Maureen Cruise, RN
41st AD Delegate Candidate Biography
Retired as an LA Co. Public Health RN. I also have a background including psychiatric research at UCLA,
Connections for Children, and 17 years involvement with LA Unified School District providing support and services for students, parents,teachers and community involvement. I spent 20 years as a member of SAG. A California native, I am married with two adult children.
LA County 41st AD honored me as Democrat of the Year 2008. Currently a Cal Dem Party delegate and 41st AD alternate to LA Co. Dem Party, I am active with Progressive Democrats of LA on the Endorsements, Healthcare, Election Protection Committees and Pacific Palisades Democratic Club Board, producing Public Education Forums. Other club memberships include Westside Progressives and Valley Dems United. Political Activities spanning fifty years have included campaign, precinct & poll work, local and national legislative-constituent lobbying on election issues, developing public forums, writing & presenting resolutions Marching, vigiling, legislative office visits, giving public testimony, calling, writing proposals.
I am a grassroots activist with CAMS (UTLA Human Rights Committee), Veterans for Peace, Healthcare for All, CodePink, United for Justice & Peace, Common Ground, Palisadians for Peace. My activism has taken me all over L.A. Countering Military recruitment at our schools and to the offices of legislators petitioning on behalf of social justice and human rights. I have produced public education forums on media, healthcare, candidates, state initiatives, elections, Hurriciane Katrina, Iraq and Afghanistan. Attending public hearings, I have given testimony to the state, the county, the city and the school district on Election Integrity, Clean Money, Instant Runoff voting, militarization of our schools, healthcare, the war budget.
As an advocate for Peace, I have twice camped for 10 days on the road at Bush's Ranch in Texas attending workshops with Veterans for Peace, Iraq Vets Against the War, Code Pink and Gold Star Families for Peace. I organized a 60 plus member State Legislative Delegation Visit to DC as part of a United for Peace and Justice national surge on congress and have marched several times in the streets of DC, LA, San Fransisco, Austin, New Orleans. Joining torture survivors and human rights activists I have protested at the notorious School of the Americas at Fort Benning, Ga..
Engaged with Common Ground in relief work, I was part of mobile unit healthcare delivery and a make-shift medical clinic in New Orleans in the immediate wake of Hurricane Katrina, sleeping in a campground and then on a ship. Participating with Global Exchange at The World Social Forum in Venezuela enabled me to survey and learn about Healthcare, Education, Agriculture Cooperatives and Civic Participation among a number of third world countries and to compare and contrast different systems with ours.
I support all of the Progressive Challenge 2008 agenda items including end to war and occupations, universal single payer healthcare, education funding, social & economic justice, worker rights and union support, affordable housing, clean elections, environmental protections, clean renewable energy, consumer safeguards, civil liberties and human rights, free and independent media, preservation of the public domain, fair trade, infrastructure maintenance,adequate oversight of public and private institutions on which our society depends.
The constitution begins "we the people" and I believe that the grassroots is the legitimate source from which the energy, impetus and the direction of the party should arise. Delegates must be proactive, educated about issues, candidates and legislation. Delegates must represent the interests of constituents, give the party direction and set the agenda from issues most essential to promoting the public good and democratic party principles. I look forward to soliciting input from residents throughout the 41st AD to further a grassroots "everybody in, nobody out" system of party governance.
