State Democratic chair under fire

California Democratic Party chair Rusty Hicks, who is seeking reelection to a fouryear term, is being blasted by some party leaders who say he’s “failing the basic functions” of his job and want Gov. Gavin Newsom to do something about it.

In a letter to the governor obtained by The Chronicle, several party officials asked Newsom to “take urgent action” to ensure the party has a strong leader before a potential gubernatorial recall election and next year’s midterms.

The letter doesn’t specify what the urgent action would be, and Newsom lacks the authority to replace the party chair. But he can endorse an opponent or decline to back Hicks.

So far, Hicks’ only opponent for reelection is former state schools Superintendent Delaine Eastin. Voting lasts from March 24 through April 21. Hicks won the chair’s job in 2019 after the resignation of Eric Bauman.

The letter blames Hicks for a variety of Democratic problems, including a failure to engage “emerging immigrant populations” in Southern California and the Central Valley that contributed to the party’s loss of four House seats last year.

Signers include Carlos Alcala, chair of the Chicano Latino caucus; R.L. Miller, chair of the environmental caucus; Sean Dugar, a member of the party’s executive board; Soli Alpert, chair of the Young Democrats progressive caucus; and Amar Shergill, chair of the progressive caucus. Alcala, Miller and Shergill are also members of the party’s executive board.

“We can do better than Rusty Hicks,” the letter says. “We hope you agree.”

Newsom doesn’t. His strategist Dan Newman told The Chronicle that “the governor continues to have complete confidence in the California Democratic Party and Chair Hicks as we work together to get through the homestretch of the pandemic crisis.”

Hicks said via email: “With 57,000 volunteers and the largest smalldollar donor base in our history, the California Democratic Party is moving aggressively forward into a brighter future. I look forward to earning the opportunity to do even more in the years to come.”