FEATURED IN THIS WEEK’S MVCAN NEWSLETTER (1/9/20):

UPCOMING EVENTS AND ACTIONS

1. MVCAN MONTHLY MEETING on LOCAL ELECTIONS

   Sun. Jan 12, 4pm-5:30pm, @ MVCC (NEW TIME)

2. WOMEN’S RALLY AND MARCH SF 2020 - Sat. Jan 18, 11am-3pm

3. MLK CELEBRATION IN MARIN CITY - Mon. Jan. 20, 10am-2:30pm

4. LAUNCH OF PHONE BANKING & ELECTORAL ACTION 2020 IN SAUSALITO - Sat. Feb 1, 3pm-5pm (note new date and time)

5. FIGHT VOTER SUPPRESSION “RECLAIM OUR VOTE” EVENT - Sat. Feb 8, 3-5pm

6. MARIN ORGANIZING COMMITTEE MEETINGS - Wed. Jan 15, 6:30 - 8:30pm

7. CIVIL RIGHTS/IMMIGRATION MVCAN TEAM MEETING -
   Sun. Jan 12, 3pm- 4pm

8. JOIN CALL TO HELP PASS CLIMATE EMERGENCY RESOLUTIONS IN MARIN - Thurs. Jan 23, 6:30 PM

9. TRAVEL TO PHOENIX, AZ TO CANVASS AND REGISTER VOTERS - Feb 15-17  

10. CANVASS IN TRACY - 2nd and 3rd Saturdays starting Jan 11

11. MARIN WOMEN’S PAC CANDIDATE ENDORSEMENT NIGHT - Weds. Jan 15

12. NO MORE WAR! PROTEST WAR WITH IRAN - Thurs. Jan 9 and Fri. Jan 10

SAVE THE DATE - NEXT MVCAN MONTHLY MEETING - Sunday, February 9, Mill Valley Community Center

1

MVCAN MONTHLY MEETING ON LOCAL ELECTIONS - Sunday, Jan 12 - 4pm - 5:30pm (note earlier start) Mill Valley Community Center

COME MEET LOCAL CANDIDATES!

Many issues in our “own backyard” in Marin reflect and can reinforce big critical progressive issues throughout the country. So please join us for an exciting meeting this Sunday, Jan 12, which will serve as a forum for 2020 Marin/Mill Valley elections for city and county officials.

We have asked candidates to address issues that MVCAN members find pressing, such as affordable housing, environmental initiatives, immigrant protections, and taking a local stand on issues of state and national import.

The next election is around the corner on March 3! The Mill Valley City Council Race is competitive, and so far, 4 of the 5 candidates (Urban Carmel, Kirk Knauer, Trish Ossa, and Max Perrey) have agreed to join us. In addition, in the County Supervisor race for District 3, lead candidate Stephanie Moulton-Peters will be there to answer questions.

PLEASE TURN OUT FOR THE MEETING! LET’S SHOW OUR LOCAL CANDIDATES THAT MVCAN’s concerns are the ones that local constituents care about and vote on.

For those of you living outside the City of Mill Valley, there are many issues of interest: first, Stephanie Moulton-Peters, Board of Supervisor candidate, will, if elected, be one of 5 critical votes for the whole county. Remember also that many issues pertaining to Mill Valley pertain to other cities and can be used as a model for activism throughout the county.

Please Come On Down!

2

WOMEN’S MARCH IN SF - Sat. Jan 18

The Rally at Civic Center will feature an exciting slate of speakers, including Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action. Kimberly Ellis, Executive Director of Emerge California, a previous MVCAN endorsee, will be acting as the MC.

WOMEN’S MARCH 2020 - SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER
Rally and March - Saturday, Jan 18
Rally starts at 11:30 AM at the Civic Center in SF
March starts at 1:30 PM (down Market Street to the Embarcadero Plaza, 1.7 miles)

To register and for more details go: Here

Come join with fellow MVCAN members for the 4th Annual Women’s March!

MVCAN CARPOOLING TO THE SF WOMEN’S MARCH:

MVCAN members will be meeting in the parking lot at Mill Valley Middle School (425 Sycamore Ave.) to form informal carpools to SF at 10:30 AM, Sat. Jan 18. Just show up if you want a ride.

Once we arrive, by whatever means in SF, we will be meeting up with MVCAN members at the Civic Center Plaza in SF:

• All MVCANers, Marin activists, and their friends are encouraged to gather for the rally at approximately 11:30 AM at the SF Civic Center Plaza, where June, Eileen, and Lisa Barger will be leading chants and developing a step/dance routine for the march.

• We will be meeting on the Northside of Civic Center Plaza near the small elevator building for the underground Civic Center garage, our “usual location”.

• This location is just off McAllister - halfway between Larkin and Polk, and is right on the Civic Center Plaza.

• After the rally and before the March, MVCAN members will gather again at the Northside of Civic Center Plaza at 1:30pm, so that we can walk together. Join us - we will be accompanied by the Freedom Singers and more fun!

WE HOPE FOR A GREAT MVCAN SHOWING!

3

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR CELEBRATION IN MARIN CITY

Mon. Jan 20, 10:00am - 2:30pm

MLK BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

Mon. Jan 20, 2020 - 10AM to 2:30PM
Manzanita Recreation Center
630 Drake Ave, Marin City

Also, MVCAN will be providing volunteers for the MLK celebration set-up. Please email Peter Graumann, petergraumann@yahoo.com, and let him know if you can help out on the following dates:

Volunteer Set-up Dates:

Sunday Jan 19 at 2 PM
Monday, Jan 20 at 8:30 AM

Come celebrate MLK Day with fellow MVCANers. The programming is amazing every year!

4

2020 ELECTION YEAR KICK-OFF MEETING & AIRLIFT PARTY

Sat. Feb 1 in Sausalito, 3 - 5pm (new date and time)

Join MVCANers and the Democracy Action crew -- Susan Bolle and her fab team at the Sausalito phone bank location on Sat. Feb 1, 3 - 5pm to kick-off the start of the 2020 Election Year!

We'll have wine & food and you'll have a chance to reunite with all our wonderful community members and catch up.

Please RSVP and register for the Sat. Feb 1 Kick-off Meeting & Airlift Party: Here

Winning back our country will take all of us committing to action. Find out how we plan to take back our democracy via calling, texting, canvassing, writing letters and postcarding. In addition, our partners from MVCAN’s fundraising project Airlift will tell us what they're up to in 2020.

We'll resume our phone banks Sat. Feb 8. In addition, we will be hosting training in Spanish For Activists and Voter Communication techniques.

We have an important election coming up right here in CA: we're heading into the CA Democratic Primary Mar. 3, and have 2 key Congressional seats to defend. Congressman Josh Harder in CD-10 needs to win his Top-2 Primary. Katie Hill's Congressional District 25 seat is up for a Special Election, and we'll be calling for a strong candidate in Katie’s district, Christy Smith, who has been endorsed by Katie herself along with Gov. Newsom, Kamala Harris, Dianne Feinstein, & Nancy Pelosi.  

We will continue to focus on Arizona to win the Senate seat by supporting Mark Kelly as well as their state legislature.

See you at the Kick-Off Meeting!

5

RECLAIM OUR VOTE EVENT - FEATURING DYNAMIC SPEAKER, ANDREA MILLER - Sat. Feb 8, 3-5pm

Reclaim Our Vote is a volunteer-driven, nonpartisan voter outreach campaign to fight voter suppression in various states that have been severely impacted by it, especially in the South.

Reclaim Our Vote has been the source of the wildly popular “Writing Postcards from Home” efforts organized by MVCAN member Bob Haar, politicalbobh@gmail.com. To date, this group has written over 25,000 postcards to disenfranchised voters of color!

Come meet Andrea Miller, director of Reclaim Our Vote and founding Board Member of the Center for Common Ground. She’ll tell us about what Reclaim Our Vote is doing in Texas, Alabama, Georgia, and other states in 2020, and what we can do in Marin. MVCAN is co-hosting this event, which is spear-headed by multiple other Marin grassroots groups. Thanks partners!

We are all set for this very exciting event:

6

MARIN ORGANIZING COMMITTEE (MOC) RESEARCH TEAM MEETING - Wed. Jan 15, 6:30 - 8:30pm

MVCAN is a member organization of the Marin Organizing Committee. MOC strategy for 2020 includes forming teams who will research opportunities and strategies, meet with public officials, and continue to work with officials to make further progress.

This year the MOC Research Teams will focus on 4 areas: Mental Health, Affordable Housing, Renter Protections, and Senior Services. They are about to have their first meeting. Come and participate with fellow MVCAN and community members!

MOC Research Team Meeting

Wed, Jan 15th - 6:30 to 8:30pm
Dominican Sisters Gathering Space
1540 Grand Ave, San Rafael

Contact MVCAN liaison Ruth Jaeger, ruthjaeger94925@gmail.com, for more information.

7

CIVIL RIGHTS/IMMIGRATION MVCAN TEAM MEETING

Sun. Jan 12, 3pm- 4pm

Immigration/Civil Rights Team Meeting

Sunday, Jan 12, 3pm - 4pm (right before the MVCAN Monthly Meeting)

Mill Valley Community Center (meeting in lobby)

180 Camino Alto, Mill Valley

Among the topics discussed at the meeting will be support for and help organizing the MLK Day Celebration in Marin City for which MVCAN is a co-host. (See item #3 in the newsletter). Also, find out how you can support immigrants in your community and learn about issues regarding the upcoming census.

Peter Graumann, petergraumann@yahoo.com, will be leading the meeting.

Join us there!

8

JOIN CALL TO HELP PASS CLIMATE EMERGENCY RESOLUTIONS IN MARIN - Thurs. Jan 23, 6:30pm

Help pass Climate Emergency Resolutions in Marin! Join with the MVCAN Eco-Warriors Team in a zoom call to plan strategy and actions.. (Zoom is a web-based video conferencing tool that allows users to meet online with or without video.)

For an example of the type of climate resolution we are urging Marin County and its city governments to adopt, see this letter outlining the declaration that the City of Sacramento has already adopted. Click HERE to view details about their Declaration.

To participate in the Zoom call and for more info, contact:

Marilyn Price: mprice@the-acorn.com
Topic: Climate Emergency Resolution Meeting
Time: Thurs. Jan 23, 6:30 PM

9

TRAVEL TO PHOENIX, AZ TO CANVASS AND REGISTER VOTERS Feb 15 - 17

This past October, MVCANers traveled to Arizona with a group of 40 Bay activists. They knocked on 900 - 950 doors and registered 500+ Democrats in 4 days! Arizona is one of the highest priority states to take back the Presidency AND the Senate in 2020.

Note: The 2020 January trip to Phoenix is now full. It’s great to see such an enthusiastic response! You still have an opportunity to sign up for February.

FEBRUARY TRIP - Saturday 15th thru Monday 17th in Phoenix

To sign up for the February Phoenix trip or for more info, click HERE.

Our friends at Swing Left are planning a big Presidents’ Day weekend in the Phoenix area. The plan is to canvass and register voters for all three days of the long holiday weekend, with activists from all over the West.

10

CANVASSING IN TRACY

2nd and 3rd Saturdays starting Jan 11

We helped Josh Harder flip California's 10th Congressional District in 2018. Now we need your help to make sure it stays flipped in 2020!

Face-to-face conversations are the most effective tool for voter engagement. We'll join with the Democratic Party of Tracy to walk the neighborhoods and talk with voters and potential voters. Each session begins with a short training and update about the race.

In January and February, we will be canvassing in Tracy on the second and third Saturdays of those months and also likely the last weekend before the March 3, California primary election.

When you sign up below, please also contact Bill Jansen, MVCAN CD-10 Canvassing Coordinator, at billjpolitics@gmail.com or (415) 516-1112, so he can coordinate MVCAN participants.

CARPOOLING: MVCAN is arranging carpools to the canvassing sessions in Tracy. We meet each canvassing date at 8:30 AM at the Larkspur Ferry parking lot, Row J, and return around 4 PM.  

SIGN UP FOR CANVASSING (Please indicate your home organization as "MVCAN")

Saturday, January 11 - sign up HERE

Saturday, January 18 - sign up HERE

Saturday, February 8 - sign up HERE

Saturday, February 15 - sign up HERE

NOTE: Tracy Dems also canvas on selected Sundays. If you would like to independently sign up for one of those, feel free to do so. Check the Greater Tracy Democrats website for details.

11

CANDIDATES RECEPTION AND ENDORSEMENT NIGHT by MARIN WOMEN’S PAC (MWPAC) - Wed. Jan 15, 5:30pm-6:45pm

Marin Women’s PAC is starting off the new year with Candidates Endorsement Night! Many candidates from all over Martin will be in attendance.

The evening begins with a Candidates’ Reception on Wed. Jan 15 at Yet Wah Restaurant in San Rafael. Wine and appetizers will be served. $20/person, payable at the door.

Don’t miss this opportunity to speak directly with the candidates vying for our vote during the Endorsement proceedings.  

Marin Women’s PAC - Candidates’ Reception

Wed. Jan 15, 5:30-6:45 pm
Yet Wah Restaurant

1238 Fourth St., San Rafael

After the reception, come hear the candidates at City Hall:

Beginning at 7:00 p.m., immediately following the Candidates’ Reception, please come to the San Rafael City Hall, 1400 Fifth Ave. San Rafael to hear the candidates.The County Supervisor and city and town councils will present their positions on important local issues.  

Endorsement Night is free and open to the public.

12

NO MORE WAR! -- HOT OFF THE PRESS:

PROTEST WAR WITH IRAN - Thurs. Jan 9 and Fri. Jan 10

Thursday, Jan 9 at 5pm at Novato City Hall: Come If You Can!

Friday, Jan 10 at 4-5pm: Attend Seniors for Peace Rally in Mill Valley at the corner of Camino Alto and Miller Ave.

*

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 The Electoral Team is still hard at work to take back our country in battleground states all over the country...preparing for next year's general election. We're canvassing, calling, texting and sending letters & postcards to defend our hard-won House seats and take back the Senate. Our team of experienced electoral volunteers will help get you started to talk to voters to make sure they are registered and ready to VOTE THEM OUT. We feature Voter Communication training and we'll coach you every step of the way. Join us to take back our country!

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