Kick your May off right by joining us at Intro to DSA this Wednesday, May 5 at 6:30 p.m.! If you are looking to take the next step and get more involved with DSA SF, Intro is a great way to learn about all the cool projects going on in the chapter right now. Register here.

Join DSA Today!

Announcements

Learn About City Government Through the Civil Grand Jury!

Every year, each county in California convenes a Civil Grand Jury to investigate local city and county government. In contrast to a criminal Grand Jury, the SF Civil Grand Jury comprises 19 ordinary residents, who choose to research and investigate any topic of their choosing related to local government. If you’re interested in the details of how city government works, this may be the opportunity for you!

The requirements for participating are U.S. citizenship, and SF residence for at least one year. If you live in a different California county, you can apply for that county’s Civil Grand Jury. The time commitment is around 10 hours per week. Civil Grand Jury service is a paid opportunity, at a maximum of $75/week depending on days worked. The deadline for the application is May 14. All information and the application form can be found here.

This Week on SFIJ

Hi there, comrades!

We think the following pieces of news from the San Francisco Independent Journal (SFIJ) may be of interest to you:

?First, SFIJ was excited to catch up with James Coleman, one of the recently elected members of South San Francisco’s city council and identifies as a Democratic Socialist.

?Second, Chevron has admitted to a serious incident during the week of November 2020 that caused numerous waves of pollution, according to a series of reports from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD).

?Finally, the Alphabet Workers Union (AWU) won a settlement filed against Google and its contractor, Modis E&T for Unfair Labor Practice.

?More to come in next week’s newsletter!

If you have committee work or another story you want to be publicized by a friendly outlet, please submit tips to writing@dsasf.org.

Dean Preston Weekly Update

  • Recently, Mayor London Breed refused to commit to using Prop I funds for rent relief and social housing. Reach out to Mayor Breed here so she knows exactly how we feel about her selfish neglect of the will of the voters, and sign this petition.
  • In response to growing neighborhood support for non-police public safety programs, my office sent a letter to Mayor Breed on February 24, urging her to partner on a pilot to expand the Community Ambassador Program by adding at least 10 Community Ambassadors throughout the neighborhoods of District 5. We believe this pilot represents a cost-effective way to improve public safety while fulfilling a shared city goal of diverting funds from traditional policing models. If you’re with us, please sign this petition.
  • Our amazing Safe Sleeping in the Haight is set to close on June 30 to make way for the much-needed affordable housing built on that site. This site was a complete success in terms of keeping unhoused neighbors safe during the pandemic, and has cycled dozens of people from the streets in the area to other housing options. We are so thankful to Homeless Youth Alliance and Larkin Street Youth Services for the incredible work they did with CAMP over the last year. Let’s make sure all current CAMP residents get the exits to stability they deserve!
  • In response to the announcement last Monday that City Attorney Dennis Herrera is being appointed to head the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, I submitted an official Letter of Inquiry to his office at the Board meeting on Tuesday. To promote transparency, avoid conflicts of interest, and protect good government, all principles shared by my office and that of the City Attorney, I asked a number of questions related to the appointment and ongoing corruption investigations.
  • We are not interested in our elected officials being beholden to corporate donors. For city races, corporate donations are banned, but for state-level races, there are no limits to corporate donations. AB 20 would change that, so we passed a resolution in support of the state bill this month. Keep corporate money out of California politics!

Have an idea or want to schedule a meeting with your caucus or committee with Dean’s office? Write to PrestonStaff@sfgov.org or lexvonklark@gmail.com with details, mention you’re with DSA, and we’ll schedule a day!

We Need You to Build Socialism!

We need your help with the following:

  • Help Produce the Newsletter!
    • Every week we put out the very newsletter you are reading, and we need organizers to help write, edit and produce it. Contact comms@dsasf.org or #ccc-comms on Slack to help out.
  • Help Manage Our Social Media! 
    • You already live on Instagram and Twitter, so why not help build socialism instead of just providing data to targeted advertising algorithms? Contact comms@dsasf.org or #ccc-comms on Slack to help out.
  • Help Organize Our Monthly Meetings and Other Fun Events! 
    • If you have experience or interest in organizing events, our Community team could use your help. Social events, educational events, and of course our monthly meetings; none of them happen without organizers. Fill out this form, email community@dsasf.org, or #ccc-community on Slack to join the fun.
  • Help Our Tech Team! 
    • Want to be a part of a team that is actually making a difference in the world, not just talking about it on LinkedIn? Help build the infrastructure that DSA SF uses to build socialism. Contact tech-support@dsasf.org or #ccc-tech on Slack to pitch in.

DSA SF Membership Drive

Consider becoming a member of National DSA or making sure your membership is up-to-date, so you can participate in the member forums and stay informed about what the National Organization is doing. Becoming a member also counts towards DSA SF’s delegate count for the August National Convention! As always, no one will be turned away for lack of funds; all you need to do is fill out the dues sponsorship form. If you have any other questions or hurdles on membership, feel free to email steering@dsasf.org and we’ll figure something out together.

Reading Groups

The Antonio Gramsci Reader

The 21st Century Socialism Reading Group takes a dip back into the 20th. There will be four sessions every other Tuesday, continuing with our third session next Tuesday, May 11, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Register here!

Making Asian America: Brief Excerpts on Labor, Belonging, and Empire

Join us for DSA SF’s newest reading group to commemorate AAPI Heritage Month, “Making Asian America.” There will be three sessions (Labor, Belonging, and Empire), each of which will examine a different aspect of Asian American political organizing within its historical context. The first session was this past Sunday, May 2, and the next two sessions will take place on Saturday, May 15, and Saturday, May 29, all at 2:30 p.m. Sign up here.