The topic will be the history of the 1930s. Not the Great Depression but the *responses* to it. Firstly the Great Labor Rebellion: the CP-led California farmworkers strike, the three left-led general strikes of 1934, the sitdown strikes, and the rise of the CIO. And secondly the capitalist response, the New Deal and FDR, how the capitalist class coopted Labor’s Giant Step, and how black people, Chicanos and women were mistreated under New Deal legislation.

Our speaker is John Holmes who teaches history at Merritt College in California, and is currently on the executive council of the Peralta Federation of Teachers, representing part timers. He was previously an activist in the typographical union.

LOGIN INFORMATION
The meeting will be opened up, as usual, at 10:15 for anyone to join and discuss technical matters, catch up with each other, say Hi, etc. We Intend to start the presentation as close to 10:30 am as possible. The program (and recording) will end at 12:30, but the Waiting Room will remain open for informal discussion.

Login info will be posted by here by Friday, Mar 19, 2021

Co-sponsored by 350 Contra Costa.

March 7th Event

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There are many discussions today about the nature of the working class and their capacity to fight for their own interests. Usually, we look at history to learn about the workers’ movement, but what potential exists in the modern international working class? What does a modern workers’ struggle really look like? What recent examples are there of workers organizing against the conditions they face and exerting their power? Join us in this movie series as we explore these questions by looking at workers’ struggles that happened in our lifetime.

Worker’s Republic

For six days in December of 2008 during the financial collapse, laid-off Chicago factory workers took over their closing workplace, declaring they would not leave until the owners and creditors agreed to pay them the severance they were promised. Republic’s credit line had been cut off by Bank of America, despite receiving billions of dollars in federal bank bailout money.
Succeed or fail, these 260 workers decided, “If I don’t fight, I know I’ll lose. If I do fight, at least I stand a chance of winning.”
Workers Republic shows how everyday people may be the most qualified to forge a better world. And in the struggle to save their jobs they were a beacon of hope and optimism for others to look to.

Friendly reminder this is a series occurring every two weeks

Where: Please join us at 6pm for a brief presentation and to watch via shared screen, and look for zoom and movie link upon RSVP if you prefer to watch on your own. Discussion will start at 7pm

March 21st event:

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There are many discussions today about the nature of the working class and their capacity to fight for their own interests. Usually, we look at history to learn about the workers’ movement, but what potential exists in the modern international working class? What does a modern workers’ struggle really look like? What recent examples are there of workers organizing against the conditions they face and exerting their power? Join us in this movie series as we explore these questions by looking at workers’ struggles that happened in our lifetime.

Coming for A Visit

Undocumented migrants win the battle to get their papers. A historic strike filmed from within.Paris, 2009. More than 6000 undocumented migrants (sans-papiers) go on strike to demand their legalization. These are restaurant, construction, and janitorial workers who pay taxes and are all exploited by staffing companies who refuse to help them get their papers!
Coming for a Visit, shows the hard day-to-day work of organizing, the challenges of dealing with unions, and the key role that revolutionaries can play. Oh, and did we say these workers won?! This is an inspiring movie with lessons to learn.

Kiss the Ground is a full-length documentary narrated by Woody Harrelson that sheds light on a new, old approach to farming called “regenerative agriculture” that has the potential to balance our climate, replenish our vast water supplies, and feed the world.

Kiss the Ground reveals that, by regenerating the world’s soils, we can completely and rapidly stabilize Earth’s climate, restore lost ecosystems and create abundant food supplies. Using compelling graphics and visuals, along with striking NASA and NOAA footage, the film artfully illustrates how, by drawing down atmospheric carbon, soil is the missing piece of the climate puzzle.

This movie is positioned to catalyze a movement to accomplish the impossible – to solve humanity’s greatest challenge, to balance the climate and secure our species future.

This film will be open to watch from home from the 21st-23rd of March.

Free and open to all. Donations are welcome and go to support our local arts community. Make donations at https://pentanglearts.org/get-involved/donations/

Hosted by Sustainable Woodstock and Pentangle Arts. Made possible by our underwriters VERMONT COMMUNITY FOUNDATION and MASCOMA BANK and sponsors Ellaway Group, The Unicorn, and Mark Knott DDS.

Kiss the Ground is a full-length documentary narrated by Woody Harrelson that sheds light on a new, old approach to farming called “regenerative agriculture” that has the potential to balance our climate, replenish our vast water supplies, and feed the world.

Kiss the Ground reveals that, by regenerating the world’s soils, we can completely and rapidly stabilize Earth’s climate, restore lost ecosystems and create abundant food supplies. Using compelling graphics and visuals, along with striking NASA and NOAA footage, the film artfully illustrates how, by drawing down atmospheric carbon, soil is the missing piece of the climate puzzle.

This movie is positioned to catalyze a movement to accomplish the impossible – to solve humanity’s greatest challenge, to balance the climate and secure our species future.

This film will be open to watch from home from the 21st-23rd of March.

Free and open to all. Donations are welcome and go to support our local arts community. Make donations at https://pentanglearts.org/get-involved/donations/

Hosted by Sustainable Woodstock and Pentangle Arts. Made possible by our underwriters VERMONT COMMUNITY FOUNDATION and MASCOMA BANK and sponsors Ellaway Group, The Unicorn, and Mark Knott DDS.

Register for this free event: @CatsCommentary (APTP co-founder) & James Burch (APTP director of policy) speaking @cwclub on 3/25 about Reimagining Public Safety.

It's a crucial time for this convo, the safest communities don't have the most cops.https://t.co/HiBU13sltx

— Anti Police-Terror Project (@APTPaction) March 13, 2021

Oakland Police Commission 3/25 6:30 PM

https://cao-94612.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/Police-Commission-3.25.21-Agenda-Packet.pdf

Interesting Agenda Items:

V. 2021 California Police Reform Legislation Former Commissioner Tara Anderson and Gabriel Garcia of Youth Alive will review 2021 bill language currently being considered by the State of California. The Commission will discuss and may vote to send letters of support for these bills.

VI. Reimagining Public Safety Task Force Update Former Commissioner Ginale Harris will share an update on the Reimagining Public Safety Task Force.

VII. Resolution on Sunsetting the Use of the BearCat The Commission will review, and may vote to approve, a resolution regarding the sunsetting the use of the BearCat.

RESOLVED, the Oakland Police Department shall, within six (6) months, return to the Oakland Police Commission with a proposed replacement for the Department’s BearCat armored vehicle that satisfies the Department’s needs for sufficient protective capacity, the Department’s needs for sufficient storage capacity, and the community’s need for police equipment that can be accepted as appropriate for use by civilian law enforcement agencies; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, the Oakland Police Commission shall, within sixty (60) days of the Department’s identification of a potential replacement vehicle(s), convene a public hearing, on the appropriateness of the Department’s proposed replacement vehicle(s); and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, the Oakland Police Department shall, within twenty-four (24) months, cease its use of the BearCat armored vehicle and instead use the Department’s armored Suburban and/or replacement armored vehicles as authorized by policy unless the Department and the Commission jointly concur and report to the Council that a replacement vehicle cannot be realistically acquired in time, and a new deadline is enacted; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, the Oakland Police Department shall not, absent exigent circumstances, seek, solicit, or accept the deployment and use of overtly militarized armored vehicles by outside agencies under mutual aid agreements, overtly militarized for the purposes of this resolution, meaning any vehicle that a reasonable resident might perceive as emblematic of a militarized approach to policing in our community.

This two-part video is a clear, down-to-earth introduction to the “paradigm busting” economics of Modern Monetary Theory.

You are invited to make a big bowl of popcorn (or your favourite movie food), and from the comfort of your own living room, enjoy twelve minutes of delightful animation, and about thirty minutes of friendly discussion (or quiet lurking!).

• Meet the video creators.
• Meet your fellow MMT-curious and MMT-advocates.
• Ask your questions in person or anonymously.

Whether you are new to this brand of economics, or are the veteran of in-depth debates with your monetarist neighbours, this is a wonderful way to share the enthusiasm for a brand new way of looking at our world.

As the ABC news asked recently: What if everything we thought we knew about public finance over the past 40 years has been wrong?

ALL WELCOME! Free and donation tickets available. All donations very much appreciated.

YouTube Livestream also available via this link: https://youtu.be/Xe1zkJV-s8Q

The situation in Myanmar (Burma) has become increasingly problematic since the military coup on Feb 1, 2021. We have invited journalist K.J. Hoh to discuss the background and developing situation in the area.
Our speaker, K.J. Hoh, is a journalist focusing on Asia.

Zoom info posted here a few days before the event

Billions today, trillions tomorrow. When debtors organize, we win.

It all started when 15 people went on a debt strike. Back in 2015, former students at Corinthian College said they were going to refuse to pay until all of their fraudulent student loans were cancelled. That kicked off a long process full of twists and turns spanning three administrations and several court cases.

This week, as a direct result of that debt strike, the Department of Education announced it was going to cancel another $1 billion dollars for 72,000 people, mostly Corinthian and ITT Tech students. Organizing works. This is just the beginning, and we can’t stop now. If we keep fighting together, we can cancel all student loan debt. We’re going to take the energy from this win to kick off our big week of actions.

Let’s celebrate our victories as we continue to fight for justice. Join the Debt Collective at 4 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. CT / 2 p.m. MT / 1 p.m. PT Sunday, March 28 to celebrate and to kick off our week of action to fight for full cancellation and College for All.
RSVP
We will be joined by several of the original Corinthian 15 debt strikers. We’ll hear from some people who recently won full debt cancellation, as well as those who are still fighting for justice. And we’ll get excited for full cancellation and our upcoming week of action.
RSVP

Join us to watch the new documentary Seaspiracy!

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86357565418
Meeting ID: 863 5756 5418
Seaspiracy is a follow-up documentary to Cowspiracy. The film explores the way government policy, the fishing industry, and even environmental organizations contribute to the devastation of marine life.
Learn more at https://www.seaspiracy.org/

Please join us to give a public comment in favor of the Berkeley ordinance on militarized equipment,
The zoom link to attend and speak is here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88131245345

This is a special meeting convened to consider only the Equipment Ordinance – and will be the last before it goes to the full Council, after the recess, in late April or early May. Public comment will likely be at the beginning of the meeting. The meeting agenda is here.

Send your email comment to: PolicyCommittee@cityofberkeley.info
Subject line: Public Safety comment: Controlled Equipment Ordinance
In Bcc (important that it is bcc) put: council@cityofberkeley.info

Talking points you can include in your email or public comment:

• Ordinance sponsor Kate Harrison has inserted amendments that address points raised in the last meeting of the Public Safety Committee, including reducing the time for Police Accountability Board consideration of equipment if there is a time-sensitive grant opportunity for controlled equipment.
• BPD has said that “standard issue” equipment should not be subject to reporting or use policies. But for people in the community, it doesn’t matter if assault rifles are “standard issue”. If BPD is using these weapons often, the community, Accountability Board and City Council should know how often and in what neighborhoods the weapons are deployed. If they not using assault weapons often, then it is not a reporting burden.
• The Police Review Commission worked extensively on the ordinance to make it clear and respond to Department and community concerns, in more than half a dozen meetings – some of them devoted solely to the ordinance – since last summer. This included an in-depth discussion of what is “use” of militarized equipment to be reported, concluding that “display” of equipment is active and should be included in reports.
• As the comprehensive report on Fair and Impartial Policing pointed out, Berkeley PD uses force on Black people at a rate six times more than white people in Berkeley. This puts Black people at greater risk of being subjected to militarized equipment than white people – another reason why BPD should have clear and reasonable use policies for equipment and transparent reporting on its use.
• There is new academic research, published in December  demonstrating that there is no positive impact on public safety from the acquisition of military equipment. This suggests the importance of documenting the use of such equipment in order make the Department as effective as possible in strengthening community safety.
• The ordinance is modeled after Berkeley’s surveillance equipment ordinance, enacted in 2018, which has the same provisions for use policies, Council approval and reporting. This ordinance fills a gap not addressed by policies on surveillance equipment, use of force, or the reforms adopted by the City Council this week.
• Militarized equipment lacks transparency and civilian-directed decisions on acquisition and use policies. This ordinance creates a process for oversight and transparency about the acquisition and use of militarized gear.
• BPD currently is not required to disclose what or how much equipment it currently has, the financial costs, adverse impacts, alternatives to the equipment, locations of use, whether use was connected to a warrant, whether equipment involves third parties, or number of times the equipment was deployed. This ordinance helps to remedy that lack of transparency.
• The ordinance does not ban any equipment. Instead, it creates a process for civilian oversight and transparency. Oversight can include recommendations from the Police Accountability Board and decisions by City Council to exclude the use of specified weapons in Berkeley.
• The Alameda County Labor Council issued a resolution last year in favor of this ordinance.

Oakland is also moving a similar ordinance forward. We expect it to be introduced in the Oakland City Council sometime soon.

Watch the national livestream

Next Monday marks the last day for Amazon workers in Bessemer to vote on the right to unionize. Following last week’s Moral Monday, when Rev. Barber joined the workers in-person, the PPC is keeping its focus there next week, when the drive to boost voter turnout will reach its peak. Tune in and be a part of this historic fight. We’ve also got three ways you can lend your voice below.

The Amazon union drive has major implications for California
“The Bessemer 6,000,” as Rev. Barber called the Amazon warehouse workers, represent the first viable attempt to organize at an Amazon facility in the US. They’re fighting for workplace dignity – for basics like the right to use the bathroom without harassment aand extended sick time after being infected with COVID-19 on the job. In California there are 153,000 full and part-time workers employed at Amazon facilities. A pro-union win in Bessemer would have an enormous impact here. With a nod to this national resonance, Rev. Barber said that “Bessemer is our Selma” and part of America’s third reconstruction.

Here’s how you can take action in solidarity with Amazon workers

1. Call or email our US senators to demand they pass an immediate increase of the minimum wage for all workers to $15/hr, strengthen union rights and protect the right to vote. You can use this online call tool or this email tool.
2. Create a solidarity video using these talking points. (Be sure to record your video in vertical mode if you’re using your phone.)
3. Speak up on social media! Share your views and/or video on platforms with these hashtags: #PoorPeoplesCampaign #WeAreNotRobots #BAmazonUnion

Watch here: https://www.facebook.com/californiapublicbankingalliance

Next week the next step in bringing public banking to California will be in the news. Since the passage of AB 857, several regions are moving ahead rapidly in establishing public banks to enable cities and local governments to better manage their finances and fund their priorities.

But another concern we have is to improve conditions for those individuals who are ‘unbanked’ or ‘underbanked.’ These folks, many of whom are low-income people of color, are outside the traditional economy, with little or no access to the financial services that most of us take for granted. They are exploited by the para-bank industry�the payday lenders, check cashing and money order services, even pawn shops and prepaid debit card providers—with exorbitant rates and fees.

New legislation, AB 1177, the California Public Banking Option Act, will be introduced next Tuesday, March 30, to address this need. BankCal will offer no-fee checking and savings accounts, educational services, and zero-cost bill pay, fund transfers and auto-deposit to all Californians, and especially the financially marginalized.

Join us for the online press conference as we kick-off this critical bill to bank the unbanked and underbanked!

Speakers include:

• Trinity Tran, California Public Banking Alliance
• Joseph Bryant, SEIU Local 1021 and SEIU California
• Jyotswaroop Bawa, California Reinvestment Coalition
• Assemblymember Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles)
• Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo (D-Los Angeles)
• Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San Jose)
• Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D-Carson)
• Senator Ben Hueso (D-San Diego County)
• Sofia Lima, San Francisco McDonald’s worker
• Maria del Carmen Bentancourt, Oakland McDonald’s worker
• Rene Bayardo, SEIU California

If you represent an organization that would like to join the fight to bridge the racial wealth gap and bring equitable banking services to ALL Californians, click on the link below to add your group to our growing endorsement list.

Organizations: Endorse AB 1177

Individuals: Endorse AB 1177

We hope to see you at the press conference!

TUNE INTO THE LIVESTREAM ON SEIU CA OR CPBA’S FACEBOOK PAGE AT 10AM, TUESDAY MARCH 30:

https://www.facebook.com/SEIUCalifornia/ and

https://www.facebook.com/californiapublicbankingalliance

Digital Toolkit: Share and tweet your support for AB 1177.
The Alliance is gearing up for a big year! Between our local city/county initiatives, the California Public Banking Option Act bill we’re announcing soon with SEIU California and Assemblymember Miguel Santiago, and the (federal) Public Banking Act with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, public banking is going next-level in 2021! #PublicBanksNow
STAY TUNED!

Stay tuned for the groundbreaking launch of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Rashida Talib’s Federal Public Banking Act legislation which will pave a path for cities and states across the country to form public banks!
CaliforniaPublicBankingAlliance.org

The Sheriff Democracy and Diversity Act (SB 271) strikes California’s long-standing law-enforcement requirement for those running for the office of County Sheriff. SB 271 reverses the restrictive 1989 law that added law enforcement experience and California peace officer certification as eligibility requirements. SB 271 has the potential to open the role of County Sheriffs to those with a progressive vision for our criminal-legal and immigration systems. By opening the candidate pool, SB 271 would allow us to begin diversifying the office of county sheriff and re-engage disillusioned community members in these critical yet overlooked local elections.