Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy Making Waves for Democracy

About Us

Who Are We?

Making Waves for Democracy is an all-volunteer Los Angeles political action organization that has over 800 members actively working to send a blue wave of Democrats to Washington DC each election cycle.

We believe that action is the only antidote to political despair, rage and hatred – and, to that end, are committed to regular monthly meetings that inform, train, and inspire our members to get politically involved.

History

Making Waves was started in 2016 by longtime L.A. progressive activist, Torie Osborn.

A group of 162 volunteers (Team TO) canvassed in Las Vegas for Hillary Clinton during Get-Out-the- Vote week in 2016. Then, in early 2017, inspired by The Women’s March and the Muslim Ban protests, we joined the growing number of resistance groups that emerged in opposition to Trumpism; Team TO Resist & Rise was born.

Over the last five years we’ve grown into a community of 800 with upwards of 150 activists attending our monthly gatherings. We’ve stayed strong and engaged, and sustained our collective energy by focusing on the positive, promoting self-care, and committing to political action!

Actions

Our monthly meetings bring people together who are committed to ongoing specific actions like phone- and text-banking, postcarding and – our priority -- knocking on (so far) over 40,000 doors.

Early on we adopted two traditionally red districts – CA-25 and CA-48 - located in northern LA County and Orange County’s coast. In 2018, we flipped both Congressional seats blue, only to lose them narrowly to Trump supporters in 2020. We have already begun the work required to regain those seats in 2022.

Our members also traveled to Nevada and Arizona to Get Out the Vote and several members joined the Unite Here effort in Georgia to get Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff into the U.S. Senate. (We also raised $108,000 for those GA Senate races!)

Making Waves for Democracy is run by an all-volunteer Leadership Team:

Kate Anderson * Jeannette Bronson * Leigh Curran * Elizabeth Ford * Linda Garnets * Jenny Jackson * Barrie Levy * Jeanne Miranda * Torie Osborn * Marley Powell * Simone Wallace

Fundraising

Making Waves for Democracy has organized fundraisers over the past several years through events and emails. Our six $50 events combined to raise nearly $1,500,000 for our two local House seats (CA-25 and CA-48), for Arizona U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kelly, and for the Sea Change Leadership PAC that mobilizes youth, immigrants, and people of color to vote. Sea Change is the brainchild of Rep. Karen Bass (CA-37), who has been actively involved with Making Waves for Democracy since its inception.

For the 2020 Presidential battle, we raised over $720,000 for Biden for President from 3,500 donations - a record for a $50 event and the largest event held for a 2020 Presidential contender in Los Angeles. It was creative-produced and emceed by LA County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl and featured Senators Barbara Boxer, Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris; Representatives Karen Bass, Jamie Raskin, Ted Lieu, Adam Schiff, and Julia Brownley; Mayor Eric Garcetti; labor icon Dolores Huerta, Olympian Michelle Kwan, youth organizer Isabel Kagoo, and performers Lily Tomlin, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Alfre Woodard, Holly Near, Bruce Vilanch, LaTanya and Samuel L. Jackson, Bryan Cranston, Gina Belafonte, and former Doors drummer John Densmore.

We look forward to expanding our majorities in the House and Senate in 2022 and are exploring local and state options, as well. Thank you for your interest in our work!