Dear John,

I hope this finds you and your loved ones well and that you’ve had some time to rest after the election. I took some time post-election to rest (a lot), get outdoors with my family, properly grieve for my mother and catch up on two years of deferred chores. I also spent some very gratifying time on the phone with many lovely people in Georgia. Those conversations gave me ideas and insights for the work we need to do all over this country, modeled on the brilliant work of Stacy Abrams and many other dedicated change makers. I’m fresh off knee surgery that should allow me to return to my backcountry activities in time to hike the John Muir Trail this summer, if it’s safe and legal to do so. As you can imagine, I was truly hoping for a slightly longer reprieve, but the events of the past week forced us all back into action. 

As I contemplate the horror of Wednesday too closely juxtaposed against the joy of the Georgia results Tuesday night, I wanted to check in with all of you -- the wonderful people who helped us create an unstoppable movement in CA-08. We always knew there was more work to do, but the events of the past week have compelled us to get back to work with increased urgency. I was extremely disappointed, albeit not surprised, that newly sworn in Rep. Jay Obernolte, who vowed to defend the constitution just last Sunday, voted to disenfranchise voters in the entire state of Pennsylvania (where my sister votes!) -- even after a siege of the Capitol. We need to hold him accountable, and we can best do that as a community, using our collective voices to increase our impact.

That is why I am organizing a meeting on zoom this Tuesday, January 12 at 6 pm PT. I am asking that everyone register for the meeting in advance.

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEpdO6trToiE9YH-oflRKqvd861kMHyai5Q 

1. Prioritize the needs that we want Rep. Obernolte to address

   1. Healthcare needs in CA-08

   2. Current Economic concerns

      1. Small business

      2. Unemployment 

2. Plans for actions and lobbying efforts to hold Jay Obernolte accountable.

   1. High Desert Progressive Dems healthcare rally in early February. Follow on FB or IG @hdprogressivedems

   2. Citizens’ Climate Lobby - lobby meetings with Congress 3/27 or 3/28

3. Develop plan for addressing Obernolte’s unacceptable vote on the Pennsylvania election results. 

Gratefully,