The next general meeting for PD–East Bay is Saturday, June 4 from 1:00–3:00 pm.
The PD–East Bay Anti-War Action Group is putting together a panel to present information about local anti-war activities - the law, schools, GI Hotline, and other issues. The Central Committee of Conscientious Objectors will share their expertise with our members at this meeting. The information presented here can help identify actions in which our group can be focused and effective.
PD–East Bay general meetings are held at :
Temescal Oakland Library
5205 Telegraph Ave., Oakland, CA
Directions
Wheelchair accessible. The Oakland Public Library does not advocate or endorse the viewpoints of meetings or meeting room users. For more information, contact Sara.
The South Bay Department of Peace Campaign invites Bay Area high school students to participate in this free, one-day, 3-hour legislative campaign training, sponsored by volunteers of the South Bay Department of Peace Campaign. This workshop offers students an overview of citizen activism in the legislative process and an opportunity for hands-on experience over the summer. Teachers and parents are welcomed to participate in this and future workshops about the Department of Peace. Summer participation in the Department of Peace Campaign is not required.
Saturday, May 21st - 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Martin Luther King San Jose Public Library, Room 255
180 W. San Carlos Street at San Fernando
San Jose, California
Directions
Library Phone Number: 408-277-4822
A light lunch will be served for pre-registered attendees toward the end of the workshop to provide an opportunity for networking.
For More Information and to PRE-REGISTER,
contact Lucille Moyer 408-264-4813
email: andyluce@pacbell.net – Subject Line: Student Training
TAKE BACK RED CALIFORNIA is a summit meeting of Democratic activists from Red and Blue Counties. Come find out what you can do to keep California Blue! Help red county organizers defeat Republicans and elect Democrats in their districts. By building multi-county partnerships now, we can elect democrats in November '06!
Saturday, May 21, 1:00 - 5:00 pm
Redwood Gardens
2951 Derby Street (at Belrose), Berkeley
Directions
Please RSVP to TakeBackCA@hotmail.com
This event is co-sponsored by Progressive Democrats of the East Bay, East Bay for Democracy, DFA-Marin, and others. More. . .
Kenneth Tomlinson, the Republican chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) -- the government-funded organization that was designed to shield PBS from political pressure -- is aggressively pressing PBS to correct what he considers "liberal bias."
This top-down partisan meddling goes against the very nature of PBS and the local stations we trust. Let the people speak and decide the future of PBS, not secret dealings by White House operatives.
Read or listen to Bill Moyers' eloquent and moving speech to the National Conference for Media Reform.
Sign this petition sponsored by Free Press to demand that Congress, the CPB and PBS station managers remove Tomlinson and support town meetings in your community on the future of PBS.
To learn more, read the recent report on "Building a Public Broadcasting System that Deserves Public Support" by Free Press, Consumers Union, Common Cause, Media Access Project and the Consumer Federation of America.
Please join us for a Briefing / Fundraiser for the Peace Alliance & Foundation, and for the Campaign for a U.S. Department of Peace.
When: Tuesday, May 24, 7pm - 9pm
Hosted by: Bea and Jim Herrick
888 Robb Road
Palo Alto, CA
Directions
Honored Speakers:
Dorothy Maver, Executive Director, the Peace Alliance and Peace Alliance Foundation
Mayor Jim Burch of Palo Alto
Video presentations of:
A CNN interview with Marianne Williamson and Rep. Dennis Kucinich
Van Jones, Exe. Director, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights
RSVP: Bea Herrick 650 941-2415 bea@herrick.org
Judy Kimmel 415 383-3982 jbkimmel@aol.com
Stop Arnold! On Wednesday May 25, join us in Sacramento to stop the special election. We need 10,000 people on the capitol grounds in Sacramento. This rally is sponsored by teachers, firefighters, nurses among other groups. This is our best chance to stop the special election!
The rally starts with music at 3pm, followed by a program at 4:30.
For bus or carpool information from the bay area, contact vlcandy@comcast.net (Vicki Cosgrove)
Also, visit www.ContestTheVote.org and sign the petition to Stop Arnold's Special Election (an election for his Special Corporate Interests!) While there, you can send a message to your friends to sign, too. More. . .
Join a celebration of conscience, courage, resistance and truth in a time of war with Iraq War Veterans, military families and GI resisters. This event features a historic and diverse lineup of military voices against the war, including slideshows and presentations. Speakers include Camilo Mejia, Aidan Delgado, Dr. Gene Bolles, and others.
The event is sponsored by Not In Our Name, Iraq Veterans Against the War, and Gold Star Families for Peace. Endorsed and supported by Middle East Children's Alliance, Veterans for Peace, the Vanguard Foundation and others.
Sunday, May 29, at 6:00 pm
King Middle School,
1781 Rose St., Berkeley
Directions
Tickets $12 advance on-line (www.notinourname.net/mv)
$15 door, $9 for students
For info call 1-800-95-NOWAR (x710)
Mainstreet Moms, aka The MMOB (www.themmob.com) in cooperation with Working Assets and ACORN, has a new campaign, Leave My Child Alone. They're informing individuals and communities about the military's use of high school records for recruiting purposes. Find out more about the campaign and the ways you can be involved, at www.leavemychildalone.org. Come to a party or host your own.
Party to Opt Out in Berkeley
Wednesday, June 1, 7:00 - 9:00 PM
30 Avis Road, (between San Luis and San Antonio)
Berkeley, CA
Directions
At 7:20 PM, we'll participate in a nationwide conference call with moms of soldiers and former military recruiters.
Bring your favorite pen, a few stamps and some cookies.
RSVP to Bobbie Steinhart bobbie@themmob.com
Or you can host your own party on June 1. To sign up as a host or find other parties, go to http://www.partylaunch.com/working assets. If June 1 doesn't work, there will be a big back-to-school push in September.
Progressive Democrats–East Bay is sponsoring a lecture on June 3 by William Rivers Pitt on “The Iraq War: Domestic Costs.”
William Rivers Pitt is an internationally known best-selling author of three books: War on Iraq - What Team Bush Doesn't Want You to Know, The Greatest Sedition is Silence, and Our Flag, Too – The Paradox of Patriotism.
Friday, June 3, at 7:00 pm
Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists
1924 Cedar Street, (Cedar and Bonita),
Berkeley
Directions
Donation: $5-15, no one turned away.
For further information: Contact Bill Lawler, wjlawler@hotmail.com, (510) 524-4244,
The kickoff meeting for the PD–East Bay Environmental Action Group chaired by Liz Flynn went very well. Discussion focused mainly on global warming but also included California's asbestos problem, offshore drilling, preserving the Farallones from tourism, mercury levels in drinking water, and other issues. Complete minutes from the May 15 meeting...
If you want to become part of this group of motivated individuals, contact Liz Flynn at eflynn8302@sbcglobal.net.
If the Republicans are as good as their word, it's going to be much uglier than you think.
Salon, the online magazine has an excellent article, Everything You Wanted to Know About the “Nuclear Option” explaining how Republicans plan to bypass Senate rules to force a vote on right-wing judges.
Must reading if you want to keep up on this controversial ploy!
House Republican Majority Leader Rep. Tom DeLay has a pattern of repeated legal and ethical scandals. Yet he remains in one of the most important positions in our government–deciding what legislation Congress considers. Join over 390,000 MoveOn activists and sign their petition to urge Congress to fire Tom DeLay as Majority Leader. The goal is to top 500,000 petition signers by the end of the month and deliver these petitions to Republican members of Congress and local Republican Parties during the first week in June. More . . .
The California Department of General Services is prepared to award a contract to ChoicePoint to develop a statewide criminal database. ChoicePoint is currently under state and federal investigation for security breaches involving stolen information on 145,000 American consumers. According to the Sacramento Bee ("State Looks to ChoicePoint" 4/22/05), ChoicePoint executives sold millions of dollars' worth of company stock before revealing the breach.
In addition, investigative journalist Greg Palast argues ChoicePoint helped fix the 2000 Florida Presidential election by incorrectly listing over 50,000 African Americans and Hispanics as felons barred from voting.
Tell Sacramento you don't want California to do business with ChoicePoint. Follow this link to send a personal message to the California Attorney General, the California Secretary of State, the Department of General Services, President pro Tem Don Perata, and Assembly speaker Fabian Nunez. More. . .
PDA is calling upon activists to help Representative Lynn Woolsey's (D-CA) House Resolution (H.Con.Res.35) gain support from other members of Congress.
Rep. Woolsey's bill calls for the President to:
(1) Develop and implement a plan to begin the immediate withdrawal of U.S. Armed Forces from Iraq;
(2) Develop and implement a plan for reconstructing Iraq's civil and economic infrastructure;
(3) Convene an emergency meeting of Iraq's leadership, Iraq's neighbors, the United Nations, and the Arab League to create an international peacekeeping force in Iraq and to replace U.S.
Armed Forces in Iraq with Iraqi police and Iraqi National Guard forces;
and (4) Provide the Iraqi people the opportunity to completely control their internal affairs.
Urge your member of Congress to support this legislation here: http://capwiz.com/pdamerica/issues/alert/?alertid=7071606
The national Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) organization has released a statement challenging Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean's recent comments in favor of continuing the U.S. occupation of Iraq. On Monday, April 25, PDA launched a nationwide petition drive aimed at pressuring Dean and other Democratic leaders to support ending the occupation. Sign the petition!
An Open Letter to Howard Dean from Dennis Kucinich. More. . .
The next meeting of the East Bay Social Security coalition, Social Security Action, meets:
Wednesday May 25, 7:30 pm
Niebyl Proctor library
6501 Telegraph Ave., Oakland
Directions
Get the new brochure, hear plans for going to RED counties to fight for social security. All invited.
Senator Sheila Kuehl's bill (Health Care for All Californians, California Bill SB 840), passed out of the Senate Health Committee. Thanks to all who wrote letters.
Next Step: The next committee is Senate Appropriations whose chair is Carol Migden. Please send letters made out to Carol Migden, State Capitol, Sacramento, CA 95814.
Important! Send the letters to Sheila Goldmacher who will make copies, and then send them to all members on the Appropriations Committee. Sheila's address is:
Sheila Goldmacher
2341 Parker St. #8
Berkeley, CA 94704.
Thanks so much - Let's get health care for everybody!
The Social Security teams of PD–East Bay, the Wellstone Club, and other organizations have been working closely to plan a strategy for going to Rep. Pombo's District (CD 11). (Purpose Letter from the coalition of progressive organizations.)
If you would like information on speaker training, hosting a house party, helping with tabling, or otherwise working in District 11, please contact the following:
Speaker Training – Jean Tepperman – jeantepper@aol.com
House Parties – Pete Bank – petebank1@aol.com
Tabling – Jody Ginsberg – Jody@idiom.com
Work in District 11 – Matthew Hallinan – mhallinan@sbcglobal.net
The Peace Alliance is urging Barbara Boxer to sponsor a companion Senate bill to the House bill in support of Department of Peace legislation. Senator Boxer's aides stressed the importance of hearing from citizens regarding how they feel about this legislation. We are urging you to call, email and fax Senator Boxer. The Senator needs to hear from you.
Here are two sample letters (for CA residents and non-residents) you can use with a link to Senator Boxer's email. More. . .
From the Los Angeles Times:
Antonio Villaraigosa romped past incumbent Mayor James K. Hahn to make history Tuesday, winning election as the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles since pioneer days.
Riding a huge wave of voter discontent, Villaraigosa avenged his 2001 loss to Hahn, who possessed an iconic family name but never connected strongly with voters during a rocky four-year term.
"I want to thank the people of Los Angeles for putting their trust in me," a jubilant Villaraigosa said as he claimed victory at midnight.
. . .
Thanks to all Progressive Democrats who helped on this campaign!
Letter from PD-East Bay Co-chairs
To friends of Progressive Democrats of the East Bay:
We now have a thriving and growing East Bay Chapter of PDA. We have successfully held four monthly general meetings. We have Action Groups busy on many topics: saving social security, providing universal health care, ending the war in Iraq now, public financing of elections and safe balloting, reforming the mass media, and dialoguing with religious progressives. Soon we will start precinct organizing. We have a membership of over fifty and a mailing list of over one hundred forty.
Many of you have been to our meetings and are involved in the Action Groups, but many of you are not. We urge you to come to our next meeting (June 4th, from 1-3 at Temescal Library at Telegraph and 52nd St., in Oakland) to join an Action Group or form a new one. (Please see our web page at www.pdeastbay.org and become a member.)
We realize that many who support our cause and endeavors cannot make meetings and are too busy with other activities to be involved in an Action Group. Please, if you support our work become a member. Our funds make it possible to create flyers, literature and banners, rent the meeting room, and enable us to mail notices about events. These are all essential activities to our functioning as a progressive voice.
Dues are on a sliding scale: 2 hours or more of volunteer work during the year or $10-$100 per year.
Make checks to PDA-EB and send to:
Sara Shumer
1610 Kains Ave
Berkeley, CA. 94702
Include:
Name Address
E-mail Phone
Interests/Skills
Thank you,
Bill Lawler and Sara Shumer
If you have items you would like listed in this newsletter or on the PD-East Bay web site at www.pdeastbay.org, submit them to pdebListAdmin@PDEastBay.org. Events, activities, and action alerts about local progressive causes will be considered for inclusion.
The next PD–East Bay newsletter will go out on or around May 25. Please submit items for inclusion as early as you can!
Check out www.pdeastbay.org regularly for updated information on progressive politics!