Green Party Standing Committees and Working Groups have openings for members and volunteers. All are welcome, but those wishing to become voting members of Standing Committees must have attended at least 2 prior plenaries within the previous 24 months.Please contact the Co-Coordinators below and help the Green Party of California make positive political and social change!

The above committees are looking to fill membership vacancies very soon, so please act now by contacting Co-Coordinators no later than Tuesday, August 29. Volunteers are welcome for standing committees and working groups on an ongoing basis.

It's time for progressives and all concerned folks to gather and network at the 9th Annual Progressive Festival in Petaluma, Sunday, Sept. 24, noon-6pm. This year's speakers include Michael Rupert, author of "Crossing the Rubicon: The Decline of the American Empire at the End of the Age of Oil;" Kevin Danaher, co-founder of Global Exchange, addressing global justice and global security; Carolina Bañuelos, candidate for Santa Rosa City Council; Bonnie Faulkner of KPFA's "Guns and Butter;" Peter Phillips, Director of Project Censored and coauthor of "Impeach the President" will facilitate a panel on the subject of impeachment; Evelena Molina, immigrant rights activist. Maya Orozco of KPFA 94.1 FM will be the MC this year.

Francisco Herrera and group, will provide traditional and original songs combining Latin American music with blues and jazz styling. Grassroots Movement will stretch out with political dance theatre performance. There will also be speakers addressing the US wars in the Middle East, Living Wage, Immigrant Rights, Youth Issues, Clean Money Campaign, and more. Plus innovative change workshops on alternative fuels and permaculture. Food and drinks will be plentiful. Free secure valet bicycle parking by bikesonoma.org.

About 100 Social Justice, Environmental, Labor, and Community Organizations will have informational tables. To reserve booth space, call 707.318.7548. The event is cosponsored by the Peace & Justice Center of Sonoma County (peaceandjusticesonomaco.org) and KPFA 94.1 FM (kpfa.org). Produced by The Petaluma Progressives (progressivefestival.org). For more info, call 707.318.7548 or 707.795.1044.

A TV Ad for Forrest Hill, Green Party Candidate for California Secretary of State, is now on-line at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjaZJFuCO3M

You can help Forrest's campaign gain media attention by promoting this Ad on the web. Here are three things you can do to help:

• Put a link to Forrest's Ad on your web site.
• Sign up for an account at YouTube.com and then rate Forrest's Ad "5 stars". Leave a comment in support of democracy!
• Make a donation and help put Forrest's ad on TV before the absentee ballots are sent out.

To learn more about Forrest Hill and his campaign, please visit his web site at https://www.voteforrest.org/

Democrats should be 'ashamed' for abandoning state's lowest paid workers in minimum wage plan, charge Green Party candidates

GREEN PARTY OF CALIFORNIA NEWS RELEASE

SACRAMENTO (August 22, 2006) - Democrats should be "ashamed" of themselves for abandoning the state's lowest wage earners and "selling out" to Republicans and Gov. Schwarzenegger by agreeing to an "obscene" new minimum wage plan, said several Green Party of California statewide candidates today.

"The working poor will accept this wage increase, but they ought not to be fooled by election-year politicians who have sold them out by denying these workers what they deserve," said Donna Warren, Green Party candidate for Lt. Governor. "Living wage laws eradicate poverty and people ought to be able to afford to live," she added.

The plan agreed upon by the Republicans and Democrats would raise the minimum wage from $6.75 an hour to $8 in 2008. But, according to the California Budget Project, wage earners should be earning more than $10 an hour right now to even come close to what people were paid in 1968, when the minimum wage was $1.50 an hour.

"It's politics as usual at the Capitol, and Democrats should be ashamed for abandoning minimum wage earners," said Green Party candidate for Controller Laura Wells. "The wage hike is an election-year sham," she added.

Greens also point to the failure of Democrats to support a minimum wage initiative by a coalition of social justice groups set for the ballot in November, which would have raised the hourly wage to a minimum of $8.75 and include an annual cost-of-living increase.

"We had an opportunity to do something halfway decent for the hard-working people of California, but the Democrats stood by and refused to help place the measure on the ballot, and now they agree to a rate that cannot be good for wage earners if for no other reason than a pro-business governor and Wal-Mart both think it's acceptable," said Larry Cafiero, Green Party candidate for Insurance Commissioner.

Contacts:
Crescenzo Vellucci, State Press Office, 916-996-1970, civillib@cwnet.com
Sara Amir (Los Angeles), 310-270-7106, saraamir@earthlink.net
Pat Driscoll (Sacramento), 916-320-6430, pat@sonicfrog.com
Susan King (San Francisco), 415-823-5524, funking@mindspring.com

The Green Party of California
http://www.cagreens.org
P.O. Box 2828, Sacramento, CA 95812
Phone: (916) 448-3437
EMail: gpca@greens.org

The filing deadline for municipal races has recently passed, so we should now be able to know which GPCA members have qualified for the November ballot.

Please go to http://www.greens.org/elections and see if there are any candidates you know about, who are not listed there.

If so, please go to this form and fill out the appropriate information about their candidacy: http://216.92.191.78/elections/submit.php

If you see candidates on www.greens.org/elections that you already know about, but want to make suggested additions/corrections to the info there (like providing candidate websites for those who don't have them already listed, or the number of declared candidates in the race, etc.), then also go to http://216.92.191.78/elections/submit.php and also submit your additions/corrections there.

Sincerely,

Michael Feinstein

Meet on Thursday, September 28, 7:30 - 9:00 pm
(Come at 7:15 to see the wonderful short video, "The Road to Clean Elections," by Bill Moyers.)

Proposition 89, the California Clean Money and Fair Elections Act, is on the ballot this November! Special interests like big oil companies, the drug giants, the insurance industry, and HMOs are going to spend millions to try to defeat it. We need you to join the grassroots tide to help it pass so that government is accountable to the voters instead of to special interest campaign contributors like them.

If you haven't seen it yet, come at 7:15 to watch Bill Moyers' inspiring "Road to Clean Elections", which shows how Arizona and Maine's sensible Clean Money systems have been making their governments take into account the needs of all their citizens.

Las Casitas de Sonoma
Community Room
7545 Bridgit Rd.
Rohnert Park

QUESTIONS? Send email to NorthBayArea-info@CAclean.org

http://www.89now.org Yes on 89--Because elections should be about ideas, not money

NOTES:
- Some of the events listed below have not been officially endorsed by the GPSC, but may be of interest to local Greens.
- To check for new events and schedule changes, visit our home page at http://www.sonomagreenparty.org

20  

(Wed) GPSC Newsletter Submissions Due for October
If you have a Green-related article or event that you want included in the next GPSC e-newsletter, email your draft or completed submission to editor@sonomagreenparty.org by 9/20. If you email a draft, please submit the completed article by Monday, 9/25.

21  

(Thu) General Business Meeting
6:30-9 PM, State Building, 50 D Street, Room 410a, Santa Rosa (between 2nd Street & Sonoma Ave).This meeting is held every 3rd Thursday of the month.
Info: info@sonomagreenparty.org

24  

(Sun) Petaluma Progressives Festival
12 - 6 PM, Walnut Park at the corner of D Street and Petaluma Blvd in Petaluma
For more info see item #2 above.

28  

(Thu) Help Pass Proposition 89--The Clean Money and Fair Elections Act
7:30 - 9 PM, Las Casitas de Sonoma Community Room, 7545 Bridgit Rd., Rohnert Park
For more info see item #6 above.

Bill of Rights Defense WG
Info: http://www.sonomagreenparty.org/pages/gi_bordc.shtml
Contact: bordc@sonomagreenparty.org

Bylaws WG
Info: http://www.sonomagreenparty.org/pages/gi_bylaws.shtml
Contact: bylaws@sonomagreenparty.org or 542-3037

Campaigns and Candidates WG
Contact: blkcloud@sonic.net

Green Talk and Outreach WG
Info: http://www.sonomagreenparty.org/pages/gi_greentalk.shtml
Contact: greentalk@sonomagreenparty.org or 542-3037

IT (Information Technologies)WG
Info: http://www.sonomagreenparty.org/pages/gi_it.shtml
Contact: it@sonomagreenparty.org

PC (Public Communications) WG
Info: http://www.sonomagreenparty.org/pages/gi_pc.shtml
Monthly newsletter submissions: editor@sonomagreenparty.org
Contact: pc@sonomagreenparty.org

Campus Greens - Sonoma State University Chapter
Contact: fabrick@sonoma.edu
Listserve: http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/sonomacampusgreens

PO Box 15073 Santa Rosa, CA 95402
(707) 524-8818
Email: info@sonomagreenparty.org
Website: http://www.sonomagreenparty.org

Join the Sonoma Greens Open Forum!
Thank you for subscribing to this newsletter to stay informed about the GPSC. Would you like to receive more than one Green email per month, and have discussions with other Sonoma Greens? The Sonoma Greens Open Forum is a free-for-all discussion list for Greens and the Green-curious in Sonoma County, for the purpose of advancing Green politics, activism, and debate. You can join at https://lists.riseup.net/www/info/sonomagreens (click on subscribe) or email JaredL@sbcglobal.net for help or more information. Note: this list is not sponsored or maintained by the GPSC.