San Francisco hosts California Democratic Convention ahead 2026 elections

By John Ramos

Over the weekend, San Francisco’s Moscone Center played host to the California Democratic Convention. While no one was expecting any big decisions about endorsing a candidate for governor, it was an opportunity for people to get together to begin deciding the future of the Democratic Party in California.

The discussion began out on the sidewalk, with people rallying over various issues, from immigration enforcement to Israel, with the most passionate concern being President Trump. Inside, it certainly felt like people were gearing up for a fight.

“We have to figure out what’s better for the future,” said Orange County delegate Judy Rice. “And this is a scary time, but it’s that Chinese curse, ‘you’re living in interesting times.’ We can affect it.”

But for some Democrats, the fight is with the party itself.

“A lot of behavior within the party itself was kind of upsetting to me, especially after the loss in 2024,” said Alan Lai.

Lai was a first-time delegate from Riverside who got involved in party politics after Mr. Trump won reelection. But he said many young people are putting a lot of blame on the Democratic Party for sticking so long with former President Joe Biden as their candidate.

“And it’s like you didn’t listen to us and you lost,” he said. “In their minds, that is validating the fact that you’re not listening to them. That’s your fault.  And so, a lot of the chatter around where I’m from and with a lot of people I talk to is, like, they kind of asked for it.”

A group of young activists echoed that sentiment.  They belong to a group called Grassroots Democrats HQ, which is looking for a new direction for the party.

“It’s very easy to fall into disillusionment,” said Jaidyn Mckinnie. “But I think this is the best time to be motivated to change things.  So, yeah, I definitely would say the overarching Trump factor plays a big role.”

“I think older people tend to overcomplicate it, right?” said Luke Susswood.  “Young people just want somebody who relates to them, who’s doing good work for them.  And I think we see it, it’s not so much about party with younger people.”

That may not be good news for party officials who are desperately trying to recapture a majority in Congress in November and, at the same time, they’re looking to find someone to fill the governor’s seat.  

On Saturday, the candidates each got four minutes to address the crowd, but with 10 people running, it was unlikely that any would come away with an endorsement from the weekend gathering.  

Currently, with such a crowded field, two republicans are outpolling any single democrat in the race and, with the state’s “Top Two” system, would be the only ones competing in the general election. 

But the belief is that candidates will begin dropping out of the primary in time to settle on one or more Democrats who can appear on the November ballot.

“Yes, I’m concerned,” said Rice, “but this is February. I prefer a little stirring of the soup to get it blended and get it right.”

But if people are feeling unheard, perhaps the party can take a lesson from another group at the convention. Sitting at a mostly-empty table were advocates for something called the “Empathy Movement.” They’ve been traveling the campaign trail, advocating for both parties to sit down and begin talking and listening to each other for the sake of the nation.

“You know, sometimes it’s like a marriage,” said an empathetic Edwin Rutsch from El Cerrito. “People stop listening to each other until things get so bad they finally go to couples therapy. So, sometimes you just have to wait until things get so bad that people are finally willing to try something else.”

“If you look at the news and you hear people who are very angry, they don’t feel heard,” said Bill Filler. “I think that’s universal. And when they do feel heard, there’s a shift.”