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MOPI Newsletter
September 26, 2014
 

A Month of Riding the Political Roller Coaster

What a ride we've had in the last month or two! The passage of Proposition 49 was a thrilling accomplishment that many of us helped to create.  Then 49 was removed by the CA Supreme Court because of a suit filed by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. Soon the US Senate took an historic, momentous step: A 54-42 majority voted "yes" on overturning Citizens United- every Republican Senator voted no. This was followed by a decision by Congressman Boehner to not let the same bill get a hearing in the HouseFinally, the major success of CA SB 52, the DISCLOSE Act, was anticipated. The CA Senate passed the bill and the Assembly was looking good.  Then at the final hour it was pulled from a full Assembly vote because a few Dems were going to vote No due to the influence of Union bosses.  The good news is that a year ago no one would have believed the momentum to overturn Citizens United would get this far this soon.  So get on board.  You ain't seen nothin' yet!

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In This Issue
Links
Projects and Events 
Kick the Koch Habit Boycott and Rally

Sat. 9/27, 11-1, Corner of Main St. & Mt. Diablo, Walnut Creek 

 

Join us at our important, impactful and fun Kick the Koch Habit Rally and Boycott. We'll have so much to grab drivers and passersby's attention including a big banner, Koch Brothers signs, products to boycott cards, Fact Sheets, petitions and our very own troubadour, Michael Sullivan, will provide the music including a Koch Bros song written for the day.

 

Our goal is to impact the public about money controlling our country and what they can do about it. Bring your friends and your own sign if possible. The more of us the bigger the impact.  For further information contact [email protected]. Check out all of our materials on this page. 

 

Take and share this  pledge to kick the Koch habit.

 

Click here
for a business card-sized list of Koch products to avoid.

Click here

for an 8 �- X 11-inch flyer listing Koch products. 
for a Koch brothers fact pamphlet
for a YouTube video of Michael Sullivan and local singers performing It's The Deal Thing  

 

For smart phone users, there's a free app that allows you to avoid products for a number of reasons, including boycotting the Koch brothers, at buycott.com.

 

The Central Contra Costa County MoveOn Council has a copy of Koch Brothers Exposed 2014 Edition and the aforementioned business card-sized lists of Koch products to avoid and literature available for showing at house parties.

  SAVE THE SENATE  

Phone Banking Training & Calling

Sun. September 28, 2 pm, Pleasant Hill Co-housing Community Room
 

We must keep the Senate blue!  Join our � hour training followed by an hour or more calling voters in 4 borderline states.  The phone banking is fast, state of the art and you'll only be calling Democrats and Independents who did not vote in the last election.   You won't reach scads of answering machines  You'll also gain the confidence to phone bank from home.  YES, FROM HOME.  We'll have future trainings and group phone banking in the near future.

 

RSVP's are appreciated. Call Madeline Moran, phone banking coordinator, at 925-639-9048 or email her at [email protected].

 

Directions- From 680 South, turn right onto Monument Blvd. From 680 North, turn left onto Monument. After the first stoplight, turn right before the "76" gas station onto Marcia. Immediately turn left onto Lisa Lane. Go to the end of Lisa Lane, cross the Iron Horse Trail, and park in the small area at right or the larger gravel lot at the left. Pleasant Hill Cohousing Community Room is the mango colored, blue roofed building directly opposite the school. There is a small amount of visitor parking in our lot. Total parking in these areas is 20 - 25 cars, so carpooling helps. If you get lost, or can't find a parking space, call 925 864 9361 or 925 686 6330. The Pleasant Hill Co-housing Community Room is at 2200 Lisa Lane in Pleasant Hill.

Corruption Action Project (CAP)

Attend public events and ask candidates questions about where they stand on Citizens United related legislation.

 

Check out the questions we have written here to fit the particular office - CA legislative or Congressional.  The answers will be posted on the Money Out! People In! web site.  Check out the Fact Sheet It is nonpartisan, has references and will be handed out to attendees at events.  We are committed to Contra Costa County.  We need people to carry the ball in other counties.  This project is media worthy, easy to do and educates the public.   Please join us as well as contact people you know in other counties who will carry the ball.  Joan Here are links to the Fact Sheet and sample questions


Here are links to the Fact Sheet and sample questions:

 

Click here to see the questions.

Click hereto see the fact sheet.  

Naomi Klein, This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate
September 29, Monday, 7:30 pm, First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way, Berkeley

Here is the most important book yet from the author of the international bestseller, The Shock Doctrine.  This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate clearly explains why we must soon abandon the core free market ideology of our time, restructure the global economy, and remake our political systems. In short, either we embrace radical change, or radical changes will be violently visited upon us. Status quo is no longer an option.

Co-Sponsored by: KPFA Radio 94.1 FM, Earth Island Journal & Movement Generation.
Hosted by: Jason Mark.

Where's the Money?
Review & Discuss Thomas Piketty's
"Capital in the 21st Century"

 

Tuesday, September 30, Lafayette Library Community Room

 

Are you concerned about the inequality of wealth? Join presenter Ramsay Thomas, a retired AP History and AP Comparative Government and Economics teacher from the Acalanes High School District who will summarize Piketty's core explanations, views, and insights.  Why does the value of capital almost always grow faster than the economy? - What have been wealth trends during the last two centuries? - Why did the wealth gap drop so dramatically from 1914 to the 1970s? - Why is the growing wealth gap a problem? - What policies would reduce the widening wealth gap?   Refreshments offered.  A $5 donation is appreciated.

House Parties Showing Koch Brothers Exposed
Sign up for a showing in Walnut Creek on Friday, October 3, 7 pm

Movie house parties continue to fill up in one day. Attend the one above or sign up to give one yourself.
Judy Finch has now held 3 house parties - 2 showing Inequality for All and the last one showing Koch Brothers Exposed. John Frangoulis held our latest party. Thank you Judy and John. All of them are filled up in one day after a general announcement is made. Judy provides popcorn, shows the movie, a discussion follows and always there are suggestions for action as well as ways to get involved. The guests bring drinks or snacks if they choose to. We encourage all to bring the phone number of the host just in case. Please note: that house parties are not a place to be pushing a candidate or separate project.
Please RSVP to [email protected] if you'd like to attend Koch Brothers Exposed on Friday, October 3. We'll follow up your RSVP with the address and phone number of the host, Judy Finch. If you'd like to host a showing please let us know. 
Don Goldmacher, Producer-Director of
Heist: Who Stole the American Dream?
East Bay Move to Amend guest speaker
Wed. Oct. 8, 7-9 pm, Oakland

Please join East Bay Move-to-Amend on October 8 for a talk and discussion with Don Goldmacher, producer-director for the documentary Heist: Who Stole the American Dream?  EBMTA plans to have an open, wide-ranging, interactive discussion of the issues of corporate power and dominance, including what he has learned since the making of Heist. For more information, please contact Jim McFadden at [email protected]. The event will be held at Providence House Community Room, 540-23rd St. (just West of Telegraph Ave., Oakland. 
Sign up for one of 50 spots in the first 
99Rise National Online Training
Tuesday and Thursday, Oct. 14, 16, 21 and 22, 4-6 pm 

Over the last several months, 99Rise has had over 100 requests to organize in-person 2 day 99Rise trainings to help people start teams in cities and towns across the country. They don't have enough experienced trainers to meet the demand beyond California so (as we expand our training team) we're offering a new online version of our training as a series of four 90 minute webinars that people anywhere in the US can join! Click here for the full writeup and the link to join.

Registering Voters at DVC - Every Tues & Wed.

Registering voters at DVC from 11-1 began Wed., 9/17. The volunteers collected 11 voter registrations, then on Tues., 9/23 they collected 15 more.  So we are off and Running!   Most Tuesdays and Wednesdays are filled with 3 volunteers for each shift..  If you'd like to help please send an email to Cindy Gonzales at [email protected].  Thanks to Ron Renire who handles Tuesdays and Gordon Miller who handles Wednesdays.

Petitions 
Make giant corporations pay their fair share - Join Elizabeth Warren in Supporting the Stop Corporate Inversions Act

22 Senators are co-sponsors of the Stop Corporate Inversion Act that was introduced in May, 2014.  The bill would stop corporations from creating sham offices overseas to evade paying US taxes.  A similar bill is in the House.  

Please sign now

These companies want us to believe that they're on the right side of climate history - and now we'll give them a chance to prove it.

Forecast the Facts and SumOfUs are launching a campaign to pressure the CEOs of eBay, Ford, Google, Microsoft, and UPS to stop funding climate deniers in Congress. The campaign petition says: Add your name: Tell companies to stop donating to politicians who lie to voters about the realities of climate change.
Bailing on ALEC
Microsoft then Google then Facebook - 
Sign the petition to Yahoo and AOL

Momentum is building in our fight against the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Just this week, tech leaders like Google, Microsoft, and Yelp have announced their withdrawal from the shadowy corporate lobby, but AOL and Yahoo! are still financing ALEC's backroom dealing. Tell AOL and Yahoo! to cut their ties with ALEC and publicly separate from the organization.
Legislation 
Call Gov. Brown + sign petition to support SB 844 that puts proposition supporters names online.

SB 844 will direct the Secretary of State to create an easily accessible web page to list the total amounts contributed to support or oppose each ballot measure, along with the top ten contributors for and against each. The web page will be listed in the official ballot pamphlet.

Calls are one of the most powerful things you can do. The number is (888) 401-5597.
Call between 9am and 5pm. It may be busy at first (if so try again) or ring for a while before picking up. When it does, press 1 for English or 2 for Spanish. In the next menu, press 4 to speak to a live person who will take your message.

Please sign the petition asking Governor Brown to sign SB 844 now if you haven't yet!
 Political 

Vote No to Reconfirm Supreme Ct. Justices Lieu and Weidegar.


In the remarks from Justice Liu, one of the most troubling is his comment that if we have Prop 49 on the ballot, and the court later determines that it should not have been on the ballot. There will be significant harm to the petitioners (Howard Jarvis group) because the Legislature would know what the people think, and you could not then take that knowledge away from the legislature.   Chief Justice Cantil-Sakauye does not see that as significant harm, and I don't think most voters would either.
 

Will you watch and share this new video by Lawrence Lessig to help grow the #MaydayMovement?

You and I both know that as long as our representatives are held hostage to their funders - and their funders are not all of us - our system will not work. But nothing important is easy. And nothing could be as important as this. Will you watch and share this video to help us grow the #MaydayMovement? 
New MapLight Lobbying Database Just Launched 

MapLight is pleased to announce the launch of its new federal lobbying data set providing timely information on the top unions, companies, and organizations lobbying Congress. Now, with a few mouse clicks, any citizen can discover how much money is being spent on swaying Congress, which firms are getting hired, who they're targeting, and what issues they're pushing -- and that's not even all.

Adding lobbying information to the existing money and politics database is a huge step toward fully illuminating the influence machine biasing our government toward special interests and away from the public good, and we look forward to seeing what actions journalists, activists, and everyday citizens take with this liberated data. Click here to learn more about the data, which you can search through online or download as a CSV.


Volunteer Needs
You are needed!  We do our best to find a way to participate that fits your interests and time.   We invite you to join with us in any of the following areas:

Kick the Koch Habit campaign
Speakers Bureau- speak and/or help find organizations to whom to speak
Support the webmaster - research and other
Help on the CAP (Corruption Awareness Project) which is simple and will be very powerful if we can get it to spread
Tabling
Hold a movie house party
Be a caller for the telephone tree
Help with Letters to the Editor
Attend rallies
Join the Core organizing team

Please send an email to [email protected] with Volunteering in the subject line and our Volunteer Coordinator, Loretta Matthieu, will get back to you. 

 
Tabling at Solano Stroll, September 14

Who Are We?

MoneyOut! PeopleIn! was created by Central Contra Costa and Tri-Valley MoveOn Councils when we decided that we wanted to put most of our energy into getting big money out of politics.  We put the word out and in no time had 15 groups that support our mission.  What has evolved is that most of the work is done by members of the two Councils mentioned above, CA Clean Money Campaign, East Bay Move to Amend and Common Cause.  We are always looking for more supporting groups like the groups you can see on our website.  We all have the fire in our belly about getting our Democracy back. 

 

Sheilah, Gordon, Karen, Joe, Sally, Judy, Ann, Michael, Joan,  Eloise, Jennifer, Brodie, Madeline, Cindy, Ellis, Sharon and more

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