By John Harlow | Editor-in-Chief
The Pacific Palisades Democratic Club is taking no chances on Hillary: over the past month it’s been organizing phone banks out of a Village apartment to promote the presidential candidate who won the city vote handsomely in the primary elections last June.
Dozens of volunteers from teenagers to retirees have been turning up to hit the phones and explain to the unconvinced, the unsure and the downright skeptical why they believe Hillary Clinton would make a better president than Donald Trump.
Photo courtesy of the Pacific Palisades Democratic Club
Yet the local arm of the presidential race steps up a gear next Tuesday when volunteers gather at their “battle headquarters” in Santa Monica.
It’s a former furniture store at 1627 Montana Ave., which, after 50 rejections from other premises needing a longer commitment, they can occupy for the next 90 days of election fever.
It opens a day after Westside Democrats hold a celebratory party with Barbara Boxer at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica, where the long-serving senator will be presented with the Froehlich Award for Political Courage.
Perhaps proving how united the party is, Dr. Paul Song, a leading oncologist and fiery Bernie Sanders supporter will receive the Berke Award for Human Rights.
This is for his work as chairman with the pro-LGBT group Courage Campaign, from which he resigned after criticizing some fellow party members as “corporate whores.”
On a less controversial note, the “MASH” actor Mike Farrell will also be awarded the Berke prize for campaigning against the death penalty.
Both awards are named after former club presidents.
The event, the first of its kind since 2010, will be emceed by comedian Paula Poundstone.
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