Sacramento City Council Votes for Troop Withdrawal from Iraq!

The Sacramento City Council, by an 8 to 1 vote on Tuesday night, called for "a humane, orderly, rapid and comprehensive withdrawal of United States military personnel and bases from Iraq.”

The Council also asked Congress and Bush to deliver "promised veterans' health, education, disability, and rehabilitation benefits, and otherwise meet the needs of returning veterans."

Sacramento joins a growing list of cities calling for withdrawal and is the first city in the Central Valley to support an anti-war resolution.

According to Mayor Heather Fargo, 109 people filled out speaker cards supporting the resolution while only one person, Dave Jenest of "Patriot Watch," opposed the resolution. Over the past few weeks, Fargo said she had received 527 letters or phone calls for the resolution and only 19 in opposition.

A big thanks goes out to Council Members Treathaway and Hammond for taking the leadership role on the city council. I also applaud the huge number of activists that packed the city council chambers last night in support of the resolution. I am proud to me part of Sacramento’s anti-war and progressive community!

Here's today's action alert from Bill Lackemacher IV asking people to thank the city council members for their vote for withdrawal last night, followed by Leisa Faulkner Barnes’ announcement after the meeting:


Action Alert from Bill Lackemacher IV, SacramentoForDemocracy [at] yahoogroups.com

YESSS! The Sacramento City Council passed the resolution tonight by an 8 to 1 vote. Thank you to everyone that showed up in support of this resolution and to all that called and emailed our respresentatives and Mayor Fargo. It wasn't as strongly worded as we would have liked, but it shows the rest of our country that Sacramento opposes this illegal and immoral war!!

Please contact Ray Tretheway and Lauren Hammond and thank them for introducing this resolution to the city council tonight. We have been working for months to get the resolution on the agenda and we couldn't have done it without them. While you're at it, please contact Mayor Fargo and the other councilmembers that supported this resolution.

Mayor Heather Fargo hfargo [at] cityofsacramento.org; 808-5300
District 1, Ray Tretheway rtretheway [at] cityofsacramento.org; (916) 808-7001
District 2, Sandy Sheedy ssheedy [at] cityofsacramento.org; (916) 808-7002
District 3, Steve Cohn scohn [at] cityofsacramento.org; (916) 808-7003
District 4, Robert Fong rkfong [at] cityofsacramento.org; (916) 808-7004
District 5, Lauren Hammond lhammond [at] cityofsacramento.org; (916) 808-7005
District 6, Kevin McCartys : KMcCarty [at] cityofsacramento.org; (916) 808-7006
District 8, Bonnie J. Pannell bpannell [at] cityofsacramento.org; (916) 808-7008

Only one council member opposed the resolution and it was Robbie Waters. Does anyone know someone that would like to run against Waters? He definitely needs to be replaced and we'd love to support some opposition to him.

If you have the time, you can contact Mr. Waters and voice your disapproval of his NO vote on the resolution. Let him know that we will remember this when he is up for re-election.

District 7, Robbie Waters rwaters [at] cityofsacramento.org; (916) 808-7007

Once again, thanks to everyone for their help !!

Cheers,
Bil


Announcement from Leisa Faulkner Barnes:

November 1, 2005

My dear friends,

We may not have won the war, or even slowed it down, but tonight we won an important battle for peace here in Sacramento. The city council voted (except for Waters) unanimously to pass the anti-war resolution that hundreds of progressives from dozens of groups have pulled together and drawn on each other's strengths to pass. We need to take a moment to value what we have done.

As I drove home tonight, I realized how honored I am to be a part of this family of progressives in Sacramento that have become our own "beloved community". As a PDA member, I easily recognized many other PDA members in the City Council Chambers this evening...but it didn't stop there. 109 of us signed up to speak in favor of the resolution, only one citizen stood against it.

Hundreds signed petitions. Hundreds made phone calls. Hundreds more wrote letters which were brought into chambers...The mayor was eloquent...Lauren Hammond and Ray Tretheway sponsored the resolution for us, and both were well spoken and moving...In fact, Tretheway's final remarks brought many to tears...the whole room stood in standing ovation at the final count!

I thought that George Main’s thirty second speech spoke for most of us in the room, "While we do support all the many sacrifices the troops have made, we do not support sacrificing any more of our troops."

Truly, tonight epitomized MLK's proclamation: "When one person stands up, he is often not noticed; but when thousands stand up together they cannot be overlooked."

Take a moment to be pleased with yourself and those you work with for peace. It’s so great to get to say..."We won this one!" The nation will hear about it. We are part of the city that is important to the state that is important to our nation. Good work, everyone...keep the faith, always peace, leisa