[SFGP] San Francisco Green Party Weekly

[ErikaSF at aol.com]

Hello Fellow Greens,

Happy New Year!  There is a lot going on in January, including swearing in 
ceremonies for school board and board of supervisors.  Please join us!

In this update: 
1. News
2. Events

NEWS:
Ross Mirkarimi got mention in The Nation magazine.
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml%3Fi=20050110&s=editors

"Election day brought down-ticket signals that a more populist politics may 
be in the offing. In Vermont, the state's Progressive Party won six legislative 
seats. San Francisco elected an activist Green, Ross Mirkarimi, to its board 
of supervisors and affirmed the commitment of the city thatchallenged the Bush 
Administration's anti-gay marriage crusade to maintain its radical opposition 
to the politics of fear. Across the country, seventeen graduates of Camp 
Wellstone, inspired by Paul and Sheila Wellstone's ideals, won races for the state 
legislature, school board and city council, while Cincinnati voters 
overturned a charter amendment that prohibited city officials from passing any laws 
aimed at protecting gays and lesbians."

The SF Weekly published a satirical cover story on what life would be like 
with Mayor Matt Gonzalez.
http://www.sfweekly.com/issues/2004-12-29/news/feature.html

Richard Knee wrote an article on how the mainstream news media provided only 
sparse coverage of "minor" parties and their candidates. Knee is a San 
Francisco-based freelance journalist and a registered Green. Grade the News is a 
media research project focusing on the quality of the news media in the San 
Francisco Bay Area. Grade the News is affiliated with and based at Stanford 
University's Graduate Program in Journalism.
http://www.stanford.edu/group/gradethenews/commentaries/minorcands.htm

Green Party member John Rizzo has been elected as chair of the San Francisco 
Bay Chapter of the Sierra Club. The Bay Chapter contains over 40,000 members 
in four counties, and is the second largest Sierra Club chapter in California.  
Rizzo helps create and promote environmental policy and has worked on a 
number of issues, including air pollution, renewable energy, land use, and water 
use. He has been active in political campaigns, including Ross Mirkarimi's 
successful run for San Francisco Supervisor and Matt Gonzalez's bid for mayor.

Newsroom on Access SF, a cable program that has featured Greens and 
progressive issues, now has a web site.  You can see an overview of the show, rundowns 
and much more. http://www.accessnewsroom.com/

EVENTS:
Monday, January 3 
Green Party activists Sue Vaughan and Pat Villano will be featured at an art 
opening at the Bazaar Cafe, located at 5927 California, between 21st and 22nd 
Avenues.  Time is 7 - 9 PM.  The art work will be on display until January 30.

Tuesday, January 4
This date marks the last meeting of the Board of Supervisors with Board 
President Matt Gonzalez, and many Greens and supporters are coming to show their 
thanks for his hard work as an elected official in San Francisco.  Come to the 
Board meeting at City Hall, which begins at 2 PM.  Many of us plan to speak 
during public comment, but it is unclear what time public comment will begin.  
Wear any Matt for Mayor t-shirts, buttons etc. you have - we hope to take some 
fun group photos.  A party has been tentatively scheduled for after the board 
meeting, but at this point it is unclear how long the meeting will last.  You 
can call the office number 415-554-7630 and/or monitor the meeting online or on 
cable.

Tuesday, January 4
Housing and Land Use Working Group meeting will be held from 7 - 9 PM at the 
Green Party office.

Thursday, January 6
Come to a meeting regarding the establishment of an Office of Community 
Policing in the Bay View community. Meeting will be held at noon at the Mohammad 
Mosque #26 office (the building directly across from the Mosque). 

Thursday, January 6
The Feminist Issues Group (FIG) of the San Francisco Green Party will be 
meeting from 7 - 9 PM. We will be discussing female candidates experiences running 
for office, recruiting women for future races and other issues facing women 
in the Green Party. The meeting will be held at the Green Party office.

Friday, January 7
Please join us at the swearing in ceremony for Eric Mar, Mark Sanchez, Jill 
Wynns and Norman Yee on at 6 PM at the Tenderloin Community School, located at 
627 Turk near Van Ness. Matt Gonzalez will be swearing in Mark Sanchez as one 
of his last official acts as a Supervisor. Sarah Lipson will also be there. 
Mark Sanchez and Eric Mar are hosting an 'after party' at the Temple Bar, to 
begin after the ceremony. Temple Bar is located at 600 Polk Street. Please also 
attend the first school board meeting on Tuesday, January 11 at 7 PM at the 
School District's board room at 555 Franklin. The first vote will be on the 
president of the Board of Education. Currently, the two announced candidates are 
Eric Mar and Jill Wynns.

Saturday, January 8
Join us for the swearing in ceremony for the Board of Supervisors! The 
inauguration will be held at City Hall in the Legislative Chambers at Noon, with 
overflow viewing in the North and South light courts.  Newly-elected Green Party 
member Ross Mirkarimi is planning a morning gathering before the ceremony.  
Visit http://www.rossforsupervisor.org for more information about morning 
activities.  Ross will be representing District 5, and he follows Matt Gonzalez for 
this seat. A party at Ross's new office will immediately follow the swearing 
in ceremony.

Wednesday, January 12
San Francisco Green Party County Council meeting will be held at 7:30 PM at 
the Green Party office.  We will set the agenda for the General Meeting 
strategy discussion and review the draft 2005 SFGP budget.

Friday, January 14 - 29
Come and see a one-man show featuring Tommi Avicolli Mecca, "Italian. Queer. 
Dangerous" at the Jon Sims Center, located at 1519 Mission/between Van Ness 
and 11th. The show, directed by Francesca Prada, will be performed Fridays and 
Saturdays only. Shows begin at 8 PM, and cost is $5 -10 sliding scale, with no 
one turned away for lack of funds. Seating is limited; please call ASAP to 
reserve your space. Call 415-554-0402 and leave a message with your name, the 
night you plan to come, how many seats you need, and a contact phone number where 
you can be reached. If you are interested in volunteering to help with the 
show, call 415-552-6031.
Through monologue and spoken word, well-known San Francisco queer activist 
and writer Tommi Avicolli Mecca tells his story of growing up in South Philly's 
working-class Little Italy. At age 19, fired up with new pride in being gay, 
he came out to the world--and his traditional Roman Catholic southern Italian 
famiglia--on a TV talk show. The rest is history, and the subject of this 
performance.

Wednesday, January 19
San Francisco Green Party General Meeting
This is the first General membership meeting for 2005. We will be discussing 
strategies, goals and vision for 2005 and beyond.  Meeting will be held at the 
Green Party office, and will begin at 7:30 PM.

Thursday, January 20
Don't Spend a Dime Day!
It doesn't really matter that everyone will be out spending what they didn't 
the next day - a point or two will have been made: Since our religious leaders 
will not speak out against the war in Iraq, since our political leaders don't 
have the moral courage to oppose it. On "Not One Damn Dime Day" those who 
oppose what is happening in our name in Iraq can speak up with a 24-hour national 
boycott of all forms of consumer spending. During "Not One Damn Dime Day," 
please don't spend money.  There's no rally to attend. No marching to do. No 
left or right wing agenda to rant about. On "Not One Damn Dime Day" you take 
action by doing nothing. You open your mouth by keeping your wallet closed.

Saturday, January 22
Join Green Party candidates, activists and elected Green officials, including 
Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, School Board member Mark Sanchez, former 
Supervisor Matt Gonzalez and others as we celebrate the newly elected and re-elected 
Greens and our slate of 2004 candidates. Event includes a panel discussion on 
where the Greens are going in 2005 and beyond.  There will be a presentation by 
Green Presidential candidate David Cobb, and a report on the first major city 
election using Instant Runoff Voting from Steven Hill. Light refreshments will 
be served. Cost is $5 and up, sliding scale. No one will be turned away for 
lack of funds.  This event is being held at the Canvass Gallery, located at 9th 
Avenue and Lincoln in the Inner Sunset.

Warm Regards,
Erika McDonald
To have an item included in this newsletter, send email to erikasf at aol.com. 
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