State Green Party Reports

California

GPCA Green Issues Working Group 

California Greens this past year have drafted and circulated a petition calling for an initiative to raise the California minimum wage. Also, in association with the Campaign for Fair Wages, GPCA is working to qualify initiatives to raise the minimum wage, and, more importantly, establish automatic cost of living adjustments, pegged to inflation.

Polling was done which shows significant support for $8.75 an hour and overwhelming support for $7.75. The coalition of Greens and other organizations decided to try to qualify both and let the voters decide.

Addressing negative social forces through use of protests continues. As do teach-ins and other tools to address issues of war, corporate responsibility and personal accountability.

The Empire Boycott is exploring how people can address peace issues with their labor and spending. Links were built with National Buy Nothing Day and other groups.

GIWG sponsored a convergence on corporate accountability in Sonoma County during the annual encampment at Bohemian Grove last summer. GPCA feels a problem exists when politicians can party in relative privacy with some of the world's richest and most powerful corporate barons to mutual benefit.

Participation is under way with a coalition of social justice and labor organizations in a campaign to stop a major Wal-Mart expansion in California. The project is intended to educate people and mobilize opposition to such expansions, promoting Green Values of local, sustainable economics, and social and economic justice.

Because there exists a potential for growth through focus on sustainable agriculture and land use, water, transportation, energy, farm labor, immigration and other issues affecting rural populations, a new effort is underway to outreach rural Greens.

Also GPCA has been approached to help organize a series of conferences in Western States, designed to focus on Global Warming. The goal is to identify community scale interventions, and coordinating local efforts to implement them.

Finally, GIWG has endorsed a proposal of the Black Caucus of Green Party of the U.S. "To end Racism, Sexism and Classism in the Green Party by 2015". Racism will be the first issue, in the 2006-08 GIWG Work Plan. During that period, creating time and a safe space in the Green Party, including at plenary discussions for growth, will be implemented.

GPCA Media Standing Committee

The committee, with the help of its Press Secretary, Cres Vellucci, drafted over 60 news releases in 2005. Those releases were distributed to hundreds of media outlets throughout the state of California, including newspapers, TV & radio stations and online publications. 

The following new spokespeople were named: Susan King, Stuart Bechman and Pat Driscoll. Stepping down as spokesperson in late 2005 was longtime activist Beth Moore Haines, doing an excellent job speaking on behalf of the GPCA over the years. 

The committee is currently without a CC liaison, and has openings for new members as well. Media volunteers are being sought from local Green Party chapters. Those local contacts, referred to as "bureau chiefs", are needed to alert the committee about newsworthy activities at the local level.
Monthly conference calls are currently held on the second Tuesday of every month at 7 PM. Erika McDonald, the committee's Co-Coordinator, also participates in monthly conference calls with her fellow Co-Coordinators from other GPCA standing committees and working groups. 

In the coming year, the committee will be ramping up operations to solicit and place opinion pieces/editorials with various media outlets, and to get more of its news releases translated into Spanish and Asian languages. They will also be participating in campaign training with the Campaigns and Candidates Working group.

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Colorado 

As the Green Party of Colorado gears up for its state convention on May 13, a record-breaking number of party members line up early to be nominated as local, state and national candidates in the 2006 elections.

The Arapahoe County Greens will host the convention in Denver, with two Arapahoe Greens running for election. Tom Kelly, county chair and state co-chair, seeks the party's nomination for the U.S House of Representatives race for the state's First Congressional District, and Tim Babbidge wants the nomination for the State House District 42 race.

Babbidge has already begun active campaigning, appearing on radio shows and other events. Rick VanWie, of the Denver Greens, who announced his candidacy last November, has also been active in his campaign for the Colorado Secretary of State race.

Colorado recognizes more political parties than most other states, with ballot access laws among the most relaxed in the nation. Yet many people are skeptical regarding the fairness and openness of the electoral process, VanWie said. "As Secretary of State, I will make sure that every vote is counted."

GPCO boasts ten Greens as elected officials, including city council members, county commissioners and school board members.
Dave Chandler, chair of the Jefferson County Greens and former state co-chair, plans to run for the U.S. Congress in Colorado's District 7. Other party members have expressed interest in local and state races, but have not made official announcements.

"We have some very dedicated Green Party members willing to take the time, money and public exposure to run in these races," said Tanya Ishikawa, JeffCo Green and former County Commissioner candidate. "This year many candidates have started their efforts earlier, but there are always a few more surprise announcements just before and during the state convention."

Contact GPCO at www.greens.org/colorado

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Indiana 

The Indiana Green Party is gaining momentum behind the campaign of Bill Stant, slated to be Indiana's next Secretary of State. Brown County resident Stant has a strong local and campaign committee gathering signatures to meet the 30,000 signature ballot access requirement at the State Fair in Indianapolis, the Simply Living Fair in Bloomington and other prominent events in the area. Bill has also been traveling across the state to speak with voters, including a meet-and-greet in Terre Haute, an NAACP meeting in South Bend, and a Common Bonds meeting and Human Rights Campaign rally in Indianapolis. The coordinating committee is working to support Citizens for Stant with logistical advice, fundraising and networking throughout the state. Bill has held two fundraisers, at Nashville and Mishawaka, and members are working on more for the coming spring. By putting Bill on the ballot this year, Indiana Greens hope to have a ballot line for years to come.

Another main activity has been supporting groups working for similar objectives within the state. IGP supported a lawsuit against the Department of Natural Resources opposing the 400% planned increase in logging advocated by the governor for state public forests. Work continues with the Hoosier Environmental Council, Citizen's Action Network, United for Peace and Justice, Common Bonds, and, most recently, the Indiana Peace and Justice Network to build a coalition for change in Hoosier country.

Contact IGP at www.indianagreenparty.org

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Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Green-Rainbow Party prepares for the 2006 electoral season by meeting March 4, at Worcester for the 2006 Nominating Convention. They will decide then whether to and how to run candidates for statewide office. Many see the running of statewide candidates as an opportunity to regain official party status (and ballot status) in the Commonwealth. Issues include whether to run a slate, and how much energy should be directed locally versus statewide.

With Massachusetts being the only state with full marriage rights for same-sex couples, coalitions and hate groups are working to take away those rights. The Green-Rainbow Party recently launched the Equal Marriage Task Force, charged with protecting the court ruling establishing equal marriage in the Commonwealth, and educating the party membership and the general public about unconditional support for equal marriage-something the major parties cannot do. 

The Green-Rainbow Party is a major contributor and cofounder to the annual March to Abolish Poverty (abolishpoverty.net), a march through low-income Massachusetts, bringing attention to issues of poverty and homelessness. Media coverage has been significant, a great way to call attention to these important issues as well as help build the party, especially as Massachusetts faces more cuts to housing subsidies and other public tools which aid working-class people. The march also addresses the root causes of poverty, and ways to stop the problem from being perpetuated.
The MGRP deals with many local issues, including education, land development, divestment, military recruitment, and resistance to a Boston University bio-safety lab. This lab is being placed in the heavily populated, predominantly people-of-color South End neighborhood of Boston. The lab would house diseases that have no known cure, and the Green-Rainbow Party has long resisted the callous and racist decision to place the facility there.

For updates on the situation in Massachusetts, check out the Green-Rainbow Party web site at: green-rainbow.org.

Contact GRPM at www.green-rainbow.org

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Nevada

The Green Party of Nevada is rebuilding. So far, they have focused on strengthening the party infrastructure by encouraging attendance at state meetings, asking for more participation on e-mail lists, and suggesting volunteer opportunities that help build the party.

Most recently, the Executive Council of the GPNV unveiled an online section of the website in coordination with an Executive Council e-mail list. Accordingly, registered Greens may monitor not only the voting and end result of Executive Council decision-making process, but the actual process itself, including discussions, debates, and deliberations. The Executive Council hopes this will increase participation in the GPNV, and at the same time take the party down the path to true transparent leadership.

The Executive Council recently adopted a resolution to create a candidate's handbook to be used in assisting candidates in their campaigns for city, county, and state offices. 

The Executive Council will also be spreading the word about, and planning, the next state convention, held at the Las Vegas Library, March 25-26, 2006 from 10am to 6pm both days. The Executive Council is working hard to make this event a safe space for Nevada registered Greens to meet and get involved. By the end of the convention, the council expects to have at least one candidate for governor, and a strong plan for commitment to action in continuing to build the Green Party of Nevada.

Contact GPNV at www.nevadagreenparty.org.

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Rhode Island 

The Green Party of Rhode Island is off to a good start for 2006. The Platform revision process, discussed in the Winter Issue of Green Pages, is well underway. The Platform Committee has just completed its sixth "platform seminar", this one on Non-Violence, where invited experts and advocates in the community talked with the Green Party about what the state government could do to reduce violence in society. This platform seminar, along with the others, produced unique and insightful ideas.

Next, the Platform Committee will edit the input received from those seminars into a comprehensive platform for the state party to vote on at the April meeting, in time for GPRI candidates to use. The final version will be posted on the internet and interested parties can take a look at www.greens.org/ri under "values." The Platform Committee intends to distribute a "how-to" document explaining the process, and ways to conduct a similar process in other states.

Meanwhile, State Senate candidate Jeff Toste is off to a fast start. A core volunteers meeting drew a couple dozen people from the community willing to take an active role in his campaign. Jeff intends to bring that campaign into the community by talking about everyday issues people care about and using examples to educate voters about why the Green Party will play a key role in revitalizing our society.

Contact the GPRI at www.greens.org/ri 

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Vermont

The Vermont Green Party at a recent meeting elected new Co-Chairs Rama Schneider and Jimmy Leas, Vice-Chair Greg Delanty; Treasurer Laura Carotenuto; Secretary and Assistant Treasurer George Plumb; and Members-At-Large Ashley Smith, Marc Estrin, Craig Hill, and Angelique Schultz.

Contact VGP at www.vermontgreens.org

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Wisconsin 

In the April 4 elections, the Wisconsin Green Party has 12 candidates running, including 5 incumbents. In addition, Kyle Richmond, has been endorsed by a local Green chapter (His job on the Wisconsin State Elections Board prohibits his joining any political party). Also, on election day, a Bring the Troops Home resolution is on the ballot in 23 or more cities and villages. The WGP initiated the effort at their Spring Gathering in 2005, and worked with state coalitions in bringing it about.

The CC has been formulating a strategic plan the last two years, focusing on four areas: 1-Run & Win With Green Candidates, 2-Build & Sustain Membership, 3-Raise Money, and 4-Govern As Greens.

Plans near completion for the Spring Gathering and Membership Meeting at Wellspring the last weekend in April. The site was chosen to highlight candidate, Bob Levis, running for Congress in the 5th Congressional District. Wellspring is a not-for-profit educational organization offering programs reflecting its mission of living in harmony with self, others and the earth. 

Wisconsin April 2006 Green Candidates

Incumbent Ashok Kumar, Dane County Board of Supervisors, District 5 (Feb 21 primary); John Hendrick, Dane County Board of Supervisors, District 6; Ben Farrell, County Board of Supervisors, District 16, Winnebago (I); John Hardin, County Board of Supervisors, District 1, Barron (I); Larry Harding, Township Supervisor, Town of Somers, Kenosha County (I); Stephen Kalmar II, Caledonia Village Board; Katherine McKenzie, County Board of Supervisors, Douglas (I); Taku Ronsman, Green Bay City Council; Jeff Peterson, County Board of Supervisors, District 5, Polk; Gerry Steltenpohl, County Board of Supervisors, District 25, Portage; Phil Peterson, County Board of Supervisors, District 1, Portage (I); Rev. Glen Halbe: Racine City Council, District 2.
Endorsed Kyle Richmond, Dane County Board of Supervisors, District 27.

Contact WIGP at www.wisconsingreenparty.org

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