Green Party of California
General Assembly
September 9th-10th, 2006
South Lake Tahoe, El Dorado County

Sponsor (Name and Working Group or Committee): Campaign and Candidates Working Group

Presenter (Name, address, phone number, email): Warner Bloomberg, CCWG Coordinator, 867 North Fifth Street, San Jose, CA 95112 (408-295-9353) wsb3attyca at aol.com

Subject (10 words or less): Candidate Phone Banking Exercise for GPCA State Assembly Candidate

Background and Purpose (100 words or less; include relationship, reasons and/or justification to the GP): The CCWG is directed to train Green Party activists in methods of waging political campaigns. Gerald Fritts is a GPCA candidate for the 4th State Assembly District (Alpine, El Dorado and Placer Counties). Decline-to-State voters are the fastest growing category of registrations in California. If the GPCA is to reach out to a new audience, DTS voters need to be contacted. This exercise will support a GPCA candidate, provide a focused campaign training exercise, serve as a GP contact to a small number of DTS voters, and possibly encourage media coverage of the plenary and the candidate.

Proposal (200 words or less): Attendees at the El Dorado County General Assembly will be provided a brief orientation, a script and tally sheets for calling Decline to State registered voters during Saturday afternoon of the plenary using cellular telephones. At the close of the exercise, tally sheets will be turned over to the candidate.

Committee Decision (Report if the proposal had consensus of the committee; and/or what concerns were expressed): Because of the July 15th deadline, this proposal had limited discussion by telephone and email. The first CCWG teleconference since its June 25th plenary meetings will not be until July 17th. Warner Bloomberg, Michael Borenstein and Jerry Fritts have begun preparations. Steven Loebs has agreed to sort voter registration records obtained by the candidate.

Timeline: Submit announcement and telephone script for publication in the agenda packet by July 24, 2006. Conduct phone banking exercise Saturday afternoon, September 9, 2006.

Resources (Personnel, number and frequency of meetings, projected work hours, finances, etc. Permits/permission needed? Application needed? Insurance required? Any bylaw/platorm conflicts?): Various volunteers will help in preparations. An announcement in the agenda packet and elsewhere will be needed to notify people to bring cellular telephones to the plenary. As many people as there are telephones will be asked to participate in the exercise during one hour of agenda time Saturday afternoon, September 9th. As many break out rooms or low level noise areas as possible will be needed. Land lines apparently will not be available due to costs. Most cellular telephone customer plans allow for unlimited long distance calling on weekends. Media Committee will need to send applicable pre-event announcements. Some expenses for printed materials may occur and will be paid either by the candidate or from the CCWG plenary handouts budget.