Category: MoCo DSA

Moco DSA May Newsletter

Post author By davidocoulter
Post date May 4, 2026

Montgomery County Branch DSA

May 2026 Newsletter

This is the monthly newsletter by the Montgomery County Branch of the Metro DC Chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (MoCo DSA).

Interested in building a socialist future? Join DSA.
Want up-to-the-minute updates? Follow us on Instagram, Bluesky, Twitter, and Facebook.
Sign up for weekly updates (and see the archives) from Metro DC DSA.

Take Action

Our Electoral team has raised thousands of dollars and reached at least 3,000 voters on behalf of our endorsed candidates, Gabe Acevero, Josie Caballero, and Izola Shaw. But we need more boots on the ground! We’re requesting volunteers to (1) knock on doors, (2) host candidates in their homes or apartment common areas for meet and greets, and (3) coordinate and launch a canvass. Join the Electoral team by filling out the interest form and selecting the Electoral team.

MoCo DSA and the wider MDC-DSA Labor Working Group are interested in doing more labor work at the branch level. Please fill out this survey to learn which unions and industries DSA members are part of, so we can determine which campaigns to prioritize and learn what kinds of labor work members want.

Join us in demanding that Maryland’s State Retirement and Pension System (MSRPS) divest from Israeli bonds. As of December 2025, MSRPS holds $65.49 million in these bonds, which directly subsidize genocide and ethnic cleansing. Sign this letter to Treasurer Dereck Davis, Comptroller Brooke Lierman, and MSPRS leadership so they know that Marylanders do not want to foot the bill for brutality and oppression. You can also virtually sign a postcard supporting the redirection of MSRPS funds away from oppression and towards Maryland communities.

Preserve Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians. The Trump Administration is trying to end the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti. Haiti is overwhelmed by multi-factional violence from the national government, local gangs, and other paramilitary forces. It would be unconscionable to prioritize deporting Haitians, considering the conditions they’d be returning to. Ask your representative to force a vote in the House to preserve TPS status for Haiti.

The Montgomery County Council is considering a bill sponsored by Council Members Kristin Mink and Will Jawando to levy a tax on demolitions and housing expansions to fund social housing. This legislation applies when a property owner tears down an existing single-family house and replaces it with a larger house on the same lot. This bill is gaining momentum! Use this action alert to ask your county council members to support the bill.

Upcoming Events

Saturday, May 9th – MoCo DSA Monthly General Body Meeting. Join us in person at the Silver Spring Library or via Zoom for our monthly meeting to get plugged into the latest with MoCo DSA. If you’re brand new to DSA, this meeting is open to the public.

Thursday, May 21st – MoCo DSA May Social. Come craft, hang, and enjoy the sun on Thursday May 21st at 6:30pm in Downtown Rockville! We’ll be making pipe cleaner flowers and enjoying some spring weather. Whether you’re a crafter or not, come by to enjoy some snacks and chit chat. We’ll be learning on the fly, so no experience required!

MoCo Briefs

1777558848170-Image-1+(1).jpg

Electoral

Our Electoral team continues to pound the pavement and encourage registered voters to support our endorsed candidates, Gabe Acevero, Izola Shaw, and Josie Caballero. MoCo DSA also held a successful fundraiser to support Gabe at the Germantown Library at the end of April.

Palestine Solidarity

We supported JVP’s Break the Bonds campaign to get Maryland’s State Retirement and Pension System (MSRPS) divested from Israel’s genocide by coordinating testimony at the Maryland State House in support of HB1455. Stay tuned for more information about a teach-in planned for May.

ICE Watch

Three important DSA-supported bills passed the Montgomery County Council in April! The Unmask ICE bill prohibits federal, state, and local law enforcement officers from wearing masks or facial coverings, with limited exceptions, requires identification while on duty, and requires the creation of an online portal to report alleged violations. The Vehicle Recovery Act reduces barriers for families whose loved ones have been abducted by ICE to recover impounded vehicles. And the ICE Out Act prohibits all privately owned ICE detention centers in the county.

Interested in building a socialist future? Join DSA

Tags newsletter

MoCo DSA

Moco DSA March Newsletter

Post author By davidocoulter
Post date March 2, 2026

Montgomery County Branch DSA

March 2026 Newsletter

This is the monthly newsletter by the Montgomery County Branch of the Metro DC Chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (MoCo DSA).

Interested in building a socialist future? Join DSA.
Want up-to-the-minute updates? Follow us on Instagram, Bluesky, Twitter, and Facebook.
Sign up for weekly updates (and see the archives) from Metro DC DSA.

Take Action

Data centers require enormous amounts of power from local grids around the clock and constant cooling with local water supplies. Tell the Montgomery County Council to put a moratorium on data centers.
Takoma Park has some of the strongest renter protections in Montgomery County, thanks to its rent stabilization ordinance. But the ordinance is under threat. Sign your name if you agree that Takoma Park should not allow landlords to get even richer on the backs of renters—the very people who can afford it the least.
Maryland law denies teachers, librarians, and other public workers in the state the right to strike. That means residents who provide some of the most important care to our community don’t have access to organized labor’s most powerful tool—the strike. HB 1492 would give teachers and public workers the right to strike. Learn how you can support this critical bill.

Upcoming Events

Saturday, March 7th – Canvass for Gabriel Acevero and Josie Caballero. Show MoCo that DSA stands with our endorsed candidates by turning up and turning out to knock on our neighbors’ doors. Gabe and Josie support teachers and working families, and that’s why we support them. Register to canvass.
Saturday, March 7th – Join a Know Your Rights Canvass in Montgomery Village with MoCo IRC. You must request to participate here. The event is not open to the public.
Saturday, March 14th – MoCo DSA Monthly General Body Meeting. Join us in person at the Gaithersburg Library or via Zoom for our monthly meeting to get plugged into the latest with MoCo DSA. If you’re brand new to DSA, this meeting is open to the public.
Saturday, March 21 – MoCo DSA March Social. Socialize with fellow MoCo comrades at the Mayan Monkey Brewery in Gaithersburg. Tell us if you plan to attend! (P.S. We will be canvassing for our candidates that afternoon. Stay tuned for details).
Looking to connect with comrades in DSA in a casual setting? We will be launching the MoCo DSA weekly coffee social in the coming weeks. More details to come!

MoCo Briefs

Josie Caballero stands with an amazing group of volunteer door knockers on a bright sunny day. — MoCo DSA showed up for the candidates campaigning for a more just Montgomery County and Maryland

MoCo DSA in Annapolis

On February 16, we went to Annapolis to urge state legislators to support just cause eviction, end state investments in the imperial war machine and genocide, and stop collaborations with ICE.

Electoral

In February, our campaign work for Gabe Acevero, Josie Caballero, and Izola Shaw kicked into high gear. Between phonebanking, canvassing in Rockville and Takoma Park, and a fundraiser at Clear Skies Meadery, MoCo DSA showed up for the candidates campaigning for a more just Montgomery County and Maryland.

Survey

We want to know what content you’re interested in! Fill out this brief survey to share your thoughts.

Interested in building a socialist future? Join DSA

Tags newsletter

MoCo DSA Uncategorized

Montgomery County Residents Again Demand End to Country Club Giveaways

Post author By nlzimm
Post date January 8, 2020
No Comments on Montgomery County Residents Again Demand End to Country Club Giveaways

Montgomery County DSA

Montgomery County DSA

Montgomery County Residents Again Demand End to Country Club Giveaways

January 8, 2020

Montgomery County DSA Says: “Money for Jobs and Education, Not the Wealthy’s Recreation”

(CHEVY CHASE, MD) — Montgomery County residents gathered at Columbia Country Club today to demand that state delegates put an end to tax subsidies given to private country clubs. This is the first of a series of planned protests.

The protesters held banners and signs that said “End Tax Breaks for Country Clubs.”

Last year, revenue shortfalls forced the County to propose painful budgetary cuts, including $25 million from Montgomery County Public Schools and $3.9 million from Health and Human Services. Now, the County is predicting a $100 million shortfall next year. Meanwhile, the tax giveaways enjoyed by elite country clubs amount to $10 million annually — even as these clubs charge initiation fees of $80,000 to $100,000.

Montgomery County DSA Chair Elissa Laitin remarked, “Today is the first day of the Maryland legislative session. We are sending a message that it remains unconscionable for the working class to pay more in order to continue subsidizing the recreation of the ruling class. A few years ago, the County raised property tax rates on homeowners by almost nine percent, and we’re told we have to live with budget cuts to essential services. Meanwhile, these clubs for the 1% continue to pay lower taxes than the rest of us. This needs to end.”

Said MoCo DSA Steering Committee member Zach Wiita, “We once again call upon the Maryland General Assembly to pass a bill ending these giveaways to the playgrounds of the wealthy, and put working Marylanders first.”

MoCo DSA Uncategorized

MoCo DSA Calls For a Moral Minimum Wage for All Maryland Workers

Post author By nlzimm
Post date March 19, 2019
No Comments on MoCo DSA Calls For a Moral Minimum Wage for All Maryland Workers

Montgomery County DSA

Montgomery County DSA

MoCo DSA Calls For a Moral Minimum Wage for All Maryland Workers

March 19, 2019

(SILVER SPRING, MD) — The Steering Committee of the Montgomery County Democratic Socialists of America released the following statement today: “While we are pleased to see that the statewide minimum wage for most Maryland workers will likely increase soon, we are dismayed with the exemptions and delays contained in the bills passed by both houses of the Maryland General Assembly.

The Economic Policy Institute’s Family Budget Calculator determines that a single adult in Montgomery County needs to be paid at least $25.67/hour to afford housing, food, health care, transportation, and other basic needs. A family of two adults and two children needs to earn a combined wage of at least $50.22/hour. Yet, our Governor and General Assembly seem content to allow numerous Marylanders to live in poverty while their employers profit off of their underpaid labor.

The version of the bill passed by the House of Delegates won’t fully implement a $15/hour minimum wage until 2025, and the Senate version won’t fully implement $15/hour for smaller businesses, which make up the majority of Maryland companies, until 2028. Both versions will exempt increasing the minimum wage of tipped workers and agricultural workers — allowing restaurants, for instance, to pay tipped workers as little as $3.63/hour. Therefore, many Maryland workers wouldn’t be paid $15/hour for nine more years, and many others wouldn’t see their wages increase at all.

Perhaps most egregiously, the General Assembly stripped provisions from the original bill that tied the minimum wage to inflation, so that it would automatically increase as the costs of food, housing, and other necessities increase. By not indexing the minimum wage to inflation, the General Assembly has ensured that working-class Marylanders will be forced to fight this same battle again and again as the value of $15 decreases with inflation.

Governor Larry Hogan says he will only support raising the minimum wage to $12.10/hour, and only if our state’s neighbors also increase their minimum wages. When the costs of food and rent and consumer goods increase but workers’ wages do not, the capitalist class is earning more money but is not passing any of its increased profits on to workers. So when we delay increasing the minimum wage for years, this means we are transferring a staggering amount of wealth from workers to the capitalist class.

“We call upon the Maryland General Assembly and the Governor to sign into law a moral minimum wage — one that will increase as inflation increases, and one that pays all workers in Maryland the wages they need to provide housing, food, transportation, child care, and their families’ other basic needs.”

MoCo DSA

MoCo DSA Steering Committee Votes to Support Healthy Maryland Act

Post author By nlzimm
Post date March 9, 2019
No Comments on MoCo DSA Steering Committee Votes to Support Healthy Maryland Act

Montgomery County DSA

Montgomery County DSA

MoCo DSA Steering Committee Votes to Support Healthy Maryland Act

March 5, 2019

(SILVER SPRING, MD) —

The Montgomery County Democratic Socialists of America Steering Committee voted Monday to join the growing list of organizations supporting the Healthy Maryland Act of 2019.

As noted by National Nurses United, this legislation will establish the Healthy Maryland program to provide true universal health care on a single-payer basis. “All residents shall be automatically enrolled in the program and receive benefits on a non-discriminatory basis and without regard to preexisting conditions. All medical benefits currently provided under public programs, and benefits comparable or better than those available under employer-sponsored plans, shall be provided including dental and vision. Benefits provided through Healthy Maryland shall not be subject to any co-insurance, deductible or co-payments.” Patients enrolled in the program will be able to receive care from any qualified medical care provider they choose.

Organizations supporting the Healthy Maryland Act include National Nurses United, Our Revolution Maryland, Clinicians for Progressive Care, Progressive Maryland, Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition, 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, UFCW Local 1994 MCGEO, SEIU 32BJ, CASA de Maryland, Maryland Working Families, Women’s Law Center of Maryland, AFSCME Maryland, and the Progressive Democrats of America.

As legislators continue to advance the Healthy Maryland Act, Montgomery County DSA looks forward to working with our allies to advance a transition to statewide single-payer health care that will be crafted to ensure economic justice and security for all healthcare industry workers and their patients.

MoCo DSA

MoCo DSA Calls for Del. Lisanti to Resign or Be Expelled

Post author By nlzimm
Post date March 5, 2019
No Comments on MoCo DSA Calls for Del. Lisanti to Resign or Be Expelled

Montgomery County DSA

Montgomery County DSA

MoCo DSA Calls for Del. Lisanti to Resign or Be Expelled

March 5, 2019

(SILVER SPRING, MD) —

The Montgomery County Democratic Socialists of America has joined the growing chorus of prominent organizations and political leaders calling on Maryland State Delegate Mary Ann Lisanti (D-Harford County) to resign her office. Its Steering Committee passed a resolution on Monday calling for Delegate Lisanti’s resignation or expulsion.

Delegate Lisanti, who used a vile racial slur in the presence of several fellow members of the Maryland House of Delegates in January, has attempted to imply that she may not have used the slur after initially confirming that she had. House Speaker Michael Busch has stripped her of her committee and leadership assignments, and the House has censured her for her behavior. In spite of numerous organizations and leaders calling on her to resign, Delegate Lisanti has refused to leave office.

Those calling on Delegate Lisanti to resign include the NAACP, the Legislative Black Caucus, Jews United for Justice, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Progressive Maryland, Maryland Democratic Party Chair Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, and the Harford County Democratic Central Committee.

The Montgomery County DSA Steering Committee issued the following statement:

“Delegate Lisanti’s behavior has been shameful. Not only did she use a vile, blood-soaked racial slur to describe her fellow Marylanders, but she has attempted to evade taking responsibility for her choices by prevaricating on whether or not she used the slur, arguing that diversity is hurting our country, and refusing to resign her office when called upon to do so. White supremacists have no place in the Maryland General Assembly, nor anywhere in our government. We stand in solidarity with the people of Prince George’s County and Harford County, and with those calling for Delegate Lisanti’s resignation. If she continues in her refusal to resign, we call upon the House of Delegates to exercise its authority under the Constitution of the State of Maryland to expel Delegate Lisanti from office.”

MoCo DSA Uncategorized

Montgomery County Residents Say: “Money for Jobs and Education, Not the Wealthy’s Recreation”

Post author By nlzimm
Post date February 19, 2019
No Comments on Montgomery County Residents Say: “Money for Jobs and Education, Not the Wealthy’s Recreation”

Montgomery County DSA

Montgomery County DSA

Montgomery County Residents Say: “Money for Jobs and Education, Not the Wealthy’s Recreation”

February 19, 2019

(ROCKVILLE, MD) — Montgomery County residents gathered at Woodmont Country Club yesterday to demand an end to tax subsidies given to private country clubs. This was the first of two such protests. The next will be held at Columbia Country Club on Friday, February 22, at 8:00 AM.

The protesters held banners and signs that said “End Tax Breaks for Country Clubs.”

The State of Maryland provides property tax subsidies to country clubs by assessing their property at a rate far below market value when determining clubs’ tax liability. Columbia Country Club, for example, pays less than 25% of what its property tax bill would be if it was taxed at the same rate as homeowners. The Montgomery County state delegation is currently considering bill MC 27-19 which would scale back tax breaks for the largest private golf clubs in the county.

Elissa Laitin, Chair of the Montgomery County Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), stated, “Elite country clubs like Woodmont, Columbia, Chevy Chase and Congressional enjoy a property tax break that costs the county $10 million annually. This is outrageous. These are clubs whose members can afford to pay initiation fees of upwards of $90,000 – well more than what a typical worker in the county makes in a year.”

Meanwhile, revenue shortfalls have forced newly-inaugurated Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich to propose painful budgetary cuts to the County government, including $25 million from Montgomery County Public Schools and $3.9 million from Health and Human Services. If country clubs were assessed at standard rates, the County would receive about $10 million in additional tax revenues annually.

Laitin continued, “While MC 27-19 is a good start, this bill doesn’t go far enough. Woodmont and some other clubs are exempted from these bills, which we don’t agree with. We strongly support the bills, but we also want our elected officials to go further. It is unconscionable for the working class to pay more in order to continue subsidizing the golf games of the ruling class.”

Said MoCo DSA Steering Committee member Zach Wiita, “This kind of class privilege is obscene. Public services are being cut, but our government is holding working people and elite country clubs to different standards. A few years ago, the County raised property tax rates on homeowners by almost nine percent, and we’re told we have to live with budget cuts. Meanwhile, private country clubs continue to pay lower taxes, and in some places these tax breaks are used for what can only be described as scams in order to build luxury housing for the rich. Simply put: these giveaways to the elite need to end.”

Laitin warned, “The Maryland General Assembly has a choice: take a step to provide tax fairness and adequate revenue for vital public services, or side with the whims of the one percent. DSA will be watching the vote to see whether Delegates and State Senators take the side of working people or millionaires in Montgomery County.”

MoCo DSA Uncategorized

Local Socialists Demand An End To Country Club Tax Giveaways in Montgomery County

Post author By nlzimm
Post date February 1, 2019
No Comments on Local Socialists Demand An End To Country Club Tax Giveaways in Montgomery County

Montgomery County DSA

Montgomery County DSA

Local Socialists Demand An End To Country Club Tax Giveaways in Montgomery County

February 1, 2019

Democratic Socialists of America Members Expose Tax Subsidies for Elite Country Clubs; Demand That State Legislators End the Subsidies

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — Today, County residents leafleted at local Metro stations to educate fellow residents about the property tax subsidies that wealthy country clubs have enjoyed for years.

Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) member Zach Wiita handed out leaflets at the Silver Spring Metro station and said, “Montgomery County country club tax policy is upside down: it caters to well-connected elites at the expense of the many. We need to change the law to meet the needs of the rest of us, not the few.”

The State of Maryland provides property tax subsidies to elite country clubs by assessing their property at a rate far below market value when determining clubs’ tax liability. For example, the Columbia Country Club is paying less than 25% of what its property tax bill would be if it was taxed at the same rate as regular homeowners.

Remarkably, Montgomery County’s elites are attempting to preserve this unfair tax giveaway at significant cost to the County. Revenue shortfalls have forced newly-inaugurated Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, endorsed last year by MDC DSA, to propose painful budgetary cuts to the County government, including $25 million from Montgomery County Public Schools and $3.9 million from Health and Human Services. If country clubs were assessed at standard rates, the County would receive about $10 million in additional tax revenues annually.

In addition, Metro D.C. DSA Chair Elizabeth Golden and MoCo DSA Organizing Committee member Elissa Laitin sent letters to every member of the Montgomery County delegation this week, to request that they support Delegate David Moon’s “country club bills,” MC 11-19 and 27-19.

“Our elected officials must end the practice of giving wealthy country clubs and their private golf courses a sharply reduced property tax rate,” said Laitin. “It is unconscionable for us to pay more in order to continue subsidizing the golf games of the ruling class.”

“We want to be clear. This level of class privilege is obscene.” Laitin continued. “While our public services are being cut, working people are forced to pay more. A few years ago, the County raised property tax rates on homeowners by almost nine percent. Meanwhile, these country clubs continue to pay less. And if there are country clubs not paying their fair share, we can be sure that others in the ruling class have lobbied for their own tax giveaways as well. MoCo DSA will continue to demand an end to these subsidies.”

Laitin warned, “We’ll be watching the votes on this legislation closely, to see whether our elected officials choose to side with the 99 percent or the one percent.”