FEATURED IN THIS WEEK’S MVCAN NEWS:        

  • MVCAN PHONE AND TEXT BANKING - Multiple Dates

  • JARED HUFFMAN TOWN HALL MEETING -  Mon. Mar. 12 in TIBURON

  • FACING CLIMATE CHANGE EVENT - Sun. Mar. 11

  • CANVASSING IN CD-10 WITH SWING LEFT MARIN - Many Dates Available!
  • FUNDRAISER FOR TRACY "GO TEAM" WITH CONGRESSMAN HUFFMAN - Sat. Mar. 17

  • MARCH FOR OUR LIVES - Sat. Mar. 24

  • DEMOCRACY CAFÉ - END GUN VIOLENCE - Sun. Mar. 18

  • ROCK THE CONGRESS - Sat. Mar. 24  

  • SUPPORT IMMIGRANTS AT RISK OF DETENTION
    AND DEPORTATION - Volunteers Needed!

  • RACE MATTERS WORKSHOP BY FIRST 5 MARIN - Mon. Mar. 26

  • AIRLIFT! HELP THIS INCREDIBLE CANDIDATE BECOME THE FIRST BLACK WOMAN GOV. IN THE U.S.!

  • REPORT BACK FROM THE MVCAN MONTHLY MEETING Mar. 4

  • SAVE THE DATE - MVCAN MONTHLY MEETING - Sun. April 8
    Mill Valley Community Center, 4 pm - 5:30 pm


MVCAN PHONE AND TEXT BANKING


We've been hosting a big crowd at our text/phone banks since February, and Saturday was no exception. We had our usual seasoned group of phoners and texters, and also welcomed many new volunteers who benefited from the expertise of our leaders, who are always on hand to train.

We're heartened to see that our texting for Beto O'Rourke helped to get out the Early Vote for the 3/6 Texas democratic primary in record high numbers. Beto is running hard against Ted Cruz for the Senate in Texas–he has now visited almost all the counties in TX in his bid to win without taking any PAC money.

Here are our March events, which include training for volunteers at every level of experience. Please register at the link to make sure you can participate.

For all our phone and text banks and training, you need to bring your charged cell phone AND your laptop, iPad or tablet, along with earbuds with a mic.



Phone Bank in Corte Madera

Mon. Mar 12 - PHONE BANK, 3:00 - 5:00 pm in Corte Madera

Please join us at Jan's home in Corte Madera to call voters in the hotly contested PA-18 Special Congressional Election to elect Conor Lamb.  Election Day is March 13 so you will actually be Getting out The Vote for this incredible candidate!

Please click here to register and get more details/directions

Phone and Text Bank in San Rafael

Wed. Mar 21 - PHONE/TEXT BANK, 4:00 - 6:00 pm in San Rafael

We'll be calling all the flippable California Congressional Districts.

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 opens Wed., Mar. 7 and will be open Wed. - Sun. 12-6pm.

Please click here to register and get details/directions.

Can anyone loan the office folding tables and chairs? Please bring them to the new office, 1344 4th St. (at D) in San Rafael. Thank you!


New? Get Trained to Phone and Text Bank

Just last month we trained more than 130 new volunteers to text and phone bank over two Saturdays! See below for more opportunities to train.

All attendees must bring their charged cell phones AND laptop, iPad or tablet.

Sat. Mar. 10 - PHONE BANK Training 101, 1:00 - 3:00 pm in Sausalito
Register here.

Phone Bank Training 101 is designed for phone banking novices, but also for those who dove right in without formal training. It includes role-play and practice calls. You'll learn how to make calls to voters in red and purple states and districts to get out the vote for the 2018 Midterms.

Sat. Mar. 10 - TEXT BANK Training, 10:30 am - 12:00 pm in Sausalito
Register here.

Note: This training has gone to Wait List.

Join us to learn how to use texting to contact voters. It's another tool we use to help increase voter turnout. It's effective–we reach a different target audience–and those of you who don't like to call voters may find this a good alternative. We’ll learn how to text voters using the Relay platform. We'll text for Beto O'Rourke, running for Senate against Ted Cruz in TX.

Sat. Mar. 17  - COMMUNICATIONS Training: Tools For Engaging With Voters,

10:00 am - 12:30 pm in Sausalito

Register here.

This communications training will teach you effective tools that can be used with voters–or anyone in your life. The presenter is Kathi Walsh, who has a background in psychiatric nursing–and a great sense of humor. She will focus on how you can develop your listening skills as well as improve the way you ask questions. The training includes break-outs to practice your new skills and engage with voters in a whole new way.

TOWN HALL MEETING WITH CONGRESSMAN HUFFMAN

Jared Huffman at the Corte Madera/Larkspur July 4 Parade, with MVCAN and others. Photo: Suz Lipman

Attend a Town Hall Meeting with Congressman Jared Huffman at Del Mar Middle School in Tiburon on Monday, March 12th. Rep. Huffman will be addressing gun safety and other pressing issues.

From the Congressman:

“I look forward to answering your questions and sharing my priorities for representing California’s North Coast in the 115th Congress.”

Town Hall Meeting

Mon, Mar. 12, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm

Del Mar Middle School, 105 Avenida Miraflores, Tiburon

This event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis up to capacity. Parking is extremely limited. Carpools are highly encouraged!

Register here.

If you have questions, please contact Congressman Huffman’s San Rafael office at (415) 258-9657.

New location! Moved due to popular demand.

LEARNING HOW TO FACE CLIMATE CHANGE


We know climate change is real – What do we do now?

Attend an event, sponsored by Organizing for Action (OFA), to help deepen your understanding of the climate crisis. Expect the best and latest in science and interactive discussion.

Special focus will be on how to talk about these issues – whether water, drought, pollution, or rising tides – and engage voters, including those who live in Congressional Districts with climate deniers. David Kunhardt will be presenting.

Facing Climate Change

Sun. Mar. 11, 3:00 - 5:00 pm

Marin County Democratic Headquarters

1344 4th Street (between C and D Streets), San Rafael

Parking is free on Sundays

CANVASSING IN CD10 WITH SWING LEFT MARIN

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.  

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!

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.

No previous experience is needed - training will be provided.

Tracy Monthly Canvassing

Sat. Mar. 10 and all 2nd Saturdays - Swing Left Marin/MVCAN - 11:00 am Tracy

(Most of the volunteers for second Saturdays are MVCAN members.)

There are a few spots remaining for 2nd Saturdays.

To register and find out about carpooling, contact MVCAN member Larry Litvak at: llitvak@aol.com

Sun. Mar. 4 and all 1st Sundays - 1:00 pm Tracy

Email Bridget at SwingLeftMarin@gmail.com

Sat. Mar. 17 and all 3rd Saturdays - 11:00 am Tracy

Email Bridget at SwingLeftMarin@gmail.com

Single-Day Voter Registration Opportunity in Tracy

There are only NINE more Voter Registration actions led by Swing Left Marin in Tracy before the primary election! And our next opportunity has just been made available:

Tracy Voter Registration - Sat. Mar. 10 – 9:30 am - 2:00 pm

Please sign-up 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.


FUNDRAISER FOR TRACY DEMS. "GO TEAM" WITH CONGRESSMAN HUFFMAN


MVCAN has been participating (under the auspices of Swing Left Marin) for the last several months in canvassing and working with the Tracy "Go Team", who have been doing amazing and effective work to prepare for the mid-term elections in CD10 (Tracy, Modesto, Turlock).

Swing Left Marin is hosting an event with our own Rep. JARED HUFFMAN to support the Tracy "Go Team" efforts. Please join us and help support our continuing productive and cooperative relationship with the Tracy "Go Team"!  

BREAK THE GOP SIEGE - TRACY "GO TEAM" FUNDRAISER

Sat. Mar. 17, 2:00 - 4:30 pm

Key Tea Cafe, C Street in San Rafael

There will be free food, drinks, and live music!

Tickets $25-$125

Read more.

RSVP Here.

SAVE THE DATE: MARCH FOR OUR LIVES - SAT. MAR. 24


Join the young people of our country in their heartfelt protest march for Gun Safety on Saturday, March 24. MVCAN will be participating in:

MARCH FOR OUR LIVES

Sat. Mar. 24, 1:00 pm- 4:00 pm

Civic Center, San Francisco

Read more and RSVP.

If you wish to carpool, MVCAN members will be meeting in the parking lot at Mill Valley Middle School, to form informal carpools to SF at 11:45 am.  

NATIONAL STUDENT SCHOOL WALKOUT

In another anti-gun-violence event, local students will be participating in a 17-minute school walkout in remembrance of the 17 people killed in the Parkland shooting.  

Local walk-outs and protests organized by students are planned for all Marin high schools, including Tam and Redwood, and also Mill Valley Middle School.

The students’ actions will go from 10am - 10:17am Wed, March 14th (17 minutes to honor the 17 who died). MVCAN supports the students BUT IS NOT DIRECTLY PARTICIPATING in the student-run actions. Everyone who finds themselves near a high school at that hour is encouraged to “HONK AND WAVE” in support!

DEMOCRACY CAFÉ - END GUN VIOLENCE


Come to Democracy Cafe for an afternoon of art, music and politics!

Our theme this month: How can we end gun violence?

Among many other activities, we will be creating signs for the “March for Our Lives” rally on Sat. Mar. 24

Activities:

-         Create your own signs

-          Sing Along with the Freedom Singers

-          Hear Music and Poetry about social change

-          Discuss Ideas to end gun violence

We’ll meet young activists and artists, including singers Kayla Campbell and Emma Spike. They will perform songs and poems about making the world safer for everyone.

Democracy Café – End Gun Violence

Sun. Mar. 18, 2:00 to 5:00 pm

O'Hanlon Center for the Arts, 616 Throckmorton Avenue, Mill Valley

Please RSVP here. Tickets are free.

Learn more about Democracy Cafe events.


ROCK THE CONGRESS: UNITING PROGRESSIVES TO WIN

Rock the Congress is a one-day conference that will provide Bay Area activists with the training and skills they need to join and build a strong and lasting coalition of progressive activists who are dedicated to winning elections and regaining Democratic control of Congress.

Last August, Rock the Congress/Marin was an enormously exciting and enlightening  event attended by 300 activists! If you missed it last time, now is your chance!

ROCK THE CONGRESS – UNITING PROGRESSIVES TO WIN IN 2018

Sat. Mar. 24, 8:30 am – 6:00 pm

Balboa High School, 1000 Cayuga Ave., San Francisco

Please Register Here.

It’s now more important than ever to train and unite activists to win elections. This is the only way to effect changes in legislation, including gun safety. The conference will feature breakout sessions with tracks from Beginner to Leader, as well as fabulous speakers - including local Congressman Eric Swalwell!

Please join us at this pivotal moment at Rock the Congress on March 24th!

SUPPORT IMMIGRANTS AT RISK OF DETENTION AND DEPORTATION

June Cooperman, Sue Fishman and Rebecca Brackman at the ICE protest in SF Feb. 28.

Attend a one-evening training session and learn how you can participate in documenting events where immigrants are at risk of detention and deportation. The Marin Rapid Response Network is offering training to become a legal observer to help monitor ICE activity.

How does Rapid Response support the needs of at-risk immigrants? A hotline has been set up where a dispatcher receives a call, and if it is an actual raid, will alert the legal observers within 10 miles of the event to respond. The trained observers are sent to the location to observe and report. The videos and notes collected by observers are then sent to local and regional Rapid Response networks to be used in cases of ICE abuse and in defending people at risk of deportation.  

Susan Fishman, an MVCAN member who has been participating as a legal observer, says “It's been a wonderful experience to be part of something so important.”

MORE VOLUNTEERS ARE STILL NEEDED! Join in and help support the immigrant members of our community!

You do not need to have a legal background or be bilingual to become a Legal Observer.  

Training Dates for Legal Observer Volunteers

Wed. Mar. 21, 6:00 - 7:30 pm

Wed. Apr. 4, 6:00 - 7:30 pm

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

Training Location:  

First Presbyterian Church of San Rafael, Canoles Hall

510 Fifth Ave, San Rafael  

For more information contact Olivia Beltran - Obeltran@cwcenter.org  

(415) 526-2486 x 303.

RACE MATTERS WORKSHOP BY FIRST 5 MARIN

We are accustomed to Marin being ranked very high in the areas of wealth, health, and happiness. But unfortunately, in a report by The Advancement Project, Marin County was also found to be "number one" for disparities by race. See www.RaceCounts.org

It's time to hear and understand this information and to talk about it. First 5 Marin has invited The Advancement Project to present their findings and to lead us in an interactive discussion. We want to hear your experiences, your ideas–and your suggestions.

RACE MATTERS WORKSHOP

Monday, March 26, 9:00 am to 11:30 am

Embassy Suites Hotel, 101 McInnis Parkway, San Rafael

This event is sponsored by The Advancement Project and the First 5 Marin Children and Families Commission.

For more information, contact Michelle Fadelli from First 5 Marin: michelle@first5marin.org, 415-257-8555.


AIRLIFT!

HELP THIS INCREDIBLE CANDIDATE BECOME THE FIRST BLACK WOMAN GOV. IN THE U.S.!

Stacey Abrams is the founder of the New Georgia Project, which has registered thousands of new voters in GA. NGP is one of the groups that MVCAN's Airlift supports through its Voter Motor fund.

Stacey has been the Minority Leader in the GA House of Reps. for the past 6 years, where she has managed to add and hold 6 Dem. seats, keeping a supermajority out of the reach of Republicans. She has also stood her ground on 3 weeks of early voting, more than any other southern state.

So...guess who's running against her in the Democratic primary? A white member of the Georgia house named Stacey Evans, who insists that the 14 white swing voters in the suburbs are going to decide this election.

From Reuters: "Abrams, who rouses audiences to near religious fervor describing her struggles growing up poor and black in the South, argues that Democrats have wasted resources on swing voters."

“We have left too many voters untouched,” she said, noting that she refuses to tone down her support for abortion, gay rights and labor unions to appeal to Republican-leaning voters.

We are asking everyone to support Georgia Project Action, the electoral arm of the New Georgia Project, via a contribution to Airlift's Voter Motor fund. Let's help Stacey Abrams finish what she started!

When you donate through Airlift you help candidates, but you are also building local infrastructure for November and the long haul.

CLICK TO DONATE

Learn more about Airlift.

Stacey Abrams and supporters in the GA State Capitol building.

REPORT BACK FROM THE MARCH MVCAN MONTHLY MEETING

Andrea Miller, President of the National Institute for Reproductive Health. Photo: Fabrice Florin

More than 70 people attended MVCAN’s March monthly meeting, where we were inspired by the stirring words of Andrea Miller, President of the National Institute for Reproductive Health. She brought us up to date with what it takes today to support women’s reproductive politics in states and cities across the country. Andrea stressed the critical importance of supporting local activism on behalf of abortion, contraception, and access to all reproductive choices essential for economic justice for women.

From our Electoral Team, Susan Bolle (who guides us through fantastic phone/text banking opportunities) announced the opening of the new headquarters of Marin Dems at 1344 4th St at D St in San Rafael in March. This new headquarters will be providing drop-in phone banking and other activities for flipping CA Congressional Districts.

See a Resistance Calendar.

Susan challenged us to get trained in the communication skills needed and show up at Phone and Text Banking events with MVCAN or the Marin Dems, as well as Canvassing in Tracy with MVCAN and Swing Left.

We are really mobilizing for Midterms 2018 now!

SAVE THE DATE - THE NEXT MVCAN MONTHLY MEETING is Sun. April 8
Mill Valley Community Center, 4 pm - 5:30 pm

Photo: Fabrice Florin

Photo: Fabrice Florin



JOIN AN ACTION TEAM

WANT TO GET MORE INVOLVED? 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 has launched 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, and everyone at MVCAN

MVCAN News brought to you by June, Annie and Suz