Yesterday I got two calls that made my activist heart jump for joy.
First was the call inviting me onto the 60-person "transition team" for Mayor-elect Villaraigosa, which I am honored to join...I am buoyed by the energy and excitement in LA about this new leader -- I already have a flood of calls from folks who want to quit far better paying jobs to join his administration....always a good sign when folks are ready to sacrifice to build something together with others that benefits the public good! Nobody can remember excitement like this in local politics in a long, long time. Even though Antonio's campaign was lackluster, his victory built on the last campaign -- which was electric -- and an underlying desire for LA to translate a decade of new grassroots activism since the '92 riots into positive policy on economic and social justice issues.
Second, my best friend in the universe, CA Senator Sheila Kuehl, called me yesterday to report she was looking out of her window at nearly 10,000 firefighters, nurses, teachers, and others protesting Arnold's special election -- she was thrilled...AND there were nearly that many in downtown LA at the same time! God bless the nurses, who had the guts to start this anti-Arnold protest ball rolling....My radar senses a new determination by citizen-activists to stop the ROBOCOP governor from his bullying, coddling-the-rich policies! Only those who write him big checks are not special interests in his book, and CA voters are beginning to see through his spin. His special election will cost us $70 million and be all about turning power over to Republicans, and preventing any fiscal measures that could actually solve the crises in education, healthcare, and overincarceration. It's great to see Arnold's star finally begin to fade. He has bewitched CA voters but the spell is breaking....
My shop, Liberty Hill Foundation, inaugurated LIBERTYVOTE!, a nonpartisan voter registration and Get Out the Vote campaign in low income communities of color across LA County that is seeking to engage folks in the electoral process who have been alienated, never recruited, or in despair about political change. Despite criticism from partisan sectors, we believe in this model: tell people the issues, what the candidates stand for, who endorses them, and let folks decide who to vote for. It's an empowerment model based on working through existing community-based groups, such as the Korean Resource Center, Pacoima Beautiful, Community COalition in South LA --groups that have the ear and the trust of folks NOT generally counted in elections. And, people ARE getting involved -- LIBERTYVOTE! groups registered fully 10% of ALL new voters in 2004, and turnout in "low-propensity" districts increased by 10%. A similar program in Boston saw nearly 40% increase in voter turnout over 4 years. The longterm effect of building electoral engagement by new voters could turn politics and policy around in this state -- and the model could turn the country in a progressive direction over the years to come. *** And speaking of turning things around.....
Is it possible the tectonic plates are shifting toward a new era of activism on the left?