By Linda Armacost and Jeff Benesch

It’s been a memorable summer for the La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club, which serves San Carlos, Allied Gardens, Grantville, Del Cerro, College Area, La Mesa, Mt. Helix, Santee and other nearby East County communities. First, our July Party in the Park was a big hit with members and guests as we thanked Councilmember Marti Emerald for her years of service. Then, our August meeting featured Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, who, along Chrisy Selder of CARR, wowed the audience with a progress report on bills that promise to have a significant impact on San Diego and the State of California. And now, our Sept. 2 meeting promises more of the same.

We’ll be hosting Steven M. Druker, a well-known attorney and author who will be sure to pack our La Mesa Community Center venue and provide us with an eye-opening talk about the realities of genetically engineered food and how it’s already well established not only in our food system, but our political process as well. This event is co-sponsored by Citizens Oversight Projects with March Against Monsanto, San Diego. Please arrive early to guarantee a seat (limited to 350). A voluntary donation of $5 will be requested at the door to offset the costs of Druker’s appearance in La Mesa. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for our social time, and the meeting kicks off at 7 p.m.

Druker is a public interest attorney who, as executive director of the Alliance for Bio­ Integrity, initiated a lawsuit that forced the Food and Drug Administration to divulge its files on genetically engineered foods. This revealed that politically appointed administrators had covered up the extensive warnings of their own scientists about the unusual risks of these foods, misrepresented the facts and then ushered these novel products onto the market in violation of explicit mandates of federal food safety law. He is recognized as an expert on issues regarding the risks and the regulation of GE foods and has served on the food safety panels at conferences conducted by the National Research Council and the FDA.

He has also lectured at numerous universities (including the Biological Laboratories at Harvard, Tel Aviv University and the University of Copenhagen) and met with government officials worldwide, including the United Kingdom’s Environmental Minister and the heads of food safety for the UK, France, Ireland and Australia. He was also invited to confer at the White House Executive Offices with an interagency task force of President Clinton’s Council on Environmental Quality. His articles on GE food have appeared in several respected publications, including The Congressional Quarterly Researcher, The Parliament Magazine and The Financial Times.

Druker majored in philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa in his junior year, and graduated with “Great Distinction in General Scholarship.” He also attended UC Berkeley’s law school, where he was elected to both the California Law Review and the Order of the Coif (the legal honor society).

His new book, “Altered Genes, Twisted Truth: How the Venture to Genetically Engineer Our Food Has Subverted Science, Corrupted Government, and Systematically Deceived the Public,” was released in March with a foreword by Jane Goodall that hailed it as “without doubt one of the most important books of the last 50 years.” Among the other scientists who have also praised it highly are David Schubert, a professor and laboratory director at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, who has called it “incisive, insightful, and truly outstanding.” Druker will have copies of the book available for sale and signing at the meeting.

Our membership rolls are surging as local progressives discover our club and its unique combination of great monthly programs, community involvement, progressive idealism and our efforts to elect public officials who share our passion for middle class representation, equality for all peoples and respect for our planet and environment.   Please join us on the first Wednesday of every month at the La Mesa Community Center, 4975 Memorial Drive at University Avenue. We’ll again be manning a booth at La Mesa’s Oktoberfest, so be sure to drop by and see us. Check out our calendar at Lamesafoothillsdemocraticclub.com y like us on Facebook. Become part of our wonderful community and bring a friend.

—Linda Armacost is president and Jeff Benesch is vice president of programming for the La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club.