Linda Piera-Avila, Application for Alternate, Green Party of the United States (2015)

My name is Linda Piera-Avila. I am a 35 year resident of Santa Monica. I have been registered Green since 1990. I am applying to serve as an alternate GPUS delegate. 

 

ACTIVISM: I participated in the local planning group of the 1996 Green Party convention, held at UCLA, at which Ralph Nader was first nominated by the party to run on its ticket for president and Winona La Duke for vice president. I was a delegate for Mr. Nader in 2000 and more recently, for Cynthia McKinney in 2008 and for Dr. Jill Stein in 2012.

 

I have at various times been an active member of different Green locals, including the Los Angeles Greens and the Santa Monica Greens. I have previously served as secretary and as events coordinator for the Los Angeles Greens.

 

I have served as a member of the GPLAC County Council since 2008. I served as an LA County delegate to the following state plenaries: May 2005 in Sylmar, May 2007 in San Francisco, Sept., 2007 in Riverside, Sept., 2008 in Dana Point, May, 2009 in Venice and Los Angeles in 2011. I attended the 20th anniversary event of the Calif. Green Party in Berekely in Feb. of 2010.

 

Along with other Greens, I participated in the early days of the "Arlington West" Iraq War memorial, held every Sunday on Santa Monica Beach. I have participated in numerous peace marches and rallies. I coordinated the Los Angeles Greens Earth Day event in 2005 at which we hosted Greenpeace founder Rex Weyler and the 2010 Earth Day event at which we hosted permaculture legend Larry Santoyo. I joined with other LA Greens to lobby LA City Council members to adopt STV voting methods.

 

I have volunteered on numerous Green campaigns, including Mike Feinstein's and Kevin McKeown's Santa Monica City Council campaigns, and Byron DeLear's congressional campaigns. This was good experience when I threw my hat in the ring and ran for public office twice: for Santa Monica City Council in 2008 and California State Assembly in 2010.(www.linda-piera-avila.org). Subsequent to my City Council run, I was appointed and still serve on the Santa Monica Urban Forest Task Force. I helped recruit Green Party candidates to run for statewide office in 2010, including our Lt. Gov. candidate, Jimi Castillo, and our Treasurer candidate, Kit Crittenden.

 

I have supported lobbying efforts in Sacramento to promote the Campaign for Old Growth and tabled many, many hours to collect signatures on the petition for said initiative.

 

In May/June of 2006 I participated in the encampment of the South Central Farm, providing a Green Party presence and liaison. I was quoted in a state press release regarding this issue. I currently serve on the  board  of the South Central Farmers Health and Education Fund. In September of 2006 I was part of a 5 member Green Party contingent that joined a larger 300 person civil disobedience action, all undergoing arrest and overnight incarceration for the sake of promoting a living wage for underpaid hotel workers in the LAX hotel corridor. This past year I have been part of a group of local residents who promoted passage of Santa Monica's Sustainability Bill of Rights. I also joined with other residents to oppose the destruction of the Village Trailer Park which will displace low income seniors. 

 

---