We start with a thirty minute social so everyone has time to greet each other, exchange information or flyers, and order dinner and drinks before the meeting. We call to order at 6:00 PM.
Please wish Marsha Conant a Happy Birthday this coming Tuesday! She will be absent from our meeting but not our hearts!
We have two guest speakers for you this meeting and we’ll be starting with them right at 6:00 pm. We will do introductions and our regular business afterward.
Up first we’ we’ll have Michael Tubbs, candidate for Lt. Governor. He’ll be Zooming in from Stockton to speak to our club.
Next, in recognition of Veterans Day, we’ve invited Colonel Pat Thompson to speak at our meeting. Her life and military career are documented in the movie Surviving The Silence.
ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS:
Michael Tubbs, candidate for Lt. Governor
Michael Tubbs’ journey began in South Stockton. Michael’s mother gave birth to him when she was 16 years old, and Michael’s father has been incarcerated his entire life. Michael was raised by three forceful women – his mother, aunt, and grandmother. Despite the odds, Michael’s family and faith community instilled in him the values of resilience and service. That foundation paved a path from poverty in South Stockton to the classrooms of Stanford. He ran for political office while he was still a senior at Stanford, successfully campaigning for Councilmember for the City of Stockton District 6 at just 21 years old.
In 2016, he was elected Mayor of Stockton at the age of 26. He was the city’s first African-American Mayor, and the youngest Mayor of any major city in American history. As Mayor, Tubbs was lauded for his leadership and innovation. He raised over $20 million dollars to create the Stockton Scholars, a universal scholarship and mentorship program for Stockton students. Additionally, he piloted the first mayor-led guaranteed income pilot in the country.
Under his leadership, Stockton saw a 40% drop in homicides in 2018 and 2019 and led the state of California in the decline of officer involved shootings in 2019. Because of initiatives, investments, and work spearheaded by Michael, Stockton’s unemployment rate was near a record low at around 5.7% in 2019 – down from around 15% in 2012. It was even named the second most fiscally healthy city in California––after Michael saved the city from literal bankruptcy.
Michael is running to be California’s next lieutenant governor to build a California future that sets the example for how government can work for everyone; that leads the nation in not just talking about problems, but solving them. It’s a future where education – whether vocational programs or college – is accessible to all without crippling debt. It’s a future with enough affordable housing so folks can afford to live here. And it’s a future where we leverage guaranteed basic income programs to end poverty and prevent homelessness.
Michael Tubbs is the Special Advisor to California Governor Gavin Newsom for Economic Mobility; the Founder of Mayors for a Guaranteed Income; and the Founder of End Poverty in California (EPIC).
Col. Pat Thompson & Barbara Brass (clipped from Philadelphia Gay News):
In 1989, U.S. Army Col. Margarethe (Grethe) Cammermeyer was undergoing a routine security clearance interview when she said four simple words, “I am a lesbian.” At the time, she was a highly decorated nurse and war hero on track to becoming a general.
The admission started an intense investigation and highly publicized discharge proceedings that would later become a television movie starring Glenn Close and based on Cammermeyer’s 1995 memoir “Serving in Silence.”
At the center of those proceedings was Col. Patsy Thompson who in 1992 was a decorated Army nurse, only two years away from retirement. Thompson had served her country for over 30 years when she was called to preside over the military review board that eventually dismissed Cammermeyer. No one knew that she was hiding the same truth — that she was also a lesbian. What unfolded changed the course of Cammermeyer’s case, which eventually led to her reinstatement and paved the way for the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. That story is told in the recent documentary film “Surviving the Silence.”
MEETING INFO:
All Democrats are welcome to attend meetings regardless of membership status but we hope you’ll decide to join (only $20 per year) and participate in club meetings and activities. New members must wait 28 days before they are eligible to vote on any club business.
Fresno Stonewall Democrats will meet at Los Amigos Mexican Restaurant. We start with a thirty minute social so everyone has time to greet each other, exchange information or flyers, and order dinner and drinks before the meeting. We call to order at 6:00 PM, make introductions, and proceed with our agenda.
The agenda and minutes will be available online at:
https://bit.ly/fsd-mtgdocs
For other links visit our LinkTree at https://linktr.ee/fresnostonewall
If you have additions to the agenda, future speaker suggestions, or announcements to be included on our meeting handout please send them to info@fresnostonewalldemocrats.org.
