Democracy, Ground Floor, doors are open
Top CA pols go to the head of the Biden Administration, and things change here at home. When Xavier Becerra became the first Latino Secretary of Health and Human Services, we needed a new state Attorney General — the Gov picked the East Bay’s own Assemblymember Rob Bonta, leaving Bonta’s AD 18 seat open. IEB member Janani Ramachandran is running in the special election — if you live in AD 18, you can vote on whether IEB should endorse her. This is ground level participatory democracy — please participate!
Should IEB Endorse J. Ramachandran for AD 18?
Deadline: Saturday, May 1 at 11:59 PM – Indivisible East Bay is considering whether to endorse IEB member Janani Ramachandran in the June 29, 2021 special election for California State Assembly District 18, an open seat previously held by AG Rob Bonta. If Ramachandran’s name sounds familiar, you may have read her IEB action article on Ellis Act evictions, or heard from her at an All Members Meeting. For more info, check out Ramachandran’s IEB Candidate Questionnaire and her Campaign Website.
IEB considers endorsement requests on a per-candidate basis. Our policies let us endorse multiple candidates in a race — we may or may not decide to hold a process for other candidates in this one. We consider this race important for several reasons. Many IEB members live in AD 18. We’re stepping up our state-level work and would like to help elect a representative who’ll meet with and respond to community groups. We also hope Bonta’s seat is filled by another person of color, especially since the representation of Alameda and Contra Costa counties in the State Legislature doesn’t fully reflect their diversity.
You can vote here on whether IEB should endorse Ramachandran if you meet both these qualifications:
- you consider yourself a member of Indivisible East Bay, and
- you live in Assembly District 18 (Alameda, San Leandro, and most of Oakland — find your assembly district here).
Stand up (drive up!) for voting rights!
On May 8, the John Lewis Voting National Day of Action, be part of voting rights history in the Bay Area Votercade! Over 100 events nationwide will roll out to support the For the People Act (H.R.1), the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (H.R.4), and D.C. Statehood. The COVID-safe car caravan kicks off at noon — come early to get in line & decorate your car! Followed by a celebratory tailgate. More info & registration (required, to get the route!) here. Not in the Bay Area? Find an event near you and Make Good Trouble!
Your donations support our work undoing the effects of the Evil Empire and fighting for a just society, but do not go to candidate-related events.
We Could Not Make This Up
Representative Bruce Westerman, on the toilet, with a Civil War sword. No, not the latest Clue reboot — it’s Democracy Jeopardy, “January 6 Insurrection” for $1000 Alex, and the answer-in-the-form-of-a-question is, “What was going on in Kevin McCarthy’s bathroom?” Word is, McCarthy brought Westerman to hide in his office when the House was evacuated during the riots. Security whisked the Minority Leader to a more secure location, leaving Westerman to fend for himself — so he grabbed a Civil War sword off the wall and crouched with it on the potty. As one does. Had he heard the enemy was approaching with muskets? Or was he perhaps hoping to avoid trolls, or Moaning Myrtle? We could make something up. But the truth is so much funnier.
Want to do more? Contact Us!
- Volunteer with IEB: info@indivisibleeb.org
- Learn more about us: info@indivisibleeb.org
- Subscribe to this newsletter! Or send feedback: newsletter@indivisibleeb.org
- Join us on chat platform Slack to talk about issues, plan events, & more – ask for invite at info@indivisibleeb.org
Image by Jimmy Panetta on Wikimedia Commons
