Our house, 4:30 pm. We have some addresses, so bring postcards if you have them.

Please note: Sorry for the delay in posting minutes.

Next meeting: Sunday April 14th 4:30-5:45

1. We started off with a lively discussion answer some questions from Indivisible Headquarters about 1) do we want to endorse a particular candidate (to which we said no, but we did list several we all liked in a hierarchy of top tier and second tier and 2) which issues are most important to us. At some point Bruce, our scribe, will post a summary here. Interesting points made all around.
2. We talked about our two fundraisers. Jane is going to catalogue all of the items for our political auction. Please pass a list of your donations on to her (jane@donjelinek.com). Emily is going to make the handout about Virginia elections for the Quiet Evening fundraiser. More on both fundraisers soon.
3. Bill reported that something is going between with our CA 13 Sister District group and the main Sister District group. He will give us a report after an upcoming meeting which has been set up to explain the situation.
4. We talked about buttons and postcards. We are ordering 750 postcards with the color-in design for those who want that one and we will also order some of the Our Vote is Our Voice for those who like that one. The Elmwood Post office is already out of postcards so we recommend everyone buy when they can. Design a new button contest is on (Bruce has sent in some great suggestions and we want to move forward so if you have an idea, send it to Andy (drlaz@me.com)).
5. For our action item we all looked as the http://www.Votefwd.org which most of the group was not familiar with. They have some important campaigns on now such as a special election in Pennsylvania. Even if we lose some of these campaigns they get getting people in the habit of voting.
6. Michael passes this additional action item on to everyone:

Support our hungry neighbors in Puerto Rico. [h/t Mi Familia Vota]

The president is blocking food aid to Puerto Rico where nearly 43% of the population relies on food stamps.
Donate: To the Food Bank of Puerto Rico (Banco de Alimentos de Puerto Rico)

Call: Your Feinstein and Harris (202) 224-3121
Script: Hi, I’m calling from [ZIP] to support relief for Puerto Rico. Our fellow Americans are starving due to the president’s biases and Congressional inaction. I’m asking [name] to show mercy toward our fellow citizens, support immediate passage of S. 572 to address the situation, and ensure Puerto Rico receives all promised financial support.

In case you missed this email from Indivisible partner MoveOn and might want to join tomorrow’s protest rallies in El Cerrito or Oakland, I’m posting it here: Last night, Donald Trump’s hand-picked attorney general, William Barr, missed the deadline set by Congress to release the full Mueller report. 

That’s why tomorrow, Thursday, April 4—at nearly 300 events around the country—the Nobody Is Above the Law coalition is joining together to demand that Barr immediately release the full report and supporting evidence. 

Click here to check out a map of the actions and RSVP to join a “Release The Report” event near you tomorrow, Thursday, April 4.

As Rachel Maddow reported live on her show Monday night, these #ReleaseTheReport actions will be critical to getting the backs of congressional Democrats who are subpoenaing the full report and underlying evidence and pushing back against Barr and Trump’s stonewalling.

The two latter races, both Democratic holds from the 2015 Election, were strongly for Trump in 2016. The Democratic governor is up in November, along with the regular legislature election.

I have emerged from the world of grading into the world of politics and we have lots to talk about on Sunday, such as …….

Indivisible in the Primaries? The Big Questions

US Indivisible has asked local groups to complete a survey by April 15 on what should be the posture of Indivisible in the primary election season around both candidates and issues.  Do we want to endorse a presidential candidate? If so, on what criteria? How much do the candidates’ campaign values or practices matter? What about their stance on specific policy issues? What are the pros and cons of endorsing—both for Indivisible nationally and for us locally? How about other types of engagement in the primary process? And how would we rank the current candidates if we were to endorse any at this point?

On Sunday, we’ll spend some time on a questionnaire covering these issues.  It should be an interesting conversation.

Usual time and usual place. As always, feel free to recruit others to come.

We now have a Guest WiFi set up, so you can connect your phones or laptop conveniently.

Light note passed along on the CA Indivisible Slack channel: lassner@andylassner on twitter: “I’m not saying it would be hilarious if folks in Fresno showed up to this event just to moo. I’m not saying that at all. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D2IAxJtU4AEuk1Q.jpg”

Response on the Slack thread: “A number of folks are renting cow costumes and are planning a big protest outside the venue.  Please go!”

Wow! We made lots of plans. Here is a summary put in a more sensible order than happened at our meeting. Next meeting Sunday March 31st 4:30-5:45

1. We decided not to participate in the Sister District Virginia over-scripted postcard campaign but are going to do two fundraisers for Virginia over the coming months: 1) A Quiet Evening at Home Fundraiser– for a donation information about Virginia to read, a nice snack and no need to put on your shoes or schlepp somewhere and 2) an auction of political items like old buttons we all have hoarded –items already offered include the New York Times from the day Nixon left the White House and a Hubert Humphrey shopping bag. Interested in leading either of these endeavors? We need volunteer coordinators.
2. Bruce had two items for us. First, Indivisible wants us to Call Barbara Lee to Support National Carbon Pricing Bill |urging her to support HR 763, the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act of 2019, a bipartisan carbon fee and dividend bill introduced in the House. HR 763 is probably the strongest and most comprehensive climate bill ever introduced in Congress, and it deserves strong support. The bill sets fees on greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels and other sources. Second, please check out the new video narrated by Jennifer Lawrence: Unbreaking America: A NEW Short Film about Solving the Corruption Crisis.”   Described in the Washington Post as “a 12-minute lecture … that’s part civics lesson and part rallying cry,” it introduces the non-partisan anti-corruption group RepresentUs and invites citizens across the political spectrum to help “fix our broken elections, stop political bribery, and end secret money.”  If it makes sense to you, forward the message to others who might like it. (This idea was enthusiastically seconded by our group and we are going to test the video by emailing it to centrist and Republican friends and relatives.
3. Time for a new button design. Bring your ideas to our next meeting or send them to me and we’ll pick the new design at the meeting. We can include them in the Quiet Evening at Home Fundraiser as mini gifts.
4. Judy brought us up to date on a great plan to replace the Alameda sheriff. We’ll link her proposal to another blog post due to various linking issues. More on what we can do to support this at future meetings.
5. Finally, Michael brought us this action item:

Speak up for your hungry neighbors by April 2. [h/t FRAC]

Write: A comment on the Federal Register.
Modify this script: Comments are not counted if you cut-and-paste. Use the ideas below to get started.

The Agriculture Department has proposed new limits on states’ ability to waive work requirements for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, even when not enough jobs are available. 

Last fall, Congress rejected this provision that would deny food to 755,000 people, many of whom work in low-wage, unstable occupations.

I want my tax dollars to assist my neighbors in need. 

I support a robust SNAP program for adults because [share why you believe stricter time limits are harmful].

Cite SNAP strengths. 

I oppose new SNAP rules that would increase hunger and poverty in communities across the nation. 

State (not federal) government is best qualified to determine when local employment conditions warrant a change to work requirements.

Our next meeting is this Sunday, 4:30-5:45 at our house (2745 Elmwood Ave). Lots to talk about regarding Virginia, special elections, CA bills and our priorities for MOC who call us.

1. Meanwhile, the National Resources Defense Council urges us to urge our California reps to support Senate Bill 1 to protect the environment. What better way to support all the youth out on the streets today about global warming? Log on to act.nrdc.org for a letter to send.

2. Our texting leaders (Open Progress) are looking for people to study and prepare info about voting records for upcoming elections: Volunteer link

Help fight for Net Neutrality with The Electronic Frontier Foundation.

3. 34 Mile March for Fossil Fuel Freedom from Palo Alto to San FranciscoSaturday March 16-Sunday March 18
Saturday, March 16 – March starts in Palo Alto Saturday morning. Route on sidewalks and shoulders along El Camino Real. Overnight in San Mateo.

Sunday, March 17 – March continues along El Camino Real and Mission Street. Overnight in San Francisco (Excelsior).
Monday, March 18 – March continues into San Francisco. Major rally at Wells Fargo Headquarters at lunchtime.

You can join any part of the march
Tell Wells Fargo to defund Big Oil and reinvest into a 100% renewable energy future. Marchers will spend two nights in church and community halls, with delicious vegan food provided at every stop. Support vehicles will accompany the march to carry gear and flagging marchers. Supporters are invited to join the marchers for meals, and to cheer them on at the twelve “stagecoach stops” along the way. More information and RSVP here. Sponsored by 350.org

We won this big, by 25. Democratic hold, but the margin is notable because Tr*mp won this district.

We are getting phone calls from the candidates we backed, not just Josh Harder. Today it was Xochitl Torres Small. She said they were worried we wouldn’t have enough enthusiasm next year. I think “enthusiasm” is a code-word for money: I told her there would be no worries on that score, but this is too early for us to start fundraising.

I also think it is too bad that the Democratic leadership still believes everyone needs four hours of call time instead of following Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez’s trust in small donors, and spending the time preparing instead.