Progressive Democrat Issue 200

Unemployment skyrockets and Republicans sit on their hands refusing to help. In fact, all we see from that side of the aisle is more of the hypocrisy typical of Republicans: bailing out banks but not working and middle class Americans; attacking Dashle for his tax problems while ignoring the fact that their own political icons, Sarah Palin and Joe the Unlicensed Plumber, had pretty much the exact same tax problems (see below); holding Blagojevich against Democrats while sheltering similar corruption in another of their failed heroes, Norm Coleman. When will Republicans ever learn?

Obama has in some ways already lost a bit of steam, but beneath the surface, a great deal is changing. From Obama administration phone calls that stopped AIG from using our tax money to buy a luxury plane, to Citicorp being forced to abandon a luxury junket to Vegas, to caps on CEO salaries if they want bailout money...etc. Recently I mentioned the end of the Global Gag Rule: in mere days a horrible policy of the past 8 years was reversed. Similarly, within days of Obama becoming President the first clinical trial using stem cells was approved (for spinal cord injuries). Torture was ended on day one. Oil leases in Utah's wilderness areas were cancelled. Obama will face many obsticles in Congress and the media is focused on that. But countless policies that were determined by Bush's fiat are being reversed and the country is much better off for it.

Now on to an item that was missed in the mess about Daschle's taxes. Didn't even occur to me until it was pointed out. From Andrew Sullivan at The Atlantic:

Someone should make the point that the theory on which Daschle did not pay taxes on an extraordinary non-salary benefit provided by his employer (car and driver) is exactly the theory on which Palin did not pay taxes on an extraordinary benefit (free air travel for her children, and 60 dollar per day per diem payments for use of her own house).

Palin never paid back taxes but simply produced a squirrelly letter from her lawyers saying that someone could believe in good faith that taxes were not owed on the travel or per diems she received, so her failure to report those items as income was excusable.

Funny how it was okay for Palin but not for Daschle. To me it wasn't Okay for EITHER of them to duck their taxes, but the right wing hypocrites that dominate the Republican Party seem to think it was fine for Palin to break the same rules that they are up in arms about Daschle breaking. Daschle at leas finally paid up. Did Palin? Why was it okay for the woman they wanted to be VP to do it but not okay for a man who wanted to be Secretary of HHS?

And let's not forget that other Republican icon from McCain's losing strategy, Joe (not his real name) the plumber (unlicenced) also had some problems paying his taxes.

Let me be clear. It was not okay for any of these folks to duck their civic duty. They all should pay up with hefty fines. But it is one more issue where Republicans choose hypocricy over values, partisanship over the law.

This week we also had Dick Cheney crawl out from under his rock to wish new terrorist attacks on Americas. I will leave you with Keith Olbermann's comments on these words from Dick:



This is why I love watching Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow: they cut through the bullshit in a way no other American mainstream media even wants to.

Here is this week's newsletter:

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

BANK OF AMERICA: Pissing of America

ACTION ALERT: Howard Dean for Secretary of HHS

Republicans Abandon the Jewish Vote...AGAIN

Bush's Waste of Our Tax Dollars

NYC: Sweetheart Deals for Developers

NEW YORK STATE

Orange County, CA Events

San Diego, CA Events

CALIFORNIA

Navajo Green Jobs

ARIZONA

Urbana-Champaign, IL Books to Prisoners Project

ILLINOIS

NORTH CAROLINA

COLORADO GREEN JOBS

COLORADO

FLORIDA

NEW JERSEY

TEXAS

PENNSYLVANIA

WISCONSIN

GEORGIA

VIRGINIA

WASHINGTON

IOWA

NEVADA

Bank of America Seems to Like Pissing of Americans

Just yesterday I wrote about how Bank of America, right after grabbing taxpayer money through the bank bailout, went ahead and used some of that money to lobby against the very popular Employee Free Choice Act and tried to raise money for Republican Senators. By the way, the Employee Free Choice Act passed DESPITE this use of bailout money by Bank of America to lobby against it.

This led me to decide to not bank at Bank of America and to stop using my credit cards from them. Funny how they love corporate welfare but oppose anything that helps working class and middle class Americans.

I also decided to look into Bank of America's record in general on social issues. First thing I discovered was that according to Co-op America's Responsible Shopper, Bank of America is considered tied with Citicorp for worst bank or financial institution. Here are some comments (last updated 9/2008) from Responsible Shopper regarding Bank of America:

Bank of America is the second largest US bank and operates more than 5,700 branch locations.

• Bank of America has been sued by the New York State Attorney General for multiple instances of improper mutual fund trading, including the most costly trading scandal to date, which the company settled for $675 million.

• Bank of America claims to enrich communities with its nationwide reach, but its acquisition of MBNA, the country's third-largest credit card company, has raised concerns about continued predatory lending and soaring interest rates due to stifled competition.

• Bank of America is one of the largest investors in coal and coal fired power, which is responsible for nearly a third of the nation's CO2 emissions, and also funds surface coal mining.

By the way, according to Responsible Shopper, Wachovia, Wells Fargo and Suntrust are nominally the best of the big banks, though consolidations and buyouts may be shifting all this. But it is clear that as long as Bank of America's money grubbing CEO, Ken Lewis, is running the show, Bank of America will remain one of the worst financial institutions in America.

Which leads to some other sites I came across. Seems Bank of America is pissing off lots of people with their treatment of customers as well. Grabbing taxpayer money then stabbing the taxpayer in the back is pretty low. But treating your customers poorly goes even beyond that to outright poor business practices. Here are two examples of some pretty pissed off customers.

First, there is a gentle man named Robert G. Seketa, who runs two websites: Boycott Bank of America and Stop Bank Abuse. Both are dedicated to trying and stop the predatory lending practices that LED to the need for a bank bailout in the first place. Check out his websites to see more about Bank of America's lending practices and their poor treatment of customers. But there is one thing I want to post from his site: a breakdown of which banks get the most complaints from customers according to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency:


Bank of America: 7,230 complaints (25.5% of total)
J.P. Morgan Chase: 4,890 complaints (17.3%)
Citigroup: 3,742 complaints (13.2%)
Wells Fargo: 2,695 complaints (9.5%)
HSBC North America: 1,963 complaints (6.9%)
Wachovia: 1,265 complaints (4.5%)
U.S. Bancorp: 1,027 complaints (3.6%)
National City: 586 complaints (2.1%)
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group: 537 complaints (1.9 %)
Key Corp: 343 complaints (1.2 %)

Total Top 10 complaints: 24,278 complaints (85.7%)
Total complaints: 28,316 complaints (100%)

Note that Bank of America and Citicorp (the two worst financial institutions according to Responsible Shopper) also are among the three companies that get the most customer complaints filed. So by two different measures these two companies suck. I should note that the chart doesn't give a time frame, so I don't know if it is for a certain year or cumulative. It also would be interesting to break it down per customer, since some of these companies are much bigger than others.

Next we come to another pissed off Bank of America customer who is taking it to the web. From Times Square Gossip we get this complaint:

am calling for everyone that reads Times Square Gossip to boycott The Bank Of America. I have had it with their underhanded business practices. If you have their credit cards or have a account in their bank, cancel it. I never look at credit card bills, I just pay them online every month. I never look at the interest rates, I just always assume that they are the same as always. Well yesterday I just happened to look for once and was I shocked. They raised my rates from 17 percent to almost 26 percent. I could not believe it. I always pay on time, I always pay 2 or three times the minimum due and I have had this card for years. My credit score is 702 which is considered excellent. I was outraged. I called them up today, and they told me they had sent me a notice last March (One year I didn't notice the higher rate) and that I had the option of not using the card and still pay the low rate or if I used the card, the higher rate prevailed. I said, why would I care about a cheaper rate on a card if I couldn't use it and if I did I would pay the higher rate. I asked them why my rate was raised in the first place. They said they reviewed my account and I was now considered a higher risk. A higher risk? I pay on time, I always pay more than minimum, and I have a high credit score. They said that's what they decided but since I was unhappy, he could give me a rate of 23 point something. So I said let me get this straight, " I pay on time on the credit card for years, I pay more than minimum, I have a excellent history and score and this is the way you treat a customer for many years?" I told him to cancel my credit card. I don't want to deal with a sleazy bank like Bank Of America." I am paying off the credit card in full when the final bill arrives ( Besides it's only 15 hundred owed anyway) and next week I am canceling my checking and savings accounts with them too. They charge higher rates than the Mafia. This is also just one horror story on The Bank Of America. I have so many more on what they have done over the years to my checking accounts. I never switched because I have several direct deposits and didn't want to go through the task of finding another bank and calling all my direct deposits and switching them. But now I will find a new bank this week and The Bank Of America can go FU*K themselves. I have millions of readers, and I urge anyone that has accounts with them to close them. If you also have horror stories on them, please tell them below by clicking comment or e-mail them to me and I will post. I will also be posting this story on all our sister websites. I will be posting more horror stories every couple of weeks, so stay tuned.

Okay, so a gossip column is not my usual source. But consider this: progressive activist mole333, a NYC gossip columnist, and blue-collar type Robert Seketa all are pissed at Bank of America. If three such different people can agree Bank of America sucks, it is no wonder they lead in numbers of complaints filed against them.

I would add that there also was a discrimination suit filed against Bank of America by five black workers,

So, it comes down to this:

1. poor customer service (based on number of complaints filed against them)

2. poor business practices (leading to their needing a bailout)

3. Betrayal of the very taxpayers that bailed them out by lobbying against the Employee Free Choice Act

4. A discrimination lawsuit

5. Investment in polluting coal power plants

6. sued by the New York State Attorney General for a massive mutual fund trading scandal

Seems like there are a lot of reasons to not like Bank of America.

Action Alert: Dr. Howard Dean for Secretary of HHS

This comes from Democracy for NYC, though I have seen similar things on Daily Kos and other blogs:

GOV. DEAN NOT GOV. BREDESEN FOR SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

President Obama is considering nominating Governor Phil Bredesen of Tennessee as HHS secretary. This would be a disaster for Medicaid according to information on his record from the Tennessee Justice Center.

Enthusiasm for the appointment of Gov. Howard Dean MD as the new Secretary of Health and Human Services is growing within and without Democracy for NYC and sister groups. Among the great arguments for his appointment are:

· Dean was the longest-serving Democratic governor in the country when he opted not to run for his 6th full term; he twice won more than 70% of the vote for re-election, which is the very definition of bipartisan

· He was elected chairman of the National Governors Association by a bipartisan group of 50 other members

· He reformed health care in his state to provide universal coverage for children and pregnant women, an achievement that leveraged his experience as a medical doctor and reflected his practical approach as a governor

· During his term Vermont paid off much of its public debt and he balanced 11 budgets despite being a rare state where that is not required by law

We have a small window of opportunity to add our voices to this excellent choice for Secretary of HHS.

If you support this idea, you can make two phone calls right now:

1 Call the White House Comment Line at 202-456-1111 and ask President Obama to appoint Gov. Howard Dean MD as Secretary of Health and Human Services

2 Then, call Sen. Max Baucus of Montana 202-224-2651- he chairs the Senate Finance Committee that needs to approve of the nominee. Ask him to publicly come out in support of Gov. Howard Dean MD as Secretary of Health and Human Services.

And, if you write on any blogs, please write a post today about why you support Gov. Dean for HHS.

We got an energy expert for Energy Secretary. Now lets get a doctor with experience reforming healthcare as Secretary of HHS.

Republicans Abandon the Jewish Vote...Again

Recently the Republican Party chose Michael Steele as the head of the RNC. Steele previously ran for office using anti-Semitic tactics. He may not be anti-Semitic, but he has shown himself more than willing to use anti-Semitism for his political benefit. To me this suggests the Republicans yet again recognize that they have lost the Jewish vote once and for all.

From the National Jewish Democratic Council:

Michael Steele: No Profile in Courage

The Republican National Committee's (RNC) selection of Michael Steele as RNC Chairman has elicited a wave of positive reaction from political pundits. Republicans, as could be expected, praised the pick; Democrats and progressives reluctantly agreed that the Steele victory was good news for the GOP. No one denies Steele's oratory skills or his political prowess.

However, one quality that no one has examined is Steele's moral backbone. When John F. Kennedy released his classic "Profiles in Courage" in 1955, he recounted stories of politicians who risked their careers by standing up for principles. Steele is an unlikely candidate for a future edition of Profiles.

Steele flunked the moral courage test on November, 7, 2006, when he was the Republican candidate for the United States Senate from Maryland. As Election Day approached, one of Steele's supporters, Emma Jean Thompson, distributed flyers in African-American neighborhoods, attacking Steele's Jewish opponent. The headline stated, "Ben Cardin Promises to attack Jesus Christ, Pastors, Churches and Christians and to Take Away Blacks' Freedom If He Is Elected." The flyer listed issues, including same sex marriage and abortion, and stated that Steele is "for what Jesus says" and Cardin is "against what Jesus says." The flyer went on to announce "Cardin VS Christ" and asked readers to "Vote for Michael Steele."

Thompson, who is co-pastor of Integrity Church International in Landover, Maryland, attended Steele's pre-election press conference. She made her attacks in the name of "Black Women in Maryland" and had the flyers distributed at Churches in Prince Georges County, Maryland.

On election morning 2006, stories about this flyer appeared in the Washington Post and in an Associated Press story. The publications also reported on how Steele intentionally misled African American voters about his party affiliation and endorsements of a number of prominent Democratic African American elected officials. The press gave Michael Steele and his campaign an opportunity to denounce the outlandish bigotry of his supporters, but he declined to do so.

Immediately after the election, Jewish community leadership privately contacted then Lt. Governor Steele to ask him to repudiate these anti-Semitic attacks. Steele stonewalled for more than two weeks. Finally near the end of November, Steele sent a letter to the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of Greater Washington indicating that he did not approve or distribute these flyers. He repudiated the flyer's "intolerance and insensitivity." Reflecting the frustration of local Jewish leadership who had worked with Steele, a spokesman for the JCRC told the Washington Jewish Week:"We do wish the response would have been more timely," but "better late than never."

None of this makes Steele an anti-Semite or a bigot. What it does say is that when faced with a choice between political expediency and denouncing bigotry, Steele chose expediency.

The GOP faces some momentous challenges in the wake of a failed George W. Bush presidency and the historic election of President Barack Obama. The RNC could use a truly inspiring and moral leader. They could have done better than Michael Steele.

Look, Steele may really have not liked the anti-Semitic attack. But he was slow to respond and seemed willing to benefit from it. When I saw a similar anti-Semitic attack used by a Democrat against another Democrat, I, as well as many others, called foul immediately. The Republicans were willing to let the anti-Semitism fester for some time before issuing a weak, lame statement.

In fact, John McCain might have done better. His finest moment before his concession speech was when he was visibly disgusted by the anti-Muslim woman trying to get him to go along with her bigotry. He didn't just give a lame statement distancing himself from what she said. He reacted with what seemed like genuine disgust, showing a human side he rarely showed.

Steele didn't do this. He let things fester until it seemed he had to say something. Only then did he give his half-hearted statement.

I respect that the RNC is trying to go beyond it's traditional rich or religious white base with Steele. In some ways I don't fault the RNC per se for this negative message to American Jews. Steele is to blame. He was the one who didn't react with the same revulsion McCain showed when faced with bigotry. He was the one who tried to benefit from anti-Semitism.

The Republican Party has consistently had problems with the fact that it plays on bigotry every chance it can. McCain's public revulsion was an exception for the Republican Party and partly renewed my respect for him. But too few Republicans react the same way to the bigotry they foster by their rhetoric. Steele is just another Republican who is willing to use bigotry when it seems useful. Business as usual for the RNC, despite massive losses in 2006 and 2008. Stupid as well as disgusting.

Your Tax Dollars Wasted by Bush

Came across this little waste of tax money: Derek the Abstinence Clown. Yes...you read that right. Derek Dye was paid as part of the Abstinence Only program to promote abstinence. Here is a video of Derek at work:



Now, this guy is just awful. And on many blogs he gets a lot of crap for how bad he is. But I am cutting him some slack. His performance (no pun intended) isn't what I am going to rant about. I don't even know if he writes his own material. It sounds like something written by a committee. He may just be a well-meaning schlamiel trying to make a buck and probably sincerely trying to do right by kids. Probably this was the best he could do with what is pretty much lousy material.

What is a crime here is not his performance. It is the very fact that the Bush Administration wasted so much money on a program that had been proven not to work. According to all reliable research shows that it just plain doesn't work. Abstinence only is about the WORST way to try and reduce teen pregnancy, the spread of STDs, or abortion. The organization SIECUS has some of the most comprehensive information on Abstinence Only vs. Traditional, Reality-Based Sex Education. For example:

Federal Evaluation Finds Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs Ineffective

In April 2007, a federally funded evaluation of Title V abstinence-only-until- marriage programs was released. The study, conducted by Mathematica Policy Research Inc. on behalf of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, found that abstinence-only-until-marriage programs are ineffective. Of the more than 700 federally funded abstinence-only-until-marriage programs, the evaluation looked at only four programs. These programs were handpicked to show positive results and they still failed.1


Mathematica’s evaluation found no evidence that abstinence-only-until-marriage programs increased rates of sexual abstinence—the entire supposed purpose of the programs.


Students in the abstinence-only-until-marriage programs had a similar age of first sex and similar numbers of sexual partners as their peers who were not in the programs.


The average age of sexual debut was the same for the abstinence-only-until-marriage participants and control groups (14 years, 9 months).

In another study it was found that pretty much 90% of Americans have pre-marital sex. Looking at younger Americans, by age 20, 77% of respondents had had sex, 75% of those had had premarital sex. The bottom line is people like to have sex. It is natural and it is part of who we are. The trick is to get people to do it responsibly and safely. And we definitely have ways of doing that. Well-funded, reality based, comprehensive sex ed combined with ready availability of contraceptives is the definitively best way to reduce the rate of teen pregnancy, spread of STDs and abortions.

So, no matter how much we pay Derek the Abstinence Clown, he is part of a program that fails across the board. It isn't Derek's fault. It is the fault of right wing ideologues who ignore facts in their pathological fear of sex and particularly of women's sexuality. We shouldn't be paying people like Derek to teach an ineffective curriculum to our kids.

NYC: City of the Developer's Sweetheart Deal

Listening to NPR on Tueday morning they were covering a conference hosted by Crain's on NYC's recovery. Since I was at work, I only heard it intermittently, but was NOT impressed. It sounded like a dozen varieties of trickle down, voo-doo economics. Two basic themes were being put forward repeatedly during the parts I heard, with absolutely no challenge from the NPR folks:

1. Banks are our saviors and so need even more tax money for bailouts;

and

2. Developers are our saviors and so need more tax money for sweetheart deals from the city;

2a. A corollary to the second theme was we need infrastructure money because that benefits developers. That's right. Infrastructure was being discussed as helping DEVELOPERS not the community.

I would have more sympathy for theme 1 if it wasn't for the kind of crap banks are doing with massive bonuses to CEOs, trying to use bailout money to buy luxury planes (stopped only by direct intervention by the Obama administration) and stabbing Americans in the back by lobbying against fair pay like Bank of America and AIG were doing. But the bottom line is banks are happy to screw Americans while raking in a bailout handed to them from our tax money. I don't want banks to fail. But I DO want oversight, regulation and a fair deal from the banks, not more of the same corruption and predatory lending that got us into this.

Corollary 2a is interesting because everyone does want infrastructure improvements. It is just disturbing seeing it put forward largely as a boon to developers rather than to the CITY. I should note that a day or two ago on NPR I heard a union guy (SEIU??) complain about infrastructure improvement as stimulus because he thought it created too few jobs. I guess not surprisingly he was pushing for more stimulus money to go into the service sector. But most of us do want to see infrastructure improvements and the number of bridge collapses and levee breaks we have had around the nation during the Bush administration shows us how critical these improvements are.

As for main theme #2, seems to me developers already get way, way too much from our tax money here in NYC. I am sick and tired of NYC putting developers on a pedestal and claiming it's good for the community. At its best development is great. But the way it is done in NYC the developers get whatever they want and a vibrant community gets replaced by luxury condos and unfilled office space. And more often than not it is all done behind the backs of the voters. As long as developers get secret sweetheart deals, then back out of their promises, I do not believe development, as it has been implemented in recent years in NYC, is beneficial. We need development plans like the Unity Plan, not more and more overpriced and oversized projects that promise jobs and affordable housing but do a poor job of delivering anything but profits for millionaires at taxpayer expense.

And Bloomberg is at the head of this movement to give developers everything they want, usually through backroom deals.

Back in 2005 I wrote about (drawing from the Brooklyn Papers) how Pataki and Bloomberg basically promised mega-developer Bruce Ratner the moon without oversight, without city council or voter backing, and largely in secret. From that article (ultimately from the August 20, 2005 Park Slope Paper, print edition):

The same day they signed a widely publicized agreement setting aside land for developer Bruce Ratner's proposed Atlantic Yards project, top officials of the Pataki and Bloomberg administrations signed a separate pact with the developer, granting him the right to build up adjacent urban renewal sites without city review.

That second agreement was never made public, but it turned up this week in the state's response to a fairly broad Freedom of Information Act request made by a neighborhood group opposed to the Atlantic Yards plan.

The document stipulates that Ratner would be able to obtain the development rights to build nearly 1.9 million square feet of residential and commercial space on properties north and west of the Atlantic Avenue rail yards, exceeding the current zoning for those sites, without having to put the proposal through the city's lengthy land use review process.

All of this tax payer funded largess thrown at Ratner's feet in return for vague promises of affordable housing.

We all see how well THAT has come off, with Ratner pulling affordable housing off the table for the forseeable future even though all the tax money we gave him was predicated on the idea that he would return our generosity with affordable housing (NOTE: even the affordable housing he promised wasn't even considered affordable by Manhattan standards).

But it isn't just Ratner who gets sweetheart deals from Bloomberg. One of the speakers at the Crain's Big Business Love Fest (or that was how it seemed as presented on NPR) was Steve Ross, and he was one of the ones saying we need MORE tax money thrown at developers so they can save our city. Well, Steve Ross' name had just come up the very same morning in a story forwarded to me. Seems Ross already gets pretty much whatever he wants behind the scenes. Property that had been taken over by the city with the intent of condemnation to facilitate construction of the No. 7 line subway extension and a new subway station, was instead handed right on to Steve Ross in a secret deal made with Bloomberg. This comes from Phil DePaolo both by email and, in more complete form, on No Power Grab:

When the City Council approved the Hudson Yards development project in 2005, it gave the Bloomberg administration permission to condemn and acquire several parcels of land on Manhattan's far West Side.

One of those parcels was a city owned block along 42nd St.'s Theater Row, between Dyer and 10th Aves. The buildings there would be torn down to facilitate construction of the No. 7 line subway extension and eventually a new station on the site.

But the Council was never told the city had no intention of condemning the site.

The city had quietly decided to sell it to one of this town's biggest real estate developers, Stephen Ross, for the price of a song: $100,000...

Madison Equities showed an unpublicized July 22 2004 agreement among the city, that stated the city agreed to back the Ross partnership.

But at the Council, the speaker claimed to be shocked to learn about the secret sale of a property it had just approved for condemnation.

"It's very surprising," said Councilwoman Christine Quinn was quoted as saying, "When you don't make complete disclosures, for any reason, it raises questions."

For more sordid details go to No Power Grab.

So Bloomberg ONCE AGAIN uses our tax money in backroom deals to enrich developer buddies. And ONCE AGAIN a scandal happens right under the nose of Christine Quinn and she is shocked...SHOCKED!...to find out such things could happen under her watch.

What a load of crap. This city is run in such a corrupt fashion it is astonishing. Transparency is deliberately avoided in favor of an opaqueness required for backroom deals between wealthy buddies. Pataki was in the thick of it. Bloomberg still is in the thick of it and wants a third term to continue his enrichment of his buddies. Marty Markowitz is in the thick of it and wants a third term to further wallow in the money. Vito Lopez was so eager to be in the thick of it that even Bloomberg balked. And Quinn is either turning a blind eye or genuinely doesn't have a clue how to run a city government.

As with the banks, I do not advocate any taxpayer money going to developers unless there is also reform in the process, greater transparency, independent oversight, and greater benefit to the community.

What do we need? We need a new mayor. We need new blood in our city council. We need a Public Advocate like Norman Siegel, who is not the slave of developers but rather has a solid 30 year record of defending the public. We need a Comptroller who is willing to stand up against this kind of crap (that means NOT Weasel Yassky and NOT Melinda Katz ,who receives more developer money than any other NYC politician...which leaves Weprin for Comptroller? God knows). Sadly, unless Norm Siegel and either Anthony Weiner or Bill Thompson can pull it off despite developer and Bloomberg money backing the corrrupt status quo, we are more than likely going to see more of the same mismanagement of the city where parents are left out of the decisions about their kids' education, but developers get to write their own sweetheart deals and Bloomberg will sign on the dotted line with no oversight...and Quinn will be, yet again, shocked when she finds out.

NEW YORK STATE FOCUS: Darwin Day, Blogs, 2009 Candidates, Groups and Events

DARWIN DAY 2009 EVENTS: Feb. 12, 2009 (not all events on the same day)

Darwin's 200th birthday, to be celebrated by the GLOBAL community as a toast to the common good of all humanity. We will all want to develop events to Celebrate Darwin, Science and Humanity and come together as one human family in appreciation of verifiable knowledge that has been acquired solely through human curiosity and ingenuity. Scientific knowledge has been of great value to all of us.

150 Years Since Darwin: What Next?
Date and Time: 2009-11-05 15:00:00
Address:
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook/NY 11776, UNITED STATES

Event Website: http://life.bio.sunysb.edu/ee/

Activities:
One day of outreach at the American Museum of Natural History, three days of technical talks and discussion at Stony Brook University.

Sponsor: Department of Ecology & Evolution, SBU

Contact: Massimo Pigliucci
Email: massimo.pigliucci_at_gmail.com
Phone: 631-632-1097

Darwin Day at Stony Brook University

Date and Time: 2009-02-13 10:00:00
Address:
Students Activities Center
Stony Brook University West Campus
Stony Brook/NY 11794, UNITED STATES

Event Website: http://www.darwinsbu.org/

Activities:
Exhibits, videos, discussions and a keynote address by Yale University's Steve Stearns.

Sponsor: Department of Ecology & Evolution

Contact: Massimo Pigliucci
Email: massimo.pigliucci@stonybrook.edu
Phone: 631-632-1097

Darwin's Reach: Celebrating Darwin's Legacy Across Disciplines
Date and Time: 2009-03-12 20:30:00
Address:
Hofstra University
Hempstead/NY , UNITED STATES

Activities:
Interdisciplinary conference on the life and legacy of Chas. Darwin. Topics to include: Darwin as a Scientist; Reception of Darwinian Evolution in the 19th Century; Darwinian Evolution in the 21st Century; Evolution in the Courts; Evolution and Religion; Evolution and Morality; Evolution and Sex/Gender; Evolution and Medicine; Evolution and Language; Evolution and Global Climate Change
Also special sessions on evolution education (for K-12 teachers), cultural events (music, theater), keynote speakers.

Sponsor: Hofstra University

Contact: Daniel Rubey
Email: Daniel.R.Rubey_at_hofstra.edu

Darwin Day Family Festival NY Metro Area Ethical Culture Societies
Date and Time: 2009-02-07 14:00:00
Address:
New York Metro Area Ethical Culture Societies
2 West 64th Street

Event Website: http://aeu.org

Activities:
speakers, intergenerational activities and FOOD!!

Sponsor: New York Metro Area Ethical Culture Societies

Contact: Sharon Stanley
Email: lihumanist_at_gmail.com
New York/NY, UNITED STATES

Darwin's Birthday Celebration
Date and Time: 2009-01-25 11:00:00
Address:
38 Old Country Road
Garden City/NY 11530, UNITED STATES

Activities:
The Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island is hosting an intergenerational event in honor of Darwin's 200th birthday. There will be refreshments and activities for adults and children of all ages.

Sponsor: The Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island

Contact: Sharon Stanley
Email: lihumanist_at_gmail.com
Phone: 516-741-7304

A Day for Darwin
Date and Time: 2009-02-13 09:00:00
Address:
Lefrak Concert Hall
65-30 Kissena Blvd.
Flushing /NY 11367, UNITED STATES

Event Website: http://dennehylab.bio.qc.cuny.edu/dd.html

Activities:
Celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Origin of Species and the 200th Birthday of the Man with a Dangerous Idea

Symposium and Panel Discussion
at the Lefrak Concert Hall
Queens College

Confirmed Speakers
Susan Foster (Clark University)
Jeffrey Schwartz (University of Pittsburgh)
Paul Turner (Yale University)
Patricia Wittkopp (University of Michigan)

Dedication of Colgate's "Darwin Thinking Path"
Date and Time: 2009-02-12 16:00:00
Address:
Colgate University
13 Oak Drive
Hamilton/NY 13346, UNITED STATES

Activities:
Colgate University in Hamilton, NY, will be dedicating one of its cross-country running & ski trails as a "Darwin Thinking Path" - similar to the sand-walk Darwin strolled daily - so that students, faculty, and the general public can contemplate many exciting or imponderable problems.

Sponsor: Department of Geology

Contact: Dr. Constance M. Soja
Email: csoja_at_mail.colgate.edu
Phone: 315.228.7200

State University of New York at New Paltz Darwin Week
Date and Time: 2009-02-09 17:30:00
Address:
State University of New York at New Paltz
CSB Auditorium

Event Website: http://www.newpaltz.edu/evos

Activities:
Public lecture by Gordon Gallup (University of Albany)

"The Science of Sex Appeal: An Evolutionary Perspective"

Sponsor: Evolutionary Studies Program

Contact: Glenn Geher
Email: geherg_at_newpaltz.edu
New Paltz/NY 12561, UNITED STATES


Here are some articles worth reading:

Roadmap of Madoff's Ponzi Scheme Ignored: The Bush Administration knew and failed to act...just like on 9/11...just like Katrina...just like bridge collapses...See more here.

New York's Cut Of The Stimulus Pie: Remember, this is what Republicans DON'T want to give you.

Dysfunction is Costly-- To Taxpayers and To State Employees

Mayor's Order Encourages Developers to Violate the Law...and on a related note: NYC: City of the Developer's Sweetheart Deal

NY-20: Tedisco's Morning Drive costs taxpayers $21,000

New Finance Review for Atlantic Yards Would Be Prudent

Diane Savino to GOP: Quit your whinin'

Governor Paterson On Signing Of SCHIP Bill Into Law

How NYC Became the World's Banking Capital

Bloomberg To Raise Sales Tax, Cut 23,000 Jobs: This is the ultimate in regressive

NY-20: Six Finalists For Democratic Nomination

Teaching Control...and on a related subject: Backers of Mayoral School Control Face Resistance

Quinn's con game...and more on Quinn: Christine Quinn: Pettiness Personified

Economic Development Sensibility

Atlantic Yards: Time to reconsider

Stimulus Turns Greener; Thank Jerry Nadler.

NYC Crime: Up or Down?

Long time Republican State Senator Joseph L. Bruno indicted for corruption! This has been brewing for SO LONG! Republican corruption continues to come to light. More here.

Bloggers Get to be Treated Like Journalists

Thoughts on NYC City Council Races for 2009

City Island fire prompts protest of planned FDNY ladder closing: Why does Bloomberg hate New York firefighters?...and on a related issue: Norm Siegel Opposes Closing of Firehouses at Staten Island Rally


NEW YORK BLOGGING:

The Albany Project gives excellent coverage of New York State politics.

The Daily Gotham covers both New York City (with a slight emphasis on Brooklyn) and New York State politics.

Reform NY is the blog of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law

No Land Grab: News from the point of view of Brooklyn opposition to overdevelopment

True News from ChangeNYC.Org: ChangeNYC.Org is an organization unifying our City’s Democratic Party by welcoming all New Yorkers back into the political process. We are a coalition of real, everyday New Yorkers – young voters, progressives, neighborhood leaders, community bloggers, good government groups, and even conservatives – who believe that in cooperation we can bring the change to our City that together we have begun to bring to our nation.


Let me highlight some excellent candidates running in New York in 2009:

Norm Siegel for Public Advocate
For those of you who live in NYC, let me introduce you to Norman Siegel, one of America's top Civil Rights Lawyers, is running for New York Public Advocate.

Here's a link to Norm Siegel on NY1.

And here is Youtube footage of Norm Siegel and the NYC Coalition To Preserve Term Limits Press Conference:




Josh Skaller for City Council. Josh is a good friend of ours, a solid progressive, and about as honest as you can get. Here is Josh's statement on his campaign website:

I love Brooklyn—our neighborhoods and our people, the incredible warmth I feel walking around our vibrant and diverse communities. Like you, I know that Brooklyn is a terrific place to live and raise our families. But everywhere we look these days, the things that make our borough great are under assault. Developers and out of touch politicians seem determined to transform our community into an endless series of high-rise condos and strip malls. I believe that unchecked development threatens the beauty and integrity of our neighborhoods, overtaxes public services, and places an incalculable burden on our fragile ecology. I’m willing to stand up to the developers, and I hope you’ll stand with me.

As President of Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats (CBID) for the past two years, and as an executive member of Democracy for New York City, I've had the honor and pleasure of working with fellow concerned citizens to help change Brooklyn for the better: Local government that doesn't fear its constituents, but embraces them. A political ecosystem that nourishes and amplifies our core values rather than suppresses them. Transparency, honesty, community empowerment, and more than just lip service for the progressive values our neighborhoods share. I will continue to work on behalf of schools and teachers for our children, an environmental policy brave enough to protect the planet for future generations, and I will stand strong and defend our neighborhoods from the out of control, out of context development that seems to be everywhere, and advocate for smart growth and community based planning.

I look forward to bringing the enthusiasm I've shared with so many of you to city council.

Marquez Claxton for City Council: A former NYC Police Officer and co-founder of 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care, Marq Claxton is running for the City Council District 31 seat in Queens. He is currently the chair of the Public Safety Committee for Community Board 13. He has been endorsed by Eric Adams (who I know and respect) and is being considered by the Working Families Party as a candidate. Here is Eric Adam's endorsement statement:



Here is Marq Claxton opposing Bloomberg's term limits coup:




Daniel Dromm for City Council: a public school teacher running for the City Council District 25 seat in Queens. He was a founder of the Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club of Queens and chapter leader of United Federation of Teachers, PS 199Q. He has been endorsed by the United Federation of Teachers, Mark Green, and others. WFP seem to be considering him as well. Dromm received the "Community Service Impact Award" from the Times Ledger Newspapers (2006), the "Outstanding Teacher of the Year" PS 199Q Principal's Award (2006), and the "Citation of Honor" from the Queens Borough President (1995). Seems like exactly the experience we need on the City Council.


More Races: Here is a Facebook Site highlighting some good primary challenges against those City Council members who voted themselves a pay raise then voted themselves a third term in the council over the vote and objections of the voters. In the future I will be highlighting some of these challengers, though for now electing Norm Siegel and Josh Skaller are my main efforts. I am particularly watching the following people to see if they are running for City Council. If they run, I am likely to support them:

David Galarza, Council District 38 (I hear he IS indeed running!)

Rocky Chin, Council District 1
Rodrick Daley, Council District 45


Here are a handful of Organizations worth checking out:

The Environmental Business Association is the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to supporting the growth of the environmental industry in New York State. Specifically, we help to promote and serve serving the industry sectors of Climate Change, Greening Communities, Energy and WALCE (Water-Agriculture-Land Use-Conservation-Environmental). News here. Events list here (not recently updated).

NY Citizens for Clean Elections: We are committed to passage of Clean Money Clean Election legislation in NYS that provides a non-partisan approach for full public funding of campaigns for all qualified candidates who refuse private money and abide by spending limits. We want to ensure that all Americans, regardless of wealth, have an equal voice in the political system and that qualified candidates are not discouraged from running because they do not have access to the money needed for a competitive campaign.

The Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats is a community-based Democratic club. CBID has fought for reform and progressive causes since 1968. As a Brooklyn-based Club, we have been instrumental in the election of many candidates for public office. Much of this success was a result of our question-and-answer forums with prospective candidates as well as our extensive on-the-street contact with our constituents.

Staunchly opposed to political corruption, we are proud of our independence and our commitment to progressive reform in city, state and national politics. We are a vehicle for citizen empowerment and making government more accountable to our neighborhoods.

We meet monthly, usually the fourth Thursday evening of the month in the basement of the Park Slope United Methodist Church, on the corner of 6th ave and 8th street, at 7:30pm. All are welcome.

New Kings Democrats (”NKD”) is a new, grassroots organization in Kings County (Brooklyn), New York whose primary mission is to recruit and prepare individuals to run for Kings County Democratic Committee. NKD hopes to achieve the goal of an inclusionary and participatory democracy by making it easy for individuals to run for local, elected office. NKD will serve as a training ground for individuals seeking higher office, and hopes to build and nurture a new group of Brooklyn Democratic leaders.

Stonewall Democrats of Western New York is the GLBT Democratic voice in WNY. Our mission is to advocate for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) community within the Democratic Party and to encourage GLBT participation within the Democratic Party. Our membership includes representatives from State, County, and City government, and several Democratic committee members amongst the various County Committees in WNY.

Drop the Rock: Enacted in 1973, the Rockefeller Drug Laws require lengthy prison terms for the possession or sale of a relatively small amount of drugs. There are over 13,000 people in New York’s prisons incarcerated under the drug laws, most of them minor offenders with no history of violent behavior. It costs New York $500 million a year to imprison drug offenders. 90% of the people locked up in New York for drug offenses are African American or Latino, despite research showing that the majority of people who use and sell drugs are white. Research shows that drug treatment is less expensive than imprisonment and more successful in reducing drug-related crime. Repealing the Rockefeller Drug Laws would save the fiscally strapped state over $220 million per year. Get involved here.


DEMOCRACY FOR AMERICA MEETINGS IN NY STATE:

Capital District of NY/GenDFA

Democracy for the Hudson-Mohawk Region

Democracy for the Hudson Valley

Mid-Hudson Progressive Alliance

dfaROCHESTER

Democracy For Westchester

Democracy for Long Island

Democracy For The Greater Glens Falls Area

North Country Democracy for America

Central New York DFA

Eastern Long Island Democracy for America

Democracy For Saratoga Springs

Kingston Democracy for America

Democracy For The Southern Adirondack/Tricounty Area

Democracy for Otsego and Delaware Counties

Philipstown for Democracy

DFA: Greene County

Livingston County for Democracy


DEMOCRACY FOR NYC MEETINGS:
First Wednesday of every month.

Upper West Side - 7:00 pm, NEW LOCATION: The Parlour (back room) - 250 West 86th Street (btwn B'way and West End Ave.), with hosts Bernadette Evangelist and Sally Swisher.

West Village - 7:00pm, Kettle of Fish, 59 Christopher St. (near 7th Ave.) with host Tracey Keij-Denton.

Astoria, Queens - 7:30 pm, - NEW DATE: Monday, February 9th Ommonia Cafe 32-20 Broadway, with host Jeremiah Frei-Pearson and Costa Constantinides.

Sunnyside, Queens - 7:30 pm, Bliss Street Station restaurant, 47-02 Greenpoint Ave., with host Dan Jacoby.

Bayside, Queens - 7:00 pm, The First Edition, 41-08 Bell Blvd, right near the LIRR stop, with host Steve Behar of Democrats for New Politics.

Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn - 7:00pm, Wyckoff-Bennett Homestead 1669 E. 22nd St. with host Annette Mont and Estelle Glasser.


DRINKING LIBERALLY MEETINGS IN NY STATE:

Clifton Park, New York
* First Wednesday of each month, 7:00 pm onward
* Old Dublin Inn, 130 Meyer Rd (Google maps is wrong, please contact me for directions.)
* Hosted by Chris Selkirk, cliftonpark (at) drinkingliberally.org

Ithaca, New York
* Every Wednesday, 6:30 pm onward
* Felicia's Atomic Lounge, 508 W State St
* Hosted by Joseph Cannon Murtagh, ithaca (at) drinkingliberally.org


New York City, New York:

The Original Drinking Liberally
* Every Thursday, 7:30 pm onward
* Rudy's, 627 9th Ave (between 44th and 45th)
* In the backyard, weather permitting
* Hosted by Justin Krebs, Matthew O'Neill and Katrina Baker, nyc (at) drinkingliberally.org

Drinking Liberally Steps Out
* Third Tuesday of each month, 7:00-9:00 pm
* XES Lounge, 157 W 24th St (@ 7th Avenue)
* In conjunction with the Stonewall Democrats of New York City www.sdnyc.org.
* Hosted by Matthew Carlin and Greg Rae, outnyc (at) drinkingliberally.org

Harlem
* Second Wednesday of each month), 6:30 pm onward
* Soundz Lounge, 3155 Broadway (between 123rd and 124th)
* Hosted by Yolanda (Shoshi) Shoshana, harlem (at) drinkingliberally.org

Park Slope
* Second Wednesday of each month, 7:30-10:00 pm
* Commonwealth, 497 5th Ave (at 12th Street)
* Hosted by Anthony Accurso, Emilie Harkin and Emily Farris, parkslope (at) drinkingliberally.org

Queens
* Fourth Wednesday of each month, 7:30 pm onward
* Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden, 29-19 24th Avenue, Astoria, NY 11102 (group of young liberals taking up one lane)
* Hosted by Donald Graff, queens (at) drinkingliberally.org

Upper East Side
* Last Tuesday of each month, 7:30 pm onward
* Doc Watson's, 1490 2nd Ave (at 77th)
* Hosted by Matthew Bachiochi, ues (at) drinkingliberally.org

West Bronx
* First and third Friday of each month, 7:30 pm onward
* An Beal Bocht, 445 W 238th St (between Waldo and Greystone)
* 1 to 238th, turn left, straight on 238th, just past the top of the stairs
* Hosted by Jamin Sewell and Scott Kennedy, westbronx (at) drinkingliberally.org

Rochester, New York
* Every Thursday, 8:00-10:00 pm
* Monty's Korner, 355 East Ave
* Hosted by Tom Tucker and Tracy Logan, rochester (at) drinkingliberally.org

And then we have: Shooting Liberally
Tuesday, Feb 19
From your friends at Drinking Liberally comes the debut of SHOOTING LIBERALLY...

For the First Amendment enthusiast ready to move on to the Second. A social evening at the gun range including training & weapon rental.

For more info and to reserve your spot, contact: Stanley Sherman - maskarts (at) worldnet.att.net

Orange County, CA Events

I found this amazing round up of events in Orange County, California, thanks to Orange County Democracy for America:

Feb 8 Sunday 1-5pm, Rancho Santa Margarita: Morasha School's Third Annual Environmental Awareness Festival Leave Only Footprints FREE Admission *Soles4Souls* *The Bicycle Tree* *Surfrider Foundation* *Dana Point Ocean Institute* *Donna O?Neill Land Conservancy* *Josh Lake, nature educator and guide* *Rabbi Mike Comins, environmentalist and author* *workshops for kids and adults * green vendors * organic foods * alternative fuel cars * shoe drive with Soles4Souls*free how-to bike maintenance tips from The Bicycle Tree*
Morasha School, 30482 Avenida de Las Banderas, Rancho Santa Margarita 949-459-6330 morasha.org

Feb 8 Sunday 5-7:30pm, Irvine: Awaiting Judgment: Dietrich Bonhoeffer & MLK Jr. Irvine United Congregational Church and University Synagogue PRESENT: THE PLAY AWAITING JUDGMENT Cost $12 (Pre-sale) $15 (at the door) $10 for Students with I.D. (includes light meal)
This play imagines a conversation between Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Luther King Jr. in which the two 20th century theological scholars and activists examine one another?s actions and explore the decisions that led to their martyrdom. The issues raised in the play present ethical and faith challenges that each man faced in his lifetime and are relevant for discussion in today?s times as well.
The superb cast of Anthony Drummond as King, Craig Huisenga as Bonhoeffer, and Phys Green as Narrator, will provide an exciting and stimulating performance. The playwright, Rev. Art Cribbs, will lead a discussion about the play afterwards. Rev. Dr. Paul Tellström & Rabbi Arnie Rachlis will host this event and participate in the discussion as well. A light meal and reception will follow. Childcare will be provided.
Hosted by: Irvine United Congregational Church 4915 Alton Parkway, Irvine, CA 92604 949-733-220 iucc.org TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

Feb 8 Sunday 5:30pm, Orange: The Orange County Interfaith Committee to Aid Farm Workers next fund raiser will be held Sunday afternoon, February 8, at the Carpenters' Hall, 1918 W. Chapman, in Orange. The social hour/silent auction will begin at 4:30pm (note new time), followed by dinner at 5:30 pm, and the program at 6:30pm. Erik Nicholson, VP of the United Farm Workers, will be the speaker. He is extremely knowledgeable and experienced in farm labor issues in particular and worldwide labor trends in general. He is a terrific speaker and we are excited to have him. Reservations are requested with Suzanne Darweesh, 2104 Hilltop Ct, Fullerton, 92831, 714-738-1785 or sdarweesh@aol.com. A donation of $20 prepaid or $25 at the door is requested. Checks should be made out to the UFW, the beneficiary of this event.

Feb 9 Monday 7pm, Irvine: The Science and Politics of Air Pollution Robert F. Sawyer is Class of 1935 Professor of Energy Emeritus and Professor of the Graduate School at the University of California, Berkeley and former chair of the California Air Resources Board. Crystal Cove Auditorium, UCI Student Center chancellor.uci.edu/cdfs.shtml

Feb 10 Tuesday Noon-1pm, Irvine: The UCI School of Law presents Is Proposition 8 Legal? A Forum on Marriage Equality UCI Student Center, Pacific Ballroom C
Dean Erwin Chemerinsky and other experts will discuss the legal issues involved in the upcoming California Supreme Court case on Proposition 8, which eliminated the right of same-sex couples to marry in the State of California.
Sponsored by The UCI School of Law and Outlaw (Chapman University School of Law) Free to all. No reservations required For more information contact: Professor James S. Nowick 949-824-6091, jsnowick@uci.edu chem.ps.uci.edu/~jsnowick/jsn/forum.html

Feb 10 (2nd Tuesday) 7pm, San Juan Capistrano: Robin Everett, Conservation Organizer, Sierra Club Friends of the Foothills at South Orange County Democratic Club socdc.org Come learn the latest on the 241 toll road extension
New Location: Marie Callender's, 31791 Del Obispo Street

Feb 11 Wednesday 6:30-8:30pm, Irvine: OC NOW General Meeting Irvine Ranch Water District Offices - 15600 Sand Canyon Ave. in Irvine
A professional fundraiser will discuss how nonprofits are dealing with the current state of the US economy and how fundraising has been affected. nowoc.org/e107_plugins/calendar_menu/event.php?1234398600.event.34

Feb 12 Thursday 7pm, Santa Ana: Orange County Young Democrats meeting. We invite you to attend our next Orange County Young Democrats meeting on Thursday, February 12th at 7:00 PM at Bistro 400 located at 400 W. 4th Street, Santa Ana CA, 92701. Our meeting will be followed by Drinking Liberally at Memphis. For more information visit us online at OCYD.net

Feb 12 Thursday 6:30-8:30pm, Anaheim: Stand up for Justice by Supporting Responsible Development in Anaheim Come and join other Anaheim residents in a dialogue about the new development in the Platinum Triangle. Learn how you can support a "Community Benefits Agreement", and advocate for issues that matter to you:
Good Paying Jobs Green Building Affordable Housing Parks and Open Spaces Affordable Child Care Schools and other issues that matter to you and your community!
St. Boniface Catholic Church - The Hall (Far East side of church) 120 N. Janss St.
Contact: wendy.clue@gmail.com 7145024370

Feb 12 Thursday 7pm, Laguna Beach: Laguna Beach Democratic Club at the Unitarian Church, 429 Cypress Street lagunabeachdemocraticclub.com

Feb 13 Friday 6:30-9:30, San Juan Capistrano: The Environmental Outreach at The Center for Spiritual Living OC Invites you to an Organic Dinner and Eco-Presentation Be The Change An evening filled with Visioning, Connection and Inspired Action Join Deanna Moore and Michelle Spieker, co-founders of the Environmental Outreach OC for a powerful evening designed to inspire each of us to take individual and collective action to create a better world.
You'll be part of * A discussion of what the future holds. * A visioning for what's possible * Concrete ways we can prepare for a sustainable future
The evening will begin with an organic meal made with local fruits and vegetables prepared by Deanna Moore and friends.
n Cost: $20 Please bring utensils, plates, and a beverage. Babysitter provided at $10 per child
Location : Center for Spiritual Living OC, 27121 Calle Arroyo (Suite 2200) San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675 centerforspirituallivingoc.org The Environmental Outreach heals the Earth and Humanity through Awareness, Education and Inspired action.

Feb 15 Sunday 1:30pm, Irvine: Humanist Association of Orange County Carole Copp will present a talk on the "Evolution of Evolution" for our Darwin Day program. More details will be given later.
Irvine Ranch Water District building located at 15600 Sand Canyon Ave. Irvine, CA 92618 ochumanists.org

Feb 19-21 Thursday-Saturday 7-9pm, Irvine: The Vagina Monologues UCI - PSLH 100
As part of the 2009 V-Day College Campaign, the students of UCI are proud to present a benefit production of The Vagina Monologues to raise awareness and funds for local organizations working to end violence against women and girls.
V-Day College Campaign events are independently organized by students and listings on V-Day's web-site do not imply the endorsement or official sanction of any institution.
Cost of the performance is $10 For more information, call Stephen Marley at 909.319.4326

new Feb 25 Wednesday 11:30am, Irvine: Women For: Orange County "Legal and Ethical Issues of Health Care" Irvine Ranch Water District's Duck Club 5 Riparian View, Irvine (at the San Joaquin Preserve) The Duck Club is located at the end of Riparian View. Riparian View intersects Michelson Dr. between Culver Dr. & Jamboree Rd. Turn onto Riparian View toward the open space. Follow the signs for one mile to the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary. Free and open to the public ~ Men are cordially invited Refreshments at 2:00 p.m. For recorded information: 714.590.7804 womenforoc.org womenforoc@aol.com

Feb 27 (4th Friday) 7pm, Newport Beach: A Traveling Conscientious Projector: "Power of Forgiveness"
St.Mark Presbyterian Church, 2200 San Juaquin Hills Road, Newport Beach, CA 92660
Fourth Friday Film Festival 6:30 Gathering 7:00 Film Showing 8:15 Discussion Issues of Social Justice: To Educate, Communicate & Reflect in Community.
For more information, contact Erin Weller at eweller@pcu-la.org or (714) 721-6554.

Feb 28 Saturday 1pm, Irvine: Orange County Equality Coalition OCEquality.org CONTINUE THE FIGHT FOR EQUALITY!! Be a part of the largest growing movement for equal rights in Orange County!
The mission of the Orange County Equality Coalition is to develop and sustain an infrastructure that enables the attainment of equality for all through education, dialogue, and advocacy.
Irvine United Congregational Church, 4915 Alton Pkwy, Irvine facebook.com/group.php?gid=92930760636 ocequality@gmail.com

San Diego, CA Events

And here is a great calendar of events for San Deigo, California, thanks to the San Diego County Democrats:

Del Mar/Carmel Valley Democratic Club meeting. Wednesday, February 11th, social at 6:00 pm, meeting 7:00 pm. At Oscar's, 3881 Valley Centre Drive, San Diego 92130.

Rabbi Michael Lerner: The Spiritual Challenge of the Next Four Years in U. S. and Global Survival." Thursday, February 12th, 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Rabbi Michael Lerner, an internationally recognized theologian and psychologist, the author of the 2006 best seller, "the Left Hand Of God," and one of the co-founders of the Network of Spiritual Progressives. At First Unitarian Universalist Church, 4190 Front St., San Diego 92102 Suggested Donation of $5 to $10. Info: Bob Northcutt at 858.592.0217

North County Unity Leadership Coalition Brunch. Saturday, February 14th, registration is at 8:45 am, brunch and program 9:00-11:00 am. County Party Chair Jess Durfee will give a State of the County address, Phil Hanneman, California State Democratic Party Director, will explain how the we interact with the State Party, Xavier Martinez, Chair of North County Unity, will discuss the purpose and funding process of the NC Unity political action committee, and Francine Busby will discuss the goals and plans for North County. $20 contribution includes a breakfast buffet. At the Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club, 5827 Via de la Cumbre, Rancho Santa Fe 92067. Click HERE to download the invitation and RSVP form.

Lake San Marcos Democratic Club meeting. Saturday, February 14th, social 12:30, meeting 1:00 pm. Agenda: Discussions about club activities for 2009 and beyond. At the Lake San Marcos Lakeside Pavilion. Info: Betty Ball (760) 752-1035.

Eastlake-Bonita Democratic Club meeting. Sunday, February 15th, 2:00 – 4:00 pm. Former M*A*S*H star and longtime political and social justice activist Mike Farrell will talk about his extensive involvement in human rights issues all over the world, as well as his life as an actor. Mike's book “Just Call Me Mike” will be available for sale and signing. At the Bonita Library, 4375 Bonita Road, Bonita. Info: Vivian at President@EBDemocrats.org

Progressive Grandmothers for Political Action meeting. Tuesday, February 24th, 1:00 pm. Drew Reiff, producer of the "Save KLSD /Media Consolidation" movie will discuss the movie and national pattern it represents. At the Remington Club, 16916 Hierba, Rancho Bernardo. All are welcome regardless of age or gender. Info: Vi Mooberry 760 233-7833

CALIFORNIA FOCUS: Darwin Day, Blogs, Alternative Energy, Groups and Events

DARWIN DAY 2009 EVENTS: Feb. 12, 2009 (not all events on the same day)

Darwin's 200th birthday, to be celebrated by the GLOBAL community as a toast to the common good of all humanity. We will all want to develop events to Celebrate Darwin, Science and Humanity and come together as one human family in appreciation of verifiable knowledge that has been acquired solely through human curiosity and ingenuity. Scientific knowledge has been of great value to all of us.

Colloquium "In the Light of Evolution: Two Centuries of Darwin"
Date and Time: 2009-01-16 08:00:00
Address:
Beckman Center
100 Academy Way (University Research Park)
Irvine/CA 92617, UNITED STATES

Event Website: http://www.nasonline.org/Sackler_Darwin

Activities:
Sackler Colloquium is organized by John Avise and Francisco J. Ayala, University of California, Irvine. Two-day meeting of leading researchers, open to public, registration fee.

Address:
Beckman Center
100 Academy Way (University Research Park)
Irvine/CA 92617 UNITED STATES

Sponsor: National Academy of Sciences

Contact: Susan Marty
Email: smarty_at_nas.edu
Phone: 949-721-2213

150 Years of Evolution - Darwin's Impact on the Humanities
Date and Time: 2009-11-22 19:30:00
Address:
San Diego State University, Department of Philosophy
San Diego/California 92, UNITED STATES

Event Website: http://cal.sdsu.edu/darwin/callpapers.htm

Activities: An academic symposium

Contact: Mark Wheeler
Email: mark.wheeler_at_sdsu.edu
Phone: (619) 594-6706

Celebrating science and Darwin bicentenary
Date and Time: 2009-02-15 14:00:00
Address:
San Diego Public Library (probably)
San Diego/California 92101, UNITED STATES

Event Website: http://www.HFSD.info

Activities:
Education and entertainment will be harmonized in a D-200 event to be organized by the Humanist Fellowship of San Diego. We will seek the participation of local scientific departments and freethought organizations. Details will be posted here and on our website www.HFSD.info as they develop.

Sponsor: The Humanist Fellowship of San Diego

Contact: Susi Reed
Email: Humanists_at_gmail.com
Phone: 619-670-4159

Darwin Birthday Concert at UCSD School of Medicine
Date and Time: 2009-02-07 19:30:00
Address:
UCSD School of Medicine, Basic Science Bldg., Liebow Auditorium
Gilman Drive off La Jolla Village Drive
La Jolla/CA 92067, UNITED STATES

Event Website: http://www.scientificgospel.com

Activities:
Galapagos Mountain Boys in concert, performing evolutionary songs dedicated to the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth. Songs are from their newest CD.

Sponsor: UCSD Faculty Club and Scientific Gospel Productions, LLC.

Contact: Carol Baird
Email: carol_at_scientificgospel.com
Phone: 858-481-0765

Darwin's 200th Birthday Celebration at UCSD Faculty Club
Date and Time: 2009-02-12 19:30:00
Address:
UC San Diego Faculty Club
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla/CA 92093, UNITED STATES

Event Website: http://www.scientificgospel.com

Activities:
Gourmet Darwin dinner with Evolution wine, primordial ooze soup, finch with Barbara McClintock's jumping gene corn stuffing, Mendel's peas and lava pie for dessert. Concert following dinner by The Galapagos Mountain Boys, performing evolutionary songs from their newest CD in tribute to this night:

Sponsor: UCSD Faculty Club and Dept. of Biology

Contact: Thomas Mignano
Email: tmignano_at_ucsd.edu
Phone: 858-534-5719

2009 Dean's Symposium: Evolutionary Biology: Molecules to Man
Date and Time: 2009-04-03 20:00:00
Address:
UC San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla/CA , UNITED STATES

Event Website: http://2009deansymposium.ucsd.edu

Activities:
April 2, 2009: undergraduate student competition on the expression of evolution through essay, dance, music, etc.
April 2, 2009: Dr. Michael Shermer on Darwin and Evolution: 7 pm.
April 3: Dean's Symposium on Evolutionary Biology

Sponsor: UC San Diego

Contact: Patricia Walsh
Email: pwalsh_at_ucsd.edu
Phone: 858-534-3112

Evolution, Science and Religion: Humanist Fellowship San Diego
Date and Time: 2009-02-15 14:00:00
Address:
820 E St
San Diego/CA 92101, UNITED STATES

Event Website: http://www.hfsd.info

Activities:
Phillip De Barros will present "Evolution, Science and Religion" based on his television series by that name. Cornell Jaray will present a powerpoint show on the life and work of Charles Darwin.

Address:
820 E St
San Diego/CA 92101 UNITED STATES

Sponsor: The Humanist Fellowship of San Diego

Contact: Susi Reed
Email: Humanists_at_gmail.com
Phone: 619-670-4159


Darwin Comes to Santa Barbara
Date and Time: 2009-02-08 19:30:00
Address:
Santa Barbara Musem of Natural History
Santa Barbara/CA , UNITED STATES

Event Website: http://www.santabarbarahumanists.org/Calendar/Darwin09.htm

Activities:
Speeches, panels, impersonations, etc. See web site for more details.

Sponsor: Humanist Society of Santa Barbara and Museum of Natural History

Contact: Roger Schlueter
Email: President_at_SantaBarbaraHumanists.org
Phone: 805/962-6316

Evolve 2009 Launch at NightLife
Date and Time: 2009-02-12 18:00:00
Address:
55 Music Conourse Drive
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco/CA 94118, UNITED STATES

Event Website: http://www.calacademy.org

Activities:
Music, drinks and science in the spectacular new California Academy of Sciences with an informal talk @ 7 pm by Professor Emeritus Keith Thomson, "Who Was Charles Darwin?" TICKETED EVENT--$10

Sponsor: California Academy of Sciences

Contact: Jean Farrington
Email: jfarrington@calacademy.org

Evolutionpalooza! Darwin Day 2009
Date and Time: 2009-02-08 14:30:00
Address:
San Francisco Main Branch Public Library
100 Larkin Street
San Francisco/CA 94102-4733, UNITED STATES

Event Website: http://www.sfatheists.com/darwinday2009.htm

Activities:
Free Admission! Speakers! The annual Darwin Scholarship ceremony!

Sponsor: San Francisco Atheists

Contact: Dave Fitzgerald
Email: fitz_at_sfatheists.com

Sacramento's 12th annual Darwin Day
Date and Time: 2009-02-08 14:30:00
Address:
John Smith Hall, La Sierra Community Center
5325 Engle Road
Carmichael/CA 95608, UNITED STATES

Activities:
A festive community celebration complete with birthday cake, featuring an educational program, entertainment, literature and merchandise tables. This year's major presentation is by MICHAEL SHERMER, author of numerous books, founder of the Skeptics Society and columnist for Scientific American. [ Please note: Doors open at 2 PM. Program itself begins at 2:30 PM ]

Sponsor: Cooperating Community Organizations including College Depts

Contact: Mynga Futrell
Email: ckprofessional_at_aol.com
Phone: 916-737-5158

Darwin's Birthday Party
Date and Time: 2009-02-12 10:00:00
Address:
Bell Memorial Union, CSU Chico
400 West 1st St.
Chico/CA 95929, UNITED STATES

Event Website: http://myweb.csuchico.edu/~ctivey/dday.html

Activities:
K12 kids & families welcome. Games, educational displays, prizes, birthday cake, fossils, & information will be available.

Sponsor: Darwin Day group

Contact: Chris Ivey
Email: ctivey_at_csuchico.edu


BLOGGING CALIFORNIA: Here are some blogs covering California Politics

Calitics is an open source news organization for California.

The California Progress Report is published by Frank D. Russo, a longtime observer of and participant in California politics.

The Liberal OC covers politics in Orange County.

LeftyBlogs California is the place to find out what's happening in the progressive blogosphere across California.


Some articles of note:

Merced Sun-Star: "Why should Democrats negotiate if Republicans refuse to budge?"

Environmental Protections Held Hostage in Budget Negotiations

The Toxic Right Wing Media

Source of GOP Talking Points on Stimulus Revealed

How does the governor get away with it?

Bass: “The Republican Party seems to value followership more than leadership.”

Steven Chu's Wake Up Call

San Diego: Surf, Sun and Sewage: This was a problem when I lived in San Diego more than 20 years ago.

Debate Over School Board Vote On Labor Agreement Continues

Effort to Recall San Bernardino County Assessor Bill Postmus After His Arrest on Drug Charges Here's a key quote from the article:

Postmus faces removal from office following his arrest earlier this month at his Rancho Cucamonga home on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. It occurred during the serving of a search warrant at his residence by investigators from the District Attorney's office, who are investigating allegations of cronyism and political malfeasance at the Assessor's office.

Mormon Church Attempts to Make up For the Obfuscations on Prop 8...and on the same topic: Prop 8 Campaign's Hypocritical Effort to Hide Donors Gets Slapped Down

Democratic Radio Address: Federal Stimulus on Horizon, Focus Remains on Budget

Home Care Cuts Would Make the Current Budget Crisis Even Worse...and on a related topic: Expanding Medicare Could Reverse Job Losses, and Repair Our Broken Healthcare System

GOP '09: The Party Of Bad Faith...and on a related topic of Republican Failure: The E. Coli Republicans Are Back-- And They Have A Bridge To Sell You Too

San Diego Mayor Says Water Rationing Probable by July 1 - Public Hearings Set

UC has plan to subsidize tuition for low-income students

The Destruction of Public Education in California...I remember a time when California education went from the BEST in the nation to among the worst. Don't do it again!!!

Find H8Ters In Your Neighborhood! Your tool to boycott Prop. 8 supporters


STONEWALL DEMOCRATS and related organizations in California:

Stonewall Democrats of Los Angeles

Central Valley Stonewall Democratic Club
Stockton, CA

Desert Stonewall Democrats
Cathedral City, CA

Eleanor Roosevelt Stonewall Democrats of Orange County
Santa Anna, CA

Fresno Stonewall Democrats
Fresno, CA

Sacramento Stonewall Democrats
Sacramento, CA

San Diego Democratic Club
San Diego, CA

Stonewall Democratic Club of Greater Sacramento
Sacramento, CA

Stonewall Democrats of Ventura County
Ventura, CA

Stonewall Alliance of Chico: The Stonewall Alliance Center offers a range of services to help connect people to their community. Volunteers staffing the Center provide information on activities and events and offer referrals for services. Our Education & Outreach give community members access to the Harlan Adams Memorial Library, Out Education classes, we deliver speaker’s panels to local colleges and presenters to area organizations and groups.


Alternative Energy in California:

Here are some Biodiesel Cooperatives in California. If you have a diesel truck or car, joining one of these co-ops can help you drive more green.

The Berkeley Biodiesel Collecctive
Berkeley, CA
email: berkeleybiodiesel_at_yahoo.com. Or check out their website.

The Biofuels Research Cooperative
Sebastopol, CA
email: veggieoilcoop_at_yahoo.com.

I also want to highlight Conserv Fuels in Los Angeles, which offers a selection of alternative fuels (biodiesel and ethanol included) as well as pretty cheap regular gasoline. Joy and I buy our fuel (whatever we need) when we are in Los Angeles.

And Propel Fuels have several stations around California that offer biodiesel (and, according to a reader, they also offer E85 ethanol blend): (I discovered them when I saw they did carbon offsets)

* Rocklin
6700 Five Star Blvd
Sacramento, California 95677

* Citrus Heights
7741 Auburn Blvd
Citrus Heights, California 95610

* Sacramento, Folsom Blvd.
8090 Folsom Blvd.
Sacramento, California 95826

* Sacramento, Norwood Ave.
4200 Norwood Ave
Sacramento, California 95838

* Sacramento, Florin Road
8062 Florin Road
Sacramento, California 95828

* Elk Grove
9190 E Stockton Blvd
Elk Grove, California 95624

* Roseville
999 Sunrise Ave
Roseville, California 95661

* Placerville
151 Main St
Placerville, California 95667


Here are other alternative energy resources for Califorina:

Alternative Energy Resources in California: a short summary of alternative energy resources for California. For more information on each technology, visit the State Energy Alternatives Technology Options page.

San Francisco Community Power pilots innovative programs that improve our neighborhoods' environmental and economic conditions. We help small businesses and low-income families lower their expenses and reduce their ecological footprint. Our work provides policy makers with demonstrative ways to solve complex resource allocation issues.


California for Democracy:
Here are some local Democracy for America groups (click on the link for more info)

DFA Marin

Dean Democratic Club of Silicon Valley

Democratic Club of Coarsegold

DFA - Central Coast

DFA-CFD of Fresno & Madera Counties

DFA-CFD of Mariposa and Tuolumne Counties

Democracy for Monterey County

DFA-Orange County

East Bay for Democracy

Sacramento for Democracy

San Diego for Democracy

(San Fernando) Valley Grassroots for Democracy

San Francisco for Democracy

San Mateo County Democracy for America

Santa Barbara Progressive Coalition

Sonoma County DFA


Here are some local political meetings in California:

San Fernando Valley Young Democrats: San Fernando Valley Young Democrats shall endeavor to stimulate in young people an active interest in governmental affairs, increase the efficiency of our government, maintain the viability of our free institutions, and contribute to the growth and influence of the ideals and philosophy of the Democratic Party. Check their calendar of events here.

Pasadena Young Democrats:
PYD welcomes students and young adults from throughout the region to join us. The mission of PYD is to encourage young people to participate in the political process, support progressive ideals and Democratic candidates and have a lot fun in the process!

If you are actively looking to find out about the local scene, get involved with a campaign, or even if you are just looking for some fun progressive people aged 14-35 to hang out with, we encourage you to join PYD and attend one of our meetings or events. Check out their calendar here.

Orange County Young Democrats: We are young workers, young families, college and high school students--ages 14-35--who are commited to the Democratic values that make America strong and provide opportunity for all. As the official voice for young people in the Democratic Party of Orange County, OCYD is a network of Young Democrat activists around the county that are helping to provide a Democratic presence around Orange County and around college and high school campuses. Check out their calendar here.

San Ramon Valley Democrats Meetings
We are a group of dedicated Democrats living in the San Ramon Valley who have come together to support and promote the progressive social and political principles that always have been fundamental to the Democratic Party. The San Ramon Valley is comprised of Alamo, Blackhawk, Diablo, Danville, San Ramon, and southern Walnut Creek, and members of our club come from each of those communities. We meet once a month for an educational program at Mudd's Restaurant in San Ramon, alternating between lunch on the second Tuesday, and appetizers (no-host bar) on the evening of the fourth Thursday (6:30 PM). We register people to vote, walk precincts to arouse voters, raise money for candidates, and enjoy the opportunity to socialize with people of common interests. Go here for more info.

Our meetings are lively and our programs are focused on issues of concern to Democrats, locally, statewide, and nationally. Our speakers are chosen for their astute insight into the problems before us as citizens and as voters. We socialize before and after the formal meetings, and enter into animated discussions about the topic of the day. In the process we become fast friends.

Mudds Restaurant
$22 per person (meal included)

Democrats of North Orange County
Bill Daly, President
714-990-6767
Bruce Sandercock, Vice-President
714-871-5244
P. O. Box 6597
Fullerton, CA 92834
Monthly meeting: First Thursday, Sizzler Restaurant,
1401 N. Harbor, Fullerton; 6 p.m. dinner, 7 p.m. meeting

Santa Clara County (San Jose) Democratic Party Meetup
We meet at 7:30pm on the second Tuesday of each month at the Dem Party Office, 2102 Almaden Road, Suite 114, San Jose, 95125. Feel free to bring snacks to share.

Brought to you by the Santa Clara County Democratic Party (http://www.sccdp.org).... Please join us to learn ways to help elect Democrats in Santa Clara County and beyond.

~~Together, America Can Do Better!~~

On Almaden ROAD (not Expwy), between Curtner and Canoas Garden. It's OK to park in the big lot, despite posted warnings.

Internet directions usually suggest taking Almaden Expressway, which is sometimes backed up. A lower stress route is to take Bird Avenue west from 280 and follow it all the way until it dead-ends at Malone. Left on Malone, Right on Almaden Road and 2102 is on the first corner on your left.

We meet in Suite 114, first door on your left as you enter the glass doors marked Main Entrance.


Drinking Liberally:

For those who like a more social, and beer focused, environment, there's Drinking Liberally. Here are the Drinking Liberally groups in California:

San Jose
* Second Thursday of each month, 6:30 and on
* Trials Pub in downtown San Jose, 265 N 1st St (main cross streets: W St James and W Julian)
* September is our first meeting with our new host! I'm looking for a co-host, so let me know if you are interested
* Hosted by Mia White, sanjose (at) drinkingliberally.org

Downtown Los Angeles
* Third Wednesday of each month, 6:00-8:00 pm
* The Edison, 108 West 2nd St
* We'll be in the area past the bar, known as the "Generator Lounge" (the entrance to the bar is through the alley off of 2nd street)
* Hosted by Vincent Jones, Cecilia Cabello, Becca Doten, Roxi Reeves and Jim Kennedy, downtownla (at) drinkingliberally.org

Hollywood
* Second Wednesday of each month, 7:00-9:00 PM
* Molly Malone's Irish Pub, 575 South Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles 90036 (near corner of 6th avenue)
* http://www.mollymalonesla.com/
* Hosted by Vincent Jones, Jim Kennedy and Mary Jack, la (at) drinkingliberally.org

Pasadena
* Every Tuesday, 7:30-10:00 pm
* Madeleine's Wine Bistro, 1030 E Green St (between Wilson and Catalina)
* We'll start out in the wine bar, then move out to the front patio.
* Hosted by Asa Hopkins, pasadena (at) drinkingliberally.org

San Fernando Valley
* First and third Thursday of each month, 7:00 pm onward
* The White Harte Pub, 22456 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills (Two blocks west of Shoup Ave.)
* Hosted by Andy Beaton and Jon Hytowitz, sfv (at) drinkingliberally.org

Westside
* Fourth Wednesday of each month, 7:00-9:00 pm
* Cock and Bull Pub, 2947 Lincoln Blvd, Santa Monica
* Hosted by Vincent Jones, Mary Jack, Robert Coyner, Gisele Perez, Jeremy Bloom, Tami Reiss, Marc Saltzberg and Jim Kennedy, westsidela (at) drinkingliberally.org

Monterey, California
* First Wednesday of each month, 6:30 pm onward
* Ol' Factory Cafe, 1725 Contra Costa St (In Sand City, off of Del Monte Blvd)
* http://www.olfactorycafe.com/
* Please note that The Ol' Factory Cafe currently only takes cash and local checks.
* Hosted by Annie Ho, monterey (at) drinkingliberally.org

Santa Ana
* Every Thursday, 8:30 pm onward
* Memphis Bar, 201 N Broadway (Artists Village)
* Hosted by Mike Lawson, orangecounty (at) drinkingliberally.org

Rancho Santa Margarita
* Every Thursday, 7:00 pm onward
* Canyon Fireside Grille, 22312 El Paseo
* Hosted by Gary Kephart, rsm (at) drinkingliberally.org

Huntington Beach
* First and third Thursday of each month, 7:00 pm onward
* Oggi's Pizza & Brewing Co. - Out Back On The Patio, 19461 Main St
* Next Meeting will be on Thursday November 15th
* Hosted by Scott McKown and Louise Stewardson, huntingtonbeach (at) drinkingliberally.org

Sacramento, California
* Second Thursday of each month, 7:00 pm onward
* BJs Restaurant and Brewery, 3531 N Freeway Blvd (Natomas)
* Come check out our new venue and meet some new people!
* Hosted by Leslie Simmons, sacramento (at) drinkingliberally.org

San Diego, California
* Every other Tuesday, 7:30 pm onward
* Nunu's Cocktail Lounge, 3537 5th Ave (Between Brookes and Ivy Ln)
* We will also be meeting periodically at Firehouse in Pacific Beach for special editions of Drinking Liberally. 722 Grand Avenue Pacific Beach, CA 92109
* Hosted by Jesse Rubin and Jason Miller, sandiego (at) drinkingliberally.org

San Francisco
* Every Monday, 7:00-9:00 pm
* Nickie's, 466 Haight Street (between Fillmore & Webster) (Look for our red, white and blue striped bottle!)
* Hosted by Susan Harrison, sf (at) drinkingliberally.org

Oakland
* Second and fourth Wednesday of each month, 6:00 - 9:00 PM
* Luka's Taproom & Lounge, 2221 Broadway
* Join us for the Eating Liberally Oakland Brunch at Luka's
* Hosted by Cyril Allen and Philip Combs, oakland (at) drinkingliberally.org

Napa
* First and third Monday of each month, 5:00-6:30 pm
* Compadre's, 505 Lincoln Ave
* Hosted by Mick Winter and Lauren Coodley, napa (at) drinkingliberally.org


San Luis Obispo, California
* First and third Wednesday of each month, 7:00 pm onward
* The Graduate, 990 Industrial Way
* Hosted by Lorrie Toles and Sergio Monge, slo (at) drinkingliberally.org

Santa Barbara, California
* Every Wednesday, 8 pm - 10 pm
* Elsie's Bar, 117 W de la Guerra St (behind Paseo Nuveo Mall)
* Elsie's is 21+ and cash only
* Hosted by Daryl Chrisman and Bart Woolery, santabarbara (at) drinkingliberally.org

Santa Clarita, California
* Second Wednesday of each month, 7:00 pm onward
* Mulligans, 25848 Tournament Rd (Near Cal Arts)
* Hosted by Michael Cruz, Bill Bailey and Minerva Williams, santaclarita (at) drinkingliberally.org

Santa Cruz, California
* First Tuesday of each month, 8:00 pm onward
* Cafe Pergolesi, 418 Cedar St (In the orange room to the right and back)
* Hosted by Brandon Smith and Natalie Rojas, santacruz (at) drinkingliberally.org

Stockton, California
* Third Friday of each month, 7:00 pm onward
* Stockton Grand Hotel, 2323 Grand Canal Blvd (Front of Bar)
* Grand Hotel tel. 209-957-9090
* Joel's Cell: 209-351-3397
* Hosted by Joel Carignan, stockton (at) drinkingliberally.org

Ventura, California
* Second and fourth Wednesday of each month, 8:00 pm
* JJ Brewsky's, now and forever, 2344 Ventura Blvd, Camarillo (in the heart of Old Town Camarillo)
* Join us every second and fourth Wednesdays at 8:00 PM for a pint and some politics!
* Heather, Marie, Mark and Brian
* Hosted by Heather Schmidt, Marie Davis, Mark Eggertsen and Brian Mack, ventura (at) drinkingliberally.org