Back in April of this year, a call went out to supporters of Bernie Sanders. It appeared that he might be short of delegates in the California primary, so we were asked to consider applying. I considered it, and with very little deliberation I took the plunge. Sure, the California Democratic Party wanted us to be aware that we'd be responsible for expenses of up to $4,000, but what the heck, I figured I could knock that cost down in the unlikely event that I actually became a delegate.

Fast forward to May 1. At the California Congressional District 13 caucus for Bernie Sanders pledged delegate applicants, I ran on a slate with three other men and five women. The goal of the caucus was to elect four men, four women, and one female alternate delegate out of over 100 applicants. The local nurses union ran a slate, and another slate ran as well. We had no idea how this would all shake out, as over 600 people attended and voted at this caucus. And for sure, who could compete with a nurses union? At the end of the day, five of the people on my slate, myself included, were chosen as delegates. The nurses did rather well too, of course, earning the most votes of all the women in the caucus.

Since I earned the third most votes of the men in the caucus, Bernie Sanders would have to win 67% of the vote in CA CD13 in order for me to be automatically sent to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia as a confirmed district level delegate, according to the voting formula for the primary. As of this writing, the votes are still not all counted yet, but Bernie is the projected winner in CA CD13 with 50.6% of the vote. So it didn't look like I'd be attending the convention as a delegate. Except I also applied to be an at-large delegate at the same time that I applied to be a district level delegate back in April.

On Sunday, June 19, I attended the California Democratic Party state delegation meeting, which is the meeting where the state's at-large delegates were confirmed. No one outside of the Sanders and Clinton campaigns had access to the list of their chosen at-large delegates until the final list was passed around during this meeting for a voice vote confirmation. When the blue sheet was handed to me, I was surprised to find my name listed among the 47 Sanders and 58 Clinton at-large delegates selected to represent the Democratic voters of the state of California during the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia across the four days it takes place, July 25 through July 28. I'm told around 5,000 people applied to be at-large delegates, so I had zero expectations that I'd actually make the cut. But the Sanders campaign apparently felt I should be there, so I'm not going to be one to let them (or you) down.

As I said already on Facebook, I hate to ask people for money, and I didn't particularly want to go this route. But given what's at stake and given that the presence of delegates at the convention represents your votes, I'm following the advice of my fellow Sanders delegates and the most experienced leaders in this campaign and have launched this GoFundMe campaign. And as I promised, I've kept my total fundraising goal well below the estimated $4,000 in expenses for which the state party asked us to prepare.

My stated goal is a strange number: $2,140. Why this number? Here's how my estimate breaks down:

- Hotel: $200 x 5 nights = $1,000 (rooms are $600 per night, and I am sharing a room with 2 other delegates)

- Food: $80 x 5 days = $400

- Shuttle to and from PHL airport: $110 roundtrip

- Bart to and from SFO airport: $20

- DNC package registration: $200

- Taxes (since I will report all funds raised as taxable income): $250

- GoFundMe fees: $160

Why no flight charge? Well, I had a credit with United Airlines from a cancelled flight, and as luck would have it, that credit was more than enough to cover the cost of my roundtrip flight. I'm not asking for anyone to donate towards that cost. Even beyond that, it's entirely possible that I'm lowballing my food expenses, for example. But like I said, I hate to ask for money, so I'd rather round down than round up and feel like I asked for more than I really needed.

I will leave this campaign open through the middle of July, when my next credit card cycle begins. I will have already racked up about $470 in charges by then. So in essence, my deadline to meet my fundraising goal is July 15.

Thank you to everyone who has also answered the call to participate in the movement that Bernie Sanders ignited. Consider your donation to this campaign as part of Bernie's campaign, in a way. And rest assured that we will keep fighting for progressive causes beyond November, no matter who ends up in the White House.

Also, if you are interested in throwing your support behind other Bernie Sanders delegates, please be sure to visit www.fundberniedelegates.com - this site is endorsed by Black Men For Bernie and Occupy DNC, and is the most comprehensive delegate funding site you'll find, as it is coordinating with Bernie delegates in all 50 states.

Together, we will move the revolution forward. Again, thank you for answering the call.