Progressive Democrats - East Bay
Newsletter for January 29, 2006

Welcome to the January 29, 2006 edition of the Progressive Democrats of the East Bay Newsletter.

This newsletter features pressuring the Dems on the Alito filibuster as the feature action. However, The upcoming vote on Clean Money in Sacramento also deserves your attention.

If You Only Have Time To Do One Thing...

  1. Alito Filibuster (Act Now!)

Featured Events for This Newsletter

  1. Clean Money Vote in CA Assembly (Mon, Jan 30)
  2. PD–East Bay General Meeting for Sat, Feb 4
  3. Help Defeat Pombo (Act Now!)
  4. PD-EB Sponsors Rally to Support Berkeley Honda Workers (Feb 25)
  5. Join Bay Area Grandmothers Against the War in Anti-War Action (Valentine's Day)
  6. PD-East Bay Endorses Koretz Resolution On DU

About PD–East Bay and This Newsletter

  1. About Progressive Democrats of the East Bay
  2. Join Progressive Democrats of the East Bay
  3. Submit Items for This Newsletter

If You Only Have Time To Do One Thing...

  1. Alito Filibuster (Act Now!)

    An Important Message From National PDA:

    Time is short, the stakes are remarkably high, and this is a rare opportunity for all PDA progressive activists to fill out one simple form, press the send button, and have 60,000 emails opposing the Alito nomination sent to 12 key senators automatically, including Obama, Lieberman, and Feinstein. To do so, please click here:

    www.SaveTheCourt.org/AlitoFilibuster.

    Then forward this notice to anyone you know who is worried that Alito would condone the abuse of power by the president, vote to overturn Roe v. Wade, and help curtail Congress' ability to protect the civil rights, health, safety, and welfare of the American people for years to come.

    Also:

    Keep The Heat On!

    Keep calling the Senators who are undecided or opposed to a filibuster. You can call their DC office today and leave voicemails urging the Senators to support Kerry's filibuster. When offices open on Monday 9 a.m. ET, make another round of calls. Let's shut down the Capitol switchboard on Monday!

    Dems.Com has taken the lead on organizing a scorecard on where we stand...please visit the site and send this message to your friends this weekend.

New and Featured Events for This Newsletter

  1. Clean Money Vote in CA Assembly (Mon, Jan 30)

    The California Clean Money and Fair Elections Bill (AB 583) will be coming to the floor of the California Assembly for a discussion and vote on Monday, January 30. This will be a good opportunity to see the full Assembly in action. The bill only requires a majority vote but a packed gallery will send a clear message to the State Senate and the Governor, as well as the Media.

    The legislative session is scheduled to start at 10:00am, and the vote could be any time from then until the end of the day (3:00pm or later), with earlier in the day a little more likely than later. If you want to come, be sure to bring a book to read or something else to do while you wait, wear your Clean Money button, and sit with the other people wearing Clean Money buttons. After the vote, everybody can go to the Pyramid Alehouse at 10th and K street (1029 K Street) to either commiserate or, more likely, celebrate!

    PD–East Bay members and other progressives are carpooling to Sacramento to show our support. If you would like to carpool with us, please contact:

    Lynn Davidson
    lynn@lynndavidson.com
    510 527-4299, 510 847-0612 (cell).

    So let's all get out and show that we want to get big money out of California politics through publicly financed election campaigns.

  2. PD–East Bay General Meeting for Sat, Feb 4

    The PD–East Bay General Meeting on Saturday, February 4 at 1:00pm will be a strategic planning meeting for the upcoming mid-term elections. We will hear reports from both the McNerney for Congress and Charlie Brown for Congress campaigns. We will vote on whether to endorse the Charlie Brown campaign. PD-East Bay has already endorsed the McNerney campaign.

    During the meeting we will plan future PD–East Bay events and meetings around these and other campaigns. Additionally, there will be discussion around other progressive issues and topics that we can take up for the next few months.

    If you want to become involved in planning our course for the next few months and also help direct our energy toward the mid-term elections, please join us on February 4.

    Saturday, Feb 4 at 1:00pm
    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 Vince.

  3. Help Defeat Pombo (Act Now!)

    Help defeat the corrupt Congressman Richard Pombo (R-Tracy) and take back the House of Representatives in 2006.

    One of the most conservative, corrupt politicians in Congress, Richard Pombo, is in a neighboring red district. The impact of Richard Pombo's environmental policies, including the gutting of the Endangered Species Act, harms all of us.

    Jerry McNerney is a true grassroots candidate challenging Pombo. Visit Mcnerney4congress.com to read more about this Jerry McNerney.

    Pombo is vulnerable in 2006, but PDEB help is needed to defeat him. Please consider volunteering or contributing to the McNerney campaign.

    Phonebanking has started in Dublin at IBEW Hall 2nd flr, 6250 Village Pkwy., Dublin 94568-2449. Contact Jody Ginsberg, 510-636-4149, jody@idiom.com for details on how you can help.

  4. PD-EB Sponsors Rally to Support Berkeley Honda Workers (Feb 25)

    On Feb 25th, Progressive Democrats of the East Bay will be sponsoring a rally in support of the Berkeley Honda workers who have been on strike since June, 2005. On June 15, 2005 Jim Doten sold his dealership to a group from Blackhawk who are determined to break the union. Because unionized dealerships all over the Bay Area are carefully watching this strike, a favorable outcome for workers is very important.

    Berkeley Honda has finally begun negotiating with the union! This is a tremendous and hard-won accomplishment. It's tempting to think that we can slack off now, since they're finally doing what we've asked for. But it's actually the other way around: We have to reinforce their willingness to bargain by maintaining the pressure, or even increasing it, if possible. That will disabuse them of any second thoughts they may have.

    Please join PD–East Bay for the rally:

    Saturday, Feb 25, 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM

    Parker & Shattuck, Berkeley
    For more information, contact Bill Lawler, (510) 524-4244

    Additionally, you can support the workers by showing up at rallies that take place every Thursday and Saturday, as listed below:

    Thursday, 4:30-6:00pm
    Saturdays, 1-3:00pm
    Parker & Shattuck, Berkeley

    For more information on how you can help, please contact Judy Shelton:

    Judy Shelton
    Bay Area Labor & Community Coalition
    beactive@sbcglobal.net
    510-548-9334

  5. Join Bay Area Grandmothers Against the War in Anti-War Action (Valentine's Day)

    Update to this event: Progressive Democrats of the East Bay has voted to endorse the Oakland Recruitment Center protest sponsored by Grandmothers Against the War. Please join with the protesters at this important event.

    When: Tuesday, Feb. 14th, at Noon
    Where: 2116 Broadway, Oakland (between 21st and 22nd Sts.)

    Directions

    What follows is our previous report on this event:

    Inspired by Tucson's Raging Grannies, New York's Grandmothers Against the War and other groups, the first action of the recently formed San Francisco Bay Area Grandmothers Against the War will be a mass "enlistment" at our local military recruiting station on Valentine's Day. The group will insist that they take "us old folks" so that the young men and women now in Iraq can come home. Women For Peace and other anti-war groups in our area will join this anti-war action.

    You are also invited to participate. If your group and others across the country join together with like-minded local people (regardless of gender or age) and conduct similar actions on February 14, we can create a large, newsworthy, nationwide event.

    Please respond as soon as possible–by January 31 at the latest–if you will stage an action in your area so that you can be included in the press release that will be sent out to the national media.

    You can contact Bay Area Grandmothers Against the War at: bayareagrandmothers@yahoo.com

    At the recruiting station, some plan to wear military caps. Many of the women will attempt to enter the station and enlist while others will remain outside carrying posters and distributing leaflets that include the statement read by the New York Grandmothers Against the War at their October protest. Anticipating that the group may be asked to leave, they are working with a lawyer to advise us of our rights.

    Getting media attention is crucial, especially if we succeed in coordinating our actions nation-wide. We suggest that each participating group contact its local media. Any group with access to the national media should stay in touch with Bay Area Grandmothers Against the War so as to get a complete list of participating cities/groups.

    Read more about the New York group.

  6. PD-East Bay Endorses Koretz Resolution For Moratorium on Depleted Uranium Munitions

    Progressive Democrats of the East Bay have voted to endorse a draft resolution (AJR 39) introduced by Paul Koretz, 42 AD (West Hollywood, Beverly Hills), requesting the United States federal government "to immediately implement a moratorium on the further use of depleted uranium munitions pending the conclusions of a comprehensive study."

    Read the draft resolution here:

    http://www.aroundthecapitol.com/billtrack/text.html?file=ajr_39_bill_20060104_introduced.html

    Visit the Assembleyman's webpage here

    http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a42/

    PD–East Bay will continue to report on this resolution.

About PD–East Bay and This Newsletter

  1. About Progressive Democrats of the East Bay

    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.

  2. Join Progressive Democrats of the East Bay

    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:
    Moria Lawlor
    336 Wayne Avenue, #3
    Oakland, CA. 94606

    Please provide the following:
    Name: _______________________________________
    Address: _____________________________________
    _____________________________________________
    _____________________________________________
    E-mail and phone: ______________________________
    _____________________________________________
    Interest and skills: ______________________________

  3. Submit Items for This Newsletter

    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.

    Check out www.pdeastbay.org regularly for updated information on progressive politics!