SoCal Secular Coalition (SCSC)

4.8•347 ratings

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA, US

About us

What is SCSC?
If you are currently a leader or a member of a secular group (humanist, agnostic/atheist, freethinker etc.) in Southern Cal, this is a great group to join. Our goals include:

1. Networking to build group cohesion and effectiveness within and between our various secular groups throughout SoCal.

2. Helping our groups to grow by broadening their offerings per the "CASE model":

building Community
increasing Advocacy and Political Action
creating programs for Service and Social Causes
providing Education for our groups as well as collective mobilization.

3. Sharing best practices with each other.

Our first Annual SCSC Virtual Conference was in 2021; link to videos are HERE.

We had our Second Annual SCSC Virtual Conference on Nov. 12th, 2022. You can catch recordings of some of the fantastic speakers we had HERE.

SCSC currently has weekly planning meetings every other Friday at noon. If you'd like to join one and become engaged, please message Dave (Organizer) or Rhett (Co-Organizer) or Judy (Co-Organizer) on Meetup. This Meetup page can help steer anyone looking for secular connections to great events happening throughout SoCal, and also be an excellent place for group leaders to share ideas of general interest and help provide greater connection. Looking forward to hearing from you. Let us know if you have questions.

Also, visit us here for more info:
SCSC Website

Upcoming events

See all

Atheists Volunteer FOOD DISTRIBUTION! Come help and give out food!
Fri, Jul 17 · 12:00 PM PDT
2535 W Temple St, Los Angeles, CA, US
Atheists United, California's largest grassroots atheist nonprofit, hosts a food distribution in Los Angeles every month at our office building. We've partnered with the LA Food Bank and Sunday Assembly Los Angeles to give out over 4,000lbs of food each event.

We need volunteers to help us unload, sort, assemble, and give away grocery kits from 12pm - 5pm.

From 12pm - 3:30 we unload the truck, sort the food, and build the grocery kits. From 3:30pm - 5pm volunteers will help hand food out directly to those in need in the neighborhood. From 5pm - 6pm we'll clean up and celebrate everything we accomplished together at a local restaurant.

Free snacks and drinks provided for all volunteers.

If you'd like to be a super volunteer, contact us about showing up at 10am to help with early setup!

Food: Snacks will be provided free for volunteers. We also usually buy lunch for everyone. After the event volunteers usually gather at a local restaurant to debrief.

Safety: Safety vests, gloves, and masks are available for all volunteers. Volunteers are expected to be fully vaccinated.

Parking: Free parking available for volunteers in our parking lot off Rampart Blvd.

Dress Code: Safety requirements include: no open-toe/open-heel shoes or high heels. We recommend casual attire (jeans, t-shirt, light sweater, & tennis shoes). Please dress for the weather and wear sunscreen as needed.

Any questions, please contact Evan at evan@atheistsunited.org

We know we have only one life to live and few things bring more joy than helping others. Join us!

If you can't attend but would like to help support the program financially please consider a donation to Atheists United so we can organize more projects like this in the future: https://www.atheistsunited.org/donate-now

At Atheists United, we are committed to creating safe, inclusive, and harassment-free environments at all of our events. By participating in an event hosted by Atheists United you agree to follow behavior outlined in our Event Code of Conduct policy.
3 attendees
Abe Bonowitz: Execution is Not the Solution
Sat, Jul 18 · 3:00 PM PDT
·
Online
Online
Abraham (Abe) Bonowitz is the co-founder and executive director of Death Penalty Action, an organization headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, that works to stop executions and abolish the death penalty through advocacy, education, and action. He has been one of the leading organizers in the death penalty abolition movement.

In the 1980s, Abe Bonowitz was a strong supporter of the death penalty. He worked to collect evidence and develop compelling arguments to support his pro-death penalty position. Instead, based on the evidence, he came to realize that he could not, in good conscience, support his own pro-death penalty position, and he switched sides.

Abe has dedicated the past 35 years of his life working to end the death penalty in the United States.

And progress is being made! The total death-row population is down significantly. The U.S. national death-row population has declined for over 20 consecutive years, from a peak of nearly 3,600 at the turn of this century to 2,004 as of January 1, 2026. More than half of these condemned people are incarcerated in California, Florida, and Texas.

Come listen to and interact with Abe and consider how Humanist values and principles inform our views and actions regarding the death penalty.
1 attendee
[Partner Event] Extremist Groups, Hate and Violence with Dr. Pete Simi, Chapman
Sat, Jul 18 · 3:30 PM PDT
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Online
Online
Let's join our friends at Americans United for Separation of Church & State - OC.

Dr. Pete Simi is a Professor of Sociology at Chapman University. He has studied extremist groups and violence for more than 25 years, conducting interviews and observation with a range of violent gangs and political extremists. Dr. Simi is a member of the NCITE at the University of Nebraska, Omaha which is the newest university-based research center funded by the Department of Homeland Security and committed to the scientific study of the causes and consequences of terrorism in the United States and around the world.

This is a zoom only event.
You Will Need to Register HERE:
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information about joining the meeting.

Dr. Simi is co-author of two book manuscripts: American Swastika: Inside the White Power Movement’s Hidden Spaces of Hate and Out of Hiding: Extremist White Supremacy and How It Can be Stopped. He frequently serves as an expert legal consultant on criminal and civil cases relating to political extremism.

He provided expert witness testimony on behalf of the plaintiffs in the landmark civil case, Sines v Kessler related to the 2017 white supremacist attack in Charlottesville, VA, and on behalf of the plaintiffs in the Griswold v Trump ballot eligibility case related to the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol and Donald Trump’s role in inciting violence that day.

Questions? PM me on Meetup or find me on LinkedIn.
4 attendees
[Partner Event] In Person Debate: Should the US be an Immigration Leader?
Sat, Jul 25 · 10:00 AM PDT
Irvine Ranch Water District - Community Meeting Room, 15500 Sand Canyon Ave, Irvine, CA, US
Let's join our friends at Braver Angels.

Immigration: A Great Dilemma of Our Time

Note: This *FREE*event is to be attended in person.

Please Reg HERE also so we can track attendees from all Meetup sites.

Join us July 25 for a friendly and intellectually engaging experience you won't find anywhere else! Listen to speeches for or against the resolution*—*and then share your own, if you feel so moved. (And there's no pressure, but we hope you will!)

Here's the night's topic:
Resolved: The United States should be an Immigration leader in protecting refugees and asylum seekers.

Note: This resolution does not represent Braver Angels' stance on the issue. We will alternate between speeches in support of and against the resolution.

Tickets are Free, Contributions Help: Use access/promo code BRAVER during registration to get a free ticket. Optional paid tickets support Braver Angels, 501(c)3, and are considered a non-tax-deductible fee for service. If you wish to make a tax-deductible contribution instead, head on over to our website.

Event Description:
Among the great issues of our time, few are so simultaneously public and personal, cultural and structural, national and local, rational and passionate, as immigration. Immigration is a complex and multidimensional issue, affecting the well-being of our nation. To help us prepare for this event we request participants fill out a survey located at the link below. Please indicate if you are interested in being a speaker for this debate, and if your partisan affiliation leans Red or Blue. We also encourage those wishing to visit after the event, to walk with us over to the food court for lunch afterwards.

Link to survey: https://forms.gle/LiYsHF4SDC9hYiqKA

A Braver Angels debate is about the heart as much as the head. It's a highly structured conversation in which a group of people think together, listen to one another carefully and with curiosity, and allow themselves to be touched by each other’s ideas. It's not a political debate, nor is it like your high school debate club. It's our own depolarizing debate system, and it works best when we embrace our uncertainty and parse the shades of grey together. When we manage to do this, we walk out of a Braver Angels debate a little closer to the truth, more aware of the sincere and sympathetic feelings of our political opponents, with our relationships a little stronger.

To learn more about our debates, you can take a look at our quick start guide and this video about the spirit of a Braver Angels Debate. For further information, including to find additional upcoming events or view recordings of some of our past debates please visit: https://braverangels.org/what-we-do/debates/.

This debate is a free event brought to you by Braver Angels as part of our mission to depolarize America. We invite you to consider a gift to Braver Angels; all donations are tax deductible. Your support will allow us to offer more workshops and debates with the ultimate goal of uniting America. You will have an opportunity to make a donation as you register, if you so choose. Your choice will have no bearing on your registration.

Location:
If you are new to this location, please use the map link, or you will get lost. We are not meeting at the main IRWD office, but at the adjacent Community Room Building attached to the Clinic. Google Maps gets you close, but does not help you find the front doors.
The IRWD Community Meeting Room* Address is 15500 Sand Canyon Ave., Irvine, CA 92618. Here is the map link: IRWD Community Meeting Room* Map https://bit.ly/ocddirwd1

Questions? PM me on Meetup or find me on LinkedIn.

*"Irvine Ranch Water District makes its facilities available for use by residents and nonprofit organizations merely as a public service, but does not, by allowing this use, endorse or support the purpose of the event or its sponsor."

** This event is open to the media upon approval. Send requests to press@braverangels.org.
1 attendee