Hello Fellow Greens, Don’t miss our upcoming Green Party-sponsored events, such as our Progressive Inauguration on Saturday, and a free film screening and panel discussion on January 26, co-hosted by the Transportation Working Group and the Energy Working Group. In this update: 1. Major Push This Week to Get Resources for this Year’s Priorities 2. News 3. Events 4. GPCA Media Committee Opportunities MAJOR PUSH THIS WEEK TO GET RESOURCES FOR THIS YEAR'S PRIORITIES: The Green Party's electoral victories this November prove that voters back the progressive, third-party values our party stands for. Our next step is to build a well-financed organizing machine that will help our elected representatives win our chosen campaigns. So this week (Jan 24, 25, & 27), Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, we're gathering in the SFGP headquarters for pizza, drinks, and phone banking to call registered voters and former donors to raise $10,000 for grassroots Green Party organizing! Please join us! RSVP to dave@livablecity.org, so that he knows how much snack food to get. NEWS: Recently re-elected school board member and Green Party member Mark Sanchez wrote an editorial that was published in the San Francisco Chronicle last week. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/01/12... DGSGAOK581.DTL Freshman Supervisor and Green Party member Ross Mirkarimi is hosting a forum in February to explore the establishment of a Community Congress. Read more at http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/news.htm. Thanks goes out to Ross Mirkarimi and Mark Sanchez, who both joined us to discuss local issues earlier this week at our General Meeting. The coalition opposing the widening of MLK Drive is very active, and is having a rally on Sunday. See more about this in events section below. The coalition also held a press conference last Tuesday. Read about more about this issue at: _http://www.sunsetbeacon.com/archives/richmondreview/2005editions/Jan05/garag... entrance2.html_ (http://www.sunsetbeacon.com/archives/richmondreview/2005editions/Jan05/garag...) http://www.sfprogressive.com/ http://www.beyondchron.org/ http://www.examiner.com/article/index.cfm/i/011905n_parkroad Steve Hill co-wrote an editorial for the Sacramento Bee: “Consider Alternative Systems of Voting”. _http://www.sacbee.com/content/opinion/v-print/story/11984429p-12859776c.html... (http://www.sacbee.com/content/opinion/v-print/story/11984429p-12859776c.html) Former Green Party congressional candidate Pat Driscoll confirmed that he will run for the now vacant 5th Congressional District seat formerly held by longtime Representative Robert Matsui. The special election will be held in March, when Driscoll will face front-runner Doris Matsui. Driscoll, 52, a Vietnam-era veteran and Sacramento software designer, said he feels an obligation to remind voters and candidates that the war in Iraq must end now. California Senator Barbara Boxer just scored more points with progressives by grilling Condoleezza Rice about Bush Administration policies. Boxer pointed out just a few of the blatant contradictions in Rice's statements over the years about Iraq and more. _http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-01-18-rice-hearing_x.htm_ (http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-01-18-rice-hearing_x.htm) Medea Benjamin and a few other Code Pink activists were dragged out of the Inauguration Ceremony in Washington D.C. _http://www.commondreams.org/news2005/0120-06.htm_ (http://www.commondreams.org/news2005/0120-06.htm) EVENTS: Friday, January 21 Come to a counter-inaugural night of political comedy upstairs at The Marsh Theater in San Francisco. Doug Ferrari, Joe Klocek, Randy Hauser and Reannie Roads will be performing stand up comedy, and there will be a round table with audience participation and special guests. The Marsh Theater is located on Valencia Street at 22nd Street. Tickets are $10. Doors open at 7:30 PM, show at 8. Saturday, January 22 Defend Women's Health and Rights! January 22nd is the 32nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that established the constitutional right to reproductive freedom. On the same day, anti-choice organizers will be marching in San Francisco against women's health and rights. A coalition of pro-choice organizations is planning a counter-demonstration. 10 AM - Rally at Powell and Market Streets, San Francisco 11 AM - March to the Embarcadero http://www.indybay.org/womyn/ To see learn more about what the anti-choice organizers are planning, visit http://www.walkforlifewc.com. Saturday, January 22 Join us for a San Francisco Green Party sponsored “Progressive Inauguration” , featuring a panel discussion "Invigorating the Progressive Movement in 2005 and Beyond". Speakers include Supervisors Ross Mirkarimi, Chris Daly, Jake McGoldrick, School Board members Eric Mar and Mark Sanchez, as well as Green Party local candidates Lisa Feldstein, Terry Baum, and Renee Saucedo. Light refreshments will be served. Cost is $5-25, sliding scale. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. This event is being held at the Canvas Gallery, located at 1200 9th Avenue at Lincoln in the Inner Sunset. Time of the event is 6 - 9 PM. Sunday, January 23 The coalition opposing the widening of MLK Drive is having a rally and demonstration at 9th and Lincoln, starting at 11 AM. The goal of the rally is to inform the public and get folks to call their supervisors and express opposition to the plans to widen MLK Drive to four-lanes. Monday, January 24, 25, and 27 Don’t forget phone banking for sustainers at the SFGP office. See announcement at the top of this newsletter for details. Tuesday, January 25 Please attend the Environmental Commission hearing at 5 PM in Room 416 of City Hall for a discussion of a resolution recommending the regulation of plastic bags in San Francisco. If you cannot make the hearing, please contact the commissioners at: The Environmental Commission The Department of the Environment 11 Grove Street San Francisco, Ca. 94102 OR: environment@sfgov.org The commissioners are: Nia Crowder, Paul Pelosi, Jr., Christina Desser, Angelo King, Alan Mok, Arlene Rodriguez, and Johanna Wald. **Note: The SFGP has not taken any formal position on this, but we have been discussing approving the regulation of plastic bags via e-mail. 2) Please contact the members of the Board of Supervisors and briefly tell them you oppose the widening of MLK Drive in Golden Gate Park. Such a position would agree with the transportation plank of the SFGP. For contact information for the supervisors, visit http://www.ci.sf.ca.us/site/bdsupvrs_index.asp Wednesday, January 26 Join us for a free screening of the DVD "The End of Suburbia," followed by a panel discussion with Peter Camejo; Amber Crabbe of Transportation and Land-Use Coalition; Richard Heinberg, professor of ecology at New College Santa Rosa and the author of "The Party's Over," and "Powerdown"; Ross Mirkarimi, District Five Supervisor and long-time advocate for public power; and Kate White, San Francisco Housing Action Coalition and co-founder of City CarShare; moderated by Dave Room of the Post-Carbon Institute. Doors open at 6:30 PM, event starts at 7 and will be over by 10 PM. Location is the Off-Market Theater at 965 Mission Street, between 5th and 6th streets. Donations for the SFGP gladly accepted. This event is being sponsored by the Transportation Working Group and the Energy Working Group. Friday, January 28 There is a critical hearing on the case of Sheila DeToy, a 17-year-old girl who was shot to death in 1998 by Gregory Breslin, a San Francisco Police Officer. If the cops get their way, the Superior Court will dismiss the cast against Breslin. The hearing is scheduled for 9:30 AM in Superior Court at the Civic Center Courthouse, located at 400 McAllister Street, Dept. 301. CASE # CPF04-504029 For more information call Bay Area Police Watch at 510-428-3939. Friday, January 28 Pacific Environment & KPFA Free Speech Radio present, An Evening with David Suzuki "The Economy or the Environment: A False Dichotomy". This event, supported by Cody's Books, Ecology Center, Earth Island Institute & Global Exchange, will be held in the theater at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, located at 701 Mission Street near 3rd Street in San Francisco. Show starts at 8 PM, and admission is $15 regular, $12 students/senior. David Suzuki is a world leader in sustainable ecology. He is renowned for his radio and television programs that explain the complexities of natural sciences in a compelling, easily understood way. Dr. Suzuki will explore how to thrive on this planet without destroying the natural world on which we rely. http://www.davidsuzuki.org http://www.kpfa.org http://www.pacificenvironment.org GPCA MEDIA COMMITTEE OPPORTUNITIES: - Be a voting member of the newly established GPCA Media Committee. - Be a liaison between your local and the state Media Committee. Media Committee Election The Green Party of California Media Committee invites members of the GPCA to become active voting members of the Media Committee. There are currently 5 open slots for voting members. To be considered, candidates must e-mail their name, county, and 2 - 4 paragraphs expressing their interest and detailing any media experience they may have. Email submissions to eriaksf@aol.com with "GPCA Media Committee Member" in the subject line, by 12 noon, Tuesday, February 1, 2005. Voting members will be elected by conference call on Thursday, February 10, 2005. Candidates with a history of participation in the GPCA Media Committee will be given priority, but prior participation is not required. Folks who have participated in at least 2 Media Committee conference calls and/or Media Committee plenary meetings are eligible to vote. Eligible voting members will be notified by phone or email by Media Co-Coordinator Erika McDonald. A voting member must be present on the conference call to vote (no proxy voting). Results of the election will be announced to the GPCA Coordinating Committee and affirmed according to GPCA by-laws. Media Liason Opportunity All GPCA members are invited to become active in the Media Committee as local media liaisons. Individuals who are active in their local, county, and/or regional Green Party are welcome to participate. The media liaisons will be permitted on the Media Committee conference calls and list serve, and shall maintain contact with the Media Committee Co-Coordinators and Press Secretary regarding the development of news releases pertaining to local Green Party activities. The open invitation to local media liaisons is ongoing. Direct comments, submissions, questions and/or clarifications to the Media Co-coordinators: Erika McDonald erikasf@aol.com 415-337-1499 Tom Bolema highdesertgreens@verizon.net 661-943-0676 Warm Regards, Erika McDonald To have an item included in this newsletter, send email to erikasf@aol.com. No attachments please.