For Immediate Release August 12, 2020
Press Contact: Jeannine Wisnosky Stehlin
HeartLADemsPR@gmail.com
Heart of LA Democratic Club Endorses Yasmine-Imani McMorrin
for Culver City City Council
for Culver City City Council
Yasmine-Imani McMorrin
Los Angeles County, CA – The Heart of LA Democratic Club (HLADems), a Los Angeles County Democratic club that promotes equality and the full representation of women in local, state and national politics, endorses Yasmine-Imani McMorrin for Culver City City Council. The club voted to endorse McMorrin at the August 5, 2020 membership meeting. There are three council positions on the November 3, 2020 ballot, with Mayor Göran Eriksson seeking reelection and councilmember Thomas Small not seeking a second term.
"The Heart of LA Democratic Club is pleased to endorse Yasmine-Imani McMorrin,” says Heart of LA president Lindsay Carlson. “Our membership was impressed with Ms. McMorrin’s detailed and thoughtful responses to our questions concerning feminism, her ideas to increase employment and earnings for low-income women and families in Culver City, and her focus on equity, safety, and health. We believe that representation matters, and it is not lost on us that, if she is elected, Ms. McMorrin would be the first Black woman on the Council, and the sixth woman ever, in the City’s 103 year history.”
Yasmine-Imani McMorrin says, "The Heart of L.A. Democratic Club's mission of equality and inclusion is at the heart of my campaign for Culver City Council. I am honored to receive their endorsement, and look forward to working alongside an organization that fights tirelessly to advocate for women in politics, supporting candidates whose voices have been underrepresented in civic decision-making.
It is especially meaningful to receive an endorsement from an organization that specifically supports women, as I know first-hand the importance of having women in leadership positions, and the challenges we can face getting there.”
About the Endorsement Process:
Culver City Council Democratic candidates Göran Eriksson (incumbent), Khin Khin Gyi, Yasmine-Imani McMorrin, Darrel Menthe, Freddy Puza, and Albert Vera requested the club’s endorsement. Per club bylaws, each candidate filled out and submitted a detailed questionnaire, and then attended the club’s virtual Zoom candidate forum at the regular membership meeting on Wednesday, August 5th. Candidates were all asked moderated questions including their opinions on feminism, the working relationship between council and city staff, affordable housing and homelessness, racial equity both in policing and more broadly in policy/culture. After the general questions, each candidate was asked follow-up questions specifically pertaining to answers in their questionnaires. Following the forum, the HLA Dems membership voted on their choices using a secure, anonymous voting tool. Ms. McMorrin, who received over 60% of the vote, was the only candidate to reach the required percentage threshold, thus earning the club’s sole vote.
About Yasmine-Imani McMorrin:
Yamine-Imani McMorrin is an attorney, equity advocate, and mom who is passionate about improving the quality of life for everyone who lives, works, and plays in Culver City. Her vision as a Council Member is to ensure that as Culver City develops, we prioritize equity, making sure everyone shares in the progress we create together. Her goal is for Culver City to become a model of responsive government that genuinely strives for equity in every policy and budget decision.
Throughout her career, she has worked to advance equity, access, and inclusion. She is currently Interim Dean of Students and Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at the University of Southern California's Gould School of Law. She also serves as Vice-Chair of the Culver City General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC), and as a member of the Culver City Unified School District Equity Strategic Planning Committee.
McMorrin has a B.A. in Economics from Spelman College, and a J.D. from Rutgers University, where I served as President of Rutgers Law School's Association of Black Law Students. She is also a Member of the Governing Board of New Leaders Council--Los Angeles Chapter, a graduate of the Los Angeles African American Women’s Public Policy Institute, and an American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Scholar.
For more information, visit: mcmorrinforculvercity.com
"The Heart of LA Democratic Club is pleased to endorse Yasmine-Imani McMorrin,” says Heart of LA president Lindsay Carlson. “Our membership was impressed with Ms. McMorrin’s detailed and thoughtful responses to our questions concerning feminism, her ideas to increase employment and earnings for low-income women and families in Culver City, and her focus on equity, safety, and health. We believe that representation matters, and it is not lost on us that, if she is elected, Ms. McMorrin would be the first Black woman on the Council, and the sixth woman ever, in the City’s 103 year history.”
Yasmine-Imani McMorrin says, "The Heart of L.A. Democratic Club's mission of equality and inclusion is at the heart of my campaign for Culver City Council. I am honored to receive their endorsement, and look forward to working alongside an organization that fights tirelessly to advocate for women in politics, supporting candidates whose voices have been underrepresented in civic decision-making.
It is especially meaningful to receive an endorsement from an organization that specifically supports women, as I know first-hand the importance of having women in leadership positions, and the challenges we can face getting there.”
About the Endorsement Process:
Culver City Council Democratic candidates Göran Eriksson (incumbent), Khin Khin Gyi, Yasmine-Imani McMorrin, Darrel Menthe, Freddy Puza, and Albert Vera requested the club’s endorsement. Per club bylaws, each candidate filled out and submitted a detailed questionnaire, and then attended the club’s virtual Zoom candidate forum at the regular membership meeting on Wednesday, August 5th. Candidates were all asked moderated questions including their opinions on feminism, the working relationship between council and city staff, affordable housing and homelessness, racial equity both in policing and more broadly in policy/culture. After the general questions, each candidate was asked follow-up questions specifically pertaining to answers in their questionnaires. Following the forum, the HLA Dems membership voted on their choices using a secure, anonymous voting tool. Ms. McMorrin, who received over 60% of the vote, was the only candidate to reach the required percentage threshold, thus earning the club’s sole vote.
About Yasmine-Imani McMorrin:
Yamine-Imani McMorrin is an attorney, equity advocate, and mom who is passionate about improving the quality of life for everyone who lives, works, and plays in Culver City. Her vision as a Council Member is to ensure that as Culver City develops, we prioritize equity, making sure everyone shares in the progress we create together. Her goal is for Culver City to become a model of responsive government that genuinely strives for equity in every policy and budget decision.
Throughout her career, she has worked to advance equity, access, and inclusion. She is currently Interim Dean of Students and Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at the University of Southern California's Gould School of Law. She also serves as Vice-Chair of the Culver City General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC), and as a member of the Culver City Unified School District Equity Strategic Planning Committee.
McMorrin has a B.A. in Economics from Spelman College, and a J.D. from Rutgers University, where I served as President of Rutgers Law School's Association of Black Law Students. She is also a Member of the Governing Board of New Leaders Council--Los Angeles Chapter, a graduate of the Los Angeles African American Women’s Public Policy Institute, and an American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Scholar.
For more information, visit: mcmorrinforculvercity.com
About the Heart of LA Democratic Club
Founded in March 2017 on the heels of the Presidential election, the Heart of L.A. Democratic Club was created in recognition of the growing awareness within the Democratic Party that women should be fully and equally represented in local, state, and national politics. The Heart of L.A. Democratic Club is open to all Democrats who subscribe to the club’s goals and purposes regardless of their gender identity. The mission of the Heart of L.A. Democratic Club is to help make the Democratic Party and its elected officials responsive to, and responsible for, the needs of all people, particularly, though not exclusively, women in our community. In addition to endorsing and organizing for candidates, the Heart of LA Democratic Club actively participates in voter registration, community outreach and issues/legislative advocacy on areas including social equity, reproductive justice, homelessness, voting rights, immigration, criminal justice reform, and more. The Club’s monthly meetings feature guest speakers, including Democratic elected officials and candidates, and experts in policy areas of interest to women. For more information about The Heart of LA Democratic Club, visit:
Website: HeartLADems.org.
Facebook: Facebook.com/HeartLADems
Twitter: @HeartLADems
Instagram: @HeartLADems
Founded in March 2017 on the heels of the Presidential election, the Heart of L.A. Democratic Club was created in recognition of the growing awareness within the Democratic Party that women should be fully and equally represented in local, state, and national politics. The Heart of L.A. Democratic Club is open to all Democrats who subscribe to the club’s goals and purposes regardless of their gender identity. The mission of the Heart of L.A. Democratic Club is to help make the Democratic Party and its elected officials responsive to, and responsible for, the needs of all people, particularly, though not exclusively, women in our community. In addition to endorsing and organizing for candidates, the Heart of LA Democratic Club actively participates in voter registration, community outreach and issues/legislative advocacy on areas including social equity, reproductive justice, homelessness, voting rights, immigration, criminal justice reform, and more. The Club’s monthly meetings feature guest speakers, including Democratic elected officials and candidates, and experts in policy areas of interest to women. For more information about The Heart of LA Democratic Club, visit:
Website: HeartLADems.org.
Facebook: Facebook.com/HeartLADems
Twitter: @HeartLADems
Instagram: @HeartLADems
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