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Phone Cards to Veterans for the Holidays 
Over the course of the year tabling down at the Ferry Plaza and other locations around the city, passers-by would often donate a dollar or two for the bumper stickers and buttons that they picked up from our table. Early in the year the SF for Democracy Steering Committee decided we would put those contributions towards a charitable purpose, and later decided to use the funds to buy phone cards for veterans stuck at VA hospitals so they could call home to their families over the holidays. On December 21, Outreach Director Jeff Whittington (at left) and Coordinator David Quan (at right) delivered more than $400 worth of long-distance phone cards to the Voluntary Services unit at the San Francisco Veterans Administration hospital. Staff at the hospital let us know that... "...With the holidays upon us, these phone cards will enable our veterans to contact family members and loved ones at this difficult time. Your kindness and that of your supporters will contribute significantly to the recovery process and bring added joy to our veterans." (SF for Democracy Communications Director Will Easton borrowed this same idea in his day job at Working Assets, and raised more than $92,000 -- more than 3.1 million minutes worth of phone cards -- that were distributed to 148 VA hospitals around the country.) Clean Money: It's Not Over By Joni Eisen, Clean Money Liaison, SF for Democracy San Franciscans wisely voted on November 7 to pass Proposition 89 and thus clean up the corruption in our state government - but we were the only county to do so. One reason the initiative failed was that people didn't understand it, and confusion led them to vote no. But the Clean Money campaign is continuing on many fronts... (read more) Volunteer of the Month: Beth Moseley  (That's Beth at left in orange) Beth Moseley is an outspoken and active member of San Francisco for Democracy. She has been working with us since the Dean campaign, registering voters, tabling and doing community service through the Dean Corps. Outgoing and determined, Beth can always be counted on to show up and work hard. In fact, she's even been known to pitch in and help with outreach activities she hadn't known about. After work recently, she ran into fellow activists doing tabling at the BART station. Rather than continuing her commute home, she immediately pitched in to help her colleagues and even promised to return to that location the following week. Beth's spirit and enthusiasm make her a great model for all of us. Prop 85: No Means No Prop 85 is a dangerous and misleading initiative that threatens the health and safety of California's most vulnerable teens and a woman's right to choose. Parents rightfully want to be involved in their teens' lives. In the real world, over 70% of minors already involve a parent in a decision about a pregnancy -- without a law like Prop 85. Those teens that can't tell their parents often come from dangerous homes with abuse, incest, rape or violence. Prop. 85 would force these vulnerable teens to notify an abusive or violent parent that they are pregnant, and this puts them in real danger. Click above to watch the NO on 85 TV ad they don't want you to see. Visit the campaign web site and help them buy more airtime. And please vote NO on Prop. 85. Dean Corps at the S.F. Food Bank Oct. 14th On Saturday, October 14th, 10 Dean Corps members worked with another volunteer group at the San Francisco Food Bank to glean and package five tons (yes, 10,000 pounds) of pears donated in bulk by an orchard. The pears are being distributed to the food pantries, soup kitchens, and other compassionate organizations that feed the hungry in San Francisco. Next month, Dean Corps will be back on Bayview Hill, Saturday, November 11th, from 9am to noon, doing habitat restoration. If you're interested in spending a morning helping native plants and animals for the benefit of all, please contact Alane at alane4democracy@hotmail.com or Terese at tereselawler@yahoo.com. Support Proposition 89 S.F. for Democracy Coordinator/Clean Money Liaison Joni Eisen had this great letter published in the Friday San Francisco Chronicle. Great letter, Joni!!!! Editor -- Talk about throwing the baby out with the bath water. You seize on just one of aspect of Prop. 89 -- the $10,000 limit on corporate treasury contributions to ballot measures -- as an excuse to jettison the whole thing. You don't mention that Prop. 89's contribution limits are equal across the board for corporations, individuals and unions, except in that one case. You bemoan the unfairness to corporations, poor things, whose tax loopholes alone cost Californians $3.3 billion a year; whose immense wealth allows them routinely to outspend unions at least 3:1 (the special election notwithstanding -- but such union spending cannot be maintained). You ignore the fact that corporations can still form PACs, as unions and others do, to solicit unlimited donations from individual shareholders, officers, etc. These contributions are voluntary, unlike the spending of shareholder/customer money from corporate treasuries. SF for Democracy Interview On SFist.com Howard Dean was Right About War in Iraq S.F. for Democracy Vice President Susan Pfeifer had this great letter published in the Sunday San Francisco Chronicle. Way to go Susan!!!! Editor -- The Sept. 24 article, "War in Iraq fuels Islamic radicalism, report says," states something so obvious it would be humorous if it weren't so tragic. Dean Corps at the S.F. Food Bank in September
Dean Corps will be working at the Food Bank again on October 14th, and invites you to bring family and friends for a good cause. This time of the year brings lots of food to the Food Bank but relatively few volunteers. Even one person working one shift can make the difference between food going to the hungry or to the compost pile. To volunteer, contact Alane at alane4democracy@hotmail.com or Terese at tereselawler@yahoo.com or call the Food Bank's volunteer coordinator Sam Marcum at 415-282-1907, ext. 244. SF Food Bank Call for Fall Volunteers - Urgent The SF Food Bank has an urgent need for volunteers during the weeks of September 18-23, and October 2-7 and 9-14. This time of the year brings lots of food to the Food Bank but relatively few volunteers. Please consider volunteering to help sort and package large amounts of donated produce and other bulk foods. Even one person working one shift can make the difference between food going to the hungry or to the compost pile. Please ask your family members and friends, too. To volunteer, call the Food Bank's volunteer coordinator Sam Marcum at 415-282-1907, ext. 244. Volunteer of the Month: Nancy Rosenthal
 As a founding member of San Francisco for Democracy, Nancy Rosenthal has been an integral part of our organization since day one. Known and respected for her wealth of knowledge about local politics, Nancy often helped guide the deliberations of the Steering Committee for the two years she served as the official Secretary. During the same period, Nancy has also participated in Dean Corps community service activities and continues to be a dedicated Dean Corps volunteer. She never misses a chance to help out at the San Francisco Food Bank, sorting and packing bulk food donations for distribution to the groups that feed out city's hungry. She also applies her boundless energy to restoring habitat on Bayview Hill and propagating native plants in the Golden Gate Park Nursery with the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department's Natural Areas Program. Nancy is a powerhouse, and we are fortunate and thankful to have her on our team. Dean Corps in Action!
Last week was a busy one for San Francisco for Democracy's Dean Corps. On Thursday, several of our community service volunteers participated in the twelfth Project Homeless Connect at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. PHC is a collaboration between the city, business, and citizens to give San Franciscans in need access to services and supplies all under one roof. Our efforts included street outreach in Golden Gate Park at Stanyan and Haight as well as assisting clients in finding what they needed on site. Many thanks to Terese, Jeff, Heather, David, and Alane for participating. On Saturday, Dean Corps turned out in force at the San Francisco Food Bank to prep 8,000 pounds of canned goods and pack 300 supplementary food boxes for senior citizens. Thomas, Terese, Susan, Stephanie, Nancy, Marie, JoAnn, Deborah, David S., David Q., Constance (and her niece, Jennifer), Beth, and Alane all got a good upper body workout while doing good. Dean Corps has two actions in September:
For more information, contact Alane at alane4democracy@hotmail.com or Terese at tereselawler@yahoo.com. August Meetup Recap: Ending the Occupation  On August 2, 2006 SF for Democracy hosted a well attended forum on the Iraq War (Conflict?). Participants in our forum were Prof. John Arquilla of the Naval Postgraduate School, a counterterror expert and San Francisco Chronicle columnist; Dan Bernal, District Director for Rep. Nancy Pelosi; and Zaid Albanna, Board of Directors, Education for Peace in Iraq Center. (View the video here.) The panelists discussed three primary questions:
Each of the participants brought a different perspective of what was occurring in Iraq and what we should do about it. Civil war/no civil war? Pull out/stay there and try to make it better? At the end of the day no one solution emerged on how to extricate the U.S. from the quagmire of Iraq and return the country to its citizens. One of the interesting proposals was one made by John Arquilla. He proposed a world wide peace conference be held, with all interested parties included, to find a solution to the war. The $64,000 question is, does the present regime in Washington really want a solution? (View the video here.) July Meetup Recap: Immigration Thanks to the inspiration and hard work of Outreach Director Jeff Whittington, we have begun filming portions of our monthly Meetups (aka DFA Link Ups). On July 5, our monthly Meetup focused on the all-American topic of immigration. Our panel discussion featured four immigration experts: Joren Lyons, Staff Attorney, Asian Law Caucus (moderator); Mark Goodwin, Director, California Coalition for Fair Trade and Human Rights; Chris Punongbayan, Advocacy Director, Filipinos for Affirmative Action/Bay Area Immigrant Rights Coalition; and Evelyn Sanchez, organizer, Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride Coalition. They led an in-depth discussion of the issues in the current immigration debate, touching on the actual current situation of immigrants in the U.S., what's fueling anti-immigrant sentiment, what the legislation in Congress would do, what a fair immigration policy would actually look like, and larger issues like globalization and economic development. Almost everyone in attendance participated in the discussion, and many agreed that it was one of the best events we've ever had. Click here to watch video of the discussion (80 min, streaming, QuickTime/RealVideo). We're proud to be able to offer such quality programs on a monthly basis and hope to see you at future meetups!  David may be one of our newest members, but he's also become one of our most active. He has come to almost every committee meeting and was recently elected as a 'coordinator at large.' Normally coordinators are elected to serve with one particular committee, but in David's case his interests covered too much ground -- so only the 'at-large' title would fit. Contributing good organizational ideas, while also volunteering for voter registration and the Dean Corps food bank, David might be called both a thinker and doer. Thank You, David! (More cool photos of David & the rest of the gang working at the food bank are in our photo gallery...) DeanCorps at the SF Food Bank June 10 (from San Francisco for Democracy DeanCorps Coordinator Alane Bowling) On Saturday, June 10, Dean Corps was back at the San Francisco Food Bank, this time sorting and packaging 2,250 pounds of nectarines for distribution to the public and private kitchens and pantries that feed our city’s hungry. Even in affluent San Francisco, one in four children and one in five adults, including seniors, cannot afford to meet their basic nutritional needs. The SF Food Bank distributes 23 million pounds of food, enough to provide more than 50,000 meals, every day. Many thanks to the Food Bank’s volunteer services coordinator Sam Marcum, assistant volunteer supervisor James Harper, and their colleagues for their unfailing efforts to keep the food flowing to those who need it.
Dean Corps will return to the Food Bank on Saturday, August 12th, from 12:30 to 3:30 pm. Please join us! It's a great opportunity to have a good time while doing good. Bring your family and friends! For more information, check out the SF4D calendar of events. To volunteer, contact Terese at tereselawler@yahoo.com or Alane at alane4democracy@hotmail.com. Voter Registration at Bay to Breakers (from San Francisco for Democracy Outreach Director Jeff Whittington) San Francisco for Democracy was out in force for the Bay to Breakers race May 21, with not one but two voter registration tables. Our volunteers learned all manner of Biblical wisdom from the fine people with the megaphones, while meeting every variety of persons in all manner of dress and undress. In the process, we registered 49 voters in about three hours. Book Review -- Crashing the Gate (from San Francisco for Democracy member Suzanne Cowan) "...Crashing the Gate is a clear, persuasive description of how unorthodox new movements, largely powered by online organizing, can break into the entrenched bureaucracies of traditional party power. It should be required reading for all those who are determined to help propel our country in a radically different direction, and want to survey the terrain before starting out." Clean Money Activists Push the Envelope by Sitting In in Sacramento (from San Francisco for Democracy member and Clean Money campaigner Joni Eisen) Clean Money update: Activists from all over the state converged on Sacramento last Wednesday, May 17 for what we thought would be a vote on AB 583 in the Elections Committee. There was no vote, but we did stage a sit-in. The best possible description of that day appeared in a Daily Kos diary by SF4D member, alias goatchowder. Read it here. There are 20 comments, the last one by Senator Debra Bowen, urging us to ask anyone we know in Senator Gloria Romero's district - east LA area - to contact Romero to tell her they care about this issue. DeanCorps with the SF Parks Dept. Natural Areas Program On sunny Saturday, May 13th, Dean Corps members Terese Lawler, Patti Sanford, Nancy Rosenthal, Marie Gaillac, Jan Richman, Beth Moseley and her nephew, Albert, and Alane Bowling spent the morning working in the city’s plant nursery in Golden Gate Park. Under the guidance of Natural Areas Program gardeners, Dylan Hayes and Tom Annese, and volunteer coordinator Suzanna Buehl, Dean Corps replanted almost 450 native buckwheat, coffee berry, and coyote bush seedlings into individual one-gallon containers. These and many other native plants are grown in the nursery to be planted at the beginning of the rainy season in the natural areas that remain in our city parks, including Dean Corps’ adopted Bayview Hill. The native plants provide critical habitat for native animals, birds, and insects. The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department’s Natural Areas Program (NAP) is responsible for preserving, protecting, and restoring native habitat in San Francisco’s open spaces in cooperation with citizens and communities. Part of San Francisco for Democracy’s mission is to work for a healthy environment. Through community service, including volunteering with NAP and at the Food Bank, Dean Corps reaches out to improve the quality of life in our city. If you or anyone you know is interested in volunteering with Dean Corps, contact Alane Bowling at alane_bowling -at- hotmail.com or Terese Lawler at tereselawler -at- yahoo.com. It’s a good way for high school students to fulfill their community service commitments for graduation.  Rainah has been a dedicated volunteer working the intake table at Meetups and General Membership meetings for a long time. Having relocated to San Francisco from Pennsylvania a few years ago, Rainah brings with her some of that famous East Coast liberal spirit and friendliness. Just ask her sometime what she thinks of Senator Rick Santorum! In addition to being a mainstay "people person" at our regular meetings, Rainah has also been active as a young Democrat and has worked with other San Francisco for Democracy volunteers doing voter registration on the streets of San Francisco. Thank You, Rainah! (More cool photos of Rainah with influential politicos are in our photo gallery...) A Scrophularia, by any other name… On April 22, Dean Corps spent yet another gorgeous, sunny morning atop Bayview Hill, but this time we looked much cleaner when we got done. That’s because this week was the Bayview Hill Wildflower Hike – no work for us! Instead, gardener Jon Campo took us through the hills and vales of our favorite mountain identifying virtually every plant in sight – and of those there were plenty. Including a beautiful patch of the endangered San Bruno Califia Butterfly’s favorite plants, Johnny Jumpup and Silver Lupin, and an outcropping of the extremely rare Franciscan Collinsia, in full bloom!  “Here, smell this!” – Park and Rec gardener Jon Campo regales the Dean Corps with one more odoriferous leafy thing. Immigrant March Sunday, April 23 found S.F. for Democracy members Tim Hsu, Mimi LaPointe, Terese Lawler, Susan Pfeifer, and Jeff Whittington joining the big immigrant rally and march to help register voters. This particular demonstration was as at least as Asian in character as it was Hispanic, with large contingents of Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipinos, and other Pacific Islanders present. It was a whole lot of fun, with many people of different nationalities playing traditional music and dressing in colorful costumes, including a dog decked out in a cape inscribed with the motto: “Pee on Bush.” 2006-2007 officers elected for San Francisco for Democracy are:
Dean Corps on Bayview Hill (from San Francisco for Democracy Member Alane Bowling) In spite of the threat of snow on San Francisco’s peaks, Dean Corps volunteers Jeff Whittington, Dave Schmidt, Nancy Rosenthal, Beth Moseley, Terese Lawler, Marie Gaillac, Bridget Childs, and Alane Bowling showed up on March 11 to restore native habitat in undeveloped areas of Bayview Hill. The day turned out to be beautiful, and Spring is well on its way as demonstrated by the profusion of wild, native flowers. Dean Corps invites all San Francisco for Democracy members to visit Bayview Hill on Saturday, April 22, from 10 am to noon, on a wildflower hike with SF Rec & Parks’ Natural Areas Program gardener, Jon Campo. Bayview Hill offers spectacular views and is a soothing balm for the political psyche. Meet at the end of Key Avenue, two blocks east of Third Street. Use 900 Key Ave, 94124 for Mapquest directions. Next month, Dean Corps will be volunteering at the SF Food Bank -- Saturday, April 8, from 12:30 to 3:30 pm. Contact Alane at alane_bowling@hotmail.com or Terese at tereselawler@yahoo.com to RSVP so we can let the Food Bank know how many volunteers are coming. Thanks! "The Great Debate" March 28 (from San Francisco for Democracy Member Stephanie Linder) Listen to former mayor Willie Brown and others take on conservative pundits at The Great Debate, streaming on Quake Radio Tuesday March 28th between 6-8pm. The full debate will be available for download after 9 that evening, and rebroadcast on Thursday, March 30th between 7pm and 9pm. Event hosted by Gavin Newsom. Iraq War Vet (D.) Wins House Nomination in IL (from San Francisco for Democracy Member Julie Tsai) From the Associated Press via sfgate.com: "Tammy Duckworth, a former Army helicopter pilot who lost both legs in a grenade attack in Iraq, is now leading the charge for the Fighting Democrats. [Fighting Democrats is the nickname for Democratic political office candidates who have returned from recent tours of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan.] Duckworth narrowly won the Democratic nomination for Congress in a primary race Tuesday for the House seat held by Republican Rep. Henry Hyde, who is retiring after 32 years. She is the best-known of the Iraq war veterans who want to go to Capitol Hill this year." The article also goes on to say that though most of the Fighting Democrats' candidates are running in places where they will struggle to contest the seat, that they are helping the Democrats visibly compete on the issue of national security regardless of victory. Duckworth also says in the article that were it not for her experience and life-changing injuries, she probably would have returned to private life after her military service. Molly Ivins Has Had It With Democratic Leadership (from San Francisco for Democracy Member Alane Bowling) Born in Monterey, California, raised in a Republican family in Houston, and now residing in weird and progressive Austin, Molly Ivins writes columns and books that warm many a progressive heart. She’s written a real scorcher for the March issue of The Progressive, which explains what’s wrong with the Democratic leadership, if you can call it that, and what we ought to do about it. Even if you don’t agree with her on all points, it is a call to action that former Dean supporters will especially appreciate. Many thanks to Terese Lawler for bringing it to my attention. Read on: http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0310-20.htm Bill Moyers in California (from San Francisco for Democracy Member Dave Schmidt) Bill Moyers is travelling around California giving a long, eloquent, powerful speech with two main points: 1) "Money is choking democracy to death," and 2) Public campaign financing is the best hope for saving democracy. This year, California is the key state in the fight for Clean Money/Public Campaign financing. It will almost certainly be on the state ballot in November. And if we pass it in California, it becomes a national movement, like California's tax-cutting Proposition 13 back in 1978. This speech answers "Why we fight" for Clean Money. It's about taking back America. Read the full speech here -- powerful stuff. Minutes from Feb. 21st Membership meeting ...are available for downloading in PDF format by clicking here. Volunteer of the month: Brian Black
A member of SF4D has decided to "ride to make a difference" in the lives of people living with HIV and AIDS. Brian Black, a brave and hearty soul, will take part in AIDS/LifeCycle June 4-10, by biking 585 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles. This fundraising event is sponsored by the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center. To qualify, Brian must not only go through rigorous training, but must also raise $2,500 in donations. He is committed to this endeavor but is struggling with the donations. To make a donation and for more information go Brian's AIDS/LifeCycle Homepage: http://www.aidslifecycle.org/ 1926 Dean Corps Dozen at SF Food Bank On Saturday, February 11, Dean Corps sorted and packaged 2,500 pounds of bulk bread and individually donated food items for distribution to senior centers and food pantries in San Francisco. A dozen volunteers, including Alane Bowling, Beth Moseley, Cayla Letton, Jeff Whittington, Maureen Letton, Melanie and Richard Marracq, Nancy Rosenthal, Patti Sanford, Ron Weisberg, Susan Pfeifer, and Terese Lawler, worked from 12:30 to 3:30pm, half of the time on the assembly line/conveyor belt, which kept them moving at an even faster pace than usual. Dean Corps demonstrates how much can be accomplished with just a few volunteers. Just think how much would get done with your help. The next Dean Corps event is on Saturday, March 11th, working to restore native habitat on Bayview Hill. We are reaching out to schools in the Bayview to offer students an opportunity to volunteer to beautify their neighborhood To participate, contact Alane at alane_bowling@hotmail.com or Terese at tereselawler@yahoo.com. Dean Corps will be at the SF Food Bank again on Saturday, April 8th. Volunteers of the month: Alec and Sharry Bash
Alec and Sharry are warm, modest, gracious and hard working people who truly believe in sharing and giving back. For two years in a row they have made our annual Members and Friends Celebration possible by opening their elegant Noe Valley home to a multitude of guests. During the 2004 election, they transformed their home into a phone bank center for the Kerry campaign, and have hosted phone banks for other campaigns as well. They are strong advocates of a Permanent Precinct Operation in San Francisco. Alec is president of DemocracyAction, another great San Francisco grassroots group working for progressive change. Alec and Sharry embody by their very actions the philosophy of the Dean Corps: selfless service for the good of the larger community. Speaking of Celebrations...
Our second annual members and friends celebration was a fantastic time, with local elected officials, very hardworking volunteers, and fun to be had for all. Check out all the photos in our photo gallery... The Gang That Couldn't Bribe Straight Simply stunning article in the LA Times this morning. "...two northern California Republican congressmen used their official positions to try to stop a federal investigation of a wealthy Texas businessman who provided them with political contributions." Did anyone really doubt that Representatives Pombo and Doolittle are waist-deep in the culture of corruption personified by Abramoff and DeLay? Discuss it on DailyKos here. Dean Corps at the SF Food Bank
On a rainy Saturday afternoon, a dozen Dean Corps volunteers got into the spirit of the season by working at the San Francisco Food Bank. San Francisco for Democracy's Dean Corps, joined by an equal number of volunteers from the Korean-American Professionals Association, scooped, bagged, tagged, and weighed about 3,000 pounds of donated frozen mushrooms for distribution to the non-profit agencies (from senior centers to soup kitchens) the Food Bank serves. Volunteers included Maxine Anderson, Alane Bowling, Suzanne Cowan, Terese Lawler, Melanie & Richard Marracq, Constance McKee, Beth Moseley, Susan Pfeiffer, Nancy Rosenthal, Ron Weisberg, Jeff Whittington, and Mayumi Zelechoski. Many thanks to all of you! If you are interested in being a Dean Corps volunteer or organizer, contact Alane at alane_bowling@hotmail.com or Terese at tereselawler@yahoo.com. Dean Corps on Bayview Hill
It was another beautiful day on Bayview Hill this past weekend, as the S.F. Dean Corps team worked with the Natural Areas program of the Parks Department to bring native species back to our environment. We planted wild rye, purple needlegrass and a few others, and chatted about the latest batch of scandals swirling around the conservatives in Washington. (Yes, Dave, you're right, DailyKos.com is in fact a simply awesome site.) If you'd like to join us for other DeanCorps events - up on Bayview Hill, working with the Food Bank, or other opportunities - just check out our calendar and then get in touch with Terese or Alane. It's a great way to make a difference right here in our own community. Upcoming Events
Many more events are listed on our calendar...we look forward to seeing you. Volunteers of the Month: San Francisco for Democracy's Dean Corps You will see a lot about the Dean Corps's recent activities on this website and can find its upcoming activities on the Calendar. But what is Dean Corps? First, it is based on the philosophy that there are two ways to change the world:
San Francisco for Dean founded Dean Corps SF in July 2003 in response to Howard Dean's request that his campaign supporters be of service to their communities. Terese Lawler has been our primary Dean Corps organizer from the start, recruiting volunteers and working with nonprofit groups to improve the quality of life for all San Franciscans. Other organizers and volunteers have included Olivia Garcia, Nancy Rosenthal, Alane Bowling, Jay Lasnik, Stephanie Linder, Will Carsten. Nancy Rosenthal, Susan Pfeifer, Mayumi Zelechoski, Helen VanBenschoten, Leon Parker, Constance McKee, Suzanne Cowan, Beth Mosley, David Schimdt, Jeff Whittington, Mark Bozlet, and Maureen Letton Since its inception, Dean Corps has participated in many community efforts:
Dean Corps was featured in the Volunteer Spotlight section of the Summer 2005 Community Catalyst-the newsletter of the SF Recreation and Parks Department. Currently, Dean Corps is active at least one Saturday every month. If you are interested in volunteering (or organizing), contact Alane at alane_bowling@hotmail.com or Terese at tereselawler@yahoo.com. Special Election Recap: Grassroots Volunteers Make a Difference By Tom Brown, San Francisco for Democracy Membership Director It started back in March. All over the state, DFA volunteers gathered signatures against Schwarzenegger's special election and carried out a "rapid response" campaign at street corners where his paid signature gatherers were active. While the petition campaign could not legally prevent Schwarzenegger from calling a special election, it did help focus on Schwarzenegger's failure as a governor, rather than the on the proposed initiatives themselves. On June 6, we presented over 50,000 signatures against the special election to the Governor's office; 11,000 of those signatures came from San Francisco alone. By the time Schwarzenegger announced his special election a week later, the public had already decided: sixty-two percent of Californians polled said they were against it. Over the summer, veteran DFA volunteers joined forces with new recruits in a variety of anti-Schwarzenegger activities. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of Will Carsten, Susan Pfeifer, Tim Hsu, Steph Feiring and many others (including volunteers from Democracy Action), San Francisco for Democracy maintained a special election table at Ferry Plaza every Saturday until election day. At the same time, hundreds of new DFA volunteers started working with the Alliance for a Better California to get out the vote on November 8. In San Francisco, we were particularly successful at bringing in grassroots volunteers to do phone banking and precinct walking. This infusion of grassroots volunteers for the get-out-the-vote effort also provided an extra boost for the No on Proposition 73 (parental notification) campaign, even though the Alliance for a Better California itself did not have an official position on that initiative. As everyone knows, all eight of the state-wide propositions went down to defeat. Californians not only nixed the first six, which had been sponsored or endorsed by Schwarzenegger and his friends, but also defeated the "good" propositions 79 and 80. But what many people don't know is that San Francisco was the only county to vote "Yes" on both good propositions. We got it right, and surely the hard work of San Francisco for Democracy volunteers-especially those who spent many Saturdays distributing election guides at Ferry Plaza-made the difference. The success of the get-out-the-vote efforts here in San Francisco also made a big difference to the election's outcome. Of the two closest propositions statewide, San Francisco voters were responsible for nearly 30 percent of the deciding "No" votes on 73 (parental notification) and 21percent of the deciding "No" votes for 75 (silence the unions). Congratulations to all of us who helped take back California from Arnold’s special interests. California Clean Money Campaign: Winter 2005-2006 Update and Action Alert By By Joni Eisen, Clean Money Liaison, SF for Democracy The Special Election put a spotlight on the obscene amounts of money being spent to gain political advantage. Voters and legislators alike are sick of it. This opens a unique window of opportunity for Clean Money activists to get our message out: Full public financing of campaigns is the solution. Please note that I said full public financing, not the partial/matching funding available to the Board of Supervisors (under so-called Voter Owned Elections). Candidates for those seats still have to fundraise while they campaign. Clean candidates do not. Citizens are voting for Clean systems for their cities. In the past few months, Portland and Albuquerque have both passed Clean Money laws for their city elections. On November 15, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously (11-0) to develop a Clean Money plan for Los Angeles within 90 days. The resolution instructed the city's Chief Legislative Analyst to consult with the California Clean Money Campaign in crafting the proposal. Before AB 583, the Clean Money and Fair Elections bill, goes before the Assembly Elections Committee in January, many things will be happening, and even more things ought to happen. On Saturday, December 3, California Clean Money Executive Director Susan Lerner, along with born-again Clean Money enthusiast Johan Klehs (D-Hayward), will speak at a League of Women Voters forum in Oakland. Check the San Francisco for Democracy calendar for details of this and all other events. On Saturday and Sunday, December 10 and 11, we will table and petition outside the KPFA Craft Fair at the Concourse, 8th & Brannan, where we did so fabulously a few weeks ago at the Green Festival. It's the same kind of crowd, and should be great. Call 648-6740 or email norcal-info@caclean.org to sign up. Saturday, Dec. 17 please come to the monthly meeting of the CCMC San Francisco working group on Potrero Hill. Saturday, January 7, AB 583 author Loni Hancock will hold a Town Hall Meeting in Oakland about her bill. On Tuesday, January 10 the bill will be heard before the Elections Committee, and if it passes there the bill will be heard the following week by the Appropriations Committee. We want to pack the hearing rooms; watch the calendar for details. Meanwhile, we need to get more co-authors for the bill. Mark Leno, who is on both the Elections and Appropriations Committees, is already an enthusiastic co-author. Leland Yee is on the Appropriations Committee, but is not yet on board, so Leland Yee needs to hear from all of you out there who are constituents (if you're not sure, go to: http://www.congress.org/congressorg/state/main/?state=CA &lvl=L&view=myofficials and type in your address). Please call or write to tell him that full public financing of statewide and legislative campaigns is something California urgently needs. Cite the reason that is most important to you, and urge him to co-author the bill. For more information on Clean Money, go to http://www.caclean.org Here's Assembly Member Yee's contact information: Capitol Office: District Office: We have a real shot at getting the bill through the Assembly now (Senate hearings would be later in the year). Please join in the fight. We could truly change the way California is governed. link to earlier articles from PAC page |
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Meetup Wed May 7
Quote of the Day:
"I was a Republican - until they lost their minds." - Charles Barkley Working Groups SF for Democracy's Five Strategic Issues
 Play Whack-a-Murdoch Boom Boom (a very funny video) Join our Yahoo group (discussion, etc.) No Longer New ! Air America radio in the Bay Area...960 on your AM dial (or on the web here). | |||||||||||||||||
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©2008 San Francisco For Democracy |
On
Saturday, September 23rd, Dean Corps answered the San Francisco Food Bank’s
urgent call for volunteers. The crew included Nancy Rosenthal, Beth Moseley,
Owen Linzmayer, Maureen Letton and her daughter Cayla, Bridget Childs, and Alane
Bowling. Along with two other volunteer groups, Dean Corps sorted and packaged
nearly four tons of assorted dry goods for distribution to the organizations
that feed hungry San Franciscans. 
