Hi everyone!
We’re starting with an CA state action today. This year’s crop of state bills are now wending their way through the serpentine pathway that is the CA state legislature, so we’re going to be bringing up important ones alongside national issues. (Indivisible CA put together this nifty chart of how bills get passed in our state, which is as clear as it’s gonna get for anyone.)
SB-467 and SB-47 – It’s time to push these environmental justice bills through
(https://indivisibleventura.org/2021/04/03/sb-467-and-sb-47-its-time-to-push-these-environmental-justice-bills-through/)
We want to be sure environmental justice bill SB-467, from our own State Senator Monique Limón and Asm. Steve Bennett gets passed this time. It halts a variety of harmful oil well stimulus techniques, helps provide for a transition for displaced workers and places a 2500’ minimum setback between oil and gas operations and people’s homes, schools and businesses.
Interestingly, despite having a Democratic supermajority since 2018, a very similar bill DID NOT pass last year (AB-345 – https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-08-13/setbacks-legislation-california-oil-gas-production-environmental-protections-newsom). Apparently, some Democrats are not as environmentally progressive when it comes to protecting the health and lives of their constituents as we assume they are. We’ve included progressive and environmental justice scorecards, as well as a donor-tracking website, to find out if the (D) next to a legislator’s name stands for DEMOCRAT or DOLLARS.
Monday 4/5 – Wed. 4/7- ONLINE – “Health Policy: Race, COVID-19, and Policy Reform” (1:30 pm PDT)
Info and to register here http://spr.ly/6016Hav7E
On April 5-7, Boston University’s School of Public Health and the Center for Antiracism Research will host a series of panels exploring how we can address racism and racial health disparities to support a healthier world. I’m thrilled to join Dean Sandro Galea in conversation on Monday, introduce Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley on Tuesday, and converse with Senator Elizabeth Warren on Wednesday. Congresswoman Pressley and Senator Warren were the first members of Congress to call for racial demographic data of COVID-19 patients around this time last year; and along with Congresswoman Barbara Lee, in February, they reintroduced the Anti-Racism in Public Health Act to confront structural racism as the public health crisis that it is. Dean Galea leads BU’s School of Public Health and the school has supported the Center’s COVID Racial Data Tracker. Dean Galea, an epidemiologist, is also coming out with a new book, The Contagion Next Time, that offers lessons from the the pandemic. I look forward to engaging with these thoughtful and courageous leaders, and learning from all the experts we’re convening for this three-day event.
Monday 4/5 – ONLINE – “Recovery Recess: Take over the internet with WFP!” (6:00 – 7:30 pm PDT)
Online link here. (https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/380450/) The Working Families Party is ready to show up over March Recess to demand that Congress deliver on a bold plan for economic renewal this year.
Want to join the effort in California? Come get plugged into our social media campaign! We want to make sure that our congress members feel the pressure online to support the THRIVE Agenda. What better way to engage on social media than with MEMES!
Join us as we make memes with special guest @OrganizerMemes and mobilize to flood our reps’ social media mentions.
We promise a fun learning experience that everyone can enjoy. No experience necessary and all are welcome. Reach out to Elisha Crader at ecrader@workingfamilies.org if you have questions!EARLY TUESDAY ACTIVITIES
Tuesday – 04/6/21 – ONLINE – “Common Cause – Social Media Monitoring Shifts!” (9:00 am-12:00) Seriously! 9:00 am!
Sign up here. https://www.mobilize.us/commoncause/event/376200/ You can help protect voters from online disinformation by signing up as a Social Media Monitor. As a volunteer with us, you’ll help monitor social media platforms and conversations in your community for democracy-related disinformation. Each monitoring shift is 3 hours long; volunteers can feel free to come and go as they please.You will be able to access our training materials when you sign up!
Hope to see you there!
Tuesday – 04/6/21 – ONLINE SEMINAR SERIES – Tuesday 4/6 – SEMINAR – “UCSF – How to win Medicare For All” (12:00 pm)
Sign up for a session, or all of them here: bit.ly/3cisDDG. Interested in health policy? Think everyone deserve access to healthcare? Want to hear from thought leaders across multiple fields from all around the country? Join UCSF’s Medicare for All elective this Spring, starting on March 30th at 12PM!
We have put together an incredible roster of speakers from different backgrounds (physicians, nurses, politicians, economists, journalists) who will come to speak to the prudence and urgency of a single-payer health system in the United States. If you are interested in single-payer or even curious about what Medicare for All means, please come to this exciting new elective lecture series! Lectures are on Tuesdays at noon every week.
Featured speakers include the former campaign manager to Bernie Sanders, former gubernatorial candidate for the state of Michigan, and many health policy experts. See the attached Syllabus for a full list of speakers. ANY TIME
3/29- 4/12 – ONLINE – “Write Postcards from Home!“
Facebook link here. (https://www.facebook.com/events/507061306954275/) President Biden and Democrats in Congress have passed the American Rescue Plan! This historic legislation will send $1,400 checks to working class Americans, help get every American vaccinated by the summer, and cut child poverty in half. However, not a single Republican voted for this bill, which means Rep. Mike Garcia didn’t vote to deliver relief for his own constituents! That’s why we’re writing postcards to folks to let them know about their Republican representatives’ inexcusable votes against helping Americans struggling to get through the pandemic.Once you fill out the linked form, one of our team members will send you the script along with a list of addresses within 24 to 48 hours.(Also, we’d love to see your work! Please post your postcard-writing pictures here, send them our way, or tag us in your post @SCVDems on any social media platform!)
Thank Democratic voters in Georgia!
In relentless reports that Republicans are doubling down on bills to suppress voting (Texas, Kansas, nationwide), criminalize protesters (Florida‘s HB1) and remove all federal gun laws (Arkansas), it’s easy to lose sight of some heroes who should be recognized – the Democratic voters of Georgia who stood in long lines to help elect Senators Rafael Warnock and Jon Ossof.
(From R. Hubbell) Thank those Democratic voters in Georgia who gave Joe Biden a narrow majority in the Senate. We should all shudder at the thought of another two (or four) years with Mitch McConnell as a majority leader in the Senate. That is where we would be if either Rafael Warnock or Jon Ossoff had lost. We owe a debt of a gratitude to Georgia voters. Let’s take a step toward repaying that debt. Read on for details!
Vote Forward (https://votefwd.org/district/GA2021_A_THANK) is running a letter-writing campaign to thank voters in Georgia for their part in snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. Here is Vote Forward’s description of its current campaign:
Many of the people [in Georgia] who turned out to vote in the 2020 general election are new to voting, or vote infrequently. By celebrating their vote and reminding them of future voting opportunities, we can help them become committed voters. Help us send letters to show appreciation to voters from underrepresented groups for turning out in 2020, and encourage them to vote again in upcoming elections.
Think about how nice it is to receive an unexpected note of thanks in the mail. Let’s share that feeling with hundreds of thousands of Georgia voters. Join the letter-writing campaign here: Vote Forward.
