blog – The Green Party of Santa Clara County

March 2, 2026
Laura Wells
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Oligarchy History Month?

Tags : Black History Month International Women's Day

Oligarchy History Month?

Republished from Laura Wells Solutions
March 1, 2026

Don’t we wish the US oligarchy were ancient history instead of daily reality?

The term “oligarchy” applies to the US because of the military-industrial-congressional-insurance-incarceration-MEDIA-complex in our country. Too few people have too much money which creates too much power over our lives and those of our children and communities and planet.

Change is coming, however, and there are signs that people are organizing a sufficiently strong popular movement to achieve taxing the rich (duh!) and providing for people and planet.

I am writing this piece at the cusp of Black History Month and Women’s History Month, all the while wanting to do away with the oligarchy. How?

“By any means necessary”

Malcolm X’s fuller quote, as spoken in the last year of his life, is, “We want freedom by any means necessary. We want justice by any means necessary. We want equality by any means necessary.”

So, if the question is, “What means will you use to accomplish your goal of freedom, justice, and equality?” why in the world would anyone say, “Well, I’ve got a few things I’ll try and then if that doesn’t work I’ll give up.”

Saying “by any means necessary” included elections, peaceful movements, and organizing to meet basic needs. The congressional-media-etc oligarchs wanted people to fear that “any means necessary” only meant violence.

I became interested in Malcolm X again recently because his autobiography strongly inspired Dr. Butch Ware, the Green Party candidate for Governor of California in the June 2 primary election.

I sure hope Butch Ware places in the “top two” primary. He has a good chance. Then, hallelujah, in November we can vote for someone who is NOT an oligarchy-backed candidate! He will lead the state, which can then lead the country, toward life-enriching policies including accessible and affordable healthcare, education and a better environment. Let’s face it. It’s been 15 years that the Democratic Party has had a state “trifecta”, dominating all three centers of power: governor’s seat and both branches of the legislature. We need a change.

Women’s History Month — “Courage is Contagious”

Don’t shut up. That has been my fervent hope, and it looks like it is happening. The Epstein survivors are standing strong, so that future generations will not face the same threats.

Democracy Now!, the 30-year-old progressive news program, compiled a list of stories and headlines related to the Epstein horror. This small sampling of titles helps to tell the story. Note how shameful it is that the UK has been taking stronger action than the oligarchy of the US.

Democracy Now! sampling of reports from present back to October
— Documents Related to Trump Accuser are Missing from DOJ’s Release of Epstein Files
— Peter Mandelson, former British ambassador to the U.S., Arrested Amid Epstein Probe
— Epstein Fallout: As U.K. Arrests Ex-Prince, Where is the Accountability in U.S.?
— UN Panel Says Alleged Sex Crimes in Epstein Files Amount to Crimes Against Humanity
— Epstein Files Set Off Political Storm in Norway, Prompt Resignations at Goldman Sachs & DP World
— Former Palm Beach Police Chief Says Trump Told Him in 2006 That “Everyone” Knew of Epstein’s Behavior
— Protecting Pedophile Predators … Jeffrey Epstein & the Elite’s Veil of Silence
— “Billionaire Boys Club”: What the Latest Epstein Files Reveal About Elite Impunity
— A Distraction from Epstein Files? Trump Ramps Up Chaos in Minnesota, Greenland & Beyond
— “Heartbreaking” … Epstein Files & Survivors’ Fight for Accountability
— How Did Epstein Get Rich? … His “Scams, Schemes, Ruthless Cons”
— “The Epstein Class” … the Elite Network Around the Sexual Predator (LINK)
— Larry Summers Quits OpenAI Board and Harvard Teaching Role Amid Epstein Revelations
— “Bring the Truth Out of the Shadows”: Survivors Hail Congressional Vote to Release Epstein Files
— “This Is Me When I Met Jeffrey Epstein”: Survivors’ Ad Calls on Congress to Release Files
— Epstein & Israel: Drop Site News Investigates Jeffrey Epstein’s Ties to Israeli Intelligence
— “Nobody’s Girl”: Virginia Giuffre’s Memoir Details Sex Abuse by Epstein, Maxwell, Prince Andrew

Early Democracy Now! reports from 2019, more than six years ago!
— How Investigative Reporting & Survivor Testimony Toppled Billionaire Serial Abuser Jeffrey Epstein
— Jeffrey Epstein, a Billionaire Friend of Presidents Trump & Clinton, Arrested for Sex Trafficking

Change is coming. We have so much more power than we’ve been using. We can make it better, or worse. I believe that at some level we know what we each can do to ramp up change toward a better world.

That better world is possible.

November 2, 2025
GPSCC
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image of a young white man in a black t- shirt and jeans standing at a podium, text on image reads Santa Clara Greens endorse Frank Nilsen for Congress in CA-16

GPSCC Endorses Frank Nilsen for CA-16

Tags : congress district 16 election 2026 frank nilsen Green Candidate Green Party

Category : blog , Politics

The Green Party of Santa Clara County has endorsed Frank Nilsen for Congressional District 16 in the 2026 election.

Frank, a Santa Clara County Green Party member, has formed his campaign on Green socialism and solidarity among all people. He decided to run because he believes we need representatives in Congress who serve people and will do the right thing for people. Frank’s comprehensive platform includes the main principles of the Green Party platform:

Peace and International Justice
Health and Dignity for All
Economic Democracy
Housing and Public Infrastructure
Public Power and a Green Future
Education and Public Empowerment
Democracy Worth the Name

The membership of the County Party made the endorsement decision by full consensus at their monthly membership meeting on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025.

November 1, 2025
GPSCC
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yard sign showing a message to vote Yes on Measure A

GPSCC Endorses Measure A with Reservations

Tags : HR1 Measure A Nov 4 election politics santa clara county

Category : blog , Economy , Politics

The GPSCC endorses Measure A with reservations, with a decision made at the Party’s monthly membership meeting on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025.

Measure A on the Nov 4 ballot, is meant to offset a third of the funding loss to Santa Clara County due to Federal bill H.R. 1 cuts. Unless Santa Clara County takes action, the cuts will mean a revenue loss of about $1.4 billion by FY2029. County’s hospitals and health clinics will be hit hardest, with further cuts to food assistance and SNAP, behavioral health care, homelessness services, and public safety programs. We do believe approving Measure A is essential to ensure critical services to our communities can be maintained.

However we express our reservations on the Measure being funded through a regressive sales tax that in turn harms the same low-income communities the funding is meant to help. Further, Measure A does not secure and designate funding for home and community based services that are essential for many people with disabilities.

Much better ways to address such a funding gap would have been wealth tax and property vacancy taxes, however Santa Clara County alone is not authorized to use these measures and would need state involvement to implement either of such taxes.
Still, there are other fees and assessments that the County IS authorized to use that could have been considered to fund Measure A, such as Transient occupancy tax (TOT), Documentary transfer tax on property transfers, and other fees levied on high-income, high-values properties.

None of these measures are a sure way to fund the gap but we must hold accountable those who continue to trickle down costs while protecting the wealthy in Santa Clara County from paying their fair share.

October 21, 2025
GPSCC
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2 California maps comparing current districts to those if prop 50 passes

GPSCC Opposes Proposition 50

Tags : California elections gerrymandering Green Party November 4 politics prop 50

Category : blog , Politics

The County Council and membership of the Green Party of Santa Clara County has taken a position to OPPOSE Proposition 50, on October 12, following online discussions.

Partisan gerrymandering strips the voters’ right to choose who represents them and allows politicians and parties to use voters as pawns in a power grab. The Green Party is strictly opposed to partisan gerrymandering which disenfranchises voters and is deeply undemocratic, and that is why we oppose Prop 50.

Prop 50 would temporarily repeal the Citizens Redistricting Commission that California voters voted to create in 2008 and voted to expand in 2010. It would put the power to gerrymander Congressional districts back in the hands of Democrats in the state legislature for three future elections in 2026, 2028, and 2030.

California Democratic Party has placed Prop 50 on a special election in Nov. 4th 2025 costing Californians $282M in response to Texan Republicans gerrymandering actions. Newsom and the overwhelming majority of CA Democrat representatives are painting Prop 50 as a way of “stopping election rigging” while openly admitting it is in retaliation to the Texan Republicans’ gerrymandering to gain federal congressional seats.

The Republicans have had a free hand in gerrymandering in deep Red states, Democrats also haven’t shied away from gerrymandering in every Blue state, and it was only through the establishment of the Independent Redistricting Commission that California voters were able to curb partisan gerrymandering in our state.

If either Democrat or Republican parties had any interest in truly representing voters, they would have already championed and implemented proportional representation in our state’s electoral systems which would ensure every voter is represented, including rural Democrats, urban Republicans, AND yes even Greens.

June 9, 2025
Laura Wells
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Anti-WHAT???

Category : blog , Politics

Republished from Laura Wells Solutions (https://laurawells.org/)

This past week a couple of articles caught my eye. I find myself pausing while writing this because of the enormity of what’s happening in Palestine — it seems impossible to visualize it as real — and because of the courageous attempts so many people are making do whatever they can to STOP the killing.

Sometimes it takes a young person to express what’s happening clearly and concisely. This quote by singer/songwriter Kehlani is from an article in SFGate entitled “Bay Area superstar dropped from festival bill due to Israel comments” by Timothy Karoff. It can be found at this link.

“I am being asked and called to clarify and make a statement yet again for the millionth time that I am not antisemitic nor anti-Jew. I am anti-genocide,” Kehlani said in a video statement shared on social media. “I am anti the actions of the Israeli government. I am anti an extermination of an entire people. I am anti the bombing of innocent children, men, women. That’s what I’m anti.”

The second piece that caught my eye is well-researched and also clear and concise in countering the excuses given for the killing. The article was published in the online political publication LA Progressive, and was entitled “No, Senator Sanders, Israel Did Not Have ‘the Right to Defend Itself’” by Mike Males. Here are some excerpted paragraphs from the article.

Israel is an occupying power that killed 1,200 Palestinians in the 60 months PRIOR to October 7, 2023, and thousands before that. Occupying powers cannot claim self-defense.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, who increasingly exemplifies the few political leaders willing to challenge the U.S.’s arming of Israel, recently reiterated this baffling claim at his Idaho rally: “Israel, like any other country, has the right to defend itself from terrorism but not the right to wage all-out war against the Palestinian people.”

It didn’t start on October 7
From October 7, 2018, through October 6, 2023, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) killed 1,230 Palestinians, 90% of them civilians, including 470 children (Palestinian Health Authority, reported in Israel-Palestine Timeline). During that period, the PHA reports 27 Israelis killed by Palestinians. These figures are considered accurate by international agencies and fact-checkers based on verifiable names and the numbers Israel assigns every Palestinian (yet more evidence of Israel’s occupying-power status).

Israel had also kidnapped and imprisoned over 5,000 Palestinians prior to October 7, a number that has since doubled. The overwhelming majority have not been charged with any offense, and most are subject to torture and severe deprivation, United Nation reports document.

Washington DC could have stopped the killing by stopping the delivery of weapons. Biden could have. Trump could. A growing number of Americans, who concur with the people quoted above, would.

Category Archives: blog

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Oligarchy History Month?

Oligarchy History Month?

“By any means necessary”

Women’s History Month — “Courage is Contagious”

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GPSCC Endorses Frank Nilsen for CA-16

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GPSCC Endorses Measure A with Reservations

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GPSCC Opposes Proposition 50

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Anti-WHAT???

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