(this bare bones BPA website was updated 2-11-07)

Happy New Year!

As promised after the November elections, it's time to figure out what we want our BPA to look like in the future.

One idea has been to use the BPA site and list as a clearing house for urgent local activist news. I'm happy to pass on all of the information (list, website info, minutes, etc) to whomever wants to take it on, in whatever form appropriate. I agree with some that the site is just sitting here, and that we've got a cool list of active people who may really appreciate a new information site for local events/campaigns. There's really no way I can be involved to the extent that I was last year, so it's time for fresh blood, at least in regards to calling meetings & sending out e-mails.

Considering the amount of care and work that's gone into the BPA so far, I'd personally be honored if others would be willing to take the structure and the mission of it and move forward with it. The hole in the local scene that it has filled over the past 1 1/2 years is not going away any time soon.

Please reply asap to my e-mail address j-t-zero-two at mindspring.com and we'll go from there. Do you want to set up a one-time meeting to see where the BPA should go? Now's the time to speak up!
- Jesse Townley

Our Mission Statement:
The Berkeley Progressive Alliance has been created in order to unite progressive citizens and organizations in Berkeley. Our goal is to promote a more equitable economic and social life in our city, and to enhance democracy and solidarity on every level.

The BPA BBQ Sunday October 29th at Strawberry Creek Park in West Berkeley was a hoot. If you were there, you know how relaxing it was to take time off from politics to have some BBQ goodies! If you weren't, well you missed out! Props to the Outreach Work Team for making it happen!

Besides this BBQ, BPA is hibernating until after the November 7th election. We'll reform immediately afterwards and see if the energy's here to continue. Otherwise, we'll return to hibernation. In that case, BPA's structure, website, etc., are available to anyone who wants to step up and go forward with BPA. The infrastructure's here for a strong, grassroots progressive force in Berkeley- if we choose to come together and run it!

Here are the combined minutes of the last 4 General BPA meetings- May 4th, June 12th, August 14th, and September 25th, 2006. While we didn't have a full quorum we had general agreement on working on outreach for youth and members through BBQs and other fun events. Also, we worked on implementing IRV for the November election, coordinated with the League of Women Voters and Councilmembers Worthington and Spring on the Berkeley clean money measure, and supported a search for a challenger to Councilmember Wozniak. (Jason Overman is that challenger this November) We also brainstormed ideas about new work teams and incorporating other efforts into the BPA, including issues about anti-surveillance, counter recruitment, and housing/homelessness/poverty issues.
A lot of us also worked on the platform writing and endorsement meeting of the Progressive Convention which BPA co-founder Laurence Schectman has been leading.

Read the story of the betrayal of the efforts to give voters a chance to decide on local public financing of elections this November.

The official BPA e-mail list is now being sent out by Jesse. If you are a work team and need to announce an upcoming meeting, please send the info to him at jt02@mindspring.com Also, if you wish to get in touch with someone from a work team, e-mail Jesse and he'll pass your e-mail on to the person.

A quick run-down of the various work teams and what they have been doing:
1) City Government Sunshine Watch. Monitor the council, the commissions, the bureaucracy and the school board. May subdivide later into the many arenas of City government work.
2) Elections and Precinct Work. We worked on local campaign financing, implementing instant runoff, accessible voting machines with a paper trail, and voter eligibility education.
3) Labor and Union Support. Worked closely with the Berkeley Honda strikers.
4) Outreach. Especially to people of color, students and youth, and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender.
5) Religious and Spiritual Groups Liason.
6) Ecology and Sustainable Neighborhoods.

Other teams can be suggested and organized by the general membership, and some of the possible work teams recently discussed include Hunger, poverty and homelessness, Affordable housing and economic diversity, and Economic development, planning and land use issues.

Information available from the Berkeley Progressive Alliance:
2/6/06 Minutes
3/20/06 Minutes
BPA's By-Laws & Rules (rewritten version 5/2006)
Settlement betwen UC Berkeley and City of Berkeley (Adobe .pdf file, 933KB)
Election Work Team platform Spring 2006
Outreach Work Team platform June 2006
Contact info for City Officials (July 2006)

Congratulations to everyone who worked so hard supporting and winning the 2005-2006 Berkeley Honda Strike!

Comments/questions to Jesse Townley jt02 at mindspring.com (j-t-zero-two)