Dear OSTPDX Members,
With another government shutdown looming, let’s keep the pressure on our representatives to not give in to Trump’s demands for an unnecessary border wall only meant to appease his dwindling base. In addition to causing severe hardship for government employees, the last Trump shutdown cost the US economy nearly $11 billion in lost output. Make those calls!
The OSTPDX Legislative Task Force has been busy! They’ve even created this FAQ on who they are and what they do. Check it out:
What is the OSTPDX Legislative Task Force?
The OSTPDX Legislative Task Force is comprised of 17 people who serve as the “point people” responsible for gathering information about bills proposed during the 2019 Legislative Session in a particular topic area (campaign finance reform, climate, criminal justice, education, gun safety, health care, housing, immigration, national popular vote, revenue voting rights/redistricting).
Who is on the Legislative Task Force?
Many of the Task Force members participated in the OSTPDX Midterms Task Force, which researched nearly 30 campaigns (mostly state and local, including judicial races and ballot measures) and made recommendations on 19. They have been joined by activists from other groups such as Indivisible Hillsboro, Nasty Women Get Shit Done, and Indivisible Oregon. A number of Task Force members are also affiliated with advocacy groups (such as ReNew Oregon, Oregon Housing Alliance, 350Oregon, Moms Demand Action) and/or have relevant professional experience in the fields associated with their particular topics.
How does a point person gather information about bills?
The point person would establish a connection with the relevant advocacy group(s) for his/her particular topic. From the advocacy group(s) and from his/her own research, the point person collects information about which bills to track. The data gathered about each bill includes: i) the timing of hearings, votes, lobby days, other activist interventions, etc.; ii) who the proponents are; iii) who the opponents are; iv) what the policy issues are, etc. -- using a standardized Research Worksheet developed for this purpose.
What does the Task Force do with this information?
We seek to disseminate the relevant information/content we develop as broadly and effectively as possible to members of OSTPDX and other activist groups and to voters in general so that they can mobilize to influence the work of the Oregon Legislature.
Announcements
OSTPDX’s next meeting will be co-hosted Nasty Women Get Shit Done on February 17th at 6pm at Lagunitas Community Room (237 NE Broadway) for. If you have not yet registered for this event, you will be unable to attend as registration has closed due to space constraints. For those who are registered, here are the details:
At this meeting, co-hosted by NWGSD and OSTPDX, Rep. Barbara Smith Warner will give us a quick civics review (how does a bill become a law, again?) and then Hilary Uhlig of Moms Demand Action will instruct us on how to become effective citizen lobbyists. We will then break into small groups to learn more from Salem insiders about key legislation in the areas of Gun Safety, Education Reform, Family Leave, Housing, and Climate Action and to find out ways we can #StayEngaged to make 2019 a productive year.
Join us at 6 pm to socialize, enjoy some free pizza (sponsored by NWGSD), and purchase beer (donated by Lagunitas) or cider (donated by Reverend Nat's). Program starts at 6:45.
HELP NEEDED with set up for the Nasty Women Get Shit Done Meeting February 17 at Lagunitas brew pub.
Do you have time next Sunday to help other One Small Thing members assist in setting up for the evening meeting hosted by NWGSD as part of their series of fun Listen, Learn and Lead evenings? From 4:45 to until doors open at 6, we are in need of two strong people to help move heavy tables and other items to set up the room for 150 people who are registered for the event. After you help, you can then stay for the meeting (and pizza) or make this valuable contribution and go on to other activities afterwards.
If you are interested, please contact Jacque Abel at jacque.abel@comcast.net soon and she will contact you with more details plus meet you at the event.
Women’s March PDX
OSTPDX will have a table at the Portland Women’s March on Sunday, March 3rd from 12-3 pm at the PSU Park Blocks. Please join us at our table for an immediate action to be done at the event and then for the march.
Join OSTPDX on March 12 for an in-depth discussion of Immigration
Titled: We Are All Neighbors-How to Support Our Immigrant Communities in Oregon
We are delighted to have Andrea Williams of CAUSA and Lisa LeSage of Immigration Consulting Services give us insights on immigration issues in Oregon with some national context. They are the experts working on these issues and solving problems every day. We'll hear what actions we can take as engaged citizens to ensure our immigrant neighbors are getting the rights and services they deserve! Join us at SUBUD Center at 6:45 - 9 PM.
SAVE the DATE of April 9, 2019, when the One Small Thing-PDX program will be on the topic of criminal justice reform and related proposed legislation in Oregon. Our main speaker, Bobbin Singh, is Executive Director of the Oregon Justice Resource Center, a civil rights organization providing direct legal services and policy initiatives for underrepresented communities. Other staff members from the Center staff will also join us for a lively and thought provoking evening. Please arrive at the Subud House, 3185 NE Regents Drive where the doors open at 6:45 for the 7:00 pm program. Our usual lively social time will follow the program.
Activities & Actions
Actions by Indivisible Oregon:
OSTPDX, along with other local progressive grassroots groups, are collaborating to help Indivisible Oregon highlight their Tuesday action call of the week in email communications and across social media. We ask that you visit their website indivisibleor.org/actions every Tuesday morning where the action of week will be posted by 6AM, take the action and share on social media and/or via email with your circle.
Indivisible Tuesday message: The human rights abuses at the border continue. This administration willfully subjected children to the trauma of separation, lost them, have profited off of them in private prisons, and now says it is to hard to reunite them which all amounts to state sponsored kidnapping. We ask congress pass a spending bill with no money for the wall; work to stop and continue to investigate family separation.
Activities:
Attention Multnomah County Democrats! The Multnomah County Democratic Party wants you to run!
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As the May 2019 Special District Election approaches the Multnomah County Democrats (MCD) are building a bench of qualified Democrats ready to run for office and positively influence Local School Boards, Fire Districts and Water Districts elections.
Members of OSTPDX Executive team met with The Campaign and Candidate Liaison Committee of MCD. They would like to provide information about open seats and support for Democrats who would like to run for office….including first time candidates!
MCD knows this can be part of a renewal of the Democratic Party and a way to help grassroots groups come together at the local level to support our democratic values.
Don’t underestimate yourself. MCD stands ready to help all Democrats who want to run for office.
Learn how to be a candidate at our Central Committee Meeting at the Hollywood Senior Center (1820 NE 40th Ave., Portland, OR 97212) on Thursday, February 14, 2019. The Social starts at 6:30 PM, and our “Learn How to be Candidate” introductory program begins at 7:00 PM.
If you decide to run, we have a full-day Candidate Training Workshop is scheduled for Sunday, March 24, 2019, at the Multnomah County Democratic Party Headquarters (3351, NE Sandy Blvd., Portland, Oregon).
Our Candidate Training Workshop will include information on:
Fundraising, rules and compliance, using social media to build your audience, field organizing, VAN training, endorsements, and voters’ pamphlet statement.
You’ll also have additional opportunities to participate in candidate forums, attend Central Committee meetings, speak to and reach out to PCPs and recruit volunteers for your campaign.
We know that there are many Democrats in Multnomah County who would be wonderful candidates. One of them might be YOU!!!
You can file as a candidate starting February 11, 2019. The deadline to file is March 21, 2019
Let's make this President's Day Count! February 18: Join in the March for Our Students!
A message from Leah Gibbs of Families for Oregon Schools:
Oregon has been severely underfunding its schools for decades, and it shows. We have some of the largest class sizes in the nation, a combined YEAR less of instructional time accrued over a student's 1st through 12 grade school tenure and woefully inadequate wrap around services for our most vulnerable populations.
You can help! Step one is getting parents from your school to turn out on February 18th to the March for Our Students rally on the state capitol steps. We have put together this initial TOOLKIT to help with organizing and planning your participation in the 2/18 rally. Sign Up Here (Lunch will be included). Follow Families for Oregon Schools on Facebook for more information!
Pay close attention to this document which is provided in the toolkit as information to share about education funding.
This is just the beginning. Following the rally we will provide additional information and resources to support parents and concerned community members lobbying legislators for robust school funding.
Everyone’s voice needs to be heard – it will be critical to securing the best funding package possible. We cannot wait to see you at the capitol! Our teachers, schools and children thank you!
OSTPDX Activist Reading Group’s next meeting
Thursday, March 28, 7-8:30pm at the home of Paulette and Lynn Wittwer, 2316 NE Tillamook Street, Portland.
We will be discussing: “White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism” by Robin DiAngelo and Michael Eric Dyson.
“Groundbreaking book exploring the counterproductive reactions white people have when discussing racism that serve to protect their positions and maintain racial inequality.
Referring to the defensive moves that white people make when challenged racially, white fragility is characterized by emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt and by behaviors including argumentation and silence. These behaviors, in turn, function to reinstate white racial equilibrium and prevent any meaningful cross-racial dialogue. In this in-depth exploration, anti-racist educator Robin DiAngelo examines how white fragility develops, how it protects racial inequality, and what can be done to engage more constructively.” (Goodreads)
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Other Upcoming Events:
Race Talks: Panel Discussion on Engaging Democracy-February 12 from 6:45-9:15 at McMenamins Kennedy School Gym
2019 ACLU of Oregon Lobby Day in Salem: Monday 2/18 from 8:30-3:45
Basic Rights Oregon 2019 Lobby Day: Tuesday, March 5th from 10-5
Articles
Check out our website – www.onesmallthingpdx.org – like our Facebook page -- https://www.facebook.com/One-Small-Thing-150519055702228/ -- follow our Twitter account -- @onepdx.
Regards,
Sara McKinney
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