Community Choice Energy

Currently, most businesses and residents in the Bay Area are unable to purchase cleaner energy through the grid. Installing solar panels is one way to have cleaner energy, but is not economically feasible for everyone. Likewise, purchasing “green credits” and carbon offsets are not the same as renewable energy delivered directly to your business or home.
Community Choice Energy gives customers a choice in their energy provider. With Community Choice Energy, cities and counties contract with a licensed energy service provider to purchase energy in bulk, build renewable energy generating facilities, and implement energy efficiency programs. This efficient public/private partnership makes it possible to get the greenest energy at the best rates. Each consumer is enrolled in the program unless they “opt out.” In other words, consumers can choose to buy electricity through the community choice program or stay with the investor-owned utility (IOU). The city or county keeps prices competitive—and affordable for low-income residents— while investing in renewable energy generation and energy efficiency with full citizen oversight. The utility company continues to handle transmission and billing.
Oakland, Berkeley, and Emeryville are considering creating an East Bay Joint Powers Authority for Community Choice Energy to meet a target of 50% renewable power by 2017 and to offer stable, affordable rates. This is a considerably higher percentage of renewable energy than Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) is projected to offer by that date. The Local Clean Energy Alliance advocates that any East Bay Community Choice Energy program prioritize local generation of power and equitably distribute the job and wealth creation benefits of local clean energy. The alliance estimates that meeting 50% of the summer electricity demand of Oakland’s commercial building sector through local solar power would create nearly 1,000 new long-term jobs and be a significant step towards Oakland Mayor Dellums’ goal of creating 10,000 jobs for Oakland residents. The Alliance is supportive of local hire polices and workforce development initiatives.
A recent study explored the job creation possibilities of a San Diego Community Choice Energy program that increases electricity efficiency by 40% and installs PV systems on about 20% of its roofs and parking lots. The study found that installing PV panels and electricity efficiency improvements would create more than 123,000 direct job-years of employment over 40 years. This is 13 times more direct job-years of employment than continued dependence on and investment in fossil fuels and nuclear power.
The Local Clean Energy Alliance advocates the establishment of a community advisory committee consisting of community leaders and local experts to provide oversight for Community Choice implementation and administration.
To move Community Chocie forward, we are:

1. Doing outreach to Neighborhood Groups and community events to educate them about CCE and how it would benefit residents in the East Bay. Contact Jan at baylocalize.org if your group would like to host a forum or would like a presentation.
2. We are lobbying city officials to make CCE a priority
3. Attending public meetings to speak on behalf of CCE.
4. Encouraging people to join the LCEA and receive updates about our activities and become directly involved
5. Having people endorse CCE
6. Getting people to post comments on the Berkeley Climate Action Plan that push for CCE to be priority.
   

If you would like to support this effort, please contact Jan at baylocalize.org.
For more info on CCE, see our links and resources.

The Oakland Greens Have a Plan!

What happened to the Oakland Green Party? What are they doing? Why don't I know whats going on? What do they have planned? Valid questions, and here are some answers.

Well, we been here, working, staying in action, worked on the National Presidential Elections, helped with the Alameda Voter Guide, support local campaigns and state propositions.

And now we have a plan for 2009. No time to waste. We ain't goin nowhere and we are not
taking a break. We are here, ready to build and plan, ready to organize and outreach. Ready to take it to the next level.

PROPOSED TIME LINE

November

• General Meeting
• Identify Group A, Group B and Group C.
• Create Group A calling Script
• Collect Voter Rolls.

December

• Tabulate Voter Rolls Database into useable info.
• General Meeting
• Discuss and decide oaklands support contribution of Malik Rahim’s congressional campaign in New Orleans
• Create Email Message
• Decide on 3 projects of Chapter for 2009.
• Revamp Oakland Greens Website. (blog, youtube, links, meetings, resources, plans, minutes, etc)
• Recruitment Phase I Calling.

January

• Recruitment Phase II

  email blasts/precincts
  

• General Meeting/Informational

• Email/Website Updates

February

• General Meeting/Informational/Educational

• Training for re-registering

• Identify Local Campaign(s) to Begin

March

• Registering New Greens

April

• Preparation for Local Campaigns/Local Accountability

• Identify Statewide Campaign

May

• Preparation for Statewide Campaigns/Statewide Accountability
• Identify National Campaign

June

• Preparation for National Campaigns

Etc. Etc. Etc.

Come to a Oakland Green Party Meeting and help us add more to this and make it happen.

143,746 people vote their values in 2008! What do we all do now?

Celebrations are in order. Over 140,000 people voted Green, vote for Cynthia McKinney, voted for Rosa Clemente, vote for Peace, Justice, Democracy and Sustainability. It was a high turn out this year, nearly 60% of eligible voters turned out, excited by Obama's rhetoric and the corporate medias advertisement of his hollow promises as if he were another product to sell. Progressives excited by Nader's campaign turned out the polls. Many, many people voted, for many different reasons, however over 140,000 voters decided to continue to build the Green Party electoral movement. All these people voted, not for a symbolic reason, not to make a statement but to build a movement. So where is this movement that they want to see or be a part of? What is next for the Party? How can they support this?

Many lessons were learned through this campaign and throughout the steady building of the Green Party. Here are a few:

• We need a better website and better communications
• We need increase the non-election year work
• We need to better publicize and record all the work that takes place
• We need to better our multimedia and print materials (brochures, videos, flyers)
  
• We need clearer, more succint, positive, proactive and more accesible messages
• We need an strong infrastruture of local chapters, state chapters, and national networks
• We need to use the internet more (youtube, myspace, facebook, blogs, wikis, polls, nings)
• We need more people to run for offices so people have options whenvoting
  

To do all this we need more people and more funds to pay for the time and materials that go into this work. And just think if everyone who voted this year for McKinney/Clemente donated only $1, we would have nearly $150,000 to carry out these goals and do what is neccesary.

But where do you wanna see your money go most?

Green Party 2008 Documentary - 3rd Eye Wisdom - Independent Political Action

A thought provoking documentary created by members of the Green Party, in support of Ralph Nader, Cynthia McKinney, Rosa Clemente and Matt Gonzalez. What is the Green Party? Who are the members? What is Independent Political Action? How is it different from the Democratic and Republican Parties? What next?

Vote Independent and Green in 2008!

www.runcynthiarun.org
www.votenader.com
www.gp.org

Are the Green Spoilers or Fresheners?

The Green Party has no expiration date. We stay fresh and keep politics fresh. We bring new ideas into the conversation. We freshen up the system that the Democratic and Republican parties are trying to rotten. We are fighting for Instant Run Off Voting, Public Finance of Campaigns, Secure and Supervised Voting, and Open Debates. The question is, do you want the system to continue to rot or do you want to help the Green Party to keep it fresh?


• The concept of spoiling was defined and created by the Democratic Party and their funders due to their fear of losing the undeserved power they have in our country. If they can convince us that we are doing the opposite of building a movement and exercising our right to freedom and democracy, then they win. But we know the truth and we believe in Choices and Voices. We believe in our values. We know we are the fresheners of freedom, the baking soda of bueracracy. We are the party working to stop the rotting perpetuated by the Democratic and Republican Party.


• They year 2000, is an example of how the Green Party kept it fresh. Despite all that happened, it was the Green Party, 3rd Parties and Independent Voters, who fought for election justice.

The Supreme Court Spoiled (appointed by Dems and Repubs):
Al Gore won the 2000 election. George W. Bush became President when a biased US Supreme Court allowed election manipulation by Florida Republicans.

Al Gore Spoiled in 2000(Dem):
Gore ran a weak campaign with no clear message. He failed to defeat Bush in the debates and even lost his home state of Tennessee. MILLIONS of Democrats voted for Bush compared to the few hundred thousand who voted for Nader. Al Gore also accepted the "defeat" and let it go. Why?
Democratic Senators Spoiled:

When the Black Caucus challenged Bush’s election victory in January 2001, not one Democratic Senator stood up in support. Senate Democrats failed to push for an investigation of the Florida vote debacle.
The Democratic Party Spoiled:

For many years, Democrats never objected when officials removed African American and other voters from the voter rolls in Florida and other states. Why didn’t the Democrats sue when 90,000 Florida voters were disqualified earlier in 2000? Why were Democrats (including Gore) silent about disqualified votes in the weeks after the election


So, let's keep politics fresh. Vote Green!

8 Year Plan for winning the presidential seat and taking back our country

Many people ask what the Green Party's Plan and why don't they tell anyone. Well I was looking for one too, so I decided to brainstorm one. Maybe we can work on it together, and start expressing it to the people.

Plan A:

2008-------The Green Party wins in 2008.

Plan B:

2008----The Green Party wins 5% of the presidential election

the country will take the Green Party more serious, give them media exposure, provide campaign funding, allow them in the debates, and pay for their convention.

2008-2012--We mobilize and build on the momentum of 2008. We register new voters who have not voted before. We convince all people who support Green Values to vote green. (the majority is not rich, or middle class, the majority is working poor and struggling middle class). We also organize people to vote Green in their local elections. We build up our base locally, joining the efforts of non profits, and grass roots organizations. We get more people to vote green in next election. We select our presidential ticket earlier, improve our website, and get our messages and frames together (similar to how the democrats finally got their frames right in 2008). We get access to the debates to inform more voters about the Green Party.

2012--------We get 15-25% of the presidential vote. (Ross Perot got 19% in 1992 after appearing in the debates with the democrat and republican candidate.) Instead of letting the Dem/Repub controlled media decide for us that we messed up, we decide for ourselves, that we succeeded in building a movement and sending the message that we taking back out country.

2012-2016--We build on the momentum and success of the past 8 years. We convince more voters to join a movement that truly represents them. We gain more grounds in local elections, build our base up stronger, and improve our communication efforts. We perfect our message and frames. We set our sites on winning governor, senate and congress seats. We appear in the debates and have more campaign ads.

2016--------We will win the presidential seat with at least 52%. We take back our country, change foreign policy, improve social services, and give the people (the majority) what they want and need. We select new Supreme Court Justices, Cabinet members, and put pressure on the House and Senate to enact laws that represent the people's values.

Then what? Anything we want. Anything you want.

By 2016, we could have a chance at winning with a 3rd party, a party that you support, it doesn't have to be Green, but something that has your values. Are you really voting for your values and expectations of government when you vote democratic, or is it just better than republicans. when will we vote for what we want, not just what is a LITTLE better.

thats a plan for taking back our country from the ultra rich, corporations, and old-money-elite.

In 8 years we could have a country that supports Social Justice, Peace, Grass Roots Democracy, Diversity, Gender Equality and Ecological Wisdom. (and all the values you want in government)

Thats a lot better than "change" what ever that really means
thats a lot better than "better than bush" but not what we need.

hmmm...

Music Video for Cynthia McKinney. The Green Party meets Hip Hop. Group, Some of All Parts, releases "Run (historical moment)" song and video!

Cynthia McKinney for President! Run Cynthia Run. Some of All Parts brings the message back to hip hop. Vote the Green Party 2008. This song features, Danny Velarde as producer and mixer, Carlos Bryant as co-producer and pianist, and 5 Fifths/ Joe Truss as rapper/emcee. It also features Kenny as vocalist, and voice samples from Rosa Clemente and Cynthia McKinney.

For more info on the campaign, visit www.runcynthiarun.com

For more info on the group Some of All Parts
news. bio. updates. contact.
lyrics. press release.

McKinney and Clemente nominated for 2008

Cynthia McKinney has recently been nominated as the Green Party Presidential candidate, and has selected Rosa Clemente, as her Vice President. Below you will see a video of their acceptance speech and details of their plans for the country.

Welcome to Oakland Greens Blog

Greetings,
The official blog of the Oakland greens is up and running. Please return to see events, issues, politics, articles and news.