On September 27, IEB’s CA-15 Team had the opportunity to meet with Tim Sbranti, Deputy Chief of Staff and District Director for Congressmember Eric Swalwell. This was our first meeting with a member of Swalwell’s staff; here’s what we talked about and the main takeaways from the discussion:
- IEB’s objectives: to stop Trump’s agenda (a main principle of Indivisible)
- We support Eric and want to provide positive reinforcement
- We want our CA-15 team to engage with Swalwell and his staff:
- Swalwell’s staff have also been in contact with Indivisible Livermore; Tim had recently attended one of their events. We will identify a contact person at Indivisible Livermore and coordinate our communications with them.
- We’d like to have regular meetings with Swalwell’s staff and will contact Sammy Jo Rudy, Finance Assistant and Organizer, for this.
- IEB plans to be a presence at Swalwell’s events (town halls, Congress on Your Corner, etc.)
- We plan to continue to have specific “asks” – just because we like Swalwell doesn’t mean we’ll always like the bills he cosponsors; or there may be an issue where we need to increase his awareness.
- We discussed what we as a team can do to provide support:
- Near term – help with voter registration efforts. Tim suggested coordinating with the League of Women Voters (LWV) and the Alameda County Registrar
- Longer term – flipping red districts in Southern California. Timeframe is June 2018 and potential actions include phone banks and a road trip by bus
Next steps – Please contact us if you’re able to help:
- Coordinate with the LWV and Alameda County Registrar on voter registration actions
- Identify specific “asks” we can present to Swalwell’s staff – these can include voting against something, cosponsoring a bill, making a public statement, etc. There’s one included in this communication on the next page that you can start on NOW!
- Schedule a CA-15 team face-to-face meeting in October – we’ll be in touch about a date and location. If anyone has a suggestion for a location, please let us know.
Action Item:
The Supplemental National Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps and known as CalFresh in California, is under attack. Please call and email and ask him to vote NO on the related House Budget Resolution. Castro Valley: (510) 370-3322; DC: (202) 225-5065
