2019 Annual Convention
Violet Sage Walker, co-chair and representing the Northern Chumash Tribal Council, who conducted the First Nations opening ceremony at the convention.
Our guest speakers: SLO Mayor Heidi Harmon; former Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin, former SFBOS President Matt Gonzalez, Chair of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band and President of the Amah Mutsun Land Trust Valentin Lopez, Lakota People’s Law Project Dakotas Counsel Chase Iron Eyes; Lakota People’s Law Project Chief Counsel Danny Sheehan.
DJ Shahid Buttar and folk artist Patrick O’Malley
Our founding convention featured two incredible panels:
Panel 1: Organizing Effectively to Implement a Green New Deal in Our Communities
This panel brought together activists from a variety of local Green New Deal related campaigns that have been or are currently being launched throughout the state in order to discuss strategies and lessons learned that will help progressive activists organize effectively on the local level. Moderated by Creative Greenius Joe Galliani, panelists included: Benjamin Eichert, Director of Greenpower, Jessica Guadalupe Tovar, Organizer for the Local Clean Energy Alliance and Coordinator of the East Bay Clean Power Alliance, Aura Vasquez, Commissioner, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power andMelvin Willis, Richmond City Councilmember and RPA Steering Committee member. PLUS a short video from 350.org co-founder Bill McKibben talking directly to CPA Convention participants.
Panel 2: Envisioning and Creating a Better California For All
This panel brought together activists working on statewide issues of Medicare for All, public banking, education reform and campaign finance reform to discuss and explore a broad and ambitious vision for a Better California For All. how can progressives throughout the state come together as a united front to transform our state, and what would that California look like? Moderated by “Robust Opposition” host Lauren Steiner, panelists include David Jette, Legislative Director of Public Bank Los Angeles, Cynthia Liu, Founder, K12 News Network and ReformCharterSchools.org, Paul Song, President of PNHP CA and Board Member of PNHP National and Healthcare NOW and Michele Sutter, Director and Co-Founder MOVI (Money Out Voters In).