Hello everyone, Laura and I talked on the phone yesterday and we have agreed on some ideas. I am sending you this update on how we are going to proceed at this point. Also included below are a number of questions we had that we could not answer, in particular from the coordinators of GROW and GPCA-CC members. I have put [GROW-CC] next to each question item so please find them and send us your thoughts on it as soon as possible. If you have any comments, suggestions, clarifications, etc. please send them to us at greenfocus@cagreens.org Stuart, you had suggested to have a GROW article on grassroots outreach, how to do it and why it's important. Could you and/or Robyn write it up and send it to us by December 15th? Laura and I will be meeting again on December 19th when I am up in the Silicon Valley area for my work. We will send you another update/report then. Also, I don't have Dee Brady's email; could someone forward this to her or other GROW coordinators that I missed? thank you, -karine (on behalf of Green Focus) =========================================== PRINTING / LAYOUT =========================================== Laura Wells will be handling these. Russell Kilday-Hicks, who put together the state slate papers, is available and ready to help. More details forthcoming from Laura. =========================================== DISTRIBUTION =========================================== The newspapers for the January issue will be distributed: (1) at the plenary: given in bulk to the various locals' representatives for the cost of the publication (2) sent out to subscribers =========================================== SUBSCRIPTIONS =========================================== Karine is currently keeping track of all subscriptions and maintaining a preliminary budget. All subscriptions from the web are sent to Mike Wyman who then cc-s them to Karine. Some logistics questions remain: 1. [GROW-CC] Can we send newspapers to current GPCA members who have donated the subscription amounts already? For instance, if someone has donated $25 or $35 to the GPCA, should they also get a newspaper subscription? The following was sent to us as a suggestion: "Automatically mail one to anyone who contributes more than a certain amount ($15, but tell them it's $35) to the state party. right now 707 people have done so as of 1-1 to 10/19/02. That's exactly half a percent. Can we get that up to 2%?" 2. [GROW-CC] Who will be mailing out the newspapers to subscribers? (i) Originally, we were thinking that Karine and the San Diego Greens will be mailing the newspapers out. There is a bit of logistics here since the paper is published in the Oakland area, so in order to get the papers to Karine, we have to either ship them (which costs money) or transfer them at the plenary (which means that subscribers will get their newspapers *after* people at the plenary receive them). If any of these options are ok, then we can go ahead with this -- otherwise, here are some more options... (ii) Should GROW coordinate the sending out of the newspapers? (iii) Should the Clearinghouse of the GPCA send out the newspapers? 3. [GROW-CC] Who will be sending out the glass mugs that Mike Wyman suggested or any other merchandise item we decide to send out to those who paid $35 for their subscriptions? Is that the Clearinghouse? How can we coordinate this and is there a way of letting Karine know who was shipped the material so that she can keep track? =========================================== JANUARY PLENARY PLANS =========================================== - Have newspapers to be distributed in bulk - Set up a table with newspapers and subscription forms (Clearinghouse table per Michael Borenstein) - [GROW-CC} We would like to prepare lots of subscription coupons for locals to use when tabling and hand the coupons out at the plenary. Can we cover the cost? - [GROW-CC] We would like to make an announcement at the plenary. Does anything need to be added to the plenary agenda or will it just be in the regular announcement section? We may need more time than what is usually given to the short announcements. =========================================== EDITORIAL BOARD =========================================== Per the decision of the GROW coordinators at the GROW teleconference on 11/26/02, we are proposing the following editorial board: Editors: Laura Wells, Karine Megerdoomian, Stuart Bechman, Robyn Oetinger Assistant Editors: Mike Feinstein, Kenny Mostern see http://cagreens.org/greenfocus/about.html I put the bit on this from the GROW minutes below: " Michael: The Green Focus newspaper is an official publication of the Green Party of California. Articles should probably be vetted by the Co-Cos, Robyn and Stuart; and any controversial articles should probably be kicked up to the CC. I'm suggesting this only because we don't have a process set up, and I want to ward off any potential problems before they occur. [...] I'd also like to recommend that Stuart, Robyn, Karine and Laura control the editorial content of the paper; and Mike Feinstein or others be held in an 'advisory' role only." =========================================== ARTICLES FOR JANUARY ISSUE =========================================== We have already received a number of "report" type articles. Laura and I discussed some more issue-based articles that would be interesting, taking into account suggestions by Mike Feinstein, Stuart Bechman, and Jim Barton. [GROW-CC] Could GROW coordinators look around for the items that we seem to be missing such as photos and cartoons? Here's a list of potential topics: I. Reports from events, festivals [we have a few submissions on this topic] II. Reports from local campaigns [we have couple on this topic] III. Book reviews [Karine needs to double check with those who volunteered] IV. Photos [We don't have enough -- need more photos from the elections] V. Cartoons [We don't have enough] VI. Letters to the editor [Given it's the first issue, we only have one so far] VII. Election results and reflections [Laura and Karine will ask Mike Feinstein and Greg Jan for an analysis/update of elections] [Laura will ask Larry Shoup for his article on election results] VIII. Subscription coupon will be included IX. 10 key values X. Why register Green? [Laura will write this] XI. Other issues -- the person responsible for getting the article is listed in brackets: Donna Warren's article on Making GP Black [Laura] Medea on foreign policy, Iraq, Patriot Act, other [Laura] "Shadow government" idea [Laura will ask state slate] Why Greens shouldn't join forces with the Democrats: a response to Duggart's article in the Nation [Karine] Santa Monica's living wage campain -- report and analysis? [Karine] [GROW-CC] Article suggested by Stuart Bechman: how to do grassroots outreach and why it is important [Karine] A column on elected Green, bio/portrait -- Matt Gonzalez? [Jim Baron?] Per Mike Feinstein's suggestion, if there are more articles than can go on the printed page, we would use them on an elongated web version. =========================================== EDITORIAL =========================================== Laura and Karine will write an editorial, focusing on the role of media in covering the elections and its relation to democratic principles. Ideas that will be included: corporate-owned media; self-censorship; exclusion and/or hindering of third party candidates; examples to use: SF Chronicle, KPFA, LA Times debate, UK Guardian; mention tactics that did work such as the letter writing campaigns and constant press releases; how to break through the media blackout of Green candidates (which extends even beyond mainstream media)? =========================================== SUBMISSION GUIDELINES =========================================== The Submissions Guidelines have been modified slightly to allow longer electoral and news analyses (see second item below) * News articles: brief analyses of news developments or Green Party related news -- approximately 500 words * Opinion and Analysis articles: a more in-depth analysis of current isues and electoral news, or discussion of Green Party theory -- up to 1500 words * Book reviews: up to 500 words * Cartoons * Photos: in tiff format =========================================== PUBLICATIN SCHEDULE =========================================== Coordinate with plenaries. =========================================== REPRINTS =========================================== Ask Nader, Hightower, Webactive commentators for reprints (for next issue)