News and updates

Events

🌹Tuesday, 4/18 (12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.): Save Bay Area Public Transit Rally with Dean Preston (In person at San Francisco City Hall)

🌹Tuesday, 4/18 (6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.): Turnout Tuesday for Recommitment Drive (In person at 1916 McAllister Street)

🌹Wednesday, 4/19 (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.): Free Muni Full Service Priority Monthly Meeting (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Wednesday, 4/19 (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.): What is DSA? (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Friday, 4/21 (12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.): Office Hours (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Sunday, 4/23 (2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.): AfroSocialists Slow Book Club: Black Marxism, Chapters 1-2 (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Wednesday, 4/26 (7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.): Labor 101 Training Session (Zoom and in person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Thursday, 4/27 (6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.): Tech Worker Meetup (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Friday, 4/28 (6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.): The Guerilla is a Poet Film Screening (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Saturday, 4/29 (11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.): Homelessness Working Group Office Hours (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

Announcements

Save Bay Area Public Transit Rally with Dean Preston

Supervisor Dean Preston introduced a resolution at the Board of Supervisors urging state lawmakers to provide gap funding for transit to last until ballot measures can address funding issues. Come join Dean and the Free Muni Full Service campaign in support of this resolution at the rally today, Tuesday, April 18th at 12:00 p.m. at City Hall. RSVP and sign the petition here!

Upcoming Chapter Elections!

👋 Some important chapter business is coming up in the next few months as we near our chapter’s annual convention in June and national DSA’s biennial convention in August.🌹 Steering will be following up every week or so with updates/reminders.

We’re highlighting the  upcoming elections. Currently, Steering is:

1. Collecting nominations for delegates to National DSA convention. Elections will be held at the May general meeting.
2. Starting to collect nominations for Steering and Grievance Officers. Nominations will close at the May general meeting and elections will be held at convention in June.

Open Discussion: The Future of DSA SF Propaganda

Are you interested in propaganda, media, and expanding our chapter’s cultural impact? Then come to our open discussion this Saturday, April 22nd at 2:00 p.m. at 1916 McAllister Street about what propaganda and communications should look like in DSA SF! All members are welcome to attend this in-person event; masks are required and will be provided.

DSA SF Labor Education and Training Interest Survey

Want to learn how to organize your workplace? Support workers’ fights against Amazon and Starbucks? Understand the importance of labor as a key to winning socialism? Complete the 2-minute DSA SF Labor Education and Training Interest survey to let the DSA SF Labor Working Group know what training and education you’re interested so we can tailor labor education and training events to your interests.

Sign Up to Distribute Socks with Homelessness Working Group

Come do sock distro with HWG! DSA SF’s Homelessness Working Group is currently organizing a sock distribution, and restarting our chapter’s efforts directed toward connecting with our homeless neighbors. We’ll be low-key training chapter members about our specific approach to mutual aid and street solidarity, as well as building capacity for this and, potentially, more expansive mutual aid projects in the future!

Join the Tenant Organizing Provisional Working Group!

Overlapping TANC and DSA SF members have come together to start a Tenant Organizing Provisional Working Group! Our goal is to build a cadre of well-versed tenant organizers in DSA SF that will help us reach mass tenant organizing efforts in order to fight back the landlord class, in San Francisco and beyond. Join your neighbors in the tenant organizing movement by joining our slack channel #Tenant-Organizing!

We Mean to Make Things Over: A History of May Day Documentary Screening

We Mean to Make Things Over: A History of May Day is a half-hour documentary exploring how May Day became a workers’ holiday all over the world, except in the United States—despite the fact that the events that inspired the holiday occurred here.

CCSF’s Labor and Community Studies department is holding a screening of this timely documentary Monday, April 24th at 7:00 p.m. at the Mission Campus near 22nd and Valencia, Room 109. Writer/Director Fred Glass will introduce the documentary and answer questions afterward.

Labor 101 – Organizing in Your Workplace

Join DSA SF Labor WG for a Labor 101 training session on April 26th from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. to discuss new workplace organizing, exciting developments at places like Starbucks, share experiences and connect with your fellow socialist workers! This event is open to everyone of all levels and experience. This will also be a hybrid event, held both on Zoom and in person at the DSA SF office at 1916 McAllister. To attend the event, sign up at the link below.

DSA SF Labor Tech Worker Meetup: Organize Your Colleagues!

As the tech industry experiences upheaval after upheaval, what role can we play as workers in San Francisco, the heart of the international tech industry?

DSA SF is hosting a monthly series of in-person meetups for workers in tech and adjacent industries to come together, educate each other, and develop organizing strategies for the next phase of the tech worker movement. The first meeting will take place on Thursday, April 27th at the DSA SF office at 1916 McAllister. You can register to attend below!

Button and Sticker Making Workshop

Join DSA SF’s Comms and Chapter Coordination Committees (CCC) on Friday, May 5th from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. for a button and sticker making workshop at the DSA SF office at 1916 McAllister! No experience required.

We’ll be making buttons and stickers with various designs, and will show you the step-by-step process on how to make each of them. We’ll also have set designs ahead of time for you to choose from, but other designs that promote socialism are also encouraged.

Due to limited space at the office, registration is required below. We hope to see you there!

Free Outdoor Screening of Harlan County, USA!

Join DSA SF’s Labor Working Group on May 31st at 8 p.m. in Kerouac Alley for a free outdoor screening of Harlan County, USA, Barbara Kopple’s unforgettable documentary of a coal miners’ strike! Register to attend below.

Events

🌹Tuesday, 4/11 (6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.): Turnout Tuesday for Recommitment Drive (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Wednesday, 4/12 (6:45 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.): April Chapter Meeting (In person at 518 Valencia St. or on Zoom)

🌹Thursday, 4/13 (6:00 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.): Pushing for State Transit Funding with Free Muni Full Service and the Transbay Coalition (Zoom)

🌹Friday, 4/14 (12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.): Office Hours (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Saturday, 4/15 (1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.): Sock Distro with the Homelessness Working Group (Meet in person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Sunday, 4/16 (4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.): CCC Game Night (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Wednesday, 4/19 (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.): Free Muni Full Service Priority Monthly Meeting (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Wednesday, 4/19 (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.): What is DSA? (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Sunday, 4/23 (2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.): AfroSocialists Slow Book Club: Black Marxism, Chapters 1-2 (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Wednesday, 4/26 (7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.): Labor 101 Training Session (Zoom and in person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Thursday, 4/27 (6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.): Tech Worker Meetup (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

For more events, click here.

Announcements

April Chapter Meeting

The April chapter meeting will be taking place tomorrow, April 12th from 6:45 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Attendees have the option to register for the meeting through Zoom or to attend in person at 518 Valencia. For those who choose to attend in person, masks are required. The meeting will consist of updates about what is currently happening within the chapter, as well as reportbacks from members on recent actions.

We look forward to seeing you there!

DSA SF Labor Education and Training Interest Survey

Want to learn how to organize your workplace? Support workers’ fights against Amazon and Starbucks? Understand the importance of labor as a key to winning socialism? Complete the 2-minute DSA SF Labor Education and Training Interest survey to let the DSA SF Labor Working Group know what training and education you’re interested so we can tailor labor education and training events to your interests.

Upcoming Chapter Elections!

👋 Some important chapter business is coming up in the next few months as we near our chapter’s annual convention in June and national DSA’s biennial convention in August.🌹 Steering will be following up every week or so with updates/reminders.

This week, we’re highlighting the  upcoming elections. At the April chapter meeting, in addition to other reportbacks, business, and fun group discussion, we will:

1. Elect delegates to California DSA. Nominate a comrade or yourself here: dev.dsasf.org/cadsa-delegate
2. Start to collect nominations for delegates to National DSA convention. Elections will be held at the May general meeting.
3. Start to collect nominations for Steering and Grievance Officers. Nominations will close at the May general meeting and elections will be held at convention in June.

Dusty Stax Presents Bacchus Rocchus Spring Dance

Want to have a wild night filled with singing, dancing, and partying with fellow DSA members? Come to the Dusty Stax Presents Bacchus Rocchus Spring Dance on Saturday, April 15th, at 2424 Mariposa St. in the Mission District at 8 p.m. DSA’s very own Jen Snyder will be singing, along with many other talented performers. DSA members will get a 50% discount at the door so tickets will only be $22.50. This party is LEGENDARY and you do not want to miss it! You must be 21 or older to attend, and there is a dress code. You can check out more information about the event, including the list of performers and the dress code, here! Contact Jen Snyder on slack if you have any questions!

CCC Game Night

Come to the DSA SF office to enjoy an evening of fun and games for another CCC game night! We’ll have chess, tons of board games, snacks, and drinks. Feel free to bring your own games, consoles, or comrades! Join us at the DSA SF office at 1916 McAllister on Sunday, April 16th from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and have fun with comrades!

Sign Up to Distribute Socks with Homelessness Working Group

Come do sock distro with HWG! DSA SF’s Homelessness Working Group is currently organizing a sock distribution, and restarting our chapter’s efforts directed toward connecting with our homeless neighbors. We’ll be low-key training chapter members about our specific approach to mutual aid and street solidarity, as well as building capacity for this and, potentially, more expansive mutual aid projects in the future!

Join the Tenant Organizing Provisional Working Group!

Overlapping TANC and DSA SF members have come together to start a Tenant Organizing Provisional Working Group! Our goal is to build a cadre of well-versed tenant organizers in DSA SF that will help us reach mass tenant organizing efforts in order to fight back the landlord class, in San Francisco and beyond. Join your neighbors in the tenant organizing movement by joining our slack channel #Tenant-Organizing!

We Mean to Make Things Over: A History of May Day Documentary Screening

We Mean to Make Things Over: A History of May Day is a half-hour documentary exploring how May Day became a workers’ holiday all over the world, except in the United States—despite the fact that the events that inspired the holiday occurred here.

CCSF’s Labor and Community Studies department is holding a screening of this timely documentary Monday, April 24th at 7:00 p.m. at the Mission Campus near 22nd and Valencia, Room 109. Writer/Director Fred Glass will introduce the documentary and answer questions afterward.

DSA SF Labor Tech Worker Meetup: Organize Your Colleagues!

As the tech industry experiences upheaval after upheaval, what role can we play as workers in San Francisco, the heart of the international tech industry?

DSA SF is hosting a monthly series of in-person meetups for workers in tech and adjacent industries to come together, educate each other, and develop organizing strategies for the next phase of the tech worker movement. The first meeting will take place on Thursday, April 27th at the DSA SF office at 1916 McAllister. You can register to attend below!

Free Outdoor Screening of Harlan County, USA!

DSA SF’s Labor Working Group is hosting a free outdoor screening of Harlan County, USA, Barbara Kopple’s unforgettable documentary covering a 1973 coal miners’ strike! Join us on Wednesday, May 31 at 8:00 p.m. in Kerouac Alley.

Events

🌹Tuesday, 4/4 (6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.): Turnout Tuesday for Recommitment Drive (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Wednesday, 4/5 (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.): What is DSA? (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Thursday, 4/6 (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 pm.): Ecosocialist Monthly Meeting (Zoom)

🌹Friday, 4/7 (12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.): Office Hours (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Sunday, 4/9 (6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.): DSA SF Labor Logistics Presentation (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Tuesday, 4/11 (6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.): Turnout Tuesday for Recommitment Drive (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Wednesday, 4/12 (6:45 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.): April Chapter Meeting (In person at 518 Valencia St or on Zoom)

🌹Sunday, 4/16 (4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.): CCC Game Night (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Wednesday, 4/19 (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.): Free Muni Full Service Priority Monthly Meeting (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Wednesday, 4/19 (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.): What is DSA? (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

For more events, click here.

Announcements

DSA SF Labor Education and Training Interest Survey

Want to learn how to organize your workplace? Support workers’ fights against Amazon and Starbucks? Understand the importance of labor as a key to winning socialism? Complete the 2-minute DSA SF Labor Education and Training Interest survey to let the DSA SF Labor Working Group know what training and education you’re interested so we can tailor labor education and training events to your interests.

Upcoming Chapter Elections!

👋 Some important chapter business is coming up in the next few months as we near our chapter’s annual convention in June and national DSA’s biennial convention in August.🌹 Steering will be following up every week or so with updates/reminders.

This week, we’re highlighting the  upcoming elections. At the April chapter meeting, in addition to other reportbacks, business, and fun group discussion, we will:

1. Elect delegates to California DSA. Nominate a comrade or yourself here: dev.dsasf.org/cadsa-delegate
2. Start to collect nominations for delegates to National DSA convention. Elections will be held at the May general meeting.
3. Start to collect nominations for Steering and Grievance Officers. Nominations will close at the May general meeting and elections will be held at convention in June.

April Chapter Meeting

The April chapter meeting will be taking place on Wednesday, April 12th from 6:45 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Attendees have the option to register for the meeting through Zoom or to attend in person at 518 Valencia. For those who choose to attend in person, masks are required. The meeting will consist of updates about what is currently happening within the chapter, as well as report backs from members on recent actions.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Sign Up to Distribute Socks with Homelessness Working Group

Come do sock distro with HWG! DSA SF’s Homelessness Working Group is currently organizing a sock distribution, and restarting our chapter’s efforts directed toward connecting with our homeless neighbors. We’ll be low-key training chapter members about our specific approach to mutual aid and street solidarity, as well as building capacity for this and, potentially, more expansive mutual aid projects in the future!

Labor Working Group Logistics Presentation

Are you inspired by the successful labor organizing at Amazon, Starbucks, and many other workplaces that unionized recently? Wondering how you can get directly involved and join the historic effort to rebuild the US labor movement? DSA SF is working to build power in the logistics industry, and we need your help. Join us for a presentation on Sunday, April 9th from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. at 1916 McAllister St.

CCC Game Night

Come to the DSA SF office to enjoy an evening of fun and games for another CCC Game Night! We’ll have chess, tons of board games, snacks, and drinks. Feel free to bring your own games, consoles, or comrades! Join us at the DSA SF office at 1916 McAllister on Sunday, April 16th from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and have fun with comrades!

Here’s your weekly roundup of announcements, events, and reportbacks for March 28, 2023.

Events

🌹Tuesday, 3/28 (6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.): Turnout Tuesday for Recommitment Drive (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Friday, 3/31 (12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.): Office Hours (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Friday, 3/31 (6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.): The Battle of Chile Film Screening (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Saturday, 4/1 (1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.): Homelessness Working Group Sock Distro (Meet in person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Saturday, 4/1 (6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.): DSA SF Labor Logistics Presentation (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Tuesday, 4/4 (6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.): Turnout Tuesday for Recommitment Drive (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Wednesday, 4/5 (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.): What is DSA? (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Thursday, 4/6 (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 pm.): Ecosocialist Monthly Meeting (Zoom)

🌹Wednesday, 4/12 (6:45 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.): April Chapter Meeting (In person at 518 Valencia St or on Zoom)

For more events, click here.

Announcements

DSA SF COVID-19 Survey

Hey comrades! Now that we’re doing more and more events in person, Steering wants to better understand how everyone is feeling about COVID-19 precautions at DSA SF events. To help us out, please fill out this COVID-19 Survey by Friday, March 31st! Your responses will help inform an updated COVID-19 policy that we’re thinking about. Individual responses will be private to Steering, but we’ll share aggregate and anonymized results with the chapter once it’s complete.

DSA SF Labor Education and Training Interest Survey

Want to learn how to organize your workplace? Support workers’ fights against Amazon and Starbucks? Understand the importance of labor as a key to winning socialism? Complete the 2-minute DSA SF Labor Education and Training Interest survey to let the DSA SF Labor Working Group know what training and education you’re interested so we can tailor labor education and training events to your interests.

Upcoming Chapter Elections!

👋 Some important chapter business is coming up in the next few months as we near our chapter’s annual convention in June and national DSA’s biennial convention in August.🌹 Steering will be following up every week or so with updates/reminders.

This week, we’re highlighting the  upcoming elections. At the April chapter meeting, in addition to other reportbacks, business, and fun group discussion, we will:

1. Elect delegates to California DSA. Nominate a comrade or yourself here: dev.dsasf.org/cadsa-delegate
2. Start to collect nominations for delegates to National DSA convention. Elections will be held at the May general meeting.
3. Start to collect nominations for Steering and Grievance Officers. Nominations will close at the May general meeting and elections will be held at convention in June.

April Chapter Meeting

The April chapter meeting will be taking place on April 12th from 6:45 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Attendees have the option to register for the meeting through Zoom or to attend in person at 518 Valencia. For those who choose to attend in person, masks are required. The meeting will consist of updates about what is currently happening within the chapter, as well as report backs from members on recent actions.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Sign Up to Distribute Socks with Homelessness Working Group

Come do sock distro with HWG! DSA SF’s Homelessness Working Group is currently organizing a sock distribution, and restarting our chapter’s efforts directed toward connecting with our homeless neighbors. We’ll be low-key training chapter members about our specific approach to mutual aid and street solidarity, as well as building capacity for this and, potentially, more expansive mutual aid projects in the future!

Battle of Chile Film Screening on March 31

Join the DSA SF International Solidarity Committee for part 3 of the film screening and discussion of Patricio Guzmán’s documentary The Battle of Chile: The Struggle of an Unarmed People. The documentary covers the right wing boycott and military coup against the Allende administration, focusing on the bottom-up organizing of Chilean workers in response to U.S.-funded efforts to dismantle their revolution. The film highlights the many counter-revolutionary tactics that U.S. imperialism continues to deploy in Latin America today while providing key insights into organizing strategies that we can apply to our current struggle for a worker-controlled democracy. The screening is taking place on Friday, March 31 at 6:30 p.m. at the DSA SF office (1916 McAllister). Food and drinks will be provided!

Labor Working Group Logistics Presentation

Are you inspired by the successful labor organizing at Amazon, Starbucks, and many other workplaces that unionized recently? Wondering how you can get directly involved and join the historic effort to rebuild the US labor movement? DSA SF is working to build power in the logistics industry, and we need your help. Join us for a presentation on Saturday, April 1st from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. at 1916 McAllister St.

CCC Game Night

Come to the DSA SF office to enjoy an evening of fun and games for another CCC game night! We’ll have chess, tons of board games, snacks, and drinks. Feel free to bring your own games, consoles, or comrades! Join us at the DSA SF office at 1916 McAllister on Sunday, April 16th from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and have fun with comrades!

Here’s your weekly roundup of announcements, events, and reportbacks for March 21, 2023.

Events

🌹Tuesday, 3/21 (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.): Ecosocialist Book Club: The Future is Degrowth (Zoom)

🌹Tuesday, 3/21 (6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.): Turnout Tuesday for Recommitment Drive (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Wednesday, 3/22 (6:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.): Starbucks 18th and Castro Strike (In person at 4094 18th Street)

🌹Wednesday, 3/22 (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.): What is DSA? (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Friday, 3/24 (12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.): Office Hours (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister

🌹Friday, 3/24 (6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.): The Battle of Chile Film Screening (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Saturday, 3/25 (11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.): Homelessness Working Group Office Hours (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Saturday, 3/25 (1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.): The War in Ukraine: Book Talk with Medea Benjamin (Zoom)

🌹Saturday, 3/25 (1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.): Homelessness Working Group (HWG) Sock Distro (Meet in person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Friday, 3/31 (6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.): The Battle of Chile Film Screening (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Saturday, 4/1 (6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.): DSA SF Labor Logistics Presentation (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Thursday, 4/6 (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 pm.): Ecosocialist Monthly Meeting (Zoom)

For more events, click here.

Announcements

DSA SF Afrosocialist Caucus Co-Chairs Speak Out Against Mayor’s $27.6 Million Giveaway to SFPD (and So Can You!)

Broke-Ass Stuart published a piece titled “Giving Away More Money to SFPD Won’t Fix the City’s Problems” by SF DSA’s Afrosocialist and Socialists of Color Caucus co-chairs, Aditya and Humphrey, speaking out against the Mayor’s request to give an additional $26.7 million to SFPD. This piece was written just ahead of the SF Board of Supervisors meeting that starts today, March 21st at 2:00 p.m. where the BoS will be voting on whether to continue their giveaways to SFPD. 

The piece is an excellent read that lays out the case for investing in city services that meet our community’s needs, rather than continuing to bolster police power in San Francisco.

The chapter has created a form letter you can customize and use to reach out to the Mayor and all the SF Supervisors asking them to support SF residents instead of the cops. You can find the meeting agenda, the phone number to call to participate in remote public comment, and the in-person meeting information here.

DSA SF COVID-19 Survey

Hey comrades! Now that we’re doing more and more events in person, Steering wants to better understand how everyone is feeling about COVID-19 precautions at DSA SF events. To help us out, please fill out this COVID-19 Survey by Friday, March 31st! Your responses will help inform an updated COVID-19 policy that we’re thinking about. Individual responses will be private to Steering, but we’ll share aggregate and anonymized results with the chapter once it’s complete.

Ecosocialist Book Club: The Future is Degrowth

Join the DSA SF Ecosocialist Committee’s book club for the second half of a two part discussion on degrowth tonight, March 21st from 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. We’re reading and discussing The Future is Degrowth: A Guide to a World Beyond Capitalism. Open to all!

Sign Up to Distribute Socks with Homelessness Working Group

Come do sock distro with HWG! DSA SF’s Homelessness Working Group is currently organizing a sock distribution, and restarting our chapter’s efforts directed toward connecting with our homeless neighbors. We’ll be low-key training chapter members about our specific approach to mutual aid and street solidarity, as well as building capacity for this and, potentially, more expansive mutual aid projects in the future!

Battle of Chile Film Screening on March 24 and 31

Join the DSA SF International Solidarity Committee for a film screening and discussion of Patricio Guzmán’s documentary The Battle of Chile: The Struggle of an Unarmed People. The documentary covers the right wing boycott and military coup against the Allende administration, focusing on the bottom-up organizing of Chilean workers in response to U.S.-funded efforts to dismantle their revolution. The film highlights the many counter-revolutionary tactics that U.S. imperialism continues to deploy in Latin America today while providing key insights into organizing strategies that we can apply to our current struggle for a worker-controlled democracy. The second screening is taking place on Friday, March 24 at 6:30 p.m. at the DSA SF office (1916 McAllister). Food and drinks will be provided!

Book Talk with Medea Benjamin on March 25

Come join us on Saturday, March 25, at 1:00 p.m. for a talk on Zoom with Medea Benjamin, author of War in Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict. Her book provides a fantastic summary of points generally ignored in Western media: the historical context to the conflict, America’s role in escalation, NATO expansion, misinformation campaigns, the global impact of Western sanctions, and the real threat of nuclear war. Medea is a co-founder of CODEPINK and the fair trade advocacy group Global Exchange; she has also written books on drone warfare, US-Saudi relations, and American aggression against Iran. Medea has been awarded with the US Peace Memorial Foundations Prize and has been a recipient of the Gandhi Peace Award and Martin Luther King, Jr Peace Prize from the Fellowship of Reconciliation.

The MADE Field Trip with Peninsula DSA (PDSA) on March 25th

PDSA has been running a monthly social event where they play alternative board games to both hang out and explore socialist themes in games and the games industry. As part of this, PDSA will be visiting The Made in Oakland, one of few museums that let you play old games, both for fun and to see media preservation in spite of capitalism in practice. The chapter wanted to extend an invite to any other local socialist gamers, including those of us in SF DSA!

Folks will be meeting at The MADE at 921 Washington St. in Oakland Saturday, March 25th at 2:00 p.m. If you are planning to attend, you can register here. 

Homelessness Working Group Office Hours

Have questions about DSA SF’s Homelessness Working Group and the work that we are doing? Want to talk outside of our regular meetings and events? Come to the the DSA office Saturday, March 25th from 11:00 a.m. to 1 p.m. for HWG office hours and chit-chat with a co-chair! For further info, reach out to homelessness@dsasf.org.

Here’s your weekly roundup of announcements, events, and reportbacks for the week of March 14, 2023.

Events

🌹Tuesday, 3/14 (6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.): Turnout Tuesday for Recommitment Drive (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Wednesday, 3/15 (1:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.): SFPD Budget Supplemental Committee Hearing (Agenda, location, and remote public comment information here)

🌹Wednesday, 3/15 (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.): Free Muni Full Service Priority Monthly Meeting (Zoom)

🌹Thursday, 3/16 (7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.): Labor Organizing Training (Zoom and in person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Friday, 3/17 (12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.): Office Hours (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Friday, 3/17 (6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.): The Battle of Chile Film Screening (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Saturday, 3/18 (5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.): Starbucks Strike Picket Sign Building Social (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Tuesday, 3/21 (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.): Ecosocialist Book Club: The Future is Degrowth (Zoom)

🌹Tuesday, 3/21 (6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.): Turnout Tuesday for Recommitment Drive (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Wednesday, 3/22 (6:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.): Starbucks 18th and Castro Strike (In person at 4094 18th Street)

🌹Wednesday, 3/22 (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.): What is DSA? (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Friday, 3/24 (12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.): Office Hours (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Friday, 3/24 (6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.): The Battle of Chile Film Screening (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Saturday, 3/25 (1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.): The War in Ukraine: Book Talk with Medea Benjamin (Zoom)

🌹Tuesday, 3/28 (6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.): Turnout Tuesday for Recommitment Drive (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Friday, 3/31 (12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.): Office Hours (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Friday, 3/31 (6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.): The Battle of Chile Film Screening (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Tuesday, 4/4 (6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.): Turnout Tuesday for Recommitment Drive (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Thursday, 4/6 (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 pm.): Ecosocialist Monthly Meeting (Zoom)

For more events, click here.

Announcements

National Day of Action for Cuba 3/15 – 3/16

Labor Organizing 101 Training!

Battle of Chile Film Screening on March 17, 24, and 31

Join the DSA SF International Solidarity Committee for a film screening and discussion of Patricio Guzmán’s documentary The Battle of Chile: The Struggle of an Unarmed People. The documentary covers the right wing boycott and military coup against the Allende administration, focusing on the bottom-up organizing of Chilean workers in response to U.S.-funded efforts to dismantle their revolution. The film highlights the many counter-revolutionary tactics that U.S. imperialism continues to deploy in Latin America today while providing key insights into organizing strategies that we can apply to our current struggle for a worker-controlled democracy. The first of three screenings is taking place on Friday, March 17th at 6:30 p.m. at the DSA SF office (1916 McAllister). Food and drinks will be provided!

Starbucks Strike Picket Sign Building Social

DSA SF is providing strike support to the Castro Starbucks workers this month! On March 18th, join us at 1916 McAllister from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. to build picket signs that will be used on the picket line during the strike on March 22nd. Come join us to help make picket signs, have a chat, or just hang out! Pizza and beverages will be provided.

Book Talk with Medea Benjamin on March 25

Come join us on Saturday, March 25, at 1 p.m. for a talk on Zoom with Medea Benjamin, author of War in Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict. Her book provides a fantastic summary of points generally ignored in Western media: the historical context to the conflict, America’s role in escalation, NATO expansion, misinformation campaigns, the global impact of Western sanctions, and the real threat of nuclear war. Medea is a co-founder of CODEPINK and the fair trade advocacy group Global Exchange; she has also written books on drone warfare, US-Saudi relations, and American aggression against Iran. Medea has been awarded with the US Peace Memorial Foundations Prize and has been a recipient of the Gandhi Peace Award and Martin Luther King, Jr Peace Prize from the Fellowship of Reconciliation.

Ecosocialist Book Club: The Future is Degrowth

Join the DSA SF Ecosocialist Committee’s book club for the second half of a two part discussion on degrowth on March 21st from 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. We’re reading and discussing The Future is Degrowth: A Guide to a World Beyond Capitalism. Open to all!

Office Hours Every Friday This Month!

The DSA SF office will be open for office hours from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. every Friday in March! Folks will be milling around working on a variety of DSA and non-DSA things and generally hanging out and having a good time. If you’re looking for a place to work for the afternoon in community with other socialists on Friday, come hang out!

DSA SF, led by AfroSocialists and Socialists of Color Committee, condemns the recent proposals for increased signing bonuses and a $27.6M budget supplemental for the San Francisco Police Department, and instead advocates for increased spending for teachers, public health workers, and other underfunded social services and community based solutions that will make a meaningful and long-term impact on our community. We call on the people of San Francisco to oppose another massive increase to SFPD’s budget.

At a time when many working class residents and San Francisco city workers are facing potential eviction, hunger, a lack of jobs offering living wages, and countless other crises that could be addressed by local government, it is unsurprising but disappointing to see the mayor and many supervisors fighting to spend more money on policing.

Just last year, the Board of Supervisors approved an amendment to the Police Officers Association’s memorandum of understanding (i.e., contract) to include longevity bonuses, pay raises, and sign-on bonuses. In addition to the fact that the city voluntarily opened up the SFPD contract for negotiation, the SFPD was the only agency that received all three of these concessions from the city. Teachers, sanitation workers, firefighters, bus drivers, and other essential workers were denied such consideration. 

The Mayor and Board of Supervisors also approved a massive SFPD’s $713 million budget for 2023, which it is on track to overspend.

SFPD doesn’t have a budget problem, they have an accountability problem. 

Compared to similar jurisdictions around the country, SFPD already spends more per capita on policing, and has a higher police officer to resident ratio than similar cities. This latest move continues an ongoing trend of increased police spending, despite data from the SF police department itself showing that crime has decreased compared to previous years. Meanwhile, the SFPD is taking longer and longer to respond to calls, including serious calls about violent crime. 

Supervisor Matt Dorsey’s recent call for increased signing bonuses for new officers continues this unfair and unjustified use of public funds. Just last year, the Board of Supervisors approved an amendment to the Police Officers Association’s memorandum of understanding to include longevity bonuses, pay raises, and sign-on bonuses. The SFPD was the only agency that received all three of these concessions from the city. Teachers, sanitation workers, firefighters, bus drivers, etc. were denied such consideration. 

All of this paints a clear picture: this is a blatant display of SFPD exceptionalism which does nothing to solve the root causes of San Francisco’s tattered social fabric. 

The city is in crisis. Crucial functions that boost the city’s wellness continue to be severely underfunded. Even well-tenured teachers in San Francisco typically make less than $80,000 annually, putting them below the poverty line and below the earnings of a starting police officer. City College of San Francisco is similarly facing a budget crisis, with many educators being laid off and many others being forced to part time roles as classes are canceled. Many public health workers were supposed to be hired to support linkages to housing and medical treatment in the Tenderloin, but plans have repeatedly fallen through with little accountability. Muni faces a $215 million deficit as federal pandemic funding runs out, and could potentially cut service by 25%. 

As a country, we already know that our community’s safety is dependent not on increased policing, but funding of our social pillars, such as health, education, and safer streets. 

Under capitalism, we live in an atomized society where the capitalists hoard all the wealth while the working class fights for scraps. This inequality creates the conditions of desperation that lead to crime. When a person’s needs: food, water, housing, healthcare, transportation, education, are not met, they have every right (even a duty) to break the rules of a society that denies them to all. Punishment of individuals does nothing to end the conditions that lead to crime, nor is it intended to. Police exist to protect property and maintain a hierarchical order through the threat of violence. Our criminal “justice” system regularly breaks families apart, puts them in debt due to fees and penalties, and reinforces desperate situations that lead to more crime. Restorative justice is transformative when we look to build better people instead of punishing them. The solution: solidarity and socialism. Creating a society where we work together to meet our collective needs will always be more effective than an order rooted in violence. 

In the face of this injustice, we ask every San Francisco resident: when we give the Police Officer’s Association and SFPD priority and political weight over our teachers, public health workers, and public transportation, what does this say about our values?

We know that we can do better. If you also believe in investing in the long-term health of our communities, speak out against both of these proposals when they hit the Board of Supervisors. The police department’s $27.6 million supplemental will be heard on March 14, and we expect police bonuses to be heard in the coming weeks. In the meantime, join our coalition as we push back against increased policing, and in favor of the services that uplift our community and address the root causes of the issues we see today. You can use our toolkit to make public comment at the relevant meetings and email the Mayor and Board of Supervisors.

Here’s your weekly roundup of announcements, events, and reportbacks for the week of March 7, 2023.

Events

🌹Tuesday, 3/7 (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.): Ecosocialist Book Club: The Future is Degrowth(Zoom)

🌹Wednesday, 3/8 (6:45 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.): March Chapter Meeting (Zoom and in person at 518 Valencia)

🌹Thursday, 3/9 (5:45 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.): DSA SF Labor Reads: Class Struggle Unionism by Joe Burns (Zoom)

🌹Friday, 3/10 (12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.): Office Hours (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Tuesday, 3/14 (6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.): Turnout Tuesday for Recommitment Drive (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Wednesday, 3/15 (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.): Free Muni Full Service Priority Monthly Meeting (Zoom)

🌹Friday, 3/17 (12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.): Office Hours (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Friday, 3/17 (6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.): The Battle of Chile Film Screening (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Tuesday, 3/21 (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.): Ecosocialist Book Club: The Future is Degrowth(Zoom)

🌹Tuesday, 3/21 (6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.): Turnout Tuesday for Recommitment Drive (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Wednesday, 3/22 (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.): What is DSA? (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Friday, 3/24 (12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.): Office Hours (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Saturday, 3/25 (1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.): The War in Ukraine: Book Talk with Medea Benjamin (Zoom)

🌹Tuesday, 3/28 (6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.): Turnout Tuesday for Recommitment Drive (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

🌹Friday, 3/31 (12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.): Office Hours (In person at the DSA SF office, 1916 McAllister)

For more events, click here.

Announcements

🌹March Chapter Meeting

DSA SF’s chapter-wide regular monthly meeting is happening next week, March 8th from 6:45 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.! Register to join on Zoom below or join us in person at 518 Valencia St. (Masks are recommended for in-person attendees.) We look forward to seeing you there!

Battle of Chile Film Screening on March 17, 24, and 31

Join the DSA SF International Solidarity Committee for a film screening and discussion of Patricio Guzmán’s documentary The Battle of Chile: The Struggle of an Unarmed People. The documentary covers the right wing boycott and military coup against the Allende administration, focusing on the bottom-up organizing of Chilean workers in response to U.S.-funded efforts to dismantle their revolution. The film highlights the many counter-revolutionary tactics that U.S. imperialism continues to deploy in Latin America today while providing key insights into organizing strategies that we can apply to our current struggle for a worker-controlled democracy. The first of three screenings is taking place on Friday, March 17th at 6:30 p.m. at the DSA SF office (1916 McAllister). Food and drinks will be provided!

Book Talk with Medea Benjamin on March 25

Come join us on Saturday, March 25, at 1 p.m. for a talk on Zoom with Medea Benjamin, author of War in Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict. Her book provides a fantastic summary of points generally ignored in Western media: the historical context to the conflict, America’s role in escalation, NATO expansion, misinformation campaigns, the global impact of Western sanctions, and the real threat of nuclear war. Medea is a co-founder of CODEPINK and the fair trade advocacy group Global Exchange; she has also written books on drone warfare, US-Saudi relations, and American aggression against Iran. Medea has been awarded with the US Peace Memorial Foundations Prize and has been a recipient of the Gandhi Peace Award and Martin Luther King, Jr Peace Prize from the Fellowship of Reconciliation.

Office Hours Every Friday This Month!

The DSA SF office will be open for office hours from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. every Friday in March! Folks will be milling around working on a variety of DSA and non-DSA things and generally hanging out and having a good time. If you’re looking for a place to work for the afternoon in community with other socialists on Friday, come hang out!

Ecosocialist Book Club: The Future is Degrowth

Join the DSA SF Ecosocialist Committee’s book club for a two part discussion on degrowth on March 7th and 21st from 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. We’re reading and discussing The Future is Degrowth: A Guide to a World Beyond Capitalism. Open to all!

Comrades,

The DSA International Committee is a member of the Peace In Ukraine Coalition. The Coalition is calling for a National Week of Action this week to say YES to negotiations and NO to an endless proxy war with Russia in Ukraine!  

“While Biden is calling for another $13+ billion to fund the war on top of the $50+ billion already funded, we demand money for climate, jobs, healthcare and housing, not for more weapons to escalate the war and enrich military contractors.”

What you can do:

• Sign the DSA letter to Tell Congress to Oppose Weapons Shipments to Ukraine
• Join the action in SF on Thursday, Aug 15
• Watch the video of the DSAIC Ukraine Webinar: The War in Ukraine, Impacts and Perspectives: Women, Workers, and Global South
• Share this call to action with comrades

For more info on this campaign click here or message the #international-solidarity slack channel.

Solidarity,

DSA SF Comms Committee

Events

🌹 Wednesday, 9/14 (6:45 p.m.-9:00 p.m.): September Chapter Meeting (Zoom and in-person at 518 Valencia)

🌹 Thursday, 9/15 (12:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m.): San Francisco Stop the War in Ukraine; Negotiate Ceasefire Now! Action (in-person at Senators Padilla and Feinstein
333 Bush St San Francisco (Padilla) and One Post St San Francisco (Feinstein)

For more events, click here.

Announcements

Want to Write Local Stories? Help Us Out at SFIJ!

After a long-awaited hiatus, the San Francisco Independent Journal (SFIJ) is back and we’re currently looking for writers and editors (both will be paid) to help us keep reporting the most important stories in this charming city. Nowadays, it’s highly unlikely to get local stories without the influence of police propaganda, mayoral influence, and corporations. You can read past stories such as tenants marching to Veritas headquarters last year right before the eviction moratorium and SFUSD teachers organizing a walk-in to demand more safety at schools.

We’re currently looking for writers to help with the following story pitches:

• Investigating San Francisco’s 40,000 empty homes with a focus on three locations
• A few articles on CCSF student and labor organizing, administrative neglect, and what the future holds for CCSF

If you’re interested, please reach out to comms@dsasf.org! You can also support our work here to help us pay for writers and editors.

The Next Chapter Meeting is Tomorrow, September 14!

Join us tomorrow, September 14 at 6:45 p.m. for our monthly chapter meeting! As usual, this will be a hybrid meeting – you can register to attend on Zoom using the link below, or come to the meeting in person at 518 Valencia.

DSA SF Now Has a Protect Abortion Working Group

DSA SF now has a provisional Protect Abortion Working Group. The provisional co-chairs are Ellie G and Alyssa A, and initial plans are to organize pro-abortion actions in coordination with other groups including CA-DSA and National, hold a teach-in for the chapter, and organize mutual aid to support people seeking abortion access. To get involved, join the #abortion-working-group channel in DSA slack – we’ll have lots more updates about the working group’s plans and actions in the weeks and months to come.

Comrades,

For over a year, Amazon and Google workers have been organizing to end their companies’ $1 billion contract with the Israeli military and apartheid government. Through their contract, Amazon and Google help the Israeli government surveil Palestinians, expand illegal settlements, and inflict violence on Palestinians under siege and occupation.

The message is clear: tech workers do not want to build technology used to enable Israel’s oppression of Palestinians. Join us this Thursday, September 8 at Embarcadero Plazaalongside  tech workers and Palestinian organizers, who will lead direct actions at Google and Amazon offices in San Francisco, Seattle, and New York City. Communities and workers will stand together in solidarity against this harmful contract. Learn more here!

To join the contingent for DSA SF (members in good standing only), use this link for the Signal group chat. Hope to see a lot of you there as we stand in solidarity with the Palestinian diaspora and Palestinians on the ground.

Solidarity,

DSA SF Comms Committee

E

🌹 Thursday, 9/8 (12:30 p.m.): No Tech for Apartheid (in person at Embarcadero Plaza)

🌹 Thursday, 9/8 (6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.): What is DSA? (Zoom and in person at the DSA SF office on 1916 McAllister)

🌹 Saturday, 9/10 (11:00 a.m.): Empty Homes Tax Lit Drop and Blowback Podcast Discussion (in-person, Sunset Reservoir Playground at 24th Ave and Ortega)

🌹 Wednesday, 9/14 (6:45 p.m.-9:00 p.m.): September Chapter Meeting (Zoom and in-person at 518 Valencia)

For more events, click here.

Announcements

Join us to lit drop for People First San Francisco and to discuss the latest episode of the Blowback podcast

DSA SF now has a Protect Abortion Working Group

DSA SF now has a provisional Protect Abortion Working Group. The provisional co-chairs are Ellie G and Alyssa A, and initial plans are to organize pro-abortion actions in coordination with other groups including CA-DSA and National, hold a teach-in for the chapter, and organize mutual aid to support people seeking abortion access. To get involved, join the #abortion-working-group channel in DSA slack – we’ll have lots more updates about the working group’s plans and actions in the weeks and months to come.

Contribute to the DSA Labor national labor solidarity fund to help support local strikes and union drives across the country!

DSA Labor is launching the national labor solidarity fund, a collective resource for all DSA chapters to use in support of local strikes, union drives, and other forms of working class struggle. All we have is us – pitch in to make sure labor can keep up the fight everywhere, including upcoming strikes at Starbucks, Amazon, UPS, and more!

You can also get some sweet socialist merch for your contributions! DSA Labor has stickers and buttons available now, and you can pre-order t-shirts and tote bags. Proceeds from DSA Labor merchandise sales will go towards our labor solidarity fund!

The next chapter meeting is on Wednesday, September 14!

Join us on Wednesday, September 14 at 6:45 p.m. for our monthly chapter meeting! As usual, this will be a hybrid meeting – you can register to attend on Zoom using the link below, or come to the meeting in person at 518 Valencia. More details to come on the agenda in the days ahead!