Santa Clara Chapter
Greetings to all! Leslie Rice here. I have been attending CARA meetings via Zoom for about a year now. They have a monthly regional meeting (every 2nd Wednesday from 10 am to 12 noon). This meeting includes one hour related to regional information and then about 45 minutes with our own chapter, finishing with 15 minutes back with the full group. The meetings are offered in a hybrid format via Zoom as well as F2F (SEIU 521, 2302 Zanker Rd. San Jose, CA – Training Room). We have a wonderful group of committed, hardworking members but of course, we would like more members. Would you like to join me once a month? Why? Great people with tons of important, practical information for retirees. They definitely are “in the know” about what is going on locally, regionally, state-wide, as well as on the federal level. AND – this is the best part. They are positive and action oriented. I participated in many phone banks in 2025 through my free membership in CARA (free because we have an AFT 6157R membership); I also participated in their Sacramento Lobby Day (via Zoom) where they talked to members of the California legislature about issues of concern to seniors and retirees. We are getting ready for our next Lobby Day in May. Can you join us? Let me know and I will send you an invite. It really is a great group.
As we prepare for CARA’s Lobby Day, I have attached a list of bills that we are currently focused on in 2026. One is on the federal level but most are dealing with California. I encourage you to read over this list. If any of these issues are of interest, please continue joining us asap. Or if you would just like to join a meeting to figure out if this group is a good fit for you, let me know. Remember – membership is free for all AFT 6157R members. I hope to see you at a regional and/or chapter meeting real soon.
