-The content in this section is paid for by the Central Valley Progressive PAC-
Note: This is NOT an advertisement for PG&E
By Mike Rhodes
If everyone reading this issue of the Community Alliance newspaper joined the Central Valley Progressive PAC, we would run this town. Fresno would be a Sanctuary City, we would have police accountability, the homeless would be treated with dignity and respect, people would be paid a living wage and there would be green space and parks in every neighborhood.
With 10,000 members (a mere 1 percent of the population of Fresno County), the CVPPAC would have enough resources to run viable electoral campaigns in every Fresno race in the next four years. We could elect progressives to every local office from school board trustee to mayor.
The $4 million from membership dues would counter the resources used by the builders, developers and the ruling elite who dominate the political landscape of this city. Right-wing conservatives would not have a chance with the army of volunteers who will go door to door and phone bank to support social, economic and environmental justice.
Once progressives have taken over the City and County of Fresno, we will set our sights on Sacramento and Washington, D.C.
We are rallying poor and working people in this community to unite around an electoral strategy that leads to taking political power. That is why the CVPPAC was created—to provide a path to victory that will benefit the agenda of every progressive group in Fresno.
Join us if you believe in
- a sustainable future
- economic, social and environmental justice
- police accountability
- LGBT rights
- universal healthcare for all
- a living wage
- immigrant rights
For less than the cost of buying one pizza a month, you can start to change the world. Power to the People? Right on! But to make this work, we need everyone reading this article to clip out the membership form on this page, fill it in and mail it back to us.
The CVPPAC is providing the organizational infrastructure. We have the vision to win political power in this community and are asking you to respond to our urgent request. Please join us today!
Come to the Next CVPPAC Meeting
The current focus of the CVPPAC is building membership and preparing for the next election cycle in 2018. Representatives in Fresno City Council Districts 1, 3, 5 and 7 will be elected in 2018, and the CVPPAC is already looking closely at these races.
Oliver Baines terms out in District 1, which is in southwest Fresno, downtown and some of the Tower District. It is essential to keep that seat in the hands of a progressive. Although there are a lot of potential candidates who are considering running, we won’t know for a while who is the most viable progressive candidate in the race.
Everyone seems to agree that it is important to support the incumbent, Esmeralda Soria, in District 3 (in the Tower District and west/central Fresno). Soria has been accessible, she votes right on the issues and is a good ally on the City Council.
District 5 is held by Luis Chavez, another ally of the progressive community. It is anticipated that the CVPPAC will support and help get Chavez reelected.
District 7 will be the district where it is likely that the CVPPAC will put most of its resources. Clint Olivier is termed out, and if a progressive is elected it would change the balance of power at City Hall. There are at least two persons (one a CVPPAC member and the other a community activist) who have expressed an interest in running for the seat. In preparation for this election, the CVPPAC is starting a grassroots organizing project in District 7 that will include house meetings and a door-to-door campaign to identify issues and leaders.
If you are interested in the District 7 campaign, we urge you to come to the next CVPPAC meeting, which will be held on Saturday, March 11, at 3:30 p.m. at the Fresno Center for Nonviolence (1584 N. Van Ness Ave.). For more information, contact Pam Whalen at 559-994-9390 or pamwhalen@comcast.net.
*****
Central Valley Progressive PAC
Meeting
Saturday, March 11, at 3:30 p.m.
Fresno Center for Nonviolence
1584 N. Van Ness Ave.
Special Guest Speaker:
Genoveva Islas
Candidate for Fresno City Council District 7
