Hi Everyone,
I enjoyed a lovely camping trip with friends last week. One of the best parts was taking a break from my phone and the news.
For people who care, it’s easy to get caught up in the onslaught of headlines, tracking the daily assaults on our values and democracy. But those bait-click headlines don’t reflect the full picture.
As Jen Hofman from Americans of Conscience writes, “The truth is that people are, right now, quietly solving problems, speaking up for democracy, caring for neighbors, and building the future that we seek — one ordinary action at a time. That’s the news we need. That’s actually what’s going on, even if it never makes the news.”
For the sake of ourselves and our country, we can’t let fear write the story or drive our actions. Together, we are bigger than the headlines.
And together, we need to build an unstoppable voter turnout for November’s elections. Please read this newsletter and find one more thing you can do to get out the vote.
Jennifer Huber for IWCCC
| Upcoming In-Person Events with Local Indivisible GroupsFriday Flyer to print and distribute |
| Meetings, Trainings, & Socials Every Tuesday, 1-3 pm, In-person Phone Bank:(Note: No phone bank on August 4 and 11)Nancy Klein’s House in El Sobrante Sign up here Every Wednesday, 2-3:30 pm, IWCCC Postcard Writing Meetup: Come write postcards together or pick up postcards to write at homeThe Good Table Cafe, 5166 Sobrante Ave, El Sobrante, 94803Sign up August 5, August 12, and August 19 Second Wednesday of the month, 3:30-5 pm, IWCCC Immigrants’ Rights Meeting:The Good Table back conference room, 5166 Sobrante Ave, El Sobrante, 94803 Tuesday, August 11, 9 am, Board of Supervisors ICE Non-Compliance Vote:Encourage our supervisors to pass a county-wide ICE Non-Compliance OrdinanceAttend at 1025 Escobar St, Martinez, 94553 or from homeMore details Saturday, August 15, 10 am-2 pm, Digital Security Training:Learn how to protect yourself, work, and community from mass surveillanceIn-person Richmond location & Zoom link provided after you RSVP Saturday, August 15, 3-5:30 pm, Borderland: The Line Within Documentary:View & discuss a moving film that exposes the profiteering of the border industryOpen Door United Methodist Church, 6226 Arlington Blvd, Richmond, 94805Info about the film Tuesday, August 18, 5:30-7:30 pm, Fundraiser for Anna Villalobos:Come support an IWCCC member who is running for San Pablo City CouncilRSVP to Cheryl at 510-932-9426 Tuesday, August 25, 10 am, CCC TRUTH Act Community Forum:Sheriff will present 2025 date on responses to ICE requestsAttend at 1025 Escobar St, Martinez, 94553 or from homeMore details ** Sunday, August 30, 3:30-5 pm, IWCCC Community Meeting: **The Good Table, 5166 Sobrante Ave, El Sobrante, 94803 Protests Every Friday, 5-6 pm, IWCCC Good Trouble Protest:Bring non-perishable food, towels, & toiletries to donate San Pablo Dam Rd. & Appian Way, El Sobrante, 94803Sign up here Every Saturday, 11 am-12 pm, Stand Up for Our Immigrant Community Rally: Grocery Outlet, 2079 23rd St., San Pablo, 94806 Second Saturday of the month, 11 am-12 pm, Indivisible North East Bay Protest:San Pablo Ave & Sycamore Ave, Hercules, 94547Sign up here Fourth Saturday of the month, 11 am-12 pm, Indivisible North East Bay Protest:Tennent Avenue & San Pablo Ave, Pinole, 94564Sign up here |
| National/State/Regional Snapshot |
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| Election Preparation: Join the Indivisible California Statewide network’s presentation on August 19 at 6:30 pm.Nick Green, from the Special Litigation Section of the California Department of Justice, will speak about voting rights, elections, and what local Indivisible groups can do to support smooth elections.Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/9450596897 No More Endless Wars: Trump has dragged our country into wars by decree, while treating the presidency like a throne and committing horrific war crimes. Congress must act! Call and demand that your representatives stop Trump’s war in Iran, using this script. And demand they oppose the reconciliation 3.0 bill, which includes an additional $73B for the Iran war – more info and script here. Donating: Use this Oath’s app to maximize the impact of your donation dollars. Stop CA Prop 39: Californians will vote in November on a Republican-backed voter ID ballot initiative to amend the California constitution to require a government ID for voting in person and an ID number for mail-in ballot envelopes. Learn more hereand here.Research by VoteRiders and the Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement shows nearly 4.5 million citizens of voting age don’t have an up-to-date driver’s license. And citizens of color and young people are less likely to have a driver’s license at all. |
| Trainings: Check out two virtual training series:(1) Indivisible National’s Immigrant Justice Summer 5-part training series and(2) Freedom Trainers’ Non-Cooperation/Economic Pressure/Strike Readiness trainings.Learn more and register here. Central Valley Matters: Help Randy Villegas win CD22 Congressional District. More info here. Click on the image below to donate! Be a poll worker: Sign up to be a poll worker on election day in Contra Costa County.IWCCC member Neil Zarchin’s first experience as a poll worker on June 2 was “rewarding and fun.” Contact him for more information at neil.zarchin@outlook.com. |
| Action Group News |
 Protest Group is busy organizing our regular “Good Trouble” Friday protests. We are focusing on “voting” as a theme this summer – here are a few slogans for posters if you need inspiration. And Whit Clifton designed posters that you can print – check out his designs and printing info here. |
Outreach/Coalition Building Group is focusing on Get Out the Vote efforts, including registering voters. A small team is organizing voter registration in high schools and reaching out to local grassroots organizations that serve youth and young adults. We also need volunteers to table at the El Sobrante Stroll and Pride Day. Sign up here. |
Blue Dot Group is helping “blue dot” Indivisibles motivate their demoralized electorate to vote, despite increased voter suppression. In concert with Indivisible East Bay, we’re fundraising for young progressive candidates, mailing letters to voters, phone banking, and networking to help red-state Indivisibles in Tennessee, North Carolina, Iowa, Ohio, Mississippi, and our own Central Valley. Contact J McNamara (democracy.richmond@gmail.com) for more info. |
 Immigrants’ Rights Team: ICE recently detained two immigrants in our area. Learn the SALUTE protocol, so you know how and what to report to the local Rapid Response number if you witness a raid. And view these videos to prepare: (1) How to document & report ICE activity and (2) Eyes on ICE: Document and Record. Contact Mary Downs (atapo.uma@gmail.com) or Gail Gordon (gailsusangordon@gmail.com) for more info. |
Writing Group is getting out the vote by sending handwritten postcards to Democrats and Independents who live in “toss-up” districts. We meet every Wednesday from 2-3:30 PM at the Good Table Cafe patio. We’ve mailed 10,485 postcards so far! We’re currently writing to Democratic voters in Ohio who typically don’t vote in midterm elections. Register for August 5, August 12, and August 19. |
 Phone Banking Group has in-person, weekly phone banks on Tuesdays from 1-3 pm at Nancy Klein’s house in El Sobrante. Email, text, or call Nancy Klein (nancyklein44@outlook.com, 510-917-4045) or sign up here. Newcomers are very welcome. (Note: Nancy is on vacation, so there will be no phone bank on August 4 or 11.) Nancy is also happy to help train you to phone bank or text from home. Check out the options for virtual phone banks here and virtual text banks here. |
Community Building Crew needs a leader to organize social activities — such as a potluck at Kennedy Grove or sign-making parties at The Shed — because we need FUN to sustain ourselves and our community.  |
 Social Media Group needs volunteers to make memes, reels, and posts for Bluesky, Facebook, TikTok, and/or Reddit to educate and activate people to help save our Democracy. And everybody, please follow our social media accounts and share posts using the hashtag #iwccc to amplify our content. |
| Armchair Action Opportunities |
| Handy Links to Inform and Inspire Your Activism |
| Indivisible’s Latest Newsletter and weekly What’s the Plan Zoom calls on Thursday at 12 pm.The Rachel Maddow Show, MSNBC: A podcast or show that’s a great pick-me-up every Monday evening. “Letters from an American”: A daily ~10-minute Substack blog and podcast by Heather Cox Richardson on the historical context of what’s happening in the news.“Chop Wood, Carry Water”: A well-informed, upbeat Substack blog by Jess Craven with a list of actions to make a difference and good news to celebrate on Sundays. “Hopium Chronicles”: A Substack blog by Simon Rosenberg with hopeful news, sharp analysis, and strategies on how to defeat MAGA.“The Anti-Authoritarian Playbook”: A Substack blog by Scott Nagakawa on how to resist authoritarianism.“Democracy Docket”: Daily & weekly newsletters by Mark Elias about the latest voting rights and election issues in the courts. “The Joy Reid Show”: A YouTube show with Joy-Ann Reid’s takes and analysis of the news, politics, and culture. If you’re an artist or crafter, check out the activism handbook “Let’s Move the Needle” by Shannon Downey. |
| IWCCC Contacts, Communications, & Social Media |
| Website: indivisiblewestcococountyorgCalendar To join or unsubscribe from our email list: IndivisibleWestCoCoCounty@gmail.com To register to attend events: us, filter by 94803 Join us on Slack! BlueSky: @IndivisibleWCoCo.bsky.social Facebook: @indivisible West CoCo County TikTok: com/@iwccc12 Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/IWCCC/ Tag us from your social media accounts with #IWCCC and #Indivisible |
