SF GREEN PARTY WEEKLY 1/28/06 - 2/3/06 NEWS: - 1/16: Greens Urge Americans to Speak Out Against 'Ideologue' Alito's Confirmation - 1/24: Green Pages Winter 2005 (http://www.sfgreenparty.org/news/newsitem-start.gem?idx=1439) - 1/24: Iceland the First Country to Try Abandoning Gasoline (http://www.sfgreenparty.org/news/newsitem-start.gem?idx=1440) - 1/26: Green Party Member & Activist Charlene Smythe Heads to the World Social Forum - 1/26: US Greens to Attend the World Social Forum in Caracas (http://www.sfgreenparty.org/news/newsitem-start.gem?idx=1438) - 1/26: Ralph Nader's Mother passes away at 99 (http://www.sfgreenparty.org/news/newsitem-start.gem?idx=1442) - 1/26: Voter-Owned Mayoral Elections Looks Like Sure Thing (http://www.sfgreenparty.org/news/newsitem-start.gem?idx=1441) EVENTS: - 1/28: Bird-Dog Hillary Clinton! - 2/2: Aimee Allison's Campaign Kick-off Party - 2/6: Campaigns and Candidates Working Group - 2/8: SFGP County Council - 2/9: FIG Open House-Pot Luck, All Green Women Invited - 2/9: FILM: Waging a Living - 2/15: SFGP General Membership Meeting ANNOUNCEMENTS & ACTION ALERTS: - Filing Period for County Council Candidates 2/13-3/10 (for details, see http://www.sfgreenparty.org/events/events-itemfromhome.gem?idx=1435) - 2006 General Membership Survey - Public Financing for the Mayor's Race: We Need Your Help! - Earn A Living Making San Francisco A More Green and Progressive City! - Become a Green Party Sustainer! JOKE OF THE WEEK: - Big Box Mart (http://www.jibjab.com, click Big Box Mart under JibJab Classics) ************************************************************ NEWS: 1/16: Greens Urge Americans to Speak Out Against 'Ideologue' Alito's Confirmation Greens listed the following reasons Alito should not be confirmed: - His intention to "increase the power of the executive to shape the law" (his words). In the past, he advised the Reagan Administration on strategies for evading Congress's oversight and ignoring laws it doesn't agree with, and favoring a license for the Justice Department to install wiretaps without obtaining a warrant. - His apparent hostility towards African Americans and favoritism for corporations, as evidenced by his judicial record. - His narrow interpretation of the U.S. Constitution's Commerce Clause, which might threaten numerous environmental laws, especially those protecting wetlands and waterways that affect the ecology of several states. - He favors restrictive ballot access laws hostile to political parties outside of the Democratic-Republican mainstream; namely us Greens, among others. --------- 1/26: Green Party Member & Activist Charlene Smythe Heads to the World Social Forum Green Party County Council member and Bayview resident Charlene Smythe is excited to be joining thousands of people from around the world attending this year's World Social Forum in Venezuela. This is her first trip abroad. Having seen poverty in the United States, Charlene is eager to see what it's like in another country, and how Venezuela is using its oil-rich resources to help all its people, unlike the United States where only greedy executives benefit. She also intends to share organizing skills and tools with other activists at the Forum, and is curious what impact the Green Party has on other countries. ============================== EVENTS: 1/28: Bird-Dog Hillary Clinton! WHEN: Saturday January 28 Starts 6:00PM WHERE: Nob Hill Masonic Center 1111 California Street (between Jones and Taylor Streets), immediately opposite Grace Cathedral, San Francisco CONTACT: codepinkbayarea@riseup.net DETAILS: Fed up with Hillary Clinton's support of the war in Iraq, even though she's supposed to a a "liberal" Democrat conservatives love to hate? Here's your chance to protest! Join Code Pink, who will be wearing wear large theatrical ears and pink gear, and say: HILLARY YOU'RE NOT LISTENING; STOP SUPPORTING THE WAR! Hillary Clinton once said: "Part of my job is being a good listener." At the Masonic Center, she will be discussing "political image makeover" with Jane Pauley at The Bar Association of San Francisco Special Benefit Event. There will be a reception at 7:00 PM, then Hillary and Jane will talk. --------- 2/2: Aimee Allison's Campaign Kick-off Party WHEN: Thursday, February 2 Starts 6:30PM WHERE: La Estrellita Café 446 E. 12th Street (between 4th and 5th Ave), Oakland CA 94606 COST: $10 and up at the door – this is a fundraising event. Please bring your checkbook and contribute generously. INFO: http://www.aimeeallison.org/ DETAILS: Join Aimee Allison, community members, activists, artists, and friends as we kick-off a campaign for change in the city of Oakland. Aimee Allison is launching her bid to be Oakland's next City Councilwoman from District 2, and she would like you to come celebrate and organize with her. --------- 2/6: Campaigns and Candidates Working Group WHEN: Monday, February 6 7:00PM-9:00PM WHERE: San Francisco Green Party office, 1028 A Howard St (between 6th St. and 7th St.), San Francisco DETAILS: This meeting will focus on developing candidate questionnaires for Green candidates on the June 6, 2006 ballot: Governor, Lt. Governor, Treasurer, Controller, Attorney General, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Insurance Commissioner, US Senate, US Congress District 8, Assembly District 12. --------- 2/8: SFGP County Council WHEN: Wednesday, February 8 7:00PM-9:00PM WHERE: San Francisco Green Party office, 1028 A Howard St (between 6th St. and 7th St.), San Francisco DETAILS: We will discuss business items, finalize the active membership roster for 2006 and set the agenda for the Feb. General Membership. Please email agenda items to : cc@sfgreens.org --------- 2/9: FIG Open House-Pot Luck, All Green Women Invited WHEN: Thursday, February 9 Starts 7:00PM WHERE: San Francisco Green Party office, 1028 A Howard St (between 6th St. and 7th St.), San Francisco DETAILS: Bring your favorite munchie to share and join with the Women of the Green Party to set our goals, speak our minds, and work together. This year is critical for us to have a strong, cohesive working group. Whether you have worked in the Feminist Interest Group (FIG) before or not, take this opportunity to meet other Green Women and set the agenda for what promises to be a challenging time ahead. --------- 2/9: Waging a Living WHEN: Thursday, February 9 7:00PM-9:30PM WHERE: Bayanihan House 1010 Mission Street (at 6th Street), San Francisco COST: FREE FOR SOMA RESIDENTS! $5-20 sliding scale proceeds to benefit SOMCAN. www.somcan.org CONTACT: call SOMCAN: 415/348-1945 Or see: http://www.pppdocs.com/walsynopsis.html DETAILS: Please join SOMCAN at this special community screening and discussion of the documentay "Waging a Living." This film exposes the truth about America’s working poor and their daily struggle to wage a living. Jerry Longoria, a graduate of somcan's organzing internship, is featured in this film and will lead a discussion following the screening. --------- 2/15: SFGP General Membership Meeting WHEN: Wednesday, February 15 7:30PM-9:30PM WHERE: San Francisco Green Party office, 1028 A Howard St (between 6th St. and 7th St.), San Francisco DETAILS: So far, agenda items inlcude a decision about SFGP chartered Neighborhood Groups making their own endorsements in elections. Please email agenda item suggestions to: cc@sfgreens.org ============================== ANNOUNCEMENTS & ACTION ALERTS: 2006 General Membership Survey The County Council is conducting a survey of San Francisco Green Party members to get your opinion on several issues to help us plan and set goals for the party in 2006. Results will be discussed at a future General Meeting. You can get a copy of the survey online at the following link, and respond to us by email: http://www.sfgreenparty.org/events/events-itemfromhome.gem?idx=1464 --------- Public Financing for the Mayor's Race: We Need Your Help! On Tuesday October 25, Green Party Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, representing a broad-based coalition, introduced legislation that could forever change the way politics is done in San Francisco: With public financing, the public helps fund the campaigns of candidates who can demonstrate a wide base of community support by collecting a large number of small donations. In exchange candidates agree to a strict spending cap, and to limit their private fundraising. The idea is to make politicians accountable only to the public, rather than private campaign donors, and to ensure that all serious candidates, regardless of access to money, have enough resources to get their message out to the voters. To make this legislation happen, please do two things: 1. Write or call the Supervisors to encourage their support (they need hear this from as many people as possible); and 2. Ask your friends to do the same. Sample letters and contact information for the Supervisors can be found at http://www.voterownedelections.org/contact_supervisors.html To learn more about the campaign visit www.voterownedelections.org or call 415-596-5808. --------- Earn A Living Making San Francisco A More Green and Progressive City! Two years ago, former organizers for the Matt Gonzalez for Mayor campaign decided it was time to stop getting 'close but not close enough' to progressive victories like public power and Matt as Mayor, and to begin a city wide, year round, grassroots campaign that would start helping us win such victories! So in January 2004, the organization Our City was born. Since then we have helped to: - Pass the ban on old polluting diesel buses - Pass Matt Gonzalez's anti chain store law - Get the downtown hotel workers back on the job, and - Get the Police and Planning Commissions put back on SF Government TV after the City tried to pull them off. Now we are campaigning to get rid of PG&E's monopoly on our electricity service, and start running the City on renewable energy like solar and wind power instead! We have just begun hiring and training new grassroots campaigners to help us win this fight. No experience necessary. Earn $280 to $400 each four day work week learning to be a strong progressive organizer. To apply, call Eric at 415-756-8844 from noon to 2pm any weekday, or send an email to jobs@our-city.org For more information, see our web site at http://our-city.org --------- Become a Green Party Sustainer! As you may know, the SFGP is supported by our wonderful sustaining donors -- 175 and growing. In the next 12 months we hope to double that figure, and you can help us achieve our goal by signing up to make a regular contribution to the Green Party. Our sustainer program nearly pays all of our basic monthly operating expenses, including rent and utilities on the office, and drastically reduces the amount of work needed to raise money. Our sustainers free us up to do what we're really here for - to pursue Green values through the democratic system. Sustainers also ensure that we are able to keep our office, which has hosted numerous campaigns' headquarters including the successful Prop A, Instant Runoff Voting initiative. Becoming a Green Party sustainer is easy, fun, and secure! For more information, see http://www.sfgreenparty.org/makeadonation/makeadonation.html ************************************************************ For more info on our activities, please see our website, http://www.sfgreenparty.org. You can also email us questions at info@sfgreens.org. To send us news items (short blurb please, plain text only) for possible inclusion in the newsletter, email news@sfgreens.org. Please don't put these addresses on mailing lists; messages not specifically addressed to us won't go through.