Source: Iranian-American Democrats of Orange County
Report by Iranian American Political Action Committee (IAPAC)

Irvine, CA – On Sunday, January 14, 2007, three Iranian-Americans were elected as delegates to the Democratic State Central Committee (DSCC) of the California Democratic Party. The California Democratic Party is governed by the DSCC of California, membership of which is a two-year position going from odd-year Convention to odd-year Convention. The newly elected members are:

• Mr. Mehrdad Jazayeri, President of the Iranian-American Democrats of Orange County (IADOC), representing the 70th Assembly District (Irvine, Laguna Beach).
• Mr. Majid Movahed, 1st Vice President of the IADOC, representing the 70th Assembly District (Irvine).
• Ms. Melahat Rafiei, 2nd Vice President of the IADOC, representing the 68th Assembly District (Fountain Valley, Costa Mesa).

They were all endorsed by the Progressive Democrats of America, SoCal Grassroots, and the Progressive Caucus of California Democratic Party.

Ms. Melahat Rafiei is also the Political Director of Democratic Party of Orange County. Another IADOC board member, Ms. Ferial Govashiri, is also the chair of the Young Democrats in Orange County.

IADOC was founded in November of 2002, by a group of dedicated Iranian-Americans who saw an opportunity to establish a political voice, "a voice that represents our interests and concerns, that can be heard in the American community, and recognized as a valid, fair, and credible voice" according to Farhad Ghahremani, the first President of the club and one of its founders.

IADOC has recognized the need to have representation at the local, state, and national levels of government. As Iranian-American Democrats, it is our civil and constitutional duties to better organize ourselves and to become more actively involved in the American political system.

IADOC further objectives are as follows:

• To advance the Democratic Party's principles and philosophy.
• To educate, encourage, assist Iranian-Americans to join the Democratic Party, register to vote, and support the Democratic Party's political candidates and campaigns.
• To identify, encourage, and support qualified members of the Iranian-American community to seek elected office at local, state, and national levels of government.

IADOC is building the foundations for Iranian-Americans to become politically active and to be recognized as a strong and influential voting block in near future.