THE DEMOCRACY CENTER ON-LINE
Volume 1 - November 4, 1997
To our friends and allies of The Democracy Center:
Welcome to the first edition of "The Democracy Center On-Line", a periodic electronic newsletter and update on resources and the issues of most importance to the civic activists we work with. This fall the center celebrates its five year anniversary. In these five years we have worked, almost always behind the scenes, helping progressive organizations in California and around the world to strengthen their advocacy skills and strategies.
We founded a think tank on California budget issues (The California Budget Project), launched an advocacy development program with South Africa's most prominent grassroots public health network, wrote a book on initiative politics, and have provided close training and support to groups ranging from the California PTA to the Homeless Prenatal Program. In all this work our mission has been the same, to help lift up the experiences and voices of the people directly affected by public decisions.
We hope you will enjoy receiving this electronic update. If you do not want to be on our list, we apologize for the inconvenience of you receiving this first edition and if you send us back a note we will be sure to remove your name. However, we are sure that most of you will want to receive this new resource. You probably know others who would also. Please consider forwarding this first issue to anyone else who might be interested. We are also happy to add people who aren't on the list but would like to be.
So, without further delay, we bring you "The Democracy Center On-line". We hope you enjoy it!
Jim Shultz and Santosh
Seeram
The Democracy Center
Set your bookmarks to The Democracy Center's new and growing site on the Web. The site is designed to be a unique resource to nonprofit activists and advocates. Highlights include:
A Quarterly Newsletter from The Democracy Center
A new newsletter from the Center, with articles and advocacy resources designed for downloading and use by other organizations.
In the new Fall 1997 issue:
· Welfare Reform in California: What really happened, what happens next, a report from the front lines.
· Democracy Snapshots: Portraits of democracy in action
The Northern California Immigrant
Rights Coalition
The California PTA
The Homeless Prenatal Program
· Democracy Tools: In this issue - "Developing Advocacy Strategy"
· Essays on Current Issues
"Proposition 13 Twenty Years Later: How California's landmark tax cut initiative gives out $billions per year to the state's wealthiest businesses." [Originally published in the Sacramento Bee in September.]
"The Unz Anti-bilingual Initiative: What it really means, a father's view." [Originally published in the Sacramento Bee and broadcast on public radio's California Report.]
RECIPES AND STORIES FROM CALIFORNIA'S BALLOT WARS
Also on the Center's Web site, excerpts and ordering information for our popular guidebook and history on California initiative politics.
"A must read-recipe for political junkies, initiative promoters and those interested in California politics."
The California Journal
"A strikingly complete primer on proposition politics."
Los Angeles Times
"Two books in one-a step by step guide for those who want to write their own measure or fight one-a highly readable analysis for interested but uninvolved voters."
Orange County Register
"What a radical idea - to tell the public what the high-priced consultants already know, about the public's own way to make laws."
David Roe, Senior Attorney, Environmental Defense Fund
Author of Proposition 65
An analysis of California initiative politics, stretching across two decades of battles over issues from health care to civil rights. A practical "how-to" guide drawn from interviews with more than three dozen campaign leaders, journalists, consultants and activists.
http://www.democracyctr.org