I think I have been volunteering in California now for 10 Days… it’s strange how quickly time passes in a busy campaign! I hit the ground and started working right away with a crew from the TeamBernieLA volunteer office in CA-37, which is located at 2610 W. Martin Luther King Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90008. It’s notoriously difficult to navigate to using GPS, so I always tell Siri I want directions to “Worldwide Tacos” (which are delicious but have a very unreliable order fulfillment time). Feel free to send that office supplies, extra Bernie gear, and order them gift pizza at around 8PM local, when the canvassers come back in and the data entry begins in earnest.
On my first full day with the TeamBernieLA group I rode with potential CA-37 DNC Bernie delegate Robert Leahy and we set up the red tent that outside event volunteers were coordinated out of. I worked the line doing event check ins and trying to persuade more Bernie supporters to take the next steps, from support & attending events to volunteering, from phonebanking to canvassing. I passed out lots of artifacts of our big win in Minnesota to make the point that direct voter contact, especially canvassing doors works.
It’s hard to say what else has happened. Obviously I’ve been busy every day, too busy to write here, except for yesterday’s important post about the Culver City canvass that I’ve been a point person on, and the host gallery’s upcoming art show opening event featuring Bernie Sanders-inspired artwork. I worked the line and the crowd again at the Santa Monica rally, and ran an errand to buy enough clipboards to be able to do that day’s work, and to be able to reuse at the Culver City and Johnie’s (Bernie’s Coffee Shop) canvass launch locations. I expect to reimbursed for that Monday — my personal funds are tight, transportation(mostly public transit, some parking fees, contributing toward gas for drivers) is a greater expense and ordeal than my GoFundMe for this trip to canvass in LA has allowed for me to keep up with.
A few more Minnesotans have arrived to help out in CA-37 and surrounding districts, and I’ve switched into supporter housing that’s going to be more expensive for me but has some more amenities (had to finally do laundry!) so I am actually staying in CA-33 in the hills of Beverly Hills. The trade off means a 2 mile walk in the morning to the bus, and requires a lift back to house in the evenings when my Culver City canvassing and any MLK office turf cutting and data entry is done.
I would love to meet more Bernie supporters in the Beverly Hills area, especially those that are up for helping me stay on task with the Culver City canvass operations with transportation, and I’d love to brainstorm some ways to do more direct voter contact and volunteer recruitment in CA-33. Feel free to shoot me a text if you want to help! 218 760-6563
I have to plug the other canvass opportunities in CA-37, too. The Johnie’s Coffee Shop location at Fairfax and Wilshire, famous from The Big Lebowski has now been transformed into Bernie’s Coffee Shop has been getting quite a lot of media attention.
Okay — here’s what you probably want to know — Do I have Bernie lawnsigns, buttons or bumper stickers? Yes I do! You can get one of them free if you complete a canvass assignment, or for $10, or that ride back into the hills I need at the end of the night. Supplies are very limited, first come, first served. Will I see you this evening at the Whole Nine Gallery? You can RSVP here (note start time is really 4:30 PM): CD 37 Westside Staging Location Canvassing on Friday, May 27
Also, signs don’t vote. It’s great that you want one and that you will put one in your yard. Don’t be discouraged by the fact the opposition may have more in your neighboorhood… repeat after me — “Signs don’t vote!” What wins is direct voter contact. Join me on the doors in doing voter ID and persuasion and we will win this big time!