By Linda Armacost and Jeff Benesch

The Oct. 7 meeting of local Democrats will feature candidates from all over San Diego county, introducing themselves in a district by district format with some crucial regional issues being brought into focus, including: mass transportation versus recurring traffic problems; smart growth versus unfettered development; SANDAG planning (or not?); and climate action and sustainability goals all being discussed.

The La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club – serving San Carlos, Del Cerro, Allied Gardens, College Area, La Mesa, Santee, Mt. Helix and other Eastside communities – will welcome the great Democratic candidates from the San Diego City Attorney race, as well as our local District 7 City Council contest. We’ll also hear from candidates in the city contests in District 1, 3, and 9 races – which are all key to maintaining Democratic control of the San Diego City Council.

We can also expect representatives for County Supervisor Dave Roberts, Assemblyperson Shirley Weber, Congressman Scott Peters and Congresswoman Susan Davis. Many candidates are looking for our club’s influential endorsement for 2016.

A real treat will be the introduction of local efforts behind both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, and how our members can get involved in either of those dynamic campaigns. While not a debate as such, we’ll still have some back and forth between our friend Mike Thaller of Bernie’s San Diego Campaign, and Ray Penko, Organizer of the San Diego County Hillary Grassroots effort. Their discussion should be fascinating.

Our monthly meetings, on the first Wednesday of each month, take place at the wonderful La Mesa Community Center, 4975 Memorial Drive, just north of University Avenue. We open the doors at 6:30 p.m. for our social hour, with snacks, desserts and beverages supplied by the club and generous members. Meetings start promptly at 7 p.m. We welcome all guests, and have a discounted deal for pro­rated memberships, available for the rest of the year.

Don’t miss our wonderful booth at the La Mesa Oktoberfest, noon to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday, Oct. 2 and 3. Did you know that this is the largest Oktoberfest festival West of the Mississippi? Please be sure to stop by our booth and say hi. We will be very near BO­Beau Restaurant on La Mesa Boulevard. We’ll be registering new voters, signing up new members, and handing out campaign materials. You can even get your picture taken with President Obama. Visit our website at lamesafoothillsdemocraticclub.com, or like us on Facebook.

– Linda Armacost is president and Jeff Benesch is vice president of programming for the La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club.