Progressive Democrat Newsletter Issue 284

Happy New Year to all my readers out there. Time to work on the Liberal resurgence in America.

Get ready for a tough year. The right wing extremists are going to be in power and will be trying to shut down the government at every turn. Bush Republicans are in charge of the House now, and the Senate is more evenly split than before. America will see an attempt at reviving the very Bush policies that got America into the mess we're in. It's all going to be about more and more for the rich and less and less for the rest of us. Hopefully Obama and the Senate can hold the line, but we are not going to see the kinds of progress we saw the last two years. In the last two years the Democrats did manage to get us (over the whining objections of Republicans):

The Auto Industry Bailout which saved 1.4 million jobs
Infrastructure Investment
Green Energy Investment (largest investment in green technology in history)
Raised fuel standards after years of stagnation and objection
A modest Healthcare bill
SCHIP expansion of healthcare to poor children
Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act
Repeal of DADT
Two extensions of unemployment benefits
A tax cut for the middle and working classes
Help for 9/11 heroes (something they have waited for for a LONG time)
START treaty
Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights
Largest investment in college aid in history
The Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act

All in only two years and with CONSTANT obstructionism by Republicans, EVEN for the aid to 9/11 heroes, expansion of healthcare coverage for children, and investment in America's infrastructure.

Look, I also wish more had been done. We needed even more infrastructure and Green Energy investment. We NEED single payer healthcare. A fair amount of this took too long and wasn't taken as far as I would like. But I still have to admit a LOT was done in 2 years and only by the Democrats with no help from the Republicans.

Now the Republicans have taken one house of Congress and have strengthened their position in the other house. And they vow to expand their obstructionism, vowed to continue to be the Party of Hell No. This will be a tough year for America because the Republicans think they can go back to screwing us all over for their personal profit the way they did under Bush. I sure hope Obama and the Democrats in Congress fight hard against the return to Bush policies.


The Liberals Strike Back 2012

2010 was expected to be the resurgence of the Bush Republicans. And it was. But now we have the chance to make 2012 be the resurgence of the Liberals. But only if we start now and work towards it. In 2004 many of us started to build for 2006 and 2008 and our efforts went a long way to the big wins those years. In 2008 the billionaires invented the Teabagger movement (reminder: that was THEIR word for themselves) with the express purpose of reimposing a Bush agenda in 2010. They worked hard at it while we squabbled like only leftists can and so they won big in 2010. Time to do again what we did in 2004.

I have an Actblue page that highlights several progressive and liberal groups that have an excellent track record of winning. I also want to start targeting specific key races. In particular, there are already three Senate races that demand attention, two on offence and one defense. These Senate races are based on the latest popularity polls looking for the most vulnerable Senators. Of course it is early and probably more races will emerge, but for now these are the key targets. The results from Daily Kos are:

Approval ratings, candidates facing re-election in 2012, Lowest three:

Joe Lieberman (I-CT): 33/54 (-21 net approval)
John Ensign (R-NV): 41/48 (-7 net approval)
Bob Casey (D-PA): 36/40 (-4 net approval)

These will be the top three Senate races we can predict now. Which makes Connecticut, Nevada and Pennsylvania key battle grounds. And, of course, Nevada and Pennsylvania have become key battlegrounds anyway, making it well worth fighting every district in those states.

Please help us defeat the Bush Republican/Teabbager anti-working class and anti-middle class agenda and help the liberals fight back.

Start off 2011 right with a donation (small or otherwise) towards a big Liberal resurgence in 2012.

Here is this week's newsletter:

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Liberal Shopping/Consumer Guide

Top Democratic and Republican Donors in 2010

Some Important History From Daily Kos: Celebrating the Confederacy 150 later

And from last week: Beware of Bank of America: screwing the customer as a business model

California Focus: Green Power Switch

Orange County, CA Focus

Los Angeles/San Fernando Valley/San Gabriel Valley, CA Focus

San Diego, CA Focus

Silicon Valley Area, CA Focus

California 11th District Focus: San Joaquin, Alameda and Santa Clara Counties

Northern California Focus: TAKE BACK RED CALIFORNIA

Southern California Grassroots Alliance

CALIFORNIA FOCUS

Brooklyn, NY Focus

Manhattan, NY Focus

Bronx, NY Focus

Queens, NY Focus

Suffolk County, NY Focus

Rochester, NY Focus

New York 19th District Focus: Putnam, Dutchess, Orange, Rockland, and Westchester Counties

NEW YORK STATE FOCUS

Illinois Focus: Green Power Switch

Illinois Focus: Democratic Accomplishments Highlighted by Bill Foster

Chicago/Cook County, IL Focus

ILLINOIS FOCUS

Florida Focus: Green Power Switch

Tampa/Hillsborough County, FL Focus

Orange County, FL Focus

Broward County, FL Focus

Pinellas County, FL Focus

FLORIDA FOCUS

Wisconsin Focus: Green Power Switch

Milwaukee, WI Focus

Madison, WI Focus

WISCONSIN FOCUS

Virginia Focus: Green Power Switch

Charlottesville/Albemarle County, VA Focus

Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania County, VA Focus

Stafford County, VA Focus

Hanover County, VA Focus

VIRGINIA FOCUS

Austin/Travis County, TX Focus

Houston/Harris County, TX Focus

Dallas County, TX Focus

Texas 10th District Focus: Bastrop, Lee, Burleson, Washington, Austin, Harris, Waller Counties

Texas 15th Congressional District Focus: Hidalgo, Brooks, Duval, Live Oak, Bee, Jim Wells, Karnes, DeWitt, Goliad, San Patricio, Refugio Counties

Texas 21st District Focus: Travis, Kerr, Real, Bandera, Kendall, Comal and Blanco Counties

TEXAS FOCUS

Pennsylvania Focus: Green Power Switch

Philadelphia, PA Focus

Lancaster Co. PA Focus

PENNSYLVANIA FOCUS

Minnesota Focus: Green Power Switch

Minneapolis, MN Focus

Olmsted County, MN Focus

MINNESOTA FOCUS

Washington State Focus: Green Power Switch

Seattle/King County, WA Focus

Spokane County, WA Focus

Thurston County, WA Focus

WASHINGTON STATE FOCUS

New Jersey Focus: Green Power Switch

Sussex County, NJ Focus

Warren County, NJ Focus

Passaic County, NJ Focus

New Jersey 7th Congressional District Focus

NEW JERSEY FOCUS

Arizona Focus: Green Power Switch

Phoenix/Maricopa County, AZ Focus

ARIZONA FOCUS

Georgia Focus: Green Power Switch

Atlanta, GA Focus

Coweta County, GA Focus

Fayette County, GA Focus

GEORGIA FOCUS

Michigan Focus: Green Power Switch

Detroit, MI Focus

MICHIGAN FOCUS

North Carolina Focus: Green Power Switch

North Carolina Focus: NC-5 District Focus (Stokes County, Statesville, Surrey County, Iredell County, Watauga County, Yadkin County)

North Carolina 11th District (Cherokee, Graham, Clay, Macon, Swain, Jackson, Transylvania, Haywood, Madison, Buncombe, Henderson, Polk Counties)

NORTH CAROLINA FOCUS

Colorado Focus: Green Power Switch

Denver, CO Focus

Boulder County, CO Focus

Larimer County, CO Focus

Douglas County, CO Focus

COLORADO FOCUS

Tennessee Focus: Green Power Switch

TENNESSEE FOCUS

KANSAS FOCUS

Nevada Focus: Green Power Switch

Las Vegas, NV Focus

NEVADA FOCUS

SOUTH CAROLINA FOCUS

Iowa Focus: Green Power Switch

Davenport/Scott County, IA Focus

IOWA FOCUS

Arkansas 1st Congressional District Focus

Arkansas 3rd Congressional District Focus

Oklahoma County, OK Focus

Liberal Shopping/Consumer Guide

Good thing to remind readers of this in the New Year.

I am a big fan of putting my money where my mouth is. That includes donations, but it also includes how I shop and how I invest. I hate it when I have to give money to a company I dislike. I draw my info on where to shop and invest from many sources, but one of the easiest to use and pretty reliabe is Co-op America's Responsible Shopper. You can compare companies within an industry and you can look into some detail into a company. They are necessarily incomplete. They mainly cover large American companies, so some good smaller companies, or good companies with a narrow clientele (e.g. USAA), or some good foreign companies (e.g. TD Bank) are not included. But it is, if nothing else, a good place to find out the worst companies and exclude them if possible from your list of companies to patronize.

Let me remind my readers of some key decisions you can make as consumers to honor important boycotts and to make your shopping and investment dollars better reflect your ideals. At the bottom I will also remind readers of an alternative way to shop that also helps you support companies that reflect your ideals.

AIRLINES:

No really good ones are listed in Responsible Shopper. I should note that they do not include Jet Blue which I believe is better than average in terms of business practices, customer service and, depending on when you book, price. So my recommendation where possible is Jet Blue.

LEAST awful on Responsible Shopper (though still bad) is Southwest Airlines.

Worst of the worst are US Airways, American Airlines, Continental, and United Airlines. These are the ones to avoid if reasonably possible. Of course these days flying has become so awful that I honestly avoid it if I can. And I used to love it. Airlines have taken the fun out of flying.


ALCOHOL: Hey, I publicize Drinking Liberally so maybe I should publicize good and bad alcohol companies.

Best listed is Heineken (includes Heineken Lager, Amstel Light, Buckler, Dos Equis, Tecate, Sol, Carta Blanca, Bohemia and Newcastle Brown Ale...personally I think Newcastle Brown is EXCELLENT). Heineken has a 10-year sustainability goal called “Brewing a Better Future” to cut direct and indirect climate emissions. They donate almost three times as much to Democrats as Republicans. Overall seem good.

Also listed as mediocre to good are Pernod Ricard (includes Absolut Vodka, Ricard Pastis, Ballantine’s, Chivas Regal, Royal Salute, The Glenlivet Scotch whiskies, Jameson Irish Whiskey, Martell cognac, Havana Club rum, Beefeater gin, Kahlúa, Malibu, Mumm and Perrier-Jouët champagnes. Wines include: Jacob’s Greek, Montana, Campo Viejo and Graffigna...none of which I really drink personally) and Diageo (includes Guiness, Red Stripe, Hennesy, Gordon’s Gin, Bailey’s, Godiva Liqour, Romana Sambura, Smirnoff, Captain Morgan’s, Goldschlager, Jose Cuervo, Crown Royal, Sterling Vineyard wines, J&B, Johnnie Walker, Buchanans, Bullit, and Cardhu...Guiness is one of my personal favorites).

The worst alcohol companies listed are Anheuser Busch InBev (includes Budweiser, Busch, Michelob, Rolling Rock [I have other resons to dislike Rolling Rock as well], Stella Artois, Leffe, Kirin, Beck’s, and Corona as well as Bacardi Rum and organic beer Stone Mill Pale Ale) and MillerCoors (which is affiliated with Phillip Morris...brand includes Coors, Miller, Keystone, Cristal, Killian’s Irish Red, and Blue Moon).


ATHLETIC WEAR:

Best is New Balance. Worst are Nike, Puma and Adidas. I should note that under clothing industry they also list as good Timberland, LLBean, Eddie Bauer and J Crew which all also sell athletic wear.


BANKING AND INVESTMENT:

Listed as good are Wachovia, Wells Fargo and Suntrust. I should note that recent reports I get show Wells Fargo as being awful, so I disagree with them here. Wells Fargo is overwhelmingly right wing and they STILL try to engage in horrible predatory lending practices. I should also note that Wachovia is now owned by Wells Fargo, so they are off the "good list" as well in my book. Overall even they look mediocre.

To me the only good big financial institutions are TD Bank (which is Canadian and engaged in no predatory lending) and USAA (which limits its clientele to veteran and their families). Both have excellent customer service and at least decent business practices. Others I talk to find a local Credit Union, which is not always a guarantee of good social or business practices, but worth looking into. Same goes with some local banks.

Rock bottom both as banks/investment firms, and just plain as companies, are Bank of America and Citigroup. These are among the worst (along with Wells Fargo from what I have read) in terms of predatory lending, fees, and poor customer service. Bank of America has by far the most customer service complaints on record. Citigroup, Chase and Wells Fargo also are among the worst for customer servce according to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency: (via the Stop Bank Abuse website).

My advice isn't just for progressive reasons, but also for just plain good business sense. Bank of America, Citigroup, Chase and Wells Fargo are for the most part bad companies to work with. TD Bank, local banks, USAA and local Credit Unions often treat you better, treat your money better and are more responsible companies.


BEAUTY AND BODY CARE:

No companies are listed as outright good. A handful are mediocre, but the really, really worst are Johnson and Johnson and Procter and Gamble (which includes Braun and Gillette). This is a shame because Procter and Gamble was once a pretty good (or at LEAST mediocre) company. They seem to have gone downhill. Among Johnson and Johnson's bad practices is a lawsuit by the Center for Environmental Health in Oakland, CA for the presence of lead in their baby powder...yes...LEAD in BABY POWDER! They are also the target of several other anti-trust and class action lawsuits. Procter and Gamble has become notorious for fighting environmental and labor laws worldwide. And perhaps the reason why Proctor and Gamble went from a good company to a horrible was is that Dick Cheney joined their board in 1993. I suspect THAT was when they went downhill.

My advice is to avoid Johnson and Johnson and Proctor and Gamble.


BEVERAGES:

None are really good. Danone (includes Perrier, Danon yogurt and Stoneyfield) and Cadburry Schweppes are listed as mediocre. Danone seems to be a horrible company that happens to be the main owner of the VERY good company Stonyfield Farm. Stonyfield Farm probably brings up their rating and my advice is buy Stonyfield Farm but avoid other Danone products (e.g. Danon yogurt). Perhaps they will realize the Stonyfield Farm business model is better. Cadbury Schweppes has been bought out and is now part Kraft (the Cadbury end) and Dr. Pepper Snapple Group (the Schweppes end). Dr. Pepper Snapple Group is not rated by Responsible Shopper but from what I have read is mixed good and bad. They probably are better than most of the beverage companies.

Of course these days I mainly drink tap water...though with Republicans in office again even THAT may become dangerous to drink.

The worst beverage companies are PepsiCo, CocaCola and Nestlé. Nestle has been one of the world's worst companies for decades now, and is in many ways the epitome of irresponible business practices. Coca Cola is a close second for world's worst company next to Nestle. Both have numerous lawsuits and boycotts around the world. Although Pepsico is among the worst in many ways, I should note it has made the largest purchase of green energy in history, enough to power 100 percent of its energy needs, which clearly puts it above CocaCola and Nestle.

I would advise boycotting Coca Cola and Nestle products at all costs. Beyond that not sure there is a lot to choose from among the big companies.


BIG BOX RETAILERS:

Not surprisingly NONE are listed as good. Not even CostCo, which many progressives like as an alternative to WalMart, is really all that good. But the VERY WORST is of course WalMart, with pretty much failing grades across the board. Their recent efforts at greenwashing have brought their environmental score all the way up to a "D." WalMart has put a lot of money into reforming its image, but this has mostly been nothing more than bullshit, green washing and false advertising.

To quote just a few of the horrible things Wal Mart does (from the Responsible Shopper website):

Due to low wages and negligible benefits, thousands of Wal-Mart employees are dependent on public assistance to meet their basic needs, and American taxpayers eventually subsidize Wal-Mart's low prices. [EDITOR'S NOTE: of course Wal Mart ALSO supports right wing politicians who want to CUT those very public assistance programs that Wal Mart forces their employees to depend upon!]

• Wal-Mart hurts U.S. communities by undercutting local merchants and increasing urban sprawl, and its suppliers have been cited for labor and human rights violations.

• Wal-Mart has been repreatedly accused of union busting in the US and Canada, and of using a "Labor Relations Team" that stops Wal-Mart workers from unionizing.

• Wal-Mart's overseas suppliers have been repeatedly accused of using sweatshop labor.

• A recent investigation by the AFL-CIO affiliated Solidarity Center found that Wal-Mart is sourcing shrimp from plants in Thailand and Bangladesh where workers as young as 8 years old are subject to sweatshop conditions.

Wal Mart is rock bottom as a company. KMart (a store I actually like and have found some amazingly high quality products in) is almost, but not quite, as bad. I actually wish I could recommend KMart over WalMart but they would have to improve their practices vis a vis the environment, sweat shops, etc. before I could do that.

CostCo comes in middle of the range for Big Box stores along with Target. From what I can tell, the main thing bringing down their scores is a gender discrimination lawsuit. Perhaps if they improved their gender equality policies they would actually look pretty good. One excellent thing about CostCo that moves them up in my view is:

• Costco employees enjoy high wages, the average is $15.97 an hour, and health benefits, including a health care coverage rate of 82 percent.

No other Big Box store rivals CostCo in terms of how they treat their employees.

Big lots and Kohl's are at the top of the list, though they both still score poorly, and I think CostCo could beat them if they improved their gender equality policies. Big Lots may not have as awful labor policies as Wal Mart, but definitely not as good as CostCo and they have been the target of a sexual harrassment lawsuit. Kohl's also has poor labor policies and is very poorly rated by the NAACP.

All said, Responsible Shopper puts Big Lots at the top, I put CostCo, but Wal Mart is unquestionably the worst and should be avoided at all costs.


BOOKS:

Here you are almost certainly best off shopping at yuor local bookstore, but I admit I love ordering online. I liked Amazon at first and was among their first and most avid customers. But they have turned out to be a pretty bad company and generally support Republicans. So I have stopped buying from Amazon.

According to Responsible Shopper Borders is the best of the big booksellers. Barnes and Noble comes in second. Amazon is the worst. Among the bad practices of Amazon are:

• In 2002 Amazon.com came under fire for using its computer software subsidiary to collect sensitive data from online shoppers.

• Amazon fired 300 customer service representatives in Seattle when they talked of forming a union, and others were penalized for revealing negative information about the company.

CLEANING PRODUCTS:

Another category where there really are no good ones. There also seem to be far fewer companies in this category than I remember...probably due to buyouts and mergers. I am lucky. At my local food co-op I can get Seventh Generation products at a reasonable cost. Seventh Generation, at least for basic cleaning, laundry and bathroom products, is excellent. They aren't cheap, but you can often cut down on the cost by buying larger quantities and they do the job safely.

Of the big cleaning products brands, Colgate Palmolive (includes Tom's of Maine) is mediocre, but better by far than its rival, Procter & Gamble (includes Clairol and Gillette). Colgate Palmolive no longer tests on animals while Procter & Gamble does. This is not one of my highest issues, but when it comes to these kinds of products (as opposed to medical science) I greatly prefer to avoid products tested on animals and I am sure many of my readers will feel even more strongly than I do. But Proctor and Gamble goes even further. They actually fight against chemical safety laws for HUMANS.

Advice: try to find Seventh Generation at a reasonable price. They are the number one SAFE and environmentally sound cleaning product company in the US. And their products really are good. Next to Seventh Generation, Colgate Palmolive is the company of choice (distant second), and Procter & Gamble, probably thanks to Dick Cheney's involvement on their board, is now rock bottom.


CLOTHING:

Big category here...and in this case to some degree (not completely) you pay more for better products. And by better I mean both quality AND social responsibility.

The reasonably good companies (not great) are Timberland, LLBean, Eddie Bauer and J Crew. Sometime back I had an LL Bean credit card that gave me free shipping and discounts, and if I combined that with sales they had I'd get some good stuff at reasonable prices. So these companies CAN be good deals particularly since their products usually last. My wife likes them just because of quality.

Levi Strauss is mediocre, but not as bad as many companies.

The rock bottom are The Gap (includes Banana Republic and Old Navy), Disney and Wal-Mart. These are really awful companies and should just plain be avoided. Also bad but not quite rock bottom are Polo Ralph Lauren, Kohl's, Macy's, Hanes, Jones Apparel, and JC Penney. I have to admit that, though I am generally fine buying most of my clothes from better companies, it is REALLY hard to find socks and underwear at a reasonable price without going for something like JC Penny.


COFFEE: Even more critical to Progressives than alcohol is!

Here again, no big company suits my needs for balancing fair trade, environmental practices, cost and quality. I'm lucky in that I can get completely fair trade, high quality, organic coffee at my local food co-op for a price not too far above lousy store bought coffee. But before that I bought in bulk (5 lb bags...and yes my wife and I can go through that pretty quickly) online through an excellent company called Dean's Beans. The price isn't too high and the coffee is excellent, fair trade and often shade grown...and the company is often engaged in extremely good outreach to their growers, helping them organize into effective cooperatives and trying to cut out some of the middle men. I highly recommend them.

In terms of the large companies, the two top (though still mediocre) companies are ones that used to be worse but have come up a little in recent years: Kraft and Starbucks. Again, they aren't great companies, but if you aren't buying from something like Deans Beans, they may be the best you can do without paying a huge amount per pound.

The worst companies for coffee are Sara Lee, Procter & Gamble, and Nestlé. Nestle is one of the worst companies in the world and has been for decades. Procter & Gamble was good but was ruined by Dick Cheney's direct influence. These two companies should be avoided at all costs.

Sara Lee surprises me somewhat. But turns out they have some major skeletons in their closet. For example:

• Sara Lee's biggest scandal involved the sale of listeria-tainted hot dog meat that killed 15 people and sickened more than 100 in 2001.

• Sara Lee was implicated in the massive US Foodservice accounting scandal, which involved inflated earnings and cover-ups...

and Sara Lee scored the lowest...on Oxfam's grading of the 4 major coffee roasters in 2003

Best bet: Dean's Beans ordered online. Worst are Procter & Gamble, and Nestlé.


COMPUTERS:

Sorry, Apple users, Apple computers is not all that socially responsible. BUT, they are not the worst.

Best computer companies are Gateway, Acer, and Sanyo...none of which I have ever tried, but when I get enough money available for a new computer (the one I am typing this on is more than 10 years old!) I will consider these three companies. That said, even these three companies have problems. Gateway is the top rated company on Responsible Shopper, but has a lousy recycling program (how many computer companies really have a good one?) and has been investigated for insider trading. Acer is great because they are an EPA Energy Star partner but has been included in Greenpeace International’s “E-waste Hall of Shame.” Sanyo seems pretty mediocre overall but is still better than others (yes...even Apple).

In terms of responsible business practices, Dell, Hewlett Packard and Apple are all similarly mediocre.

Dell seems to be looking to improve, though whether this is only improving its image or really improving it is too early to tell:

• Dell is positioning itself to lead computer multinationals in sustainability, and has recently announced initiatives including support for producer takeback legislation, a commitment to provide free recycling services for all Dell products worldwide, and a call for other electronics companies to join Dell its efforts.

Apple Computer is actually surprisingly bad in terms of environment and sweatshops:

• Apple has consistently lagged behind competitors in environmental programs such as recycling computers; phasing out toxic chemicals like PVC from its computers; ensuring transparency; and a willingness to talk to environmental groups.

• Apple sourced from Foxconn Electronics in China, which has been accused of using sweatshop labor...

Apple admits child labor in their supplier’s factories; in three factories eleven 15 year old children were employed

Apple Computer Inc. [Like Acer which is otherwise better] was one of the companies included in Greenpeace International’s “E-waste Hall of Shame.” Greenpeace International

As for Hewlett Packard:

• Despite its early commitment to recycling, HP has not made efforts to support other eco-friendly measures as of late.

• HP is embroiled in a scandal in which board members are accused of authorizing spying on employees.

Many of HP's products are Energy Star certified • Greenpeace recently significantly downgraded its rating of HP's environmental practices.
• HP sources from Foxconn in China, a firm that is accused of engaging in sweatshop practices.

But the REALLY bad companies are: Microsoft and Sony. To be fair, Microsoft has a good side:

• Microsoft made Forbes' 2004 list of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" and was praised for its diversity measures, particularly for offering domestic partner benefits to its gay and lesbian employees.

Although I have known some people who have worked for Microsoft. Although the person I know who has most recently worked for them liked them, most people I know hated it bitterly...though I have to admit they seemed to take a particular pleasure in their bitter hatred of Microsoft.

Microsoft is worst regarding sweatshop practices, antitrust laws and ties to China.


DEPARTMENT STORES:

The top ones (though still only so-so) are Nordstrom and Lord and Taylor. Regarding Nordstrom:

• Nordstrom was recognized by Fortune as one of the "50 Best Companies for Minorities" as well as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" in 2004, and it received a perfect score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index.

• Although Nordstrom is part of the Fair Labor Association's monitoring program, accusations of labor abuses continue to be a problem at its supplier factories overseas.

The rock bottom are Macy's and Sears, Roebuck & Co. with Kohl's, Dillard's and JC Penney coming in only slightly better.

Sears:

• Sears' public image is stained by discrimination lawsuits and corporate abuses, but the most ubiquitous charges against the company still pertain to sweatshop labor use.

Macy's:

• Accusations of racial profiling and other forms of discrimination taint Macy's record, and the company has been questioned for anticompetitive activities.

• Macy's does have a supplier code of conduct to which it holds vendors accountable, but labor violations are still reported on a regular basis.

ELECTRONICS:

Sanyo is the best, Sony and General Electric are the worst.


FAST FOOD: I seldom eat fast food. I do have a weakness for Popeye's and Five Guys, though, neither of which are rated by Responsible Shopper.

No big fast food chain is very good. Doctor's Associates (Subway), Wendy's, and Burger King are mediocre. Rock bottom are McDonald's and Yum! Brands (KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut). Probably better off all around eating Subway over McDonald's, KFC or Taco Bell. Healthier AND more progressive. But I'll stick with my occiasional (VERY occasional) Popeye's and Five Guys.


GROCERIES:

Again, here I am lucky and can shop at an excellent and cheap local food co-op. But I also sometimes have to buy regular groceries at a regular supermarket.

The better brands listed are: Danone (mostly bad but they mostly own Stoneyfield Farm which is good...I only buy their Stoneyfield Farm products), Cadbury Schweppes (now bought out by other companies, so not really relavent), General Mills, Campbell Soup, and Dean Foods (White Wave Foods). General Mills has been a half-way decent company for decades. Never one of the best, but also never one of the worst. Same goes for Campbell's Soup. Both are majorly corporate, so are not that good, but they are better than most large corporations out there. If I am buying in a regular grocery store, I favor these two companies over their main competitors.

The REALLY bad companies are: Dole, Procter & Gamble (can I just say again that I believe it was the influence of Dick Cheney that brought them down?), Chiquita, Tyson Foods (violations of both the Clean Water and the Clean Air Acts), PepsiCo (Frito Lay) and (rock bottom again) Nestlé. Just never, NEVER buy Nestle is an excellent rule of thumb.


GAS/OIL: Yet another industry where there are no real good guys. All are bad...period. But...I guess you gotta buy gas.

ConservFuel in California is pretty good, but there are very few of them. If you can find them, they tend to be cheaper and they often carry alternative fuels.

There is always Citgo. At least you know you are not buying gas from Saudis or Iranians since it is Venezuelan. I am not fan of Hugo Chavez, and he seems to be getting worse. But he remains FAR better than the Saudis or Iranians. And Citgo gives major help through heating oil programs to poor people in America. Possibly the best option for gasoline.

Sunoco ranks the highest. But it is clear to me that this is not because of anything good they have done. Their main competition is just plain so bad they come out looking better. Same seems to go for Hess.

BP, Chevron/Texaco, Shell, and Exxon-Mobil are just plain awful. BP used to be better than most, but they have declined majorly in recent years. My advice is avoid all of these if at all possible. Hess and Sunoco and Citgo may not be great, but they are MUCH better than BP, Chevron/Texaco, Shell, and Exxon-Mobil.

Best advice: avoid driving! Impossible for most, but it pays to think about how to cut back. You save money and reduce your carbon footprint. My main reading time is thanks to my subway commute. Believe me, you will see a difference in your budget if you can cut back on your driving. When you have to gas up, look for Conserv Fuel, Citgo, Sunoco or Hess. They may not be great, but they beat the competition.


HEALH INSURANCE: most of us really don't have a choice, but...

Aetna ranks best...Blue Cross/Blue Shield ranks worst. Kaiser doesn't rate well either, but I have to say from what I have heard their quality has come up over the years, but have not confirmed this.


HOME IMPROVEMENT:

None are very good. Lowe's is the best of a bad lot. Home Depot ranks next but is one of the biggest supporters of right wing Republicans around. Sears, Roebuck and Co. is the worst. Lowe's is your best bet.

Should note that IKEA is not ranked. I have heard bad things about them, but have to admit I like them.


INTERNET:

The three biggies are ranked and all are bad. Yahoo is the worst. Not sure there is a good one out there!


MASS MEDIA:

Well, here I like BBC, Salon.com, CurrentTV, NPR and Daily Kos. Truth is, there isn't much out there that compares with these for news...and in the case of BBC and CurrentTV entertainment. Hell, between Dr. Who and Gordon Ramsey on BBC America and Vanguard and the show with Ewen McGregor riding a motorcycle around the world on CurrentTV there isn't much more I watch these days. Sometimes Rachel Maddow.

But, here are the rankings: ALL of the big companies are bad. Seriously, Fox isn't even the worst! Avoid the so-called Mainstream Media which has ceased to have any real journalism and has hardly any worthwhile entertainment. BBC...CurrentTV...NPR...they are your friends!


PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES: it is popular to put down Big Pharma, and sometimes they really deserve it. But I think people underestimate the good they do. But some are better than others.

The relatively good companies are: Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline, and Merck. The relatively bad companies are: Abbot, Pfizer, and Sanofi Aventis. If you have a choice, go for the first three.


SUPERMARKETS:

By far the best is Trader Joe's. This is the highest rated company on Responsible Shopper. In addition to being a responsible business, their prices are good and the food is of good quality. Their employees always seem to enjoy their work far more than any other supermarket I have been in (happy as opposed to suicidal or zombie-like). They are not unionized but there doesn't seem to be much incentive to unionize so far. They also lead other supermarkets in carrying only cage-free hen eggs and not testing on animals.

Whole Foods comes in second. I really dislike Whole Foods. Their corporate policies are right wing and they tried blocking labor and environmental laws. They are active union-busters. Their quality is variable, with some really awful products, while their prices are always extremely high. They also have a poor record for alerting customers to major food contamination outbreaks. However, they come in second below Trader Joe's on Responsible Shopper. I think I tend to underestimate their good aspects, but honestly they are over-rated and over-priced and are right wing in their policies. Who needs them?

Of course there are worse. The really bad supermarket companies (worse than, though also usually cheaper than, Whole Foods) are: Ahold (Giat, Stop & Shop), Albertsons (Acme), Kroger, Safeway, and, rock bottom again, Wal-Mart (Sam's Club).

I don't know about places like Ralphs, Key Food, Gristides, etc. They aren't rated.


TELECOMMUNICATIONS:

May I recommend CREDO (Working Assets) for your Telecom needs? They are not perfect, but they donate huge amounts to progressive causes. They do Long Distance and Mobile Phone Service.

And what about Vonage? I know little about them but it SOUNDS good??

Other than CREDO, the best rated by Responsible Shopper area T-Mobile and Sprint Nextel. They aren't great, but are better than the main alternatives.

The bad ones are Comcast, Verizon and Time Warner. AT&T is slightly better than these but they are one of the biggest supporters of right wing Republicans around. Sadly we are kind of stuck with Time Warner for cable, though we use CREDO for long distance and, I think, AT&T for cell phone. We've considered Vonage but haven't really done it yet.

DISH network supports Democrats...perhaps we should look into that?


TOBACCO:

If you smoke, there really is no good news. You know about the health hazards. You know it drains your finances. You know it is bad for the environment. And it is politically bad because basically most tobacco products are Altria (Phillip Morris) which is one of the worst companies in America. Just like when you gas up, unless you are really careful, you are supporting Saudi Arabia and Iran. At best you are probably supporting Venezuela. With cigarettes you are supporting right wing politicians who all get a substantial amount of campaign money from Altria (Phillip Morris).

If you smoke, I am not sure I can give you any advice other than to cut back or quit. There is no downside to cutting back or quitting...and smoking is really almost all down side.


TOYS AND GAMES:

Now I am partial to Think Geek, but perhaps that is not for everyone...

Hasbro, Toys R Us and Time Warner are all mediocre. No good major toy companies listed, I am afraid. Mattel and Disney are rock bottom. Now I have to say I once knew someone who worked for Mattel and he liked it a lot. But that was a long time ago. Seems they have gone downhill. Safety issues and sweatshop labor seem to be their main problems.

Disney's main problem seems to be taking advantage of the system through right wing politicians:

• From 2001-2003 Disney paid zero federal taxes, received $59 million in tax rebates, and recorded $1.76 billion in profits.

• Disney uses its political influence to maintain consolidated control of media outlets.

And, of course, major sweatshop labor.

Maybe I'll stick with Think Geek...


So I urge my readers to consider these good and bad companies. The best bet is to boycott the worst in each industry, and let them know why you are boycotting them. Ideally I like to patronize the best companies, but that isn't always possible. So I content myself with avoiding the worst. The bottom line of this diary, above all else, probably is that for almost any possible reason you can think if you should boycott WalMart, Nestle, Proctor and Gamble, Coca Cola and Bank of America. Hope you take away more than that, but if not, that will be good enough.


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Top Democratic and Republican Donors in 2010

Taken from Open Secrets.org, here is an overview of the top donors to political campaigns, focusing on the donors who primarily donated to Republicans compared with the donors who primarily donated to Democrats. First I present the donors who are listed as "Solidly" Republican or "Solidly" Democrat.

Top Overall Donors to Republicans:

Elliott Management (a Hedge fund company)
Koch Industries (note: the billioaire who is the main financier of the Teabaggers)
Every Republican is Crucial PAC
Associated Builders & Contractors
(so-called) "Freedom" Project (a Republican PAC)

NOTES: Top Republican supporters are billionaires, contractors, and hedge funds...and keep in mind this applies to the Teabagger movement as well. They are supported by the same billionaires, contractors, and hedge funds.


Top Overall Donors to Democrats:

ActBlue (composite of many, many small, grassroots donations)
Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
Laborers Union
Machinists/Aerospace Workers Union
EMILY's List (composite of many, many small grassroots donations)
Plumbers/Pipefitters Union
National Assn of Letter Carriers
Ironworkers Union
United Auto Workers
United Transportation Union
American Postal Workers Union
UNITE HERE
AmeriPAC: The Fund for a Greater America

NOTES: Top Democratic supporters are unions and grassroots donors.

Seems to me the contrast is really quite sharp: Billionaires vs. working and middle class.

Now looking only at corporate donors (with an eye towards boycotting or supporting various companies) here is a list of the large corporations that donated 60% or more to Republicans vs. 60% or more to Democrats.

Republican Supporters: (I plan on boycotting these folks)

Goldman Sachs (60% donations to Republicans)
Blue Cross/Blue Shield (61% donations to Republicans)
Bank of America (63% donations to Republicans)
Wells Fargo (68% donations to Republicans)
Home Depot (67% donations to Republicans)
Altria Group (formerly Philip Morris!) (74% donations to Republicans)


Democraitc Supporters:

Comcast Corp (65% donations to Democrats)
General Electric (60% donations to Democrats)


Remember that Goldman Sachs, Bank of America and Wells Fargo all took bailout money that was taxpayer financed...and they used some of that money to elect Republicans. Altria is basically Philip Morris, a tobacco company. Blue Cross/Blue Shield is trying to block Healthcare Reform. Seems to me the Republicans are supported by some pretty sleazy companies and personally I have no intention of supporting those sleazy companies if I can avoid it.

For more info on who donates what to whom, I highly recommend Open Secrets. They are a wonderful source of information about politics and money.


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Orange County, CA Focus

ORANGE COUNTY NEWS:

Should we look to the Defense Budget to Cut Wasteful Government Spending?

The Productive 111th Congress

Austerity: Who’s really paying for the great recession?

Orange County Transportation Authority Seeks Public Feedback On Proposed Measure M2 Conservation Plan (through January 10th)

Remembering Gretzky: Loretta Sanchez Holiday Card 2010...haven't gotten mine this year. Hope I'm still on her mailing list.

Nixon Library Releases More Tapes: It’s Not Pretty...Republican racism and anti-Semitism is nothing new, of course. Teabaggers are not that much different from Richard Nixon when it comes to these two disgusting habits.

Yorba Linda Water District seeks Citizen’s Advisory Committee Members

Correa Takes Local Lobbying Reform to Sacramento

Clean Tech Sector Boosts OC’s Economy...been saying for YEARS that a Green is GOOD for the Economy. Seems I am being proven right.


Find local events here thanks to Orange County Democracy for America. Check them out at get involved with your local community. After all, that's how change happens.

REGULAR EVENTS: Here are some regular events that happen weekly or monthly

Mondays, 7:30am, Laguna Hills: Neighborhood Democratic Discussion Group at Starbucks Coffee, 25630 Alicia Parkway, across from Laguna Hills High School.


2nd & 4th Tuesdays 6:30 PM, Fullerton: Drinking Liberally (drinkingliberally.org) Drinking Liberally meets at Table Ten in Fullerton, 124 W. Commonwealth Ave. in the SoCo District (Harbor/Commonwealth). We begin around 6:30pm. Our location is just one block from the Fullerton Transportation Center so you can take the bus or the train. We are on the patio in warm weather or front bar in cold weather. $6.00 burgers every Tuesday and a few specials just for us. It is time to rouse the North! Contact: orangecounty@drinkingliberally.org or (714) 955-7765

Tuesdays, 7pm, Santa Ana: Junta de Voluntarios/Volunteer Meeting El Centro Cultural De Mexico 310 W. 5th Street, Santa Ana, CA 92701 el-centro.org

Tuesdays, 6-7 PM, Irvine: UC Irvine Young Democrats meeting, in SST 122 (on the first floor of Social Science Tower across from Social Science Lab). Still the same time from 6pm-7pm! I understand that many of you will miss Humanities Hall, but our new location will offer even more greater things... our very own restrooms, vending machines, convenient access to Middle Earth, Social Science Parking Structure, the Student Center, and many many more!

Tuesdays, 7pm, Irvine: Irvine Queers. 106 Gateway Commons Irvine, CA 92697 UCI Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Resource Center located between Gateway Commons and the Cross-Cultural Center. spirit.dos.uci.edu/irvineq


Wednesdays, 7:30 am, Anaheim: Los Amigos of Orange County, a progressive networking group, meets at Jagerhaus Restaurant, 2525 East Ball Road.. Contact: guevarasart@yahoo.com or (949) 636-2750

Wednesdays, 5-6 pm, Irvine: UCI Amnesty International meeting, Crescent Bay Room B (A124) in the Student Center spirit.dos.uci.edu/amnesty/calendar.htm

[New location] (2nd Wednesdays), 6:30pm, San Clemente: Drinking Liberally (drinkingliberally.org). meets at Sunsets Bar & Grill in Capistrano Beach, 34700 Pacific Coast Hwy. Contact: SCDrinkingLiberally@gmail.com or (949) 682-5291.

Odd Wednesdays, 7pm, Irvine: Transgender Alliance Group To Educate And Motivate (TAG TEAM) This will be an open space for allies and members of the transgender, gender variant, and gender non-conforming community to spread awareness and create an open space to plan actions for change on our campus. If you are interested, please join us Location: LGBTRC (Student Center South G302) If you would like more information, feel free to contact Sophie Punkar spunkar@uci.edu\ Amanda Woo awoo@uci.edu


Thursdays 8:30 PM, Santa Ana: Drinking Liberally (drinkingliberally.org) a no-agenda social club for local progressives, meets at Memphis Bar at 201N Broadway in the Artists Village Contact: orangecounty@drinkingliberally.org or (714) 955-7765

First and third Thursdays 7 PM, Huntington Beach: Drinking Liberally (drinkingliberally.org) Oggi's Pizza & Brewing Co. at 19461 Main St., Huntington Beach. (corner of Main and Yorktown) Contact: Louise Stewardson 714-356-6559 HuntingtonBeachg@drinkingliberally.org

2nd Thursdays 7-9PM, Santa Ana: Orange County Young Democrats Meeting
Bistro 400 400 W. 4th Street Santa Ana, CA 92701 OCYD.net

Thursdays 7 PM, Rancho Santa Margarita: Drinking Liberally (drinkingliberally.org), a no-agenda social club for local progressives, meets at Canyon Fireside Grille 22312 El Paseo Rancho Santa Margarita California 92688 Contact: rsm@drinkingliberally.org.


Fridays 5:30pm, Santa Ana: Orange County DREAM Team Coalition Meeting (istillhaveadream.org) Centro Cultural de Mexico Room 211 301 W. 5th Street Santa Ana, CA 92701 Contact: Minerva S. Gómez (714) 376-8065


Saturdays, 9-11am, Irvine: Weekly Democratic Kaffee-Klatch Come and discuss the political topics of the day! University Center (across from UCI), under the trees across from Whale of a Tale Book Store 4199 Campus Dr Contact: Sharon Toji 9499296512 htoji@cox.net


Some Local Orange County Resources:

Liberal OC Blog: for those who want to find news and events in Orange County

Voice of OC: Who says you can't fight city hall?

OC Progressive is a project of the Progressive Group.

Democratic Foundation of Orange County: What We Do

* Develop financial resources to support an active & effective Democratic Party in Orange County.
* Encourage, train and support Democratic candidates in Orange County.
* Sponsor high-profile events to increase the visibility of Democrats and Democratic ideas.
* Provide a forum to develop and discuss political and public policy issues of local and national importance.
* Provide our members with introductions and access to local government, California and National Democratic leaders, as well as to leaders in labor and in business.


COMMUNITY RADIO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA:

KPFK Pacific Radio 93.7 FM:
Check out their program schedule here.

KPCC Southern California Public Radio 89.3 FM:

Southern California Public Radio (SCPR) is a member-supported public radio network that operates 89.3 KPCC-FM in Los Angeles and Orange County, 89.1 KUOR-FM in the Inland Empire and 90.3 KPCV in the Coachella Valley. Reaching more than 600,000 listeners every week, SCPR is the most listened to public radio news service of any kind in Southern California and serves the diverse communities of Southern California with award winning local news coverage as well as the most NPR (National Public Radio) content available anywhere in the region.

Check out their program schedule here.


Latino Social Work Network of Orange County (LSWN):
Email lswnoc2007@yahoo.com
Address LSWNOC
P.O. Box 296
Santa Ana, CA 92702-0296
website: http://www.lswnoc.com/index.html

LSWN Orange County's purpose is to advance practice and promote policies which improve access to quality professional social work services for the Latino communities of Orange County. To provide an organizational networking framework whereby Spanish-speaking and Latino service providers can exchange ideas, engage in professional development, discuss problems and issues in their respective communities, and advocate to improve the quality of life for Latinos in Orange County.

To become a member click here.


NAACP ORANGE COUNTY:
Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. From the ballot box to the classroom, the thousands of dedicated workers, organizers, leaders and members who make up the NAACP continue to fight for social justice for all Americans.

Here is a local NAACP branch:

Orange Co (Santa Ana) Branch
PO BOX 3141
Santa Ana, CA 92703
714-543-3637


Harvey Milk Stonewall Democrats of Orange County: The Harvey Milk Stonewall Democrats of Orange County are dedicated to the mission of electing LGBT and Pro-Equality Democrats in California and throughout the country.

The Harvey Milk Stonewall Democrats of Orange County typically meet on the last Sunday of the month:

Local 50 Union Hall
527 S Harbor Blvd
Anaheim, CA 92805

Click here to join.


Democratic Club of West Orange County:
2781 W. MacArthur Blvd.
Ste B-Box 347
Santa Ana, CA 92704-7095

The mission of the DCWOC shall be to advance the goals of the Democratic Party through public policy and political issues analysis, education, fundraising, recruitment, coordination with other Democratic groups, and other activities to benefit the Party. The DCWOC shall support the broadest possible registration in the Democratic Party and recruitment of DCWOC membership without discrimination on grounds of race, sex, age, color, creed, national origin, religion, ethnic identity or economic status.

The cities of WOC include Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Westminster and Seal Beach.

For more info, visit their website: www.dcwoc.org


Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Orange County Chapter

We come from all 50 states and a wide variety of religious, political and philosophical backgrounds. We are dedicated to preserving the constitutional principle of church-state separation as the only way to ensure religious freedom for all Americans.

3337 S. Bristol, #251 Santa Ana, California 92704


Orange County Biodiesel Cooperative: Working together to increase availability of biodiesel in the Orange County region. Biodiesel is better for the environment because it is made from renewable resources and has lower emissions compared to petroleum diesel. It is less toxic than table salt and biodegrades as fast as sugar. Since it is made in the USA from renewable resources such as soybeans, its use decreases our dependence on foreign oil and contributes to our own economy. Go to their website to sign up for more info.

And here are some biodiesel stations in/near Orange County, CA:

Extreme Biodiesel: 1560 N Maple St, Corona, CA 92880, 888-998-7223. Offers B99.9 (nearly 100% biodiesel, good for newer diesel engines, some old engines not ok). MEMBERSHIP REQD

Nickey Petroleum: 925 S Lakeview Ave, Placentia,, CA 92870, 714-547-4123. Offers B20 (good for any diesel engine), B99 (ok for newer diesel engines). CALL AHEAD

Socal Biofuel: 1006 E South St, Anaheim, CA 92805, 888-888-4121. Offers B99 (good for newer diesel enginns, some old engines not ok). Open 8-4:30 M-F


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Northern California Focus: TAKE BACK RED CALIFORNIA

THE LATEST FROM FROM TAKE BACK RED CALIFORNIA:

Before we close the book on the 2010 elections, we need to make sure that the candidates that stepped up to run difficult races in conservative districts are not left holding the bag alone.

Please help Dr. Ami Bera, Chris Parker and Jim Reed retire their campaign debt. If we want candidates who will take a risk and run strong campaigns in our challenging regions, we need to stand with them all of the way through to the end.

Each of them gave everything they had over the course of the race... let's make sure we have their backs!

Thank you

Please make an online contribution to Ami Bera's campaign,

or send a check to:
Bera For Congress
PO Box 582496, Elk Grove, CA 95758

Please make an online contribution to Chris Parker's campaign,

or send a check to:
Taxpayers for Chris Parker, FPPC 1318148
5325 Elkhorn Blvd, #321, Sacramento, CA 95842

Please make an online contribution to Jim Reed's campaign,

or send a check to:
Committee to Elect Jim Reed
PO Box 857, Fall River Mills, CA 96028

Take Back Red California (TBRC) is a grassroots partnership that connects northern California Democrats in urban counties with northern California Democratic activists working in rural counties especially on a local level. We formed with the conviction that in order to successfully challenge the Republican's foothold in inland California, our highest priority should be development of and aggressive support for an active local base of Democrats in rural counties.

The TBRC partnership offers rural counties financial, technical, and volunteer support to build a strong Democratic base and develop long-term Democratic political viability in predominately Republican-held districts...

Their success can be measured by the fact that ALL NINE of their statewide endorsed candidates won in 2010. Furthermore two of the local candidates they endorsed were also successful in their bids for office: Alyson Huber was re-elected in AD10, and Dr. Richard Pan was elected to represent historically Republican AD5 - despite a well-resourced attack by Karl Rove's conservative machine.

This is a wonderful resource for progressives in Northern California. Please join by clicking on Volunteer or Get Involved to give us your email and sign up to receive our newsletter, BackTalk, and to learn more about how you can help keep California “blue.”

You can join for only $10, a modest investment in California's future. This is how we can win this year and, even more importantly, create a better environment for bringing change to America's political system, energy infrastructure, and economy. Join them and get involved in winning ALL of California for working and middle class Democratic values.

For more information: maymehubert@att.net or (415) 457-3914 or (916) 743-2782


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California 11th District Focus: San Joaquin, Alameda and Santa Clara Counties

Some recurring events in the 11th District

MONDAYS
Santa Clara County Democratic Club
Third Monday of each month (except one summer month and December) at a local restaurant. Watch our home page for details and locations. Everyone is welcome to join us for dinner at 6 p.m. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. Club meetings feature interesting guest speakers informing us on issues and candidates. For more info: e-mail: president@DemocraticClub-SCC.org


TUESDAYS
Lunch Series with MGO
First Tuesday of every month, 12:30 PM
Ly Luck Restaurant (3537 Fruitvale Avenue, Oakland

All interested Democrats in the East Bay are invited to participate in an informal lunch on the first Tuesday of each month. This is a chance for Alameda County Democrats to share the latest gossip, introduce innovative proposals, and discuss politics in an informal setting.

Come and meet your fellow democrats!

For more information call Robert Warwick, 339-0348, or email rhwarwick@yahoo.com

Democrats of Greater Stockton
Meetings at 7 p.m. the second Tuesday of every month at UJ’s Restaurant, 7628 Pacific Ave., Stockton

Contact: Richard Blackston
Club Phone: (866) 752-3367
E-mail: webmaster@stocktondogs.com


WEDNESDAYS
Alameda County Democratic Party Central Committee
Meets the first Wednesday of every month (except during election months) at the San Leandro Library, (Dave Karp Room), 300 Estudillo Ave., San Leandro. Meetings begin at 7pm.

Democratic Club of Greater Tracy
Meetings are held at 7 PM on the second Wednesday of the month on the third floor of the Platinum Conference Center (in the Old Opera House) located at 902 N. Central Avenue, , Tracy, CA 95376.

Contact: Marvin Rothschild
E-Mail: marvinrothschild@yahoo.com


THURSDAYS
Mix It Up East Bay
Second Thursday of each month, 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Casual cocktails, serious organizers. Mix It Up is a monthly happy hour for young progressive activists, leaders, and professionals in the East Bay. Each month a few young representatives of local organizations speak briefly about their work, with a different theme each month. The short program is usually around 7:15pm. The rest of the time is just mixing it up with friends, meeting new people, maybe having a drink or a bite to eat.

Shashamane Bar and Grill (with great Ethiopian food)
2507 Broadway at 25th St. in Uptown Oakland

Democratic Alliance for Action in Santa Clarita is a local grassroots organization fighting to keep California blue. They meet the fourth Thursday of each month at Vincenzo's Pizza - 24504 1/2 Lyons Avenue, Newhall
Please Order Food and Schmooze before 7 pm (doors open 5:45 pm).
Make sure to sign in at the check-in table.

For more info:

661-309-4DAA (4322), Michael Kulka, president
Democratic Alliance for Action PO BOX 802481, Santa Clarita CA 91380-2481


FRIDAYS
Drinking Liberally Stockton
Third Friday of each month, 7:00 pm
Iguanna Wanna
7555 Pacific Ave Front of Bar
Stockton, CA, 95207

Contact: Joel Carignan
(209) 351-3397


San Joaquin Valley Chicano/Latino Youth Leadership Institute (SJVCLYLI)
The Chicano Latino Youth Leadership Project, Inc. (CLYLP) was organized in 1982 with the primary purpose of preparing students to participate in California’s economic, social and political development. CLYLP is guided by the overall theme "California’s Future Leaders," and the leadership training emphasizes the importance of culture, community, college and careers. To date more than 3,400 students have participated in CLYLP programs.

The San Joaquín Valley Institute (SJVI) was established in 1999 by a CLYLP board member to serve high school seniors and juniors in the Central Valley. In 2005, the SJVI became an official program of the CLYLP and was extended from a one-day to a three-day institute. The three day conference is held at Fresno Pacific University in Fresno, California.

If you need more information, please contact the CLYLP by:
(1) Via e-mail at sjvi@clylp.org
(2) Forwarding letters of inquiry to the following address:
Chicano/Latino Youth Leadership Project, Inc.
P.O. Box 161566
Sacramento, CA 95816


NAACP SILICON VALLEY:
Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. From the ballot box to the classroom, the thousands of dedicated workers, organizers, leaders and members who make up the NAACP continue to fight for social justice for all Americans.

Here are some local NAACP branches:

San Jose NAACP
304 N.6TH STREET
San Jose, CA 95112
408-295-3394

Fremont-Union City-Newark NAACP
Union City, CA 94587
510-471-4109

South San Mateo Co NAACP
Palo Alto, CA 94303
415-322-4089

Stanford University College NAACP Chapter
418 SANTA TERESA STREET
Stanford, CA 94305


Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Silicon Valley Chapter

We come from all 50 states and a wide variety of religious, political and philosophical backgrounds. We are dedicated to preserving the constitutional principle of church-state separation as the only way to ensure religious freedom for all Americans.

2310 Homestead Road, Suite 523 Los Altos, California 94024


Santa Clara County Democratic Club is a progressive organization dedicated to informing voters, encouraging citizen involvement in the political process, and promoting Democratic Party values.

General Meetings are held every third Monday of each month (except one summer month and December) at a local restaurant. Watch our home page for details and locations. Everyone is welcome to join us for dinner at 6 p.m. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. Club meetings feature interesting guest speakers informing us on issues and candidates. For more info: e-mail: president@DemocraticClub-SCC.org

Alameda County Democratic Party: coordinates the party's activities throughout the county, making endorsements, organizing events and directing resources to support local, state and national candidates. Its governing body, the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee, is charged under state law with overseeing the Party's local activities and campaigns, under the general direction of the California Democratic Party. The Central Committee consists of members elected from each of the county's State Assembly Districts, as well as the Democratic nominees for Congress, State Senate, Assembly, and State Constitutional office.

The Alameda County Democratic Party Central Committee meets the first Wednesday of every month (except during election months) at the San Leandro Library, (Dave Karp Room), 300 Estudillo Ave., San Leandro. Meetings begin at 7pm.

Check out their entire calendar here.

For more information, Email: info@acdems.org, Phone: 510.537.6390

Asian Pacific American Democratic Caucus of Alameda County:

The Democratic Party is the party of equal opportunity and access.
* Democrats believe in providing quality education for everyone who seeks it, ensuring healthcare for all who need it, and protecting services for seniors who deserve it.
* Democrats advocate for a fair and balanced immigration policy.
* Democrats want to build and support small businesses and promote diversity in the awarding of government contracts.
* Democrats believe in fighting for and upholding civil rights.

In short, the Democratic Party shares the beliefs and aspirations of Asian Pacific Americans. For more information, email us at membership@apacaucus.org.
or call 510-522-7797

For upcoming events, go here.

Democratic Club of Greater Tracy:
As Democrats, we value human dignity, social and environmental justice, equal opportunity and fairness. Working together, we can elect candidates who will embrace those values and make our community a better place for all.

We hope you will join with us. Here at our website, you’ll discover how you can connect with other Democrats, gather information, and find many different ways to get involved in shaping our future.

Meetings are held at 7 PM on the second Wednesday of the month on the third floor of the Platinum Conference Center (in the Old Opera House) located at 902 N. Central Avenue, , Tracy, CA 95376.

Contact: Marvin Rothschild
E-Mail: marvinrothschild@yahoo.com

Latina Democrats of San Joaquin County
Contact: Carmen Fernandez
(209) 944-0118

Democrats of Greater Stockton: Meetings at 7 p.m. the second Tuesday of every month at UJ’s Restaurant, 7628 Pacific Ave., Stockton

Contact: Richard Blackston
Club Phone: (866) 752-3367
E-mail: webmaster@stocktondogs.com

Drinking Liberally Stockton
Third Friday of each month, 7:00 pm
Iguanna Wanna
7555 Pacific Ave Front of Bar
Stockton, CA, 95207

Contact: Joel Carignan
(209) 351-3397

Manteca Democratic Club
Contact: Bill Perkins
(209) 239-7650 or perkinsbill@comcast.net

Greater Lodi Area Democrats:
Contact: Marcia or Dean Savage
(209) 368-6493 or marsav@yahoo.com


BIODIESEL IN THE 11TH DISTRICT:

I also want to highlight where you can get biodiesel in and around the 11th District.

Rotten Robbie, 1304 Piedmont Rd, San Jose, CA, 95132, 408-259-5535, Offers B20 (good in ANY diesel engine), CASH, CREDIT/ 6AM-11PM

Western States Oil Company, 1790 S 10th St, San Jose, CA, 95112, 408-292-1041, Offers B99, 7AM-5PM M-F; SIGN PAPERS FIRST

Rotten Robbie 310 N Whisman Rd, Mountain View, CA, 94043, 650-965-2609, Offers B20 (good in ANY diesel engine), CASH, CREDIT CARDS/ 6AM-10PM

The Green Station, 136 Gilman Ave, Campbell, CA, 95008, 831-425-9100, Offers B99, TUES, THURS, FRI 4-7 CASH/CHECK


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CALIFORNIA FOCUS: Blogs, Stonewall Democrats, NAACP, Alternative Energy, Biodiesel, Groups and Events

CALIFORNIA NEWS:

California's 2011 Political Watch List

One Small Step for CARB, Many More Steps to a Clean Energy Economy Remaining

House Republicans Plan to Force California Into Bankruptcy to Bust Unions

Scoring the California Legislature: Who Stood With Consumers In 2010?

On Human Rights Day, Workers Ask, "What's Gone Wrong At Chase?"

This is SO critical: Jerry Brown To Reject Education Privatization Movement...Privatization of education is such a bad idea. I am glad Governor Brown is being smart about it.

IBEW Promotes Green Jobs in Hard-Hit Imperial County

Jury Sends Message: Understaffing of Nursing Homes is Unacceptable...I really need to write about this. My family has had personal experience with the incompetance and/or outright fraud from facilities managed by the so-called "Skilled Healthcare" group. They are terrible, yet they run MANY California facilities. If anyone needs advice on elder care in Los Angeles (and possibly elsewhere in California) I have some good connections. I particularly recommend ICare Caregivers for advice and help with elder care. It is run by friends of mine but I have also seen them in action and they can work wonders in a system otherwise dominated by incompetent and/or fraudulent organizations like "Skilled" Healthcare.

CA Greedy Oil Party To Use White Supremacy To Stop Their Collapse

Banks Continue Mass Eviction of Tenants after Foreclosure...we bailed these sleaze out and they turn around and screw Americans. I have switched almost all my fianancial dealings (accounts, credit cards, mortgage) away from Chase, Citibank, Wells Fargo and Bank of America, all of whom used predatory lending practices and took bailout money, to TD Bank, which did no predatory lending and took no bailout money.


BLOGGING CALIFORNIA: Here are some blogs covering California Politics

Calitics is an open source news organization for California.

The Liberal OC covers politics in Orange County.

OC Progressive is a project of the Progressive Group.

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

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


NAACP IN CALIFORNIA: The vision of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights and there is no racial hatred or racial discrimination.

Here are some local chapters of the NAACP:

California State Conference
(916) 498-1898
(916) 498-1895 Fax
1215 K Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
ca-naacp.org

Altadena Branch
P.O. Box 6018
Altadena, CA 91003
(626) 794-1180
(626) 798-5546 Fax

Antelope Valley Branch
P.O. Box 2466
Lancaster, CA 93539
(661) 223-7376
(661)285-2281 Fax
www.avnaacp.org

Bakersfield Branch
P.O. Box 70101
Bakersfield, CA 93387
(661) 665-9281
(661) 717-6414 Fax

Barstow Branch
P.O. Box 874
Barstow, CA 92312
(760) 256-2795

Berkeley Branch
P.O. Box 613
Berkeley, CA 94701
(501) 845-7416
(510)845-7421 Fax

Berkeley Youth Council Branch
(510) 435-3101
P.O. Box 11143,
Berkeley, CA 94712

Beverly Hills/Hollywood Branch
P.O. Box 2349
Hollywood, CA 90078
(323) 464-7616
beverlyhillshollywoodnaacp.org

Carson/Torrance Branch
P.O. Box 4668
Carson, CA 94709
(310) 885-3500
(310) 631-2326 Fax

Compton Branch
1701 East Alandra St.
Compton, CA 90221
(310)930-3866

East Contra Costa County
P.O. Box 1026
Pittsburg, CA 94565
(925) 753-5089

El Cerrito Branch
6830 Stockton Avenue
El Cerrito, CA 94530
(510) 526-2958
(510) 559-3517
(510) 526-4624 Fax

Eureka Branch
P.O. Box 1434
Eureka, CA 95503
(707) 268-8287

Fresno Branch
P.O. Box 661
Fresno, CA 93709
(559) 457-2620
(559) 485-5783 Fax

Hanford Branch
P.O. Box 46
Hanford, CA 93232

Hayward Branch
P.O. Box 363
Hayward, CA 94541
(510) 581-4111

Hercules/Pinole/Rodeo Crocket
256 Sparrow Dr.
Hercules, CA 94547
(510) 867-7193
(510) 245-8118 Fax

Indian Wells Valley
P.O. Box 1616
Ridgecrest, CA 93555
(760) 375-6762

Inglewood/South Bay Branch
P.O. Box 8162
Inglewood, CA 90301
(310) 671-3174 phone
(562) 924-6044 fax

Lake County Branch
P.O. Box 3610
Clear Lake, CA 95422
(707) 995-2545
(707) 995-2099

Lake Elsinore Branch
P.O. Box 543,
Lake Elsinore, CA 92531
(951) 674-7146
(951) 674-1971 Fax
lakeelsinorenaacp.org

Long Beach Branch
P.O. Box 1594
Long Beach, CA 90801
(562) 856-7586
(562)494-6507
(562)987-4778 Fax

Los Angeles Branch
3910 Martin King Jr. Blvd Suite 202
Los Angeles, CA 90008
(323) 296-2630
(323) 294-9435 Fax
naacp-losangeles.org

Las Banos Branch
1006 Acacia Way
Las Banos, CA 93635
(209) 827-8671
(209) 827-3246

Madera Branch
P.O. Box 513
Madera, CA 93639
(559) 674-7324
maderanaacp@yahoo.com

Merced Branch
P.O. Box 544
Atwater, CA 95304

Modesto/Stanislaus
P.O. Box 5224
Modesto, CA 94535
(209) 882-1480

Monterey Peninsula Branch
P.O. Box 782
1104-F Broadway Ave.
P.O. Box 782
Seaside, CA 93955
(831) 394-3727
(831) 394-1505 Fax
naacpmonterey.org

North San Diego County Branch
P.O. Box 5786
Oceanside, CA 92052-5786
(760) 754-9686
nsdcnaacp.org

Oakland Branch
1970 Broadway, Suite 1030
Oakland, CA 94612
(510)465-4747

Orange County/Santa Ana
P.O. Box 3141
Santa Ana, CA 92703
(714) 692-5287

Oxnard/Ventura County
P.O. Box 53033
Oxnard, CA 93030
(805) 485-2374

Pasadena Branch
595 North Lincoln
Avenue, Suite 103
Pasadena, CA 91103
(626) 793-1293
(626) 793-1555

Redding Branch
P.O. Box 493331
Redding, CA 96049
(530) 549-5131

Rialto/Fontana Branch
P.O. Box 1726
Fontana, CA 92334
(909) 360-6827

Richmond Branch
P.O. Box 2402
322 Harbor Way Suite 6
Richmond, CA 94801
(510) 236-1166
(510) 236-1183 Fax
naacprichmond.org

Riverside Branch
P.O. Box 55131
Riverside, CA 92517
(909) 686-2227
1-800-488-3036

Sacramento Branch
(916) 447-8629
(916) 447-8671 Fax
P.O. Box 188231 816 H St.
Sacramento, CA 95817
sacnaacp.org

San Bernardino Branch
1505 West Highlands
Avenue Suite 11
San Bernardino, CA 92411

San Diego Branch
P.O. Box 152086
San Diego, CA 92114
(619) 263-7823
(619) 263-7851 Fax

San Fernando Valley Branch
P.O. Box 922092
Sylmar, CA 91333-0998
(818) 686-0143
1-877-245-9381

San Francisco Branch
1290 Fillmore Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
(415) 922-0650

San Gabriel Valley Branch
P.O. Box 1743
West Covina, CA 91793
(626) 913-1338
(626) 965-4342
(626) 913-0993 Fax

San Jose Branch
(408) 295-3394
P.O. Box 1345, San Jose, CA 95109
sanjosenaacp.org

San Mateo Branch
P.O. Box 5280
San Mateo, CA 94402
(650) 558-1971

Santa Cruz Branch
118 Claremont Perrace
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
(831) 460-9660
(831) 688-3561 Fax

Santa Maria/ Lompoc
185 Oakmont Avenue
Lompoc, CA 93436
(805) 733-3463
(805)733-1059 Fax

Santa Monica/ Venice
1705 West Pico Blvd. Suite 143
Santa Monica, CA 90404
(310) 564-4445

Santa Rosa/Sonoma Branch
2174 Warwick Dr.
Santa Rosa, CA 95405
(707) 332-1573
(707) 568-3941

Stockton Branch
(209) 547-2155
(209) 465-1534 Fax
P.O. Box 907, Stockton, CA 95201

Stockton Youth and College Division
2002B Pacific Avenue,
Stockton, CA 95203

Tri- City Branch
P.O. Box 3364
Fairfield, CA 94533
(707) 426-1123

Vallejo Branch
P.O. Box 9502
Vallejo, CA 94591
(707) 315-7001

Victor Valley Branch
P.O. Box 1563
Victorville, CA 92393
(760) 246-5868


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


STONEWALL DEMOCRATS and related organizations in California:

Stonewall Democrats of Los Angeles. Look for upcoming events here.

Harvey Milk Stonewall Democrats of Orange County: The Harvey Milk Stonewall Democrats of Orange County are dedicated to the mission of electing LGBT and Pro-Equality Democrats in California and throughout the country.

The Harvey Milk Stonewall Democrats of Orange County typically meet on the last Sunday of the month:

Local 50 Union Hall
527 S Harbor Blvd
Anaheim, CA 92805

Click here to join.

Central Valley Stonewall Democratic Club
Stockton, CA

Fresno Stonewall Democrats
Fresno, CA

Stonewall Democrats of Ventura County
Meetings: First Thursday of the Month, 7:15 PM
Ventura County Rainbow Alliance (VCRA)
4567 Telephone Rd., Suite 100
Ventura, CA 93003

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.

Connecting Circles of Care (CCOC) now collaborates with Stonewall Alliance Youth (SAY) to offer a weekly drop-in group for Gay, Lesbian, Two-Spirit, Bisexual, Transgender, or Questioning Youth age 14-18. The group will focus on education and providing an environment where youth are valued and respected. Drop-in times are 3:30-5:00pm at the Stonewall Alliance Center, 2289 Cohasset Rd Suite 5 Chico.


Alternative Energy in California:

Some statistics from Repower America:

# California is ranked 3rd in the nation for its 2,517-megwatts of installed wind capacity. The state’s 60 wind farms are in 5 major wind resource areas and 4 new projects are underway.

# Southern California Edison and Florida Power & Light are operating the largest single source of solar energy in the world at 310-megawatts in the Mojave Desert.

# Solel and Pacific Gas & Electric will begin operating a 553-megawatt solar plant in 2011. When completed, the 6,000-acre solar field will bring power to 400,000 PG&E homes in northern California.

Alternative energy and YOUR energy bill: YOU can be part of the solution for America by signing up to purchase your energy through a Green Power Provider. My wife and I have been doing this in NYC for years. All our energy usage is provided through wind energy generation on American farms. So we use clean energy AND help American farmers. It costs us three cents per kilowatt-hour more per month, but we feel great about it. Although our actual energy may come from anywhere, we are paying to purchase wind energy for the energy grid. Each state has different programs available, usually through yuor existing energy provider right on your existing energy bill. To find such options in California, go here and pick your energy provider from the list. If you need help, you can email me and tell me who you get your bill from (don't give me any other info!) and I can tell you who to contact to go green through that energy provider. Or you can do the same thing using Renewable Energy Certificates through an organization that works with utility companies, though in this case it is a separate bill. One off the cheapest (.4-1 cent per kilowatt-hour), but still e-Green certified, ways to do this is through Good Energy. Or, for about half a cent per kilowatt-hour you can purchase renewable energy certificates through Carbonfund.org. ANY of these ways you do it, you are helping the environment, helping America, and helping cut carbon emissions.

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:

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.


Here are some other 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
* Trip Bar in Santa Monica, 2101 Lincoln Blvd
* Contact: 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


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