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The Peace and Freedom Party State Central Committee (SCC) met in Oakland in July.
After adding new members from Riverside, Sacramento and San Francisco, we moved to hear reports and plan activities around the fall special election and 2006 general election, anti-war and anti-military work and drug company profiteering.
The SCC voted unanimously to oppose Propositions 73, 74, 75, 76 and 78 in the November special election, and to call for a "yes" vote on Propositions 79 and 80. There were three votes against opposing Proposition 77; everyone else was in favor.
Stewart Alexander, executive director of the African-American Civil Liberties Union, announced his candidacy for Lieutenant Governor on the P&F ticket. He will campaign on repeal of the "three strikes" law, affordable heath care and housing, affirmative action in employment and repair and protection of the environment.
The African-American Civil Liberties Union is new organization headquartered in Fontana. It works for the rights of African-American youth to jobs, education and freedom from police harassment and jailings. You can contact it at 13677 Foothill Blvd., Unit K-216, Fontana, CA 92335.
Marsha Feinland, Peace and Freedom Party candidate for U.S. Senate in 2004, announced that she is ready and willing to begin campaigning against Dianne Feinstein in 2006. She will call for an immediate end to the occupation of Iraq, universal health care, repeal of the "No Child Left Behind" act and making the rich pay taxes.
Tom Condit, who was Peace & Freedom Party candidate for Insurance Commissioner in 1990 and 1994, announced his readiness for another run. He will focus his campaign on getting insurance company profits out of vital human needs like health care.
It was reported after the meeting that anthropologist Margie Akin, who has been a Peace and Freedom Party candidate for Riverside County Supervisor and for Congress, is prepared to run for statewide office -- probably treasurer or controller.
There was extensive discussion of running as full a slate as possible for legislature and congress in 2006.
Sacramento P&F members announced that they will run a slate for congress, legislature and city council. Most of the candidates will be labor activists.
Alameda county members introduced Eddie Ytuarte, a well-known disability rights and tenant activist in Oakland. Ytuarte will probably contest the open state assembly seat in the 16th district.
Collection of signatures to put candidates on the 2006 ballot begins December 30.
San Francisco Peace & Freedom members are working with "Hands Off Venezuela" to oppose U.S. attempts to subvert and possibly invade that country. (Hands Off Venezuela, 4579 18th Street San Francisco, CA 94114; www.ushov.org.) They have played an active part in building the "College Not Combat" campaign in S.F. (See story on page 3.)
P&F members in Fresno, Sacramento and Los Angeles have been active in the campaign for military-free high schools and community colleges.
The SCC voted to endorse and mobilize for the September 24 anti-war demonstrations in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
We also voted to support the October demonstration against the militarization of space at Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Alameda County P&F once more organized the car and van pool from BART to the annual Hiroshima Day demonstration at the Livermore National Laboratory.
San Diego P&F activist Janice Jordan was among the 200 people arrested at a protest the same day at the Nevada Nuclear Test Site.
Peace & Freedom Party activists participated in the "Education Or Incarceration?" conference in Los Angeles on June 30. The conference brought together activists, teachers and students to deal with common issues like imbalanced education funding, the growth of the "prison industrial" system, and militarism in the schools. Several "new business items" generated at the meeting were passed at the National Education Association's annual Representative Assembly the following week.
San Diego P&F is active in the fights against border vigilantism and a runaway grand jury investigation of animal rights groups in southern California.
Peace and social justice activist Vicky Fouts has agreed to act as interim Madera County chair of the Peace & Freedom Party.
The next meeting of the Peace & Freedom Party State Central Committee will be November 12-13 in Fresno.
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