Indivisible Sonoma County (ISC) is an informal left-of-center organization based in Sonoma, California. It is an affiliate of the left-of-center organizing and activism network Indivisible Project. ¹

Background

Indivisible Sonoma County claims that it is comprised of “85 percent women who are 50+ years old. The other 15 percent are primarily men (of the same demographic) and a few younger women.” ² The group organized itself into teams of four to meet regularly with members of Congress including U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Alex Padilla (D-CA) and U.S. Representatives Jared Huffman (D-CA) and Mike Thompson (D-CA). It also has a team to coordinate with other Sonoma County organizations on protests and other activities. ³

Indivisible Sonoma County alleged that “President [Donald] Trump’s words and action are a danger to our nation.” It described the Trump administration’s agenda as, “capricious and dangerous,” and outlined its goal to “block Trump’s attacks on immigrants, people of color, working families, our healthcare and our environment.” ⁴ Indivisible Sonoma County claimed that Trump waged a war on “peaceful protesters” in Portland with a supposed “Secret Police.” ⁵

Activism

Phone Scripts

Indivisible Sonoma County posts phone scripts to its website to instruct its followers on which political leaders to call and what to say. The group prepared a script supporting packing the Supreme Court that alleged that the Court is “corrupted” because “Republicans and their dark money donors seized that power by stealing a seat from Obama and, arguably, from Biden as well.” It believes that the Supreme Court “is a Court dedicated to Republican, authoritarian power” and insists that Democrats must expand the number of justices. ⁶

Regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, Indivisible Sonoma County asserted that “the White House was caught flat-footed by Omicron and is finally trying to catch up,” and that the government must provide “whatever funding is needed to combat COVID for as long as it takes,” making masks and testing available for free to all Americans. ISC also demanded that universal government-funded sick leave for COVID-infected persons. ⁷

ISC also asserts that “Republicans are a danger to the republic … working to destroy democracy and install themselves as permanent autocrats.” The group directs its members to assert that elected officials should “stop pretending that Republicans are ‘colleagues’ and that ‘bipartisanship’ is a worthy goal.” ⁸

YouTube

Indivisible Sonoma County has a YouTube channel with 8 subscribers. On its channel, it argues for passage of the For the People Act to roll back election integrity laws passed in states after the 2020 election. ⁹

Affiliations

Indivisible Sonoma County is a member of Indivisible CA: StateStrong, which is a coalition of more than 60 California-based Indivisible groups, out of a total of 300 in the state. It touts its efforts to pass AB 3131, which prevented local police departments from purchasing surplus military equipment. The bill was later vetoed by Governor Jerry Brown (D). ¹⁰ It also worked for passage of SB 100, which calls for 100 percent of retail electricity to be derived from renewable sources by 2045. ¹¹ Indivisible CA: StateStrong’s focus issues include police accountability, criminal justice leniency, election administration, racial activism, and LGBT interests. ¹²

Indivisible Sonoma has an affiliate called Indivisible Sonoma County Out-of-District (OOD). Its focus is to “preserve blue seats and to flip red legislative and congressional seats.” It is primarily a voting turnout organization operating in areas outside of Sonoma County. It includes members of other like-minded groups like Swing Left. ¹³ Larry Martin is the chair of Indivisible Sonoma County Out-of-District and presented an analysis of the group’s efforts in the 2018 mid-term elections to flip 13 of the 14 U.S. congressional districts in California then held by Republicans. Seven Democratic candidates defeated Republicans, turning the “entire coast of California … blue,” according to Martin. ¹⁴

Indivisible Sonoma joined with 60 Democratic-aligned organizations to sign a letter to Senate Democrats urging them to modify or discard the filibuster to ensure the passage of the Freedom to Vote Act and John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. ¹⁵ It joined another coalition of 69 groups to demand that Senator Feinstein either vote to abolish the filibuster or resign. ¹⁶ Other left-leaning groups that signed the letter included the Black Voters Matter Fund, Friends of the Earth, League of Conservation Voters, NextGen America, Our Revolution, People’s Action, and Stand Up America. ¹⁷

The group is part of Field Team 6, a coalition of lobbying and state election advocacy organizations working towards registering more Democrat voters within key swing states and counties before the 2022 Midterm Elections. ¹⁸

1. “Indivisible Sonoma County.” Oakmont Democratic Club. 2022. https://oakmontdemclub.com/indivisible-sonoma-county/
2. Dockray, Heather. “2017 Was the Year Middle-Aged Women Fought Back.” Mashable. October 29, 2021. https://mashable.com/article/2017-year-middle-aged-woman
3. “Who We Are.” Indivisible Sonoma County. 2022. https://www.indivisiblesoco.com/who-we-are
4. Hogle, Steve. “Let the Investigation Begin: Bohemian: Sonoma & Napa Counties.” Bohemian. May 24, 2017. https://bohemian.com/let-the-investigation-begin-1/
5. “Indivisible Sonoma County.” Oakmont Democratic Club. 2022. https://oakmontdemclub.com/indivisible-sonoma-county/
6. Dor, Karen. “Calls to Make 1.31.2022-2.6.2022.” Indivisible Sonoma County. January 31, 2022. https://www.indivisiblesoco.com/phone-scripts-1/1-31-2022to2-6-2022
7. Dor, Karen. “Calls to Make 1.17.2022-1.23.2022.” Indivisible Sonoma County. January 24, 2022. https://www.indivisiblesoco.com/phone-scripts-1/1-17-2022to1-23-2022
8. Dor, Karen. “Calls to Make 1.17.2022-1.23.2022.” Indivisible Sonoma County. January 24, 2022. https://www.indivisiblesoco.com/phone-scripts-1/1-17-2022to1-23-2022
9. “Indivisible Sonoma County September 13, 2021 General Meeting.” YouTube. YouTube, September 19, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akcxEyAcMMo
10. ^[1] “Indivisible CA.” StateStrong. 2022. https://www.castatestrong.org/about/
11. “Indivisible CA.” StateStrong. 2022. https://www.castatestrong.org/about/
12.  ^[1] “Indivisible CA.” StateStrong. 2022. https://www.castatestrong.org/about/
13. “Events Guide.” Sonoma Index-Tribune. 2020. https://www.sonomanews.com/events/?_escaped_fragment_=%2Fshow%2F%3Fser#!/details/Online-Format-Indivisible-Sonoma-County-Out-of-District-Meeting/7421528/2020-11-16T17
14. Broughton, John. “Report from Indivisible Sonoma County – Changing the California Delegation in Congress, 2018.” Windsor Democratic Club. February 23, 2020. https://windsordemocrats.org/report-from-indivisible-sonoma-county-changing-the-california-delegation-in-congress-2018/
15. “60 Organizations to Senate Democrats: Filibuster Didn’t Block Debt Limit Extension, Cannot Block Voting Rights Legislation.” Fix Our Senate. 2022. https://www.fixoursenate.org/press/60-organizations-to-senate-democrats-filibuster-didnt-block-debt-limit-extension-cannot-block-voting-rights-legislation?fbclid=IwAR2Hf9U8eGXhJAu7reXFrkfItPdT9jQf85aOsTv8alQO5e9x0J2zzsnXLC0
16. AB 3131 Analysis. California General Assembly. 2018. https://alcl.assembly.ca.gov/sites/alcl.assembly.ca.gov/files/AB%203131%20analysis.pdf
17. “60 Organizations to Senate Democrats: Filibuster Didn’t Block Debt Limit Extension, Cannot Block Voting Rights Legislation.” Fix Our Senate. 2022. https://www.fixoursenate.org/press/60-organizations-to-senate-democrats-filibuster-didnt-block-debt-limit-extension-cannot-block-voting-rights-legislation?fbclid=IwAR2Hf9U8eGXhJAu7reXFrkfItPdT9jQf85aOsTv8alQO5e9x0J2zzsnXLC0
18. “Mission.” FieldTeam6. Accessed April 12, 2022. https://www.fieldteam6.org/mission.