SF Latinx Club Leaves the Local Democratic Party

The San Francisco Latinx Democratic Club announced this week that it is formally withdrawing from the San Francisco Democratic Party, the second chartered club to split off this year.

In a public statement released Wednesday, the club’s leadership criticized the local party for allegedly refusing to protect the city’s Latino community from attacks by President Donald Trump, specifically from policies targeting birthright citizenship and constitutional protections for immigrants.

The Latinx Democratic Club “will no longer recognize the local party as a legitimate representative of our community’s values or interests,” the statement read. “At a time when immigrant families are under siege and Latino communities are being scapegoated, the silence from the San Francisco Democratic Party speaks volumes.”

Kevin Ortiz, co-president of the Latinx Democratic Club, said the organization’s primary mission has been rooted in political advocacy for the community. But Latino residents are not being represented equitably on the Democratic County Central Committee — which is mostly composed of white representatives, with only one Latino on the slate, he said.

“It’s clear that the San Francisco Democratic Party is not a beacon of hope and the voice we need right now to fight for Latino issues,” Ortiz told KQED. “If you don’t have representation, you’re less likely to have folks that are championing Latino issues.”

But the timing of the club’s announcement followed controversy over Ortiz, who was accused of sexual assault last year by several women in the political community.

The club said in January that an internal investigation found that the allegations were unsupported, and Ortiz was reinstated to his position. His reappointment caused public outcry, which included some of the women who had accused Ortiz of abuse.

Under pressure to respond to allegations made against Ortiz and others in the San Francisco political scene, the city’s Democratic Party voted to adopt new guidelines for reporting and monitoring sexual misconduct cases.

Starting in May, an ombudsperson will investigate reports of sexual violence, and an adjudication panel will be put in place to decide potential remedies and consequences. While the new policy allows victims to bring allegations to their local Democratic chapters, those who feel uncomfortable doing so can now choose to go through the official Democratic Party.

Leaders of local chapters will have to complete sexual harassment training and incorporate the policies into their chapters’ bylaws if they wish to remain chartered.

“I have not received any type of communication from the Latinx club or its leadership, and so I can’t say for sure what their motivations are aside from what they’ve written on paper,” said Nancy Tung, chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party. “But I will say that it’s a bit strange to me that people who have been long-term Democrats would not seek to try to mediate differences with the party before unilaterally and without warning deciding to leave.”

According to Ortiz, the club fully adopted the party’s new code of conduct policies and have also restructured their own internal processes when it comes to addressing sexual misconduct.

The Latinx Democratic Club is not the first this year to cut ties. Leadership with the Rose Pak Democratic Club, which changed its name to the Rose Pak Asian American Club, announced that they would not be rechartering with San Francisco’s Democratic Party in January.

In a letter addressed to Tung, the club’s leadership said that monolingual seniors expressed distrust when interacting with the party and alleged that the Democratic Party failed to address the immediate concerns of Asian American and immigrant communities.

The San Francisco Democratic Party signed a resolution in February condemning the Trump administration’s actions and reaffirming the city’s status as a sanctuary for immigrants and other marginalized communities. Ortiz called it a “weak response.”

Tung said the Latinx Club was very eager about rechartering prior to its announcement and felt the club’s about-face was “sudden.” The organization’s allegations that the party has done nothing to protect the city’s vulnerable communities are “not true and disappointing,” she said.

“To suddenly disrupt the process and not even give us the courtesy of a call is disappointing… It’s a privilege to be chartered with the Democratic Party locally, and we have a lot to offer in terms of helping them grow their membership and partnering on important issues,” Tung said. “All I can say is that I wish them well.”