By Linda Aramcost and Jeff Benesch
Roy Zimmerman, America’s premier political satirist, and guitar-strumming singer-songwriter –– whose witty left-slanted commentary is primarily focused on social justice –– will make a return appearance to headline the La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club’s annual holiday gala. The festivities begin at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 2 at the La Mesa Community Center.
The LMFDC, representing the communities of San Carlos, Allied Gardens, Del Cerro, the College Area, La Mesa, Mt. Helix, Santee and other nearby East County communities, meets the first Wednesday of every month at 4975 Memorial Drive, just North of University Avenue in La Mesa.
Our large, progressive membership invites community members to join us at all our meetings and special events. Our December meeting is a robust festive meal, complete with roasted turkeys and ham, vegan dishes, traditional holiday fixings, plus appetizers and salads, beverages, and specially baked pies and desserts, all of which are supplied by the club and its members. Our holiday meeting is always one of the best attended, and with the addition of Roy Zimmerman, this year’s party should be especially memorable.
A native of Southern California, Zimmerman was the founder of the satirical folk quartet, The Foremen, which performed at the national conventions of both major American political parties in 1996. Continuing as a solo act, Roy explained the philosophy behind writing and performing humorous songs on increasingly political subjects.
“There’s nothing funny about world peace. Social justice never killed at the Comedy Store. If we ever attain a worldwide consciousness of peace and justice, I’ll be happily out of a job. But as long as there’s poverty, war, bigotry, ignorance, greed, lust and paranoia, I’ve got a career.”
Roy Zimmerman lives and works in Bay Area’s Marin County with his wife and frequent collaborator, Melanie Harby, and their sons Joe and Sam. He’ll have copies of his many hilarious and biting original songs and CDs for sale at the meeting. (Great holiday gifts, by the way.)
As part of our annual holiday commitment to provide for those less fortunate, our club’s Holiday Gift Drive this year will benefit the Western Service Workers Association. The WSWA is an all-volunteer organization that has supported low-income service workers in San Diego County for the last 36 years. They are a special resource for health, housing, and legal matters that affect these thousands of workers and their families in primarily the hotel, restaurant, maintenance and hospitality industries. It is requested that each attendee bring an unwrapped new toy for a school-aged child, so that they may be distributed this holiday season to families of the WSWA. A monetary donation is also especially welcomed at this time of year.
Remember, the doors open early for this special meeting and party. We request that each member and guest donate $15 or whatever you can afford at the door to help offset the cost of our noted musical guest. Memberships for 2016 will also be for sale, at $30, $50, and $60 levels. Check out our website, lamesafoothillsdemocraticclub.com, or visit and like us on Facebook. See you on Dec. 2! And you won’t want to miss our Jan. 6 meeting and debate, where sparks are sure to fly. Club endorsements will also occur in the first few meetings of 2016.
––Linda Armacost is president and Jeff Benesch is vice president of programming for the La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club. Write to them at [email protected].
