This is our chance: a chance for the 99% to take back our democracy. If we can gather more than 500,000 signatures to qualify the Millionaires Tax of 2012 for the November ballot, there's an excellent chance it will pass. An independent poll just showed that 70% of voters support us.

Can you volunteer to get signatures? Join us at a training this Wednesday afternoon at San Diego City College, from 4-6 pm.

 

For those making $1 million or more, the Millionaires Tax of 2012 would increase state income taxes by 3% on people making $1 million or more. The rate would increase 5% for those making $2 million or more. Experts say it would raise $6 to 9.5 billion in the first budget year alone, enough to begin:

• re-hiring laid off teachers to reduce class sizes,
• restoring college classes and student services,
• restoring cuts to essential services for children, seniors, and the disabled,
• re-hiring laid off emergency responders,
• and creating jobs by repairing roads and bridges.

Read more about the Millionaire's Tax of 2012.

IMMEDIATE JOB OPPORTUNITIES

The Equality Alliance will be hiring canvassers for a four-week program immediately following the academy. Successful academy graduates will be given a preference. 

Paid on-the-job training in the cutting-edge field of non-profit civic engagement:

 

The Equality Alliance of San Diego County is now taking applications for the inaugural class of the new Community Engagement Academy (CEA). The academy will run from April 9-16, 2011. Deadline to apply is March 25th. The Academy will provide training on how to engage peers to improve the community.  

The one-week CEA will enhance or develop the following knowledge and skills:

·         Governance structures (federal, state, and local)

·         Models of civic engagement to influence those structures

·         Focus on canvassing, as one model of civic engagement

Leadership Skills:

·         Communication (written and verbal)

·         Diplomacy & Conflict Resolution

·         Community Organizing

·         Team Building

·         Volunteer Recruitment

Job Skills:

·         Phone Canvassing

·         Computer Operation

·         Record Keeping

·         Problem Solving

·         Evaluation & Accountability

 

The CEA will include classroom seminars and on-the-job training.  At the end of the CEA, participants will receive a certificate qualifying them as trained Community Engagement Specialists.  Graduates will also be invited to access an online site where they can continue to learn best practices in civic engagement and view relevant job postings.

 

 

ACADEMY SCHEDULE: April 9-16, 2011

 

The first two days of the CEA will be conducted as classroom seminars to learn about civic engagement models and best practices for canvassing.  The next 5 days will consist of paid on-the-job training.  Trainees will use a state-of-the-art Predictive Dialing System to engage community members in real-time on real-life issues through phone canvassing.  The schedule will mirror a typical schedule for a canvassing operation.

 

 

 

APPLY TO THE ACADEMY BY FRIDAY, MARCH 25TH

 

We Talked to 16,000 Voters in April

Calling and walking "Hard to Count" neighborhoods over four weeks, our team of paid and volunteer canvassers encouraged voters to participate in the census and asked for their opinions on possible solutions to solve the state's budget crisis.

We Talked to 10,000 Voters in June

In the three weeks prior to the June election, we conducted our first Get Out the Vote campaign. Our canvassers contacted nearly 10,000 voters in neighborhoods with low voter participation in mid-city and southeastern San Diego and encouraged them to vote. In the four days prior to the election, we re- contacted close to 1,800 of those voters and provided them with their polling location. Our efforts paid off! In an election where only 26 percent of the voters in the county went to the polls, the Equality Alliance turned out 31 percent of the new and infrequent voters we targeted.

We Talked to 13,000 Voters in November

Working in the same neighborhoods as in the June election, we conducted our first advocacy campaign in the five weeks prior to the November election. Our canvassers encouraged new and infrequent voters to support Prop 25 and Prop J, and to reject Prop 23. Of the 13,000 voter we contacted, we identified 8,000 who were with us and mobilized them to vote. Their votes contributed to the success of 25 and the demise of 23 and pushed support for Prop J over 50 percent.

Still not sure how to vote. Here are our suggestions for a 4 state ballot measures (read the attached voter guide for more information on these measures):

With our canvassers working nearly every day this election season, we've made nearly 90,000 calls and knocked on nearly 9,000 doors to reach voters in mid-city and southeastern San Diego. We've talked to over 10,000 voters on the phone and over 2,500 voters at the door. Of those, we've identified over 7,500 voters that support our positions on three critical initiatives: Yes on 25 (On-Time Budget), No on 23 (Dirty Energy), and Yes on J (Funding Support for Local Schools). 

In an election where only 26 percent of the voters in the county went to the polls, the Equality Alliance turned out 31 percent of the “infrequent” voters we targeted. Great job canvassers!

In the run up to the June primary,  the Equality Alliance conducted a large-scale civic engagement program that targeted new and occasional voters, which we call “infrequent” voters, in the mid-city and southeastern neighborhoods of San Diego. Using a state-of-the-art predictive dialing system and engaging in peer-to-peer conversations, our canvassers encouraged voters to participate in the election, provided them with bilingual non-partisan ballot information, and gave them the location of their polling place.  

On election day, 31 percent of the infrequent voters we talked to turned out as compared with a 19 percent turnout among the infrequent voters in the same areas that we were not able to reach. The extra 12 percent in voter turnout amounted to nearly 2,000 extra votes!