Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-San Luis Obispo
Trish Gonzalez, RN, Oakland
UC Santa Barbara Student Health Center
Tuesday November 1, 2005
Young students on their way to and from class. We get lots of honks and waves from the maintenance workers passing by in their UCSB trucks. Very tanned bunch all with a cell phone or I-pod in their ear. They asked great questions! The future is certainly safe… The local press asked great questions and we, the nurses, looked them in the eye and spoke of our commitment to the citizens of California and the need for the strong political voice of the working people of this state to continue to be heard!
Off to Santa Maria
As day becomes dusk we arrive at the California Teachers Association office in Santa Maria to assist in their phone bank. All the calls were confirmation that the working people of this state will turn out and vote NO on all Arnold’s propositions! The press shoots some film and interviews our San Jose nurse Diane. Arrival at our hotel finds us in the lobby with no other than Al Franken in town to do his show from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo.(SLO)
Early morning Wednesday- Sierra Vista Hospital SLO
Greeting nurses finishing their nightshift is a tough gig. Standing at the parking lot exit handing out information a nurse tells me that she recognizes me from the night news she saw before starting her shift! She says she is a new graduate and gushes about how proud she is to be a part of CNA …..she goes on and on about how excited she is that we’re out shaking things up She takes lawn signs, bumper stickers and informational Get-out-the vote cards to distribute to her friends and family.
11:00 am-French Hospital, SLO
We are being chase down by a handsome middle-aged man in a Beemer, he seems too know of our rock-star status!! He beats on our windows until we grant him a private audience. He explains that he is a retired nurse and has been following us for miles in hope of souvenir signs to post in his yard. His neighbors will now know he’s a nurse groupie and as well as a retiree! On to Templeton -NURSES ROCK!!!!!
Comments