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March 2004 Newsletter
Green Party of Sonoma County (GPSC) News for March:
1. Green Talk: Post Primary Recap
2. GPSC Endorsements for the March 2nd Ballot Measures
3. IRV Voting Comes to the GPSC
4. Calendar of Upcoming Meetings and Events
5. Contact information
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GREEN TALK: POST PRIMARY RECAP
Thursday, March 4, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Environmental Center, 404A Mendocino Ave (near 5th Street), Santa Rosa
A primary election debriefing. After the talk, a pre-election meeting
for the Sebastopol city council race will be held.
Green Talks are free, informal meetings hosted by the Green Party of
Sonoma County on the first Thursday of each month. For more
information or to suggest topics for future Green Talks, email
greentalk@sonomagreenparty.org or call (707)524-8818.
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GPSC ENDORSEMENTS FOR THE MARCH 2ND BALLOT MEASURES
Prop 55 - no recommendation
Prop 56 - no recommendation
Prop 57 - NO
Prop 58 - NO
For information on Greens running for Congressional District 1 and for
the Green Party County Council of Sonoma County, please visit
http://www.sonomagreenparty.org/pages/hotstuff/gpsc_election_main.shtml
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IRV VOTING COMES TO THE GPSC
By Tim Morgan
Late in January, the GPSC was asked by the Green Party of California
(GPCA) to conduct a presidential preference strategy straw poll among
its members and to communicate these results back to the GPCA by
February 15th. The straw poll consisted of the following choices:
A. The Green Party should support the candidate for President who
has been endorsed, in whatever strategy is chosen by his or her
campaign. (Candidate Directed).
B. The Presidential nominee should focus on those states which are
"in play" in a pre-determined effort to prevent a win by an
establishment party candidate (Intentional Spoiler).
C. The Presidential nominee should focus on gaining Green ballot
lines, winning votes, and organization-building (Ballot Lines &
Votes).
D. The Presidential nominee should seek as many votes as possible
in as many states as possible (All Out).
E. The Presidential nominee should coordinate with the Green Party
to maintain flexibility regarding campaign strategy depending on
the circumstances, decided together by candidate and party
(Strategic Flexibility).
F. The Presidential nominee should focus on those states which are
not "in play" between the establishment party candidates (Safe
States).
G. The Presidential nominee should state in advance a willingness
to withdraw if a major party nominee publicly agrees to some
specified demands (Exit Strategy).
H. The Green Party should not endorse or support a presidential
candidate at all (No Candidate).
I. None of the Above (NOTA)
The straw poll was conducted by mail and at the February 5th Green
Talk. On February 11th, a group of GPSC members met to tally the votes
using IRV. I have published the complete results on our website at the
following URL:
http://www.sonomagreenparty.org/pages/gpca_strawpoll.shtml
In the third and final round of IRV, the winner was Option D - "The
Presidential nominee should seek as many votes as possible in as many
states as possible (All Out)." This result was transmitted to the
GPCA. Apparently, our group favors the All Out option as a
second-chance poll conducted on the website also wound up in the same
option as the winner.
In implementing this process, I’ve been able to install a small IRV
script on the GPSC website and I intend to post polls for the group to
respond too. Please check the home page at
http://www.sonomagreenparty.org for new poll alerts.
The current poll is about Green Party presidential candidates. I will
keep this poll open through March 15th and publish the final results
after that.
[Tim Morgan manages the GPSC website and is a member of the GPSC
County Council.]
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Calendar of Upcoming Meetings and Events
*NOTE* To check for new events and schedule changes, visit the GPSC
on-line calendar at http://www.cagreens.org/c/sonoma/calendar.pl
March --------------------------------------------------------
4 (Thu) GREEN TALK: POST PRIMARY RECAP
7 PM, Environmental Center, 404A Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa
For more info, see item #1 in this newsletter.
11 (Thu) GREEN TALKS WORKING GROUP MEETING
7 PM. Contact: greentalk@sonomagreenparty.org
12 (Fri) SSU CAMPUS GREENS CHAPTER MEETING
12 PM, Charlie Brown's Cafe at Sonoma State University
Contact: jaredl@sbcglobal.net
17 (Wed) DEADLINE FOR GPSC NEWSLETTER SUBMISSIONS FOR APRIL
Email an outline for a newsletter article or information on a
Green-related event to pc@sonomagreenparty.org
18 (Thu) GENERAL BUSINESS MEETING
7-9 PM, Environmental Center, 404A Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa
The general meeting is held every 3rd Thursday. All interested
Greens are welcome to attend!
Info: info@sonomagreenparty.org
26 (Fri) SSU CAMPUS GREENS CHAPTER MEETING
12 PM, Charlie Brown's Cafe at Sonoma State University
Contact: jaredl@sbcglobal.net
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CONTACT INFORMATION
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WORKING GROUPS (WG)
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Bill of Rights Defense WG
Contact: bordc@sonomagreenparty.org
Info: http://www.roadtaken.com/srbordc/
Bylaws WG
Help draft the bylaws for the GPSC. This is important work that
will insure the GPSC's commitment to the 10 key values of the
Green Party.
Contact: bylaws@sonomagreenparty.org or call 542-3037 for
more information.
>
Campus Greens
The SSU Campus Greens chapter is continuing to organize on campus,
with an increase in interest in our club recently. We are pleased
at the recent adoption of IRV on campus, and look forward to
continuing our work of promoting Green candidates and politics
among our fellow students. We plan to meet on March 12 and March
26, both times at noon in Charlie Brown's Cafe at SSU.(note: those
interested in starting a Campus Greens club at Santa Rosa Junior
College should contact James at jswingaling@hotmail.com )
Contact: jaredl@sbcglobal.net
Listserve: http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/sonomacampusgreens
Electoral Reform WG
This group is looking at issues regarding how elections are run at
the local, state and national level. In coordination with the
California Election Reform WG the group monitors changes and
potential changes in election laws that affect the rights of
voters. Positive changes to elections laws such as Instant Runoff
Voting and Proportional Representation are discussed and strategies
for such changes are reviewed. Green Party supporters are
encouraged to join the group.
Contact: er@sonomacountygreenparty.org or call Jim Housman at
823-7564 for information on activities and meeting schedules.
Green Talk WG
Help organize discussions and presentations that will provide
interested citizens with an attractive and energizing venue to get
involved in local, regional, state, and national Green politics.
Next Meeting: 3/11 (every 2nd Thursday of each month)
Contact: greentalk@sonomagreenparty.org
IT (Information Technologies) WG
Contribute your ideas and/or skills to help fine tune our website
and communication technologies.
Next Meeting: 4/23 at 7 PM
Contact: it@sonomagreenparty.org
Outreach WG
The Outreach Working Group is focused on bringing new Green Party
members into the organization. The group meets with volunteers,
identifies their interests and talents, and connects them with
opportunities to help build the party. In addition, the Outreach
Working Group works on ways to spread word to county progressives,
regardless of party affiliation, and coordinates fundraising. Any
one interested in volunteering or has ideas about outreach
strategies is encouraged to contact this group.
Next meeting: 3/26 at 7 PM (generally every 4th Thursday of each month)
1575 Hurlbut Lane, Sebastopol.
Contact: outreach@sonomagreenparty.org, darius0@comcast.net or
call 953-4682 for more information.
PC (Public Communications) WG
Responsible for the development and delivery of the Green Party
message for local mass media outlets such as voicemail, website,
e-newsletter, press and GPSC mailings. The PC WG coordinates
primarily with the GPCA Media Committee on a state level, and with
all the various GPSC working groups and news outlets on a local
level. The PC WG acts as a clearinghouse for local Green news and
actively recruits writers and editorial content for the promotion
of Green issues.
Contact: pc@sonomagreenparty.org
Tabling WG
There are several new statewide initiatives out that will be in
circulation for at least the next couple months, including a Green
friendly initiative funding Mental Health Programs that were cut
during the Reagan years. Those cuts have since contributed to
California's current, chronic, morally bankrupt, and excessively
expensive homeless problem. There is also a vital initiative to
reform current injustices in the Three Strikes law so that only
violent crimes and sex crimes are punished with life imprisonment.
Working on initiatives provides an excellent vehicle for Green
volunteer and paid activists to engage the man and woman on the
street in a political dialogue, and for planting the seeds of the
Ten Key Values. It also provides tablers the best ongoing
opportunity to register Greens on a steady, consistent basis. This
is what we need to be doing to keep growing the party, to expand
and diversify our base constituency, and to move out from
marginalization.
If you want more information, or to get more involved, please
contact Tim Smith, at 1-707-206-0260, or Rioryon@aol.com
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