Steering Committee Meeting: November 22nd, 2020

East Bay DSA Steering Committee Meeting

November 22 2020

2-5 pm

SC members present: Allie L., Matt S., Will S., AJ A., Lindsey M., Rex LC, Katie F., Annika B., Carlos O., Benny Z. Luci R., Luke T., Miguel B. The recording secretary is present and taking notes.

Introductions/Opening Statements

Will S. called the meeting to order at 2:05 pm

Approval of Agenda

Agenda was approved

Political Discussion
Discussion questions: 1) The election results and what we think they mean for Democrats and Republicans 2) What’s likely with a Biden/Harris administration and how should socialists relate to it 3) What poles/issues are strategically important to organize around right now.

Optional: Does the Left Stay in the Democratic Party? — Interview With Seth Ackerman
Optional: #Election2020 After the Election, Where Does the Left Go From Here? (With Vivek Chibber)
Democrats making the same mistakes from 2016. Dems will keep doing the same thing and doesn’t if they win or lose. They exist to broker power and serve their donors. A scary possibility that GOP is moving to be the party of the working class. Dems are not a party of the working class because they dont pass items that constituents widely support..
In all areas Biden did well were areas of grassroots activists doing on the ground. Biden ground game completely demobilized. Locally we saw how a good ground game was effective. We saw that GOP voters that went Biden, down ballot went GOP.
Rightward realignment in the Democratic party happening. A bit scary that Trump did increase his vote share and voters of color.
Peoples political identities are very permeable. There is actually a huge section of the country that isn’t being led by any sort of political force and less likely to engage in electoral politics.
Biden cabinet is shaping up a lot to look like a Trump admin, they’re not the big super villains but theyre corporate execs, oil, etc. Going to be a rebranding of the GOP of a multi-cultural working class party. We’re not going to be getting huge concessions
Housing will be a strategic issue to organize around and see it as a strategic way and avenue for our local electeds since we can’t get things federally from candidates.
Medicare for All will be a big statewide opportunity for us to organize around and to use the regional connections we built from prop 15 into this organizing work.
Tax the rich was successful here in Alameda county and resonated nationally. Its now a good time to create proposals to tax the rich to impact COVID relief for working class people.

Committee Reports [3 minutes]
Finance

Current bank balance ~$17,000
Dues share membership portion around $2000
Raised $1,000 in merchandising, $200 in random online
206 recurrent chapter dues at ~$17 average
Ending year expenses to be about $18,500
Previous rent was $1500, storage unit is $199 per month

Recording Secretary’s Report

8 resolutions passed by email since last Steering Committee meeting

Consent Agenda
Proposal for Labor Census Data Access and Usage

5 min break

Discussion items [1 hour 20 min]
Political education day school

Main subject will be the question of the party
Night school upcoming centered on Bolivia and MAS
Feedback- Readings and teachings tended to reflect only one tendency within the chapter which lead to caucus members to not want to attend
Luke will incorporate this and other feedback back to Political Education Committee

GM feedback

How can we as a steering committee take into consideration feedback from members into how we operate as a chapter in a meaningful way
Debriefing our meetings to better incorporate the feedback we receive meetings

12/12 DSA Day of Action

GND & M4A committees working on this internally
Resolution is completed and will go to email vote
Coordinating with other chapters
Conversation tabled further until we have an opportunity to

The meeting was moved into executive session

Grievance discussion
Carroll Fife updates

CONSENT AGENDA

Proposal for Labor Census Data Access and Usage

Submitted by Aaron H., Yi W., Jen E.

Whereas the Labor Committee is implementing a Labor Census; and

Whereas the goals of the Labor Census include using the information collected to connect members who share the same work industry, employer, union, or employment status in order to organize around their shared common interests, to identify members who already engaged in workplace organizing in order to provide support, and to identify members who are interested in entering the Jobs Program; and

Whereas these goals will allow the Labor Committee and the Chapter to augment and expand its labor activities, deepening roots in concrete workplaces and institutions, and building bases of support for working class interests and socialist politics; and

Whereas the information collected in the Labor Census is sensitive, must be thoroughly secured to protect our members, and any use of it must be wholly accountable to the Chapter and its members.

Therefore be it resolved that the following protocol for data access and usage be implemented:

To access the data, all members must fill out and submit a proposal form to the Labor Committee in which is detailed, but not limited to, the project, the project’s purpose, what particular set of data they would like, how the data would further the goals of the project, how the data will be used, specifically who will use the data, and for what length of time they will need access to the data.
The Labor Coordinating Committee will review the submitted proposal form and make a decision to approve, reject, or work with the requesters to amend the data request in a timely manner.
The Labor Coordinating Committee will report to the Labor Committee by its next business meeting on all data requests to the Labor Committee.
All approved data requests will be logged by the Labor Coordinating Committee in AirTable.
All data requests will be reported by the Labor Coordinating Committee to the Steering Committee upon request.
Data usage shall occur according to the linked documentation and may be altered to meet security needs as deemed necessary by the Steering Committee and the Labor Coordinating Committee.

NEW BUSINESS

Resolution to Train Housing Organizers Before Coronavirus Eviction Ban is Lifted

Casey B., Isaac H., Kelsey W., Eric P., Justin G., Chris A., Matt T.

Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented housing insecurity for renters in the Bay Area;

Whereas thousands of working class East Bay residents have lost their jobs or had their hours reduced, including many East Bay DSA members;

Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic is rapidly spreading in the midst of a housing affordability and homelessness crisis;

Whereas Governor Newsom signed legislation pausing evictions;

Whereas these eviction protections will expire as early as February 1st, 2021;

Whereas East Bay DSA’s active participation in the fight for democratically run, ecologically designed, high-quality, permanently affordable and off-the-private-market housing is strategic in expanding socialism throughout the East Bay and connecting working class tenants with East Bay DSA;

Whereas East Bay DSA’s Social Housing Committee and TANC are experienced in training housing organizers and coordinating in housing direct actions;

Whereas the Social Housing Committee voted unanimously to approve such a training program in the October 21, 2020, meeting;

Whereas East Bay DSA’s 2020 Priorities Resolution states that East Bay DSA will “Mobilize to prevent mass evictions and foreclosures and to support houseless East Bay residents through direct actions, including eviction defense, and mutual aid.”

Therefore be it resolved that East Bay DSA shall work with TANC to build a program (the Socialist Housing Organizers Project - SHOP) to train a dedicated group of housing organizers to help tenants mobilize when the eviction ban is lifted. This shall include a political education component, educating trainees in a socialist perspective on housing as a human right, as well as practical training in housing direct actions;

Be it further resolved that the Social Housing Committee will work with the Political Education Committee to prepare educational material for the trainees;

Be it further resolved that the Social Housing Committee shall reach out to tenant’s councils and offer assistance from SHOP organizers in their direct actions;

Be it further resolved that the Social Housing Committee shall have access to EBDSA social media, databases, contact lists, and email service in order to disseminate information to members and the community about opportunities for involvement with SHOP;

Be it further resolved that the Social Housing Committee shall mobilize EBDSA members who are currently organizing their buildings, as well as members who want to help in the tenant struggle by planning three introduction events: a socially distant barbecue event, a socially distant movie screening of a housing related documentary, and a virtual welcome zoom call;

Be it finally resolved that the Social Housing Committee shall have access to $500 to purchase food and safety equipment (i.e.hand sanitizer) to ensure the in-person events are safe and welcoming to all.

Matt T. motivated the resolution

This resolution passed

Resolution to Renew Affiliation with Healthy California Now

Submitted by: Eric V., Luke T.

Whereas East Bay DSA previously resolved to and did join the statewide single-payer healthcare advocacy coalition Healthy California Now (https://healthyca.org/);

Whereas East Bay DSA let its membership lapse during the hiatus of the Medicare for All Committee;

Whereas the 2020 - 2021 priority resolution “Campaign to Win California Single-Payer and Medicare for All” passed, and Healthy California Now is the major labor coalition for single-payer, and affords our chapter’s collaboration with other organizations;

Whereas the reconvened Committee voted on November 12, 2020 to re-affiliate with Healthy California Now;

Whereas Healthy California Now’s affiliation annual fee is $250 for organizations of greater than 1,000 members;

Therefore be it resolved that East Bay DSA renew its affiliation with Healthy California Now for an annual fee of $250, to be submitted online https://healthyca.org/join/ or by check via this packet: https://healthyca.org/wp-content/uploads/Healthy-California-packet-BW-FINAL.pdf

Motivated by Eric V.

This resolution passed 12-0

Resolution for East Bay DSA to formally adopt Spoke

Allie L

Whereas textbanking with Spoke has been an effective tool for outreach

Whereas the cycle of the last resolution adopting Spoke is wrapped up,

Therefore be it resolved that East Bay DSA will spend up to $500 a month to send and receive 50,000 SMS messages for the purpose of event recruitment and other outreach,

Therefore be it further resolved that Allie L will continue to administer Spoke with the assistance of Will S, Miguel B and others who will be trained.

Allie motivated the resolution

This resolution passes 12-0

EB-DSA Position on PG&E

Toward a State-owned & Community-controlled PG&E

Cihan motivated the position paper

This resolution passes 12-0

The meeting was adjourned at 5:00 pm