The Santa Clara County Democratic Club will honor John Vasconcellos on Saturday, Aug. 18.
Now retired, Vasconcellos served 30 years in the state Assembly and 8 years in the state Senate, making him California's longest-serving legislator. He served in the Assembly from 1966 to 1996, and in the Senate from 1996 to 2004. Due to the state's legislative term limits, it is unlikely that any future legislator will ever serve as long as Vasconcellos.
Scheduled to attend are State Treasurer Bill Lockyer, former Assemblyman and San Fransisco Mayor Willie Brown, area legislators, and others.
The SCCDC will honor Vasconcellos from 1-4 p.m. at the Harris-Lass Historic Museum, 1889 Market Street, in Santa Clara. Cost for the barbecue luncheon is $25.
Organizers will hold drawings and giveaways, and money raised at the event will help support the Vasconcellos Legacy Project, Democratic campaigns, and President Obama's reelection campaign.
After his retirement, Vasconcellos began the Politics of Trust Network:
The cynical, divisive, partisan politics of the past offer no solutions for our future. We have a responsibility to move towards a politics that is more inclusive, a politics that is welcoming and inspiring, a politics of trust.
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The Politics of Trust is a politics based on inclusive collaboration and open-minded governance. The Politics of Trust is a politics that puts the needs of individuals and their communities before the needs of political parties or special interests. The Politics of Trust asks, “what do we need to accomplish, and who can help accomplish it?” rather than settling for the continuation of the failed methods that have served us so poorly in recent years. The Politics of Trust seeks to do away with a politics that is divisive and closed, and replace it with a politics of collaboration and transparency.
Please RSVP to the SCCDC by August 10. For questions, or to make a reservation, please contact Shirley Odou at 408-247-9513, or Karen Powers at karenjpowers at att.net.