Yes, You Can(vass) in Hot Weather
In California's steamy Central Valley, activists know how to keep things cool!
By Steve Murphy and Cecilia Minalga
[On a recent or Last] Saturday, in California's Central Valley, intrepid volunteers stepped beyond their comfort zone to canvass in temperatures topping 110 ℉.
Of CA Grassroots Alliance’s “Sweep Six” Congressional districts, CA-22 is the furthest from urban Northern and Southern California, home to so many volunteers. Nearly a four-hour drive from either Los Angeles or the Bay Area, CA-22 also hosts some of the hottest temps in the state, with average daily highs above 90’F from June to September. So the California Grassroots Alliance and the Bay Area Coalition (BAC) have learned a thing or two about how to keep canvassers cool!
By mid-June, managing forty-plus canvassing groups from registration to return trip, the BAC had reached over 10,000 doors in both CA-13 and CA-22. And our hot weather prep made each canvass safe, cost-effective, and fun.
BAC keeps volunteers safe with “cooling cars.” The program relies on roving cars stocked with ice-cold fresh fruit, Gatorade, frozen and regular water bottles, and various sundries, including sunscreen and paper towels. Cooling cars let volunteers take a break while staying in the field. And taking a cue from California’s farm workers, the cars are also equipped with towels, wet and chilled, like arctic ice on a sizzling afternoon. On “normal” days in the mid-90's, cooling cars support multiple groups of canvassers but when the temperature soars into triple digits, the ratio of cars to canvassers is reduced.
Last Saturday, one volunteer cooled in the car between each door knocked, a testimony both to volunteer commitment and to organizers’ concerns about the safety of each canvasser.
But it’s not just weather that must be overcome. Because canvassing in CA-22 involves long drives and overnight stays, we created a fund to provide $100-a-day stipends for volunteers who lack the resources to participate. Stipends help offset gas, food, and housing costs. Funded in part by incumbent CA Congressional members and individual donors, the goal is to remove any economic barriers for volunteers who can commit their time to help flip the district.
Not all of us are able to canvass, but we can support those who spend time and money to get to the Central Valley by donating to the Canvasser Stipend Fund. This fund is handled by the Contra Costa County Dems (donate here). Our 2024 goal is to fund 1,000 days of door knocking.
Due to the district’s distance from volunteers’ homes, most canvassing is done over a three-day Friday-Sunday window. Given the weekend commitment, no trip to the Central Valley is considered complete without gathering with fellow canvassers for a drink, a meal, shared stories and lasting connections at the end of another hot day. That sense of community helps keep a canvassing weekend positive and meaningful!
Trips to CA-22 are being planned now for nearly every weekend all summer and fall. Find the schedule on the California Grassroots Alliance CA-22 district page calendar (click the Volunteer button) or on the BAC website. And stay cool out there!
Steve Murphy of Davis, CA is co-chair of Indivisible Yolo and member of the leadership team for the California Grassroots Alliance
Cecilia Minalga of Danville, CA is co-founder of the Bay Area Coalition and member of the leadership team for the California Grassroots Alliance
Author Cecilia Minalga lets nothing get in the way of leading Central Valley canvasses every other weekend, driving 4 hours each way to do so! And I am sure other canvassers are right up there in their dedication. I have driven about that distance to canvass as well, but not every 2 weeks! I am in awe!