Green Party of California (GPCA) - Napa

Another Young Green elected to Napa Valley College Board of Trustees

mfeinstein — Sat, 07 Dec 2013 19:18:58 +0000

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

For the second straight term, the Napa Valley College Board of Trustees will have a Green Student Trustee. Twenty-five year-old Alex Shantz with 55.3% of the vote, replacing outgoing Green Student Trustee promoting diversity, increasing sustainability, addressing student poverty, and enhancing student participation in shared governance at Napa Valley College. Previously he served president of the Associated Students of Napa Valley College (2010-2011 and a single semester in 2012), and as Senator of Social Sciences (2009-10) and Vice President (2011.)

Shantz registered Green in 2010 "because I realized its possible to create radical electoral change at a local level. Most Americans are completely disillusioned by the two corporate parties and are desperate for a political alternative. The Green Party is that political alternative and we build It locally by electing Greens into local office. It can start by electing Greens as student trustees and goes up from there."

In January 2012 Shanz was elected representative to the Green Party of the United States.

Thinking globally and acting locally, Shantz serves in local government as an
County:
Napa

Young Green appointed to the Napa County Gang and Youth Violence Commission

mfeinstein — Fri, 24 May 2013 02:29:59 +0000

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Young Green Alex Shantz was appointed to the Napa County Gang and Youth Violence Commission on May 14th, 2013, by the Napa County Board of Supervisors.

Established in April 2011 in response to an increase in gang-related crime in Napa, the Commission's primary responsibility is to oversee the implementation of the Gang and Youth Violence Master Plan.

“The Master Plan approaches the issue of gang-related crime and youth violence in a very holistic manner,” said Shantz. “There is a significant emphasis on prevention, which I support, because as a Green, I want to focus on the underlying root causes of society's problems. Prevention aimed at these causes can prevent problems before they occur.”

According to Shantz, "issues of poverty and lack of opportunity need to be addressed to end gang-related crime and violence in the long term. Youth join gangs out of a sense of hopelessness which stems largely from lack of economic opportunity."

“Often times the wealth and luxury of Napa hides the poverty that does exist. According to recent studies, 9% of Napa residents live in poverty, 300 Napa students are homeless, 37% of Napa residents are food insecure, and the average yearly wages are $45,000 while the cost of living is $50,000.”

"These type of economic inequalities contribute to the underlining conditions that breed gangs and youth violence."

Passionate about volunteering his time to serve his peers and community, Shantz previously served as president of the Associated Students of Napa Valley College (2010 to 2011) and was active in Occupy Napa. He also attended the 2012 Green Party of the United States (GPUS) delegate to the GPUS National Committee and co-coordinator of the state Coordinating Committee of Green Party of California.

Other Greens active at Napa Valley College include Jena Goodman, who succeeded Shantz as Associated Students president in 2012-2013, and Ruscal Cayangyang , who has Greens in Government" public forum on Saturday evening, June 22 featuring Gayle McLaughlin, Mayor of Richmond; Bruce Delgado, Mayor of Marina; Renée Goddard, Fairfax Town Council; and Jesse Townley, Berkley Rent Board Commissioner. 7:30 PM at Slack Collective Studios, 964 Pearl Street, Suite B, in Napa.

County:

Napa

Article: From Green Party to Occupy NVC, Shantz is working at creating local power

marnie — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:38:39 +0000

Sunday, January 8, 2012

By Natalie Hoffman,

County:

Napa

Article: Small, spirited rally kicks off Occupy Napa Valley College

marnie — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 18:56:44 +0000

Thursday, December 1, 2011

By Sarah Rohrs,

"We are the 99 percent," Soriano said. "We are workers funding this country and the rest of the world."

Students, in particular, protested fee hikes, cut classes, and also pledged support for the downtown Occupy Napa protests.

The noon Saturday march will focus on Napa State Hospital employees and their struggle with budget cuts, staff layoffs and other working conditions.

The University of California at Berkeley and University of California at Davis are sites of other student-led occupy protests.

Green Party presidential contender Jill Stein of Boston gave a lengthy speech stressing cuts to colleges hurt the future of the country. She also briefly outlined her platform.

"This is 'Ground Zero' for our economy and future of the planet," Stein said. "This represents a true uprising of Democracy and justice."

Associated Students of Napa Valley leader Alex Shantz said the group had been working with college administrators so the protest would go smoothly.

The encampment will not result in increased police presence and will be outfitted with Port-a-potties and other facilities, Director of Public Relations Betty Malmgren said

County:

Napa

Article: Protesters march against Tea Party Express

marnie — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 13:43:12 +0000

Saturday, August 27, 2011

By Kerana Todorov,

County:

Napa

Article: Tea, Green Parties Don’t Mix

marnie — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 13:39:06 +0000

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Article by Louisa Hufstader, The national tea party movement held what was billed as a major rally in Napa Saturday, but the promised thousands of conservative voters failed to turn up.

Police and newspaper estimates placed the crowd at the Napa Valley Exposition at about 600, with another 200 Green Party, Democratic and union activists demonstrating in opposition outside the Expo fence.

However, Alex Shantz of the Napa County Green Party said the size of the counter-demonstration was closer to 300.

While the protesters outside chanted, marched, waved signs and even briefly displayed a giant inflatable rat, the tea party rally on the Expo grounds featured heavily-amplified singers and speakers, two gleaming “Tea Party Express” buses and a mammoth American flag.

Across the Napa River in Veterans Memorial Park, the planned “Green tea party” counter-rally was a comparatively tepid affair, with what appeared to be fewer than half the number of people that had taken part in the protest outside the Expo.

The tea party rally had leather-lunged media personalities and Nevada Republican Sharron Angle, who led the mostly gray-haired crowd in singing “God Bless America” and mocked the counter-demonstrators, saying “they must only have been paid for an hour.”

The Green Party rally had a folksinger, members of the local Dream Act coalition and state party stalwarts including Fairfax mayor The rally at the Expo had the upper hand in numbers and sound volume, but the counter-demonstration in the park had something the tea party didn’t: A police observer stationed on the roof of the Riverfront with binoculars and a cell phone.

"People from the Green Party told us that there was a guy yelling at them while they were setting up," said Napa police commander Steve Potter in an email exchange with Napa Patch Sunday.

"We wanted to make sure everyone was safe and to identify any troublemakers early."

After a couple of hours, the officer had little to observe after protesters again marched from downtown to the Expo, leaving only a handful of people who had set up information tables in the park

Potter issued a press release Sunday morning saying, in part:

The Napa Police Department monitored the events while the members of the political parties exercised their constitutional rights of assembly and speech.

Temporary roadway closures took place on Burnell Street and Third Streets while these rights were exercised.

Each party provided their own group monitors and managed their own group’s activity.

According to the release, there were "no physical confrontations or other illegal acts" during the dueling rallies.

"I think all of the groups did a very good job managing their own invited guests," Potter added in his email to Napa Patch.

County:

Napa

Article: Napa police up security for national Tea Party Express and Green Party protest

marnie — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 00:23:47 +0000

Monday, August 22, 2011

By James Noonan,

Recent conversations with both the local tea party branch and Tea Party Express' Sacramento office suggested that the Napa Valley Expo event would draw a crowd of about 5,000 people, said Capt. Steve Potter with the Napa Police Department.

The event will likely draw attendance from across Northern California, with some regional tea party groups - such as the Sutter Buttes Tea Party, the East Bay Tea Party and others - organizing charter buses or caravans to shuttle members to the Napa rally, according to the groups' websites.

With details of the event still evolving, Potter said that the department's planned response was changing on a near-daily basis.

"Right now, it's very hard to predict how many people they expect to have," he said.

Capt. Tracey Stuart of the Napa County Sheriff's Office said that Napa police had taken the lead on staffing the Tea Party Express event, and that there was no additional security expected from her department.

In addition to the main rally, police are planning for multiple anti-tea party rallies outside the Napa Valley Exposition, Potter said. "We have no idea what to expect in terms of counter-rallies," he said.

At least one group - the

Pam Silleman, head of the Napa Tea Party, said that her organization was unable to reserve a block of hotel rooms for guests of the Napa rally, but said that groups from outside the area were having little trouble finding lodging.

Calls Monday to several hotels in downtown Napa suggested that most will be operating at or near capacity this weekend.

In addition to the crowds drawn by the Tea Party Express event, Napa's streets will likely be flooded with those attending the Napa Downtown Association's "Blues, Brews & BBQ" festival on Saturday.

The Napa rally marks the first stop in the Tea Party Express' coast-to-coast "Reclaiming America" tour. The tour is slated to end in Tampa, Fla. on Sept. 12, when CNN and the Tea Party Express will co-sponsor the "Tea Party Debate" for GOP presidential candidates.

Founded by two former GOP consultants, the Tea Party Express bus tour is a project of the "Our County Deserves Better" political action committee.

This month's outing will be the project's fifth national bus tour.

Silleman will be sitting on the panel for the national debate, and has said that some of the GOP candidates will be present during the Napa rally.

"That's the whole focus of this," Silleman said.

Silleman has opted not to identify the candidates who may be coming to Napa, saying it would be up to their individual campaigns to announce any appearances.

The rally is expected to run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. The Tea Party Express buses are set to arrive at the Expo at 11 a.m. and leave Napa at 1 p.m.

County:

Napa

Article: Green Party to protest Tea Party in Napa

Anonymous — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Sunday, August 14, 2011

is reaching out to other Green Party members and other progressives to protest against the Tea Party from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27, in Veterans Memorial Park in downtown Napa.

The Napa County Green Party will hold a so-called "green tea party" to protest the Tea Party's kick-off to its national tour at the nearby Napa fairgrounds at that same time.

"The purpose of this rally is to show our opposition to the Tea Party's far right-wing agenda while affirming positive Green Party values, such as grassroots democracy, social justice, respect for diversity, nonviolence, community-based economics, and ecological wisdom," Napa County Green Party co-coordinator Alex Shantz said in the announcement.

The event will include Green gubernatorial candidate Laura Wells, and Fairfax Mayor Larry Bragman as speakers, plus live entertainment, information booths, iced green tea, and vegetarian cuisine from Food Not Bombs of Santa Rosa.

Participants are asked to bring canned food items to the rally for donation to the Napa Food Bank.

At 2 p.m. rally participants will march from Veterans Park across the river to the fairgrounds where the Tea Party will be holding its event.

For more information, send an email to napacountygreenparty@gmail.com.

County:

Napa