[Gpca-votes] Response to "Party Growth" question

[Dee See]

Hi Jeff,

I apologize for not getting back to you sooner. I'm not an SGA delegate so
was not able to see your question.

I would like to serve on the Coordinating Committee because I believe that
the Green Party of California should be the viable force for good in
California it is meant to be. While the GPCA can and must grow, we Greens,
in order to allow for maximum growth, have to create an organization that
is not only open and welcoming, but transparent and democratic as well. All
Greens, but especially new members, deserve a party that gives them
opportunities to organize, communicate, collaborate, and contribute to a
thriving movement during this crucial moment in our history.

To make certain all new Greens are able to find a home and a voice in our
party, a number of things need to be done.

Currently, the Green Party of California website does not provide adequate
information or contacts for anyone seeking more information on how to
become active as a Green in the state of California. Having worked for a
number of public municipalities, I know first hand that the website is the
first line of communication for any organization. It is of the utmost
importance to make certain that anyone who searches for an organization
must be able to find _essential_ information — who, where, how — as quickly
and easily as possible.

Another area of concern for me is ensuring that all rural California
counties become active so that Greens in California’s heartlands (where
threats to our environment, such as resource extraction, exploitation,
pollution, etc., and threats to our communities, such ICE raids, extreme
poverty, institutional racism, access to affordable healthcare and housing,
etc., are severe) have a voice — and a vote — in GPCA affairs.  The current
protocol for activating new county organizations, and by extension, new
Greens, is an extremely complicated and discouraging process, one which, if
simplified, would create a much more welcoming atmosphere for those who
seek to be active within the existing state structure.

I currently serve as communications officer for the Yolo County Council,
and am fully committed to ensuring that basic avenues of communication
between our council, Yolo Greens, and the broader community are as
streamlined as possible — in particular, I strive to make sure that each
and every person seeking information on how to get active in our local
Green movement will get an immediate, useful, and appropriate response.  In
addition, I work alongside other Greens (in Yolo and surrounding counties)
to forge and strengthen alliances with other progressive causes.

Since I submitted my application to the SGA to serve on the Coordinating
Committee, I helped organize last month’s Central Regional Gathering, which
brought together nearly fifty Greens from all over Northern California to
strategize growing the party in the Central Valley and rural California.
Thanks to this Gathering, we are in the process of organizing counties in
rural Northern California that have never been active, and are building an
infrastructure to support Greens running for local, state, and federal
legislative office in the Central Valley and further north.

I hope this answers your question, Jeff, and please feel free to contact me
if I can be of further assistance.

Deatra Cohen
Yolo County Council
Davis, CA
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