WOMEN’S INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE FOR PEACE AND FREEDOM -`ONTEREY COUNTY BRANCH 10/17/2011 

Members present: Eddy, Eklund,Harlow, Hubbard, Matterson, Olsen, Ryder, Weber, Worth, Vandevere, and meeting chaired by Hulquist.  Also present, Cassie Torda, Roy and Linda Madsen, Chris Fitz  and Mabele Lernoud 

1. Minutes read by Olsen..  It was requested to add that Chudilowsky and Azama handed out flyers at the Whisleblower movie along with Karas. 

2.  Treasurer report: balance is $1,166.

3.  Cassie Torda, CSUMB student, is our tech tutor and is helping Karas and Hulquist with the web site: www.wilpfmontereycounty.org.  She is working on having a blog, where we can communicate for events, people can register to be members.  She is also working on an instruction manual that will be  user friendly.  She suggests a calendar,  a way to have letters to congress persons that people can sign on the website, and  a workshop for people to help with working our projection equipment.

4 Alliance for. Democracy:  Hubbard presented film on corporate power and personhood..  Discussion of developing grass roots movement to get city councils to support a constitutional amendment to prevent corporate personhood.  It is on the agenda for Marina City Council tomorrow night.

5. Reports

   A. East Coast Korean Peace Tour: Eddy is not going.  Una I. Park will be going, is now a WILPF member .

   B. Fitz: Unite Here.  New offer is on the table, Nov 1 there will be a new owner at La Playa, hopefully our actions have made a difference.  Farr has asked for a demonstration this Thursday so he can speak.  La Playa workers  have had many years for the company.

   C. Request from Cabasso for funding for Green Tortoise bus for Vandenberg.   Mini grant period is ending.  Money is left over from grant because many launches have been canceled. $870 is left which could go to the Green Tortoise for future transportation.  Cost for one trip is $1500.  Agreed to give the money to the owner who is considered reliable.  Karas requested word gets out for the next  launch.  Eddy predicts Nov or early December.

    D.  Cluster in Santa Cruz will be on how we can maximize our contribution to California and on discussion of our relationship with national. Request was made for a report of our branch actions. Need to know who’s going by Nov 1. It will be in the De Anza community room.

   E.  Mini grant proposals due Oct 30.  Suggested picking something WILPF is working on in general. Fitz brought up supporting CSUMB students working with HERE.  Vandevere suggested something supporting women students.

   F.  Play, the Prosecution of Judge Wait, about the corporate personhood decision.

   G.  Olsen reported on request of Nuclear Free California for housing for their Sacred Site

Peace march which hopes to be in Salinas on Weds. Oct 26.

   H.   Eklund requested a time to write letters/post cards to government.  Karas suggested we could have postcards at the UNA Human Rights Day event.  Hulquist suggested spending a few

minutes doing that at each meeting.

   I.  Nuclear Tipping Point will be shown this Friday.

   J.  Restorative Justice program on Thursday, cosponsored by WILPF and Quakers.

   K. Art from children of Gaza will be here.

   L.  Picnic in the Park Sunday, pot luck, this Sunday sponsored by PRC, at Laguna Grande Park.

   M..There is movement for an initiative to get GMO labeling on food.

   N.  Occupy Monterey was well organized and was able to do consensus with 300 people by a group of young people.

Respectfully submitted by Peggy Olsen, recording secretary