FEATURED IN THIS MVCAN NEWSLETTER (5/2/22)

UPCOMING EVENTS

1. AIRLIFT “LIVE FROM THE FRONTLINES” with CEO OF THE NEW GEORGIA PROJECT, NSE UFOT - Thurs, May 26, 5pm

2. MIDTERM ACTIONS - GET INVOLVED NOW!

3. POSTCARDING TO VOTERS in PA and AZ HAS STARTED  

4. BOARD OF SUPERVISORS CANDIDATE FORUM on HOUSING & RACIAL JUSTICE - Wed, May 4, 7pm

5. WATCH LOCAL CANDIDATE FORUMS FOR JUNE 7 ELECTION

6. ATTEND TWO IMPORTANT HOUSING EVENTS IN MILL VALLEY: 1 HAMILTON DR AND THE HOUSING ELEMENT

WHAT WE DID

1. AIRLIFT TALK BY BEN WIKLER FROM WISCONSIN INSPIRES LISTENERS

2. MIDTERM ELECTORAL STRATEGY COVERED AT MVCAN MEETING

3. CONGRESSWOMAN KATIE PORTER WOWS AT AIRLIFT EVENT

4. MVCAN AND MVFREE LOBBY MILL VALLEY CITY ON DIVERSITY, EQUALITY AND INCLUSION (DEI) ISSUES

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JOIN US: AIRLIFT “LIVE FROM THE FRONTLINES” MAY EVENT SPECIAL SPEAKER NSE UFOT, CEO NEW GEORGIA PROJECT Thursday, May 26, 5pm

Nse Ufot, CEO New Georgia Project

Join in an Airlift virtual event of “Live From the Frontlines” with special speaker Nse Ufot, CEO of the New Georgia Project. She will inform us about the strategies of the grassroots group New Georgia Project (NGP) in overcoming voter suppression in the South (now that Stacey Abrams has moved on from NGP to become the Democratic candidate for Georgia Governor).

Georgia’s population is growing and becoming increasingly diverse. Over the past decade, the population of Georgia increased 18%. The New American Majority – people of color, those 18 to 29 years of age, and unmarried women – is a significant part of that growth. The New American Majority makes up 62% of the voting age population in Georgia, but they are only 53% of registered voters. New Georgia Project is a non-partisan effort to register and civically engage these eligible voters.

SPEAKER NSE UFOT

AIRLIFT PRESENTS “NEW GEORGIA PLAYBOOK”  

Thursday, May 26 - 5PM (PT)

REGISTER NOW FOR ZOOM LINK ON MAY 26

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CRITICAL MIDTERM ELECTION ACTIONS ARE HERE NOW!

Elections have consequences. The 2022 Midterms begin in 6 months. If Democrats lose our majority in the US Senate and the House in November, we face not only the consequences of Republican denial of climate change and abortion access but the real risk of losing the right to free and fair elections for decades. The 2024 Presidential election could end up being decided by partisan election officials installed by Republicans all over the country.

The Bay Area Coalition was recently formed to harness the power of Bay Area activists to win elections. It is a new coalition of experienced leaders representing 16 groups (including Democratic county parties and clubs) and over 50,000 volunteers. The Coalition allows us to effectively and strategically collaborate on phone banking canvassing, postcarding and training.

Our focus is voter registration utilizing a comprehensive approach: pre-canvass postcards to announce our presence in their neighborhoods, door-knocking, follow-up phone calls and voter education that includes door-hangers, vote pledge cards, and GOTV ballot/voting information cards.

BAY AREA COALITION -
PHONE BANKS, CANVASSING, AND TRAINING

BAY AREA COALITION VIRTUAL PHONE BANKS:

Wednesdays 5-7pm and Saturdays 10am-noon (PT)

REGISTER HERE

Join Democracy Action and our new Bay Area Coalition of activist groups from all over the Bay Area to make calls every Wednesday, 5-7pm (PT) and Saturday, 10am-noon (PT).  

We're using auto-dialers to call voters in high-priority elections in states Arizona and Nevada (Senator, Governor & state leaders all up for election) along with the CA Central Valley Congressional Districts we need to defend or flip.

Our coaches will help you every step of the way, whether you're a seasoned phone banker or have never called voters before.

We need Spanish Speakers at all our phone banks -- and canvassing.

CANVASSING IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY

Every Saturday 9:30am - 4:30pm

REGISTER HERE

We need your help registering voters in Central Valley CD-13 and CD-22, from Modesto to Bakersfield. There are over 100,000 eligible unregistered voters. Join the Bay Area Coalition to go door-to-door to identify potential Democratic voters.

Our Central Valley partners will identify neighborhoods and provide staging locations (currently in Hanford) throughout the CD-13 and CD-22 districts.

We also have canvassing options in Congressman Josh Harder's new Congressional District, CD-9, where polls now show a toss-up race. The majority of the 9th District is centered around San Joaquin County, encompassing cities such as Stockton, Tracy, Manteca, Ripon, and Escalon. The district also dips into southern portions of Sacramento County and eastern portions of Contra Costa County.

To sign-up for canvassing for Josh Harder, please contact Bill Jansen at billjpolitics@gmail.com.

No prior canvassing experience is necessary. When you arrive at the staging location you will be trained and given all the supplies you need. Lodging and carpool options are available.

VIRTUAL TRAINING FOR NEW & RETURNING VOLUNTEERS

Sunday, May 15, 1-2pm (PT)

REGISTER HERE

Whether you're brand new to volunteering for elections or need a refresher, we’ll let you know what to expect when you volunteer for a canvass or an online phone bank. We'll also tell you more about these effective voter contact tools and how they help us win.

We will also have plenty of time to answer questions and provide links to getting involved.

Meanwhile, you can visit our Bay Area Coalition Training - YouTube channel where you'll find recordings of the 5 comprehensive voter communication and engagement trainings we've already held this year.

Postcards to Pennsylvania Voters:

Our wonderful postcard writers have been working hard these past few months to reach likely Democratic voters in the key state of Pennsylvania (via the group Field Team 6). Pennsylvania has a primary coming up. (Republican Pat Toomey's Senate seat is up for grabs)

Democrats badly need to win this Pennsylvania seat to either hold or expand the Senate majority. Please get cards in the mail ASAP to give these PA voters time to register and vote in the primary. (The primary is on May 17. The last day to register for the primary in Pennsylvania is May 10.)

We'll continue with PA voter registration efforts beyond the primary as well.

Postcards to Arizona:

We are now adding Arizona to our postcarding effort with Field Team 6. In this campaign, we'll be reaching out to voters in a purple district in hopes of flipping it blue.

Arizona was a key battleground state in the 2020 elections, helping push Biden to victory. That was just the second time since 1948 that the state voted to put a Democrat in the White House, and it was the first time Arizona has had two Democratic Senators since 1952.

As of November 2021, our work with Field Team 6 has helped over 96,000 new Democrats get registered to vote in the Grand Canyon state. And, since the 2020 election, we have helped to register almost 150,000 more likely Democrats in Arizona.

To get voter addresses and scripts for postcarding, contact: politicalbobh@gmail.com

When contacting Bob (politicalbobh@gmail.com) to request names, please let him know if you have a preference for either campaign: Pennsylvania or Arizona. Also, let him know how many names and addresses you'd like.

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PLEASE PARTICIPATE IN HOUSING ADVOCACY: 1 HAMILTON AND HOUSING ELEMENT - May 3 and May 7

EVENT #1: TUESDAY, MAY 3, 6:30 PM at the MiIl Valley Community Center. The City is hosting an open house for the 1 Hamilton Dr (a 40-unit affordable housing project near Hauke Park) to gather input on preliminary design features, massing and site planning work.

Please show up to be a pro-housing advocate and counter the local opposition to a wonderful opportunity for Mill Valley to increase affordable housing stock! There will not be any public comment (open mic) time as this is an open house and not a regular meeting, but being a PRO-housing person will add a counter weight as the local opposition will be present in force. There will be time to speak to the city council members present.

EVENT #2: The City’s Housing Advisory Committee will hold an open Zoom meeting on Tues, May 17, 6:30 pm to receive an overview of the potential new Housing Element and offer feedback and suggestions.

The City of Mill Valley is in the process of identifying the potential housing development sites as well as the rules that will enable it to meet the RHNA housing production goals (for 2023-2031 for 865 units) along with the accompanying Housing Element. The city will be working on identifying the specific plans and programs that support those goals.

Mill Valley has already developed an initial review of sites that could allow for meeting the unit goals and is working to finalize the draft Housing Element.  

You can provide important constituent input during the meeting.

You can register to participate HERE.

WHERE WE’VE BEEN AND WHAT WE’VE DONE

1

REPORT ON AIRLIFT “WINNING IN WISCONSIN” WITH BEN WIKLER

A cogent and inspiring speaker, Ben Wikler has led Democrats through an unbroken string of victories in Wisconsin and is fighting to fire Republican Senator Ron Johnson and hold Wisconsin’s Democratic Governorship.

2

RECENT MVCAN MEETING FOCUSED ON ELECTION EDUCATION AND MOBILIZATION

Electoral lead Susan Bolle spoke about gearing up for critical November elections, doing a deep dive into the election landscape in targeted battleground areas in CA, AZ, and NV.

We also heard about how Congressman Josh Harder is once again up for re-election - this time in a newly drawn district, CD-9. Camille Torres, Josh's Campaign Manager, joined us to give direct insight into his challenges in this election cycle.

From Airlift, Chris Lydon told us about what CA, NV, and AZ grassroots groups are doing as grantees of Airlift.

3

KATIE PORTER ENLIGHTENS US AT FEBRUARY AIRLIFT EVENT

On Feb 15 MVCAN was delighted to join, along with 160 attendees, in a Zoom meeting with Katie Porter as part of the Airlift “Live from the Front Lines” speaker series. Katie Porter stunned the political world with her 2018 victory that turned Orange County blue. With four competitive congressional districts, OC will once again be pivotal to retaining a Democratic majority.

You can watch a 4-minute video highlight of our meeting with Congresswoman Katie Porter at “Grassroots Organizing in 2022”

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MVFREE AND MVCAN LOBBY FOR QUALIFIED
MILL VALLEY CITY MANAGER

Mill Valley City is hiring a new city manager- a position of great importance for how the City functions and how priorities are implemented. Members of Mill Valley Force for Racial Equity and Empowerment (MVFREE) and MVCAN participated in advocating strongly last month for a city manager candidate who has experience with DEI initiatives, housing equity/expansion and police oversight, areas which we believe have high priority.    

Many thanks to all the MVCANers that participated in giving input about the search to both the City Council and the recruiting consultant. Stay tuned for other possible actions on this issue over the next few months.

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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 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 Team 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 phone banking, texting and sending postcards to pass voting rights legislation in Congress and win Special Congressional Elections-- all laying the groundwork for the 2022 Midterms. Our team of experienced electoral leaders will coach you from start to finish, providing you with the background you need to talk with voters.

The Events team creates special events to engage our friends and neighbors to take political action with MVCAN.

Tech supports MVCAN through technology.

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