December Newsletter

Dear John, 

 

All of us here at PowerSwitch Action are wishing you a joyful New Year! We hope your holiday season has been filled with community and connection. For many of us, there’s an energizing duality to this time of year – a time of rest and recommitment, endings and new beginnings, heaviness and hope. 

 

As I think about the cycles of immense change we’ve seen in just these last few years, I’m endlessly inspired by the incredible movement work that is carrying us through. We saw entire organizations pivot to organize immediate support for the most vulnerable communities at the onset of COVID-19, fight for real safety policies for workers and – in a move that saved countless lives – demand that the vaccine be cost-free for all. During the election, innovative local campaigns turned out voters and mobilized people despite the pandemic and in the face of bald-faced attempts to suppress the vote. Our affiliates and allies throughout the movement have continued to build an agenda at the state and local level that supports low income and working people.

 

I believe our movement is coming into 2022 stronger than ever. We’ll carry forward all that we’ve learned, and all that we know what we can achieve, working together to win dignity and power for our people. In the meantime, a very Happy New Year to you and yours! 

 

In solidarity,

Spotlight On: People-Powered Budgets!

PowerSwitch Action’s Senior Campaign Lead Edgar Beltrán discusses community governance with Communications Director Jeff Barrera 

Jeff: You’ve been leading a project over the past year to build people-powered local budgets. Why are local budgets so important?

 

Edgar: People often talk about budgets as moral documents, expressions of what we value as a society. That’s absolutely true, but we should also think of them as blueprints for our future — what we invest in today will shape how our communities look tomorrow. Local budgets have a long history of being racist and exclusionary. Too often they’re shaped by a small group of powerful elites, who siphon off public resources into private hands at the expense of Black, Brown, and working class neighborhoods. That’s why we’re so excited to be flipping that dynamic on its head, and use budgets as a tool to make governance more democratic and focus our public resources towards addressing the overlapping crises we face right now.

Members of the Community Budget Alliance advocate for a People’s Budget in San Diego, California: https://cpisandiego.org/breaking-down-sd-budget/

 

Jeff: Can you talk about the work PowerSwitch Action and our affiliates have been doing so people have a real say in how local public dollars are spent?

 

Edgar: Pretty early in the pandemic, we formed a people-powered budgets learning circle with organizers in cities across the US. It’s been a really useful space to collaborate on strategy, share lessons learned, and build relationships with peers advancing similar campaigns and challenging similar limitations.

This year, there’s been a real focus on directing federal dollars towards long-term community priorities. For example in San Diego, the Center on Policy Initiatives and its Community Budget Alliance brought residents together to craft a People’s Budget. Their coalition won funding from the City and County for four parks in under-resourced neighborhoods, new offices focused on workers’ rights and youth services, and a new Independent Commission on Police Practices — to name just a few!

 

To read the full conversation visit us on Medium!

In Case You Missed It

White House Panel: Consumer Rights and Protections in an Automated Society

 

National Campaign Director Mariah Montgomery recently joined the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy for a panel discussion on the potential power of a national AI Bill of Rights. Mariah encouraged the Biden Administration to tap into the expertise and experience of workers and communities impacted by the way corporations are using tech at work and in cities to expand their power. Watch the virtual panel recording here.

 

Innocent Until Proven Muslim: Abolishing the Global War on Terror

On December 8, we collaborated with Action Center on Race and the Economy to host a roundtable panel discussion about Dr. Maha Hilal’s forthcoming book, Innocent Until Proven Muslim: Islamophobia, the War on Terror, and the Muslim Experience Since 9/11.

The panel was moderated by Dieynabou Barry, the Climate Justice Lead at PowerSwitch Action. She was joined by Dr. Maha Hilal, Vanessa Taylor, and Munira Lokhandwala to discuss the Global War on Terror’s profiteers and backers, its impacts on Muslim Americans and other communities of color, and how we organize to abolish it and build just and equitable democracies. Watch the full recording here.

Take Action

Amazon Worker Tornado Fund for Workers Killed and Injured

 

We are saddened and shocked by the recent Amazon warehouse collapse in Edwardsville, Illinois. Our hearts go out to families across the region who lost loved ones and the many others who are still missing and injured. Please take a minute to consider donating to the Amazon Worker Tornado Fund. 100% of donations go directly to Amazon workers or families of Amazon workers killed, injured or impacted by tornado, along with a personal note from you. Donate here.

What We're Reading

The Privatization of Everything is available now for purchase from bookshop.org and other online retailers. For more from Donald Cohen, watch his recent discussion with labor historian Joe McCartin and listen to his conversation on the It’s Our Money podcast with public banking advocates Ellen Brown and Walt McCree.

We're Hiring!

We’re expanding the PowerSwitch Action team in 2022! Our ideal candidates will have a deep commitment to social, racial, gender, economic and environmental justice.

 

If you know anyone who would be a great fit for our open position, please encourage them to apply: 

 

Grants Manager

 

Additional opportunities coming in 2022:

 

PowerSwitch Action
1305 Franklin St.
Suite 501
Oakland, CA 94612
United States

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