LA DSA-LA Tools Quick guide for chapter leaders and organizers
Leader-facing digital tools

Plan meetings. Run meetings. Explain policy.

This page gives DSA-LA leaders a fast read on four tools already live in this site: the organizing map, the meeting timer, the text banker utility, and the rent calculator. Each one solves a different problem, but together they help branches, campaign leads, and facilitators move from planning to public explanation without extra setup.

See the four tools Open the map first

The Four Tools

These summaries are written for leaders deciding when to use each tool, what it helps with, and how to get value from it quickly.

Planning and geography

DSA-LA Map

The map is a searchable, filterable view of organizing locations across DSA-LA branches. It combines markers, branch filters, tag filters, and a full location list so leaders can find usable venues and understand branch coverage fast.

Best for Branch leads, canvass coordinators, event planners, and anyone trying to answer where we already organize.
What it shows Popups with address details, recent event context, contacts, links, and tags, plus a switchable clustered view when the map is dense.
Search by name or address Filter by branch Filter by tags Browse all location cards Toggle clustering

Quick start

  1. Search for a neighborhood, venue name, or address.
  2. Filter to the branch or location type you care about.
  3. Open a marker or card to review venue details before outreach or scheduling.

Leader use case

Use it before a branch event, canvass launch, social, or coalition meeting when you need fast location memory instead of starting from scratch.

Open the map Admin view
Facilitation and flow

Meeting Timer

The timer is built for DSA-style meetings where speakers, amendments, votes, and breaks need to stay visible and fair. It combines a large public-facing speaker timer, an agenda timer, and an embedded slide area in one screen.

Best for Convention chairs, parliamentarians, debate teams, chapter meeting facilitators, and anyone running a projector in the room.
What it does Loads common speaker presets, supports manual countdowns, targets a clock time for breaks, and can auto-read from the agenda schedule file.
Speaker presets Agenda countdowns Target-time mode Google Slides embed Fullscreen-ready

Quick start

  1. Open the timer on the display computer and go fullscreen.
  2. Select a speaker preset or set a custom time for the current part of the meeting.
  3. Load slides or let the agenda timer carry the room into the next section.

Leader use case

Use it when the room needs visible structure, especially during voting meetings, long agendas, or any event where equitable speaking time matters.

Open the timer Volunteer guide
Public explanation and agitation

Rent Calculator

The rent calculator compares how different rent policies affect a tenant over five years. It turns policy arguments into a concrete visual by combining a current rent input, year-by-year CPI sliders, utility settings, and a comparison chart.

Best for Housing campaign leaders, canvassers, tenant organizers, spokespeople, and coalition partners explaining policy differences.
What it compares The Keep LA Housed plan, the current RSO, and the LAHD proposal, with a shareable result URL for live conversations and follow-up.
Current rent input Five-year CPI sliders Gas and electric options Comparison chart Copy-share URL

Quick start

  1. Enter a monthly rent that matches the story you are telling.
  2. Adjust CPI assumptions and utility settings to fit the scenario.
  3. Use the chart and summary boxes to explain why the policy differences matter.

Leader use case

Use it in one-on-ones, canvasses, coalition meetings, and press prep when you need the policy argument to become immediate and personal.

Open the calculator Headless version
Outreach and organizer speed

Text Banker

Text Banker is a lightweight spreadsheet utility built around one ARRAYFORMULA. It uses recipient and sender columns to auto-generate personalized messages so organizers save a few seconds on every call list row.

Best for Call-team leads, campaign organizers, and anyone preparing text outreach sheets at volume.
What it does Outputs header status, setup warnings, missing-phone alerts, and personalized message text from live spreadsheet columns.
ARRAYFORMULA based Header/setup validation Missing-phone warning Auto personalized output Google Sheets friendly

Quick start

  1. Set recipient FirstName in column A, phone in D, sender in E, with message parts in L1 and N1.
  2. Paste the formula once into your output header cell.
  3. Copy the generated messages directly from each row into your texting workflow.

Leader use case

Use it right before outreach shifts when every repeated edit costs time and consistency.

Open Text Banker docs Example sheet

Simple Workflow

If you are deciding how these tools fit together operationally, this is the shortest useful model.

1

Plan the event

Start with the map when you need a site, a branch-specific venue, or a way to understand what kinds of locations already exist in our organizing footprint.

2

Run the room

Switch to the timer once the event is live. It keeps speaking time, breaks, votes, and slide pacing visible to the whole room, which lowers confusion and arguments about procedure.

3

Prep outreach text

Use Text Banker before a calling or texting shift so each row already includes sender and recipient context without manual rewriting.

4

Explain the stakes

Bring in the rent calculator when the conversation turns from logistics to politics. It helps leaders show what a housing policy means in dollars instead of abstractions.

What leaders should know

These tools are strongest when treated as shared chapter infrastructure rather than one-person knowledge. A few habits make them easier to rely on.

  • Open the tool you need before the meeting or outreach shift begins and test it on the actual device you will use.
  • Share the live URL with co-chairs, branch leads, or campaign teams so the tool is not trapped with one operator.
  • When a tool becomes part of a routine, document who updates the underlying data, agenda, or assumptions before the next event cycle.