We were proud to open the doors of the First Presbyterian Church of San Rafael on Sunday, April 1, at 2:30 in the afternoon. Inside, nine organizations had booths -- card tables with frames supporting the organization’s banner, a sign saying "XXX Supports Single-Payer Health Care" and at least one OneCareNOW poster.

The nine co-sponsors were:
California Nurses Association
California Physicians Alliance
California School Employees Association
Democracy for America-Marin
League of Women Voters of Marin County
Pharmacists Planning Service, Inc.
Gray Panthers
SEIU 1021
Health Care for All-Marin

In one corner, the “The Healthcare Solution” played repeatedly on a large screen, and a popper produced large quantities of popcorn, to be served with lemonade. On the other side of the room, two games — Health Care Jeopardy and The Game of Life -- awaited players, each with hosts. Hanging from the ceiling were signs with pithy health-care facts. Heart-shaped health-care quotes dangled from helium balloons.

Eileen Prendiville at California Nurses' booth

And also inside were the many Community Action Team volunteers, wearing white shirts and OneCareNOW stickers front and back. By the door, both inside and outside, were greeters with printed programs for each attendee, so that people would know what they had to look forward to.  

Janice Wright and the League of Women Voters of Marin

Dr. John Shearer, co-chair of CAPA, and Dr. Clark Hinderleider, CAPA, DFA, and Gray Panthers' booths

The audience

What we didn’t know was: Would they come? Volunteers had spent many hours passing out flyers in front of San Rafael grocery stores; the local papers had all run notices; web sites and announcements had beamed from every site we could think of. Our local community access station had run an announcement that repeated over and over. But people are funny. You never know what they’re going to do.

Assemblyman Jared Huffman

Assemblyman Mark Leno

However, our worries were over by 2:35. People were pouring through the door, many stopping to sign the petition, moving on to the literature table, flowing throughout the room. By the time our assemblyman, Jared Huffman, took the stage at 2:45, nearly every seat in front of the stage was taken.  We estimate that more than a hundred people came, and a great many of them were new faces. Huffman gave a wonderful and encouraging pitch for SB 840, and he was followed by San Francisco Assemblyman Mark Leno, who also stirringly announced his belief that, someday, we must have a single payer system.

After a break for browsing, Master of Ceremonies Greg Brockbank slipped into his costume (a hospital gown), and the dramatis personae for “La Cockamamie” took the stage. A six-minute high drama, the skit illustrates in frightful detail how Joe Patient runs up a bill for $21,000 and leaves the ER untreated.

Greg Brockbank, Eileen Prendiville in La Cockamamie

Allan Blau, Esther Wanning, Eileen Prendiville, Greg Brockbank in La Cockamamie Finale

The audience joined in the finale, the singing of “La Cockamamie,” (by HCA-Santa Barbara director Peter Conn), thanks to blowups of the words created by Ellen Karel, who accompanied the song on accordion.  

Next up was Barry Massie, MD, who had such a good time at our Novato event, where he gave a brilliant presentation, that he agreed to come to San Rafael. Massie is chief cardiologist at the SF VA Medical Center and so can speak first-hand about the merits of a single-payer system. He again kept the audience rapt with a profound and enlightened presentation.
 
Next, Joanie Levinsohn took the stage with her wares — the raffle prizes. Seven lucky winners carried home seven excellent prizes, from Airporter tickets to a Safeway gift card. The proceeds, combined with the proceeds from passing the hat that followed, completely covered the expenses of the day.

Dave Glick wrapped up the indoor events with everybody’s favorite rap. And then it was out to the streets with signs, accordion, and song boards. Twenty-two hearty souls marched along Fourth Street, to the San Rafael Plaza and back, singing “This Plan Is Your Plan, This Plan Is Our Plan”  --  earning honks and a photo in the Marin IJ the following day.



The Day's Program