FEATURED IN THIS WEEK’S MVCAN NEWS:        

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

• HELP CREATE AN ART FLOAT FOR SOCIAL CHANGE - Fri. & Sat. April 21-22

• DISTRICT ATTORNEY CANDIDATES’ FORUM - Sat. April 28

• MVCAN PHONE AND TEXT BANKING - Multiple Dates!

• CELEBRATE VOLUNTEERS DAY, MV COMMUNITY CENTER - Sun. April 29

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

• NEW WOMEN’S RIGHTS INITIATIVE

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

• SPECIAL AIRLIFT BULLETIN

• PROTECTING OUR OCEANS: PERILS AND PROGRESS IN CALIFORNIA - Wed. April 25

• REPORT BACK FROM ROCK THE CONGRESS IN NAPA

• MVCAN HELP WANTED

and ..

SAVE THE DATE FOR THE MVCAN MONTHLY MEETING - Sun. May 6, 4-5:30 pm, Mill Valley Community Center

CELEBRATE EARTH DAY WITH US

SUN. APRIL 22!

The MVCAN Eco-Warriors is 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 (Drop in anytime)

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

Learn more, see a complete program schedule, and get your FREE TICKETS online.

Celebrate Earth Day with art, music and talks about protecting Mother Earth! Please spread the word to your friends and family, too!

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!

Would you like to help set up and host this event? We’re looking for volunteers on the day of the event, for tasks like greeting, hosting, table set up, putting up signs, audio and video equipment set up and operation. If you would like to volunteer, please contact mprice@the-acorn.com

HELP CREATE AN ART FLOAT FOR SOCIAL CHANGE

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 2 days left before Earth Day and could use your help to get it all done! Can you join one of our special float parties? Check the schedule here.

Fri. Apr. 20 - 4-8pm Assembly / Building / Painting

Sat. Apr. 21 - 10am-5pm Assembly / Transportation (Rehearsal at 2pm)

If you can join, please RSVP by email: float@tammakers.org. 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 (see directions).

Bring your friends and families. Teens 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

Come 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

WE HAVE A SPECIAL ELECTION COMING UP TUES., APRIL 24, IN ARIZONA–AND IT'S A CLOSE ONE!

We're working to Get Out The Vote for Dr. Hiral Tipernini to win the U.S. House seat in AZ-08. This is a close race–one of those Republican districts with Republicans who resigned in disgrace–where we've been able to energize our Democrats with a great candidate.

We need your help to make sure we get every vote we can for the election on Tuesday. We know that the calls and texts we make during the last days of an election are extremely effective. Special Elections get very low turn-out, so we need to remind our voters with absentee ballots to get those ballots off their desk and into the mail.

Remember, Conor Lamb won in PA by only 800 votes!

Leaders are always on hand to train. For more details about these and other upcoming phone/ text banks, please visit the MVCAN Electoral Team page or the MVCAN Phone/ Text Bank page.

Phone and Text Bank in Sausalito

Important news: This Sat., April 21, will likely be our last phone/text bank at our Sausalito office. Our generous hosts have to rent the office out, so we won't be able to use it anymore. Please join us this Saturday, 2:30-4:30 pm, to celebrate our 16-month anniversary of working to win elections at that wonderful space!

Our regular Saturday phone banks will move to the Marin Dems HQ in San Rafael. If you have any leads/contacts for an office in Southern Marin for Saturday phone banks, please contact Susan Bolle at swbolle@gmail.com

Sat. April 21 - PHONE/TEXT BANK, 2:30 pm - 4:30 pm in Sausalito

Please click here to register and get more details/directions.

We'll be calling/texting for the Special Congressional Election for AZ-08, to be held April 24. And of course, we'll be texting for Beto O'Rourke, who is running against Ted Cruz in TX.

Phone and Text Bank in San Rafael

Wed. April 25 - PHONE/TEXT BANK, 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm

We're co-hosting this phone/text bank at Marin Democrats' new headquarters in San Rafael. We'll be calling to CA-10 and CA-48. And of course we'll be texting for Beto O'Rourke (running against Ted Cruz in TX.)

Please click here to register and get more details/directions.

Phone and Text Bank in Corte Madera

Mon. April 23 - PHONE BANK, 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Please join us at Jan's home in Corte Madera to call for the Special Congressional Election for AZ-08 April 24, to replace Republican Trent Franks.

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

MILL VALLEY VOLUNTEER CELEBRATION DAY

Come out and support and thank local volunteers, and receive recognition for your own work. Learn about local organizations and nonprofits.

MVCAN will have a table, hosted by our fearless Core Team member Bernard Catalinotto. Stop by!

Mill Valley Volunteer Celebration Day

Sun. April 29, 11:00am - 2:00pm

Mill Valley Community Center, 180 Camino Alto, Mill Valley

Learn more about this event.

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!  

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. 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

Also, check out these other options:

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

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

SUN. MAY 6 AND ALL 1st SUNDAYS - 11:00 am 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 21, 9:30 am - 2:00 pm

Register and learn more here .

TRACY VOTER REGISTRATION - SAT. APRIL 28, 9:30 AM - 2:00 PM

SIGN UP FOR ON-CALL EMERGENCY PROTEST

IN SAN RAFAEL

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, should a constitutional crisis arise 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).

DISTRICT ATTORNEYS ARE GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER. THESE CHALLENGERS ARE CALLING THEM OUT. Alameda County DA Race Incumbent - Months before clearing a Fremont cop in the fatal shooting of a pregnant Latina, Nancy O’Malley, Alameda county DA, accepted a $10,000 donation from the Fremont police union. Challenger - We think Pamela Price, an award-winning, 30 year veteran civil rights attorney, can do a better job as Alameda county DA. Sacramento County DA Race Incumbent - 48 hours after Stephon Clark was murdered, the Sacramento County DA Ann Marie Schubert accepted a $10,000 donation from the police union. Challenger - Noah Phillips, an Assistant DA in Schubert’s office, is running against his boss on a strong criminal justice reform platform. Sacramento County Sheriff Race Incumbent - Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones says California is overrun by dangerous criminal immigrants and police should hand them over to ICE. Challenger - His opponent, Milo Fitch, a 33 year veteran of the Sacramento Sheriff’s Dept, stands for police accountability, protecting undocumented immigrants, and money bail reform. YOU CAN AIM YOUR MONEY AT THE HEART OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM As part of Airlift's bottom-up strategy, we are working with an incredible national team that recruits genuine reform candidates, and backs them with grassroots field organizing and sophisticated digital media strategies. This strategy worked in Philadelphia, Chicago and San Antonio. With your help, we can make this model work all over the country so people who don't have a voice can see that the justice system can work for them. DONATE HERE   Thanks for your support ! The Airlift Team: Danny, Suz, Carol, Rebecca, Roberta P.S. Money is urgently needed to hire organizers. Voting begins May 9th. Please share with friends, colleagues, family–particularly people who live in the East Bay or Sacramento. Airlift is MVCAN's first national initiative. Airlift gets money directly to grassroots groups working on the ground to create the transformational change we need. Read more at www.airlift.fund

PROTECTING OUR OCEANS:

PERILS AND PROGRESS IN CALIFORNIA

Meet and ask questions of local experts: What are they doing to help the California Pacific? What can you do?

This forum will address some of the threats to our oceans and solutions being implemented in California, focusing on ocean food webs, marine mammals, offshore and coastal restoration projects, and other conservation measures.

Weds. April 25, 6:00- 9:00 pm

6:30 - 7:00 pm Registration, Tabling & Networking

7:00 - 9:00 pm Program

Marin Art and Garden Center, The Studio Building

30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Ross

Learn more about this event.

The Napa Rock the Congress was a great success with estimated 200+ attendees. Featuring outstanding speakers and breakout sessions, there were also many opportunities for great networking. We met with amazing activists from throughout Northern California and explored the many initiatives they all are pursuing.  

One of the most valuable outcomes was the sense of coalition building that is essential for the hundreds of grassroots organizations that have sprung up.  The NorCal Blue Wave Alliance was announced, with more information coming soon, including a beta version of their website.

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

MVCAN News brought to you by June, Annie and Suz