Pasadena-Foothills Chapter Board Elections

Dear ACLU Member:

It is time for our 2024 Pasadena-Foothills Chapter Board Election. ACLU Chapters are comprised of dedicated volunteers who work in partnership and coordination with ACLU staff to carry out advocacy, outreach, and engagement of local supporters to advance civil rights and liberties in their communities.

On this page, you can read candidate profiles, submit your vote, and should you opt-in, stay connected with the ACLU of Southern California.

In accordance with our bylaws, ACLU members who reside in the chapter’s region elect Chapter Directors to open Board seats. Candidates are running for three-year terms and the board is composed of staggered terms to allow one-third of the Board to term-out every year.

This election is open to ACLU members only. To verify your eligibility as a member, enter the last three digits of your membership number before submitting your ballot. Given our strong stance on privacy rights, votes are kept in complete anonymity.

Votes must be submitted by Monday, September 30th at 11:59 p.m.

Should you have questions about your membership, this election, or ACLU of Southern California chapters, please email activist@aclusocal.org.

Thank you for your continued support,
ACLU of Southern California

OFFICIAL ELECTION BALLOT

Voting instructions:

  • Review the candidates' profiles.
  • Write-In Candidates – please include your name, email and phone number to be contacted by a member of the board.
  • Mark your votes by Friday, September 30 at 11:59 p.m. PT.
  • Enter the last three digits of your ACLU member number.

* indicates required field

Slate of Candidates

Tania Verafield
I’m a single mom, lifelong activist, granddaughter of a blacklisted screenwriter, daughter of a Mexican immigrant & in the trenches with everyone struggling to survive in this capitalist country. I’m a proud ACLU Chapter Board Member and look forward to continuing to serve.

Marlene McCurtis
I'm a digital and literary storyteller whose expertise spans directing and writing nonfiction television and documentary films, community media engagement, and teaching creative writing in diverse communities, including system-impacted individuals. I'm the co-director of Theatre Workers Project (TWP) and work as a creative writing teaching artist and a filmmaker for TWP. I have lead writing workshops at California State Prison, Los Angeles County, for Project Rebound, a program supporting formerly incarcerated college students at California State College, Los Angeles and at the Francisco Homes with men paroled from long-term incarceration. I've presented workshops for artists and art administrators at UCLA’s Call for Action Festival, a festival connecting art and the law for liberation, at Santa Clara University for the Arts in Corrections conference and NYC Arts in Education Face to Face Conference. I'm an active member of the Transformative In-Prison Workgroup, an organization dedicated to supporting meaningful programming for incarcerated individuals in California and I serve of the Executive Committee of the Emerson College Alumni Board.

Yuny Parada
A defender of rights of the weak, children, immigrants.

James Farr
James Farr is an award-winning journalist and producer known for his impactful work. Farr's contributions blend journalism with community engagement, embodying a progressive spirit. He is hard-hitting and delivers piercing, provocative, fact- and evidence-based conversations. His style is unflinching, and the discussions are often piercing and provocative. Dr. Cornel West described Farr, "You have a special kind of spirit…You tell the truth in such a way it's got the right timing. It's got the kind of kindness but steel toughness, humility, and tenacity. See, that's a special kind of calling — everybody ain't got that. That's telling the truth on every level." Dr. Melina Abdullah often refers to Farr as a "lion" telling our truths. He has guest lectured at Occidental College and USC Gould Law School. As a Jeff Adachi Social Justice Award filmmaker and a National Association of Black Journalists member, he continues to influence and inspire through his dedication to social justice and community-focused storytelling. Farr is a husband, father, and social entrepreneur and has resided in Pasadena for twenty years. He is currently on a special assignment embedded with Black Lives Matter Grassroots, covering their continued national on-the-ground activism against police and white supremacists killing Black Americans.

Your Ballot
Write-in candidate name, phone number, email
*Only ACLU members may vote in this election. Please enter the last three digits of your ACLU member number. Given our strong stands on privacy rights, votes are kept in complete anonymity from our eligibility verification.
Your Information