Comrades,

You voted last summer to make running a ballot measure slate a priority for the Chapter and we wanted to give you an update on how our first ballot measure is doing. The ballot measure is a tax to fill San Francisco’s 40,000 empty homes, and we’re explicitly running this campaign along class lines to maximize working-class consciousness and build a base of power through the electoral process.

We are well into the signature-gathering phase of the campaign and have collected an impressive amount, nearly 2,000 signatures of the required 14,000!

That’s 14% completed – amazing work for only one month!

Last Wednesday, we held an amazing fundraiser at the Make Out Room and raised nearly double what we were hoping to! It was an amazing experience to talk to all kinds of people – hardcore campaigners, new members, non-members – and see the shared excitement of a collective class project. It truly was inspiring and it won’t be the last time we’ll be doing one of these social events. But: campaigns are built on hard work and we can’t risk falling behind. Whether it’s signatures or fundraising, we’re going at max capacity, and we need to keep momentum up with our own labor.

This ballot measure belongs to you, the members of DSA SF. You should feel immense gratification of how far we have come, but you should also feel a positive anxiety to see it through to its successful completion. This ballot measure is an experiment in our dedication to building socialism. It is powered by the membership of this Chapter and it won’t succeed without us.

If you have the ability to volunteer to fulfill the promise we made to ourselves last summer, then please sign up for a shift HERE.

Solidarity always,
DSA SF Electoral Board

Events Calendar

🌹 Tuesday, 4/5 (6:00 p.m.): Empty Homes Tax Turnout Tuesdays (Zoom or in person at the DSA SF office on 1916 McAllister St)

🌹 Thursday, 4/7 (6:00 p.m.): Copaganda & Public Safety: Feat. Alec Karakatsanis, Dean Preston, & more! (Zoom or in person at SF Main Public Library: Koret Auditorium)

🌹 Sunday, 4/10 (12:00 p.m.):  Empty Homes Tax Mobilization: Mission Dolores (in person at Mission Dolores Park, corner of 19th and Dolores)

🌹 Wednesday, 4/13 (6:45 p.m.):  DSA SF April Chapter Meeting (Zoom or in person at 518 Valencia)

🌹 Thursday, 4/21 (7:30 p.m.):  Bigger Than Bernie reading and discussion group (Zoom or in person at the DSA SF office on 1916 McAllister St)


For more events, click here.

Announcements

Help gather signatures to get the Empty Homes Tax on the ballot

Coming on the heels of our hugely successful fundraiser, DSA SF is hosting another signature gathering mobilization at 12:00 p.m. this Sunday, April 10, at Mission Dolores Park on the corner of 19th and Dolores. Help us keep the momentum going and hit this week’s goal of 500 signatures! No signature gathering experience necessary. We will train you, provide all materials necessary, and give you a location for gathering. See you there!

Copaganda and Public Safety featuring Alec Karakatsanis, Dean Preston, and Sameena Usman

Please join us for a panel discussion, co-hosted by the Black Liberation and Indigenous Sovereignty Priority Resolution and Dean Preston, on copaganda, abolition, and public safety. The event will feature Alec Karakatsanis (Civil Rights Corp) and Sameena Usman (CAIR) — other guests may also make an appearance!  The event will be held this Thursday, April 7, 6:00 p.m. at SF Main Library (Koret Auditorium). This event will either be livestreamed or recorded for those who are not able to make it in person. Please direct any questions to blis@dsasf.org. Register here!

Our monthly chapter meeting is next Wednesday!

Our monthly chapter meetings are where you’ll hear about what’s been going on in our priority campaigns, working groups, and ballot initiatives – and where we vote on chapter business. Don’t miss it! You’ll be able to participate virtually using Zoom or in person at 518 Valencia, with the meeting starting at 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday, April 13.

Reading Groups

Bigger Than Bernie Reading and Discussion Group

DSA members and Jacobin writers Meagan Day and Micah Uetricht wrote Bigger Than Bernie in 2020 and revised it in 2021. It should prove to be a useful read for assessing where as socialists we see ourselves and the world today. There will be two discussions at the DSA SF office at 1916 McAllister St on April 21 and 28 from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. There is also a Zoom option for those who want to participate remotely – registration link here!