California DSA establishes Working Group to build working class power for Ecosocialism
Climate crisis is class war, and as environmental destruction continues across California, it’s incumbent on socialists to lead the fight for a safe future. After a year of holding meetings on an ad-hoc basis, California DSA has formed an Ecosocialist Working Group (WG) to amp up multi-racial working class power for ecosocialism. The WG is holding its first open meeting as a formal Working Group on May 16 at 6pm PT (Register here).
As the national DSA Green New Deal Campaign Commission enters its Build For Power phase focused on supporting local campaigns for public-sector energy, housing, transit, and green space, the state WG is coordinating campaigns in California within that framework, and finding common ground in union solidarity and climate justice.
“CA-DSA is exciting to me because it's providing some connective tissue between the framework and support of our national bodies to the project work being done at the chapter level, with opportunities to partner and support each other,” said DSA SF organizer Tyler C. Brown.
The WG has been holding quarterly meetings open to all DSA members in California, where chapters can report back on the status of their work and get feedback on how to answer difficult strategic questions. Members can hear about campaigns for transit justice in SF and East Bay, LA’s work fighting for a Green New Deal for Public Schools, the history and potential future of Public Power campaigns from across the state, and more.
The Ecosocialist WG will also be reporting on work done across the state, analyzing the challenges chapters are facing and what tactics have been successful. Though the state formation has not identified an opportunity for a specific statewide campaign as of yet, that will be an area of discussion for the group as it ramps up.
“The challenge for our CA-DSA Ecosocialist Working Group mirrors that of the whole CA-DSA Council,” said East Bay DSA member Bonnie Lockhart. “Can we support local campaigns in our chapters—campaigns that grow rank and file member engagement—while building a state-wide body of our national organization? Can we weave robust connections between chapters to amplify working class power at the scale required in our urgent fight for the better world we know is possible? Join us to send out a resounding ‘Yes!’”
Sam H-L is a member of SF-DSA and secretary of the CA-DSA state committee