The elected board.
Our leadership
Co-Chair, Northern California
Shay Franco-Clausen
Shay Franco-Clausen (she/her/hers) is a fierce and dynamic powerhouse, who advocates tirelessly to empower, educate and prepare the community to take their rightful seat at the decision making table.
Overcoming many adversaries and barriers growing up in the Bay Area, Shay engages her community with empathy and diligence with “first person” experience, serving on many boards and commissions to create stronger, comprehensive legislation benefiting marginalized communities that she has proudly risen from.
Shay has a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy and Law degree from Mills College, working on her Executive Leadership in State and Local Government at Harvard Kennedy School and has been instrumental in many legislation wins, campaigns and initiatives in California. Her advocacy has led to the passing of Senate Bill 273 (Senator Rubio) that "Expanded the Statute of Limitations on felony Domestic Violence”, protected 1,000 acres of California's most threatened pieces of land in Coyote Valley, passed Proposition 17 that restored voting rights for people on parole, worked to remove Involuntary Servitude from the California Constitution, is currently working on more.
Shay serves as Co-Chair for the National Black Justice Coalition “Good Trouble Network,” Victory Fund Campaign Board and Black Leadership Caucus, Adult Advisor for California High School Democrats, Alameda County Commission on the Status of Women and Courage California C4 Chair.
"I am just trying to be the woman I wished I would have met at 14" Shay says is the impetus to her advocacy.
Co-Chair, Southern California
Ryan Trabuco
Ryan Trabuco (he/him/his) is the Club President of San Diego Democrats for Equality, recently named as the 2023 Democratic Club of the Year by the San Diego County Democratic Party. He was publicly elected in 2020 and re-elected in 2024 as a member of the San Diego County Democratic Central Committee. He also serves as an Executive Board Member of the California Democratic Party's State Central Committee.
During the day, he works as Executive Assistant to Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre. Previously, he worked for the Chair of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, the President pro Tempore of the California State Senate, and for an Orange County Supervisor. During his time working for the County of San Diego, he was elected Vice Chair of the County’s LGBTQ&A Employee Resource Group. In 2022, he was appointed by San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria to serve on the City's Human Relations Commission. He is a licensed Notary Public, and a graduate of the Young Professionals Council Academy at the San Diego LGBT Community Center.
Vice Chair, Northern California
Marsha Conant
Marsha Conant has served the Central Valley as an advocate for women and the LGBTQ+ community throughout her adult life. She was recognized as the 2023 Democrat of the Year by the Fresno County Democratic Party and as the 2023 Region 8 “Volunteer of the Year.” The Fresno County Democratic Women’s Club recognized her as a 2023 Eleanor Roosevelt Honoree, “Women Who Lead”. Marsha was honored by the Fresno League of Women Voters as one of the “100 Notable Women” who have made a difference in Fresno County through her Community Activism. Marsha serves as First Vice Chair of the Fresno County Democratic Party and co-chair of Fundraising. She is the Vice President of Fresno Stonewall Democrats and a past president of the Fresno National Women’s Political Caucus.
She was honored to serve as an Elector for Congressman Jim Costa in 2020 and proudly cast her vote for Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
In 2016, she attended the Democratic National Convention as a delegate for Hillary Clinton, a lifelong dream.
She received her Bachelor of Science degree from Fresno State, majoring in political science. She is a retired businesswoman who, after owning a successful business with her life partner, Marilyn, for 25 years, has now retired. They have raised two incredible daughters and are furious that their daughters have fewer rights as women than their mothers had at their age, and the constant and unwavering attacks on the LGBTQ+ community!
Vice Chair, Southern California
Ryan Darsey
Ryan Darsey (he/him/his) is proud to serve as Vice Chair for Southern California in the California Democratic Party LGBTQ Caucus. A seasoned political strategist, winning campaign manager, and committed public servant, Ryan brings over 25 years of experience in Democratic politics, issue advocacy, and coalition building. He currently serves as Deputy Chief of Staff to San Diego City Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, where he has earned a strong reputation for delivering results and driving meaningful change for the residents of District 3.
In addition to his role at City Hall, Ryan serves as Secretary of the San Diego County Democratic Party, Vice President of the San Diego Democrats for Equality, and Events Director for the YIMBY Democrats of San Diego County. He leads with his values as a steadfast ally to working people, a consistent supporter of labor and unions, a strong advocate for LGBTQ+ equality, a committed voice for housing affordability, and an unwavering defender of reproductive rights. Ryan believes that you can’t effect change if you don’t win and winning means staying focused, building power, and never backing down from a fight worth having.
Treasurer
Devin T. Murphy
Devin Tré Murphy (he/him/his) is running for Treasurer of the California Democratic Party's LGBTQ Caucus. He currently serves as Northern California Vice Chair of the LGBTQ Caucus and as Mayor of the vibrant city of Pinole, CA—the first openly gay, first Black, and youngest Mayor in the city's 120-year history.
Professionally, he leads DTM Strategies, a cutting-edge public affairs agency at the intersection of technology, racial justice, and electoral politics. He serves on several boards, including the Young Democrats of America, California Young Democrats, and the Lambda Democratic Club of Contra Costa County, where he serves as President. Most recently, he was elected as a Delegate representing Assembly District 14.
A former appointed Technology & Democracy Fellow at Harvard Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation and a San Francisco native, Devin has a dynamic education background graduating from UCLA with a degree in Afro-American Studies and also studying in Cuba and Brazil. When he's not working, he loves spending time with his puppy Miles as well as his nieces and nephews.
Secretary
Jane Wishon
Jane Wishon (she or they pronouns) grew up in the segregated South and fled Texas to attend college, first at Princeton University and later at UCLA. She's held many positions over the years, both paid and volunteer, including National Board President for Marriage Equality USA, Case Manager at AIDS Project LA, Elected Member of her Neighborhood Council, Chair Emeritus of the Westside Democratic Headquarters, and Co-Chair of standing committees at both the LA County Democratic Party and the California Democratic Party.
Her early years awakened a thirst for social justice; her marriage equality work honed her commitment to underrepresented communities and the undocumented; her experiences as a female presenting person in a man's world forged her dedication to feminism; and her frustration over recent politics rededicated her to resisting attempts to send our country and our society back to the 18th century.
At-Large, Northern California
Lyseria Kursave
Lyseria (lee-seh-ri-uh) Phillips (She/her/sister) is a force of defiant witchy joy and enthusiasm for the queer experience.
She is a Journeyman Union Electrician with 14 years experience in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), and transitioned while on the jobsite. Lyseria is a suicide attempt survivor who almost lost her life from a lack of representation in her workplace. Once she discovered she wasn't as alone as it seemed she co-founded The Advocacy Coalition for Transgender siblings, an online social support and advocacy group for trans members of the IBEW, and has been a dedicated advocate for representation ever since. She is now the President of the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of Pride at Work, where she passionately advocates for the power of unions and the magic of the LGBTQ community's place in them.
Lyseria also serves on the board of United Suicide Survivors International, is an executive board member of Silicon Valley Working Blue, and a recent graduate of the Emerge California Training program. She is a multi-time speaker on LGBTQ issues at the Tradeswomen Build Nations Conference and the first Tradeswoman to serve on the LGBTQ caucus.
Lyseria is enthusiastic about speaking to the positives of the queer experience, channeling hope for the community, and isn't afraid to mix dark humor with difficult topics in order to educate. She's also a never-ending source of joyful, hope filled quotes from the stories and games that have influenced her life and in the rare moments she's not advocating for something you can often find her working a renaissance faire or two.
At-Large, Northern California
Charlie Jones
Coming Soon
At-Large, Central California
Dan Arriola
Dan Arriola (he/him/his) was elected as Mayor of Tracy in 2024. He was first elected to office as a Tracy School Board Member in 2016, then elected to the Tracy City Council in 2018, and re-elected in 2022. He also works as a Deputy District Attorney for San Joaquin County. Mayor Arriola is the youngest elected Mayor in the history of the City of Tracy, as well as the first Latino Mayor of the city, and the first openly LGBTQ Mayor in all of San Joaquin County.
On the Tracy City Council, Arriola has championed various policy initiatives including officially recognizing LGBTQ Pride Month, raising the Pride Flag for the first-time ever (and encouraging other nearby cities to do the same), and authoring the “Tracy Equity & Empowerment Initiative” to address social equity and justice reform in the City of Tracy.
Mayor Arriola has also received national recognition winning the "Centennial Under 40 Impact Award" by the National League of Cities; appearing on the "40 Best LGBTQ Lawyers Under 40" List by the National LGBTQ Bar Association; and on the "35 Under 35" Young Elected Officials List by People for the American Way.
At-Large, Central California
Nasreen Johnson
Coming Soon
At-Large, Southern California
Stephanie Wade
Stephanie Wade is a former Marine infantry officer, environmental activist and educator who left her public school teaching career in January of 2017 to take a leading role in organizing Swing Left in Los Angeles and then, as the Director of Volunteers for the Cisneros for Congress Campaign, was a part of Orange County's ‘blue wave’ election of 2018. She followed Cisneros into office and for two years served as his Veterans Liaison and Field Representative. She was one of the first out-trans women to serve on a congressional staff and held a particularly prominent role in supporting the congress member’s legislative work on the Veterans Affairs and Armed Services Committees. She has most recently worked as policy and field staff to an Orange County member of Congress and an Orange County Supervisor. She is a Founding Member and current Chair of the Lavender Democrats PAC, an Equality California Board Member and a County Commissioner and past Chair of the Orange County Veterans Advisory Council.
At-Large, Southern California
Samuel Turley
Samuel Turley (He/Him/His) As the product of two very different rural communities, northern Idaho and the Eastern Coachella Valley, I have been influenced by the incredible LGBTQ+ trailblazers who have stood up and fought to be represented in our community from a young age. I dedicated my early career to protecting, lifting, and affirming the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. I am proud to have attended small and regional Pride events all across Southern California, where I have spoken with the folks who, every day, fight for representation in small towns throughout the state.
After the 2024 election, I was shocked that some Democrats moved to partially blame our loss on the party's advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights, particularly for our trans and non-binary community. We can not back away from protecting everyone in our community and should push to hold our elected officials accountable when our rights are on the chopping block. I will never shy away from protecting the rights of our community, ensuring our party remains committed to upholding our hard-fought civil rights.