Mai Vang: Sacramento’s Progressive Candidate for Congress
First Sacramento DSA-led canvass for Mai Vang.
Mai Vang joins a growing group of progressive candidates rising in popularity to challenge the Democratic Party establishment. Running for the House of Representatives, District CA-07, she has generated excitement not only through her advocacy on Sacramento City Council but also through her populist message and refusal to accept corporate PAC money. Her policy platform aligns strongly with DSA which helped her receive a unanimous recommendation for endorsement from our Electoral Committee.
Mai has a history of organizing and advocacy within the immigrant and refugee communities. Her advocacy shows her stance is more than a play for votes. As a daughter of Hmong refugees, the immigrant community is more than just political, it is personal. While she was on the Sacramento City Unified School District Board, she passed a safe haven resolution, making schools a safe space for students, regardless of their immigration status. As a city councilwoman, Mai worked to designate Sacramento as a sanctuary city and has a strong stance against ICE, not only to abolish ICE but prosecute ICE for their actions against our immigrant communities.
Motivated to support a candidate actually aligning with progressive values rather than picking the "lesser of two evils", Sacramento DSA had some of the highest turnout to canvasses out of any other organizations in the area, and we members took on roles as field canvass leads for her campaign. In addition to the campaign specific canvasses, our Electoral Committee held DSA specific canvasses leading up to the primary.
As the polls showed Mai gaining ground in this race, the Democrat incumbent, Doris Matsui, started to boost the Republican candidate knowing she would have an easier time against a conservative rather than a progressive. The week of the primary election was a rollercoaster for most of us. Election night results favored Doris with Mai Vang and the Republican frontrunner fighting for the number two spot. After a few days and the mail in vote count, Mai jumped ahead of Doris and sealed her spot in the general election.
Mai's surge in popularity has rattled Doris Matsui and pushed Doris Matsui into showing up to more public events, holding town halls for the first time in years, and voting in a more "progressive" manner. (She was one of the 104 House members who recently voted to cut aid to Israel, going against her previous votes to continue aiding the genocide.) Unfortunately for Doris Matsui, we believe this is too little too late. While canvassing for Mai, people have expressed support for her because of refusal to take corporate PAC money, her advocacy for the immigrant community, and a desire for change within the Democratic Party. Even previous Doris Matsui supporters I've spoken with have expressed a desire for change. Mai's strong performance along with Sacramento DSA's endorsement has increased DSA's name recognition locally, and new members have joined DSA in part because of our endorsement and seeing the success of DSA backed candidates in recent primaries.
If elected, Mai would be the first Hmong elected to Congress and would add to the growing number of progressive elected officials. We will continue to work to make that a reality.
If you would like to donate to Mai Vang’s campaign, please do so here.
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Why we Have to Defeat Republicans in California
June was a great month for socialists and progressives across the country. Congratulations to all the candidates who won their elections and to all the people who worked to build support for them. The victory of the socialist candidates further demonstrates that the word “socialism” is no longer as politically unacceptable as it once was, as people are continually worried about their economic future.
People are frustrated with the Democrats. Why are people frustrated? Because Democrats have not been able to enact more progressive policies and defend the things, like Obamacare, they have won. And why have they not been able to win more? Because the Republican Party has too much power and they prevent more significant wins.
Would we blame the socialists for not winning more? Democrats and Republicans have power and prevent us from winning more. Should we be frustrated with socialists? Should we give up on socialism because it has not been more successful?
In most circumstances across the United States, establishment Democrats are the best option for the people to choose. The Republican Party is the main enemy of progress toward freedom and equality and is a dangerous threat to socialism. So in those cases where an establishment Democrat is the best option, we should support them.
We—socialists, Marxists, leaders of the working class—must be able to determine the main enemy at any particular time. Now, that enemy is the fascist movement within the right wing and the lackey Republican Party that enables it. The fascists threaten the progressive movement's existence and ability to make people's lives better and gain political influence. We should be part of a popular front that is in the process of forming, opposing the fascist movement.
Being part of a popular front means that we unite with forces to our right against our primary and shared enemy, the far-right. Participating in a popular front demonstrates our commitment to working on winning what's realistically possible and best for the people.
By participating in a popular front against the Republican Party we can make gains for socialism. We will meet people and explain socialist ideas and policies and hear what will win them over to our ideas. They will get to know us and talk to us and hear us out because we are working with them and doing what's best for the people.
I've written before about the critical importance of defeating Republicans in the competitive districts in California. Since then, the primaries were held. Here are the Democratic Party candidates that won and who we should support:
- CA-13 (Lean-Dem): Adam Gray
- CA-22 (Toss-Up): Randy Villegas
- CA-45 (Lean-Dem): Derek Tran
- CA-48 (Toss-Up): Marni von Wilpert
Some of these candidates may be more or less progressive, none of them call themselves socialists, but they are our allies in the struggle against our main enemy and that is why we should support them. And just like when our preferred candidates win primaries and we want the whole Democratic Party to unite behind them, the same goes for when our not preferred candidates win, we should still lend our support. That's what it means to be part of a popular front to fight the far-right.
We live in a very conservative country, and the more successful socialism is, the more it will face dangerous and violent backlash. We have a long road ahead of us and we should not rush. Let's not be naive about the political conditions.
It will be some time before socialists are one of the major political forces in the United States and that will depend on the expansion of the socialist movement's ability to communicate clear ideas and win people over to these ideas. And as we develop those ideas the Republican Party will continue to be the main political force opposed to us. So let's be honest and humble and join forces with our allies against the dangerous far-right.
Finally, a poem, for what we want to avoid.
A Poem for the Year 2026
(A few years before the Democratic Socialists of America was declared a Domestic Terrorist Organization)
The anarchist asked the left-socialist
how can you participate in electoral politics?
The government is fascist
just a tool of the bourgeoisie to oppress the people.
The left-socialist asked the socialists of the popular front
how can you support the establishment Democrats?
They are fascists
nearly as bad as the Republicans.
Not many years later the fascist wing
of the Republican Party consolidated power.
The anarchist, left-socialist and popular front socialist
(if they were foolish enough to raise their voices)
were picked up from their homes
and brought to a detention center
where finally they all sat
organized, side-by-side
------
Fortunately for us,
We haven't reached this yet.
We can set down our dogmas
We can work together.
We can make wise decisions
And apply them with our hearts.
The fascist movement
will be stopped
by the left
united.
I want to hear what you all think. Please reach out to me at lealfaro@protonmail.com with any comments and if you want to work together.
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Justice for Lyle Prijoles and the Negros 19!
On April 19th, Lyle Prijoles, a long-time Bay Area organizer and SFSU alum, was killed by the Armed Force of the Philippines (AFP), in Toboso, Negros Occidental, Philippines. The AFP displaced hundreds in Negros and massacred eighteen others, including a fellow Filipino American organizer from Washington, Kai Sorem, and Filipino journalists, students, organizers and youth, many of whom were in Negros to report on state repression and the plight of peasants in the area. DSA SF is heartbroken and enraged by these murders, by the loss of a dedicated comrade and member of our community, by the continued exploitation of and violence against the indigenous people of Negros, and by all of the horrors that imperialism continues to inflict on workers across the globe.
DSA SF recognizes that Lyle’s work selflessly organizing for the oppressed in the Philippines and for the restriction of US funding for the AFP exemplifies our positions advocating for the end of imperialism and for the rights of the working class to build a better world. We recommend reading more about his work and life in this statement by the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP).
The United States has not only been a major source of funding for the AFP across multiple administrations, but also regularly performs military exercises with them. The largest of these, the annual Balikatan, took place from April 20th until May 8th this year, immediately after the AFP murdered Lyle. While the US has an endless supply of tax dollars for foreign militaries like the AFP or IDF, even as these forces kill Americans and terrorize poor, innocent people without any recourse, our government has little to offer those of us here at home needing housing, food, healthcare, or education. This is not a mistake; we exist in a system of capitalist exploitation that depends on the continuation and escalation of this existing arrangement, reliant on the ability of the US and its allies to kill whomever they so desire. Without this ability, the US would be unable to continue its project of imperialist resource extraction in the Philippines and elsewhere, and the benefits for the corporate class – lower costs, higher growth, and increased profit – would cease.
DSA SF echos ICHRP’s demands to:
- Hold an immediate and independent investigation into the AFP’s massacre on April 19th in Negros Occidental;
- End U.S. support and funding for the Marcos Jr. administration, as well as U.S. military aid to the Philippines.
You can sign a petition to amplify these demands to the U.S. State Dept. & U.S. Embassy in the Philippines at https://tinyurl.com/negros19-petition.
We stand in solidarity with our kasama from the Bay Area to the Philippines in the continuation of this 400-year struggle of the oppressed against the land-owner and slaver class. We also call on those interested to attend upcoming actions in solidarity with Lyle, the Negros 19, and everyone continuing to suffer under this imperialist regime. You can find more information here:
https://www.instagram.com/defendnegros.norcal
We often say that a better world is possible. Lyle lived this ethos through his actions, through his tireless resistance, organization, and dedication to the most oppressed. May his memory and the memories of all those who stand against oppression be a reminder and inspiration for us all.
Peace Not War, Migrant Justice Not Deportation: The Obligation to Resist
Leftist Fiction Is Good, Actually
Statement on State Department report “Cuba: The Capital of 21st Century Communism”
Statement on State Department report “Cuba: The Capital of 21st Century Communism”
Date: July 24, 2026
Media Contact: For all press inquiries, please contact media@mdcdsa.org.
Washington, DC: The US State Department has released a report titled Cuba: The Capital of 21st Century Communism. This report should be understood as part of the Trump Administration’s attempt to smear its domestic political opposition as malign foreign agents. It must be rejected as such.
From the first page to the last, this report makes unfounded allegations that critics of the administration’s foreign policy – particularly the Democratic Socialists of America, but including the National Lawyers’ Guild, CodePink, and Black Alliance for Peace, and other organizations – are “mirrors” or “inheritors” of the Cuban government’s supposed ideological victory in the U.S. Left. It breathlessly concludes that Cuban agents “maintain a foothold in hundreds of” groups such as ours, and moreover that everything from the 2020 racial justice protests to college students protesting against the genocide in Palestine is puppeted by this secret influence network. Of course, even this far-right fever dream of a report must admit: “DSA was not shaped by the direct and tangible influence of the Cuban government.”
As the DSA chapter in our nation’s capital, let us be clear: DSA’s positions and activities are determined democratically by our members. We oppose the US-imposed economic blockade on Cuba that makes ordinary life unbearable, support the right for all peoples to have self-determination, and oppose US interventionism abroad because of our own socialist principles, not because of the influence of any foreign government.
If the US government officials are concerned about growing international solidarity movements, they should examine how they are creating the crises that inspire those same solidarity movements. If the US government were not enforcing a stranglehold on the Cuban people, if it were not financing and arming a genocide in Palestine, if it were not illegally kidnapping foreign leaders, if it was not waging an illegal war on Iran, then there would be nothing to oppose. But these are the actions of our government, and we have a right and obligation to oppose them.
It is all Americans’ right to criticize and organize in solidarity against the unjust actions of our nation abroad. Solidarity is not foreign influence; it’s doing the right thing. When the actions of the United States bring suffering to ordinary people, whether they be in Cuba or elsewhere, DSA is proud to be part of the mass movement that opposes those actions. We have a world to win!
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Unclogging Capitalism’s Debris
Statement on Our Bus Stop Bench Project
Over the past few days, several news outlets in the Wilmington area have reached out to us regarding the current situation with our bus stop benches. In an effort to avoid conflicting statements or selectively edited quotes, and to be as clear as possible, Wilmington Democratic Socialists of America (ILM-DSA) has decided to release this statement. Our intent is to correct misconceptions, make our position clear, and explain where things stand.
We have built and placed over 30 bus stop benches since April 2025. The bench builds were undertaken as a mutual aid project to improve city transit and the lives of working class Wilmington residents by making their commute easier. This demonstrates one of our core beliefs as Democratic Socialists: that the city must work for the citizens within it. We paint these benches with friends and families both inside and outside of DSA. The building and painting rotates between locations based on availability and turnout. These benches are made from reclaimed wood and leftover paint and we actively strive to minimize both expense and material waste in this project. The benches we created cost around $200 in total.
There is a misconception that we were given approval by WAVE to set up these benches; this is not the case. We received an email from the Executive Director of WAVE on July 6th informing ILM-DSA that there had been complaints about the benches, and that they had been instructed by the city to get in touch with us. These complaints, to our knowledge, stem from people who found the messaging on the benches “too political” after the benches were the topic of discussion in a Facebook thread. Many benches feature art and messages designed to provide a bit of levity and joy for people who see them. A few feature messaging about real issues like rising rents from predatory landlords. We do not find these facts controversial, we believe affordable housing and public transit are rights owed to all.
Due to the complaint, we were informed it was possible that the benches would need to be removed. As we began to explore our options, we launched a letter writing campaign to show public support for the benches. Hundreds of citizens responded, and we thank them all for their belief in our project and for their desire to support our attempts to help improve the city when the city government and its various arms can’t or won’t.
We want to be clear: do not harass or bother WAVE over this. In our recent discussions with them they have been understanding and helpful. We also discourage arguing with the city government on social media. This will not be solved in the comments of a post. If you have positive stories about the benches, please post about that and tag us, we would love to read them. Hopefully that will allow council members to direct their attention away from social media and focus on assisting with finding solutions to Wilmington’s transit accessibility.
It has been brought to our attention that at least one bench has been the target of graffiti, with racial slurs on it. This is, obviously, against everything we believe in. More importantly, we are reminded to thank everyone who has kept the benches in such good condition over the past year. While we perform maintenance on benches that have issues, one of the most positive things about this entire experience has been seeing how riders and passersby have helped to keep the benches clean. That is a validation of this project: this community can, and wants to, care for itself. It believes that these benches, while certainly not perfect, are a valuable asset that improve the material condition of everyday life.
We acknowledge that one concern raised is compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility requirements. While we do believe that the entire city should be ADA compliant – which means more sidewalks, ramps, etc. – most of these benches are placed at bus stops that are inherently not ADA friendly, as they are patches of dirt and grass, often on uneven ground. What is more harmful for our neighbors of various abilities and conditions is being forced to stand in the increasing heat and humidity or sit in the dirt while waiting for buses that are increasingly late.
A recent article about the benches stated that 25% of WAVE’s 400 bus stops have benches or shelters; however, WAVE’s own website and interactive map shows that there are 28 benches and 36 shelters. That equates to roughly 16% of stops with seating. The thirty benches we created have doubled the original number of solo benches in the city in just one year, for around $200.
ILM-DSA is currently engaged in discussions with WAVE and City Council to find a solution that allows riders access to seating while waiting for public transit. We realize there is a bit of debate going around between who is ultimately responsible for the allocation of funds, construction, and maintenance of bus stop benches and shelters in the city. But the truth is unchanged: this is a service that Wilmington needs, and there is enough money to do it. What is yet to be seen is the willpower and creativity to solve a problem that would benefit everyone in Wilmington. We hope that through the outpouring of support we have received, as well as the proof of process by which we were able to creatively address this problem ourselves, a solution can be found. In the interim, we will not be providing further comment as we seek to find that solution.
If you haven’t already, please join our campaign to let City Council know that the community supports this initiative. Second, we encourage anyone who has been inspired by this project to join us at a bench build or paint day. We hold them on the second and fourth Sunday of each month, respectively. If that is not your cup of tea, we do group readings, social events, and more nuts and bolts community organizing all the time. More information can be found on our calendar at https://www.wilmingtondsa.org/events/.
A better world is possible – here in Wilmington and beyond – if we build it together. If you agree, join DSA at dsausa.org/join.
In Solidarity,
Wilmington DSA