On Sunday, January 26, Indivisible East Bay had its monthly All Members Meeting and THIRD ANNIVERSARY PARTY! Hey, we celebrate any chance we get!
We welcomed everyone by talking about who we are and what we do, introducing ourselves to each other, and sharing thoughts on what makes us hopeful.
Governance Committee member Ted discussed the Schools and Communities First ballot initiative, a “once in two generations ballot initiative” that needs 1.2 million signatures by March to get on the November 2020 ballot. Schools and Communities First would:
- Reclaim $12 billion per year for K-12 schools, community colleges and local communities
- Close commercial property tax loopholes that corporations and wealthy investors use to avoid paying their fair share of property taxes
- Protect all homeowners and renters by maintaining tax protections for ALL residential property
- Ensure strict accountability so that money goes directly to our schools and communities
Contact Ted at info@indivisibleeb.org if you can help collect signatures.
Governance Committee member Ion discussed the upcoming California primary, including Mail-in ballots/Primary 101, registering to vote, how to vote for President, and more. See Ion’s slides here.
Governance Committee member Ted talked about 2020 Census jobs. See:
Donald Lathbury, Flip the West Campaign Director and Strategist, talked about important facts related to Arizona voters from 2016, 2018, and 2020. He went on a deep dive into the voter groups that Flip the West and partners want to connect with. The data Don provided convinced us that Arizona is critical to winning big in 2020.
Canvassing in AZ! Andrea, Alissa, and Ted recounted their recent experiences and highlighted several examples of how canvassing can make an impact through meaningful conversations. They recounted how excited they were to meet US Senate candidate Captain Mark Kelly and his wife, former Representative Gabby Giffords, while canvassing in Phoenix. Partnering with Flip the West and other progressive groups, IEB will be going back to canvass in AZ monthly throughout 2020.
Next up, a presentation on “Dems in Array!” including info about the threat of disinformation; how to be smart consumers of information; and being a Warren Campaign Community Organizer and promoting unity among all stripes of progressives. A group discussion followed.
We broke for anniversary cake and small group discussions, including a breakout on the basics of canvassing. There were some very good questions on the purpose of canvassing when it’s for a ballot measure or before there’s even an official candidate. One reason to canvass can be to get name recognition out there for voters who aren’t closely following the news. Another reason: to have meaningful conversations with voters on what issues are important to them and develop relationships, so Flip the West and others can go back to reinforce the progressive message. In canvassing you meet great people on the canvassing team and really learn to listen to people that you normally wouldn’t get to meet.
Governance Committee member Larry ran a breakout with an update about impeachment and actions people can take, including how we got to this crazy place, what we’ve done to make impeachment happen, and more. See Larry’s slides.
IEB’s All Members Meetings are on the fourth Sunday of every month unless a holiday interferes. Join us at the Sunday February 23, 1-3 PM AMM, at the Sports Basement, Berkeley. Info & RSVP here. In the meantime, please join us online where we do our planning and organizing — email info@indivisibleeb.org for an invite.
Photographs by Heidi Rand
