FEATURED IN THIS WEEK’S MVCAN NEWSLETTER (9/28/19):

UPCOMING EVENTS AND ACTIONS

MVCAN MONTHLY MEETING - Sun. Oct 6 - GUEST SPEAKER: SUSANNAH DELANO from “CLOSE THE GAP” CALIFORNIA
TIBURON FUNDRAISER FOR CONGRESSMAN JOSH HARDER - Sat. Sept 28, 12:30- 2PM
HELP BRING RAPE KITS BACK TO MARIN! SIGN UP TO COMMENT AT A BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING
TRAVEL TO ARIZONA TO CANVASS - SAT. Oct 19- WED. 23
CIVIL RIGHTS/IMMIGRATION TEAM MEETING AND RAPID RESPONSE TRAINING - Sun. Oct. 6
MARIN ORGANIZING COMMITTEE (MOC) CONVENTION
- Sun. Oct 27
PHONE BANK: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12 (NO SAUSALITO BANKS 9/28 OR 10/5)
SAVE THE DATE: MONTHLY MEETING SUN. NOV 3, 5PM AT MVCC, STATE SENATOR MIKE MAGUIRE SPEAKS TO MVCAN!

WHERE WE’VE BEEN AND WHAT WE DID:

IMPEACHMENT VICTORY - WE WON THIS ROUND!
GREAT CROWD FOR OUR MEETING WITH JOSH HARDER
ENTHUSIASTIC CLIMATE STRIKE EVENTS IN MILL VALLEY
OUTSTANDING RESULTS FROM “CALL IN WEEK” FOR CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE BILLS
“ DINING WITH DEMS” - MVCAN TURNS OUT

UPCOMING EVENTS AND ACTIONS

1 MVCAN MONTHLY MEETING - Sun. Oct 6, 5PM - 6:30PM

MILL VALLEY COMMUNITY CENTER

WOMEN IN POLITICS: We are excited to host two terrific women speakers, Susannah Delano and Stephanie Moulton-Peters, at our October monthly meeting.

Susannah Delano is the amazing, dynamic executive director of “Close The Gap California.”

Women are still woefully underrepresented in elected office. Susannah will speak on the how and why of getting more women into elected positions everywhere. Susannah has worked to empower women for many years. In her current position at “Close the Gap” she works to recruit, train, and run women candidates in California to achieve gender balance in the California Legislature.

Stephanie Moulton-Peters: Hear from this current Mill Valley City Council member and 2020 candidate for Marin Board of Supervisors.

Stephanie will give us her take on critical Marin County Issues.

MVCAN Monthly Meeting
Sunday, Oct 6, 5 - 6:30PM
Mill Valley Community Center, 180 Camino Alto

Snacks and Beverages served- Join us there!

2 CONGRESSMAN JOSH HARDER FUNDRAISER - Sat. Sept. 28

Come to Tiburon for a fundraiser for Congressman Josh Harder on Saturday, Sept. 28.

Congressman Harder represents CD-10 in the Central Valley -- one of the Republican-held Congressional Districts that Democrats flipped in the 2018 Midterm Elections. Trump won his district in 2016, and Josh was the only Democrat elected for any office in his district in 2018, where he won by a narrow margin.

We worked hard to elect this impressive young Congressman in 2018-- he deserves a second term.

Super PACs are already targeting Josh, calling his seat "rented" and spending millions to label Josh as a "socialist" and “the AOC of the West.” Josh’s opponent has raised the most money of any Republican Congressional candidate in the country. Republican challenger Kelvin McCarthy has set up a SuperPAC solely to win back CD-10. Josh’s stance supporting impeachment will invite more attacks.

Spend time getting to know Congressman Josh Harder while you enjoy food and drinks outdoors among our Marin friends and supporters.

Fundraiser For Josh Harder
Sat., Sept. 28, 12:30 - 2pm
Tiburon - (location details given when you RSVP)

Please RSVP here.

Tickets are $150 and up.

HELP BRING RAPE KITS TO MARIN! SIGN UP TO COMMENT AT A BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING

Rather than having its own forensic rape-kits and exams available for use locally, Marin currently refers approximately 30 rape survivors per year to Vallejo for examinations. The number of rape victims choosing to undergo an exam would almost certainly increase if Marin County took down the huge barrier of going to Vallejo for care.

Developing a top-notch rape-kit program in Marin would create:

An independent entity, administered locally with local examiners at at least one location in Marin (all three hospitals - Marin General, Kaiser San Rafael, Sutter Novato - would be ideal)
Be robust enough to collaborate with, engage, and educate other stakeholders (Emergency Medical Services, law enforcement, survivor advocacy, DOJ, District Attorney)

The new DA has had nine months to negotiate a deal with the hospitals, nurses, and the County. Some progress has been made; however, there are potential stumbling blocks related to cost and quality.

It is time to show our elected officials that they need to keep this important rape-kit issue as a high priority and to get them involved in the process. There are eight Board of Supervisor meetings left in this calendar year. Between one and three volunteer speakers are needed at each meeting to talk about the importance of bringing rape kit exams to Marin. You can participate to make sure that a deal is struck that serves the best interests of Marin residents.

If you can attend a meeting and speak in support of Marin rape-kits, contact MVCAN’s Leigh Ann Townsend for info and to sign up: townsendleighann@gmail.com - no special expertise required. Meetings are Tuesdays at 9am.

4 TRAVEL TO ARIZONA TO CANVASS - Oct 19-23

Join with fellow MVCAN members at the Arizona Democratic Party Headquarters in Phoenix on Saturday Oct. 19 (time TBD) to canvass door-to-door and register voters. Training will be provided.

You are welcome to come for the weekend or stay until Weds. The AZ weather is milder in Oct. with daytime temperatures in the 70's/80’s.

We’ll be joining up with one of our partner groups from the East Bay, Commit To Flip Blue. This will be the first of many trips to AZ leading up to November 2020!

Canvass in Arizona
Sat. Oct 19 - Weds. 23 (time TBD)
Democratic Headquarters, Phoenix

For more info, email MVCAN’s Marti Cermak: marti.cermak@gmail.com

AZ is our closest flippable neighbor: changing demographics are shifting it away from its traditional status as a Republican stronghold and Trump’s favorability ratings are sinking lower and lower. Our impressive AZ Democratic Senatorial candidate, Captain Mark Kelly, is an astronaut, veteran and the husband of former Representative Gabby Giffords.

Last November, we helped win the first Democratic Senate seat in AZ in 30 years for Kyrsten Sinema. Senator Sinema’s 2018 opponent, Martha McSally, was appointed by the governor to fill McCain’s Senate seat, but she is closely aligned with Trump and is now tied with Mark Kelly in the polls.

Join in and help make a difference in Arizona!

If you can’t participate in the AZ canvassing, a wonderful alternative way to support efforts to flip Arizona is to donate to Airlift. We’re supporting two great AZ grassroots groups, BAZTA and LUCHA; both are highly effective at reaching the infrequent and nonvoters that candidates and campaigns don’t usually target.

Donate to Airlift Here.

5 MVCAN IMMIGRATION/CIVIL RIGHTS TEAM MEETING

Sun. Oct 6, 4 - 5pm

On Sun. Oct 6, the Civil Rights/Immigration Team will meet at 4:00pm in lobby of the Mill Valley Community Center. New members welcome!!

Immigration/Civil Rights Team Meeting

Sunday, Oct 6, 4 pm - 5pm (right before the MVCAN Monthly Meeting)

Mill Valley Community Center (meeting in lobby)

180 Camino Alto, Mill Valley

PLUS: SPECIAL RAPID RESPONSE TRAINING - SUN. OCT. 6

Our Immigration/Civil Rights team is sponsoring a special Marin Rapid Response Network Training. This training prepares volunteers to become “Legal Observers” to help monitor ICE activity. When ICE activity is reported, trained Legal Observers are deployed to a specific area within Marin County to "document" the situation. You do not need to have a legal background or be bilingual to be a Legal Observer.

Marin Rapid Response needs more volunteers in Southern Marin to be observers on an on-call basis for encounters that ICE and other law enforcement agencies have with residents. You can be trained in just 2 short hours and be ready to assist our community members.

Marin Rapid Response Training
October 6, 2:45PM - 4:45PM
Mill Valley Community Center (right before the MVCAN Oct Monthly meeting)

RSVP Here for more information and to sign up for Rapid Response training.

6 MARIN ORGANIZING COMMITTEE CONVENTION - Sun. Oct 27

Marin Organizing Committee successfully advocating for renters’ rights at Marin County Board of Supervisors Meeting [Photo Credit: James Cacciatore, Marin Independent Journal 9/18/2018]

MVCAN members are invited to the Marin Organizing Committee (MOC) 10th Anniversary Convention where hundreds of activists will celebrate a decade of building power in Marin to effect change in critical local issues. MOC’s plan going forward is to address changes in areas such as housing, aging, mental health and climate change. Local elected officials will be there to commit to working with MOC on priority policy issues.

Marin Organizing Committee’s 10th Anniversary Convention
Sunday, October 27th | 3-5 pm
Marin Civic Center Exhibit Hall, 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael

To RSVP or get more information, email bayareaiaf@gmail.com or contact MVCAN liaisons Gary Apell, glasong51@gmail.com, and Ruth Jaeger, ruthjaeger94925@gmail.com.

MVCAN is a member organization of the Marin Organizing Committee. MOC strategy will include forming groups of people who will meet with public officials and work with them to make further progress.

Come and participate with fellow MVCAN and community members!

7 PHONE BANK in SAUSALITO - Sat. Oct. 12, 2 - 4pm

(Note: NO PHONE BANKS - Sat. Sept 28 or Sat. Oct 5)

Thanks to Susan Bolle and her team of amazing volunteers for their dedication. We’re fired-up and ready to go!

Phone Bank in Sausalito

Sat. Oct 12, 2pm - 4pm

80 Liberty Ship Way, Suite 20

For more info on this and upcoming phone banks, contact Marti Cermak at marti.cermak@gmail.com.

NOTE: NO SAUSALITO PHONE BANKS - Sat. Sept. 28 or Sat. October 5

Our partnership with Sister District Marin continues as we call voters in Virginia. The entire VA House & Senate are up for election November 5, 2019 -- and we have the opportunity to take the majority and gain a powerful trifecta (both state houses + governor) to ensure we get fair redistricting in 2021 and progressive state legislation.

We’re also laying the groundwork for the big election coming up in less than 400 days by reaching out to voters in Arizona and other Super States to make sure we turn out every voter to take back our country Nov. 3, 2020.

Please bring your charged cell phone AND a laptop, iPad or tablet along with your earbuds with a mic. And don’t forget your water bottle.

Remember, our experienced coaches are always on hand to guide you from start to finish.

MVCAN: WHERE WE’VE BEEN AND WHAT WE DID

1 IMPEACHMENT VICTORY- WE WON THIS ROUND!

Congratulations to all our activists (more than 250!) who contributed countless hours of calling, texting, canvassing and fund-raising to the successful “flip” of the US House last November. We made this impeachment inquiry possible!

And let’s give massive kudos to our very own Congressman Jared Huffman for his early, outspoken, and relentless support for an impeachment investigation.

When we heard from Rep. Josh Harder at our monthly meeting two weeks ago, we asked him about his reluctance at that time to come out publicly in favor of an impeachment inquiry. This week he became one of the 224+ Dem Congressional Reps to go on the record in favor of hearings!

😂😂😂

2 OUR SEPTEMBER MONTHLY MEETING WITH JOSH HARDER

More than 80 people came out to hear Josh Harder speak on Sept 15. He gave a terrific update on his legislative actions and his 2020 campaign. Also, thanks to Susan Bolle for giving us a great primer on the 2020 electoral timeline and strategy, and to our dynamic MCs Eileen Fisher and Celeste Perry.

3 GREAT CLIMATE STRIKE EVENTS IN MILL VALLEY

On Friday, September 20, in support of the Global Climate Strike, activists from all over Mill Valley turned out by the hundreds at the Mill Valley Depot and at the Redwoods with Seniors for Peace. The crowd included tons of young people and local students from first grade through high school, their parents, as well as a cross section of Mill Valley residents.

4 OUTSTANDING RESULTS FROM “CALL WEEK” FOR CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE BILLS

Starting in the May legislative session though this summer into early September, MVCAN Issue Advocacy Team enthusiastically participated in research, lobbying and "call-in week” for California legislature bills.

Of the six bills for which we called in early September, five of them passed! These bills included eliminating private prisons, authorizing public banks, requiring funder disclosure on ballot petitions, reducing mandatory sentencing, and establishing fair districting for county supervisorial districts.

Our legislators voted the right way on all these bills! Unfortunately, a vote on the sixth targeted bill - to restrict the use of plastics - was put off until January in the face of fierce industry lobbying.

In addition to “Call In Week,” the MVCAN Issue Advocacy team successfully undertook another effective round of lobbying of our two state legislators, Mike McGuire and Marc Levine, on key state bills, working along with other Indivisible groups statewide and in Marin. The Team was represented by Leigh Ann Townsend and Gary Appel through in-person meetings with McGuire and Levine,

Kudos to the dogged Issue Advocacy team members, lead Larry Litvak, and all those MVCANers who participated in “Call Week” for helping to pass these bills!

5 DINING WITH DEMS ANNUAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY FUNDRAISER

For the third year MVCAN turned out for this important event which supports the local Democratic office and critical activities like phone banking. We heard from two dynamic speakers: Joe Sanberg, founder of Golden State Opportunity and Working Hero Action, who highlighted issues of economic inequity with the goal of ending poverty in America; and Peggy Moore, the new Training and Development Director for the CA Democratic Party.

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JOIN AN ACTION TEAM

WANT TO GET MORE INVOLVED in a specific issue or support area? Much of MVCAN's work is done in one of our 10 awesome action teams. Click the team name to read their latest news and find their next meeting.

Civil Rights/Immigration battles for justice and fair treatment of women, immigrants, working people and followers of all faiths.

Communications works on strategy, branding, messaging and program development for MVCAN. They are looking for bright ideas and people who want to make them happen.

Eco Warriors are engaged in change at the local, state and national levels, to impact the CA carbon tax, climate change, and community outreach and action.

The Economic Action team runs AIRLIFT, our first national project. AIRLIFT funnels money to grassroots groups in winnable 2018 districts. These are seriously vetted groups that work all year round in their communities–they get tangible results without blowing through millions of dollars. Read about Airlift in the Huffington Post .

Electoral is still celebrating the incredible outcome of the 2018 Midterms. Over the past 2 years, our dedicated group of volunteers called, texted and canvassed voters in our focus CA Congressional Districts along with NV & AZ. They helped win all 7 of the 7 flippable CA Congressional Districts, along with the Senate seats in NV & AZ. As we look to 2019, we are weighing many options which include strengthening the position of our newly elected CA House Representatives, voter registration drives and the state level elections in November--and of course, the Special Congressional Elections which will result in Trump Cabinet members being fired and replaced with Congressional Republicans.

The Events team creates special events to engage our friends and neighbors to take political action with MVCAN.

Health Care is forging ahead after their successful fight over the repeal/replace of ACA.

Tech supports MVCAN through technology.

Women's Rights fundraises and canvasses for NARAL and Planned Parenthood; supports women in public office(s); and engages in local, state and federal legislation for women's protection and rights.

NEW TO MVCAN?

Visit MVCAN.org to learn about the organization and strategies, join a team, read past MVCAN newsletters, and gain helpful Resistance tools.

WANT TO VOLUNTEER YOUR SKILLS OR TALENTS?

Numerous positions and jobs are available – one-time or ongoing. Contact volunteer@mvcan.org.

Thank you for all you do!
– June, Bernard, Eileen, Rebecca, and everyone at MVCAN

MVCAN News brought to you by June, Annie and Eileen