The Democratic Club of the High Desert is a Democratic club in Los Angeles County, California. The club is a gathering place for Democratic Party activists.

The club works on election related activities and campaigns for Democratic Party candidates. ¹

The club was registered with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) as a political party affiliate, but its FEC registration was terminated in July 2022. ²

Overview

The Democratic Club of the High Desert is a Democratic Party-affiliated membership organization located in Los Angeles County, California. The club campaigns for Democratic Party candidates. The club meets monthly. ³

Campaign Activities

In 2014, a unique situation occurred when two Republican candidates successfully locked out Democrats under California’s “Top 2” election system for the 25^th congressional district. The “Top 2” election system lists all candidates on the primary ballot, regardless of party; and the candidates who receive the most and second most votes, again regardless of party, advance to the general election. ⁴

The club hosted a forum for the two Republican candidates, Tony Strickland and Steven Knight at a union hall. At the time, Republicans narrowly outnumbered Democrats in overall party registration in the district. The two Republicans tailored their messages and debated who could best work across the aisle with Democrats. Stickland pointed out that he had worked on bills with Democrats in the state legislature, while Knight attacked him for indicating in published campaign literature that he wanted to go to Washington, D.C. to fight then-President Barack Obama and repeal Obamacare. The two men also squared off over who was best to stimulate the economy and create jobs for the aerospace industry, which is important for the region. ⁵

In September 2014, the club arranged a meeting between Knight and local activists after Knight was one of only three California state senators to vote against a bill that would ban the sale and display of the Confederate flag at California state museums and gift shops. Knight voted against the bill because he believed there were free speech issues related to the bill. The club was not happy with Knight’s vote on the legislation. ⁶

In April 2019, the club hosted members of the Antelope Valley Union High School District governing board who were facing recall at their monthly meeting. It allowed the members who were facing recall to make the case why they should not be recalled. The meeting also hosted supporters of the recall who made the argument as to why they should be recalled. ⁷

In June 2020, the club president stated to journalists that as a Black man he was more afraid of the police than random hate groups. He claimed he could defend himself against the KKK but not against the police. ⁸

In December 2021, the club president co-wrote an op-ed calling for the defeat of then-Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva (D). They attacked the sheriff for everything from “thuggish ineptitude” to moving towards Republicans on certain issues. They also attacked the sheriff for racially profiling black and Latino youth. The two men endorsed Robert Luna (D), who would ultimately defeat Villanueva in November 2022. ⁹

For the 2022 midterm elections, the organization was a part of the Field Team 6 coalition. The purpose of the coalition was to register new Democratic voters and help them retain control of the U.S. Congress. ¹⁰

Leadership

As of 2022, the president of the club was Arthur Calloway. Calloway is a military veteran, small business owner, and police reform advocate. ¹¹ Calloway is also involved with his local chapter of the NAACP. ¹²

Funding

The club was registered as a political committee with the Federal Election Commission between 2018 and 2022. Its final report declared cash on hand in July 2022 of $367.59. ¹³

1. “Democratic Club of the High Desert.” Facebook. Accessed December 19, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/AVDCHD/about.
2. “The Democratic Club of the High Desert – Committee Overview.” Federal Election Commission. Accessed December 19, 2022. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00673442/?tab=summary.
3. “Democratic Club of the High Desert.” Facebook. Accessed December 19, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/AVDCHD/about.
4. Merl, Jean. “GOP Candidates Woo Voters at Democratic Club Forum in Palmdale.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, August 1, 2014. https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-pc-gop-democrats-forum20140801-story.html.
5.  Merl, Jean. “GOP Candidates Woo Voters at Democratic Club Forum in Palmdale.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, August 1, 2014. https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-pc-gop-democrats-forum20140801-story.html
6. Merl, Jean. “Confederate Flag Vote Puts Knight on Spot in Congressional Race.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, August 27, 2014. https://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-steve-knight-flag-20140827-story.html.
7. Drake, Julie. “Dems, AVUHSD Members Talk Recall.” Antelope Valley Press, April 26, 2019. https://www.avpress.com/news/dems-avuhsd-members-talk-recall/article_9401f508-67e2-11e9-94e0-e31ff1477cae.html
8. Ho, Vivian. “’The Confederacy of California’: Life in the Valley Where Robert Fuller Was Found Hanged.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, June 27, 2020. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/27/california-racism-policing-robert-fuller-antelope-valley
9. Johnson, Hans, and Arthur Calloway. “Don’t Be Fooled Again .” CityWatch Los Angeles, December 26, 2021. https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php/neighborhood-politics/23393-don-t-be-fooled-again.
10. “Field Team 6.” FieldTeam6. Accessed December 19, 2022. https://www.fieldteam6.org/mission.
11. Johnson, Hans, and Arthur Calloway. “Don’t Be Fooled Again .” CityWatch Los Angeles, December 26, 2021. https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php/neighborhood-politics/23393-don-t-be-fooled-again.
12. Drake, Julie. “Local NAACP Members Call for Removal of Branch Officers.” Antelope Valley Press, October 20, 2021. https://www.avpress.com/news/local_news/local-naacp-members-call-for-removal-of-branch-officers/article_d66d1e5e-314d-11ec-9b90-8fe50def198b.html
13. [1]“The Democratic Club of the High Desert – Committee Overview.” Federal Election Commission. Accessed December 19, 2022. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00673442/?tab=summary.