The Bruin Democrats is an active political organization on the University of California, Los Angeles

University of California, Los Angeles

The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...

 campus. The organization is a member of the Young Democrats of America

Young Democrats of America

The Young Democrats of America , founded in 1932, is the official youth arm of the Democratic Party of the United States, although it severed official ties with the Democratic National Committee following passage of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 and became an independent 527 group...

, the College Democrats of America, and the greater Democratic Party (United States)

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

.

History

The Bruin Democrats was founded in the tumultuous 1960s by former UCLA students, Representative Henry Waxman

Henry Waxman

Henry Arnold Waxman is the U.S. Representative for , serving in Congress since 1975. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He is considered to be one of the most influential liberal members of Congress...

 and Representative Howard Berman

Howard Berman

Howard Lawrence Berman is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He earlier served in the California State Assembly from 1974 to 1982, and as the U.S...

. In the 1970s, the Bruin Democrats, led by current LA City Councilman Paul Koretz

Paul Koretz

Paul Koretz is an American politician. He is currently a member of the Los Angeles City Council, representing the Fifth Council District. He was previously a member of the California State Assembly and the West Hollywood City Council...

 and Representative Brad Sherman

Brad Sherman

Bradley J. "Brad" Sherman is an American politician. He has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1997, representing ....

, received a charter from the Democratic National Committee

Democratic National Committee

The Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...

 in 1979. The Honorable Howard Berman

Howard Berman

Howard Lawrence Berman is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He earlier served in the California State Assembly from 1974 to 1982, and as the U.S...

, Democratic Congressman from the 28th District of California, cites Bruin Democrats as the start of his political career. The Bruin Democrats are proud to have such distinguished alumni, many of whom serve in the US Congress, California State Assembly and Los Angeles City Council.
The Bruin Democrats have hosted numerous renowned politicians and dignitaries at UCLA. In October 2000, the Bruin Democrats held one of the largest rallies for Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore

Al Gore

Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....

, and in May 2003 the Bruin Democrats helped host Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry

John Kerry

John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...

’s unveiling of his major foreign policy plan. During the 2008 Presidential Election, current President Barack Obama

Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...

, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and former Senator John Edwards

John Edwards

Johnny Reid "John" Edwards is an American politician, who served as a U.S. Senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 2004, and was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 and 2008.He defeated incumbent Republican Lauch Faircloth in...

 campaigned with the Bruin Democrats on the UCLA campus.
Throughout the decades, the Bruin Democrats have continued to promote the values of the Democratic Party and youth participation in government. It has continued to be a visible and prominent group both on the UCLA campus and throughout the nation, and the club won the 2001 “Young Democrat Club of the Year” at the California Democratic Convention. The Bruin Democrats are proud to have sparked or increased interest in the political process amongst thousands of college students.

Leadership

• President: Jonathan Taylor Bash
• Internal Vice President: Francesca de la Fuente
• External Vice President: Amanda Silver-Westrick
• Treasurer: Liz Friedman
• Fundraising Director: Arthur Huynh
• Events Director: Daniel Arreola
• Policy Director: Tatevik Mirzakhanyan
• Marketing Director: Chris Reed
• Social Director: Angus Beverly
• Membership Retention Director: Trevor Boeckmann
• Field Director: Devin Murphy
• Digital Media Director: Allison Clark
• Administrative Director: Michelle Parsons