This isn't our typical newsletter. It's a little more personal than usual, so grab a snack then please read to the end. In this email:

• My breast cancer diagnosis, and how you can help
  (see WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR ME at the end - please don't skip it!)

• DeFlock OC updates: stickers & shirts

• Help us monitor local government

• A sweet surprise from The Truth OC

 WHERE I'VE BEEN

About a month ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had no idea - it showed up on a routine mammogram (to all those who could be affected - get your scans regularly!)

I didn't tell a lot of people, just those who would be impacted by the disruption to my schedule from all the exams and tests and consultations with medical experts. We found it early and the tumor is relatively small. It appears to be very treatable, and I'm likely to live for a few more decades.

I know there are so many other people facing so many worse things:

• kidnappings and deportations and family separations of our immigrant neighbors

• children killed by American bombs dropped by our "ally" nations

• more than 1,000 people who died in Nepal from flash floods after a glacier collapse linked to climate change

• hospitals, one after another, cutting off care for trans kids under pressure from Trump's Justice Department

• our Supreme Court clearing the way for the Trump regime to check voter rolls against a citizenship database weeks before the midterms, after so many have already been disenfranchised this year due to rollbacks of our voting rights

So I didn't want to center myself or "make a big deal."

But I've had to pull back a bit on in-person events in recent weeks even as I've continued to work hard in the background. Folks have noticed - so many of you have reached out to ask where I am! (thank you to everyone who's stepped up to help out at our weekly rallies)

And as my surgery approaches (tomorrow morning!) I'm realizing this is a real and scary and big thing that is happening to me (and to my family), and my feelings of fear and anger and irritation and sadness are valid. As my oncologist told me, "we're not in a competition for who has the worst circumstances."

So I decided to share the news with you all, not for your sympathy, but to hopefully inspire you to dig in deeper to the work that needs to be done. (See my list at the end!)

WHY HEALTHCARE IS PERSONAL

Our family is on Medi-Cal, and fortunately it's covering my scans, tests, appointments, medication, surgery, and whatever comes next - for now. I'm so grateful. I'm also scared. Starting January 1, 2027, many adults on Medi-Cal/Medicaid will have to prove 80 hours a month of work, school, job training, or approved community service to keep their coverage, thanks to the Big Bad Budget Bill. I've been looking for work with benefits for months, and now I need it more than ever.

EVERYONE LOVES A STICKER

I also wanted to give you an update on the DeFlock OC project. First, thank you to those of you who donated last month before the deadline - we were able to raise over 60% of the money we needed to pay for 20K stickers!

Stickers are one of our best tools, because everyone loves a sticker and it's the easiest conversation starter there is. I was at a park in Costa Mesa where families were playing at the playground, and a Flock camera was nearby at the intersection. I walked up to each parent and asked, "Would you like a sticker? We're trying to end mass surveillance in Costa Mesa."

They'd say "What???" So I pointed to the camera and explained the surveillance program. Every parent was shocked and horrified. Most had no idea, and none of them wanted their children watched. I had great conversations, and I was reminded that this isn't a left or right issue. No one wants to be surveilled.

HELP US FINISH FUNDING 20K STICKERS (AND GET A FREE SHIRT!)

And because of my diagnosis, unfortunately we've had a slight delay in being able to deliver the DeFlock OC shirts. If you already donated, you should receive an email in the next two weeks asking for your size and where to send the shirt.

If you have not yet donated, you can still get a shirt and help us reach our goal! Donate $25 or more and we'll send you a free DeFlock OC t-shirt, shipping included. Every donation helps pay for the stickers we give away.

BE OUR EYES ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Next, we're looking for more people to help us with monitoring local government. I know the DeFlock Laguna Hills email those of you in South OC received last week went out at the very last minute. That's because we need more people keeping an eye on their city councils, school boards, water districts, and county supervisors.

And it's NOT just surveillance. These boards decide what our kids learn, what we pay for water, where housing gets built, how much goes to policing, and how our immigrant neighbors are treated. The meeting rooms are small, and we can fill them if we know what's coming.

If you can keep an eye on one agenda - your city council, school board, water district, or the county Board of Supervisors - you can help us catch these votes early, write a quick call to action, and get neighbors into the room for public comment. No experience needed - we'll show you what to look for and train you on how to document your research. Reply to this email with your city and which board you'd like to watch!

A SWEET SURPRISE THIS WEEK

I did have one very big bright spot this week! I woke up yesterday with my phone blowing up with texts and emails from folks who had already read the latest The Truth OC post from Jeff Pearlman. (If you don't know Jeff, be sure to check out his Substack!)

He did a piece called "A Gallery of Hope: The Truth OC's 26 Best Political Figures of 2026" and I was surprised, honored, and humbled to have been ranked #1 on his list. I had no idea this was coming - he didn't tell me in advance or reach out at ALL.

Please do me a favor and read the article and share it with your friends - the extra pageviews are my way of saying "thanks" to Jeff!

The "other Amy" from WAVE made the list, too! Shout-out to my frequent partner in crime Amy Capelle who gives so much and gets too little credit.

WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR ME

Many of you have been in this fight with me since the early days of Indivisible CA 40. We've stood on street corners in the heat, knocked doors for Prop 50, packed council chambers, and grieved together at vigils. This work has given my life so much purpose, and you've become part of something I didn't expect: a second family. I hate the circumstances that brought us together. But I'm so grateful to be in community with you all.

Honestly, I get more out of this work than I put in. Volunteering with Indivisible, Working Families Party, DeFlock OC, ICE Out Lake Forest, and OC Rapid Response Network has given me purpose, community, and a reason to keep going even on the days I wake up to more horrors in the news and find myself sobbing before I get out of bed.

So when people ask what they can do for me and how they can help with my recovery, here's my answer: dig in. I mean it - the most important thing you can do for me right now is choose one or more things from the following list:

1) Donate $25 or more and get a free DeFlock OC shirt

2) Hand out DeFlock stickers. Pick up stickers at an upcoming DeFlock OC or Indivisible event starting October 5

3) Watch one local agenda (city council, school board, water district, or Board of Supervisors). Reply with your city!

4) Knock doors or make calls before Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, with the OC Working Families Party or the Democratic Party of OC

5) Sign up for an event:

• Anaheim 9/27: Really Really Free Market

• Buena Park 9/28 & 30; 10/5 & 7: Ballot Party Host Training

• Costa Mesa 10/27: Spooktacular Souls to the Polls

• Garden Grove 10/1: Road to November Bánh Mì Social

• Huntington Beach: HB4Democracy Sundays at City Hall

• Ladera Ranch Fridays: Hands Off Our Vote

• Lake Forest 10/17: OC WFP October Chapter Meeting

• Mission Viejo 9/30: SOC4D weekly rally with guest speaker Cynthia Vasquez

• Orange 10/14: Indivisible Orange Monthly Group Meeting

• Santa Ana 10/1: FUERA FLOCK Bike Ride with SAAS

6) Read and share Jeff's article (see above)

7) Forward this email to a friend who's not yet on our list

The work doesn't stop while I recover, and it doesn't depend on me. That's the beauty of this movement. You'll keep showing up, and I'll be back soon.

COMING UP NEXT

Over the next few weeks, watch your inbox for:

• Our endorsements & recommendations for voting in November

• How to get involved with your local Indivisible group (or start your own)

• More ways to help with the election and GOTV

• No Kings: Vote Early! on October 17

 Thanks for reading all the way through! Please forward this message to a friend who's not on our mailing list. If you received this message from a friend, sign up here to get our newsletter and join our team here (it's free!)

Together, we can transform OC into a place where everyone is safe and can thrive!

In solidarity,

Amy from the OC Indivisible Coalition