The Next Step: New Strategies for Expanding Health Care Access in Santa Clara County (January 2007)
Working Partnerships’ proposed three-share health coverage program for the County would expand access to health coverage for our region’s 40,000 uninsured small business employees and bolster the finances of our world-class public hospital system at the same time.  LeaderNet members and guests carefully examined the policy, making recommendations on how to strengthen the model, streamline enrollment, and maximize outreach.

Post-Election Analyses (June and December 2006)
Working Partnerships Leadership Network members gathered to discuss the dynamics and outcomes of the California primary and general elections and next steps.  The speakers were

Santa Clara Valley Medical Center Tour (May 2006)
LeaderNet members toured Valley Medical Center (VMC) with its director, Susan Murphy, to learn what makes this successful, vital, and endangered organization tick.  As the only hospital in Santa Clara County guaranteeing residents access to needed medical care, regardless of ability to pay, VMC treats about 200,000 patients per year – over 10% of the entire county population.  In the face of a ballooning fiscal crisis, VMC has remained at the top of its field in quality of care.

Susan Murphy joined VMC in 1986.  She has served as an officer with the Hospital Council of Northern and Central California, the California Health care Association, and the Workforce Coalition of Silicon Valley.

Winning on the Ground (May 2006)
With a shoestring budget and thousands of volunteers, the South Bay Labor Council has gained prominence in Silicon Valley politics through grassroots mobilization, strategic voter targeting, and ability to anticipate and respond to voter behavior.  Philip Bump, the Labor Council’s Political Director, gave a seminar for LeaderNet members on the following questions:

  • What sets apart an effective field campaign from a failed one?
  • How are campaign messages and materials developed?
  • What issues motivate San Jose voters?
  • What does the growing absentee vote mean for campaign strategy?
  • How can electoral campaigns engage and build the power of the South Bay’s growing immigrant communities and communities of color?

Our Year of Reform (January 2006)
In the aftermath of the 2005 elections, LeaderNet members came together to explore:

  • Where do Silicon Valley politics stand?
  • How can we build on our momentum to win for working families in 2006?
  • We can guess how candidates, conservatives, and the media will be talking about in this election – how can we use this political moment to put working families’ issues at the top of the agenda?

Keynote speaker Anthony Thigpenn, President of Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education (SCOPE) and field director for Antonio Villaraigosa for Mayor, shared insights from the Los Angeles mayor’s race on how progressives can use elections as an opportunity to build long-term, grassroots power.

Strategic Initiatives for Silicon Valley : Smart Policy and More Power for Working Families (Twice a year)
At the culmination of the Working Partnerships Leadership Institute, participants present the results of their “group projects”: strategic analyses of current policy questions, looking for innovative solutions and opportunities to move a progressive agenda and build power.  Institute alumni gather to hear their findings, provide feedback, and celebrate the accomplishments of the newest group of LeaderNet members. Read more about the group project.


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