FEATURED IN THIS WEEK’S MVCAN BULLETIN:        

• SIGN UP FOR ON-CALL EMERGENCY PROTEST IN SAN RAFAEL

• EARTH DAY W/ ECO-WARRIORS  - Sun. April 22  
  

• HELP CREATE AN ART FLOAT FOR SOCIAL CHANGE
  

• DISTRICT ATTORNEY CANDIDATES’ FORUM - Sat. April 28

• MVCAN PHONE AND TEXT BANKING - Multiple Dates!

• CANVASSING IN CD-10 WITH SWING LEFT MARIN - Many Dates Available!

• ROCK THE CONGRESS IN NAPA - Sun. April 15  
  

• NEW WOMEN’S RIGHTS INITIATIVE
  

• RACE MATTERS: SPRING WORKSHOP SERIES
  

• CIVIL RIGHTS NEWS: SUPPORT IMMIGRANTS AT RISK OF DETENTION
  AND DEPORTATION - Volunteers Needed

• MVCAN HELP WANTED

SIGN UP FOR ON-CALL EMERGENCY PROTEST

IN SAN RAFAEL

As Robert Reich said on Wednesday, April 11:

“We've reached a crisis point: I put the odds that Trump fires Mueller or Rosenstein within the next 10 days at better than 50-50.”

IF MUELLER OR ROSENSTEIN ARE FIRED, WE NEED TO TAKE TO THE STREETS!

MVCAN has joined an all-Marin coalition of grassroots groups in planning a consolidated protest in San Rafael if a constitutional crisis arises from Trump’s actions. We are mobilizing under the MoveOn national action, “No One Is Above The Law.”

To receive an immediate notice and call to action if and when Trump acts to obstruct the Mueller investigation:

SIGN UP TO RECEIVE NOTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY MASS ACTION

When you go to sign up, you will see several possible sign-ups for the same San Rafael rally. Pick the last listed entry for San Rafael, which says “Danny A.” (MVCAN’s own Danny Altman).

Once you sign up, please be on alert for a “GO” message from MoveOn.org  and also MVCAN emails providing you with details on the rally.

“Nobody is Above the Law” Rally Location

Court Street Plaza, 4th St. between A St. and Lootens Place, Downtown San Rafael.

For advance planning, MoveOn has specified three Trump actions that can trigger a national call to protest peacefully at hundreds of predetermined locations.

The three potential Trump actions are: 1) firing Mueller or Rosenstein, 2) pardoning key witnesses, or 3) otherwise significantly obstructing the Special Counsel investigation. Click to see the 3 triggers for immediate mass action

Over the past few months  more than 1,100 people in Marin and 300,000 nationally have signed up! Massive and immediate turnout will be critical. Rallies and protests will begin hours after news breaks of a Mueller firing or another trigger event.

For instructions on how to text and find out rally details, see:

How to text for rally information

CELEBRATE EARTH DAY WITH US

SUN. APRIL 22!

The MVCAN Eco-Warriors will be enthusiastically co-presenting this Earth Day event with Democracy Cafe and Tam Makers at our first-ever Mill Valley Earth Day Celebration, taking place at Tam High School.

EARTH DAY CELEBRATION

Sun. April 22, 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Tam High School Student Center, 700 Miller Avenue, Mill Valley

Learn more and get your FREE TICKETS online.

Come celebrate with art, music and talks about protecting mother earth!

•   Hear Good Earth co-founder Mark Squire speak about sustainable agriculture.

•   Learn from environmentalists how you can help address climate change.

•   Witness the grand unveiling of our Art Float for Social Change!

•   Create your own signs and decorate our float with ideas for a better world.

•   Sing along with Reed Fromer, the Freedom Singers, Emma Spike and Twinkling Stars of Singers Marin.

•   Electric vehicle displays and demos

•   Short films

•   Free food and activities for all ages.

This is a free event for all ages. (Children under 13 must be accompanied by an adult).

For more info, please email us at float@tammakers.org.

Calling for MVCAN Volunteers to Help at the Earth Day Event!

This is going to be an action packed event and we need MVCAN volunteers to make sure it all runs smoothly.

With so many moving parts, our Eco Warrior team urgently needs extra hands on the day of the Earth Day Celebration to:

•   Pick up equipment before the event

•   Post direction signs

•   Set up tables, food, the stage, and the equipment

•   Act as timekeepers

•   Ensure that our exhibitors have what they want and know where to be.

•   Greet members of the public and circulate collection envelopes

•   Do take-down and clear up.

Join the fun and help out!

To volunteer, please email Jenny or Marilyn. Thank you!

HELP FINISH OUR ART FLOAT BY EARTH DAY!

Thanks to all of you who helped build, design and paint our Art Float for Social Change this month!

We made some great progress together: the giant earth is ready, the carousel is spinning, the waving hands are glued, the dragon is being painted, our trailer is assembled and we’re lining up performers!

But we only have 10 days left before Earth Day and could use your help to get it all done!

Can you join one of our special float parties this week or the next? Check our schedule here.

If you can join us, please RSVP by email: float@tammakers.org to let us know when you’re coming. You can come anytime during these free sessions, even if it’s just for a couple hours. You can help in many ways: make art posters or signs, build float parts, paint them, assemble and set up the float, take photos and videos, perform or host our shows.

We work at Tam Makers, in the Tam High School Wood Shop, Room 416 at the top of the campus: 700 Miller Ave, Mill Valley, CA 94941 (see directions).

Bring your friends and families. Teenagers welcome. Spread the word in your community!

Come hear from and question your Marin County District Attorney candidates. The powerful post of District Attorney is open for the first time in many years. The three candidates are:

A.J. Brady, Marin County Deputy District Attorney

Lori Frugoli, Marin County Deputy District Attorney

Anna Pletcher, former Federal Prosecutor

Let’s participate and find out about which candidates reflect our progressive values regarding justice, immigration, and incarceration.

DISTRICT ATTORNEY CANDIDATES’ FORUM
Sat. April 28, 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Marin City Recreation Center, 630 Drake Ave., Marin City

This event is sponsored by ISOJI Marin City, in partnership with MVCAN and Indivisible Sausalito, and support from the Marin City Community Services District. Thanks to our awesome Civil Rights/ Immigration Team for making this happen!

    Ricardo Moncrief, Chair of ISOJI (left), with MVCAN's Peter Graumann.

PHONE and TEXT BANKING

There are lots of great opportunities coming up to canvass voters in CD10 (Tracy, Modesto, Turlock) to help flip Congress in the 2018 midterms. Volunteers will lay the groundwork for unseating Jeff Denham (R) by visiting Democratic voters as part of a locally-based effort to activate them prior to the election.  

We have already registered and identified an unprecedented number of voters who want to unseat the Republican Jeff Denham!

CA-10  now has two Republican candidates in the primary, and we face the possibility that they would move on to the general election in November.  We need you to help us get every Democrat to vote in CD10 on June 5th!  

Under the auspices of Swing Left Marin, we have multiple chances to canvass and register voters. So pick some dates that work for you and join us! We can and will make the difference in 2018!

SATURDAY APRIL 14 10:00 AM - canvass in Riverbank (northeast of Modesto)

Register HERE to get more info and a carpool link.  

SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM - canvass in Modesto

Please RSVP.

Once-a-Month Commitment for Canvassing in Tracy

The Tracy Dems. "GO Team", which coordinates activities with Swing Left Marin in Tracy, requires a monthly commitment for canvassing. (You can share the commitment with another person, for example, canvassing in alternating months).

You can come for an initial canvassing day and "test drive", whether or not you want to commit to canvassing one day a month going forward.

SAT. APRIL 14 AND ALL 2ND SATURDAYS  - 11:00 AM TRACY

MOST OF THE VOLUNTEERS FOR SECOND SATURDAYS ARE MVCAN MEMBERS. Come with us and MVCANVASS!

To register and find out about carpooling, contact MVCAN member Larry Litvak.

Sponsored by Swing Left Marin/MVCAN

Also, check out these other options:

SAT. APRIL 21 AND ALL 3RD SATURDAYS - 11:00 am Tracy

Email Bridget Gleason for info.

SUN. MAY 6 AND ALL 1ST SUNDAYS - 1:00 pm Tracy

Email Bridget Gleason (Swing Left Marin lead) for info.

Help register voters with Swing Left Marin in Tracy before the primary election! Our next opportunity has just been made available:

Tracy Voter Registration - Sat. April 14, 9:30 am - 2:00 pm

Register and learn more here.

We may have to place a limit on the number of volunteers we can accept for each event, so please sign up now if you are interested.

ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO ROCK THE CONGRESS IN NAPA SUN. APRIL 15

If you missed the ROCK THE CONGRESS in San Francisco last month - you will have another chance to join in at the NAPA ROCK THE CONGRESS on Sun, April 15.

Come and listen to Becky Bond, advisor to Bernie Sanders, Donnie Fowler, co-founder of Dem Labs, Heather Hargreaves, EVP at NextGen America, and Mike Thompson, Congressman from CA-5.

ROCK THE CONGRESS IN NAPA

Sun. April 15, 8:00 AM – 4:45 PM

CIA at Copia, 500 1st Street, Napa, CA

Great speakers, great food, breakout sessions for everyone from the newest volunteer to seasoned group leaders. Meet like-minded, energetic progressive activists, learn from them, establish relationships that are helpful in the political fights but also sometimes ripen into real friendships.

NEW MVCAN WOMEN'S RIGHTS TEAM INITIATIVE

The MVCAN Women's Rights Team is excited to support the Donate a Doula program at the Marin City Health and Wellness Center. The center was founded in 2006 to provide accessible primary care for low-income families of a historically African American community.  They serve patients of all ethnicities from 4 clinic locations in Marin and San Francisco.

The newly launched doula program will provide necessary support and education for new mothers and families.  

Please help the MVCAN Women's Rights Team reach the program's initial $6,000 goal.  

To donate using PayPal, Click here

OR

SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice) is a national group that supports white people in becoming more effective allies in the multi-racial movement for racial justice. Through community organizing, mobilizing and education, SURJ moves white people to act as part of a multi-racial majority for racial justice with passion and accountability.

This spring, a three-workshop series “Healing Into Action” will be sponsored by SURJ Marin and United Marin Rising. Workshop participants will participate in personal and collective healing that will build towards taking concrete action together in cross-racial alliances to address racial disparities and create change in the county.

“Healing into Action” Workshops Location:

San Rafael First United Methodist Church
199 Greenfield Ave, San Rafael

See workshop dates and times below:

To support our immigrant communities in very difficult and uncertain times, the MVCAN Civil Rights/Immigration team is working together with the Canal Welcome Center’s Marin Rapid Response Network.

A few weeks ago we  saw ICE activity in Marin. Parents became so fearful they kept their children home from school. Read here.

HOTLINE cards are being distributed with concise directions for folks to follow should they encounter immigration officials.

Some members of the Civil Rights/Immigration team are now trained by Marin Rapid Response Network to become Legal Observers to help monitor ICE activity. When ICE activity is reported, trained Legal Observers will be 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 become a Legal Observer.  

WE NEED MORE VOLUNTEERS. Come help us keep the ICE honest and within the law!

Join an hour-and-a-half training session:

Training Dates for Legal Observer Volunteers

Wed. April 18, 6:00 - 7:30 pm

Training Location:  

First Presbyterian Church of San Rafael, Canoles Hall

510 Fifth Ave, San Rafael  

For more information, email Olivia Beltran or call (415) 526-2486 x 303

"Thanks to MVCAN for all the great support." – Olivia Beltran, Canal Welcome Center

MVCAN HELP WANTED

Volunteers don’t just do the work ~ they make it work. MVCAN needs your help. Whether a few hours a week or a few hours a month, you can make a difference by volunteering with MVCAN.

Bring your skills or learn new ones. Be a leader, or help with support. Here's what's open:

Publicity and Promotions (2-3 hours per month)

Are you connected, or do you want to learn the inner workings of PR?

Lead or help with PR efforts for MVCAN: Develop media lists, send press releases to local media, pro-actively work with the Events and Issues teams to create a promotions schedule and promote events, activities and meetings; if desired, develop and train a volunteer PR team.

MVCAN Wag Team (2-4 hours per week, or every other week)

Be a connector! Help create the MVCAN Weekly News aka the WAG.

Support MVCAN by preparing the weekly MVCAN News. Content is provided. Your help is needed to transfer content into MVCAN's email program. While knowledge of HTML is not needed, it could be helpful on rare occasions, to troubleshoot. Added benefit: If you want to learn simple HTML, we can help. This job can be shared.

Website Maintenance (1-2 hours per week)

Help with a crucial communications tool.

Help keep the MVCAN web site up to date by inputting calendar items from the Wag and perhaps helping team members with their pages. No knowledge of HTML needed. The system is "drag-and-drop". Training offered, if needed.

To volunteer for these important jobs, or to offer other skills/talents to MVCAN, contact Debra, our new Volunteer Coordinator, at volunteer@mvcan.org. Thank you!

JOIN AN ACTION TEAM

WANT TO GET MORE INVOLVED in a specific issue? 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.

Dump Trump 's 25 active team members work on ways to remove Trump from power, with special focus on Russia collusion. This topic is hot!

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 it in the Huffington Post .

Electoral is focused on the 2018 Midterm Elections, when all 435 seats in the House plus 33 Senate seats are up for grabs. We intend to grab as many as possible. The Electoral team works to elect Democratic candidates for federal and state level elections using phone/text banks and travel to targeted districts to talk with voters through phone calls, texts, door-to-door canvassing, voter registration, and campaign volunteering.

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.

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

MVCAN News brought to you by June, Annie and Suz