Kickoff Event: 5/5/2019

May 5, 2019 Kickoff Event Take-aways

  • The Wine: The chill in the air on Sunday inspired most guests to bring red wines. We had a Domaine Casa Rossa rosé from Ile de Beauté; two Grenache Blancs (one from Paradise Ridge - Sonoma Valley and one from Crux - Russian River Valley); and a plethora of reds, including a Domain DuPueble Beaujolais Gamay, a Deloach Pinot Noir, a Domaine du Ségriès Lirac red Rhone blend, a Cline old vine Zinfandel - Lodi, a Crux Russian River Grenache (blended with Syrah and Mouvedre) and an Urban Cellars Syrah - Sierra Foothills. We also have two more saved for the next event: a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from LVE (a collaboration between Raymond Vineyards and John Legend) and a Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir Reserve from Sparrow Hawk.

  • The Change: We engaged in a lively discussion about the best ways to create positive social change through effective actions on three dimensions:

    1. Engage Politically to Defeat Trump & his agenda

    • Take Action using these resources:

        • Indivisible - A practical guide to resist the Trump agenda with recommended regular, iterative actions to resist the GOP’s agenda, elect local champions, and fight for progressive policies

        • When We All Vote - A nonpartisan not-for-profit uniting citizens, institutions, and organizations to spark a conversation about our rights and the responsibility of registering and voting

        • All on the Line - An organization founded by Eric Holder, former U.S. Attorney General in the Obama Administration to dismantle gerrymandering to ensure a vote for every person

        • Supermajority - Founded by Cecile Richards, Ai-jen Poo, and Alicia Garza to mobilize women voters around a “women’s new deal”

        • Plus: Planned Parenthood, ACLU, Southern Poverty Law Center 

    • Mobilize friends & family in swing states 

    • Volunteer to a campaign or cause in 2020 Election

    2. Support Women, LGBTQ,  POC Businesses & Candidates

    3. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Support Climate Action in daily life & on the ballot

    • Climate Reality - Founded by Al Gore with a mission “to catalyze a global solution to the climate crisis by making urgent action a necessity across every level of society.”

    • Natural Resources Defense Council - A Mission “to safeguard the earth—its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends.”

    • Read the Food + Climate section for “How to shop, cook and eat in a world dealing with climate change” published in The New York Times on April 30, 2019.