Welcome to the July 3, 2005 edition of the Progressive Democrats of the East Bay Newsletter. This newsletter is published about every two weeks listing progressive events of interest in the San Francisco Bay Area along with actions you can take to support progressive causes. For information about PD–East Bay and how to submit items to this newsletter, refer to the articles under the section "About PD–East Bay and This Newsletter," which appears at the end of this newsletter.
Last month SB 840, the California Health Insurance Reliability Act, passed the Senate floor and the bill moved over for consideration in the Assembly. It has now been referred to the Assembly Health Committee, and will be heard on Tuesday, July 5th, 1:30 pm.
We need every SB 840 supporter to immediately send a letter to their Assemblymember stating their support. Because of the urgency of this matter, we recommend that you FAX your letter to ensure it arrives by Tues, July 5.
Select this link for a sample letter of support. You can find out who your state Assemblymember is by visiting http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html.
Join us for a "Keep Hands Off Social Security" march in the Danville Fourth of July Parade. Wear red, white, and blue. Wear hats (put a red, white, and blue ribbon on it.) We will have some "Hands Off My Social Security" signs, feel free to make you own sign.
Even though Social Security is not on the front pages of the papers at the moment, legislation to introduce privatization is being written in the House and the Senate. We must not let our coalition splinter.
Time: Meet July 4 between 9am and 9:30am for instructions (donuts provided), parade begins at 10:00.
Where: Intersection of Railroad Ave. and San Ramon Valley Blvd (also called Danville Blvd).
Directions:
- Highway 680 to Danville – Take the El Cerro Exit, West
- Continue on El Cerro until the intersection with San Ramon Valley Blvd. (San Ramon Valley Blvd becomes Danville Blvd, here)
- Go South (left) on San Ramon Valley past the San Ramon Valley High School
- Look for the intersection with Railroad Ave. – and look for the BIG Democratic banner (right across the street from Starbucks on the east side of the street).
- Park along San Ramon Valley Blvd. or at the High School. Parking might be difficult, come early!
Congressman Bill Thomas (Bakersfield) has announced that he is going to "broker the deal" to reform the Social Security system in this Congressional Session. He hopes to promote the President's plan to establish private investment accounts and index benefits as the two cornerstones of the plan, as well as open the discussion so that all proposals can be brought to the table in an effort to address the "crisis" facing Social Security and win bi-partisan support.
WE SAY NO TO ANY PLAN THAT INCLUDES PRIVATIZATION AND REDUCTIONS IN BENEFITS TO CURRENT AND FUTURE BENEFICIARIES!
THURSDAY, JULY 7th – Bakersfield
12 PM: Lunch and Gathering: The LABOR HALL, 200 W. Jeffrey/ off Union St.
1:30 PM: Rally at Rep. Thomas' Office, 4100 Empire Drive
Join us in Bakersfield from one of the following locations:
EAST BAY: Vans leaving 7:30am from Alameda County Labor Council,
7992 Capwell Dr, Oakland.
RSVP to Jim Forsyth 510-581-5169
SAN JOSE: Bus leaving 7:30am from IBEW #332
2125 Canoas Garden Ave & Almaden Rd, San Jose.
RSVP to Rufus Wesley, 408-578-8113
MODESTO: Bus leaves 7:15am from Food Max,
Briggsmoore & Prescott
RSVP to Addie Brinkley, 209-545-8680
FRESNO: Bus leaves 9:45am from Manchester Mall (near Sears)
Blackstone & Shields.
RSVP to Gene Roza, 559-905-3521
CARPOOLS: Sacramento, Stockton, San Francisco, Contra Costa, etc. are organizing carpools.
Call Jodi Reid at 415-550-0828 to find out about one near you
Sponsored by the California Alliance for Retired Americans. RSVP: Nan Brasmer: 877-223-6107 (toll free) or Jodi Reid: 415-550-0828
On June 16, Representative John Conyers and fifty other members of Congress held hearings on the recently disclosed Downing Street Memo. The Downing Street Memo and other documents comprising the minutes of a meeting of Prime Minister Tony Blair and his top advisers, indicate that the United States and Great Britain agreed, by the summer of 2002, to attack Iraq, well before the invasion and before President Bush sought Congressional authority to engage in military action. These documents indicate that U.S. officials were deliberately manipulating intelligence to justify the war.
The June 16 hearing is only the beginning! On June 30, Conyers and 51 other Members of Congress submitted a broad and comprehensive Freedom of Information Act request to the White House, the Department of Defense, and the Department of State seeking any and all documents and materials concerning the Downing Street Minutes and the lead up to the Iraq war
Additionally, Conyers is collecting signatures for a second batch of letters to the president. He is also urging you to write to the editorial board of your local newspapers to request that this issue of vital constitutional importance be given the extensive coverage it deserves.
To sign the letter to Bush concerning the Downing Street Memo, visit John Conyers home page.
With the recent, urgent message from Senator Kuehl about writing to our assemblymember, the volunteers for SB 840 can take comfort in the fact that we have collected over 400 letters to the Assembly in the last month from a variety of locations. We will continue to table both inside and outside the Oakland/Berkeley area and if you want to join the effort, please contact Moria at moriala@hotmail.com.
Our committee has joined forces with the Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club health care committee. Besides SB 840, we will also focus on stem cell research and other health topics that the committee chooses to pursue. To attend the next meeting, please contact Moria Lawlor, moriala@hotmail.com.
Volunteer for tabling in Red Counties to support Hands Off Social Security! Despite the low poll numbers for privatization, plans to dismantle Social Security are not going away. The House wants a vote in July! We must be visible in our opposition, particularly in Congressman Pombo's district.
Follow this link for an AP article on what is happening in Congress: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8405353/
If you would like to help with this effort, please contact Jody Ginsberg (510-636-4149, jody@idiom.com). Tabling training will be provided.
Thanks to broad-based support from peace activists, including the Department of Peace Action Group of PD–East Bay, on June 28 the Berkeley City Council approved a resolution endorsing the creation of a cabinet-level U.S. Department of Peace. The vote was 6-0-3 vote, with Wozniak, Olds and Capitelli abstaining.
A heartfelt thanks to all who supported this effort!
PBS, NPR, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is STILL under attack. Thanks to your broad-based support, the House voted to restore $100 million dollars of the more than $200 million they had previously cut in committee. Now the bill moves to the Senate. Your support is still needed. Sign the petitions below if you haven't already, and stay tuned for further actions you can take to fight these cuts.
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. Here are three things you can do to help save PBS, NPR, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting:
Nancy Pelosi has offered an amendment to the defense budget that will say to the President:
"Within 30 days of the enactment of this legislation, Congress expects an accounting from you as to what the strategy for success is. What are the security and political measures that you are putting forth that can lead us to bring our troops home?"
We can no longer afford to sit quietly while we wait for lights at the end of the tunnel and corners to be turned. It will take a clear, transparent process and input from both parties in Congress to win in Iraq, something that is impossible as long as we do not have a plan to work from. This amendment, along with a parallel one in the Senate, says that Democrats will no longer allow Congress and the American people to be marginalized from this process. It is critical to our chances of success in Iraq.
Join Nancy Pelosi in this demand. Please sign on as a citizen co-sponsor to this monumental amendment: www.democraticaction.org/petitions/winningiraq.shtml
Pete Stark will be conducting town hall meetings on Social Security on Saturday, July 23 at the following locations:
| Fremont | 9:00 am - 10:30 am | Fremont Senior Center – Wing A 40086 Paseo Padre Parkway |
| San Leandro | 10:30 am - 11:30 am | Marina Community Center – Thunderbolt Room 15301 Wicks Boulevard |
| Alameda | Noon - 1:00 pm | Alameda City Hall – Council Chambers 2263 Santa Clara Avenue |
Attend one of these meetings and show Pete Stark your support for preserving Social Security. Details at: www.house.gov/stark
Progressive Democrats of the East Bay is a growing chapter of Progressive Democrats of America, a national organization and Political Action Committee (PAC), started by supporters of Kucinich, Dean, and various social justice groups. It is not affiliated with the Democratic party but is dedicated to restoring to the Democratic party its progressive vision by engaging local support for national and local progressive causes.
Progressive Democrats of the East Bay will support progressive candidates for elected office from the small local boards to national offices. It dialogues and networks with a broad-based coalition of likeminded groups and people in our community to create a common agenda and an agreed-upon plan by which to realize our goals.
We realize that many who support our causes and endeavors cannot attend all our meetings or are too busy with other activities to be involved in an Action Group.
Please, if you support our work, become a member. Funds make it possible for us to create flyers, literature, and banners, rent the meeting room, and mail notices about events. These are all essential activities to our functioning as a progressive voice.
Dues are on a sliding scale: $10–$100 per year or a minimum of 2 hours of volunteer work a year.
Make checks payable to PD-EB, and send to:
Sara Shumer
1610 Kains Ave.
Berkeley, CA. 94702
Please provide the following:
Name: _______________________________________
Address: _____________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
E-mail and phone: ______________________________
_____________________________________________
Interest and skills: ______________________________
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. Note: All submissions subject to editing to fit the style and content of our organization.
The next PD–East Bay newsletter will go out on or around July 17. Please submit items for inclusion as early as you can!
Check out www.pdeastbay.org regularly for updated information on progressive politics!
The next meeting for the PD–East Bay Steering Committee is Tuesday, July 12 from 7:00–9:00 pm. The agenda for the meeting will include discussion on holding a PD–East Bay potluck for the next general meeting on August 6. Preparation for the California Special Election will also be on the agenda.
If you are not on the steering committee, but would like to attend, please RSVP to Sara Shumer at shumer3@comcast.net.
Those interested in forming action groups within our organization and those interested in helping determine the direction of PD–East Bay are welcome. You must join PD–East Bay to participate in the steering committee.