Run, walk, bicycle, take the bus

Show up however you can to help elect candidates who care for the environment. Election 2004 - we need your help now!

The election on Tue., Nov. 2, could be the most critical in the nation's history. In this issue we feature articles on a few of the most critical campaigns - campaigns where your help is needed now. You can see our list our endorsements to date HERE, but many are still in progress, and the November-December issue will include a more complete list of endorsements and articles. (We are planning to mail that issue early, on Oct. 13, so that you can have it in hand before you cast your ballot.)

Voting isn't enough - we need your help to elect pro-environmental candidates

Getting involved in this fall's election is the best action you can take for the environment this year. Of course you understand the need to replace the most anti-environmental administration ever. Don't forget that we must also focus our energies on critical local elections. These local campaigns will determine whether we have sprawl or greenbelt, whether our Bay gets more fill and pollution, whether we make progress towards environmental justice.

There are many ways to make a difference. You can walk precincts, make phone calls, register voters, knock on doors, deliver flyers, hold banners, or write letters. You can help organize other volunteers and organize events such as house parties and letter-writing parties. If you have special skills, let us know; we may find a campaign where you can be of special help. To learn more about election skills, come to a Sierra Club Get-Out-the-Vote Training to learn the basics and/or how to take on a leadership role.

The earlier you volunteer, the more impact you can have.

This article lists a few of the opportunities in some of our highest-priority campaigns. These campaigns are of regional significance: wherever you live, we ask you to pitch in on at least one of these. More activities will be planned as the election approaches. To find out about opportunities at a time and location of your choice, return the volunteer card inserted in this Yodeler, or call any of the Sierra Club election organizers listed below.

Please commit your time now - to assure victory on Nov. 2!

Trainings

Join us for an election training on Wed., Sep. 22, 7 - 8:30 pm, at Sierra Club National Headquarters, 85 Second St. in San Francisco (one block from Montgomery BART). The subject will be "The Nuts and Bolts of GOTV (Getting Out the Vote)". To RSVP, or for more information, contact Cathleen Sullivan at (510) 848-0800, ext. 316, or by

Beerfest

Celebrate the biggest political season in years at our Microbrewery Beerfest - Thu., Sep. 9, 5:30 - 8 pm, at the Aquarium of the Bay on Pier 39 in San Francisco. See full details

Help on Election Day

Tue., Nov. 2, is the culmination of the whole election season! Take the day off from work to help Get Out the Vote: make phone calls, walk neighborhoods, honk and wave at major intersections, hand out information at BART and other transit stations, drive people to the polls. To sign up, call any of the contacts listed in this article.

San Francisco

Seven out of the 11 seats on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors are up for election this fall. Last year, it was the Supervisors who stopped a massive expansion of San Francisco Airport that would have filled in up to two square miles of the Bay! This project is not dead, however. We must re-elect our allies to prevent it from arising again.

Supervisor Jake McGoldrick (see article) is in the most heavily contested race.

The Sierra Club has also endorsed Tom Ammiano (District 9), Aaron Peskin (District 3), and Gerardo Sandoval (District 11), and in District 5 made a triple endorsement for Lisa Feldstein, Dan Kalb, and Ross Mirkarimi (see article in November-December Yodeler). Join us at Club-sponsored phone banks and walk days for Jake and our other allies:

phonebanking for Jake McGoldrick: week nights, 6 - 9 pm. We will make calls to San Francisco voters and to recruit fellow Sierra Club members to come help;
walk days for Jake McGoldrick: Sat., Sep. 11; Sun., Sep. 26; Sats., Oct. 9, 23, 30; Sun., Oct. 31 - 10 am each day at 219 Clement St. (between Third and Fourth Avenues);
walk days for other supervisorial candidates: Sats., Aug. 28; Oct. 2, 16.

More dates to be announced!

To volunteer in any of these San Francisco campaigns, contact Cathleen Sullivan at (510)848-0800, ext. 316, or by

Charles McGlashan for Marin County supervisor

Election of Charles McGlashan as county supervisor will bring a second strong voice for the environment to the Board of Supervisors (see article). Come support Charles by walking, phoning, or doing visibility in the coming months.

Precinct walking in Mill Valley:

Sun., Sep. 12 - kick-off party with refreshments at 12:30 pm; walking till 3 or 4;
Sun., Oct. 10 - 1 - 4 pm;
Sat., Oct. 16 - 1 - 4 pm.

After a hard afternoon of walking, all walkers are invited to join us at the Cantina Restaurant in Mill Valley at 4:30 for no-host yummy refreshments.

Phone banking, 6 - 9 pm, on:

Wed., Oct. 6;
Tue., Oct. 26;
Thu., Oct. 28.

P>To sign up for any of these activities, contact Roxanna Guide at (510) 848-0800, ext. 313, or by

Marin County initiatives

The Sierra Club will be tabling at farmers' markets in support Marin's Measure A, the transportation sales tax (see article), and Measure B, the initiative to prohibit the cultivation of Genetically Modified Organisms in Marin County (see article in next issue). To get involved, contact Roxanna Guide at (510) 848-0800, ext. 313, or by

Protect Franklin Canyon

Hercules residents will vote on Measure M, the Franklin Canyon Protection Initiative (see article). This jewel of a landscape is an open space of regional significance, and all Bay Area residents are asked to help. To find out about opportunities contact Jonna Papaefthimiou at (510) 848-0800, ext. 312, or by

East Bay Regional Parks Measure CC

The future of the East Bay Regional Park District is at stake this November. We must pass Measure CC to establish a parcel tax to support park maintenance (see article). Join in our voter-education effort on any of the following dates:

Sun., Sep. 12, 10 am - 3 pm;
Sat., Sep. 18, 10 am - 2 pm;
Sat., Oct. 9, 10 am - 2 pm;
Sun Oct. 17, 10 am - 2 pm;
Sat., Oct 23, 10 am - 2pm.

For more information or to sign up, please contact Anna Oursler at (510) 848-0800, ext. 307, or by

East Bay city councils

Real decisions about the things that affect you most - traffic, new subdivisions, city parks - are decided by local city councils. While city elections may lack the glamour of a presidential race, their modest scale means that community volunteers make a big impact. Volunteering on an aspiring councilmember's campaign is a great way to get your feet wet as a volunteer activist, meet neighbors, and make a difference in your community's quality of life. If our candidates succeed, and gain experience in local office, they become potential candidates for higher office in future years.

The Sierra Club would love to introduce you to our endorsed candidates and have your help in campaig.orgning to elect local environmentalists in the East Bay. The Sierra Club has endorsed:

Brian Parker and Robert Lieber in Albany (see article);
Reggie Moore in Antioch (see article);
Bob Wieckowski in Fremont (see article).

We are still considering endorsements in El Cerrito, Richmond, and Hercules, and perhaps other cities.

To find out more about our city-council endorsements in the East Bay, and to volunteer in these campaigns, contact Anna Oursler at (510) 848-0800, ext. 307, or by

Millie Greenberg for Contra Costa Board of Supervisors

Our highest Contra Costa priority is to re-elect Millie Greenberg as supervisor (see article). For two decades Millie has been a leader in the fight to protect open space. Now we must stand by Millie to secure a victory for Contra Costa County. We need volunteers to adopt precincts, and to help with voter registration and phone banking. Contact Nicole Drake at (510) 848-0800, ext. 310, or by

John Kerry for president

We are facing one of the most anti-environmental administrations ever. Help elect John Kerry as our next president (see article). Phone-banking to Sierra Club members in other states is an effective way to mobilize voters to participate in the November election. Volunteer early and often:

Thursdays, 6 - 9 pm, at Sierra Club National Headquarters, 85 Second St. (at Mission) in San Francisco.
Sundays, noon - 3 pm, Bay Chapter Office, 2530 San Pablo Ave. (at Blake) in Berkeley.

Bring your cell phones to use free weekend minutes!

To confirm times and dates, and to sign up, contact Anna Oursler at (510)848-0800, ext. 307, or by

Food, fun, and social change - host a letter party

Join us for a letter-writing party to write postcards to residents in Nevada or Oregon, educating them on the Bush administration's dismal environmental record! To host a party, contact Cathleen Sullivan at (510) 848-0800, ext. 316, or by

Road to Reno

Spread the Sierra Club message to a swing state. Nevada has a lot of beautiful open space, but only a handful of Sierra Club members. Come spend a weekend as an activist on the "Road to Reno" to help educate voters about the environmental records of John Kerry and George W. Bush. Learn about our campaign to put a safe environment at the top of America's agenda in this crucial presidential election.

The Club is scheduling a whole series of "Road to Somewhere" trips for Club members to visit swing states (see article). The next weekend scheduled for Reno is Sep. 18 - 19, when you will have the chance to talk one-on-one with fellow Sierra Club members who are not frequent voters. If you can't make it to Reno, you can still help out by hosting a phone bank or a house party.

For more information, contact Patricia Jones at (775) 324-0448 or by

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