At age 24, Alan Vargas wants to lead the California Democratic Party.
Sporting a cowboy hat and a pink shirt, the young progressive running for party chair evoked waves of cheers as he vowed to shake things up at the Democrats’ annual convention in Anaheim on Saturday, May 31.
“I feel our party has moved away from its roots,” he said. “We cannot rely on fear to gain votes, nor can we assume the support of any minority, so we must act.”
It was a long shot: Incumbent Rusty Hicks, who did not even show up to make a campaign speech, secured another term swimmingly. Of 2,600 delegates, Vargas persuaded just over 600.
But Vargas’ attempt sends a clear message: Young Democrats are growingly frustrated with the party’s struggle to resonate with their peers, especially after Democrats hemorrhaged support from young voters, who either shifted toward President Donald Trump or sat out the November election altogether. Turnout plunged among young Californians, particularly Democrats.
The stakes are high: As California Democrats aim to retake the U.S. House in battleground districts next year, young voters could be key to their victory. Some candidates for governor are already courting their support: Toni Atkins and Xavier Becerra headlined the California Young Democrats reception at the convention. Both called young people the “now” – not just the future – of the party.
“I feel our party has moved away from its roots.”
“When you have 70-year-olds and 80-year-olds running for office, how is that supposed to inspire us when we are living in a completely different world than they ever did?” says Lauren Hassett, an 18-year-old college student from Orange County.
Feeling like Democrats were absent on “working-class issues” was what inspired Vargas, a son of Mexican immigrants and a content creator from Corona, to run.
Affordability is top of mind for many delegates, including young ones. Carter Beardsley, 18, from Bakersfield, says rising health care costs could deter young people from going to the doctor or having a child. And college students fear a hike in tuition, especially as Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed to slash hundreds of millions of dollars from public university budgets.
“Students who might be living off Top Ramen can’t afford that increase,” Beardsley says.
Hicks brushed aside concerns about age and defended the party’s decision to delay considering a resolution on a mandatory retirement age. “At the end of the day, whether you are 25 or 75, the question is: Are you delivering for those that voted for you?” he told reporters.
Some young Democrats agreed, but others, like Annie Koruga, a 20-something Bay Area delegate, see that as the baseline. Being able to deliver is the “whole point of being in elected office,” Koruga argues. “I’m trying to be respectful, but when we have people who are 85, 90 years old in these offices, many of them are not able to effectively perform their functions.”
(1) comment
This article on youth-driven change within the California Democratic Party spotlights legitimate frustrations among younger members—particularly regarding representation, affordability, and generational disconnects—but it completely sidesteps the deeper, systemic issue at the heart of these concerns: the Democratic Party’s continued submission to corporate power. The elephant in the room is that the party, as currently led by corporate-aligned Democrats, has largely abandoned serious efforts to confront the catastrophic wealth inequality that fuels nearly every crisis in American life—from housing and health care to education and democracy itself.
What the article fails to acknowledge is that we are living through a billionaire war on the working class. Corporate Democrats talk about inclusion and youth empowerment but consistently stop short of challenging the systems that allow the ultra-wealthy to dominate our economy, media, and political process.
The party’s leadership rarely pushes for policies like wealth taxes, universal health care, corporate price-gouging penalties, or strong labor rights—not because these ideas lack support, but because they threaten the donor class that funds their campaigns.
Without directly confronting the billionaire class and reversing the rigged economic system it perpetuates, the Democratic Party will continue to lose credibility, especially among young people who see clearly that cosmetic change and generational rhetoric mean little without economic justice at the core.
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