About Our Chapter

Founded in the Summer of 2020, California for a World BEYOND War offers a welcoming space for those who share a common vision: a world where all human conflict is resolved by nonviolent means. We provide a forum for both new and seasoned activists to engage in peace education, discussion, and action. We currently gather on Zoom every first and third Thursday evenings of the month; we look forward to expanding our activities in the future and meeting in person as opportunities unfold. All are welcome!

Our Campaigns

Protesting Vandenberg Space Force Base

California for a World BEYOND War is actively protesting the testing of Minuteman III ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles) at Vandenberg Space Force Base near Lompoc, CA. We demand that the MMIII be decommissioned and the replacement ICBM (Sentinel) be cancelled.

Here is more information about the ICBM program from our partners at Defuse Nuclear War:

“In 2024 the U.S. public learned that the U.S. effort to replace its intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) program was an astonishing 81% over budget and years behind schedule.

In an April 2023 interview, Daniel Ellsberg described the profound danger of keeping the ICBM force: ‘For over half a century, the existence on both sides of vulnerable land-based ICBMs has been the hair trigger to the Doomsday Machine. They pose a use-it-or-lose-it mentality which encourages each side to launch its missiles on ambiguous warning, lest they be destroyed—in order to attack the ICBMs of the other side. The elimination of just one of these pairs of ICBMs would significantly reduce the chance of all-out nuclear war taking place, even in the event of a small nuclear exchange. The warheads in the submarines are far more than enough, even without any ICBMs.’

Despite all this, the U.S. Secretary of Defense has certified, through a ‘comprehensive, unbiased review’ not shared with the public, that the program will proceed, and that the country believes it is still an essential element of its security.

Even as it threatens the security of everyone on earth, the ICBM remains good business for its main contractor, Northrop Grumman, and the larger network of contractors and lobbyists pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into Congress in the effort to keep the program afloat.”

Extensive information and action opportunities are available on the Understanding ICBMs webpage of the Defuse Nuclear War site.

If you’re near southern California, you can get involved in an upcoming protest of an ICBM test launch at Vandenberg Space Force Base. Please get in touch with us using the contact form below!

Billboard Campaign

At this critical moment, we must increase public awareness of the extreme size of the U.S. military budget. We’re grappling with climate disasters, food insecurity, water scarcity, housing shortages, and more. Faced with these mounting human and environmental crises, a much bigger share of our taxes must be used for constructive endeavors if we are to avoid catastrophe.

California has a reputation for progressive values, but it’s high population makes it the top enabler of the war industry: we pay more federal taxes than any other state, and over half of them go to military spending. We need to make it clear to Californians: the war budget does not reflect our common values, and does nothing to mitigate the existential crises we are facing. In fact, the war industry is exacerbating humanity’s problems manyfold.

Let’s seize this moment to shed light on this atrocity and the misguided priorities it represents! Will you chip in to help fund antiwar billboards like this around California?

California Peace Budget Resolution

We are campaigning to pass a California Peace Budget Resolution to move some of the hundreds of billions of our tax dollars from militarism to human and environmental needs.

• Individuals: Click here to send an e-letter to the California legislature and governor!
• Organizations and other entities can fill out the campaign endorsement form here.
• View our campaign flyer, which can be shared digitally or printed out for events.
• Download our fact sheet on military spending.

Campaign endorsers include: Dean Preston, District 5 Supervisor – San Francisco Board of Supervisors; World BEYOND War; RootsAction.org; California for a World BEYOND War; CODEPINK; Plan of Action in a Changing Era; Food Not Bombs, Santa Cruz; Nevada County Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Committee; Veterans For Peace, Chap. 87; Humboldt Branch, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom; Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom, Sacramento Branch.