Message From the Board: Fighting For Housing (And Doing A Little Partying Too)

This week Sac DSA joined Tenants Together and other renter advocates for a rally outside the offices of the California Apartment Association lobbying group (a/k/a the worst people in the world… or at least in the running). The state legislature had been working on a bill to protect tenants from eviction, get them money for rent debt relief, and make permanent some added protections that were passed last year - but of course the billionaires and CAA more or less tried to destroy everything, leaving a loophole filled eviction moratorium until September, giving no money to tenants, and walking back many of the crucial temporary protections we now have.

At the last minute, Newsom proposed to extend the eviction moratorium for three months, while also barring cities from passing any further renter protections through March of next year. The legislature still needs to vote on the bill; you can read a summary of it here.

And in more fun news, DSA’s Beer & Roses happy hours are back! We had a great time seeing your faces at Tower Brewing last Friday, and are hoping to see some of you in Elk Grove on July 9 and other cities afterward! Further dates will be announced in this newsletter and on our social media. And if you can’t wait that long to hang out, check out our new Rose Buddies programs, where new DSA members can pair up with older members for a coffee or what-not -- sign up info is in this newsletter below!

Mutual Aid Opportunities This Week

Sac DSA's Mutual Aid Committee hosts a food and supply distribution for the unhoused at Cesar Chavez Plaza every other Monday. Our next distribution is Monday, June 28, at 5:30 PM. All members are invited to attend or donate! We are seeking donations to support this work through https://www.patreon.com/SacDSAMutualAid. Email [email protected] for more information.

Also, it's going to get hot AF again this week -- let's make sure we're all safe and hydrated. Distribute water to camps you know, or if you want to support our water drops, please donate money here https://patreon.com/SacDSAMutualAid or contact us at [email protected] if you have water bottles to donate.

Introducing “Rose Buddies”, Where Newer Members Can Learn More About DSA With A More Experienced Member

Interested in getting more involved with Sac DSA, but don’t know where to start? Or perhaps you’re an experienced member, and want to help some new folks get their bearings?

We’re starting a new “Rose Buddies” program here in Sac DSA, in which newer members can be paired with an experienced member to meet up for a coffee (or whatever else sounds good to you) and get to know more about each other and DSA. Sometimes it helps to have a friend when joining a new group!

New members looking for a buddy can sign up here.

More experienced members looking to mentor a buddy can sign up here.

Socialist Feminist Working Group Is Looking For Organizers

National DSA’s Socialist Feminist Working Group is electing new members to its Steering Committee next month, and any interested DSA member is welcome to apply! Nominations (including self-nominations) are due by July 6th at 11:59 PM.

If you have questions about running for or serving on the Steering Committee, don't hesitate to read our FAQ or email socialistfeminism@dsausaorg!

The Socialist Feminist Working Group brings a more prominent feminist perspective to DSA and a socialist perspective to the mainstream feminist movement. For example, we provide resources for DSA local chapters to organize around feminist issues such as reproductive justice including economic justice and other issues that especially impact working class and poor women. If you’d like to learn more (including how to join), check out our website!

International Solidarity Updates:

This part of the newsletter is for updates on international situations that national or Sacramento DSA has identified as priorities for our organization. If you would like to write any of these updates, please email us or consider joining our international committee!

Rally For Palestine This Thursday

Despite the recent cease-fire between Israel’s military behemoth and the hard-pressed Palestinians, the ethnic cleansing in the region continues. This week marks the “deadline” set by Israel’s courts for some Palestinian residents of Jersualem to turn over their homes to Zionist settlers -- an act unquestionably illegal under international law, and which sparked off the most recent fighting last month. Meanwhile the Biden administration shows no signs of reversing the pro-Zionist tilt of the Trump and Obama administrations, or indeed of every US government since Kennedy.

DSA and its allies will be rallying again in Sacramento to protest this outrage. We will be massing outside the federal courthouse (501 I Street) this Thursday @ 4PM. The action isn’t just symbolic; Representative Doris Matsui has her office there, and she hasn’t called for Israel to stop giving the green light on ethnic cleansing and IMMEDIATELY halt scheduled expulsions. Our last rally there was massive, and we’re hoping this one will be even larger. You can find a Facebook event page for the protest here. If you’d like to meet up with the DSA contingent, send us an email and we’ll make sure a buddy finds you!

If you’re interested in joining DSA’s long-term solidarity efforts on behalf of the Palestinians, you can join our international committee (send us an email here) or the national DSA BDS and Palestine Solidarity Working Group (BDS means “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions” -- a Palestinian-led effort to isolate the Zionist regime along the lines of the anti-apartheid movement against South Africa).

DSA in Venezuela

This past week, a contingent of DSA members -- including several members of our National Political Committee (DSA’s leadership board) -- traveled to Venezuela for the biannual Congress of the Peoples of the World, in solidarity with leftist organizations in Latin America and beyond. A full report will be coming soon, but in the meantime you can follow NPC member Krisitan Steffany on Twitter for updates in English (below is a photo of Kristian at the conference with Evo Morales). The Congress’s website (in Spanish) can be found here.

Upcoming Sac DSA Meetings

All meetings taking place on Zoom, due to Covid. Open to all members! Some meetings require pre-registration so we can verify your DSA membership; just click the link and provide the email address you used when you joined DSA.

Labor Committee meeting, Monday June 28 @ 7PM, Zoom link here

The Labor Committee will be discussing its Sacramento Industrial Power Mapping research project, giving an update on the PRO Act, discussing the DSA National Convention Labor Resolution (including a new proposed amendment) and the California Climate Jobs Plan.

Executive Board meeting, Tuesday July 6 @ 7PM, Zoom link here

Sac DSA Executive Board holds it biweekly meeting. Any member is welcome to attend ask request something be placed on the agenda. Among other things, we will be planning for this month’s chapter-wide general meeting.

Socialist Education Committee meeting, Thursday July 8 @ 7PM, Zoom link here

Agenda forthcoming

Beer & Roses (DSA Happy Hour), Friday July 9 @ 6-9PM, Flatland Brewing in Elk Grove (9183 Survey Rd #104, Elk Grove 95624)

Come drop in to this relaxed event and say hello to your comrades! Drinking alcohol is not required, and people are always willing to help pay for the next round if your boss or landlord has been extra-stingy this week. New faces especially welcome!

Missed a Meeting? Here are the Notes!

Electoral Committee meeting notes, 6/26/21

The Electoral Committee discussed its upcoming committee chair election, and its plans for a “Roses & Races” electoral training video series.

Executive Board meeting notes, 6/23/21

The Executive Board discussed the latest regional check-in among DSA chapters, possible actions concerning the treatment of the unhoused in Chico, and planned for the upcoming general meeting.

Mutual Aid Committee meeting notes, 6/21/21

The Mutual Aid committee discussed upcoming food and water distributions, coalition-building, and fundraising.

Upcoming National DSA Events & Programs

These events are hosted by National DSA or chapters outside Sacramento. As with all DSA events, they are free and open to anyone!

“Social Housing Town Hall” (w/ ACCE & Tenants Together)

Friday, July 2 @ 12PM California time, RSVP here

What is "social housing"? How does it matter to local housing justice struggles across California?

Join us, along with partners such as ACCE and Tenants Together, as well as the former UN Special Rapporteur on Housing this Friday to find out!

“Holding Good Meetings”

Wednesday, July 7 @ 5:30 PM California time, RSVP Here

Meetings are a basic and necessary component of organizing. They help us build relationships and trust, make collective decisions, learn new things, and teach each other new skills. In this training, we'll give some basic principles and practical advice for planning good, engaging & productive meetings.

“So You Want to Start a Chapter?”

Wednesday, July 7th @ 5:00 PM California Time, RSVP Here

Interested in building working class power through DSA, but don't have a chapter in your area? Or maybe you are part of a large chapter, and want to start a branch in an area far from the center of its usual activity? This call is for you!

We will lay out the organizing and administrative steps to take so that you can grow from a small group to a full fledged DSA chapter, featuring DSA staff/leaders and first hand lessons from people who have gone through the process of starting a DSA chapter.

What We're Reading (Or Viewing, Or Listening To...)

This is a space where we share interesting articles, videos, podcasts -- whatever -- that our members have shared with each other online.

“India Walton: Corporate Democrats Gave Us Austerity, We Need Something Different” (article)

“So inspired by India Walton’s victory in Buffalo! Check out this great interview our comrade Peter Lucas did with her <3”

“For a Socialist Tomorrow: A Report on 2019-2021” (article)

“I found this to be a valuable update on National DSA’s activity, and look forward to the promised National Political Committee report.”

"As Wall Street looks to conquer what’s left of the rental market, a Sacramento mother of three’s eviction story hits home" (article)

"A difficult but worthwhile read about the tactics of corporate landlords and the ways in which they “legally” create homelessness and further traumatize victims."

Movement School sign-up (free online class)

“Justice Dems-affiliated Movement School. Summer 2021 cohort starts soon. It's intended primarily for people who want to work on progressive/leftist electoral campaigns. It’s free!”

Free mental health services in Sacramento:

"Want to let everyone know about what Sacramento Native American Health Center is offering to Sacramento residents! Take care of yourself, as we continue to endure the pandemic. Make sure to check up on your own mental health”