II.	GPCA State Newsletter

The Literature Group will also start the production of the State Newsletter,
which would serve as an important educational, organizing and fundraising
tool for local groups throughout the State.

Proposal
The group proposes to produce a quarterly. The preliminary timeline is to
produce and distribute the newsletter in January, April, July and October of
each year. Assuming the necessary resources would be available, the group
plans on having the first issue out in July 2002. Name of the newsletter is
yet to be determined.
The goal is to produce a newsletter that will complement Green Pages, the
national newspaper produced by GPUS. While the Green Pages focuses more on
electoral gains and campaign-related issues and news, the State newsletter
will provide an opinion/analysis approach. The newsletter will contain
articles that critically analyze the current political and social system in
the United States as well as in the State of California, and argue that the
values and positions of the Green Party provide a viable alternative to
solving the social, economic and political problems. 
The newsletter could be used as an educational and informational tool for
locals, especially in regions that do not have access to alternative media.
It would also serve as an organizational tool by educating the local
community on how the Green Party addresses the issues; it thus can be used
in outreach, along with the Green Pages. We also propose to make the
newsletter into a fundraising tool for the locals by allowing them to
purchase the paper at cost and to take any profits from the sales of the
newsletter.

BUDGET PROP0SED: $1500 as seed money for printing cost for the first issue.
Note: It may be more secure to have the cost of printing covered for the
first two printings (i.e., July and October); however, GROW is asking for
the cost of a single printing at this point. The Newsletter project plans on
becoming self-sustaining within a six-month period (i.e., by October). See
below for details.

Editorial Board
We propose recruiting a small team of volunteers to edit, do the layout and
to design the graphics for the newsletter. The group will ask for
submissions from Greens and other progressives in the State of California.
We also propose to work closely with journalists working in IndyMedia
centers around the State. We do not budget any salary or payment for these
services.

Production and Printing
Printing would be the main cost for the production of the newsletter. The
Literature group has not yet led an exhaustive search to find the best
location for printing of the newsletter, but a preliminary quote for the
printing cost is $1500 for 8000 copies. Needless to say, all attempts will
be made to find the cheapest location that would also be in line with Green
values and the policy of the Literature group mentioned in Section I (i.e.,
the use of union printers and recycled paper). The budget requested will
serve as seed money to start out the first issue of the Newsletter.

Distribution and Marketing
There are two forms of distribution:
      * Sales of bundles to locals as organizing, educational and
fundraising tools
	    * Individual subscriptions (cost to be determined)

In order for the State Newsletter to become a self-sustaining entity, an
aggressive marketing campaign needs to be run within the Green membership
with the goal of obtaining enough subscriptions to maintain the production
of the newsletter.
We propose to allow the sales of bundles to locals at cost or close to cost.
Any profits made from the sales will go to the local groups. This would
encourage locals to obtain and distribute the State Newsletter since it can
be used as a fundraising tool; in addition, this method will avoid any
additional distribution costs for the Literature group. Similarly, if local
groups obtain subscriptions for the newsletter, they will receive a
percentage of the subscription sales to help them in their organizing
efforts. The revenue thus generated by the Literature Group should be able
to support the newsletter project  while directly benefiting the local groups
in California.
A subscription form for the newsletter will be available on the GPCA or the
GPCA-GROW website. In addition, the Literature Group will ask local groups
to promote subscriptions through their own websites and at meetings as well.
Again, a percentage of the subscription sales will go to the local group.