Last week’s elections were, on the whole, an incredible success. In Virginia, Democrats got a trifecta in the state government, which means the state can finally start passing reforms for free and fair elections, complete the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, and much more. In Pennsylvania and elsewhere, Democrats made gains in suburbs. In Seattle, a progressive incumbent survived a well-funded challenge from Amazon. And in Kentucky, a Democratic Governor was elected, meaning that some of the more egregious actions by Kentucky Republican state legislators could be vetoed.
Locally, San Franciscans elected progressive candidates Chesa Boudin as District Attorney, and Dean Preston to the Board of Supervisors. Congratulations to both winners, and much appreciation to everyone who worked on all the campaigns—it’s all part of democracy and that’s what we’re about.
There were, of course, a few disappointments. We lost a lot of the down-ballot in Kentucky, and the turnout here in the City was sadly low. But overall, we’ve shown that when we get out the vote and run good-faith candidates with strong values, we can win. Let’s keep this wave going—there’s still a lot of work to do.
What’s next?
There are still a few elections this year to pay attention to. Up next is the runoff election for Governor of Louisiana on Saturday, November 16. You can help by texting with Open Progress Text Troop. (It should be noted that Open Progress sent thousands of texts to voters in Kentucky and Virginia in the last few weeks to ask them to vote, so this is a very effective strategy!)
And it’s time to start making your plan for 2020. Will you phone bank or register new voters with Democracy Action? Will you canvass with Swing Left in the California districts we’ll need to defend, like CA-10 and CA-21? Will you write letters with Vote Forward ? This is going to be the most important election of our time, so it’s important that every one of us works to make it a blue victory. Remember, it’s not just the Presidency we have to win, we have to win the Senate and keep vulnerable House seats, as well as defend our state legislatures.
In the meantime…
Let’s not forget that we’ve already elected a majority in the House in 2018! And we should continue pressuring them to use their majority to resist Trump’s agenda. We’re happy to see our representatives making a push for impeachment, but there’s even more they can do.
This month could bring us another appropriations fight, where the House could again flex their power of the purse. In particular this can be done in Defense appropriations. The House could stop Trump from directing the military to wage illegal warfare in Syria after so recklessly pulling the troops out in the first place.
Call your MoC’s and tell them:
I’m calling to ask the Congresswoman to please amend the Defense Appropriations bill to ban the use of funds for the control or seizure of Syrian oil. I also ask her to introduce and support a War Powers Act resolution blocking this unilateral use of military force.
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ISF Spotlight
We did a meet and greet with Leah and Ezra of Indivisible National! On Friday, Leah and Ezra held a book signing for their book, We Are Indivisible, at Book Passage in the Ferry Building. Many members from Indivisible SF, Stand Up SF, (Indivisible East Bay) IEB, and other groups attended. Leah and Ezra emphasized the importance of winning in 2020 and then using that power to pass a pro-democracy agenda that includes securing free and fair elections.
Thanks to the efforts of our amazing NorCal coordinator Dennessa, we were able to meet the leaders of Indivisible National after the event. We held a productive discussion about how we can further improve the work Indivisible National and all the local chapters do together. Thank you to everyone who attended!
We raised awareness of shady ICE activity to our friends in the AB32 coalition. As you may remember from last week, we discovered that ICE was attempting to circumvent AB32, the law that prohibits private prisons in California. We raised the issue with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center and the network of impacted community activists. They are asking people to contact local leaders, including the Attorney General of California, to raise awareness of the issue. They’re also asking for donations to the local bond fund to make sure that detained people aren’t transferred out of state. Indivisible SF is committed to standing in allyship with immigrants in our community. Please join us and check out our #immigration_action channel in Slack!
New front page on our website! We’ve redone our front page to showcase more of the work we’ve been doing, and make it that much easier for you to get active. Check it out here!
Virginia trifecta! Some of y’all helped reach out to voters in Virginia to get out the vote in this year’s election in the Commonwealth. And it worked—with the flipping of the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate, Virginia is the newest trifecta!
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Impeachment Phone Banking Opportunity from Indivisible National: Sign up on Indivisible National’s HubDialer to make calls to voters connecting them to their senators to demand a complete and fair impeachment trial.
Indivisible National identified 13 senators who really need to hear from their constituents, both those who are vulnerable because they’re up for reelection next year, and those who are retiring and worrying about their legacies. Now we are asking you to call voters in these states and ask them to turn up the pressure on their elected officials. You will be talking to voters about the power they have now to pressure their Members of Congress, and you will patch them through to their Senator. Sign up here.
Our newsletter and website team is looking for new members! If you’re interested in writing or editing our newsletters, helping us maintain our website, or helping manage our Eventbrite, let us know! Working on the newsletter or website requires a small time commitment of a few hours, one day a week, usually on Tuesday nights. No prior experience required—we will train you. Handling behind-the-scenes operations like the website is a crucial job in organizing—it’s a great way to use your skills (or learn new skills) for good! We appreciate your help, especially In the busy election season that’s coming up. Join us at #newsletter_content on Slack or let us know at [email protected]!
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Next Indivisible SF General Meeting: Sunday, Nov 17, 1pm–3pm at the Women’s Building. This event is both for first-timers and regular attendees! Please join us. RSVP on Eventbrite.
Sunday, Nov 17, 4pm–6pm: Pints & Postcards at Standard Deviant Brewing! After our general meeting, we’ll write letters to voters in swing states to help them register to vote in key elections! $20 suggested donation, no one turned away for lack of funds. RSVP on Eventbrite.
TODAY: Wednesday, Nov 13, 10am–12pm and 2pm–4pm: Register New Citizens to Vote at Paramount Theatre in Oakland. Join Democracy Action volunteers as we help register new citizens to vote following the monthly swearing-in ceremony at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland. Come no later than 10am for the morning session, and no later than 2pm for the afternoon session. RSVP here for the morning session. RSVP here for the afternoon session.
TODAY: Wednesday, Nov 13, 6–8pm: Public Comment Hearing about Dredging the Bay for Oil Tankers at the Pinole Public Library in Pinole. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will hold a public comment hearing in Pinole (in the East Bay) on the San Francisco Bay to Stockton Navigation Improvement Plan. This is a proposal to dredge Suisun Bay and the Carquinez Strait three feet deeper to enable ships (particularly oil tankers) to come into the Port of Stockton via the Sacramento River fully-loaded instead of light-loaded and at all times of day rather than just high tide.
This runs directly counter to what we need to do to arrest and reverse climate collapse. We know that well-informed, original public comment can slow or stop bad policy—this is an opportunity to give such comment in person. Learn more on Sunflower Alliance’s website here.
Thursday, Nov 14, 5-8pm: Pen and Ink Brigade Art Fundraiser for Stacy Abrams’ Fair Fight 2020 at Industrious Life at 1095 Tennessee (near 22nd and 3rd) in Dogpatch. Proceeds of this art show will go towards Stacey Abrams’ voter protection organization. Come to enjoy beautiful art and raise money for free and fair elections. Learn more here.
Tuesday, Nov 19, 12pm-12:30pm: Stand With Immigrant Women Seeking Refuge at City Hall. Join Mujeres Unidas Y Activas and our partners in the Bay Area Asylum Coalition for a press conference. The Board of Supervisors will be voting shortly afterwards on a resolution, introduced by Supervisor Hilary Ronen, to protect asylum seekers who are victims of domestic abuse. Indivisible SF has signed on to this resolution, and we hope it passes! RSVP on Facebook.
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Keep Fighting,
The Indivisible SF Team
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