Join us for our hybrid (in-person and Zoom) club meeting, which will be held at the Peninsula Center Library, 701 Silver Spur Road, Rolling Hills Estates, California, 90274 on March 16, 2025. Our meeting starts at 2:30 pm but join us at 2:00 pm to chat and network with other Democrats.
Congressmember Ted Lieu
Congressman Ted Lieu will be joining us in-person as our keynote speaker. Congressman Lieu represents California's 36th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. Ted is serving in his sixth term in Congress and sits on the House Judiciary Committee and Foreign Affairs Committee. He was elected by his colleagues to serve as Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus, making him the highest ranking Asian American to have ever served in House Leadership. Ted is a veteran, having served on active duty and then in the Reserves for the Air Force. He retired in 2021 with the rank of Colonel.
In the 118th Congress, Ted was the Co-Chair of the House's Bipartisan Taskforce on Artificial Intelligence. Prior to becoming Caucus Vice Chair, Ted served as Co-Chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee in the 116th and 117th Congresses. In that role, Ted helped to shape messaging around key Democratic priorities. In his first term in Congress, Ted was elected Freshman Class President by his colleagues.
As a legislator, Ted has established himself as a leader on artificial intelligence; the environment; cybersecurity; civil liberties; foreign affairs; and veterans. Time Magazine recognized Ted as one of the 100 Most Influential People in AI. He has spoken at a variety of AI conferences, including at Harvard and Cornell.
He is also an outspoken proponent of more effective government oversight and adherence to the rule of law. Following the Jan. 6 insurrection, Ted co-authored the Article of Impeachment advanced by the House and subsequently served as an Impeachment Manager for the second Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump.
In addition to government reforms, Congressman Lieu is a champion of measures to reduce the harms of climate change. The first bill Ted introduced after coming to Congress was the Climate Solutions Act, which aims to make California's ground-breaking renewable energy goals and climate emissions reduction targets a national model. Ted is also a founder and co-Chair of the California Coastal Caucus, which advocates for issues that impact California's coastal communities.
Ted has been a leader in Congress against ethnic and racial profiling, including discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community and hate towards the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities. He serves as Whip of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, Vice Chair of the LGBTQ Equality Caucus, and Co-Chair of the Cloud Computing Caucus.
Prior to being elected to Congress in 2014, Ted served as a California State Senator from 2011 to 2014, and before that, as a State Assemblyman from 2005 to 2010.
Ted started his elected service as a Member of the Torrance City Council in 2002. Prior to serving on the Council, Ted was a Torrance Environmental Quality Commissioner.
Ted's wife, Betty, is a member of the Torrance Board of Education; a member of California’s Commission on Special Education; and a former California Deputy Attorney General. They live in Torrance and have two sons, Brennan, and Austin.
Gil Duran
Also joining us via Zoom will be Gil Duran. Gil is an American journalist based in San Francisco. He began his journalism career at the San Jose Mercury News in 1998. In 2003, he transitioned into political communications, serving as a spokesperson and strategist for prominent figures such as Governor Jerry Brown, Senator Dianne Feinstein, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and Attorney General Kamala Harris. Duran returned to journalism in 2018 as the California opinion editor for The Sacramento Bee, writing columns and editorials on local, state, and national issues. In 2021, he became the editorial page editor of the San Francisco Examiner. He currently writes the FrameLab Newsletter and The Nerd Reich and regularly contributes to various publications, including The New Republic.
Mr. Duran will give his perspective on the relationship between Donald Trump. Elon Musk, and other technology giants, and how this is impacting America.