May 12, 6:30p - Prop 16: Is it Our Power or PG&E’s? David vs. Goliath!
Dave Room
EAST BAY DFA
Come to the May Meetup and get energized. The RSVP information is listed below. Our Meetup this month is being co-sponsored by East Bay Young Democrats (EBYD)
Is
it Our Power or PG&E’s - David vs. Goliath!
Earlier
this year, PG&E threatened not to supply electricity to the fledgling Marin
Energy Authority. The 2002 state law that allowed communities to create public
power agencies specifically required California’s existing utilities to
cooperate with the new public power agencies. Prop16 is PG&E’s attempt to change the state
constitution and keep their monopoly on distributing power. It’s time to fight PG&E and work
for the defeat of Prop16 in the upcoming June primary election. Learn how your power matters at our May
Meetup.
Bring your Passion
Bring a Friend
Build our Power
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Information: |
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PLEASE RSVP - http://dfa.meetup.com/78/
Come to our May 12th Meetup.
*Prop. 16 a June ballot initiative funded by PG&E’s (millions of their own capital) will prohibit municipalities from participating in generating local electricity under the guise of another voter choice (2/3 majority vote) barricade. Dave Room, Coordinator of Local Clean Energy Alliance and Bay Localize will be at the Meetup. Dave is active on the clean energy scene, creating opportunities for all East Bay communities to thrive in what could promise to be the new green economy. Prop 16 could have direct impacts on California’s leading climate policy AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act. (www.baylocalize.org and www.localcleanenergy.org)
*Organizing for America’s Northern California’s field director, Jeff Harry, will be here and we can ask him about where grassroots activists like us fit into OFA’s plans for this year. How will OFA be a bottom up organization?
“At every turn when there has been an imbalance of power, the truth questioned, or our beliefs and values distorted, the change required to restore our nation has always come from the bottom up from our people.” - Howard Dean
PG&E has the power and wants to keep the monopoly on distributing electricity in much of Northern California.
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PG&E plans to spend up to $35 million on this protection scheme, named the "New Two-Thirds Requirement for Local Public Electricity Providers.”
Prop 16 would amend the Constitution, requiring an almost unobtainable 2/3 super-majority voter approval before issuing public financing for a Community Choice energy program. That $35 million comes right out of ratepayers wallets via “shareholder equity”.
Community Choice? What is it? Well it must be something because PG&E wants to eliminate it from the public’s toolbox in creating renewable, locally driven energy.
The June time frame looked ideal and in the context of everything that is happening with government today -- the dysfunctionality of it -- we concluded that June was a very ideal time …
John Geesman, former member of the California Energy Commission
Dave Room will give you a snapshot of CCA and why PG&E is going to the ballot.
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Organizing for America wants the grassroots to be foot soldiers fighting to pass Pres. Obama’s agenda. What do you want?
In 2008 Obama for America members walked precincts and made phone calls around the country. After the election, it changed its name to Organizing for America and was quickly brought into the DNC fold.
David Plouffe and DNC Chair, Tim Kaine studied how the Obama campaign machine functioned and read briefings on how it could be transformed into Obama's governing machine. Obama. They made it clear that the mandate of Organizing for America was to push forward his agenda for change, not for reelection. "Most of what this entity will be doing is building grassroots support for issues and politics," says Plouffe
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In the new DNC - OFA —there is no room for part time activists in positions of responsibility. Is this bottom up organizing?
OFA opened a Northern California Regional Office in downtown Oakland. The put it here because we lead the grassroots movement! Jeff Harry, OFA’s N. California district director, started with Obama for America as a walk in volunteer and worked his way up to being the CD 9 neighborhood team coordinator. He recently quit his day job for about 1/3 his previous salary. He clearly believes that OFA can make a difference.
So does the right wing. Here’s what they have to say:
Obama is using our public school system to recruit for his Alinksy-inspired private army. OFA is (and I quote) recruiting schools to “build on the movement that elected Pres. Obama by empowering student across the country to help us bring about our agenda” … of national socialism. This is incredible and evil. Obama is poisoning our public school system. Pam Geller, Atlas Shrugged
Lets welcome Jeff and voice our concerns about including the grassroots. |
OFA Listening tour – Teamsters local
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For more info about OFA’s and their Northern California regional office in downtown Oakland go to:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gp8yxg
May
Meetup: RSVP!
May 12 – 2nd Wednesday
Rockridge Public Library
5366 College Ave.
6:30 pm Socializing & Pizza
7:00 pm Meetup begins
Please RSVP for accurate seating-
http://dfa.meetup.com/78/
Our Power unfolds in many ways – East Bay DFA encourages you to be part of the solution. Now is the time to take action and vote on June 8th!
Here is snapshot of what Janet Stromberg thinks we should be doing for the passage of Prop. 15, the California Fair Elections act.
Dear NorCal DFA friends,
Proposition 8 will open the door to Clean Money elections in California, AND it will repeal the prohibition on public financing that the voters were fooled into passing in 1988.
If we don't pass it now, will we have to wait another 10 years to try again?
Here’s some background on what Prop. 15 will do:
*This is a pilot program that will provide campaign funds to the office of Secretary of State for anyone who qualifies as a candidate and agrees to take no private contributions. Please note that it isn't easy to qualify- it's 7500 signatures and $5 donations to ensure the candidate has broad, grass root support.
*It essentially produces elected officials who are responsive to the public, not their wealthy donors. If the candidate is up against someone who chooses to accept private donations, then they will get matching funds. It’s a well-designed system based on successful working models like Arizona and Maine.
*If we pass it, it can be expanded to other state-wide offices and it repeals the ban on public financing of elections in CA. More people are connecting the dots between campaign donations and our legislation thanks to the example the health care industry just set in showing how much power they had over Congress.
65% of likely voters who read it say they would vote for it. And it will not raise taxes. It is paid for by an increase in lobbyist registration fees- which are rock bottom low now at $12.50 annually and will be raised to $350.
Sen. Barbara Boxer is in a tough election fight. Support her by attending a reception in her honor May 8.
The reception is being organized by Bay Area Democrats. They have created a tiered donation structure so that people with less cash to spend can attend this event.
Momo’s in San Francisco
760 2nd St.
2-4pm Saturday, May 8
Individual: $75 donation
RSVP here:
www.actblue.com/page/badforbarbara
Supporters of Prop 15:
We are gearing up for the last 6 weeks- and the next week is crucial as the absentee ballots are in. If Prop 15 passes, it has a huge potential to bring in badly needed revenue for the state. It's a once in a generation chance to get public financing in the state of CA and we have been working for years for this chance.
We are staffing tables at farmers markets, BART stations, and anywhere people gather. We are mainly focusing on getting the word out to progressives. We also are holding a banner up over the pedestrian overpass over I-80. We are also phonebanking: calling people who have supported us in the past who do not know this is on the ballot.
Another thing that we all need to do is to write an e-mail telling all of your contacts in CA why you are campaigning for Prop 15 and let all of their contacts know about it. I can send you a copy of the letter I have sent out.
So please contact us:
Bill Waltzer is the point person for activities, fliers, buttons, etc. in Alameda
2907 Lorina St. Berkeley, CA
290-8998
Darcy Crosman is on point for West Contra Costa County and liaison with WDRC. dcro...@sbcglobal.net
2671 May Road El Sobrante- 510-847-4006
East Bay DFA believes you, as leaders of change, need to use information wisely and effectively to keep democracy thriving.
You’ve
got the power!
United we Meetup: Tara, Frances, Vincent, Yvonne, Janet F, Mark, Norman and
Carolyn - Your DFA Meetup Team
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Dave Room (aka Melia's Papa)
Coordinator, Local Clean Energy Alliance
dave...@gmail.com
NO ON PROP 16!
Fan Melia's Papa:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Melias-Papa/135389803547?ref=ts
Follow Melia's Papa:
http://twitter.com/meliaspapa
Sign up for Bay Localize News and Alerts today!
http://www.baylocalize.org/news/updates
www.baylocalize.org
www.localcleanenergy.org
www.themonkeytrap.com
www.twitter.com/meliaspapa
www.thegreenpill.com
http://greenoptions.com/author/dahveed
www.daveroom.net
www.energypreparedness.net
www.mkinghubbert.com
(510) 285-7075
It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it ~ Upton Sinclair
The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now. ~ African Proverb
Our greatest responsibility is to be good ancestors ~ Jonas Salk, MD
And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.
~ Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche
No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it
~ Albert Einstein
Submit to a daily practice
Your loyalty to that is a ring on the door
Keep knocking, and the joy inside will eventually open a window and look out to see who’s there.
~ Rumi - 13th century Persian Mystic and Philosopher
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