Who I Am

I’m Marilyn Dudley-Flores. My family ties to California began in 1976 and I worked intermittently in the state between 1992 and 2000. I have been a resident of Sonoma County since 2001. When I first saw Sonoma County nearly 30 years ago, I intuited that this was a special place that might play a role in my life one day. And, now, here I am, running for the Democratic Central Committee of Sonoma in the 2nd District.

Although I have four university degrees, I have had many experiences from a wide variety of public spheres. This includes an active-duty stint in the United States Army during the Viet Nam Era and several years reporting as an investigative broadcast journalist for Mutual Broadcasting affiliates. Following, I spent several more years as a policymaker on environmental and related issues of the Pacific Northwest and western states and as a consultant to federal and state agencies investigating, among other crimes, the human trafficking and exploitation of Latin American workers on Alaska’s North Slope during the start-up of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. Other “white collar” occupations have seen me working as a publicist, a clinical counselor, and university professor. “Blue-collar” jobs have included: cook, long-haul trucker, and fire and smoke damage restorer.

I currently teach in California public colleges and universities in Sonoma and Solano counties, as well as run a research firm based in Petaluma. Among my company’s political science products is the American Plan (see below), which has the backing of the California Democratic Party, many sub-state Democratic organizations, and has been recommended at national levels.

I am married to Pablo C. Flores and have two pre-teen stepsons through this union. I am no stranger to family issues that cross national boundaries.

Why I Serve

I serve on the Democratic Central Committee of Sonoma so that I can apply my collective experiences from my life and career to those things that concern the people of Sonoma County the most. We, the people, have the power to change our county, our state, our nation, and our world for the better, but many of us don't realize it. We see the problems as being so big that we are too overwhelmed to try to solve them and we can't see where to begin. For me, it begins with the Democratic Central Committee of Sonoma. I've worked on some of the national and global problems we face. The way to implement solutions is to build local networks and link to networks in other locales to mobilize political action. By “thinking globally,” we can know how to act more effectively locally.

During the past year, I have learned first-hand how a few dedicated individuals, acting locally, can effect major changes. I worked with my political science colleague, Mr. Thomas Gangale (Candidate, Democratic Central Committee of Marin, 1st District) to develop a systematic reform of presidential nomination process, something that has been broken for decades. Everyone talks about how bad it is, how the California primary never matters, and how Iowa and New Hampshire always determine the presidential nominee. A few party activists in Los Angeles took an interest in Thomas’ reform concept, called the American Plan, and over the next six months we traveled up and down the state, eventually getting resolutions passed by county central committees and assembly district committees representing two-thirds of California Democrats.

The California Democratic Party endorsed the American Plan during its January 2006 executive board meeting and has the enthusiastic backing of CDP chair Art Torres. In December 2005, the Commission on Presidential Nomination Timing and Scheduling submitted its final report to Democratic National Committee chair Howard Dean. It proposes incremental changes to the 2008 presidential primary calendar, but also urges systematic reform in cooperation with the Republican Party in 2012. The report refers to only one systematic reform concept: the American Plan. This story is just one example of how ordinary citizens can improve the political process.

What My Goals Are

A valuable lesson that we learned during the American Plan campaign is the importance of building relationships with Democratic central committees and other organizations around the state. I am in regular contact with Democrats in a dozen counties, through groups such as the Democratic Visibility Coalition and Take Back Red California, working with them to advance a coordinated, statewide, progressive agenda. We know that we will reelect Lynn Woolsey here in the 6th Congressional District, but she needs more progressives as colleagues on Capitol Hill to support her efforts on our behalf. I am working to defeat Tom DeLay crony John Doolittle in the 4th Congressional District and elect in his place a "Fighting Dem," retired USAF LtCol Charles Brown.

The Democratic Central Committee of Sonoma has a number of superb members who are dedicated to continuing to build local party strength, which is the primary purpose of the committee. We have a strong organization, yet there is room for growth. However, when our overwhelming strength ensures victory in Sonoma County races, the Democratic Central Committee of Sonoma should look for opportunities to lend its strength to DCCs inland where our efforts can provide the margin of victory for Democratic candidates. Because of the network of relationships I have built in the course of the American Plan and Charles Brown campaigns, I am well-positioned to perform this mission.

Additionally, I will continue to work for reform of the presidential nomination process to ensure that Californians have an equitable opportunity to cast their votes before the Democratic and Republican nominations are already decided. I also have a plan to reform the reapportionment process, taking the partisan politics out of it, ending gerrymandering, encouraging the greater participation of young, first-time voters, and drawing districts that respect county lines and city limits--the real communities in which we live. Finally, I have a plan to reform the Electoral College so as to closely reflect the popular vote for president.

Thank you,
Marilyn Dudley-Flores

Sonoma County Democratic Central Committee candidate Dr. Marilyn Dudley-Flores. Dr. Marilyn Dudley-Flores, a sociologist at Sonoma State University, is a candidate for the Sonoma County Democratic Central Committee.