Living in Spain isn’t all fun in the sun, siestas and fiestas.

To help you navigate the minefield so that you can have more fun in the sun, DA Spain’s Women’s Caucus (SWC) is proud to announce a new webinar series called ‘Living in Spain.’ 

Once a month, for an hour, Living in Spain will host a guest speaker who will present on a topic of great interest and answer audience questions. The webinars will take place on select Wednesdays at 6 p.m. 

We are following up our successful November webinar about Spanish taxes with advice on how to talk to Republicans during the Holidays.

Next up, and just in time for the holidays, Living in Spain will feature guest speaker (and former Republican) Victor Horcasitas, who will share sage advice on how to talk to your crazy uncle in the MAGA hat, how to circumvent awkward encounters around the dinner table or at the local supermarket, and more. The session will be held on Wednesday, December 15 at 18:00h. 

RSVP here 

Mark your calendars! Future topics that have been confirmed with  Ignacio Pellicer and Pedro Heredia from the Alicante law firm Pellicer and Heredia are: 

• January 12th: Residency visas and immigration
• February 9th: Renters rights and buying property

Message from DA Spain Chair

It’s November, and we Americans are looking forward to celebrating this month’s revered national tradition — Black Friday! Seriously, though, Thanksgiving is upon us, and it’s time to focus on the three lessons that it can teach us. And I think we Democrats in Spain – indeed, Democrats across the globe – would do well to reflect on them.

First and foremost we have a lot to be grateful for. Are things perfect politically? Of course not. We hold both houses of Congress by razor-thin margins, and the loss in the Virginia gubernatorial race was a painful blow. But Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are in the White House, which beats the alternative by miles, and we’ve got thousands of volunteers across the globe who are ready to roll up their sleeves for the midterms. Is our country perfect? No, and that’s distressing; it’s distressing because we believe that the USA has a lot to offer us and the world. So there is much to be grateful for.

The second lesson is that we know how to be together, even when we disagree on some issues. This coming week, families of all stripes will gather at the Thanksgiving table and try hard to be nice to each other. Similarly, Democrats can – and do – work together for common goals. We need that kind of unity, that kind of “gather around the table” mentality, in our work as Democrats. Let’s focus on the many, many issues and concerns and dreams that unite us. This is how we win. This is how we progress.

The third and final lesson of Thanksgiving is that, historically, it’s a seriously mixed bag. European settlers prospered in America, but they did so at a terrible cost to indigenous people, people of color, and lots of others we could name. But we Democrats are at least willing to acknowledge both the good and the bad in our country’s past and work from that to craft a better future. If we work together, we can build on our successes and try to deal with our failures.

So happy Thanksgiving to all of you, and let’s all raise a fork to what we can accomplish together. And, on a personal level, please know that I’m grateful for all of you.

– Kathy Tullos, Chair, DA Spain

If you’re from California—or even if you’re not—you might have heard that a special election is being held on September 14, 2021, in a GOP-led attempt to recall Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom. 

If you’re unclear as to why this election is taking place, grab a chair. In 1911, California enacted a law that would allow the state’s voters to pass and repeal laws, as well as recall elected officials, by placing them on the ballot. The idea was to give ordinary Californians more voice and control over their government. This year, enough petition signatures were collected to proceed with a recall election of Gov. Newsom. This year’s recall petition was driven by the state’s conservative contingent, who claimed that the Governor had mishandled the pandemic in addition to preexisting gripes: the ongoing homelessness crisis, high taxes and cost of living, immigration, and rationing of water and energy use. It is important to remember that Gov. Newsom won his 2018 gubernatorial run in a landslide, and that he is up for reelection in 2022. This is a statewide election with nationwide implications - take it from the guys at Pod Save America! If you are a California voter, do not sit this one out! Registration deadline is August 30.

On March 8, 2021 DA Alicante was proud to host our 1st International Women's Day event.

As Americans living abroad in beautiful Spain, we decided that it was important to find out the past and current plight and struggles of Spanish women.  An amazing panel with diversified backgrounds in education, law, arts and culture, advertisement, activism, journalism, producers, directors, writers, artist, actors, interpreters, housing development, union organizer and administrators participated.

Our goal was to create an international bond of friendship and sisterhood!

The VIDEO of this wonderful event has been reproduced into two parts! Please take some time to listen, learn and possibly lend a helping hand to our Spanish friends.

* Video Length (Part 1): 1 hour 14 minutes
* Video Length (Part 2): 28 minutes

Part 2 of our March 8, 2021 International Women's Day event brings to the forefront some of the struggles of women not only in Spain but all over the world. Goya award winning screenwriter and director Ana Martinez Álvarez shared her short film, Pantalones, on women’s inequality through the discriminatory and sexual harassment practices that many women have faced over their careers. In Spain this 4-minute film was rated for all audiences which would be equivalent to a PG rating in the US. With that said, there are graphic scenes and viewer discretion is advised.

DA Spain Women's Caucus says Hola!

Twenty people attended the preliminary organizational meeting of the Democrats Abroad Spain Women’s Caucus on March 18. 

The meeting opened with participants’ introductions and a presentation by Ann Hesse, Chair of the DA Global Women’s Caucus (GWC). Ann provided a quick history of the GWC and laid out its three pillars: Education; Community Building; and Activism, particularly in the form of get-out-the-vote efforts. Approximately 10,000 women currently belong to the GWC. Over 300 of those members live in Spain.

Next up, moderator Andrea Host-Barth led the discussion, turning the focus to goals and organizational steps for a DA Spain Women’s Caucus. The Caucus intends to focus initially on providing education on environmental issues, and building community with small, local events. Members were encouraged to support the call-to-action initiatives already available on the GWC website. 

The Caucus hopes to play two other roles as well. First, the Caucus can interact with the GWC, helping members in Spain and members of the worldwide group to share ideas and coordinate activities. Second, the DA Spain Women’s Caucus can serve as a template for creating Women’s Caucuses in other countries. 

DA Spain’s Women’s Caucus is moving forward in its organizational process. The Caucus welcomes people of all genders as leaders, members, and volunteers. 

Not already a caucus member? Simply join the GWC caucus and you automatically are a Spain member. To get involved, fill out the Volunteer Information Form. 

Interested in starting your country women’s caucus? Send email to [email protected]