Report Back

The event focused on the limits of policy work under capitalism and the potential for mass organization and mobilization in the face of crisis. In this episode, Andy M. addresses Alex Lee's social housing proposal for San Jose, the major issues of America's affordable housing programs, systemic barriers to Berlin's Housing Expropriation Initiative, and Stomp Out Slumlord's successes in organizing and mobilizing tenants during earlier stages of the pandemic.

This episode is a recording from the second installment of the Empty Homes Tax educational series on A Socialist Answer to the Housing Question. This event focused on Engel's The Housing Question, its relevance for DSA SF's Empty Homes Tax campaign, and how it might inform our larger socialist efforts in addressing the housing crisis. If you feel inspired by what you hear and want to get involved in our campaign work, please check out the campaign site www.fillemptyhomes.com, where you can register for signature gathering events or donate. In order to get this measure on the ballot, we need to get 14,000 signatures by this July, so if you can, please come join us for signature gathering.

DSA SF member Andy M interviews D5 Supervisor and fellow DSA SF member Dean Preston on the Empty Homes Tax campaign, how similar taxes have been implemented in other cities, and the specific conditions underlying San Francisco's current housing crisis. If you would like to get involved in the SF Empty Homes Tax campaign, go to fillemptyhomes.com to sign up for signature gathering events or donate. We need 14,000 signatures by this July, so any support helps!

DSA SF member and Electoral organizer Avery Yu gives an introduction to the world of field organizing - list building, contact strategy, and more!

As part of our chapter's Labor Circles priority campaign, we held an introduction to the basic unit of labor organizing: the organizing conversation. Take the labor census at https://dsasf.org/census to get involved in our Labor Circles priority campaign!

A recording of a panel held by DSA San Francisco's Labor Organizing Committee discussing the work of Jane McAlevey, author of "No Shortcuts: Organizing for Power in the New Gilded Age" Take the labor census at https://dsasf.org/census to get involved in our Labor Circles priority campaign!

Alisha F discusses the chapter Black Liberation and Indigenous Sovereignty campaign, including the chapter's internal audit and political education program. Interview by chapter communications team lead and member of the chapter's International Solidarity Organizing Committee Savannah K

Special guest Shaun Scott joins DSA SF to discuss "Forward Thrust," a 1968 and 1970 ballot measure package campaign in Seattle.

The podcast formerly known as "Report Back" will now be "The Priority." In this episode you'll hear an introduction to our chapter's Ballot Measure priority campaign. Join DSA San Francisco: https://dsasf.org/join

In this episode, Jason talks with Kaylah Williams (https://twitter.com/KaylahSF), an organizer from Afrosocialist Caucus and Defund SFPD Now. Find out why DSA SF wants to defund, disarm, and disband the police, and how this new campaign is already making a big impact! For more information on the campaign, or to get involved, check out https://defundsfpdnow.com or follow https://twitter.com/AfrosocialistSF and https://twitter.com/defundSFPDnow on Twitter. Also check out the Strike for Black Lives on July 20: https://j20strikeforblacklives.org

Following the widespread protests against police brutality following the killing of George Floyd, London Breed the mayor of San Francisco announced an unprecedented citywide curfew on Sunday, May 31. In the next few days hundreds of thousands of dollars in police overtime would be spent enforcing this clear suppression of free speech to arrest a handful of peaceful protestors. The following Tuesday June 2, Democratic Socialists of America and other supporters demonstrated against the curfew with a sit-in. 27 demonstrators and a journalist were arrested. The next day the curfew order was lifted. We spoke with one of the demonstrators about what happened that night.

In San Francisco, activists and organizers are working to deliver hand sanitizer to vulnerable groups most at risk of contracting the Coronavirus. In this episode we get updates from two mutual aid projects. First, Avery Yu aide to Supervisor Dean Preston gives an update from their group that is getting hand sanitizer to MUNI workers, public housing residents, and more. To volunteer, email averyyu8@gmail.com. You can help their fundraiser at https://www.gofundme.com/f/hand-sanitizer-for-our-most-vulnerable Then, Elina Kostyanovskaya from DSA SF Justice Committee and the Science Policy Group at UCSF shares what their group is doing to distribute hand sanitizer to incarcerated people in the Bay Area. They're fundraising at https://www.gofundme.com/f/gqgve-hand-sanitizer-for-vulnerable-groups-amid-covid19

With the support of DSA San Francisco and the local community, workers at Anchor Brewing organized the Anchor Union last March. Just before Christmas, that union approved its first contract. Anchor Public Taps bartenders Blake and Patrick join us to talk about the contract negotiation process, what’s in the new contract, and what’s next for the Anchor Union. You can follow the union on social media, or show your support using the hashtag #anchoredInSF https://twitter.com/anchorunionSF https://www.instagram.com/anchorunionsf https://www.facebook.com/AnchorUnion If this episode inspires you to organize your workplace, get in touch with the DSA SF Labor Organizing Committee by emailing labor@dsasf.org

This episode discusses the process and results of creating and distributing informational flyers and cards to aid people who may become a victim of ICE. Rachel, a member of DSA SF's Immigrants' Rights and International Solidarity committee discusses ICE in San Francisco, the importance of giving people the right information, and how everyday people react to getting that information. Contact the Immigrants' Rights and International Solidarity committee at DSA SF via immigration@dsasf.org https://dsasf.org/

David talks with Tyler Breisacher of DSA Queer Caucus about the San Francisco Pride parade — famously the annual celebration of LGBTQIA+ identities, but beyond the corporate-sponsored festivities it remains the locus of a liberation struggle which is still being fought today. At the parade this past June, protestors halted the parade for nearly an hour – an action that was broken up violently by the police in a grim reenactment of historic conflicts. We want to be clear about ascribing credit: although some of our chapter members did participate, the protest was not DSA-organized. Correction: When this episode was first issued, my intro mistakenly attributed the statement read by Tyler during the interview to the Berkeley Free Clinic (berkeleyfreeclinic.org / twitter: @BFCoutreach). The statement read by Tyler was not by BFC, although they did issue a different statement about pulling out of Pride: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfrjNnfoAVdxLENYJzxDWbdcUcZ2Sl53bt72RogW4XB5xGxaQ/viewform My apologies for the mistake! - David

David talks to Cassidy Kakin and Scott Chowning about how they organized Facebook Bike Share workers. Their tale has a few twists and turns but stands as another successful example of worker solidarity in the Bay Area. Please join Facebook cafeteria workers at their upcoming rally in San Francisco on July 16! More info here: https://www.alpha.facebook.com/events/714769842310892/

*** Please donate to our Disaster Relief Supply Drive today! *** https://tinyurl.com/dsamask David talks to Dale Smith and Josh Kelly about our chapter’s efforts to protect our neighbors from the effects of environmental disasters, principally the smoke from nearby fires. We talk about the origins of these efforts last year, and how we’re planning for dangers to come. SF Weekly on DSASF’s mask distribution project last year: http://www.sfweekly.com/news/democratic-socialists-distribute-more-n95-masks-than-the-city/ Our smoke safety infographic: https://twitter.com/DSA_SF/status/1064423472229638144

In this episode Nick Novitski talks to Brace Belden about the 2019 May Day action organized by the members of IWLU Local 10 to oppose the plans of the Oakland Port Commision and Oakland A's owner John Fisher to build a new baseball stadium on the site of Howard Terminal. Thanks to the Labor Video Project, you can watch Brace's full speech at the action, along with those of many other powerful speakers, such as the president of CWA AFA International, Sara Nelson. Labor Video Project - http://laborvideo.org Brace's speech - https://youtu.be/Y_WQNoEj1cY?t=1272 Thanks to the Harry Bridges Project, you can also watch a rehearsal session of Local 10's Drill Team (which Brace and Nick both admire, but both misremember as being called a "color guard"), and a short excerpt of a documentary about them. Harry Bridges Projet - http://theharrybridgesproject.org Drill Team rehearsal - http://theharrybridgesproject.org/drill_team2.mov Drill Team documentary excerpt - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6Bsveqgu7I Email DSASF's Labor Committee to find out how you can support the workers of the Bay Area at labor@dsasf.org.

In this episode David talks with Jen Snyder about Prop F, the ballot measure passed one year ago that promises legal representation to all tenants facing eviction. 1,600 San Franciscans were evicted in 2017, a 26% increase from 2010, and 90% of evicted people are black or Latinx. While landlords are well-armed in the courts, only 10% of tenants have lawyers. So Prop F addresses a major power imbalance between property owners and the working class. Jen was central to the campaign for Prop F alongside Dean Preston, the tenant rights attorney now running for supervisor of district 5. Jen is Dean’s campaign manager. www.votedean.com

Sarah Chen Small, a member of the San Francisco DSA's SocFem (Socialist Feminism) committee, is interviewed about an action she helped plan where donors bowled to raise funds for women who cannot afford abortion care. The local group raised about $2400 for this critical need. The fundraiser was part of a national campaign to raise financial support for the National Network of Abortion Funds (NNAF); the money raised by DSA-SF and others who came to this action will stay in California to help women who otherwise would not be able to afford the abortion care they have chosen. For more info see: Women’s Health Justice http://accesswhj.org https://www.abortionfunds.org Contact the SF SocFem group at DSA via SocFem@dsasf.org https://dsasf.org/

We talk to Hannah Giorgi from the DSA SF Labor Organizing Committee about the Marriott Hotel Workers Strike and what Bay Area DSA chapters did to support the workers during the 60 days they were picketing.

Jon X talks to Allegra of DSASF's Justice Committee about San Francisco's first ever Break Light Repair Clinic. We offer free break light replacements and instructions on how to fix break lights to the community, in the hopes of depriving cops of one of the most common pretexts for making traffic stops.

On Thursday March 28, 2019 Ford GoBike Workers in San Francisco voted to join Transport Workers Union of America (TWU). We talk with an organizer about the vote, the community support behind the unionization effort, and what’s coming next for Ford GoBike workers.

London Breed’s proposed Navigation Center at the Embarcadero would offer over 200 beds to unhoused people, but has drawn ire from nearby wealthy residents who started a GoFundMe campaign to fund a legal battle. The Coalition on Homelessness’s response GoFundMe supporting the Navigation Center has been far more successful. But victory is not assured, as demonstrated by tonight’s vitriolic community meeting. On the 10th episode of Report Back we’re joined by Sasha Perigo of DSA SF and incoming co-chair of the Homelessness Working Group, and Jack Rice, Development Director at the Coalition on Homelessness. To get involved: - Donate to the good GoFundMe at https://www.gofundme.com/safer-embarcadero-for-all - Set up a recurring donation to the Coalition on Homelessness http://cohsf.org - Attend weekly Human Rights Working Group meetings at the CoH on Wednesdays at Noon - Join the DSA Homelessness Working Group homelessness@dsasf.org - Give feedback on the Navigation Center at hsh.sfgov.org or email your Supervisor … and also tell them to stop the sweeps! #StopTheSweeps #SafeSleep

Tyler Brown of the DSA Ecosocialist Working Group talks about the Green New Deal Guiding Principles, a document which was the subject of an online vote within our chapter this week. Tyler explains how as socialists, we see a credible response to the climate crisis as being inextricably linked to our fight for equity. You can read the Green New Deal Guiding Principles here: https://ecosocialists.dsausa.org/2019/02/28/gnd-principles/ Follow DSA Ecosocialists on Twitter at @DSA_Enviro https://twitter.com/DSA_Enviro Contact the Climate & Environmental Justice Committee at climatejustice@dsasf.org *** UPCOMING C&EJ EVENTS *** Spring Cook-out - Saturday April 6, 11am-6pm https://www.facebook.com/events/390908971637468/ Join us for a family friendly BBQ and pot luck hosted by the Environmental & Climate Justice Working Group. Come enjoy your public park and get energized for Earth Week. We'll have hot grills, cold drinks and extra sunscreen. Bring your spring time vibes and something to share. We'll fire up the grill at 11 am. Marx Meadow is located north of JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park, Just south of Fulton & 26th Ave, next to the disc golf course. The picnic area is not officially ADA accessible but it is 30 feet of open field away from handicap parking spaces on JFK Drive. https://goo.gl/maps/z1pukyMDerT2 Public Banking 101 - Thursday April 11, 6pm https://www.facebook.com/events/346452535929672/?event_time_id=346452562596336 A public bank is a bank owned by the public, created for the public good. Public banking is where many divestment efforts like prison divestment, fossil fuel divestment, and weapons divestment converge. RE-Investment via public banking has re-emerged as an avenue to fulfill to these calls for divestment while simultaneously taking back control of our own city's money. Here in San Francisco, people are pushing for a movement to divest our city taxpayer money from Wall Street, and reinvest that money into permanently affordable housing, green energy infrastructure, schools and more. ZERO financial background required to come learn how we can take $11 BILLION of SF taxpayer money Out of Wall Street and Into Our Streets! Birding With Comrades! - Sunday April 14, 1pm https://www.facebook.com/events/323368628531062/ Our first birding trip was so fun I decided to do it again! This time we're going to the chain of lakes in Golden Gate Park. This series of lakes in the west end of GGP has lots of water birds like Pied Billed Grebes but also songbirds like bushtits and dark eyed juncos. It's also home to a large pack of highly habituated trash pandas. They're mostly harmless. :) Climate Change Decompression session - Sunday April 21, 3-4:30pm
https://www.facebook.com/events/405450373613777/ In Franklin Park, we'll be unpacking our feelings around climate change in a supportive, safe environment, and sharing the things that give us hope. Potluck rules — have a snack, bring a snack, share with comrades. This event is open to everyone, and great for first time members and people who are still figuring this all out. Join the meeting after - or not!

Why do socialists like roses? What's the deal with the color red. We talk about some common socialist symbols and their history.

Sam Lew of the Coalition on Homelessness speaks about the Board of Supervisors hearing on March 7th on the so-called sweeps – the harassment and property confiscation of our homeless neighbors by San Francisco city agencies. The hearing was well-attended by the public with all present speaking against the sweeps. Representatives of city agencies who defended policy delivered dubious testimony and left before public comment. Supervisor Matt Haney expressed sympathy with public opposition to the sweeps.

This past week, we interviewed Lorraine Mann, an elementary school teacher who was participating in the Oakland teachers strike. We learned a lot more about the strike, how the negotiations were going, and the fight for public education in Oakland. The strike concluded on Sunday evening when the teachers in the union voted to accept an agreement that the union and the school board had negotiated on Friday.

Last Thursday, the Oakland Education Association went on strike in the Oakland School District. They are asking for higher pay and also discussing smaller class sizes and increased resources for their students including more counselors and school nurses. We talk to a DSA organizer, Blake, about how the strike is going, what teachers are fighting for, and what we can do to help out.

Thursday, February 21 the West Coast Pet Care Workers held a rally at the San Francisco Veterinary Specialists location in the Mission District. We get an update about their fight for better working conditions and to bring better care for their patients If your pet is a patient at SFVS, you can call 1-800-966-1822, and tell them you support the west coast pet care workers because you want the people who care for your pets to be taken cared of, too. You can follow them at https://www.instagram.com/westcoastpetcareworkers/

On February 7, the Anchor Union went public with their organizing campaign and on February 15, members of the Anchor Union organizing committee, ILWU, and DSA SF rallied to do a “drink-in” at the Anchor Steam Public taps. We get a report back on the drink-in from a member of the Anchor Union organizing committee. Supporters of the Anchor Union can help them win recognition by: 1. posting a message of support to the social media platform of their choice with the hashtags #anchoredinsf and #anchorunion 2. Sign the support petition https://petitions.moveon.org/sign/support-workers-unionizing 3. Join a poster drop organized by a DSA chapter near you. San Francisco. Find out when the next mobilization is by following AnchorUnionSF https://twitter.com/anchorunionsf

Last Thursday, members from the Plaza 16 coalition packed the San Francisco Planning Commission’s hearing for the building development planned for 1979 mission street, dubbed the Monster in the Mission. We get an update on this five year long struggle to fight a "gentrification bomb" in the Mission Neighborhood that has already seen 8,000 low-income residents displaced permanently.

During our recent winter storms, the Department of Public Works and SFPD were confiscating unhoused people’s tents and survival gear, leaving people to sleep in the rain and cold without any protection. Our city’s response was to add 25 more mats to our shelter system which doesn’t provide relief for our city’s nearly 8,000 homeless. Our chapter’s homelessness committee fundraised $5,000 in 2 days to purchase and distribute survival gear to unhoused folks, and set up a hotline for people to report when city workers illegally seize their survival gear.

Report back on the protests at the CPUC emergency meeting to approve $5.5 billion in private funding for PG&E bankruptcy reorganizing.

Report back on Womens March 2019 with co-chair of the DSA SF Socialist Feminist working group.