Election Biographies: GPUS Delegation, July 2016 - June 2018

Election Biographies: GPCA Coordinating Committee elections for twelve two-year Delegate terms and thirteen two-year Alternate terms, each running July 2016 - June 2018:

Nine candidates for 12 delegate seats: Josefina Aranda, June Brashares, Tim Casebolt, Susan Chunco, Greg Jan, Tarik Kanaana, Wendy Kenin, Jared Laiti, Cynthia Santiago 

Nine candidates for 13 alternate seats: Sasha Karlik, Paul Larudee, Tim Laidman, Bernie Macdonald, Genevieve Marcus, Cordula Ohman, Ajay Rai, Dana Silvernale, Karinna Zarate

Nine candidates for 12 delegate seats:

Josefina Aranda, Santa Monica (Los Angeles County)

June Brashares, (Sonoma County) june.brashares@gmail.com

Biography: I've been a registered Green Party member for over 15 years.  From 2000-2009, I was active in the Green Party in San Francisco and was elected to serve on the SF County Council from 2002 to 2004.  Since moving to Sonoma County in 2009, I've been a member of the Sonoma County Green Party County Council from 2010 to the present.  I've also served as a member of the California delegation to GPUS from 2007 to 2011, and from 2012 to the present.  I've been a Delegate to the National Green Party Conventions in 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012.  I've served on the GPCA Coordinating Committee as an Alternate from 2011-2012, and as an elected Member of the Coordinating Committee from 2012-2014.
 
In 2000, I was the Campaign Manager for Green Party candidate Medea Benjamin's campaign for US Senate. I've also worked as the CA Campaign Co-Manager for Jill Stein in the 2012 California Green Party Presidential Primary, and on signature drives to successfully place Jill Stein on the ballot in Alabama, Kentucky and Virginia for the 2012 General Election for President. I have volunteered on numerous other Green Party campaigns. 
 
I have a Bachelors Degree in Political Science from the University of California San Diego and I am dedicated to working for environmental, economic and social justice. I have worked for organizations such as the California Public Interest Research Group/CalPIRG (1987-1988), USD's Center for Public Interest Law (1988-1996), the San Diego & Imperial Counties Labor Council (1998-1999), Global Exchange (1999-2012) and Western Pacific Solar (2013-2014). I currently serve on the Steering Committee of the Local Clean Energy Alliance.

Tim Casebolt, San Diego (San Diego County)

Susan Chunco, Santa Rosa (Sonoma County) ukapole@att.net

I've been active in the Green Party since 2000 and would like to broaden my experience at the state level.
 
Current GP experience: GPCA and GPUS Finance Committees, GPSC County Council (incumbent),  GPCA delegate to the National Committee - reapplying for an additional term
 
Past experience: GP Sonoma County Treasurer, GPUS Steering Committee

Greg Jan, Oakland (Alameda County)

 

Tarik Kanaana, Santa Rosa (Sonoma County) tkanaana@mtu.edu

I have been voting green since 1996 and became a registered green a few years after that. I have been active on the Sonoma County level for close to five years. I am currently serving on the County Council for the GP of Sonoma County and am running in the June elections to continue serving.I have been a member of the CA delegation to the GPUS National Committee and have also just joined the GPCA CC.  I feel that living in both the Middle East and the United States gives me a unique perspective on the world and our country. I also feel that Arab-Americans are very much under represented in the Green Party and  I would like to work on changing that. 

I was active in protesting against the build up to the Afghan and Iraq wars and believe that the Green Party is capable of changing the way that Americans view the rest of the world. Thank you.

Wendy Kenin, Berkeley (Alameda County)
 

Jared Laiti, Sacramento (Sacramento County)
 

Cynthia Santiago, Gardena (Los Angeles County)
 

Nine candidates for 13 alternate seats: 

Sasha Karlik, Los Angeles (Los Angeles County) sasha@greens.org
 
I have been an active, registered California Green since our party's founding in 1990-1992 and participated with integrity and earnest intensity in the 1990-1992 registration drive that qualified us for the California ballot. Since then I've been involved with the party in a various campaigns and grassroots efforts, including tabling, voter registration, ballot access campaigns for the Green Party and Green party Candidates in several states, marches and demonstrations. Since 2010, I have been serving on the GPLAC (Los Angeles County) County Council, and between 2014-2016 have served as the male co-coordinator. I also have a background in IT-related tasks, have worked with the GPCA's Cameron Spitzer in this regard since 1999 and in June 2013, was appointed to the GPCA IT Committee. In May 2012, I was elected to the Coordinating Committee to fill the second year of an unfilled two-year term, then elected to a two-year term in 2013. I am also a Longshoreman Union member in Los Angeles. Other interests are permaculture, integrative health sciences, healing arts, taoist yoga, martial arts, meditation.

 Dr. Paul Larudee, El Cerrito (Contra Costa County) larudee@pacbell.net

Paul Larudee is a former Ford Foundation project supervisor and Fulbright-Hays lecturer in Lebanon, and US government advisor to Saudi Arabia.  He has been on the faculty of several universities in the San Francisco Bay Area, an organizer with the International Solidarity Movement in Palestine and co-founder of the movement to break the Israeli naval siege of Gaza.  He was aboard the boats that entered in 2008 and the 2010 Flotilla attacked by Israel.  He was shot by an Israeli soldier in 2002.  He co-founded the Global March to Jerusalem, the Free Palestine Movement and the Syria Solidarity Movement, and went to Syria with delegations led by Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire in 2013 and 2014.  He was one of six US observers of the Syrian presidential elections in June, 2014.

Tim Laidman, Richmond (Contra Costa County)

Bernie Macdonald (Mendocino County)

Genevieve Marcus, Los Angeles (Los Angeles County)

Cordula Ohman, Santa Monica (Los Angeles County)

Ajay Rai, Los Angeles (Los Angeles County) ajay_rai@hotmail.com

I am currently the Green Party of California's IT  co -cordinator and SGA member from Los Angeles county for the last couple of years.  I have been the LA county delegate to the General Assembly for the last 5 times.  I am also a member of the GPUS Committee on Bylaws, Rules, Policies and Procedures.

Locally, I was involved in couple of Green party election campaign most notable with Luis Rodriguez run for the California Governor office.  Even though I am not a member of the LA county council of Green Party,  I have attended most of their meetings in the last 2 years and would be seeking a seat on the county council when possible.

I have participated in various social justice activities for more than 20 years.  I have also been involved with the ACLU in Colorado and in Florida. I have participated and been recognized for my social justice works while in law school in Miami. Thank you for your kind consideration,

Dana Silvernale (Humboldt County)
 
Karinna Zarate, Temecula (Riverside County) 
karinnazarate@gmail.com

GPCA appointed member of the GPUS Animal Rights Committee.