Stop gerrymandering today, fight for housing and climate justice next week, and re-imagine an anti-racist LA for years to come

I don't know about you but this has been the strangest summer of my life, living with a new routine and a complex welter of emotions. Anger at the utter failure of our elected officials at the top to prevent the deadly spread of covid and to take care of people financially. Deep frustration at the failure of our local and state officials to rise to the challenge left by federal failures and do everything in their power to keep people housed and fed. Inspired by the surge of activism in the streets. Motivated by the flood of new people joining LA Forward and so many organizations like ours. Cautiously hopeful we'll be able to shift the terrain of our fight for this justice on this November's ballot. Amid it all, I'm focusing on what is within my power. Not narrowly either. But my ability — our community's ability — to organize collective action on a scale like we've never seen before. Over the last month we've been a little quieter than before. Behind the scenes, our new Neighborhood Organizing groups have been ramping up and I'm excited to share just a taste of the results soon. For right now, I want to invite you to some fantastic programs our community has put together. There'll be a lot more to come as we organize for victory in this fall's election and beyond.

UPCOMING EVENTS

* Wednesday, August 12 at 12 PM: Stop Local Gerrymandering - RSVP

Learn about LA County's new Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission and how you can apply to be on it (and prevent gerrymandering!) in a webinar with co-hosting with Common Cause.

You can now watch the workshop we hosted with Common Cause. Applications due August 31.

* Sunday, August 16 at 3 PM: The Path to Housing Stability and Justice - RSVP

We're using this month's general meeting to focus on the solutions to the impending flood of evictions and foreclosure, plus a discussion of comprehensive, long-term approach to achieving housing justice could look like from tenants rights to social housing to the end of exclusionary zoning and predatory finance and much more. Plus updates on everything LA Forward members are working on!

* Saturday, August 22 at 3 PM:  Climate and the 2020 Election, a panel discussion - RSVP

This panel discussion is for anyone who cares deeply about climate change and climate justice and wants to know how they can best make a difference in the upcoming election. Featuring Loraine Lundquist and Aura Vasquez who ran for office as climate champions; a representative from an environmental justice advocacy group; and Sarah Jakle, the Outreach Director for Field Team 6.

* Thursday, August 27 at 8 PM - Book Discussion: How to Be An Anti-Racist - RSVP

Earlier this summer, we read Ibram X. Kendi's history of white supremacism's embeddedness in U.S. society, Stamped From the Beginning. Now we're doing a follow up discussion of Kendi's How to Be An Antiracist. This one really builds on the history laid out in the first book, so it's nice to have the historical background, but it can also be read completely on its own. It's more personal and less academic than Stamped.

GOOD NEWS

We're excited to be part of the Reimagine L.A. coalition which worked with LA County's Board of Supervisors to put a remarkable proposition on the November ballot.

Reimagine L.A. will push the County to divest from incarceration and invest in the health and economic wellness of marginalized people in L.A. , especially Black and brown communities. Details on how you can get involved coming soon.

One last thing and it's a good one! Thanks to your votes, we placed in the top 3 in the LA 2050 competition!  We're getting $25,000 to produce the LA 101 guide to local government and host dozens of workshops on how to understand local issues and effectively make change. Stay tuned for all of that and more...

 

In solidarity,

David Levitus
Executive Director
LA Forward

2 quick actions by 5pm today

Today, I'm asking to you to do to two quick things:

1) Send a message to your rep on the LA County Board of Supervisors TODAY, urging them to pass policies that protect workers, renters, & immigrants and to invest in communities of color at tomorrow's meeting. Details below.

2) Vote for LA Forward in the LA2050 Challenge so we have the resources to expand our LA Civics teach-ins and to invest in community organizing. The Deadline is TODAY at 5 PM (PDT)! Once you vote for us to receive $100,000, please consider sharing our posts on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram and inviting your friends to vote at challenge.la2050.org/2020/connect/la-forward/

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Send a Message

As our communities continue to experience the devastating impacts of this pandemic, our County leaders have important decisions to make and our movement must continue to fight to ensure they support the health and well being of ALL Angelenos. On Tuesday, July 21, the LA County Board of Supervisors will be voting on important items to set the course for a just recovery. Please send a message right now urging your Supervisor to:

  • Extend the Eviction Moratorium until at least September 30;

  • Renew the LA Justice Fund to provide due process for undocumented immigrants;

  • Allow workers to establish Public Health Councils to help limit covid's spread.

  • Place the "Re-Imagine LA County" initiative on the November ballot to create permanent funding for Alternatives to Incarceration strategies, prioritizing investment in communities most impacted by systemic discrimination and criminalization;

We need the Board of Supervisors to feel the pressure, especially about the eviction moratorium extension. Send a message to your Supervisor today to let them know what you and your community need!

 

Keep LA Forward Going Strong

There is still time for you to vote for the LA101 Guide to win critical resources to continue our community education and leadership development programs!

LA Forward and Inclusive Action have been leaders in the work of the Healthy LA coalition to pass crucial policies that protect renters, fight predatory real estate companies, and provide essential support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through our local organizing and coalition building during the last decade, we’ve learned how LA really works — not just who’s elected and what they do, but how power operates behind the scenes. Now we want to share that knowledge in a way that’s easy to understand. Which is why we're creating the LA101 Guide to local government, politics, policy and more.

We need your help to make LA 101 a reality. Voting ends TODAY at 5 PM Pacific so please cast your ballot for us to win $100,000 NOW! With your vote, we can secure the resources needed to expand the LA 101 guide, get it into the hands of Angelenos everywhere, and do even more education programs with communities across LA County. 

Newsletter for the Week of July 12th

Let me get right to the point — there is a lot happening this week with LA Forward — a teach-in on effective local advocacy TODAY at 3 PM, a chance to help us create a comprehensive local civics guide tomorrow (Monday), an anti-racist reading and discussion group (Tuesday), and much more.

Sunday (6/12), 3 - 4:30 PM - Teach-in - How To Make Change in Your Local Community

As part of our LA Civics 101 series, we’re hosting a session on the basics of the smallest bodies of government. In the City of LA, those are Neighborhood Councils. We’re fortunate to be joined by two NC leaders — Eryn Block, Palms NC President and Lauren Buisson, Echo Park NC CIO — who will share their experiences with this imperfect system and talk about how progressives can work to leverage it for justice. 

We'll also have a conversation with Culver City Councilmember Daniel Lee who will share what his experience getting elected as a staunch progressive to lead a small city and how regular people can be effective in fighting for social justice locally —from big picture strategy to little things like giving effective public comment.

We’ll also share updates on all our campaigns and give you the opportunity to ask questions and get involved.

Echo Park NC CIO Lauren Buisson

Echo Park NC CIO Lauren Buisson

Palms NC President Eryn Block

Palms NC President Eryn Block

Culver City Councilmember Daniel Lee

Culver City Councilmember Daniel Lee

  

Monday (6/13) at 9 AM - Help LA Forward create a comprehensive local civics guide

Voting begins Monday at 9 AM for the "LA2050 Grants Challenge" and we are going to need all your votes. We're a finalist for our LA 101 project to create a comprehensive guide to local government and politics in partnership with our friends at Inclusive Action for the City. We'd be grateful if you would a note in your calendar to vote on Monday and comitt to asking 3 friends to vote for us too. You'll be able to vote from June 13 to 20 online. If you visit LA101Guide.org, you'll be directed to the right place. 

And after you vote for us in the CONNECT category, we hope you'll vote for our friends in other categories: SAJE (NoRent.org) in LIVE, Las Fotos Project in CREATE, and Public Matters/LA Walks in PLAY.

Thanks for helping us (LA Forward) help you to help us (the 10 million people of Los Angeles)!

Tuesday (6/14) at 8 PM - Join in a discussion of the book, Stamped from the Beginning, about white supremacism in America

In this deeply researched and fast-moving narrative, Kendi chronicles the entire story of anti-Black racist ideas and their staggering power over the course of American history.

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Neighborhood Organizing Kicks Off

Last week we launched our initiative to organize neighborhood communities for justice this past week with virtual gatherings in every part of the city. From the Westside to the Northeast, the Valley to South LA and beyond, we're giving people a chance to get to form relationships and begin strategizing how to join and create campaigns for systemic change. In Rebecca's words, “I loved getting to know my neighbors and hearing that we share many of the same interests and concerns. Many of us are passionate about solving the Westside’s housing crisis so I’m looking forward to meeting again to learn how we can take actionable steps within our area of LA.” 

Relational organizing is powerful — a way to connect with people genuinely, to surface common values and interests, and to build effective and enduring teams. We were excited to see hundreds of people participate and we're looking forward to more of you joining in. Reply to this email if you're interested in getting involved!

Renters Assistance Program

Tens of millions of Americans aren't able to pay their rent or mortgages. It's outrageous and Congress needs to act to cancel rent and mortgage payments. You can send that message here. State and local governments should be doing the same thing, but they haven't yet.

What the LA City Council did instead was create a $100 million fund to cover rent for Angelenos who've lost their income. This fund will only cover a small fraction of the need, BUT if you're eligible and in need, you should apply. Immigration status does not matter.

Applications will be open for four days, beginning on Monday. You can apply at https://hcidla.lacity.org/

Those eligible to receive temporary subsidies will be selected randomly once the application process closes Friday, July 17. (Yes, this is outrageously frustrating.) Rather than disperse payments to renters, money will be paid out directly to landlords. 

All eligible are encouraged to apply and be persistent in the face of any technical delays. We encourage you to share your experience with this process with City Council President Nury Martinez on Twitter or Instagram @CD6Nury

What We're Reading and Listening To: 

 

In solidarity,

David Levitus
Executive Director
LA Forward

A New Newsletter for a New Era

There's so much going on these days, it's hard to keep up. We're starting a weekly recap email to keep you in the loop! It's made possible by the work of fantastic volunteers like Rebecca and Dinah and thanks to them, you're now reading the first issue.

This week, we're sharing the audio from our LA Civics 101 teach in and videos of our trainings on community organizing, opportunities to join a teach-in on neighborhood councils and discussions on racial and economic justice around books like Stamped from the Beginning and The Color of Money, plus a few exciting policy wins that are moving LA toward justice.

LA Civics 101

Did you miss our June LA Civics 101 teach-in, which explained how local government works and doesn't? No problem — we recorded it as a podcast, so take a listen during your next walk. We cover questions like "What's the difference between LA City and LA County?" and "What kind of power does the LA City Council have compared to the Mayor compared to the County Board of Supervisors?"

After you listen, reply to this email with other questions you have and what you'd like us to cover in future sessions.  We are working on a comprehensive LA 101 Guide that will help you cut through the confusion of LA politics and learn about key elected and appointed officials, the main levers of powers, how everyday Angelenos can make an impact and more. And stay tuned for a fun video version! 

Neighborhood Organizing Project

Are you interested in connecting with like-minded people in your neighborhood to confront systemic injustice? We recently launched a neighborhood-based community organizing initiative and would love for you to get involved. If you missed our June 14 overview, June 20 1:1/phone banking training or June 30 house meeting training, don't worry — you can watch them here. Community gatherings will be coming (virtually) to your part ofLA soon. Reply to this email for more info.

Recent Wins

Thanks to the Black Lives Matter movement, there have been important steps forward in the fight for transformative justice. We want to highlight one that's received less attention that new policies being passed by LA City and LAUSD. Our Transportation Justice team was proud to play a role as in pushing LA Metro to adopt the Community Safety Approach to System Security and Law Enforcement motion, which is the first step in eliminating the role of law enforcement on our Metro systems and investing in community based approaches to keep the Metro system safe and welcoming for transit riders of color. LA Forward members, as part of the Alliance for Community Transit (ACT-LA), submitted public comments during and ahead of a recent Metro Board meeting and posting on social media in support of community safety. It all happened thanks to wide coalition of grassroots groups who powered this with years of unseen work and LA City Councilmember Mike Bonin for championing this, along with County Supervisors Hilda Solis and Janice Hahn.

Upcoming Events

July 12, 3 PM - Monthly Meeting - Teach-in on neighborhood councils and more.

Our government system is not designed to make it easy for regular people to get involved and fight for policies that uplift the public good. One problem is the confusing way in which we are expected to give input. It limits opportunities for real grassroots deliberation. Another is the patchwork quilt of different levels and bodies of government. It’s hard to know where to get started and who really has power.

As part of our LA 101 series, we’re hosting a session on the basics of the smallest bodies of government. In the City of LA, those are Neighborhood Councils. We’ll have some NC leaders sharing the basics and how progressives can leverage this problematic system for justice. Plus we’ll have an elected official from one of the small cities in LA County to talk about to effectively participate in those type of places.

We’ll also share updates on all our campaigns and give you the opportunity to ask questions and get involved.

July 14, 8 PM - Book Discussion - Stamped from the Beginning 

This month, we're reading Stamped From the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi. In order to improve as anti-racist activists, we need to understand the history of racism in the US and particularly the history of how anti-Black racism is often deliberately used as a political tool. Stamped From the Beginning is a great narrative of this history which can allow us to start thinking through how to discredit and fight against white supremacy. Past books we've read as a group include Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir by Patrisse Cullors, City of Inmates: Conquest, Rebellion, and the Rise of Human Caging in Los Angeles, 1771–1965 by Kelly Lytle Hernández, The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein, and City of Segregation: 100 Years of Struggle for Housing in Los Angeles by Andrea Gibbons. We recommend them all!

July 28, 7:30 PM - Book Discussion - The Color of Money

This month, our housing book group is discussing The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap by Mehrsa Baradaran. When the Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863, the Black community owned less than one percent of the United States’ total wealth. More than 150 years later, that number has barely budged. The Color of Money pursues the persistence of this racial wealth gap by focusing on the generators of wealth in the Black community: Black banks. Studying these institutions over time, Mehrsa Baradaran challenges the myth that Black communities could ever accumulate wealth in a segregated economy. Instead, housing segregation, racism, and Jim Crow credit policies created an inescapable, but hard to detect, economic trap for Black communities and their banks.

August 6, 3 PM - SVP LA Fast Pitch

I'm honored to be personally participating in Fast Pitch on behalf of LA Forward.

Fast Pitch is Social Venture Partners LA’ signature program. It's the culmination of a fellowship for community leaders driving systemic change across Greater Los Angeles hosted by. This year's theme is "Liberating Our Future." As we look at the work that each of the 10 presenting organizations are building, they implore us to consider how interconnected our struggles are and how necessarily interconnected our efforts must be to address them. It takes each of us, for all of us to live in a just, and liberated future.

You'll get to hear 10 community leaders share 3-minute pitches on how you can join their movements to bring liberation to all in Los Angeles. 

What We're Reading and Listening To: 

Follow us on Twitter, where we share more every day! @LosAngelesFwd 

 

In solidarity,

David Levitus
Executive Director
LA Forward

LA Civics 101 Audio Recording

We’re happy to release a recording of the LA Civics 101 teach-in that we did earlier this month.

Are you discovering the power of local government for the first time? Confused by what you're learning? Want to get educated so you can be effective in making sure our budgets and policies reflect our values? Listen to a recording of our 2020 teach-in on LA Civics 101 to get an overview of the nuts and bolts of local government.

What's the difference between LA City and LA County? What about the 87 other cities in LA County? What kind of power does the LA City Council have compared to the Mayor compared to the County Board of Supervisors? What's the role of the City Attorney (Mike Feuer), the District Attorney (Jackie Lacey), and the County Sheriff (Alex Villanueva)? We can't promise we'll answer all your questions but we'll sure as hell will try!

Listen below or wherever you get your podcasts by searching for “LA Forwards and Backwards” and finding the LA Civics 101 episode. Direct links to the episode here: Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Sunday! Organize your neighborhood community for justice

This Sunday at 3 PM, we hope you'll join us for the launch of LA Forward’s neighborhood-based community organizing initiative! 

In the struggle for justice, one of the most important things you can do is committing to stay involved for the long haul. Protests matter, social media matters, but to overturn systems of oppression and inequality, it's crucial for all of us to remain engaged beyond this moment. It's a marathon, not a sprint.

The only way to do that is to find a group of people who you can support you and keep you accountable to keep showing up when the media's attention turns away. We're launching a neighborhood organizing program to help you do that, to build a structure to carry forward the momentum for justice. Please join us for the kickoff.

If you’ve been LA Forward-curious, this is the perfect time to jump in. And if you’ve already connected, this is a prime opportunity to get even more involved. You’ll hear all about the grand vision and our plan for connecting you with people in your own part of LA in the weeks and months to come so we can build the power we need to confront systemic injustice and make Los Angeles a fair, flourishing place for all 10 million human beings who call it home.

Please RSVP today: 

https://www.losangelesforward.org/calendar/2020/6/14/june-monthly-meeting

NeighborhoodOrganizing900.jpeg

special gathering & teach-in tonight

Friends,

Like you, I'm saddened and angered by our city and our country now. We have a deep, broad complex of systems that are geared toward violence, white supremacy, exploitation, and brutality. That don't value the inherent dignity of all human beings. We must stand together and say Black Lives Matter.

We must fight for justice for George Floyd, for Breonna Taylor, and for so many tens of thousands more, including right here in "liberal" Los Angeles.There is a lot to process after the violence committed by police and so much that we must be prepared to do. How we go beyond outrage of the moment and change the power structures and militarized police forces that got us to this point? How we do confront and undermine the power of police associations that have stranglehold over our local budgets and over so many elected Democratic officials? How do we dismantle the violent police departments and build new institutions that truly serve and protect people from the ground up?

Join us for a virtual gathering and teach-in of the LA Forward community tonight at 8pm to start answering these questions together.

Finding inspiration to act today & beyond

The world has been getting me down in the dumps the last few days. I'm usually pretty good at powering through but this moment is testing me, along with all of us. I've been looking for inspiration in reading the history of organizers who surmounted incredible challenges and provided us with the fundamentals of community organizing. Reading about Septima Clark of the Highlander School who pioneered "Citizenship Schools" for Black Southerners as part of the Civil Rights movement, about Ella Baker, about Fred Ross and Cesar Chavez and the formation of the powerful CSO right here in Boyle Heights, has been an inspiration. The way they strategically combined grassroots organizing, electoral politics, and progressive policy — what the late great Senator Paul Wellstone termed the "three critical ingredients to democratic renewal and progressive change" was so powerful. At LA Forward, we're doing our best to learn from and draw from the legacy of these extraordinary organizers and strategists for social justice and political power. I can't say we've come anywhere close but we're trying our damndest.

I hope you'll join our community by learning, organizing and mobilizing with us this week.

TODAY it's crucial people in LA County call and email their County Supervisor (see more below). 

On WEDNESDAY, we have the chance to learn the basics of Community Organizing from a talented teacher.

On SUNDAY, we'll hear from one of my favorite elected officials, who is a leading champion for progressive policy right here in LA.

 

* Wednesday, May 13, 8 PM – Organizing 101 workshop

Organizing is a buzzword. But does it mean? And how is it different from activism or advocacy in other forms? Join this virtual to find out. You'll leave with a working understanding of what it is, what it takes, and your own sense of how you might fit into organizing work in Los Angeles.

Please RSVP at https://www.losangelesforward.org/calendar/2020/5/13/organizing-101

* Sunday, May 17, 3 PM – Monthly Meeting, feat. Councilmember Mike Bonin

For our May meeting, we’ll be joined by a special guest — LA City Councilmember Mike Bonin — who's been a champion for social justice and has been a leader in supporting our agenda on housing, climate, just economic recovery, and more. We’ll also share updates on all our campaigns and give you the opportunity to ask questions and get involved.

Please RSVP: https://www.losangelesforward.org/calendar/2020/5/17/may-monthly-meeting

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LA COUNTY ACTION ALERT for Monday, May 11

 

For two months, Healthy LA has been mobilizing thousands of people across LA City and LA County to take action via calls, emails, public comments, and social media which have resulted in the adoption of vital measures to protect tenants, homeowners, workers, small businesses, and unhoused people during this crisis.

TOMORROW, LA County Board of Supervisors is meeting at 10 AM to discuss and vote on more COVID19 relief measures. This is the first week they will be having live public comment! They need to hear from you!

We’ve put together this TAKE ACTION TOOLKIT that has everything you need to take action, including:

  • CALL YOUR SUPERVISOR and tell them you support the Healthy LA Platform (see script & numbers below)

  • SEND A PUBLIC EMAIL that will become part of the official record (see how-to-guide & samples below)

  • UPLIFT THESE ISSUES ON SOCIAL MEDIA and tag your Supervisor.

  • COMMIT TO GIVE PUBLIC COMMENT and have the Board of Supervisors hear your story live.

All the information you need is in this email and at http://healthyla.org/county/

 

CALL SCRIPT

"Hi, my name is [Your Name] and I'm a constituent in your district calling [Supervisor Name] because I support the Healthy LA platform and urge [Supervisor Name] to:

  • Support a requirement for financial institutions doing business with the County to tie mortgage relief to rent suspension through the duration of emergency and subsequent recovery period.

  • Support a motion to leverage state emergency funds for mortgage relief and rent forgiveness for undocumented immigrants.

  • Support permanent and retroactive worker retention and right of recall policies.

  • Support motions for anti-harassment and defend tenants' private right of action.

  • Extend the eviction moratorium period and rent freeze for all LA County tenants both commercial and residential.

  • Support a recovery plan that includes securing permanent housing for elderly homeless individuals.  

 

You can find who your County Supervisor is at http://healthyla.org/county/

  • SD1 – Supervisor Hilda Solis: (213) 974-4111 - firstdistrict@bos.lacounty.gov - Twitter: @HildaSolis

  • SD 2 – Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas: (213) 974-2222 - markridley-thomas@bos.lacounty.gov - Twitter: @mridleythomas

  • SD3 – Supervisor Sheila Kuehl: (213) 974-3333 - sheila@bos.lacounty.gov Twitter: @SheilaKuehl

  • SD4 – Supervisor Janice Hahn: (213) 974-4444 - fourthdistrict@bos.lacounty.gov Twitter: @SupJaniceHahn

  • SD5 – Supervisor Kathryn Barger: (213) 974-5555 - kathryn@bos.lacounty.gov - Twitter: @kathrynbarger

 

SUBMITTING PUBLIC COMMENT

You can provide public comment live during the virtual Board of Supervisors meeting by calling (844) 291-6355 and entering the Participant Code 9823589. Please follow the prompts.

You can also submit official public comments via email to PublicComments@bos.lacounty.gov by May 12th. The Agenda Item Number and Meeting Date (5/12/20) must be included in the subject line. Your email will become part of the official public record.

Sample Public Comment on Tenant, Homeowner, & Small Business Protections (Items #3, 6, 7, 15):

My name is _________ and I strongly support the Healthy LA platform. I’m worried that this health crisis will become a long-term eviction and economic crisis. I’m urging you to defend my right to a healthy safe home. Extend the eviction moratorium and issue rent forgiveness for all tenants, and support motions for anti-harassment and tenants' private right of action. The small businesses in my neighborhood need protections too, and extending the moratorium to them is great. Further, extending the time they have to pay back their rent to 6 months is good, but 12 months or more is better. It will be hard for them to pay back rent, too. Thank you for your leadership on these issues.

Sample Public Comment on Recovery Plan for Unhoused (Item # 4)

My name is _________ and I strongly support the Healthy LA platform. Our unhoused neighbors are some of the most affected by this pandemic. Having a plan to keep those who have been housing from Project Roomkey, and then to house those who have not been housed during this crisis will be a crucial part of our recovery. Recovery has to include the voices of those with lived experience, and coalitions like Services Not Sweeps to implement an equitable recovery plan. We must use all tools at our disposal to house them, including identifying vacant land and properties that can be repurposed, putting those with lived experience on the task force for recovery, and utilizing hotels that have space but choose to not participate in Project Roomkey. I support a plan for recovery, but also want to make sure the County is doing everything in its power to protect these residents.

Sample Public Comment on Responsible Banking (Item # 7)

My name is _________ and I strongly support the Healthy LA platform. Everyone has been affected by the pandemic, and we have all been doing our part by staying home, cutting work hours, and wearing masks. Banks have a responsibility to do their part to help protect homeowners and tenants. I strongly support LA County using its position as a client of big banks and prioritize doing business with the ones that are making sure that homeowners are passing their mortgage relief to tenants. Everyone is hurting, and this is the least the banks can do. Thank you for encouraging banks to do better!

Sample Public Comment on Worker Protections (Item #51-B, 51-G, 51-H):

My name is ______ and I strongly support the entire Healthy LA platform. I work at ______ and know the impacts the COVID-19 crisis is having on LA County workers’ physical, mental, and economic well-being. I’m seeking your support for permanent and retroactive worker retention and right of recall policies for hospitality and building services workers. Since March, tens of thousands of Angelenos have lost their jobs in these industries; when these industries rehire, they should give these workers their jobs back. Thank you for your support and please adopt these ordinances on May 12th!

Many important items will be heard and you can read the AGENDA HERE and SUPPLEMENTAL AGENDA HERE.

 

In solidarity,

David Levitus
Executive Director
LA Forward

You Matter & Your Story Matters

As the pandemic disrupts our lives and our livelihoods, so many of us are feeling unprecedented stresses of figuring out how to pay the bills, keep our homes, and stay safe physically and emotionally. You are not alone. I'm working with LA Forward's volunteer teams to do everything we can to support people directly AND to create structural change that allows everyone to live in dignity.  

One way to create change is by sharing our own stories of struggle so we make clear our personal challenges are part of systemic problems and demand systemic solutions.

So we invite you to email us with notes on how the pandemic has touched your life. We especially want to know:

* If you — or someone you know — has used the LA Forward Crisis Response Guides. We're constantly working to make sure these are useful and hearing from you helps.

* If you are facing new housing challenges when it comes to your housing. Job loss is making it difficult for many millions of Americans to pay rent and mortgages. Is your landlord harassing you? Is your bank refusing to allow you real mortgage forbearance, where you get defer payments without any penalties/interests/balloon payments?

If you have a story, please message us by replying this email. We will work with you to find the right platform, whether that's an online video, a media article, or with an elected official. We will always respect your privacy (including anonymity, if you wish) and only share information you're comfortable disclosing.

While each of us experience this crisis in unique ways, common themes persist and are made real through personal stories. Thank you for sharing your story so that we can advocate for shared solutions. 

Another way to create change is using community organizing to build people power that can hold elected officials accountable.

We are launching a neighborhood-based effort — to bring us together (virtually for now) in local groups to build community and power. You can get started by joining us for two upcoming events: an Organizing 101 workshop and our May Monthly meeting, featuring a special guest. More details soon.

* Wednesday, May 13, 8 PM – Organizing 101 workshop

Organizing is a buzzword. But does it mean? And how is it different from activism or advocacy in other forms? Join this virtual to find out. You'll leave with a working understanding of what it is, what it takes, and your own sense of how you might fit into organizing work in Los Angeles.

Please RSVP at https://www.losangelesforward.org/calendar/2020/5/13/organizing-101

* Sunday, May 17, 3 PM – Monthly Meeting, feat. Councilmember Mike Bonin

For our May meeting, we’ll be joined by a special guest — LA City Councilmember Mike Bonin — who's been a champion for social justice and has been a leader in supporting our agenda on housing, climate, just economic recovery, and more. We’ll also share updates on all our campaigns and give you the opportunity to ask questions and get involved.

Please RSVP: https://www.losangelesforward.org/calendar/2020/5/17/may-monthly-meeting

We look forward to seeing you soon and hearing from you even sooner!

Send a message to Congress today, plus "How to start a mutual aid network" - May 1

More than 1.3 million people in LA County have lost their jobs since COVID-19 safety measures were implemented in March, and the economic impact has already been devastating, especially on top of LA's already terrible housing crisis. We need to do everything possible to keep people in their homes and prevent them from being burdened with massive debt they'll never be able to pay off. That’s why we need Congress to forgive all rent and mortgage payments, incentivize fair rental and lending practices for landlords and lenders, and keep properties out of the hands of speculators & and turn them into permanently affordable housing for our communities.

SEND A MESSAGE

House Financial Services Chair Maxine Waters and the entire LA County Congressional Delegation have begun taking important action to provide necessary relief to Angelenos, but much more needs to be done! Our Representatives in Congress need to hear from YOU today: http://losangelesforward.org/congress/

Please urge your Representative and Senators to include rent and mortgage forgiveness, and a fund to acquire distressed properties in the next federal relief package. Click here to send your message and get a script for making calls. 

P.S. A big thanks to those of you who were able to join us for A Forward's "How to Start a Mutual Aid Group" session. We're excited to continue working together to build community, connection, and power in this critical moment.

LA County Supervisors Need to Hear From You

LA City Council held an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss pandemic relief measures. After almost 11 hours of debate, our coalition walked away with a couple big wins and a few dismaying losses.

TOMORROW, Tuesday, March 31, the LA County Board of Supervisors will meet to discuss pandemic relief efforts of their own. The County includes 10 million residents (not just LA City, but 87 other cities too). The five Supervisors each have a huge amount of power and they need to hear from you!

Please contact your County Supervisor TODAY and urge them to support the Healthy LA platform to protect workers, renters, and Angelenos who are undocumented or unhoused. We know that the pandemic's economic and public health impacts will be devastating for the most vulnerable people in our communities. We need a decisive public health and economic response that cares for elderly residents, workers, families, the undocumented, the unhoused, and the uninsured. 

Please CALL them using this script. If you're personally affected, feel free to include your story in the call. (You can determine and send an email to your Supervisor here.)

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Hello, my name is [your name] and I am your constituent from [your city].  I’m calling to ask [Supervisor’s name] to adopt the proposals advanced by the Healthy LA Coalition. It’s urgent to protect the people most vulnerable in this crisis — workers, renters, immigrants, and unhoused people. Our families and communities need immediate action to protect our health and our livelihoods. Our families and vulnerable community members need immediate action to protect our health and our livelihoods.  At tomorrow’s meeting, I urge Supervisor [Supervisor’s name] to support motions to:

  1. Institute a Complete and Universal Eviction Moratorium. No one should be forced to contend with an eviction notice from their landlord because of this public health crisis.

  2. Provide Rent Forgiveness. Working people won’t have the money to pay back rent from a time when they weren’t employed. They shouldn’t emerge from this crisis in debt. At the very least, tenants should have at least 24 months to repay back rent, with no late fees or interest charges. 

  3. Provide 14 Days of Paid Sick Leave to all workers and prohibit retaliation against those who take it. Workers must feel safe to stay home through their illness for the public’s safety.

  4. Prioritize Workplace Health and Safety, including mandated paid time for and access to hand-washing and sanitizing, provision of protective gear, and appropriate training for those still at work, especially grocery workers, food service workers, and delivery drivers.

  5. Stop all transfers of undocumented Angelenos to ICE and the Adelanto immigration prison, which are cruel normally and a health nightmare during the pandemic. 

  6. Create a Cash Assistance Fund for Undocumented Workers including street vendors and the estimated 20% of L.A.’s workforce that is undocumented in industries like domestic work, home health care, day labor, carwash, garment, restaurant, and more. It’s not fair that the people who make our city work won’t get any support from the federal government’s bailout.

  7. Use motel rooms to safely shelter unhoused people. There’s nearly 100,000 rooms in LA County and with the crisis, most are vacant and the workers who staff them are unemployed. We can and should take care of people who are especially vulnerable to the pandemic and get the hospitality workforce paid again.

  8. Create neighborhood supply stations for unhoused people with ready-to-eat food, water, soap, and first aid supplies. The COVID-19 pandemic has shut down many food pantries and programs that provide life-saving meals and hygiene supplies to low-income and vulnerable populations. With the demand for these essential supplies at an all-time high, people need to be able to access food and supplies easily in their own neighborhoods. 

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You can find your County Supervisor at http://healthyla.org/county/

District 1 - Supervisor Hilda Solis - (213) 974-4111 - firstdistrict@bos.lacounty.gov
District 2 - Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas - (213) 974-2222 - markridley-thomas@bos.lacounty.gov
District 3 - Supervisor Sheila Kuehl - (213) 974-3333  - sheila@bos.lacounty.gov
District 4 - Supervisor Janice Hahn - (213) 974-4444 - fourthdistrict@bos.lacounty.gov
District 5 - Supervisor Kathryn Barger - (213) 974-5555 - kathryn@bos.lacounty.gov

{{FirstName or 'Friend'}}, our own health depends on the health of the person next to us, and the person next to them. Ensuring every Angeleno’s access to the space, resources, and health services they need is how we take care of each other. Our local governments’ actions must reflect this essential truth and rise to the scale of this enormous challenge. This is not the time for half-steps or hesitation. Now is the moment to protect the most vulnerable. When we do that, we protect everyone.

In solidarity,

David Levitus
Executive Director
LA Forward

P.S. Want to get involved with our work? Join us for video meeting tonight at 8 PM by RSVPing here. You can also sign up to be involved here.

Taking care of our mental health in this trying time - we're in this together

Friends,

I am sad about what's happening in our world, all the suffering we're seeing and experiencing.

I am angry about the failures of our elected leaders and political and economic systems. Not just Trump's malignant narcissism and the deeply disturbing aspects of the bailout. But also local and state elected officials who aren't doing nearly enough to prevent people from getting evicted from their homes. (Shout out to LA Councilmember Mike Bonin for his impressive leadership though!)

I am tired. I've worked 10-15 hour days for every single one of the last 14 days — helping to organize the Healthy LA coalition, to do LA Forward's own digital mobilization, and support our amazing volunteer teams as they ramp on their work to produce resource guides and engage people in working for both direct aid and policy change. That's why this weekend, I'm resolving to take a break, rest, and charge up for the fight ahead.

There's a good chance you're struggling too. Whether from overwork or no work at all, from health worries to financial uncertainty, from physical and social isolation to the demands of parenting to the stresses of keeping elders in your life safe. In this moment, we need to find ways to effectively cope. We need to take care of our mental health and to help the people in our lives take care of their mental health too.

It's not easy but we hope to make it a little bit easier with LA Forward's Crisis Response Guide for Mental Health. Please check it out. We can't promise it's everything you need, but we will be continually adding to it so it's as useful as possible. 

GET THE GUIDE

This is the third crisis response guide we've released this week. The previous ones include:

  • Our Guide for the Financially Vulnerable includes resources for freelancers, service workers, people with disabilities, undocumented immigrants, seniors, LGBTQ+ people, and the unsheltered and housing insecure who are being impacted by this pandemic.

  • Our Guide for Parents and Families offers activities, educational tools, and other resources for people with infants to young adults to fur-babies.

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We've heard that LA Forward crisis response guides are being shared far and wide — from neighborhood groups to professional networks to online communities. Tens of thousands of people have already accessed these tools, which were pulled together in a moment of crisis by volunteers who used their time, energy, and expertise to get Angelenos the information they so urgently need. 

Since the outbreak of coronavirus in our state, LA Forward's mission has taken on new urgency. We are powered by dedicated members who come together voluntarily to pool expertise and energy to support our Los Angeles neighbors, and the reaction to the emergency has been a testament of our collective strength and solidarity. We would like to extend special gratitude to all the people who stepped up in big ways over the last two weeks.

Cassidy D. and Charley C. — Guide Coordinators

Siria C. and Jeannine W.S.  — Financially Vulnerable Guide Leads

Destini B, Sarah E., and Greg S. — Mental Health Guide Leads

Rebekah G. and Jessica S.  — Families & Parents Guide Leads

Christopher N. and Rebecca O. — Illustrators/Designers

Greg B. — Master Formatter and Website Guru

Key contributors to creating the guides and making sure people saw them!  Betsy B. — Christopher C. — Jackie C. —  Melanie D. — Shula G. — Emily H.S. — Lulu M. — Donna O. — Sasha R. — Francine T. — Rebecca H. — Dinah S. — Azra I.

Thank you, friend, for being a part of this collective network of support during this unprecedented moment. We're in this together.

You're invited to join us for a general meeting on Monday. And if you're all ready to get involved personally, you can sign up here.  

Get Involved

In solidarity,

David Levitus
Executive Director
LA Forward

Guides for the Financially Vulnerable and more

At this critical moment, our mission to make LA a fair, flourishing place for everyone is more important than ever. As of last night, all Californians are being asked to stay home unless it is essential for them to leave. While these measures are necessary in order to slow the spread of coronavirus, we know many people across our state will face severe challenges as a result.

Over the past week, LA Forward members collaborated to produce a series of informational guides designed to support one another by sharing of valuable, timely information and mutual aid actions for our at-risk neighbors.

The guides will be hosted on our website and updated often. LA Forward’s Guide for the Financial Vulnerable is now available. Thanks to our dedicated members, this guide offers resources for freelancers, service workers, people with disabilities, undocumented immigrants, seniors, LGBTQ+, unsheltered and housing insecure who are being impacted by this pandemic. And if you don't see the information you need, rest assured that we are working around the clock to keep building out the guide.

GET THE GUIDE

Over the next two days, we'll post two more guides:

  • Our Families and Parents guide will include activities, education, and resources for people with infants to young adults to pets,

  • Our Mental Health guide will offer ways to safely engage in mutual aid actions to support our most at-risk neighbors.

All three guides will be available on our website at https://www.losangelesforward.org/crisis-guides.

While the evolving health crisis exposes deep-rooted inequalities across LA county, it also serves as an opportunity to show solidarity in supporting our most vulnerable community members.

Over the coming weeks and months, we will continue banding together to strengthen our communities and advocate for policies to protect those most at-risk and in turn protect all of us.

Please continue to check LA Forward’s website at https://www.losangelesforward.org/rapidresponse for additional information on what you can do to provide and organize mutual aid at a hyper-local level

Calls to Council today & your personal involvement needed to get through this emergency

The current pandemic is not only threatening the health of Angelenos, but is having devastating social and economic impacts on all of us -- especially working people, small businesses, and the houseless. Everyone's well-being, our shared public health, depends on everyone having housing, access to good healthcare, and job and food security. LA Forward is mobilizing a rapid response involving mutual aid, resource guides, and policy action alerts. You can take action and make a real difference today and in the weeks and months to come. In this email, we're asking to to 1) call your city councilmembers today and 2) fill out our survey so you can get involved hands on (virtually speaking).

1. First, we need our leaders must take urgent action to bring relief to our city’s most vulnerable residents and protect ALL Angelenos. 

Please call your City Council members today! Our communities need emergency relief immediately. You can use this script developed by the Healthy LA Coalition. You can read our op-ed and see list of endorsing organizations at healthyla.org 

“Hello, My name is ____ and I am with LA Forward. As a constituent, I'm calling to urge Councilmember [name of your Council member] to take 3 steps.

First, we need to strengthen the eviction moratorium to protect renters for longer and not require proof that failure to pay is related to coronavirus, which may be impossible to obtain. All eviction notices served during this state of emergency should be void.

Second, council must immediately end 56.11 enforcement to stop criminalization, sweeps and confiscation of properties of houseless Angelenos and instead mobilize a public health response, including:
-    ID city buildings and safe parking areas for houseless people and provide sanitation
-    Provide handwashing stations and porta-potties at all encampments
-    Open up park and recreation facilities and public libraries for houseless people to access restrooms and handwashing

Third, Council must enact a rent freeze covering all rental apartments in the City and stop commercial evictions of small businesses. It is critical that our city take action to protect renters and those who are homeless during a global pandemic.

We're all in this together. Now is the moment to protect the most vulnerable. When we do that, we protect everyone. Thank you!"

Call AND email your council member before this Tuesday’s hearing! Calls are most important. You can determine your council member at https://neighborhoodinfo.lacity.org/

We're part of the Healthy LA Coalition which is community groups, labor unions, multi-issue social justice organizations, and religious congregations uniting across lines of race, class, faith, and geography to propose concrete solutions to the many hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Please visit our website at http://healthyla.org/ for more information and to see endorsing organizations. You can find a link to this action alert at http://healthyla.org/action-alerts/ for speading on social media.

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2. Second, LA Forward is organizing our own response too. You're welcome to watch a video conference we did yesterday here.

We've crafted a series of strategic actions from advocating for policies to aid the most vulnerable members of our communities, to supporting one another through targeted outreach and information gathering.

This week, we will be sharing the first of LA Forward's RAPID RESPONSE GUIDES designed for:

  • Families and Parents (activities, education, resources for people with infants to young adults and for people with furbabies)

  • Financially Vulnerable (sub groups: freelancers, service workers, people with disabilities, undocumented, immigrants, seniors, LGBTQ+, unsheltered and housing insecure)

  • Mental Health (resources and activities for all groups including: seniors, singles, LGBTQ+, immigrants, undocumented and people with disabilities)

We will also be working on the hyper-local level with mutual aid actions for seniors, small business owners, and the unsheltered community. With the success of our first virtual meeting, we will be staying engaged through video conferences to keep you connected and updated. Stay tuned. 

Most importantly, we want to hear from our members directly.

Please take a few moments to tell us HOW YOU WANT TO GET PERSONALLY INVOLVED by filling out our short rapid response survey.

For all updates and information on our continued rapid response, please visit our website at https://www.losangelesforward.org/rapidresponse

You can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram too.

Let us remember that our own health depends on the health of the person next to us, and the person next to them. Ensuring every Angeleno’s access to the space, resources, and health services they need is how we take care of each other. Our local governments’ actions must reflect this essential truth and rise to the scale of this enormous challenge. This is not the time for half-steps or hesitation. Now is the moment to protect the most vulnerable. When we do that, we protect everyone.

We WILL pull through this by pulling together.

In solidarity,

David Levitus
Executive Director
LA Forward

Responding to the crisis

We have power locally to offset some of the worst impacts of this health crisis -- like stopping evictions of people who can no longer afford to pay their rent, figuring out ways to get financial assistance to people who are hurting, and much more.

There are already extensive discussions of how government can respond and we want to be a hub for community and mobilization to realize the best possible local response.


You're invited to join us for a video conference call this Sunday where we'll discuss policies to be pursuing and how to organize effectively in this new context.

Please RSVP for details at https://www.losangelesforward.org/calendar/2020/3/15/march-2020-monthly-meeting

What a successful Climate Action Fair looks like!

Last Saturday we kicked off the guide at our first ever Climate Action Fair! The fair was a resounding success, attended by over 250 guests and 50 volunteers. Everywhere you looked, people were deep in conversation, engaged in fun activities, and incredibly motivated to launch into a year of climate action.

After you get the guide, get started with the January action and then the February action!

Love the guide? Please consider donating to cover the costs of producing and publicizing it and to keep our climate action work going strong!

MLK, the climate catastrophe, and what you can do

Today we remember Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and consider what we can do to stop the climate catastrophe.

We recall not the sanitized civic saint, but the unabashed radical who agitated for a "beloved community." Not as an excuse for oppressive behavior but as an imperative for transforming unjust systems — "the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism" — so that our social structure would actually embody the principles of love and justice.

Never forget that when he was killed for attempting to achieve this revolution of social values and systems, Dr. King was fighting international imperialism and leading a multiracial Poor People’s Campaign. An effort which sought to guarantee full employment, universal income, and the construction of a half-million affordable homes, as well as community access to land, capital, and democratic self-determination.

And what would he say about the unfolding climate catastrophe?

We know he would give a damn. This is a crisis made by the industrialized world, led by corporate interests that have systemically deceived the public about the dangers of fossil fuels to our health and welfare in the name of profit. And it’s a crisis which takes its greatest toll globally on those who did the least to cause it and are the least able to afford it. In the US, it’s working class and communities of color that suffer the severest consequences — confined to environmentally perilous areas or gentrified from climate safe places as the more affluent search out locales further from flooding. It is no wonder that the new Poor People’s Campaign, guided by Rev. William Barber, has added "ecological devastation" as its fourth major concern.

This systemic bleakness is overwhelming; it’s enough to make one turn away in fatalism or sink into anxiety and depression. Yet we know those aren’t good options and we’re damn well committed to ensuring it doesn’t happen.

So our grassroots leaders at LA Forward Action, organized by the amazing Shula Green, have taken it upon themselves to create a guide to action which breaks down all the important things you can be doing into manageable pieces. There’s one systemic change you can help make possible for every month of 2020 — tied to an existing organization leading the way — as well as personal behavioral actions you can take to build momentum for systemic change. It ranges from striking for a Green New Deal to reducing household waste to stopping oil drilling in our communities and everything in between.

We’ll be releasing the guide at our first ever Climate Action Fair this Saturday, January 25, 10 AM - 1 PM. Please join us!

Go here — LAForward.org/climate — to RSVP or sign up to get the guide digitally.

There will be tables for all the organizations involved in the guide, plus speakers, food, prizes, live music, crafts, kids’ activities and more. 

Something different

Our mission is to bring people like you who care about social justice into coalitions that are leading the fight for policies that will transform Los Angeles into a fair, flourishing place for everyone. We’re dedicated to supporting you with the knowledge, tools, and community you need to make a real difference. The main point of our emails is to get you involved, not ask for money.

But today I need to ask you to chip in to keep our work going strong.

2019 was a special year for LA Forward. Here's what we did together.

* We were selected for the LA Social Venture Partners Accelerator, along with amazing nonprofits from across LA.

* We drove hundreds of messages to elected officials demanding policies to protect people at risk of falling into homelessness.

* Especially exciting for me, our patient work to cultivate grassroots leadership bore real fruit — our members organized into campaign teams that took the initiative on community projects that went far beyond what I could imagine when I started LA Forward.

Shula's spearheading the creation of an awesome climate guide and action fair. Cassidy and Charley are leading our campaign to get the Schools & Communities First measure on the November ballot. And Ben, Emily, and Alfonso are kicking butt in constructively working with neighborhood councils to identify sites for affordable housing. Most amazing of all, this work is being coordinated by Sasha, our volunteer organizer extraordinaire. This work was only possible thanks to contributions from people like you.

Can you step up personally to make a tax-deductible donation today? --> https://secure.actblue.com/donate/laforward

We're making ambitious plans for 2020 that need your support to happen.

* We're going beyond our ballot guides to a create a LA 101 guide in collaboration with our friends at Inclusive Action for the City.

* We're looking to hire a talented writer/designer so we can supercharge our digital organizing and drive thousands of messages to our local elected officials that'll push critical justice policies over the legislative finish line.

* Launch an audacious plan to build a progressive grassroots voice talking to our neighbors in our everyone one of the neighborhoods, where we're concentrated — from Sawtelle to Silver Lake and beyond, speaking up at neighborhood council meetings for progressive legislation and going door to door to spread the word on the March and November 2020 ballot.

This work takes resources — tech, communications, event costs, and the thousands of hours I invest personally to make it all happen.

I'm counting on you to donate today. Because LA Forward relies on the generosity of ordinary people like you, we get to do what makes sense to our community, not what funders’ interests dictate.

Your contribution will enable us to respond rapidly to emerging issues, take on powerful interests, and remain accountable to regular Angelenos — not a handful of risk-averse mega funders. In a couple short years, LA Forward has become a crucial part of LA's social justice infrastructure. With your support, LA Forward will make the difference between a region failing too many, and one’s which is steadily bending toward justice for all. 

Please help us rise to meet the challenges of our time.

DONATE

Happy holidays and hoping that this is a sweet and justice filled new year for all of us.

 Thank you!!!

David Levitus
Executive Director
LA Forward

Let's put our schools & communities first — a special live podcast

Our schools and communities face huge challenges. A major culprit is the lack of resources to ensure small class sizes and comprehensive student and community services. Thankfully we have the opportunity to change that by closing a corporate loophole on commercial property. Check out this panel discussion of the Schools & Communities First measure to learn how we can reclaim $3 billion a year for LA schools, colleges, social services, parks, libraries, health clinics, affordable housing, and infrastructure.

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Panelists included:

  • Erika Alvarez, LAUSD Teacher and Founder of Huelga LA Activist

  • Bonnie Ellman of the California Alliance for Retired Americans

  • Ben Grieff, Campaign Director of Evolve

  • Cat Kim, Co-Founder of SELAH Neighborhood Homelessness Coalition

  • Joseph McKellar, Co-Director of PICO California

Listen in —>

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Eviction — An American Tragedy

This is a special guest post from Alexis and Anna, LA Forward’s summer fellows —

For our fourth housing book club, we read Evicted by Matthew Desmond, a book that follows eight stories of families living in Milwaukee facing extreme poverty. The book focuses on the relationship between tenant and landlord, centered on the landlords unfair use of their power against tenants who have little to no bargaining power when it comes to eviction and rent control. The author paints a detailed picture of the lives of people trapped by the cycle of poverty and how housing policies play a huge role in keeping them there.

Our members were taken back how much profit is made by landlords who own houses in poor neighborhoods. The amount of chronic debt that residents live with was also staggering. Everyone agreed that eviction is an epidemic that we need to address and that starts by limiting the extraordinary powers that landlords have under the law.

We’re looking forward to reading about not-for-profit solutions to the housing crisis on September 9. Learn more and sign up here.

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A majority of our budget comes from our members’ monthly donations. In 2024, our goal is to raise 70% of our budget from dues-paying members. That will enable us to be 100% accountable to people like you. Your gift allows us to respond rapidly to emerging issues, to take on powerful interests, and spend as little time possible on fundraising so we can focus on the crucial work that needs to get done every day.