This week in Iowa organizing…
On Saturday in D.C., lawmakers narrowly averted a misguided government shutdown - for now anyway. I'm not overly optimistic that over the next 45 days there will be a sudden rush of bipartisanship that will avoid a circus where one doesn't belong (unless 3 rings and a tent fit in the halls of Congress).
On Sunday in Dubuque, over 80 members of the community came together to share their stories and raise very legitimate concerns about a lack of safe and affordable housing, or mechanisms to hold bad landlords accountable. In attendance were three city councilors who listened and provided brief comments to what they heard. I am optimistic that these councilors were moved to take some sort of action - time will tell how bold it will be.
These are just a few reminders as to why it's so critically important to have elected officials from our movement, rooted in our communities, and attuned to our lived experiences. That's why I'm excited to canvass this week for CCI Action on our issues and for our endorsed candidate in Ward 2, Chelsea Lepley. Scroll down this email to see opportunities you can plug into (from anywhere!) to help elect movement candidates that put people before politics, profits, and polluters.
That and more ways to plug into the work below!
Matthew Covington (he/him)
Strategic Operations Director
Take action
This Saturday: October 7 - Beaverdale Books 'Banned Books Festival' in Des Moines
Join us on Sat, Oct. 7 at the Beaverdale Banned Book Festival! CCI will be celebrating our freedom to read from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Franklin Event Center (4801 Franklin Ave, Des Moines).
This fun-filled day features nationally recognized authors, fascinating panel discussions, a children’s storytime hosted by Annie’s Foundation, a reading of banned poetry, and even a banned books trivia contest. Able to help us table for a couple hours? Contact Tim Glaza, timg@iowacci.org.
To learn more about the festival, follow this link.
This Sunday: October 8 - Clean Water Forum in Eldora
Let's talk about clean water at Pine Lake Lodge in Eldora on Sunday, October 8 from 1 PM - 3 PM!
Located in Hardin county - the home of the infamous Bruce Rastetter and over 1 million corporate owned hogs - we are going into the belly of the beast because we know when it comes to everyday people, everyone cares about clean water.
We will be joined by University of Iowa Professor – David Cwiertny. David has a background in environmental engineering and does research on water issues. He is also a part of the “We All Want Clean Water” podcast - tired of “cropaganda” Cwiertny, along with Chris Jones and Silvia Secchi, provide an alternative voice on issues including water quality, agriculture and climate change.
Join us on October 8 from 1 PM - 3 PM at Pine Lake Lodge in Eldora!
Next Wednesday: October 11 - Des Moines City Council Candidate forum
At CCI Action, we believe in doing politics differently. We know that change only comes from the bottom up, and that those impacted by the issues we face should be the ones determining the solutions.
Join us for CCI Action’s Des Moines City Council Candidate Forum with Josh Mandelbaum, Mayoral candidate; Connie Boesen, Mayoral candidate; Rob Barron, Ward 1 candidate; Chris Coleman, Ward 1 candidate; Jason Bennell, Ward 4 candidate. We'll be at the downtown Des Moines Public Library, Meeting Room 2 from 6:30-8pm.
We'll ask all the candidates where they stand on the issues that are important to CCI Action members and the people of Des Moines.
Next Thursday: October 12 - Let's go to the movies Scott County!
We're wrapping up our Films for a Livable Future film series next Thursday in Scott County!
Join us on Thursday, October 12th from 6-8PM for a screening of 'The Lorax' at the DeWitt Community Library. 'The Lorax' is a kid-friendly film with strong environmental justice themes that urge viewers to stand up for our air, water, land, and all the creatures that live here.
This is a space for residents to come together, discuss issues affecting their communities, learn and be inspired by the visual content and one another’s experiences, and generate solutions that address their needs and priorities.
Summit Carbon Solutions - our water is not for sale!
Summit Carbon Solutions is applying for water withdrawal permits from the Iowa DNR to create a cooling system for their proposed CO2 pipeline project. Their water usage in total could be nearly half a billion gallons per year – that ain’t right!
We can't let Summit extract more of our resources just so they can line their pockets. Email Michael Anderson at the DNR today to tell him to oppose these water use permits.
Here are a few reasons we oppose these permits:
CO2 pipelines are not in the public interest and should not be allowed to use massive amounts of water, threatening the supply for folks in the rural communities they want to run through
Iowa is and will continue to experience droughts – our water resources should not be used to line the pockets of corporations like Summit Carbon Solutions
We deserve a fair, transparent, state-wide DNR process before approving the use of any wells for CO2 pipelines are approved
Thousands of Iowans are already opposed to the CO2 pipelines, this is just one more reason to not support these proposed projects.
Join us for Clean Water Book Clubs!
We're just under a month out from our call with author Chris Jones on Oct 26! We're excited to share a few opportunities to join an Iowa CCI Clean Water Book Club this week and Oct. 18 to connect with others and discuss what we're reading. Finishing the book is not required for joining one of these clubs to talk about it!
Oct 4 @ 6:00pm - in person at Confluence Brewing in Des Moines - REGISTER HERE
Oct 4 from 3-5pm - in person at the Iowa City Library. Respond to this email for details.
Oct 12 @ 2pm - in person at the Cedar Valley Unitarian Universalist church in Cedar Falls
Oct 18 @ 6:00pm - on Zoom - REGISTER HERE
Not signed up for this month's read yet? There's still time! Visit www.iowacci.org/book to sign up, get the book, download our hosting guide, book club discussion questions and more.
Updates
Dubuque People's Housing Forum
Over 80 CCI members and Dubuque residents attended our People's Housing Forum on Sunday to talk about the future of housing in the city. Many questions on the subject of tenant rights, housing conditions, and development were raised and answered by Mayor Brad Cavanagh, Councilwoman Katy Wethal, and Councilman Danny Sprank.
In addition to moving testimony from the audience, including many from Table Mound Mobile Home Park, we laid out our five policy housing platform which includes:
Making pest control cost the responsibility of landlords
Eliminating application fees
Expanding the Dubuque Housing Dept. by hiring more rental inspectors
Declaring support for and educating the public on tenant rights
Developing more mixed income restricted housing in the downtown and North end
Attendees also voiced concern about a lack of attention to issues like these at the federal level and the need for Congress to take action. CCI members have been attempting to schedule a meeting with Representative Ashley Hinson for over 4 months to discuss this and other issues - only to be met with silence. Add your name encouraging Rep. Hinson to meet with us here!
Our Des Moines City Council endorsement!
At CCI Action we believe in doing politics differently. That means using elections to advance our key issue campaigns and supporting candidates who believe, like we do, that we need to put people and the planet first, and supporting candidates who understand that change comes from the bottom up.
That’s why we’re excited to announce our endorsement of Chelsea Lepley for Des Moines City Council Ward 2!
Lepley (they/she) has been organizing with her neighbors and with CCI Action for many years to uplift the voices and the stories in her community, and we know she’ll take that energy into office with her.
Early voting begins on October 18. If you want to elect a people's champion, help us get out the vote by making calls or knocking doors:
Saturday, Oct. 7 door knocking in Ward 2, 1-4pm
Wednesday, Oct. 18 door knocking, 4-7pm
Wednesday, Oct. 18 virtual phone bank, 4-7pm
Saturday, Nov. 4 door knocking, 1-4pm
What We're Reading
These are a few links that are informing our work - we've shared them so that you can read, too!
Iowa still among worst states for racial disparities in incarceration [Bleeding Heartland]
How ideology can help (or hurt) movements trying to build power [Waging Nonviolence]
'Rome's burning': Small farmers complain Biden administration is fiddling as they vanish [Politico]
Under 'Medicaid reform', rural Iowans need to learn not to get sick [Iowa Capital Dispatch]
'We can't drink oil': how a 70-year-old pipeline imperils the Great Lakes [The Guardian]