By Linda Armacost and Jeff Benesch | La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club

The June 7 meeting of the La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club (LMFDC) will feature a veritable who’s who of leading San Diego experts in the political ramifications of executive orders dealing with our economy and the environment.

Furthermore, we’ll learn from a leading local expert about dark money and its effect on our elections.

Associate professor of economics at the University of San Diego Alan Gin is perhaps the most visible of local economists and is author of the University of San Diego’s monthly Index of Leading Economic Indicators for San Diego County.

We look forward to his commentary on the current unethical business dealings of the Trump administration; the proposed federal budget; the effect of the newly House-passed health bill on middle class families; the rolling back of various Obama-era financial initiatives; the proposed dismantling of consumer, economic and banking protections; the new era (and many consequences) of wealth building for the investment class under Trump; and many other informed and fascinating opinions.

One of Gin’s key interests is the business environment in Asia, and China trade in particular. Could this be more timely?

Those who attended the recent Climate March on the San Diego Bayfront most certainly heard from Jeffrey Severinghaus, professor of geosciences at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO).

He was sounding the alarm at the drastic measures taken by the Trump administration in rolling back recently enacted advances to combat global warming.

We also hope to hear how Severinghaus views Trump’s assertion that climate change is a Chinese-perpetrated hoax, and how the layoffs at and dismantling of the EPA will affect research like that taking place at SIO.

And what of our proposed pull-out from the Paris Climate Agreement?

These answers and much more from concerned climate scientist Jeffrey Severinghaus.

Also presenting will be nonprofit attorney Matt Strabone who is a 2018 challenger to controversial County Assessor Ernie Dronenburg.

He will not only enlighten us about special-interest influence in our electoral process, but also alleged shady dealings in the Assessor’s Office. Strabone is the owner of Strabone Law, a practice specializing in the representation of nonprofits, campaigns, and small businesses.

He has counseled numerous campaigns for office at the local, state, and federal levels as well as a number of ballot measure committees.

He has also provided guidance to President Obama, national party committees, and state and county Democratic parties.

LMFDC meets the first Wednesday of each month at the La Mesa Community Center, 4975 Memorial Drive in La Mesa.

We start each meeting at 6:30 p.m. with a social half hour, with snacks, salads, desserts and beverages provided by the club and members, and begin our business meeting and speakers program promptly at 7 p.m. We conclude with public announcements and other notes and adjourn at 8:30 p.m.

We welcome all members and guests to each meeting, and remind you that this is a great time to join LMFDC for as little as $30 per year. Join your many progressive activists from San Carlos, Del Cerro, the College Area, La Mesa, Allied Gardens, Santee, Mt. Helix, Casa De Oro, and many other close by East County communities.

Please view our website for info on our participation in the La Mesa Flag Day Parade and other great local events at lamesafoothillsdemocraticclub.com and like us on Facebook.

—Linda Armacost is president and Jeff Benesch is vice president of programming of the La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club. Reach them at [email protected].