At long last, we are also happy to include a comprehensive recap of everything that happened at the Solidarity Summit in San Luis Obispo this past summer. A big Thank You! goes out to our hosts, Conner Johnston of the College Dems, Cal Poly and Sandra Marshall of the Progressive Democrats of San Luis Obispo. They worked hard to make sure everything went off as best it could. The venue for the general meetings and breakouts were spacious, perfect, and easily accommodated the approximately 75 attendees from various parts of the State.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank the following speakers and Progressive Caucus members for leading various breakout meetings: Norman Solomon, Marcy Winograd, Rose Roach, Andrew McGuire, Hilary Crosby, Henry Vandermeir, Susie Shannon, Deana Igelsrud, and Steve Haze. Their expertise and leadership in the areas covered, combined with the level of familiarity on those subjects by the Caucus members themselves, made for discussions of the sort often hoped for, but rarely achieved. The conversations in all of the meetings (including the general sessions), revealed a seriousness which was reflective of the deep desire to be a part of arriving at solutions to issues we care about, and to plan next steps. In this regard, it succeeded in a way we had hoped for: as a real working meeting. We are indeed lucky to have the caliber of talent we have in our Caucus.

Of the many reports and notes you will find here, one which stands out is the Priority Issues Survey we took on Saturday morning. Attendees were asked to list their concerns and the issues they felt were a priority for the Caucus to work on. As expected, the following issues came to the fore: Healthcare, followed by the CA Budget (and establishing Majority Rule), War/Foreign Policy and Water. For a full breakdown, go here. The results mirror what we currently see on the Progressive Caucus list serve as topics of interest.

Perhaps the best and most useful aspect of the Summit was the fact that virtually all the meetings included an action component, with the understanding that there would be next steps for the efforts given to each one. Out of the California Budget meeting (entitled "From Crisis to Majority Rule") and the efforts of Susie Shannon, Deana Igelsrud and George Lakoff, has come the California Majority Rule Campaign. The campaign has been endorsed by lawmakers and advocacy groups alike and is a serious statewide grassroots campaign statewide. Rose Roach, CSEA and Andrew McGuire of the California OneCare Campaign put on a very informative talk, comparing the "Public Option" to Single Payer and also letting everyone know the plans for realizing SB 810. Rose, who chairs the Progressive Caucus' Healthcare Committee, will be rolling out an SB 810 12-24 month game plan for everyone to consider at the upcoming E-Board meeting. She just recently returned from the Physicians for a National Health Program Leadership Training and Annual Meeting in Boston last week.

Kudos go to Steve Haze for his discussion about the serious debate over Water in our state and to Henry Vandermeir, President of CDC for doing what he does best - talking to grassroots activists about the organization of the Democratic Party. Since the Summit, we have been asked to include more discussions on the topics. Rounding it out on Sunday morning, we were treated to a talk with our own Hilary Crosby, who made the case for why Progressives should invest in the Party and by doing so, truly staking a claim in the direction it goes. Last but by no means least, Author and Media Critic Norman Solomon and Marcy Winograd lead the discussion "Strategizing to Challenge the Warfare State in 2010 and Beyond". As everyone knows Marcy is a candidate for Congress 36th Congressional District. From lobbying efforts to electoral work to activism designed especially for those of us on the 'inside', many ideas were hatched for what we could do to strengthen those voices that are part of the push back to the policies of our current warfare state. Our upcoming meeting in San Diego will be just one of other future events and activities that will be organized to address the topic which we feel is of the utmost seriousness for our country and our relationship with the rest of the world.

For complete notes (minutes) of the meetings in SLO click here. For notes (minutes) of the Saturday breakout session click here.