“It’s important that we see this as the issue of our day today. And I think we are seeing that across the world, which is why millions are marching every single day.”

This Monday Meals we had our very own Pecolia Manigo, OR Political Director and Vernetta Woods, OR IVE Team Leader share about our Fall Civic Engagement Program (CEP), focused on hearing from Oakland flatland voters on how they are being impacted by rising costs of living, along with education on how recalls are being used to undermine our democracy.

This week marks our official campaign launch! We’re on a mission to transform Oakland and Alameda County into a more inclusive and transparent city and county by building up our people power! We envision a future where our neighbors in East and West Oakland, as well as in unincorporated and south Alameda County, have an affordable place to call home, schools that provide quality education, and programs and services that serve our community’s needs. We’re reaching out to low-turnout voters and engaging them in the political process to help create a more inclusive democracy, led by communities who have historically been left out of the decision-making process.

Thank you Isaiah Toney with East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy (EBASE) and Savannah Hunter with UC Berkeley Labor Center for joining and sharing about the State of Working East Bay 2015-2019 report. We talked about the ways working class people carry the burden of our economies by being paid low wages and paying high cost of living. We looked at some data and talked about the false narrative about grifting lazy renters and who works hard.

Thank you Dr. Kimberly Mayfield, Oakland Deputy Mayor, for joining us to share about the Talking Transitions Project survey. Learn more about the project and fill out the survey here.

We need as many Oakland residents living the flatlands to share and fill out the survey. The results will directly inform and impact the types of services the city will provide in Housing and Homelessness, Economic Opportunity, and Public Safety. Watch to learn more.

Thank you to Hakim Owen, Underground Scholars Policy Fellow, who joined us to talk about AB 280 the CA Mandela Act. Mercury in Retrograde was messing with our tech but hopefully you can listen in to the deep and rich conversation to learn more about how the prison system is another form of slavery and how solitary confinement is inhumane and how this legislation is trying to change that system. Email [email protected] to learn more info about some upcoming events including a lobby day in Sacramento.

Today was one the liveliest conversations and participation from the audience! We talked about trash but more importantly CLEAN UP. Thank you to Chaney Turner @social_life from @beyondequity and @townbizoakland and Tonya Love @tdlove5 for joining and all that you do for Oakland.

Sign up to join the Clean Up day on Sunday, August 27 1-3 pm @ 105th and International (aka E14th)!

We had Criminal Justice/ Police Practices Attorney at the ACLU Foundation of Nor Cal, Allyssa Victory, Esq., join us to talk about the ACDA Table’s Mental Health and Diversion Town Hall happening THIS THURSDAY (8/17). Learn about alternatives to incarceration and punitive punishment, and community-based responses to mental health needs in Alameda County.

Thanks to Ty Kyser with Causa Justa Just Cause and Thomas Alexander with Oakland Tenants Union for joining us today to breakdown what happened, what’s happening, and what is going to happen with the Eviction Moratorium, and the impacts of it ending in July. Be sure to reach out to East Bay Community Law Center, Bay Area Legal Aid, Centro Legal de La Raza, The Eviction Defense Center, and API Legal Outreach if you received an eviction notice. Housing is a human right everyday, not just when people can pay their rent.

Check out our Monday Meals segment on Police Accountability with Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice Organizer, Amanda Blanco, and Decarcerate Alameda County Organizer Cynthia Nunes. We discussed police accountability in both Oakland and Alameda County, and next steps to ensuring transparency between police departments and our communities.