FEATURED IN THIS WEEK’S MVCAN BULLETIN:        

1. MARCH IN THE MILL VALLEY MEMORIAL DAY PARADE - Monday  May 28
   

2. CANVASSING IN CD-10 WITH SWING LEFT MARIN - Multiple Dates!

3. MVCAN PHONE AND TEXT BANKING - Multiple Dates!

4. LOVE LIVES IN MARIN - IMMIGRANT SOLIDARITY MARCH AND RALLY - Tues. May 22

5. RACE MATTERS SPRING WORKSHOP SERIES:  HEALING INTO ACTION - Sat. May 12

6. FILM SCREENING AND DISCUSSION - NOT IN OUR TOWN - Thurs. May 17, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

7. SAVE THE DATE! MVCAN MONTHLY MEETING - Sun June 3 - NEW TIME 5 pm - 6:30 pm, MV Community Center + Brief Report of May MVCAN Meeting

8. MVCAN HELP WANTED

Note: No MVCAN Newsletter (aka the "Wag") next week. Stay tuned for possible action bulletins and more details about the Memorial Day Parade, as needed.

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MARCH IN THE MILL VALLEY

MEMORIAL DAY PARADE MON. MAY 28

JOIN MVCAN and march in the Mill Valley Memorial Day Parade for our second year. Last year was a blast!  No need to sign up. Come one and all to Old Mill School, Monday at 10 am.

MVCAN looks forward to an exciting presence in our great local Memorial Day tradition! Last year we won the Best Community Spirit Trophy!

Memorial Day Parade  
Mon. May 28
10:00 AM (assemble) 10:30 AM (march)

Assemble at Old Mill School, 352 Throckmorton Ave. (Look for our signs and banners and the adjacent Float for Social Change. The MVCAN contingent will march behind the float.)

Bring kids, seniors and everyone in between to join the MVCAN procession. Wave to your spectator friends and help MVCAN pass out flyers to let people know who we are and what we do.

If you would like to sing along with the Freedom Singers and march close to the float, please RSVP here to reserve your spot. No need to RSVP otherwise. Just join in!

The parade ends between noon and 1 pm. After that, join neighbors on the MV Community Center lawn for music and food.

MVCAN MEMBERS ARE READYING FOR THE MEMORIAL DAY PARADE!

MVCAN members and partners have been helping construct a float under the direction of Fabrice Florin and the Tam Makers. It's not too late to join in! Help paint, assemble, and decorate the final parts.

Help Finish the Art Float

Our presence will feature Tam Makers' handmade unique float, which was created to inspire more people to participate in democracy. Meet your fellow activists and neighbors at this community event.

Join float building Thursdays, 6 to 9pm. See the full schedule.

Email float@tammakers.org for directions and more information.

The Art Float for Social Change is unveiled at the recent Earth Day Celebration at Tam High. Photo: Judy Rheingold.

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CANVASSING IN CD10 WITH SWING LEFT MARIN:

JOIN MVCAN MEMBERS ON SECOND SATURDAYS!

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!  

Visit the MVCAN Canvassing page for all the details about these upcoming opportunities to canvass.

No previous experience is needed - training will be provided.

The Tracy Dems. "GO Team", which coordinates activities with Swing Left Marin in Tracy, requires a monthly commitment for canvassing. Share the commitment, or give it a "test drive"! Email Bridget Gleason (Swing Left Marin lead) for info.

Tracy Monthly Canvassing

SAT. MAY 12 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

Other Canvassing Opportunities in Tracy

SAT. MAY 19 AND ALL 3RD SATURDAYS - 11:00 am Tracy

Email Bridget Gleason (Swing Left Marin lead) 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. MAY 12, 9:30 AM - 2:00 PM

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PHONE and TEXT BANKING

Only 6 Months until the 2018 Midterms!

If you haven't gotten to work yet, please make this the week you join us to Vote Them Out.

We have regular phone/text banks on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and some Mondays. Our experienced leaders are always on hand to help guide you through the process, and if you're new to calling or texting voters, we'll teach you step-by-step.

We also will help you get involved canvassing door-to-door. If you'd like to join our group traveling to Tracy, in our neighboring flippable district CD-10, please contact Susan Bolle.

Phone and Text Bank in Sausalito

WE WILL BE BACK IN OUR SAUSALITO OFFICE ON MAY 12.

Sat, May 12 PHONE/TEXT BANK, 2:30 pm - 4:30 pm in Sausalito

Click here to register and get more details/directions.

Join us back at our office in Sausalito to call voters to Get Out The Vote for the June 5 Primary, and of course text voters for Beto O'Rourke, running against Ted Cruz for Senate in Texas.

Note: We will soon be changing the location of our Sausalito phone/text bank. If you have any leads/contacts for an office in Southern Marin for Saturday phone banks, please contact Susan Bolle.

Phone Bank in Corte Madera

This phone bank is the favorite of many of our volunteers – at Jan's home.

Mon, May 14 PHONE/TEXT BANK, 4 pm - 6 pm in Corte Madera

Click here to register and get more details/directions.

Phone and Text Bank in San Rafael

MVCAN is co-hosting this phone/text bank at Marin Democrats' new headquarters on 4th St. in San Rafael! The office is at 1344 4th St. (at D) in San Rafael.

We will by joining with Marin Dems and Swing Left Marin to engage in intensified efforts to make sure we Get Out The Vote for the June 5 Primary.

Wed, May 16 PHONE/TEXT BANK, 4 pm - 6 pm in San Rafael

Click here to register and get more details/directions.

For more details about this and other upcoming phone/ text banks, please visit the MVCAN Electoral Team page or the MVCAN Phone/ Text Bank page.

Congressman Jared Huffman giving a pep talk to the MVCAN phone/text bankers. Photo: Marti Cermak.

Join the MVCAN Civil Rights/Immigration Team and march with us to show solidarity with our immigrant neighbors.

LOVE LIVES IN MARIN - Immigrant Solidarity March and Rally
Tuesday, May 22, 6:15 pm
San Rafael Plaza, 1000 4th St, San Rafael (between A and Lootens)

We will gather at San Rafael Plaza at 6:15pm.
The march starts at 6:30 pm and will end at the St. Rafael Church gym, 1104 Fifth Ave. The rally program will start at 6:45pm.

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RACE MATTERS: SPRING WORKSHOP SERIES

Race Matters - Healing into Action - Workshop #2
(Prerequisite: Workshop 1 or the equivalent)

Saturday, May 12,  9:00 am - 5:00 pm
San Rafael United Methodist Church
199 Greenfield Ave, San Rafael, San Rafael

Please Register Here.

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.

The three-workshop series “Healing Into Action” is 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.

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FILM SCREENING: "NOT IN OUR TOWN" THURS MAY 17

What would you do if one of your neighbors was killed in a hate crime?
In the film Not in Our Town, a community works to repair town life after attacks on local immigrants.

Join concerned community members for a film screening and community discussion.

Film Screening and Discussion: Not In Our Town

Thursday May 17, 6:00- 8:00 pm

Hill Education Center, 720 Diablo Avenue, Novato

RSVP here.

NIOT Founder and Filmmaker Patrice O’Neill will lead a discussion and and talk about next steps for our community.

For more details, see www.niot.org

Co-sponsored by the City of Novato, North Marin Community Services, Latino Marin and Marin Interfaith Council.

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SAVE THE DATE! MVCAN MONTHLY MEETING SUN. JUNE 3

NEW TIME! 5 pm - 6:30 pm, MV Community Center

MVCAN May Meeting Guest Speaker Lala Wu, National Director of Engagement and Partnerships for the Sister District Project. Photo: Suz Lipman.

Come to our MVCAN monthly meeting Sunday June 3 at 5 pm. Guest speaker TBA. Learn about about activities and actions planned by MVCAN for the upcoming election season and get involved!

May meeting Guest Speaker Lala Wu, National Director of Engagement and Partnerships for the Sister District Project, shared Sister District's strategic, targeted focus on critical down-ballot state races that—if won—will make it easier to win national elections and enact positive change. She impressed upon members the importance of approaching races strategically and continuing to flex our electoral muscles by canvassing and phone/texting with voters person-to-person to organize and activate them. She outlined the specific races Sister District is targeting, in a fascinating presentation.

MVCANers also heard about successes from various teams and played the trivia game, "Myth vs. Reality", which had many surprised as they tried to separate fact from fiction in our current political climate.

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MVCAN HELP WANTED

MVCAN needs your help. Do you have a few hours a month? You can make a difference by volunteering with MVCAN. For MVCAN to continue its good work, we need:

Publicity and Promotions (2-3 hours per month)

Graphics (2-3 hours per month)

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

MVCAN Photo Archivist (2 hours per month)

House Party Coordinator for MVCAN's Airlift Fund  (3-4 hours per month)

Greeters and Helpers at Meetings and Events (one-time or ongoing)

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 to those who have already volunteered!

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, Suz, Danny, Eileen, Rebecca, and everyone at MVCAN

MVCAN News brought to you by June, Annie and Suz