The latest polls show most parts of the state favor paid sick leave (which would benefit more than 700,000 Marylanders not now covered). Most parts of the state look unfavorably on Hogan’s veto of the 2017 sick leave bill. But Kurtz’s post – he has a highly developed feel for the whole range of political activity in our state – contains a warning. He notes, in closing, “Hogan and other members of his administration have been exhorting business groups to help them whip up opposition to a veto override.”

Working families who expect the Assembly to routinely override the bill (it was passed with veto-proof majorities in both chambers) need to remember that this is an election year and that “business groups” are sources of big campaign money for even ostensibly progressive Democrats who constitute the majority in both chambers. Those potentially wobbly members, especially in the Senate where the veto-proof majority was narrow, need to hear from their voters that they will push back hard on those who switch their votes when the override comes up.

A major meeting and hearing of the so-called Kirwan Commission on state education funding and how to use it better takes place tomorrow (Thurs Oct. 12) in Annapolis (in the a.m.) and Baltimore for the evening public hearing. This multimember education commission is being compared to the Thornton Commission, which first called out the disparities in Maryland's education funding several decades ago, and the consequences of this group's recommendations could be equally seismic. Len Lazarick of Maryland Reporter has doggedly followed the work of this group and his latest report is included here, with links to past articles and documents.

Welcome to the Progressive Maryland Weekly Memo for Oct 10-16. Here you find: reports on relaxing with Progressive MoCo, enviro-summiting with Take Action AAC; progressive cosplay at the RenFest and many other get-togethers at our chapters around the state. Read on…

These are remarks by Progressive Maryland health care organizer Beth Landry at Saturday's candlelight vigil for the victims of gun violence in Las Vegas and advocacy rally for real health care -- single-payer Medicare for All. The Oct. 7 vigil and rally took place in Lawyer's Mall before the State House.

Join us in Annapolis TOMORROW evening to fight for health care and remember the victims of gun violence in Las Vegas.

The Environmental Action Response Town Hall Oct. 21 in Annapolis is designed to educate and prepare environmental activists and concerned citizens who care about the environment for the 2018 legislative session in Maryland, Anne Arundel County progressive activist Claire Miller reports. Participants will have the opportunity to hear about the environmental priorities of state legislators from both parties, environmental advocacy groups, and community leaders who are fighting environmental justice issues in their communities.

"In these fraught political times, we should bear in mind that the white working class is, like Dylan, complex," Hal Ginsberg writes. "Among some bigotry is front and center. But others, even a few who backed Trump, supported President Obama and will vote for progressive populists."

TONIGHT a hearing on Cove Point, a Chapter meeting in Anne Arundel and a meeting on the cell tower issue in Shadyside – see below.

Lots more on the calendar for this week and beyond…

Two-day training for activists coming up this weekend. If you have committed to going, please remember to register. If you are still considering going, contact Justin Vest, state lead organizer, [email protected]

Progressives struggled in the 2017 Assembly session to pass laws that increased access to work and success for workers and their families. Some that we won will take effect tomorrow, Oct. 1. Of the allies in this progressive struggle, few were more effective than the Job Opportunities Task Force, which applied research and advocacy in ways that complement the work of our best legislators and overcome the prejudices and biases of the rest.

At this week's MoCo council hearing on the bill for a $15 minimum wage, "Of the 38 testimonies, only five expressed clear opposition to the $15 minimum wage with its proposed timeline and exemptions," Helen Burns reports. "The points of contention surrounded not whether a wage-earner was entitled to a modest living, but how the livable wage could be achieved."