 IWCCC September 16, 2026 Newsletter |
 Graphic designed by Whit Clifton. Designs available to download and print. You probably hear from a lot of people, including me, that you need to hold hope while you fight to save our democracy. You need to resist the doom and rage that Trump dumps on us every day, envisioning how to build a better world instead. But some days it’s just too difficult to be hopeful. When that happens, I now embrace a mantra that I read from Rebecca Solnit: “If the word hope doesn’t work for you, try ‘Never fucking surrender.’” We’re in the home stretch for the midterm elections. This is truly a battle to save our country, and we can’t surrender to MAGA’s blatant attempts to suppress millions of votes. It’s time to do everything you can to get out the vote and safeguard elections. We need to create a Blue Wave too big to rig. Write postcards, text, call, or canvass door-to-door to engage everyone to get off the couch and vote early. Talk to your friends, family members, and neighbors, regardless of their political party. As Heather Cox Richardson wrote, “Whether you’re a Democrat, an Independent, or someone who has generally voted Republican in the past, most voters want the same things right now: to be led and represented by normal people who are good at getting things done.” Ballots are arriving soon, so it’s time to do your election homework. The Voter Information Guide is available online here, and the League of Women Voters of California’s ballot recommendations are listed here. Contra Costa County will send out vote-by-mail ballots on October 5, and ballot drop-off boxes open on October 6. Also, ask everyone you know to check their voter registration (at https://866ourvote.org/ or https://iwillvote.com/) to make sure they haven’t been recently purged from the voting rolls. In Contra Costa County, the last day to register to vote is October 19 — after that, you can only submit a provisional ballot. Jennifer Huber for IWCCC |
| Upcoming In-Person Events with Local Groups Friday Flyer to print and distribute |
| Meetings, Trainings, & Events Every Tuesday, 1-3 pm In-person Phone Bank:Nancy Klein’s House in El Sobrante Sign up here Every Wednesday, 2-3:30 pm, IWCCC Postcard Writing Meetup: Write postcards together or pick up postcards to write at homeThe Good Table Cafe, 5166 Sobrante Ave, El Sobrante, 94803Sign up for September 16, September 23, and September 30 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 Wednesday, September 16, 7:15-9 pm, Benefit for Indivisible East Bay Coalition:View the award-winning documentary “Democracy Noir: A New Dawn”Grand Lake Theater, 3200 Grand Ave, Oakland, 94610More info & buy tickets here Thursday, September 17, 5:30-7:30 pm, Anna Villalobos Campaign Launch:Come support IWCCC member Anna, who is running for San Pablo City CouncilLa Plazuela Restaurant, 2022 23rd Street, San Pablo, 94806 Sunday, September 20, 11 am-4 pm, El Sobrante Stroll:Join IWCCC members doing outreach in the parade and at our boothSan Pablo Dam Rd between Appian Way & El Portal Dr, El Sobrante, 94803Sign up here Sunday, September 27, 12-4 pm, El Sobrante Pride Day:Join IWCCC members doing outreach at our Pride boothLa Moine (Cheese) Park, 3445-3531 Morningside Dr, Richmond, 94803Sign up here ** Sunday, October 4, 3:30-5 pm, IWCCC Community Meeting: **The Good Table, 5166 Sobrante Ave, El Sobrante, 94803Sign up here For materials from our 8/30/26 meeting, click here 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 Tuesdays & Thursdays, 10-11:30 am, Federal Immigration Court Presence:Stand with immigrants in the face of the horrific actions of ICE1855 Gateway Blvd #850, Concord, 94520Sign up here Wednesdays, 4:30-6 pm, Berkeley Rush Hour Resistance:Pedestrian Bridge over I-80, University Ave & West Frontage Rd, Berkeley, 94710Sign up here Saturday, October 17, “No Kings: Vote Early” Events: Save the Date. More details soon! |
| Action Group News |
 Protest Group is focusing on “voting” as a theme at our “Good Trouble” Friday protests until November 3. Starting October 5, we need volunteers to hold “early voting” signs on San Pablo Dam-Appian corners between 5-6 pm every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until the election—sign up here. Here are a few voting slogans for signs if you need inspiration. And Whit Clifton also designed posters that you can have printed at the store—check out his designs and printing instructions here (use the “open in browser” link). We have some of them available for people to use on Fridays. And save the date: the next No Kings events are on October 17. More details coming soon.Outreach/Coalition Building Group is focusing on Get Out the Vote efforts. Help distribute Get Out the Vote flyers that list key voting dates. If you are able, print the flyer and pass it out to neighbors, friends, and local businesses. Look for IWCCC’s table at the El Sobrante Stroll and Pride Day, where we will focus on getting out the vote, reminding people to check their registration, and registering potential voters. If you are interested in volunteering for these events, sign up here. If you are interested in being a poll monitor for the November 3rd election, email Chris M. at indivisiblewestcococounty@gmail.com.  Blue Dot Group is helping “blue dot” Indivisibles motivate their demoralized electorate to vote, despite increased voter suppression. We’re fundraising for progressive candidates, mailing letters to voters, phone banking, canvassing, and networking to support vulnerable districts and flip red districts in Tennessee, North Carolina, Iowa, Ohio, Mississippi, and our own Central Valley, CA (CD-13 and CD-22). Contact J McNamara (democracy.richmondca@gmail.com) for more info.   Immigrants’ Rights Team wants to thank everyone who attended last week’s CCC Board of Supervisors meeting, especially those who spoke up. The supervisors voted for an ICE non-cooperation policy, rather than a stronger ordinance, but they will include our desired, stronger language regarding contractors. Our neighbor Obdulio Rivas still needs financial support for legal and related costs in his $20k immigration case. Please share his GoFundMe page on your social media and amongst your community. Reimagine Richmond is asking for help publicizing the West County rapid response phone number. Contact reimaginerichmond510@gmail.com to put up posters on poles or at local stores. 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. Last week, we took over the cafe with 26 participants. We’ve now sent almost 13,500 postcards to voters. We’re currently writing to Democrats in Maine who usually don’t vote in midterm elections, reminding voters that Susan Collins was the deciding vote for huge ICE funding increases. Next up, we’ll write to CA48 voters.  Phone Banking & Texting Group is busy reaching out to voters. There are in-person, weekly phone banks on Tuesdays from 1-3 pm at Nancy Klein’s house in El Sobrante. Starting on October 3, she will also host weekly phone banks on Saturdays from 10 am-noon. Newcomers are very welcome! Email, text, or call Nancy Klein (nancyklein44@outlook.com, 510-917-4045) or sign up here. Starting on October 1, Nancy K is also hosting phone banks for Adam Gray from 5:30-7:30 pm (sign up here). And she is happy to train you to phone bank from home. Check out the options for virtual phone banks here. Interested in texting instead? Nancy Klein and Nancy Burke (nlburke@sbcglocal.net) are happy to answer texting questions. Check out the options for virtual text banks here.  Interested in election protection, including helping voters “cure” their ballots if they made a mistake on the outside envelope? Check out the options here. Community Building Crew needs a leader to organize social activities — such as a potluck at Kennedy Grove or an after-election dance party — because we need FUN to sustain ourselves and our community.  Social Media Group is asking everyone to create and share posts encouraging people to check if they’ve been purged from voter rolls, register, and vote. Whit Clifton has designed some memes. Want to spend an hour with other volunteers to boost pro-democracy content on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and X? Swing Left has weekly virtual Social Banks on Thursdays from 4-5 pm. And please follow our social media accounts and share posts using the hashtag #iwccc to amplify our content. |
National/State/Regional SnapshotDonating: Use this Oath’s app to maximize the impact of your donation dollars. Be a poll worker: Sign up to be a poll worker on election day in Contra Costa County. Protect the Vote Training: Watch Indivisible’s Election Protection 101 and 201 videos if you missed these trainings. And review potential election defense scenarios here. 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 the outside of mail-in ballot envelopes. Learn more here and here. Research by VoteRiders and the Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement (CDCE) shows that 4.5 million citizens of voting age don’t have a current driver’s license with up-to-date info. And citizens of color and young people are less likely to have a driver’s license at all. CA Propositions: Check out the upcoming webinars on the CA propositions, hosted by CA Indivisible. Sign up here. Central Valley Matters: Help Randy Villegas win CD22. More info here and donation link here. No More Endless Wars: Call and demand that your representatives stop Trump’s wars 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. Armchair Action Opportunities Please check out this separate document for a large variety of actions that you can do from home. 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: indivisiblewestcococounty.orgCalendarTo join or unsubscribe from our email list: IndivisibleWestCoCoCounty@gmail.comTo register to attend events: Mobilize.us, filter by 94803Join us on Slack!BlueSky: @IndivisibleWCoCo.bsky.socialFacebook: @indivisible West CoCo CountyTikTok: tiktok.com/@iwccc12Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/IWCCC/ Tag us from your social media accounts with #IWCCC     Indivisible West CoCo County West County El Sobrante, CA 94803 United States If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive email from us, please unsubscribe. |
Yes on Props 3 and 40
Note: IWCCC has not taken official positions on these initiatives,
