Minutes of the MercedGreen Mtngs- Updated 1/2/03
Green Party Meeting
Tuesday ~ December 10th
7:00 p.m.
Wired Cafe ~ 18th & Canal
Meeting Minutes:
Bryce Summers - facilitator (Good job!)
Orion Fulton
Barbara Fields
Melissa Kelly - note taker
1. Barbara Fields ~ Treasury Report
$109.00 +$33.00 - $5.00 = $137.00
- Fundraising Ideas?
*Yard Sale (link up with Habitat for Humanity / Sierra Club)
*Green Yard Sale
*Recycling (for now)
*Raffle (Pick up shirt at Plenary)
*Tabling Opportunities
*Host a "green" (possibly singles) thang with a band (who will donate all proceeds to the Green Party) and dancing, of course.
*Friendly competition (Tennis, water polo, etc.) with community teams - proceeds go to Green Party
*Invite Michael Moore to Central Valley - possibly Tower District in Fresno, State Theater in Fresno, Mainzer in Merced
-Jaime has paid the post office box fee for the next six months - $35.00 - Thank you Jaime!! :)
2. Green Party Plenary ~ Jan. 11th ~ Stanford
Bryce, Jaime, and possibly Melissa -with kids- will be going...
Sliding Scale available and if staying Friday night - figure out how to save money!
- For more information, check out the California Green Party Site
3. San Francisco Peace Action ~ Jan. 18th ~
Still looking for a place to stay (going up Friday evening in order to get to the Event on Sat.) - I will be asking people I know who have friends in Oakland. If that will not work, Orion will ask friends, etc. Barbara will be driving up and back on Saturday.
4. Anti-skateboard Ordinance / Segway Ordinance?
NO SKATING ZONE - between 18th and 16th - between G and to Q. There are areas where it may be legal to use inline skates. WHAT!? - This is a STRANGE ordinance.
(There must be a way to change this!) - Who would like to check into that?
Also, is there an ordinance for Segway use? (The Segway machines are motorized scooters - they go fast, are quiet, and possibly dangerous on sidewalks.)
5. List of Organizations in Merced Area
- Is this a contact list? - It would be used as a "tool".
- Are there any requirements for a group to be included in the list? Any group that is "in line" with the ten key values, would be added to the list. Each group would also be contributing to the community in some positive/progressive way -
"Striving for the greater good".
Some groups listed are:
League of Revolutionaries for a New America
Labor Party
Reaching Out
Welfare Action
Merced Somoto Sister City (meets the 2nd Sunday of each month @ the Scout Hut)
**We will work on getting contact names, numbers, and emails for all the groups listed -
- What will it be used for specifically?
This list could be separated into "Donors", "Businesses", and "Groups" with contact information.
**Added item - - - Barbara spoke about Welfare Action and the "mismanagement of government funds" here in Merced. There is a petition that can be circulated that "requests the Dept. of Education to revoke the designation of Children's Services Network of Merced County (CSN) as the Alternative Payment Program for Merced County". The services this Network provides will not be interrupted, according to the petition, but will instead be filtered through an alternative program such as PACE.
You can contact Barbara Fields for more information - I have a copy of the petition as well.
6. Sacramento Waterboard
(Email to Jaime from Lauren Whitley)
I wanted to write and update you on the decision by the Central Valley Water Board on Thursday. You probably have heard but the outcome was not what we would have liked. The Water Board, after 6 hours of deliberation, voted to extend the current waiver for agricultural runoff in the Central Valley for two more years. The Board accepted the staff proposal (which we were all commenting on), with no significant changes, asking farmers to begin "voluntarily" forming watershed groups and "voluntarily" monitoring their runoff.
The Board failed to address or incorporate in their decision any concerns or criticisms expressed by the environmental and public interest community. As Mike Lozeau of Earthjustice, a presenter at the hearing, stated "We've waited almost three years for the Board to gather information and be ready to make a rational decision, we don't know what they did during that time, but I've never seen a Board so unprepared to make so important a decision. Unfortunately, the decision didn't substantively address any of the environmental concerns, and forces the environmental community to consider their appeal options."
The success that WAS apparent at the hearing was the pouring in of comments from across the state: the staff held up a hefty stack of e-mails and another stack of letters-almost all of 'em from our point of view. And we had 30-40 people at the hearing in support of the Clean Farms, Clean Water Campaign, as well as over 25 people testify itself. Thanks for being part of this amazing grassroots showing.
The Board will re-consider things on March 1st, but the general feeling is that legal action will be taken before then because the Board is most likely not going to change diddly-squat with the waiver
or it's extension. Bad news, but the good news is that we can now strongly say that the Board has majorly dropped the ball.
I wanted to thank you for your support and time to push for cleaner water in California. Due to the grassroots effort during the comment period, and at the public hearing on Thursday, the foundation for effective legal action has been set.
Thanks also for passing on the great LtE by CAFF. I attached a quick LtE Response sheet we have been circulating, if you have time to get one off it'd be great!
Thanks Again, and feel free to call if you would like more details about what is happening, or what the next course of action is (415)981-3939
Lauren Whitley.
**Homeless Situation for this cold weather... Does anyone have new info. for this winter?
I will call Brenda Callahan-Johnson or Harry Dull if no one has extra info.
We may have to go to City Council to find out more info. - who knows.
That's all for now. Take care and have a good week.
Remember, RC is playing at Ambrosia this Sat. @ 7 p.m.
See ya,
Melissa
Minutes from a Meeting at Wired
7:00 p.m.
Tuesday, November 26, 2002
What a GREAT meeting of like-minded people!!
We meet every Tuesday at around 7 p.m.
Please join us!
:o)
Hi there everybody... I hope you're all doing well.
We had an excellent meeting tonight!
So much to talk about and do...
1. Clean Air and Water for the Central Valley
- Basic Necessity for survival
- Will naturally expand to
-oil = war
-Smart Growth
-Social Justice Issues
- Could form a Coalition of different groups already investing time in these issues...
(Sierra Club, Lisa Kayser-Grant and John Grant, Merced County Environmental Team, The Trewillers, Organic Farmers, etc.)
(Ky will cater for this event!)
- Could do another "Rally in the Valley"
2. Homeland Security Bill
"For the Corporations, Against the People" - - - check it out...
3. November 29th - THIS FRIDAY is BUY NOTHING DAY!!! - It WILL make a difference!!!
(People called friends to find out "What in the heck was going on at Walmart the other day - November 21st!?") GOOD JOB WARREN!!!
-We will be out on the island in front of Walmart on THIS FRIDAY, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.!
Please join us if possible. We may set up something kind of cool to get people out of their cars and over to talk to us if we have enough people and time.
- Currently working on poster board signs and flyers that will focus more on Buying Nothing than Boycotting Walmart, but will have flyers to Boycott (or get Walmart to change the way it does business) for a later date...
By the way...
- We need our own newspaper. Any ideas on how to do that? I think it would be a GREAT idea!
FROM THE RECYCLING COALITION -
Greetings:
As usual, we will be meeting at Sierra Presbyterian Church at 5:00 p.m. this Tuesday (always the second and fourth Tuesday of each month). For an update on local recycling issues, please come. Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!
-Annette Allsup
Okay, have a great couple of days. Remember to join us on Friday if you can.
Take care,
Melissa
209-726-1732
Merced County Greens ~ notes from 10-08-02 meeting
Meeting began at 7:15 PM
At the meeting: Barbara F., Melissa K., Alicia, Ian H., Mike,
John, Jaime
Alicia reported on Students for Social Justice campus group
formed at Merced Community College, 20 sign ups - 12 attended
meeting, working on event for October 30th, 12 - Richard Becker
to speak - they need to raise funds, will forward treasurer's
contact information. Also working on event for World Food Day
10/16 -Will provide information on Iraq in Free Speech area of
Student Union bldg.
Treasurer's Report: Barbara Re: account currently at $58.40 -
money was collected at this meeting not reflected in this
amount. County Bank charges 5 dollars per month to maintain
checking account. Jaime suggested group brainstorm fund raising
ideas for the local. Can start a topic on the Merced Greens
bulletin board on this subject.
Barbara reported on meeting at Civic Center last month re:
Federal requirement of local needs assessment of
homeless/housing resources. heads of local agencies attended.
Main speaker from H.U.D. - S.F. Results due in March. She
noted that some of the key people weren't there from MCAA and
Salvation Army. Another meeting this Friday (the 11th) . Barbara
will attend and will forward info via e-mail to group (County
Council), also will keep us informed of future meetings
Jaime passed around signup sheet for those interested in putting
a Camejo sign in their yard. Asked for suggestions for future
tabling/registering.
Meeting adjourned at 8:15 PM
Merced County Green Party Meeting
September 10th, 2002
Ambrosia Cafe, 2961 G. St.
Attendance: Warren, John, Alicia, Kathy, Amerjit, Mike, Jule and Friend and Jaime
Meeting officially opens at 7:15 P.M.
Amerjit starts the meeting with news on the Students for Social Justice re-organizing on the Merced College Campus. They will be meeting on 9/11/02 at 1 P.M. Alicia is heading this up and making phone calls to get it organized. A new film series, like last years, is also being planned. The Wed. mtng will decide meeting dates and possibly a mission statement. Suggestions were made about letters to the Editor of the Merced Sun-Star and positive comments to the President of the College to help lessen the effects of any negative reactions.
Open forum Rant on the Media.
Jaime reminded us to make sure to come to the City Council meeting on Sept 16th (At the Civic Center, 678 W. 18th) since they will be voting on Curbside Recycling and we need to get as many people out to support it as possible.
Jaime also mentioned that California Elections have asked the Green Party of California to help out in November since they need Poll workers.
Jaime is going to a 9/11 gathering in San Francisco and will be leaving at 4 A.M....(At this point, no one at the meeting offered to go with him. most likely due to the early morning...Sorry Jaime)
Jaime also informed us that Father Bill O'Donnell, the activist who was sentenced to 6 months for trespassing at the School of the Americas, is being held in Atwater.
John informed us about Low Vision Awareness Day on Thursday, Sept 12th. The Senior Community Center at 15th and O St. will be hosting the even from 10 A.M. to 4 P.M.
Warren suggests Oct 1st for a meeting with the Libertarians. Discussion ensued and, assuming we can get them to agree and we can get a larger meeting place, Oct 1st was agreed upon.
Meeting Ended at 8:45 P.M.
Merced County Green Party Meeting
August 6th
Ambrosia Cafe, 2961 G. St.
People attending:
Bill, John, Warren, Helena, Kathy, Jaime and Melissa
Excellent Fair Trade coffee was served in a French Press courtesy of the folks at Ambrosia.
Warren: Suggested we continue our contact with the Libertarian candidates running for area seats and see if we can support them. He will get info on the Libertarians and on what these candidate's views are on different issues and then see what we can do to get them to come to a Green Forum sometime in September or October.
Jaime will contact the State Central Committee and run the idea by them to see what they think of our backing Libertarian candidates.
John: Spoke a little bit about BARC, and a coalition of people with blindness or near blindness. They wanted a separate agency addressing their needs statewide. They formed a coalition to create a state commission to improve job availability and suggested the Greens in the area can do the same (coalition-building)
Warren: The advantage to supporting candidates for seats where there are not Greens running is that we can urge people to vote for someone besides the Dems and Reps. "Don't waste your vote" on these two parties and vote your beliefs.
We agreed to have flyers on our tables advertising "Low vision awareness day" on Sept. 12th at the Merced Community Senior Center (755 W. 15th) We need to call their rep. to o.k. this beforehand..
Warren: Re: Our website. He said he could also advertise this event on our website.
Jaime will get Warren the info once it's ok'd.
Meeting was adjourned at 8:15
Green Party Minutes
7/2/02
Wired Cafe
Attending:
Warren Jaycox
Melissa Kelly
Brian Strong
Kathy Grissett
Jule Biesiada
Note: Barbara Fields showed up at the REGULAR time of 7 P.M. and stayed til just before 7:30...This was my (Warren's) mistake since the meetings are usually at 7 PM, not 7:30. Sorry Barbara!
Second Note: STAY TUNED FOR CHANGES THAT MAY COME UP REGARDING A CHANGE OF PLACE AND TIME OF THE GREEN MEETINGS!!! ON AUGUST 6TH, THE FIRST TUESDAY OF AUGUST, WE WILL BE TALKING ABOUT THESE VERY IMPORTANT ISSUES:
1. FILLING THE COUNTY COUNCIL SEATS OF THOSE UNABLE TO ATTEND ANY LONGER
2. CHANGING THE PLACE OF THE MEETINGS TO AMBROSIA (MORE LOCALLY OWNED THAN WIRED)
3. CHANGING TO THE SECOND TUESDAY OF THE MONTH SO WE CAN GET MORE PEOPLE TO REMEMBER THE MEETINGS
4. GET THE GUEST SPEAKERS HERE ON CANDIDATES NIGHT!!!
PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW! :)
And now to our regularly scheduled meeting minutes...
Minutes to 7-2-02 Green Meeting at Wired...
No facilitator, no time-keeper, no set agenda... Just points to talk about...
Opening comments were on spirituality versus organized religion. Very interesting.
We also spoke about Labor Unions. Good luck to all of those working to bring fair labor laws to big corporations!
"Bread and Roses" is a foreign film that is currently available and very realistic. It covers
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