Dear RUN,

We’ve got just over a week until Election Day next Tuesday, so first things first: if you can vote, did you vote? If you haven’t voted yet, what’s your plan? If you mailed or dropped off your ballot, you can track it here. As a reminder, Housing California recommends voting YES on 15 for our schools, housing, and communities; YES on 16 for racial justice; and YES on 21 to stabilize rent.

Maybe, like many of us, you’re anxious about the election? Put that energy towards RUN’s plans for 2021. On last week’s Community Care call and in our “first cut” meeting on Friday, we looked at all the ideas RUN members suggested we fight for in 2021. We’ll need to answer two questions as we narrow the ideas down: 1. What’s important to us? 2. What can we win next year? We’ll look at the second question during the Summit, but for now, we’re trying to figure out what urgent and long-term California housing challenges we care about the most right now.

You can add your voice to that conversation. Join us at the Community Care call on Wednesday at 1pm. Then look out for a survey in this space where you can vote for your favorite suggestions, coming in the next week or two. The process might be messy, but it’s real, and what we end up with will reflect what RUN members across the state are thinking and feeling.

Take good care,

Tori

Connect with RUN

• Want to help sort through the 224 ideas that RUN members across the state came up with during There Ought To Be A Law convenings in the last two weeks? Join us this Wednesday 10/21 at 1pm to see them and start to narrow them down. Here’s the Zoom link, or you can call in at 669 900 6833, Meeting ID 963 6157 2844.
• You’ve got three more days to register for the virtual RUN Summit, happening Dec. 3 and 4, 2020, where we’ll choose RUN’s final priorities for 2021 based on the brainstorms from There Ought To Be A Law. You’ll also get powerful training to set us up for research actions with legislators in January. Apply here through October 28.

News you can use

• KQED reported on the impact of Moms 4 Housing, the group of Oakland women who occupied a corporate-owned house last year and inspired a movement of people taking over vacant housing across the country. Read or listen more here.
• “I've learned how to have a soft heart and strong boundaries.” Read an interview with Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza, whose book came out last week, about her 20 years of organizing experience and how to keep going.