An Affiliation of Gray Panthers Networks
Modified: November 19, 2008

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Losing Joan B. Lee

Rally in SF at AHIP convention (June 19, 2008)

National Gray Panthers

1612 K Street NW Ste. 300
Washington, DC 20006
(800) 280-5362 or (202) 737-6637
Fax: (202) 737-1160
E-mail: info@graypanthers.org
Exec. Director, Susan Murany
smurany@graypanthers.org
Web: www.graypanthers.org

California Chapters

East Bay/Berkeley
Margot Smith
1403 Addison Street
Berkeley, CA 94702
510-548-9696
graypanthersberk@aol.com

Central Costra Costa
Ralph Copperman
3 Penrith Walk
Pleasant Hill, CA 94523
doriscopp@earthlink.net

Long Beach
Pat Stanyo, Chairperson
506 Newport Ave., Long Beach 90815
Betsy (Bettina) Lambert, Corresponding Secretary
355 Coronado Ave. #16, Long Beach, CA 90814. 562-438-2748; bettinall@verizon.net

Marin County
Yvette Wakefield, Convenor
PO Box 2874
San Rafael, CA 94912
415-332-5929
baelek@pacbell.net

Sacramento
Temporary leaders: Margie Metzler, (916) 921-5008, margiemetz@hotmail.com; Arnie Godmintz, (916) 332-5980, arniegod@sbcglobal.net; Pat Naylor, (916) 391-6274, plnaylor@comcast.net
PO Box 19438
Sacramento, CA 95819
Web: www.gpcal.org

San Francisco
Sonia Siegel, Convenor
1182 Market St., Room 203
San Francisco, CA 94102
415-552-8800 (11-1 M-F)
graypanther-sf@sbcglobal.net
Web: www.graypantherssf.igc.org

Santa Barbara
Cheri Jasinski, Convenor
5110A Cathedral Oaks Road
Santa Barbara, CA 93111
(805) 967-7170
jasinskicj@aol.com

Southern Alameda County
Betty Moose, Convenor
1328 Via El Monte
San Lorenzo, CA 94580
510-278-2094
james.forsyth@sbcglobal.net

South Bay
Jim Dawson, Convenor
PO Box 7138
Torrence, CA 90504
310-217-9202
jrdawson@earthlink.net

New York

New York
Judy Lear, Convenor
165 West 86th Street
New York, NY 10024
212-799-7572, 212-682-6569
judylear@aol.com
www.geocities.com/GrayPanthersNY/

Suffolk County
Blanche Mulholland and
George Reilly
PO Box 1395
Ronkonkoma, NY 11779
Blanche: 631-471-6614
George: 631-665-6383

Marilyn Engelman
7909 George Link Jr. Circle
Coram, NY 11727-2417
631-736-7875
intoeverythingananda@yahoo.com

Oregon

Portland
Jim Davis
1020 SW Taylor, Suite 610
Portland, OR 97205
503-224-1585
davisjasr@aol.com

Rhode Island

Rhode Island
Kathy Kushnir, Ex. Dir.
133 MathewsonSt.
Providence, RI 02903
401-274-6900 x707
Fax: 401-453-1149
graypanthersri@yahoo.com

Texas

Austin
Paula Mixson co-convenor
2020 Northridge Dr.
Austin, TX 78723-2615
512-220-6209 or 512-298-1122
paula.mixson@grandecom.net

Clint Smith, Co-convenor
Jeanette Payne, Staff
3710 Cedar Street, Room 223/Box 15
Austin, TX 78705
512-458-3738
graypanthers@grandecom.net
www.gp-austin.org

Texas Regional Coordinator:
Charlotte Flynn
wbillflynn@austin.rr.com

Houston
Aimee Mobley Turney
5616 Portal Dv.
Houston, TX 77096
713-729-3130
aimee.turney@earthlink.net

Av.?", Convenor
amie3b77@ev1.net

Greater Metro Washington
1426-9th St. NW
Washington, DC 20001
gpanther@capaccess.org

Luci Murphy
1449 Oak St. NW #11
Washington, DC 20010
202-234-8840
ljustlikeatree@hotmail.com

Florida

North Dade
Dot Fleisher
861 North Venetian Drive
Maimi, FL 33139
305-374-8240
yanow420@aol.com (Claire Yanow)

South Dade
Norman Saxe
10725 SW 82nd Avenue
Miami, FL 33156
305-595-0594
normansaxe@aol.com

Michigan

Huron Valley
Jane Rusten
1733 Dunmore Rd.
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
734-996-2599
junear5575@sbcglobal.net

Metro Detroit
Randy Block and Ethel Schwartz
PO Box 37033
Oak Park, MI 48237
Randy: 248-549-5170 (night)
313-446-4444 x5842
beelock47@comcast.net
ethel: 248-669-6343
ethel4solidarity@aol.com
www.graypanthersmetrodetroit.org

Minnesota

Twin Cities
Sally Brown and Jane Hanger-Seeley
3249 Hennepin Avenue, S, #220
Minneapolis, MN 55408
612-822-1011
info@graypantherstwincities.org
Sally: sab@wilder.org
Jane: hangerseeley@aol.com
Web:www.graypantherstwincities.org

New Jersey

Southern New Jersey
George W. Hunt
43 Village of Stoney Run #G
Maple Shade, NJ 0852-2143
856-727-4667
geohunt1@aol.com

New Mexico

Greater Albuquerque

Marty Mitchell
2955 Ryder SE
Albuquerque, NM 87106
505-266-1254
e.mjmitch@swcp.com

Gray Panthers Liaisons

Gray Panthers now helps you be part of our organization even if you live in a rural area or otherwise don't have anough people to start a network.

As a Liaison, you may do some or all of these things:

Connect with others in your area
Give out information about the Gray Panthers organization
Relay information to you from other Gray Panthers organizations regarding Gray Panthers activities

To join, download this form, fill it out, and mail or e-mail to Susan Murany:

1612 K Street NW Ste. 300
Washington, DC 20006
(800) 280-5362 or (202) 737-6637; Fax: (202) 737-1160
smurany@graypanthers.org

ARIZONA LIAISON: Tucson
Rachel Zane
T: 520-745-3660
E: zane00@copper.net

Chicago
Giudi Weiss
T: 773/955-1224
F: 773/955-2869
E: giudi@sprynet.com

Philadelphia Area
Eileen Borenstein
T: 215-885-0982
E: esb@netreach.net

Joan B. Lee’s Memorial Service
Friday, August 15, 11 am
Unitarian Universalist Society of Sacramento
2425 Sierra Boulevard
Sacramento, CA 95825

Documents from from the Memorial Service:

The Order of Service from the Memorial (Word) (PDF)
Rev. Doug Kraft (UUSS Minister) (Word) (PDF)
Arnie Godmintz (Joan's husband) (Word) (PDF)
Margie Metzler (Joan's staff and close friend) (Word) (PDF)
Susan Murany (Exec. Director of anational Gray Panthers and close friend of Joan's) (Word) (PDF)
Susan McKee (Staff to Sen. Darrell Steinberg; speaking on behalf of Sen. Steinberg and Assemblymember Dave Jones) (Word) (PDF)
Betty Perry (Legislative Director of OWL-CA, Older Women's League of California, and long-time friend and ally of Joan's) (Word) (PDF)
Bill Powers (Legislative Liaison with CARA and long-time friend, ally and mentor of Joan's):

"Arnie, the family of Arnie and Joan:
Much has been said today about Joan Lee, her life and and her significant contributions to improving the lives for all in our society. All of these bear repeating, but I will not do that except to say "me too" on behalf of those of us who worked with Joan and Arnie in various organizations and movements.
Joan stepped forward and provided leadership on so many causes it is difficult to enumerate them all.
From affordable housing through the alphabet to peace, transportation to worker's rights, she was there. Joan could not ignore a social justice issue without getting involved. What a person!
There was a beautiful rememberance read by Rev. Kraft to open the service. Let me close my remarks by reading another which I believes personifies the life of Joan.
It is entitled "Life".
Man's dearest possession is life and since it is given to him to live but once: he must live as to feel no torturing regrets for years without purpose, so live as not to be seared with the shame of a cowardly and trival past, so live he can say: All of my life and all of my strength were given to the finest cause in the world: the liberation of mankind. "

Marty Omoto (Director, CA Disability Action Network, and close friend of Joan's) (Word) (PDF)
Tribute from Congresswoman Doris Matsui (not in the Memorial): (PDF copy)

Our believed leader, Joan B. Lee passed away Saturday, July 26, about 7:30, very peacefully and with dignity. She died after a valiant but mercifully brief struggle with lung cancer that had metastasized to her liver and bones. She was cremated and there was a memorial service at the Sacramento Universalist Unitarian Church on Friday, August 15th, 2008.

Her husband Arnie thanks everyone who was with him and Joan on this last difficult journey. Joan had many wonderful friends and partners in advocacy, and the cards, letters, flowers and best wishes of all of you have been read and savored. All of you helped Joan, Arnie and their family more than you can know.

Remembrances: You can of course send cards, flowers etc., but we know that Joan's fondest wishes were for the Gray Panthers to endure and for the causes of justice, peace, equality, healthcare etc. to triumph. Contributions to Gray Panthers are welcome, or participation in advocacy and activism in her name would also have made her happy. To contribute to the national organization, go to www.graypanthers.org; to contribute to the Sacramento chapter send to Gray Panthers of Sacramento, P.O. Box 19438, Sacramento, 95819. Of course, you can also join our organization. To join our Sacramento Gray Panthers chapter, download and fill out the application (Word or PDF) and mail to P.O. Box 19438, Sacramento, CA 95819. To send notes or good wishes to Arnie, send to 5313 Fernwood Way, Sacramento 95841.

Please contact Margie Metzler, 916-921-5008 or margiemetz@hotmail.com if you have questions.

Note: Please see our new page, devoted to single-payer healthcare issues!

PowerPoint Presentation: Gray Panthers National Issues
Presentation for people without Powerpoint

The latest healthcare train wreck presentation (June 14) (More on history and myths)

To comment on legislative/governor issues:

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger: Sacramento office (916) 445-2841; San Francisco office (415) 703-2218; e-mail from the governor's Web site at gov.ca.gov.
Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles: Sacramento office
(916) 319-2046; e-mail speaker.nunez@assembly.ca.gov.
Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland: Sacramento office
(916) 651-4009; district office (510) 286-1333; e-mail senator.perata@sen.ca.gov.
Senate Republican leader Dick Ackerman of Irvine (Orange County):
Sacramento office (916) 651-4033; e-mail senator.ackerman@sen.ca.gov.
Assembly Republican Leader Mike Villines of Clovis (Fresno County):
Sacramento office (916) 319-2029; e-mail assemblymember.villines@assembly.ca.gov.
The Impact of the Governor's Proposed Cuts on Children, Seniors, and Women
New CPB Fact Sheets on the impact the Governor's Proposed Budget Cuts would have on children, seniors, and women. The Governor's proposals include cutting funding for public schools, lowering cash assistance payments that help seniors meet basic needs, reducing funding for health and in-home care services, and cutting child care funding. Three new fact sheets examine the impacts of various spending reductions in the Governor's Proposed Budget on these population groups.

New Analysis Examines the Local Impact of the Governor's Proposed CalWORKs Cuts

Governor Schwarzenegger proposes policy changes to the CalWORKs Program that would cause nearly 200,000 low-income children to lose cash assistance. A new CBP fact sheet examines the impact of these proposed cuts by county.

"We are the Gray Panthers, a network of independent activists bound together by our passion for social justice. We are a loosely coordinated set of networks bound only by our passionate commitment to speak truth to power.”
--Mary Magill, Gray Panthers Contra Costa Chapter

Spring Quarter Gray Panthers Affiliation of California Networks Meeting was held in San Lorenzo, on May 24, 2008.

Minutes are posted here, or you may call Margie Metzler at 916-921-5008 for details.

Our next meeting wil be hosted by Berkeley in Oct. so as not to conflict with the national meeting in Detroit. (Details for national conv. at http://graypanthers.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=91&Itemid=16)

Back to top

National News

The National convention was held in September, 2008 in Detroit. Attendees from Sacramento were Margie Metzler, Arnie Godmintz, Lola Young, and Linda Henchey. Jim Dawson and Margot Smith represented the California Consortium, and other state organizations represented were Berkeley, Contra Costa, and San Francisco. We held discussions and votes on resolutions, and attended workshops on topics including Member Recruitment,Getting Publicity for our Causes, Influencing Elected Officials, Combating Climate Change, and Confronting Military Recruitment in Schools. We attended a labor rally at the Labor Monument in Hart Plaza, met with the new Mayor of Detroit, Ken Cockrel Jr., and attended a panel discussion called "Why we Need to Turn America Around: How We Can Do It," presented by representatives from Labor, the NAACP, Michigan State Board of Education, and Peace with Justice. We listened to the Rev. Ed Rowe, of the Central United Methodist Church, who gave a riviting talk of "Faith Partnerships in Progressive Movement." We also heard Dr. Robert Butler, MD,speak on "The Longevity Revolution: Meeting the Challenges of Aging with Provocative Policy Solutions." We had a tour and reception at the Charles G. Wright Museum of African-American History and heard the Y Deep River Choir and the Renaissance High School Choir.

Gray Panthers focused on the War In Iraq as this year's most critical issue. At the convention, Healthcare was voted the most critical issue of 2009.

Below is the 2008 postcard to make our point graphically! (Donut Hole postcards are still available as well.)

SILENCE IS CONSENT--SPEAK OUT TO END THE WAR

Don't make Congress guess what you think about the war in Iraq. Let them know that you're paying attention to the real costs of this illegal and immoral war and to their votes.

The real cost of the Iraq war is a huge mortgage on the future of our children. A war that was entered into on lies is piling up massive debt that will strangle hopes for universal health care, affordable housing and education,

Make your elected officials stand up and take notice. THEY work for YOU! Send your Senators and Representatives post cards and tell them to STOP THIS MADNESS and pay attention to the needs of our children, elderly, people with disabilities and thosepoor who are poor.

Post cards, for individuals or for groups, are available from Gray Panthers Headquarters. Just click here info@graypanthers.org to send the national Gray Panther office a request for post cards. Let us know how many cards you’d like. Don’t forget to include your family and friends.

Click here for info about Margie and Joan's Trip to the FamiliesUSA conference and participation in the March to end the War (Jan. 27).

Gray Panthers Work with United Nations

Gray Panthers continue to have real visibility as NGOs at the United Nations. As part of their commitment to equity, whether race, gender, or any other segment of the population, they have signed onto a statement, the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women's "Financing for gender equality and the empowerment of women" as a member of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women. For the complete statement, go to link below.

Judy Lear as our Main UN Representative had signed off for Gray Panthers on a women's trafficking issue. We have posted the information on our website under United Nations (It is a drop down item under the United Nations heading in the tool bar on top of the site). See the link below.

http://graypanthers.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=84&Itemid=60

Join the new, upgraded national Gray Panthers Website!

As many of you know, the Gray Panthers website, http://www.graypanthers.org/, has recently undergone a massive re-do, bringing us smartly into the 21st century. We urge you to go to the site and look around.

One of the great new features is an action network, which will easily allow you to write to your Congress people and legislators. You can do so online if you have e-mail, or you can print out the letters generated by this easy to use program if you don’t. To join the action network, go to http://graypanthers.e-actionmax.com/signup.asp. You will see an online form; fill out all the items required (marked by an asterisk) and any of the other items you want. After you fill out all the required information and press Submit, you will see a list of current issues on which you can take action. You will also receive an e-mail from Susan Murany, our Executive Director:

Dear Friend,

Welcome to Gray Panthers Action Network, an email-based alert system.
This network of email activists like you will be contacted about important and timely issues, encouraging you to send emails or faxes to your elected officials. With each action alert, you will be given concise information about an urgent issue and instructions on how to contact targeted officials simply and effectively.

At any time, you may go to our main web site, graypanthers.e-actionmax.com, to get a general overview of the network and view all alerts, past and present.

Tell your friends about Gray Panthers Action Network! The power of this system is in the vast numbers of people contacting their elected officials. Feel free to forward this message or tell your friends to visit graypanthers.e-actionmax.com and click on "Sign Up."

Data Privacy

We will never share your information with anyone and will only use your email address for the purpose of sending you action alerts. You may view our official privacy policy at http://graypanthers.e-actionmax.com/privacy.asp.

Removing your name from this list

If, at ANY TIME, you wish to have your name removed from this network, you can do so at http://graypanthers.e-actionmax.com/ (login with your email address and choose "Update Profile"). Or, you may click the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of any action alert message.

Thank you for joining us! We look forward to your participation.

Gray Panthers Action Network

From now on, you can go to http://graypanthers.e-actionmax.com/, and add it to your Favorites or Bookmarks for easy access in the future. You’ll have to log on using your e-mail address and the password you selected when you signed up.

California News

Sheila Kuehl's letter of September 10, 2007

Good info: California Budget Project http://www.cbp.org/publications/pub_ballot.html.
Http://speakoutc.org/now/2006general.php
Article from LA Times on Guardianship for profit
The Older Americans Act: Overview

What State Assembly and Senate District are you in?

Go to www.vote-smart.org
In the top left corner, go to Find Your Representative. Enter your zip code.
You will be on a page that lists your US House of Representatives District, your California Senate District, and your California Assembly District

Info for sending our Doughnut postcards (what you can say, where you can send it...)

Gray Panthers Documents

Gray Panthers Networks (April 2006)
Gray Panthers National Board (April 2006)
Gray Panthers Sacramento newsletters

From the California HealthCare Foundation

In California, as across the nation, the issue of rising health care costs continues to dominate conversations on how to fix our ailing health care system. At the end of 2006, the discussion of how to cover those unable to afford the cost of care came to a head, with California's governor and other political leaders offering proposals for expanded or universal coverage. The new year promises an important debate about possible solutions.

This past year, the California HealthCare Foundation published a wide array of research on the issues that health care policymakers will face in the year to come. Here we've compiled the ten publications of 2006 that drew the most interest.

Contact Information

Gray Panthers Sacramento and Gray Panthers of California
P.O. Box 19438, Sacramento, CA 95819
For more information contact
Temporary leaders: Margie Metzler, (916) 921-5998, margiemetz@hotmail.com; Arnie Godmintz, (916) 332-5980, arniegod@sbcglobal.net; Pat Naylor, (916) 391-6274, plnaylor@comcast.net
PO Box 19438
Sacramento, CA 95819
Web: www.gpcal.org
Website: http://www.gpcal.org/
California Meetings. Quarterly. See above.

Sacramento Meetings:
Monthly Meetings: 2nd Tuesday of the month, 1-3
Steering Committee, 4th Tuesday of the month, 1-3
Both, Hart Senior Center, 915 27th Street, Sacramento, CA 95816

Healthcare Reform in California Program:
1121 Wayland Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95825
http://www.gpcal.org/indexproj.htm
Contact Margie Metzler, (916) 921-5008 or margiemetz@hotmail.com