Dear Friends,

In 2011, California will redraw state and congressional district lines. And for the first time, the new voter-approved Citizens Redistricting Commission will be redistricting. How the lines are drawn will determine whether communities have a fair opportunity to elect the candidates of their choice in state legislative, Boards of Equalization and congressional elections. Come learn about how to present to the commission!

We've planned a conference that will equip you with the information and resources you need to serve your community in California's redistricting process... and let you have a little fun, too!

Please join us for the RedistrictingCA Conference:

Tuesday, January 25, 2011
8:30am – 5:00pm

California Endowment
Center for Healthy Communities
1000 N. Alameda Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Register at http://www.commoncause.org/RedistrictingCA 

We would love for you to join us. Please register today to attend our 2011 RedistrictingCA Conference on Tuesday, January 25th at the Center for Healthy Communities in Los Angeles. If you live in northern California and can't make it this month, we're hosting another conference in Sacramento this spring, so stay tuned!

The conference fee is $25. People with financial hardship may call (213) 252-4552 for information regarding scholarships. Reservations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Thanks, and hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

Kathay Feng
Executive Director, California Common Cause - on behalf of the Redistricting California Alliance

Dear Friends, If you know me, you know that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King is a great hero of mine. That's why, shortly after learning about the tragedy in Arizona on Saturday, I emailed the following quote to a handful of friends: "When evil men (and women) plot, good men (and women) plan. When evil men (and women) burn and bomb, good men (and women) must build and bind. When evil men (and women) shout ugly words of hatred, good men (and women) commit themselves to the glories of love. Where evil men (and women) would seek to perpetuate an unjust status quo, good men (and women) must seek to bring into being a real order of justice."      - Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. On Monday, we will celebrate Dr. King's birthday. In light of recent events, I am calling on all members of the Common Cause family to use MLK Day this year to plan, build and commit themselves to bringing about a real order of justice. It could be as simple signing one of the many petitions calling for an end to violent rhetoric in politics, talking with a young person about how to disagree without being disagreeable, or sending a "get well" note to Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Or it could be something more, like spending the day volunteering in your community. Tell us how you plan to honor Dr. King and the victims of the Arizona shooting on MLK Day - Monday, January 17. • Share your MLK Day plan on our blog or Facebook page. Or, post a quote or inspiring thought. • Tweet about your day using the hashtag #myMLKday, and ask your friends and followers to do the same. • Take a photo of your MLK Day activity, or share a special photo that inspires you. Add your photo to our Flickr group. However you choose to spend the day, I hope you will share it with us. Sincerely, Bob Edgar and the rest of the team at Common Cause P.S. I'll be spending part of my day on Monday participating in a panel discussion about how to revitalize America's civic culture, sponsored by the Dreyfuss Initiative. If you're in the DC area and would like to join me, the event takes place at the Ronald Reagan Building (1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW) at 1:00pm on Monday, Jan. 17. If you live outside the DC area, you can watch the panel online or on C-SPAN.