Of Assemblies and Doughnuts

…if we imagine it, we can realize it.

Prologue

“On January 23, 2023, a spree shooting occurred at two nearby farms in Half Moon Bay, California. Seven people were killed and an eighth person was critically injured. It was described as ‘workplace violence.’" Source: Wikipedia

Context

Motivated by its motto, “One Earth, One Humanity, One Future”, the Elders Action Network has, since its establishment in 2014, dedicated itself to “building a movement of elders to address the social, environmental, and governance crises of our time.” EAN is a nationwide organization of thousands of elders (and undoubtedly a fair number of not-so-elders, as well) working to accomplish that mission through various educational programs and action teams (e.g., Social Justice, Sound Democracy, Regenerative Living, and more).

In the fall of 2023, EAN conducted a visioning and strategic planning process, which I took part in. As an exercise, we were asked to project ourselves out 20 years and describe a scene from 2045 that could help shape a vision to inform our planning. Inspired by the atrocious murders of farm workers in nearby Half Moon Bay a few months earlier, I chose to write the story below as my contribution to that effort.

FYI, the “donut” mentioned in the story is a reference to the book Doughnut Economics: seven ways to think like a 21st century economist, by British economist Kate Raworth. That concept, for which several demonstration projects are underway in various places around the world, is definitely worthy of being cast here as a Ray of Dawn, and I’ll at some point focus a separate post on it. Briefly, it’s a way communities large and small can structure their economics so that everybody is guaranteed the basic necessities of life – food, shelter, healthcare, social justice, etc. – all without exceeding Earth’s carrying capacity.

Also, another Ray of Dawn in this story that I will someday write more about is the citizens’ assembly. A citizens’ assembly is an inclusive, participatory democratic process in which a representative cross-section of citizens come together to make substantive decisions for their local community.

So, here’s the story of how things could look in 2045.

Vision: A Story of 2045

Eva hesitates a moment before opening the door. “Ahora, sí,” she whispers softly to herself. Then, taking a deep breath, she straightens her skirt, checks her hair and makeup, crosses herself, and enters the Assembly chamber. As she walks to take her place with other Assembly members at the circular table in the center of the room, she glances around at the people entering through the large double doors opposite her. She waves and nods at the family and friends who have come to see her off on this grand adventure, who are already seated in the first row of the audience.

This is to be Eva’s first meeting as a member of the Half Moon Bay Citizens’ Assembly, and she’s understandably nervous. As she waits for the meeting to begin, she wonders to herself, “Dios mío, why in the world am I here? How did this happen? I should be home with Pedro, putting the kids to bed. Instead, there he is, beaming at me with pride. Gracias a Dios that mi suegra, Pedro’s mother, said she could stay with them so he could be here.”

Three months ago, on Indigenous People’s Day, at a big public celebratory event, Eva and five other residents of Half Moon Bay were selected, in a stratified random drawing, to serve the next two years on the HMB Citizens’ Assembly. They are replacing the six who have completed their term and cycled off and joining six others who will be serving their second year. Eva’s cohorts on the Assembly include farming folks such as herself, high tech workers who commute daily over the hill to Silicon Valley, local shopkeepers, retirees enjoying the coastal life, gardeners, household help, etc. Essentially, a representative cross-section of the people of Half Moon Bay.

This system of local governance has been in place for the past 10 years, ever since the citizens of HMB voted for a new city charter, replacing the city council form of government with the Citizens’ Assembly. The new charter, in part sparked by the horrific 2023 murder of farm workers, also provided that, in place of a mayor appointed by the city council each year, the Assembly would be chaired by a monthly rotation of members, essentially a Chair-of-the-Month.

As for Eva, her family moved here from Fresno 35 years ago, in 2010, and has ever since been working the fields in Half Moon Bay and up the coast as far as Montara – everything from artichokes and brussels sprouts to pumpkins and zucchini. Eva, who was born a few years after the move, met Pedro in high school, after which they married and started a family of their own. First to arrive was Panchito, now six and in first grade. Rosita, now in pre-school, followed him a couple of years later.

To support their young family, Pedro, always enthusiastic and full of energy, exercised his entrepreneurial and mechanical talents and passions by starting up his own auto repair shop. In the early days of his business, he worked on the few gasoline-powered vehicles and hybrids still on the road along with the increasingly ubiquitous EVs, but EVs are the only vehicles out there, now, except for bicycles and electric scooters, the rest consigned to junkyards and history. Eva, for her part, works from home, drawing on her growing reputation as a talented seamstress.

Eva and Pedro had to think long and hard, though, about whether Eva should accept the civic responsibility of serving as a member of the Assembly. They had many discussions, with each other as well as family and friends, about the pros and cons, for her and the family, of such an undertaking. While both an honor and an opportunity, the position would require a fair amount of her time and attention and thus, especially for a family in their socioeconomic situation, would present both financial and childcare challenges and risks, despite the Universal Basic Income they and everyone else enjoys.

Fortunately, the Half Moon Bay community foresaw such considerations when designing the Citizens’ Assembly. An essential feature of the Assembly is that its membership truly represents a cross-section of the community. Thus, provision is made in the city charter that assembly members who need it qualify for community-provided childcare, family healthcare, and supplemental income (in addition to the regular Citizens’ Assembly stipend), thus enabling and ensuring equitable representation. In addition, from the moment they are chosen, new Assembly members are given an intensive three-month orientation and training program to prepare them for the critical community role they are embarking on.

While waiting for the meeting to begin, Eva thinks about how much she is looking forward to one particular issue that the Assembly will be taking up during her tenure. She’s not sure what it is exactly. When it was presented to her group in the training program, the trainers said it has something to do with donuts, which immediately made her salivate at the thought of warm, sugary churros melting in her mouth. Eva quickly learned, though, that “donut” was a metaphor for something much more profound and truly visionary. And, so, she’s eager to learn more about how the Assembly can set in motion a system that would extend community-wide benefits such as the ones available to Assembly members to ensure that no member of the community falls below basic, minimal standards of access to healthcare, education, housing, income, and meaningful employment.

And, now, the moment has arrived. Promptly at 7:30 on this evening of the second Monday of the year, and with all Assembly members present, the sound of a banging gavel snaps Eva out of her reverie and to attention.

“The January 9, 2045, meeting of the Half Moon Bay Citizens’ Assembly is hereby called to order”, the chair-of-the-month announces with both firm authority and an excited grin on her face.

The hubbub in the room becomes still. Except for Eva’s heart, which is beating anxiously. But only she can hear that. Eva smiles confidently as she leans across the table and forward into the proceedings.