[SFGP] San Francisco Green Party Weekly

[ErikaSF at aol.com]

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 at 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/E
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/garage
entrance2.html_ 
(http://www.sunsetbeacon.com/archives/richmondreview/2005editions/Jan05/garageentrance2.html) 
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 at 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 at 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 at aol.com 415-337-1499 
Tom Bolema highdesertgreens at verizon.net  661-943-0676 


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