"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
--Margaret Mead
The San Fernando Valley Patriots began in May 2009 after the nationwide Tax Day Tea Party events of April 15 ignited the 18th-century spirit of the colonial Boston Tea Party to protest the tax tyranny of the British government on its American citizens.
The tax-and-spend policies of our federal, state and local governments--and our first public event at Warner Center Park in Woodland Hills on July Fourth--confirmed our commitment to promote the principles of governance based on the the founding documents of the nation: The Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution.
We believe that an informed citizen makes a better voter and that a better voter makes better choices for elected officials to represent us in this Republic.
Our goal is to gather like-minded people that value limited government, free-market principles and individual liberty and to act as one to remind those that govern us that they work "at the consent of the governed."
The San Fernando Valley Patriots Inc. operates as a social welfare organization organized under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions to Tea Party Patriots Inc. are not deductible as charitable contributions for income tax purposes.
Karen Kenney, coordinator of the San Fernando Valley Patriots, is a psychotherapist in private practice in Encino. She is a former journalist (Los Angeles Daily News), former typesetter (Los Angeles Times), former records-and-identification clerk (LAPD) and a former insurance clerk (Continental National Assurance) and current pet owner of "Dudley," a rescued mini-schnauzer/sealyham terrier, who often accompanies her to outdoor rallies. This is her first attempt at "community organizing" and she is grateful daily for the beloved "TeaPots" she has met through this effort to restore American principles to local, state and national governing via joining the modern tea party movement organized by the Tea Party Patriots.
Tad Cronn, webmaster is an editor and artist living in the San Fernando Valley. His very first professional article was published in 1983. Since then, his editorials, layouts and news reports have appeared in the Ventura County Star, Los Angeles Daily News, Orange County Register, Palo Alto Daily Post, Seattle Post Intelligencer, Palo Alto Daily News and numerous other publications and online sites. He has taught middle school to college-level classes, and his work was cited in "Anticipation: The Real Life Story of Star Wars: Episode I--The Phantom Menace," by Jonathan L. Bowen. Currently, he freelances as an editor and web designer for hire.
