The Progressive Democrat Newsletter grew out of the frustration of the 2004 election. Originally intended for New York City progressives, its readership is now national. For anyone who wants to be alerted by email whenever this newsletter is updated (usually weekly), please send your email address and let me know what state you live in (so I can keep track of my readership).
This week included Earth Day. So I am highlighting several important environmental actions (including in the State Focus sections) you can take that can affect your environmental impact year round. Most of these actions also contribute to rebuilding our economy and energy infrastructure.
Torture has been a big issue this week. I understand both the attitude that we have to prosecute those who ordered torture, but I also understand the urge to move on from it. Of course I would prefer if some people went to jail for the illegal and immoral actions they ordered. But the main point I want to keep at the forefront is that the use of torture is KNOWN to be an ineffective method of getting information. The use of torture has traditionally NOT been a method of gaining information, but a terror tactic. That is how it has been used from the Spanish Inquisition, to the Nazis to Stalinist Russia. Let's also remember that the United States has at least twice defined waterboarding as torture and prosecuted people for it. We prosecuted as war criminals Japanese who waterboarded during WW II, and waterboarding was designated as illegal by U.S. generals in the Vietnam War. So why were we doing it? We have to remember these things no matter what answer we give to the question of whether we should prosecute or move on.
Banks continue to screw Americans. Boycotts of Bank of America, Wachovia, Wells Fargo and Citibank are all floating around. I am currently avoiding all of these where I can (though I have not yet been able to comlpetely divest from them all). All of them have lousy customer service, have been part of the stupid lending practices that have bankrupt them, and have begged for taxpayer bailouts while using taxpayer money for bonuses and lobbying. Go for local credit unions, TD Bank, USAA, and US Bank, all of whom so far seem better than the bankrupt fools I list above.
The other story has been the fact that 51% of Texas Republicans want to secede from the Union. Funny how the party of Lincoln is not the party of secession, at least in Texas. Daliy Kos has the following questions for the anti-American Texas Republicans:
* Are you flying an American flag? Because you don't get to do that when you cry and take your ball home.
* Do you have a bumper sticker that says, "These colors don't run"? Because it sure looks like you're running.
* Do you still pretend that your party is the "Party of Lincoln"? If so, what part of Lincoln exactly, would that be?
* Since you've spent the last eight years saying "America, love it or leave it", is that an admission that you don't love America? Because we liberals? We loved it and stayed, even when your idiot of a president was trashing the place.
* Was your patriotism (My country, right or wrong) so skin-deep, that it depended 100 percent on the guy in the White House?
* That $200 billion Texas got in defense contracts between 2000 and 2007? No more of that. No more Ft. Hood. No more NASA. No more federal largesse. You okay with that?
* You do realize that the Cowboys will no longer be "America's Team", right? Though they'd dominate the two-team Texas Football League (TFL).
Okay I did the same diary for "Earth Hour" as well. But it is still critical. Earth Day is fine. But it is only 1/365 of what we need to do (occasionaly only 1/366). I always feel that such efforts are almost a wasted effort. The impact is usually minimal. Doesn't mean it doesn't have a purpose in raising awareness and the like, but so much more needs to be done than just one hour or one day a year where people focus on the environment.
We need to remake America's energy system. The impact of that would be enormous. It would reduce our national carbon footprint WHILE creating domestic jobs, helping farmers and clearing our air of pollutants. And you, as a consumer, can be part of this remaking of America by purchasing YOUR energy from green energy producers. For only pennies more a month per kilowatt-hour, you can be the change America needs in its energy policy.
Okay, it is slightly more complicated than that. When you buy Green Energy generally you are not necessarily actually getting electrons from green energy. What you are doing is PAYING for the building of green energy production plants and the purchase of green energy from those production plants into the grid. In essence, you are creating the market for green energy in preference to oil and coal plants.
Here is an overview of Green Power Markets, the method through which you can buy Green Energy regardless of your utility company (from this site):
The essence of green power marketing is to provide market-based choices for electricity consumers to purchase power from environmentally preferred sources. The term "green power" is used to define power generated from renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power, geothermal, hydropower and various forms of biomass. Green power marketing has the potential to expand domestic markets for renewable energy technologies by fostering greater availability of renewable electric service options in retail markets. Although renewable energy development has traditionally been limited by cost considerations, customer choice allows consumer preferences for cleaner energy sources to be reflected in market transactions. In survey after survey, customers have expressed a preference and willingness to pay more, if necessary, for cleaner energy sources. You can find more information about purchase options on our "Buying Green Power" page.
Green pricing is an optional utility service that allows customers an opportunity to support a greater level of utility company investment in renewable energy technologies. Participating customers pay a premium on their electric bill to cover the incremental cost of the additional renewable energy. As of the end of 2007, more than 750 utilities across the nation, including investor-owned, municipal utilities, and cooperatives, offer a green pricing option.
The more general concept of green power marketing refers to selling green power in competitive markets, in which multiple suppliers and service offerings exist. Electricity markets are now fully or partially open to competition in more than a dozen states. To date, competitive marketers have offered green power to retail or wholesale customers in District of Columbia, California, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, or Virginia, and several New England states.
Whether or not they have access to green power through their local utility or a competitive electricity marketer, consumers can purchase renewable energy certificates or RECs (also known as green tags or tradable renewable certificates). RECs represent the environmental attributes of the power produced from renewable energy projects and can be sold separately from the physical electricity. Customers can buy RECs without having to switch electricity suppliers.
Joy and I have been doing this for many years now. We buy our energy through Co-Ed Solutions. We purchase the all-wind energy program where we pay 3 cents per kilowatt-hour more per month to purchase enough wind energy for the grid to balance what we draw from the grid. There is a slightly cheeaper option (2 cents per kilowatt-hour more) that purchases a mix of wind and small hydroelectric energy. I think they operate this program in New York, Ner Jersey and Connectitcut. You can sign up here. We have talked with the organizers of this kind of project and they say that the program has been wildly successful in bringing wind generation to farms throughout the upstate NY and surrounding regions. This not only creates cleaner energy, but it helps struggling farms. Wouldn't you rather help our American farmers than Saudi oil sheiks and the Venezuelan government (to main places our oil money goes).
Finally, there are prgrams indepdendent of utility companies that you can use. I think it does the same thing but slighly less directly. Here is a Green Energy program through CarbonFund.org. It is not directly through your utility, but winds up being about the same impact on the energy genreation market:
Buy Green Power
MyGreenFuture is Carbonfund.org’s Green-e Energy certified renewable energy product via the purchase and retirement of renewable energy certificates (RECs). If you are interested in purchasing MyGreenFuture RECs, please contact us at mygreenfuture@carbonfund.org, or call toll free: 877-286-4698.
Your purchase of renewable energy certificates (RECs) is supporting renewable electricity production nationally. You will continue to receive a separate electricity bill from your utility. For every unit of renewable electricity generated, an equivalent amount of RECs is produced. The purchase of RECs helps offset conventional electricity generation in the region where the renewable electricity generator is located. The purchase also helps build a market for renewable electricity and has other environmental benefits such as reducing global climate change and air pollution.
For more information about RECs, please contact us at mygreenfuture@carbonfund.org.
Take this step. You can reduce your carbon footprint by as much as 25% through this one action. And you can help Obama rebuild America.
To combat the serious threat of global warming pollution, states have the right, under the Clean Air Act, to adopt breakthrough clean car standards that require about a 30 percent reduction in emissions from new vehicles by 2016.
Stephen Johnson, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator under the Bush administration, ignored the science and the recommendations of his own staff and denied states the right to implement the clean car standards.
In his first week in office, President Obama instructed the EPA to reconsider this decision. But we’re up against some powerful adversaries. Even as automakers take billions in government bailout money, they continue to spend millions on lawyers and lobbyists attempting to subvert our right to cleaner cars.
Please make your letter personal by adding in your own thoughts and concerns. Every letter makes a difference, but customized letters have the greatest effect.
Under a provision of the federal Clean Air Act, states are permitted to adopt initiatives started by the state of California that go beyond federal vehicle pollution standards. The state clean car standards require about a 30 percent reduction in global warming emissions from new vehicles by 2016. To date, 14 states have adopted the clean car standards: California, Arizona, Connecticut, New Mexico, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Oregon, and Washington (Washington, DC has also adopted). More states—like Florida, Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota—are in the process of considering them.
However, on December 19, 2007, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Stephen Johnson denied California (the first state to adopt clean car standards) the waiver needed to implement them, citing the 2007 Energy Bill’s fuel economy standards as rationale. While new federal standards to raise average fuel economy to 35 miles per gallon by 2020 are a significant step toward addressing U.S. energy security needs, they were not passed with any intent to address global warming pollution. Clean car standards do address global warming pollution. Two federal judges and the U.S. Supreme Court have upheld this position—deciding that fuel economy standards, meant to protect U.S. energy security, and global warming pollution standards, meant to protect the health and wellbeing of the U.S. public, are distinct standards. In denying the waiver, Administrator Johnson also rejected historical precedent, as no waiver of this kind had been rejected by the EPA since 1967, when California was granted the authority to establish regulations stronger than those made by the EPA.
On January 2, 2008, California and 18 other states (Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington) filed a lawsuit to compel the EPA to grant the waiver. This includes four states that have yet to commit to the clean car standards (Arizona, Delaware, Iowa, and Minnesota). However, on January 26, 2009, President Obama reopened the door by instructing the EPA to reconsider the previous administration's denial of the waiver to implement the clean car standards.
Clean car standards are critical because they provide consumers with more vehicle choices by requiring automakers to offer zero and near-zero emission vehicles—such as cleaner gasoline, hybrid, and, eventually, fuel-cell and electric vehicles. However, limited supplies of “clean” vehicles like hybrids will be focused on states that have adopted the standards. Similarly, the cleaner diesels that many automakers are developing to meet the California standards may only be available in states that require them. Auto dealers in clean car states will not be harmed by the standards because dealers across state lines will not able to undercut the law and unfairly sell dirty cars in clean car states.
NYC FOCUS: Blue Wolf Capital Management and Pay-to-Play Politics
There is a new and expanding scandal in town. And I am realizing it reaches through many aspects of NYC government...and is a further illustration of what is wrong with NYC.
I recently had a dust up here on DG about developer money in City Council elections centering on a candidate named Brad Lander. In resulting discussions both on and off line, I realized how in people's blind focus on developers, either pro- or anti-, what is ignored is the massive conflict of interest that permeates NYC politics where corporate interests (developers and others) donate so much money to politicians that it often determines who wins, and those very same corporate interests get major favors from politicians.
I also recently had a confrontation with Marty Markowitz at an IND meeting where I took exception to being called "anti-development" because my opposition is NOT to development per se, but to the overwhelming influence of developers in NYC politics and the lousy policies it buys them that hurts the community but lines the pockets of developers. An example is the city actually BUYING the land for Bruce Ratner so he can build his Atlantic Yards project at the same time fire houses are being closed and schools getting over crowded thanks to funding cuts.
Marty Markowitz, with his typical faux-amiable guffaw, simply said, "I disagree and we can agree to disagree."
Of course he failed to address my actual concerns at all. And the recent scandal revealed by Andrew Cuomo just makes my point very well in a broader context. This scandal involves pension funds, politicians, political favors and the disgusting way in which corporations fatten themselves through their bought politician pets.
Josh Wolf-Powers, a former aide to Comptroller Bill Thompson, is the guy who advised Steven Rattner’s company, the Quadrangle Group, to hire the now-indicted Hank Morris as its placement agent. True News from ChangeNYC points out that this was the same year Josh Wolf-Powers the Comptroller's found the company Blue Wolf Capital Management.
And it was Blue Wolf Capital Management that was the focus of a discussion here on Daily Gotham because they were a major donor to Brad Lander and a Lander supporter was defending Blue Wolf.
Let me be clear, this does not mean Brad has done anything wrong. Or that Blue Wolf donating to Brad is illegal. What it means is that people who defend Blue Wolf as an acceptable political patron is missing the whole point of conflict of interest and pay-to-play. Blue Wolf is a company, founded by former government employees, who donate to political candidates AND who have as an investment strategy the involvement of government agencies in turning around companies. From Blue Wolf Capital's website:
Many middle-market private equity firms shy away from companies for which the federal government, federal agencies, or state or local governments or government entities, are major factors in the value chain.
Government contractors and companies in industries driven by government procurement, policies or subsidies have a set of common issues which we specialize in addressing:
Long sales cycle: Sales cycles in the public sector often are long and relationship-driven. A private equity owner working in these markets must have the patience to understand the sales cycle, and the relationships and relationship-management experience to enhance a company’s results. We have these relationships and skills.
Political risk: Understanding value in certain companies requires the ability to underwrite political risk. In the public sector, the difference between rhetoric and reality can be large, and the competing demands of policy and operations can create apparent contradictions. Few middle-market private equity firms have the experience to assess and value these risks; we believe that our experience in the public sector gives us this experience.
Unusual financing requirements: Federal, state and local governments and governmental agencies often defer or delay payments, resulting in unpredictable and lumpy cash flows. This can lead to unusual financing challenges; we have experience in structuring around these challenges.
In and of itself this could be a reasonable investment strategy. EXCEPT that this is being done by people with government connections who donate large amounts of money to politicians who may directly or indirectly be involved in governance issues that may affect their investments, AND one of their founders is near the center of this major scandal Andrew Cuomo is investigating. Again, Josh Wolf-Powers is THE GUY who hooked up Rattner and Hank Morris, the two people at the center of this scandal.
Blumenthal and Wolf-Powers’ Blue Wolf Capital Management, like Hank Morris’ firm Searle, specializes in drumming up pension fund business for private investors. Under a section entitled “Government in the Value Chain”, Blue Wolf’s company website states, “Many middle-market private equity firms shy away from companies for which the federal government, federal agencies, or state or local governments or government entities, are major factors in the value chain. Government contractors and companies in industries driven by government procurement, policies or subsidies have a set of common issues which we specialize in addressing.” According to its website Blue Wolf is particularly well-suited for government procurement work, because “each member of our investment committee has served as a public official.”
Political donations often create conflicts of interest and it is those conflicts of interest, not just developers, that are a corrupting influence. And in many cases the "no developer money" pledge in no way removes such potential conflicts of interest. "No corporate donations" pledges go further in avoiding these conflicts of interest, though not always completely.
Is it a conflict of interest for a person fishing for a judgeship to make political donations to the very people who can offer him an appointed judgeship? Of course it is and it actually is illegal to buy a judgeship. This kind of conflict of interest has dogged Brooklyn judges, landing some in jail and damaging the chances of others when they later (after failing to buy a judgeship) ran for a judgeship.
And is it a conflict of interest when a company whose stated purpose is to buy undervalued companies and use negotiations with government to secure a better financial situation for those companies to donate to political candidates who may very well be part of the government making decisions that will turn that company a profit? Of course it is a conflict of interest. But this conflict would be ignored under the knee jerk "no developer money."
And it is a conflict of interest for Bill de Blasio (running, rather cynically perhaps, for NYC Public Advocate) to take gobs of money from the billboard industry right before advicating that NYC should: "Leave billboards ALONE!" It is amazing how $8000 from the industry got de Blasio's advocacy skills so active advocating for that same industry. Yet this is not developer money influencing a politician and would be missed in the "no developer money" pledge.
To see who a politician is beholden to, look to where their donations come from, keeping in mind that a name on a donor list may not reveal their industry without a search. It is worth noting that developers donate to Melinda Katz so much yet, along with lawyers, still hedge their bets by donating to Weprin and Yassky as well. It is worth noting that Weprin also gets donations from the garage and horse carriage industries and this seems in line with his legislative stands. It is worth noting that Vito Lopez is showered with money from developers and, go figure, chiropractors. Of course the people least beholden are the ones who bring in money mainly from average folks with little to spare, so they bring in the least money and so have the toughest time winning. Norman Siegel, running for Public Advocate, is so scrupulous about donors and so scrupulous about not being influenced by big money that it is hard for him to raise money. The people whose best interests are to elect Norm Siegel don't have as much money to donate as those whose best interests are in electing a far less scrupulous candidate.
Political donations, government jobs, government contracts, pension funds and investment agencies, all tied together. It is this corrupt combination that all too often determines elections and that all too often determines government policy. And my discussions with Marty Markowitz showed that he either doesn't care about or doesn't understand the problem. My discussions with supporters of Brad Lander who defended Blue Wolf in particular show that his supporters don't understand or don't care about this problem either. And yet it is at the heart of what is wrong with NYC politics.
Political contributions from companies who want politicians to advocate for their industry is common practice. Blue Wolf's top execs donate gobs of money to many politicians (their donation to Brad Lander just happened to be the one that caught my attention) and then Blue Wolf brags about using their political connections to make a buck for their investors. That is blatant conflict of interest...and often (though not always, as Cuomo's investigation may illustrate) is perfectly legal. And yet it is also, in a very real sense and even when not outright illegal, corruption. Well accepted and legalized corruption is still corruption. It means money buys influence in a pretty blatant way. And although developers are the biggest donors and expect the biggest returns on their donations, it is a problem throughout the system. Blue Wolf demonstrates that amply.
Will politicians now be giving donations from Blue Wolf back? I bet this will be one of the ways politicians will try to distance themselves from the scandal. But that doesn't change the fact that they actively and willingly participated in a pay-to-play political system that encourages this very thing. And many of them proudly defend their participation, as does Marty Markowitz right to my face, and as did some of Brad Lander's supporters right here on Daily Gotham.
MEET THE CANDIDATES: Here are some opportunities to meet local candidates and ask them questions.
Apr. 26, 3-5:30 PM: Education Forum Mayoral Control, End It or Mend It ? Not a candidate's forum, but still worth attending. Sponsored by CBID, Senator Eric Adams, Senator Velmanette Montgomery, Council woman Letitia james, 57th District Leader Olanike Alabi, UFT Union Temple, 17 Eastern Parkway
Apr. 30, 6 PM: Education Forum Mayoral Control, End It or Mend It? Reprise of this event. Sponsored by CBID, Senator Eric Adams, Senator Velmanette Montgomery, Council woman Letitia james, 57th District Leader Olanike Alabi, UFT Teen Challenge Center, 444 Clinton Ave between Greene and Gates Ave
May 3rd, 5-7 PM: Meet Josh Skaller, candidate for the 39th City Council District: Marjorie Gersten, Joy and I are hosting this event. Refreshments. 50 Willow St, in Brooklyn Heights
May 9th 4-10 PM: One of the hottest events coming up. Food, music and two candidates for the price of one. Meet Rock Hackshaw, candidate for the 40th City Council Distirct, with special guest Norman Siegel, candidate for Public Advocate. Lots of music and Caribbean-American food. $20 donation requested. 1400 Schenectady Avenue, Brooklyn, N.Y. (Between Foster Avenue and Farragut Road).
May 19 7-9 PM: Candidate Debate: 39th Council District, sponsored by CBID and IND Church of Gethsemane, 1012 8th Ave at 10th St. (Park Slope)
BROOKLYN REFORM DEMOCRATIC ORGANIZATIONS:
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.
Democracy for NYC in Brooklyn:
Democracy for New York City (DFNYC) is a volunteer-driven non-profit politicalaction committee. We are part of a national coalition of local groups committed to the ideals espoused by Democracy for America, the organization founded by Howard Dean.
We work both locally and nationally to ensure that fiscally-responsible and socially-progressive candidates win elections at all levels of government. We develop innovative ways to advocate for the issues that matter to our members and promote legislation which has a positive effect in our communities. We engage people in the political process and give them the tools to organize, communicate, mobilize, and enact change on the local, state, and national level.
Currently there is only one Brooklyn chapter:
Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn - Meets First Wednesday of every month. 7:00pm, Wyckoff-Bennett Homestead 1669 E. 22nd St. with host Annette Mont and Estelle Glasser.
CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES IN BROOKLYN:
TOP PICK:
Josh Skaller for City Council. Josh is a good friend of ours, a solid progressive, and about as honest as you can get. Josh is taking a leadership role in supporting the Obama Administration's EPA nomination of the Gowanus Canal for Superfund status. I have smelled and seen how polluted this waterway is, and it amazes me that they want to build on it now before it is cleaned up. Obama's EPA wants to use the Superfund to clean it up BEFORE development can start. This is a toxic waste site. No development should start before it is cleaned up. Current development plans, supported by most of Skaller's opponents, is to develop the site without adequate clean up. My wife thinks this will lead to the next Love Canal. I think Josh and Obmam will get the site cleaned up before this can happen, if Josh is elected.
"Josh has always fought for fiscal responsibility and the progressive solutions needed to reform city government"
--Jim Dean Chair of Democracy For America (DFA)
Josh has been endorsed by State Senator Eric Adams, Civil Rights champion and Public Advocate candidate Norm Siegel, Democracy for NYC, and many others.
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.
34th City Council District: Diana Reyna. The first woman of Dominican-American descent to be elected to NYC public office. Reyna is being heavily targeted by Brooklyn Boss Vito Lopez because she hasn't gone along with his corruption. Seems to me a certain Surrogate Judge had a similar experience and won when Vito tried to take his revenge. I think we can defeat Vito again. I don't consider Reyna my ideal candidate (she is one of the Bloomberg 29, for example), but I certainly won't support Vito's corruption candidate against her.
35th City Council District: Letitia James wholeheartedly. An amazing woman!
38th City Council District: David Galarza wholeheartedly. I know him and he is a good guy. Smart, honest, progressive and reform minded.
40th City Council District: Rock Hackshaw. He is a fellow blogger and his knowledge of Brooklyn politics is amazing. I differ with this guy on some issues. He is too conservative to my mind. But I know him and his honesty and integrity are exceptional and I think he would be an excellent City Councilman. Since he is running against a guy who lies about being a doctor and is as strange and squirrely as you can get, Rock would be a very welcome change. (No website yet?)
45th City Council District: Two candidates I like. First Terry Hinds. I have three people giving very good recommendations for this guy. But I also think Rod Daley is good and represents a chance to get another educator on the city council.
DRINKING LIBERALLY IN BROOKLYN:
An informal, inclusive progressive social group. Raise your spirits while you raise your glass, and share ideas while you share a pitcher. Drinking Liberally gives like-minded, left-leaning individuals a place to talk politics. You don't need to be a policy expert and this isn't a book club - just come and learn from peers, trade jokes, vent frustration and hang out in an environment where it's not taboo to talk politics.
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
FOOD CO-OPS IN BROOKLYN:
Park Slope Food Co-op 782 Union Street Brooklyn, New York 11215 Phone: (718) 622-0560 FAX: (718) 622-5685 linda_wheeler@psfc.coop http://www.foodcoop.com/
This is the largest Food Co-op in America. Joy and I are members (as are City Council Candidates Ken Baer and Josh Skaller). Low prices and high quality even if it can be a bit inconvenient at times.
Flatbush Food Cooperative 1318 Cortelyou Road Brooklyn, New York 11226 Phone: (718) 284-9717 FAX: (718) 284-9719 info@flatbushfoodcoop.com http://www.flatbushfoodcoop.com/
Established in 1976, and located on Cortelyou Road in the heart of Victorian Flatbush since 1985, Flatbush Food Coop is a community-owned, full-service natural foods store specializing in organic products. We are committed to serving the diverse community in which we are situated, and beyond, by providing goods and services that promote personal and environmental well-being. Like the 300 food coops across the nation with which we are affiliated, we are open to all—it is not necessary to be a member to shop. By joining the Coop, however, you become a joint owner of our business and are able to take additional savings on your purchases. There are opportunities for varying degrees of involvement in the coop, and our member-owners are able to influence the direction of our organization. We are particularly proud that the dozens of ethnic groups in Brooklyn’s most diverse neighborhood are reflected in our staff, our close to 3,000 members, and countless shoppers.
QUEENS, NY: Democracy for America, Candidates and Drinking Liberally
Lesbian & Gay Democratic Club of Queens
The Lesbian & Gay Democratic Club of Queens (LGDCQ) is the only lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender independent Democratic club in the Borough of Queens.
The LGDCQ was founded eleven years ago to increase the visibility of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities in the political arena of Queens, New York City, New York State and the nation.
To receive the monthly newsletter or to be put on the Club's mailing list contact; Democratic District Leader Daniel Dromm at Write "LGDCQ Newsletter" in subject title.
Democracy for NYC in Queens:
Democracy for New York City (DFNYC) is a volunteer-driven non-profit political action committee. We are part of a national coalition of local groups committed to the ideals espoused by Democracy for America, the organization founded by Howard Dean.
We work both locally and nationally to ensure that fiscally-responsible and socially-progressive candidates win elections at all levels of government. We develop innovative ways to advocate for the issues that matter to our members and promote legislation which has a positive effect in our communities. We engage people in the political process and give them the tools to organize, communicate, mobilize, and enact change on the local, state, and national level.
Currently there are three Brooklyn chapters: Each meets the First Wednesday of every month.
Astoria, Queens - 7:30pm, - Ommonia Cafe 32-20 Broadway, with host Jeremiah Frei-Pearson and Costa Constantinides.
Sunnyside, Queens - 7:30pm, Bliss Street Station restaurant, 47-02 Greenpoint Ave., with host Dan Jacoby.
Bayside, Queens - 7:00pm, The First Edition, 41-08 Bell Blvd, right near the LIRR stop, with host Steve Behar of Democrats for New Politics.
CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES IN QUEENS:
19th City Council District: Steve Behar. I have met Steve at several Democracy for NYC events. Great guy who has worked tirelessly for progressives in NYC and throughout the state.
From his website:
Steve Behar is a Democrat who believes that together we can work to make our district and our city a better place to live. Steve promises to fight for better schools, safer streets, a strong economy, a better environment, better services for seniors and responsible development that retains the character of our community.
Steve Behar is an attorney, a small business owner and a political and community activist who grew up in our community and will always put our district first.
Steve believes that if we work together to ensure that parents have good jobs, that children have good schools and that families live in clean, safe communities we can solve most of the problems that plague our community.
Steve Behar has been endorsed by the current City Councilman (and mayoral candidate) Tony Avella as well as by Democracy for NYC and 3-decade Civil Rights champion (and Public Advocate candidate) Norman Siegel.
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:
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.
Here is a video of Daniel Dromm at Pride '09:
Here is a video of Daniel Dromm protesting the Con Ed rate hikes and inadequate service:
This guys sounds pretty exciting given his experience. From his website:
Melquiades Gagarin was born in Elmhurst, Queens to a diverse family background. Mel was raised by his grandmother and mother, a nurse, who emphasized the value of hard work and service to others. Mel carries these values with him into his campaign to represent the 29th Council District.
Mel is a graduate of Archbishop Molloy High School, in Jamaica and received his degree in Political Science from the American University in Washington D.C. After graduation Mel worked for the National Foundation for Women Legislators, a non-profit organization that assists female state legislators develop leadership skills.
In the fall of 2005, Mel and his future wife Aleda returned to New York and moved to Kew Gardens where they would start their family. Mel served as the Communications Liaison to New York State Senator José Serrano before being hired by Congressman Anthony Weiner as his Community Representative. As the Congressman’s Community Representative Mel was dedicated to assisting constituents and working to solve their problems.
Mel now serves as the Media Manager for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, where he is responsible for spreading the organization’s message of equality and justice for all Americans. He lives in Kew Gardens with his wife Aleda, son Micah, and daughter Zoe Frances.
And a video from his website:
Some other endorsements I am making in Queens:
24th City Council District: Jim Gennaro. Excellent environmental advocate pushing for more biodiesel in NYC to reduce pollution, and a strong advocate for preserving the safety of our drinking water. No campaign website that I can find, but he is a good guy.
DRINKING LIBERALLY IN QUEENS:
An informal, inclusive progressive social group. Raise your spirits while you raise your glass, and share ideas while you share a pitcher. Drinking Liberally gives like-minded, left-leaning individuals a place to talk politics. You don't need to be a policy expert and this isn't a book club - just come and learn from peers, trade jokes, vent frustration and hang out in an environment where it's not taboo to talk politics.
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
South Bronx residents have far less open space and waterfront access than other parts of NYC.
The South Bronx Greenway Project (SBG) is a community led plan for a bicycle/pedestrian greenway along the South Bronx waterfront, which will provide much needed open space, waterfront access and opportunities for mixed used economic development.
Majora Carter wrote a $1.25 M federal transportation planning grant to conduct a feasibility study for the Greenway to include the NYC Economic Development Corporation as the government sponsor, SSBx and The Point, CDC as the community partners, and landscape architects Mathews Nielsen. The study provided a unique opportunity for our community to impact design and policy. To date, nearly $30 million is secured for greenway related projects.
The South Bronx Greenway will create bike & pedestrian paths around the Hunts Point and Port Morris waterfront, as well as on-street connections including Hunts Point Riverside Park, the Bazzini Piers, Tiffany St. Pier, and Barretto Point Park, and a connection to Randall's Island Sports Complex.
One reason people struggle with obesity in the South Bronx is the lack of opportunity to exercise safely outdoors. SSBx is developing the South Bronx Greenway to provide safe public space, and create better transportation policy. Integrating traffic calming measures and truck routes that keep trucks away from the residential areas will help integrate physical activity into daily life.
Until the Greenway is built, we are getting people active now!
The South Bronx Active Living Campaign is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Active Living by Design Program. "Active Living" is a public health term which means incorporating physical activity into your daily life. SSBx is developing walking clubs for local residents, including one geared towards parents at PS 48 and one open to any resident who wants to explore Hunts Point history. We are working with local doctors and nurses to create Action Action Plans, similar to Asthma Action Plans that will include advice and information that our local doctors can share with residents about physical activity resources in the neighborhood.
Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects have collected background information on land ownership and site conditions, and conducted surveys and interviews with property and business owners. The City has approved over $10 million to be designated for the Greenway as part of the work of the Hunts Point Task Force, bringing the total of funding for greenway-related projects in the South Bronx to $28.5M over the next few years. SSBx looks forward to moving into the construction phases of the project. First phase projects will include intensive streetscape and bicycle path improvements on Hunts Point Avenue and Lafayette Avenue, two major thoroughfares in Hunts Point; a bridge connecting Randall’s Island and Port Morris under the Hell Gate span; and a new waterfront park adjacent to the new Fulton Fish Market in Hunts Point.
Office: 1231 Lafayette Avenue, 4th Floor • The Bronx, NY 10474 Mailing: 890 Garrison Avenue, 4th Floor • The Bronx, NY 10474 Phone: 646•400•5430 • Fax: 718•617•5228
Training a New Generation of Green Collar Workers
Celebrating Over 100 Graduates and 5 years of Success
BEST & Introducing BEST for Buildings
The Bronx Environmental Stewardship Training (BEST) program is one of the nation's first and most successful green-collar job training & placement systems. Students graduate with several certifications, job readiness preparation, and a powerful environmental justice perspective on all of the important work they are qualified to do. Nearly all of the students were on some form of public assistance, and about half have prison records. This 14-16-week program is free to qualified applicants. We work with our graduates to help them find the right job, and we track their progress for 3 years in case they need help finding their place in this growing and rewarding job market. Now in its 5th year of operation, over 80% are employed and 15% have gone on to higher education.
Due to the ever increasing demands in the burgeoning green-collar economy and its successful track record of pathways out of poverty, SSBx is proud to announce its new 10 to 13 week pilot job training program in basic building construction, energy retrofits, and home energy audits - BEST for Buildings! Accepting applications NOW!
HOW TO APPLY- We are currently accepting applications for both BEST training programs now! Download application!
BEST CURRICULUM Hands-On Training:
River BankRestoration Bioremediation Green Roof Installation Green Roof Maintenance Phytomediation Ecological Restoration Wetland Restoration Stream Bank Stabilization Landscape 101 Plants, trees, shrubs, identification Water and Soil Quality Testing Wildlife Identification Brownfield Remediation Hazardous Waste Cleanup Asbestos Abatement Power Tool Safety & Operation
CERTIFICATIONS: First Aid and CPR NYC Tree Pruner Entry Level Tree Climbing 40 Hour Hazardous Waste Cleanup 10 Hour OSHA Herbicide/Pesticide Applicator
New York Botanical Garden Classes: Intro to Horticulture Intro to Ecology Chainsaw safety and usage Preparation for Pesticide Applicator Certification Examination Intro to Wetland Restoration
BEST for BUILDINGS CURRICULUM: CERTIFICATIONS: OSHA 10 Hour Safety for Construction Lead Awareness Asbestos Handling
SOUTH BRONX FOOD CO-OP:
It took nearly 7 years living within a few blocks of one of the biggest food co-ops in America before Joy and I joined it. We were definitely reluctant. But, in the end the lack of good produce and the decline of our local supermarkets led to us joining. And the result is a slighly more inconvenient shopping trip each week, but much healthier, higher quality and cheaper food. I recommend joining a co-op if there is one nearby. You will save money and eat healthier. So I will try to highlight some co-ops in the coming week.
Here is a food co-op in the South Bronx:
The South Bronx Food Cooperative (SBxFC) is a green shopping alternative to the profit-oriented commercial food markets found in the Bronx. Founded and operated by committed residents, the SBxFC is dedicated to making a difference in the community by working together to provide healthy and affordable food to all who want it.
The South Bronx Food cooperative carries a wide variety of products, including local, organic and conventionally grown produce; pasture-raised, grass-fed and free-range meats and poultry; bulk grains, sugars, spices and pastas; fair-trade coffees and chocolate; environmentally safe cleaning supplies, and much more. All of this plus a selection of standard supermarket items makes the SBxFC a one-stop shopping destination. Sales are brisk at the SBxFC and inventory is replenished often ensuring that the products we sell are as fresh as possible..
As a member of the SBxFC you share ownership of the coop with fellow members. Members have a voice in the decision-making process and participate in directing the organization's future. Equally important, as a shopper you will know where your food choices come from. By becoming a member you and your family not only have access to fresh foods at reasonable prices, you will learn about our local farmers, organizations and vendors.
In addition to providing green/local products and democratic operations (common at most cooperatives), the SBxFC provides various health and nutrition services including workshops, cooking classes and education seminars. Our community education programs are designed and administered by local medical professionals and nutrition specialist. The goal of the SBxFC is to correct the various health disparities faced by Bronxites including diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure.
They seem to even have an online shopping option (members only).
Hours:
11:00 am – 8pm, Thursday – Monday CLOSED Tuesday & Wednesday (Additional hours and days of operation will be added in the very near future)
Location:
3103 Third Avenue Bronx NY 10451 (The corner of 158th St)
BRONX CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE:
Here is a City Council Candidate I am considering supporting in the Bronx
Hello, My name is Jerome Rice, I am running to be your next City Councilman for District 12. I am a family man and resident, that attends church in the Bronx, where I serve as both Trustee and Co-chair to Public Safety. I have a Master Degree in Business Administration from Monroe College. I have served 22 years in the New York Army National Guard, before retiring with the rank of First Sergeant. I have a total of 21 years in the NYC Department of Correction, holding the rank of Captain. I have spent the last 13 years in a Civil Rights organization known as 100 Blacks In Law Enforcement Who Care, where I serve as its Director.
I fought against: Wrongful Police Shooting & Policies such as Stop & Frisk, Operation Lucky Bag, Disparate Treatment against Blacks & Hispanic being arrested for lower crime, Privatizing and Re-Zoing of Harlem. Both your Civil Rights and the Bronx are not for sale.
I have been fighting and will continue to fight for those who can't.
Here are some of the concerns, I will address: Affordable Homes: Why are we allowing homes to be built in our community, that we can't afford? Homes ranging from $350,000-$400,000 and the average income is only $40,000 - $60,000 a year. Lets make homes affordable. Also I will increase inspections and penalties on Landlord that refuse to provide you a comfortable living envirnoment.
Education: I have both created and facilitated informative survival workshops on issues affecting our community such as: What to do, when stopped by the police What to do, when you go to court "Because its Just-Us" Gangs "Our community domestic terrorist' Disaster awareness "Are you ready" and Hunting Season "No where to run, No where to hide"
Our Youth should learn in a comfortable learning envirnoment, by ensuring that each school has enough School Safety Officers to patrol our school ground. I will also ensure that each school has Up-To-Date programs to prepare our youth for the REAL WORLD.
Economic Development: Bring in New Business and support existing business. Open more centers for both our senior citizens and youth.
Public Safety- I will call for increase in Police Patrol, in areas that are seriously impacted with crime. I will introduce new programs to educate our youth and senior citizens on issues regarding crime and health.
Here is State Senator Eric Adams' endorsement of Jerome Rice:
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: (also see my borough specific sections where I also discuss candidates)
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. He has so far been endorsed by Democracy for NYC, Room 8 Blogger Rock Hackshaw, State Senator Eric Adams, and the Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats.
And here is Youtube footage of Norm Siegel and the NYC Coalition To Preserve Term Limits Press Conference:
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.
* A $2 billion investment by Spanish energy company, Iberdrola, will double New York's 1,000-megawatt wind capacity to 2,000-megawatts - providing enough electricity for nearly 600,000 homes.
* New York's energy efficiency programs save enough electricity to power almost 115,000 homes for a whole year, save almost $140 million in energy costs, and prevent the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to taking over 60,000 cars off the road. Although great progress, the state still has much more potential to increase its energy efficiency.
* The state has a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) that requires all public utilities to generate 24% of their electricity from renewable energy resources by 2013.
What you can do for Clean Energy:
For pennies per month more than you currently pay for energy you can buy 100% green energy from Con-Ed. Joy and I have been doing it for years, seriously reducing our carbon footprint and giving NY State cleaner air. Here's how it works:
Clean Energy for Residential & Small Business Customers ConEdison Solutions is leading the way in promoting pollution-free electricity by offering WIND and GREEN Power - clean, 100% renewable power. Instead of drawing on traditional power sources, such as nuclear power and fossil fuel sources, GREEN Power is generated from regional wind and low-impact hydropower sources. GREEN Power is composed of 65% run-of-the-river hydro and 35% wind power. See content label WIND Power is composed of electricity exclusively generated from 100% wind power. The benefit of clean energy is that it produces none of the detrimental environmental effects associated with electricity production that results in air emissions.
ConEdison Solutions is committed to making a difference in the environment and together we have the opportunity to help make a powerful impact. The cost for renewable energy has fallen dramatically in recent years and is only a fraction higher than electricity generated from traditional power sources. ConEdison Solutions' GREEN Power costs only an additional one cent per kilowatt-hour (kWh) more than our standard offer and WIND Power is an additional 2.5 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) more than our standard offer. Upgrading to renewable energy makes a difference and is a very affordable way to show that you care about the future of our environment.
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 NYC MEETINGS: First Wednesday of every month.
Upper West Side - 7:00 pm, 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 - 7:30pm, - 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 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
I want to cover some events, Democratic Clubs (below the events) and Co-ops (below the clubs) in the greater Silicon Valley area. Mountain View is one place where I have the most readers, so I want to meet the needs of people in that area. If you have any ideas or things you want included here, please let me know.
Forum on Ballot Propositions 04/27/2009 7:00pm 2635 Homestead Rd, Santa Clara CA 95051, North San Jose/Santa Clara/Milpitas
Former Assemblyman John Laird (D-27, Santa Cruz), who chaired the Assembly Budget Committee for four years until he was termed out in 2008, will speak Monday April 27 on the initiatives that will be on the May 19 special election ballot. The public forum will be held in the Redwood Room of the Santa Clara City Library. Admission is free. The event is sponsored by the Dean Democratic Club of Silicon Valley, the Santa Clara County Democratic Club, and the Obama Democratic Club of Silicon Valley.
Democracy For America May 6 get-together Event Date: May 6, 2009 Event Time: 7:00 PM PDT (10:00 PM EDT) Venue Name: TBD State: CA
Agenda:
Place TBD but probably a member's home in Palo Alto or Los Altos. One of our goal task forces will present the main topic.
Santa Clara County Democratic Central Committee 05/07/2009 7:00pm County Building Cafeteria, 70 W Hedding St., Central San Jose
The Santa Clara County Democratic Central Committee meets on the first Thursday of the month to coordinate local Democratic Party activities. 408-445-9500. The agenda will be posted at sccdp.org/sccdcc.php 10 days before the meeting.
California Statewide Special Election. Tuesday, May 19th. Measures include creating a state spending cap and rainy day fund, modifying the minimum funding guarantee for schools, changing the state lottery and shifting money from mental health and child-development programs. For a list of the ballot measures click HERE.
Dean Democratic Club of Silicon Valley. The Dean Democratic Club of Silicon Valley is an alliance in Silicon Valley, California dedicated to the issues brought forth by Gov. Howard Dean, M.D., his cause and his message of progressive, positive change. dfasv.org, www.dfalink.com/siliconvalley, Co-Chairs; Spandan Chakrabarti, Alice Smith. Contact deanclub_at_sccdp.org
Obama Democratic Club of Silicon Valley. A club of volunteers from the 2008 Barack Obama campaign and local arm of Organizing for America. Members of this club will continue to promote Obama's policies and priorities. Peter Allen, President, obama_at_sccdp.org. sites.google.com/site/obamadcsv/
Silicon Valley Asian Pacific American Democratic Club. SVAPADC was founded in 1996 to foster member participation at all levels of the Democratic Party. Our goals are to unify and empower the Asian Pacific American (APA) communities; ensure fair representation of the APA's interests; and educate and promote political participation. Contact Buu Thai at apa_at_sccdp.org. The club's homepage is svapadc.org.
Silicon Valley Democratic Club. Formerly known as the Moorpark Democratic, the Silicon Valley Democratic club prides itself in developing a growing and diverse community with an organized and unifying voice in the political arena. The Club provides a forum for its members to focus, discuss, prioritize positions and promote important issues to our diverse community. Working together, our members help to elect Democratic candidates in local, state, and national elections. Clarence Madrilejos, moorpark_at_sccdp.org. www.moorparkdems.org
Silicon Valley Latino Democratic Forum. A venue for local Latinos to become active in the Democratic Party. Javier Gonzalez, svldf_at_sccdp.org.
Silicon Valley LGBT Democratic Club. Dedicated to providing a grassroots channel for the political participation of like-minded lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered Democrats. President: David Parker, lgbt_at_sccdp.org. Visit the club on the web at http://www.lgbtdems.org.
Silicon Valley Young Democrats. SVYD serves Democrats under 36 years old from throughout the Silicon Valley. We provide networking, social, and personal growth opportunities for young people dedicated to progressive ideals. President: Julie Lind, svyd_at_sccdp.org. Visit the club's website at svyd.org.
SILICON VALLEY AREA FOOD CO-OPS: These are the only ones I could find near Silicon Valley, though they are all somewhat peripheral
Kresge Food Co-op 600 Kresge CT, Kresge College UCSC Santa Cruz, California 95064 Phone: (831) 426-1506 coop@dv8.org http://k9.dv8.org/~coop/
The Kresge Food Coop is a student-run cooperative health food store located at Kresge College on the University of California, Santa Cruz campus. We currently consist of twelve Core Collective Members who own the coop and are responsible for its daily operations and for any number of working members. This page has been created in order to better serve our community. Through this page you can email the coop, learn about our Core Collective Members, sign up to be a working member, make suggestions, check sales, read and reread our newsletter, and browse our links to other coops and health food stores.
The Cooperative Grocery (The CoG) 1450 67th Street Emeryville, California 95616 Phone: (510) 868-2883 FAX: (510) 868-2893 info@thecog.org http://www.thecog.org/
The Cooperative Grocery—The CoG—is a non-profit, working members cooperative that offers high-quality groceries at an affordable price to individuals and families in our community.
Members of The CoG work 2 1/2 hours every 4 weeks, performing jobs like stocking shelves, building orders and providing member services. By providing much of the labor for the store, our members keep our operating costs to a minimum. We then pass the savings onto our members in the form of lower prices. Our model is based on the successful Park Slope Food Co-Op in Brooklyn, NY, which serves 13,000 members.
To further control costs and grow our co-op in a responsible manner, we launched the CoG as an online store that is served from a warehouse located in Emeryville, with easy access to communities in Berkeley and Oakland. Our long term plan is to build a retail business as finances allow.
Bolinas Peoples Store P. O. Box 808 Bolinas, California 94924 Phone: (415) 868-1433 FAX: (415) 868-1219
Rainbow Grocery Co-op 1745 Folsom San Francisco, California 94103 Phone: (415) 863-0620 FAX: (415) 863-8955 comments@rainbowgrocery.coop http://www.rainbow.coop/
We have been in San Francisco's Mission District since 1975. We strive to offer resources, education and a forum for informational exchange for many local communities and organizations.
Rainbow Grocery is open every day from 9AM to 9PM
We are located in San Francisco's Mission District at 1745 Folsom Street. Our cross street is 13th Street (also known as Duboce), which runs directly under the central freeway. Use the map below for directions by car. Click here for Public Transit directions. Click here for bicycling directions.
Other Avenues Community Food Store 3930 Judah Street San Francisco, California 94122 Phone: (415) 661-7475 FAX: (415) 661-0835 info@otheravenues.org http://www.otheravenues.org/
Apr 28 Tuesday 6:30-7:45pm, Newport Beach: Orange County for Darfur - Planning Meeting 2424 SE Bristol Street, Suite 300, Newport Beach, CA 92660. OCFD seeks to increase awareness among local residents about the continued suffering in Darfur and the surrounding region and to get our elected officials and others in positions of influence to take more action in order to halt the genocide. Come to our planning meeting to find out how you can make a difference. For more information, visit ocfordarfur.org.
Apr 30 Wednesday 6:30-8:30pm, Orange: "In Darfur" Chapman University, Waltmar Theater, One University Drive, Orange, CA 92866. Orange County for Darfur, Moving Target Theater, and Chapman University invite you to join us for a performance of the critically acclaimed play by Winter Miller. A question and answer discussion will follow the performance. Admission is FREE. All donations will be contributed to Genocide Intervention Network's Civilian Protection Program. For more info. or to RSVP: livingubuntu.org/events/2009/in-darfur
May 1 Friday 8:30-10am, Garden Grove: Orange County Labor Federation Employee Free Choice Act Round Table with Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez and Orange County Workers. Saint Anselm of Canterbury Episcopal Church, 13091 Galway Street, Garden Grove, CA 92844 Flyer: oclabor.org/images/docs/EFCA_LORETTA.jpg
May 4 Monday 5pm, Statewide: LAST DAY TO REGISTER TO VOTE in the May 19 Special Election
May 8 Friday 8:30-10am, Buena Park: Orange County Labor Federation 3rd Annual Building Fund Cinco de Mayo Celebration Breakfast UFCW 324, 8530 Stanton Ave., Buena Park, CA 90620 oclabor.org/images/docs/BUILDING_FUND_FINAL_1.psf.pdf
May 12 Tuesday 6:30-7:45pm, Newport Beach: Orange County for Darfur - Planning Meeting 2424 SE Bristol Street, Suite 300, Newport Beach, CA 92660. OCFD seeks to increase awareness among local residents about the continued suffering in Darfur and the surrounding region and to get our elected officials and others in positions of influence to take more action in order to halt the genocide. Come to our planning meeting to find out how you can make a difference. For more information, visit ocfordarfur.org.
May 14 Thursday 6-8:45pm, Irvine: League of Conservation Voters 10th Anniversary Awards Dinner University Club at UCI We will be recognizing and honoring those who helped Save the Trestles as well as our special Lifetime Achievement Award. Our event is always fun, inspirational, has great food and drinks, and is a great time to meet and greet fellow environmentalists. oclcv.org
May 16 Saturday 7am-1pm, Anaheim: OC AIDS WALK Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim, CA 92806-6143 aidswalk.org/oc
May 17 (moved from usual 2nd Sunday) 1-3pm, Fullerton: Progressive Women of North OC Meeting Monkey Business Cafe, 301 E Amerige, Fullerton progressivewinoc.org
California Statewide Special Election. Tuesday, May 19th. Measures include creating a state spending cap and rainy day fund, modifying the minimum funding guarantee for schools, changing the state lottery and shifting money from mental health and child-development programs. For a list of the ballot measures click HERE.
May 26 Tuesday 6:30-7:45pm, Newport Beach: Orange County for Darfur - Planning Meeting 2424 SE Bristol Street, Suite 300, Newport Beach, CA 92660. OCFD seeks to increase awareness among local residents about the continued suffering in Darfur and the surrounding region and to get our elected officials and others in positions of influence to take more action in order to halt the genocide. Come to our planning meeting to find out how you can make a difference. For more information, visit ocfordarfur.org.
May 31 Sunday 1pm, Orange: Tias Arms 8th Annual Celebration for the Children of South Africa tiasarms.org Join us for an African barbecue (braaivleis) and South African wines. Entertainment will include live music and other activities. Silent and live auction to include items from around the world. Chapman University Campus, One University Drive, Orange , CA Colorful or global attire encouraged More details to follow on the admission price.
Jun 5 (1st Friday) 6:30-9pm, Orange: Friday Night Film Series - The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo wmm.com/filmcatalog/pages/c709.shtml Winner of the Sundance Special Jury Prize in Documentary, this extraordinary film, shot in the war zones of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), shatters the silence that surrounds the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. Tens of thousands of women and girls have been systematically kidnapped, raped, mutilated and tortured by soldiers from both foreign militias and the Congolese army. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange present films that raise awareness and encourage conversation about the dynamic, ever-changing, systemic and critical needs of our world. Through a variety of titles and topics, attendees explore what it means to live a life in relationship with each other, our neighbors and the whole community of life. The evening includes refreshments, dialogue and possible opportunities for action. 6:30 - 7:00 Gathering and Refreshments 7:00 - 8:00 Film Showing 8:00 - 9:00 Discussion Mother Louis Room 480 S. Batavia St., Orange, CA 92868-3998 714-633-8121x7716 Justice@csjorange.org sistersofstjosephorange.org/calendar.php?ID=82
Jun 6 Saturday 9am, Huntington Beach: UNIFEM WalkJoin UNIFEM for a fun 5-mile walk along Huntington Beach to take a stand against violence against women for UNIFEM's United Nations Development Fund for Women. Meet at Huntington State Beach Park. $10 donation. Contact stephaniepa@socal.rr.com for further details.
Jun 24 Wednesday 7pm, Newport Beach: Green Lecture: An Inconvenient Truth Enivronmental Nature Center, 1601 16th Street, Newport Beach, CA 92663 isit the ENC to learn more about the planetary emergency of global warming and what YOU can do about it. Join LA County Teacher of the Year John Zavalney for a live presentation of the slideshow that's changing America's mind. After being trained by Mr. Al Gore and his staff, John is on a mission to get the word out about the dangers of global warming and offer suggestions on how we can help solve this crisis. John has won several prestigious educational awards including: The Disney American Teacher Award, The Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching, the Presidents Council on Environmental Quality Professional Development Award and LA County teacher of the Year. Call 949-645-8489 to RSVP. meetup.com/goinggreenorangecounty/calendar/10090250
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