Event Description

The midterm elections required the attention and participation of all California voters. The midterms included decisions on who would represent our communities at all levels of government, from local mayors to state representatives in Washington, D.C. Voters also weighed in on a whole range of issues through statewide propositions ranging from issues such as reproductive justice to online gambling.

As we unpack this critical election, it is important to understand the social factors that are at play, including the slew of mis- and disinformation. It is vital for us to understand how the results of the midterm elections will set the path and conditions for the presidential election of 2024. Funders will be called upon to respond in the aftermath of the election and invest in efforts to preserve democracy. Join us to learn about the midterm results and explore the implications for the sector of philanthropy.

Objectives 

  • Learn about critical issues surrounding the midterm elections (e.g. misinformation)
  • Unpack what is happening nationally that we should all be aware of
  • Understand strategies to protect democracy for the long-term (C4, Core Support, TBP, 5 Shifts)
  • Understand that democracy requires long-term perspective
  • Engage members in dialogue
  • Explore implications for advancing racial equity and social justice

Speakers

Profile photo of Jenifer Fernandez Ancona

Jenifer Fernandez Ancona

Co-Founder and Vice President, Way to Win

Jenifer Fernandez Ancona currently serves as Co-Founder and Vice President at Way to Win. She oversees the political and narrative strategy of Way to Win, a national community of donors, movement leaders and strategists seeking to upend politics as usual. Prior to coming on full-time to Way to Win, she served as Vice President at Women Donors Network, helping to run the national community of women donors who leverage their wealth, power, and community for a more fair, just, and sustainable world. She has a wide range of experience in communications, donor organizing, strategy development, grassroots organizing, and multi-racial coalition building. Jenifer has worked as Director of Strategic Communications at Citizen Engagement Laboratory, as a consultant to the Democracy Alliance, as a top legislative aide in the California State Assembly, and as a news reporter for the Los Angeles Times.
Profile photo of Sonja Diaz

Sonja Diaz

Founding Director, Latino Policy & Politics Initiative, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs

Sonja Diaz is the Founding Director of the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute, a comprehensive think tank that addresses the most critical domestic policy challenges facing communities of color in states and localities across the U.S. Diaz served as policy counsel to Vice President Kamala D. Harris during her first and second terms as California Attorney General and directed voter protection programs for Democratic candidates in Virginia during the 2016 election. Diaz has also managed domestic policy portfolios at three California nonprofits, clerked in the White House’s Domestic Policy Council under President Barack Obama, and supported litigation efforts at MALDEF, the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, and California’s Bureau of Children’s Justice. Diaz routinely briefs state legislators and local elected officials from across the U.S. on evidence-based governance and emerging trends in domestic policy. Her research and commentary have been mentioned in major news outlets, including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, CNN, NBC, NPR, Politico, and Univision. Diaz was appointed to the Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Commission and served as Vice Chair of the Commission during the 2021 redistricting cycle. Diaz received her J.D. from UC Berkeley’s School of Law, holds a M.P.P. from UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs, and a B.A. in politics from UC Santa Cruz.
Profile photo of Taylor Holden

Taylor Holden

CEO, One for Democracy

A longtime organizer and strategist, Taylor Holden is the CEO of One for Democracy, a national network of more than 140 donors and foundations pledging a minimum of 1% of their net worth or assets to protect democracy. Most recently, she served as Senior Advisor to several members of the Pritzker family, advising the family’s national civic and political giving. Taylor has provided advising services for the Democracy Alliance, Democracy Fund Voice, Open Society Foundations, Heising-Simons Action Fund, Swing Left, and others. During the 2018 cycle, she was on the ground floor of Way to Win as the Director of Resource Strategy, where she helped lead both philanthropic advising and communications for a community of more than 100 individual donors, funds, and foundations. Taylor is on the Board of Directors of Everybody Votes, a $60 million collaborative effort to close the voter registration gap among people of color in partnership with civic organizations led by and for multiracial, im/migrant, Black, Indigenous, Latino and Hispanic, and Asian American people. She is also on the Board of Directors of New Era Colorado, a young voter engagement organization that has modernized the state’s election laws and gets young people to give a f*ck about democracy.
A man with short brown hair, facial hair, and a smile. He is wearing a dark suit with a red tie.

Raúl Macias

Democracy Program Director, Haas Jr

Raúl joined the Haas, Jr. Fund in early 2021. Over the past decade, he has helped lead democracy reform efforts for the Brennan Center for Justice and the Voting Rights Project of the ACLU of California. In these positions, he played a leadership role in advancing legislation, litigation and advocacy on issues from ensuring broader, easier access to voter registration to the successful implementation of the Voters Choice Act reforms enacted by the state in 2016. A native Californian, Macías started his career as an advocate for long-term care for residents and a consumer health advocate. He subsequently served as a researcher with the California Budget & Policy Center, with a focus on state policy and how it affects working families. He received his law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law.

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