Last week, City Hall announced plans to hire Peter Bowen as a new Deputy Chief Administrative Officer (DCAO) in charge of the city's land use. They will also expand the duties of the job, creating a new agency, the Office of Business and External Services (OBES), a project of Gilberto Montaño, the city's Chief Administrative Officer.
The OBES will include the regulatory agencies already under the leadership of the DCAO and add agencies in charge of economic development and buying, selling and leasing city-owned land.
Bowen is a former general manager for Sonder, a short-term rental company that became the largest operator of STRs in New Orleans in 2018. Bowen fought against regulation for the STR industry and “blitz scaled the New Orleans market for Sonder from launch to 1,000 apartments (2,500 rooms) in under 36 months” (from his application for the DCAO position).
The last DCAO left the position in the wake of scandals based around big business dodging city regulation. A building inspector was indicted on taking $65,000 in bribes, and two building inspectors were suspended for falsely claiming multiple inspections of the Hard Rock Hotel on Canal St.
City Hall has failed in its duties to regulate the STR industry, and appointing an STR exec to a powerful regulatory job makes it even more clear that our city government is catering to corporations at the expense of New Orleans locals. The needs of our city residents come before the profits of wealthy developers, especially during an economic crisis and looming mass evictions.
Are you interested in getting involved in this campaign to oppose the hiring of Peter Bowen? Email [email protected] to get connected with a leader from our Municipal Action Committee or come out to one of our upcoming events!
What's next? Join our our next Local Council meeting, TONIGHT at 6:30 (register here). This is the monthly meeting of our chapter's leadership body, and everyone is welcome to attend these meetings. And put the August General Meeting, which will be on August 22nd at 2 PM, in your calendar today! General Meetings are held monthly. These are the largest meetings of the General Membership (that's you!) each month, and this is where the entire chapter membership makes collective decisions on how to move forward. If you can only make one meeting a month, a General Meeting is the place to start!
Solidarity,
Local Council
New Orleans DSA
P.S. New to DSA? Check out our chapter's new member resources here. You can always email [email protected] with questions about how to get involved or about the work our chapter is doing.
BIPOC Caucus. All Black, Indigenous, and People of Color are invited to attend these BIPOC Caucus meetings. Come socialize and organize together! Register for the call here. Monday, August 3rd @ 5 PM.
Local Council Meeting. This is the monthly meeting of our chapter's Local Council, the elected chapter leadership body. Everyone is welcome to attend these meetings. If you have questions, or want to submit agenda items, please email [email protected]. Register for the call here. Monday, August 3rd @ 6:30 PM.
Health Justice Campaign Organizing Call. The urgent need for a more just health care system has never been more clear than it is in this moment. Join our chapter's Health Care Committee for discussions on how to organize for health justice during this pandemic. Register for the meeting here.Tuesday, August 4th @ 5:30 PM.
Worker Power Louisiana Meeting. Join our chapter's labor committee to discuss workplace organizing efforts across the city and the state! Register for the meeting here. Tuesday, August 4th @ 6:30 PM.
Tech Working Group: Website Redesign Meeting. Join this meeting if you want to get involved in redesigning our chapter's website. Register for the meeting here.Thursday, August 6th @ 7 PM.
Brake Light Clinic. We are re-launching our brake light clinics in a safe, socially distanced manner. Join us to safely change brake lights for our neighbors! Bayou Road & North Dorgenois Street. Saturday, August 8th @ 11 AM.
DSA: How We're Fighting! Not sure where to plug in to our organizing? New to DSA? This is our weekly check-in call. We'll get brief updates about campaigns and projects. We'll hear from our coalition partners on what they're working on, and have open discussion about different issues. Register here!Saturday, August 8th @ 2 PM.
Political Education Planning Call. Whether you're new to DSA or have been around for years, one thing's for sure: the learning never stops! Join us to help develop a political education program for the chapter so we can better apply lessons from history and theory to our contemporary lives and organizing work (and vice-versa!). Register for this recurring call here. Sunday, August 9th @ 11 AM.
National DSA Upcoming Events
Q&A About DSA. Are you interested in officially joining DSA as a dues-paying member? Are you curious what being an active Democratic Socialist Organizer looks like? Jump on this call to meet DSA Leaders, explore what it means to be a DSA member, and ask questions about DSA and the movement we’re building. Register here. August 4th @ 7 PM CST.
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Our chapter has implemented the national DSA Harassment Policy. To get in touch with our Harassment and Grievance Officers, you can email [email protected] to ask them questions and inform them of any inappropriate behavior.
