Celebrate soon-to-be-Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson!

Last week we celebrated the elevation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, amid blatantly disrespectful behavior from Republican senators during the voting. We know that if the GOP re-takes the Senate in 2022, they intend to block any further SCOTUS nominations, and use whatever time’s left over to impeach President Biden for imaginary crimes. The insurrection will be reimagined as a completely blocked legislature, at a time when America is facing dangerous issues on all fronts, with minority rule aided and abetted by an right-wing extremist Supreme Court.

Down at the bottom of this post are a number of GOTV activities. Please join in and help us deny them their ugly fantasy. It doesn’t feel glib or overwrought anymore to say democracy itself is on the ballot.
(“Events/Activities” are below the “Calls to Action”)

Your Calls to Action:

LOCAL
“YES on Measures A & B” – How to help!
If what Aera Energy’s website states is true – “we are relentless in our efforts to produce energy safely and in an environmentally responsible way,” why are they part of a $6.5 million dollar campaign to avoid modern environmental review and not, in fact, leading the charge? Join VC Climate Hub’s grassroots campaign for “YES on Measures A & B.”
– Write a letter to the editor.
– Subscribe to their youtube channel and share their videos on your social media.
– Join their phonebanks to get out the word here.

FEDERAL REGULATIONS
End Federal Funding for Corporate Charter Schools. Comments due 4/13.
Charter schools were supposed to be laboratories for innovaton – to augment and improve public schools. Instead, big business and billionaires turned them into a money-making machine that benefits only themselves. The growth of these corporate charters has undermined local public schools and communities—taking taxpayer money with no oversight or any overall increase in student learning and growth.The Biden administration has proposed some rules to rein them in to be closer to the original intent.(Cue rich investors losing their minds and their propagandist army trying to make us lose ours!)There’s a comment period that closes on the 13th (next Wednesday). The comment pages are currently stuffed with canned opposition letters from a group that profits from charter schools and is hostile to public education.Let our voices be heard!
https://indivisibleventura.org/2022/04/07/end-federal-funding-for-corporate-charter-schools-comments-due-4-13/

FEDERAL ACTIONS
What women and families need is literally the opposite of what the GOP stands for.

Participate is call, email, video and twitter actions with MomsRising and Color of Change.

Keep child care in Congress’s economic package.
Tell Joe to keep his word and cancel student debt.
The “sandwich generation” is struggling. Email your senator and ask them to oinvest in home- and community-based services.

Post: https://indivisibleventura.org/2022/04/11/what-women-and-families-need-is-literally-the-opposite-of-what-the-gop-stands-for/

Tell Joe we’re waiting for him to use his executive power to make transformational change. (more info)
Let’s Go, Joe! Ask Biden to use his executive powers to invoke the Defense Production Act on climate change and fuel issues. (Sample letter here.)

Tell our legislators to do their part by passing these bills. You can pick one a day on your coffee break (preferred Indivisible-style) or do them all at once, after telling the intern to be ready to write down a list.
Minimal script for your rep: I’m calling from [zip code] and I am concerned that Rep. [___] is not listed as a cosponsor of some important legistaion. I want to confirm that [he/she] supports [this bill/the following bills]:

YES for H.R.675 – the COVID-19 Price Gouging Prevention Act (Brownley and Carbarjal are NOT cosponsors yet.)
YES for H.R.1470 – Ending Qualified Immunity Act. (Brownley and Carbarjal are NOT cosponsors yet.)
YES for H.R.6283 – Get Foreign Money out of Elections (Brownley and Carbarjal are NOT cosponsors yet.)
YES for H.R.6872 – Election Worker and Polling Place Protection Act. (Brownley and Carbarjal are NOT cosponsors yet.)
YES for H.R.7061 – Big Oil Windfall Profits Tax Act (Brownley and Carbarjal are NOT cosponsors yet.)
YES for H.R.7099 – Stop Gas Price Gouging Tax and Rebate Act (Brownley and Carbarjal are NOT cosponsors yet.)

Minimal script for both senators: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want Sen. [___] to know that I strongly support these bills that have already passed in the House: S.3700 – Affordable Insulin Now Act,H.R.3617 – MORE Act (dicriminalizing marijuana)and S.393 – the Equality Act I also want [him/her] to support [this bill/the following bills]

YES for S.492 – Ending Qualified Immunity Act (Feinstein and Padilla are NOT cosponsors)
YES for S.1115 – Keep it in the Ground Act (Feinstein is NOT a cosponsor, Padilla is)
YES for S.2921 – Protecting our Democracy Act. (Feinstein is a cosponsor, Padilla is NOT)
YES for S.3142 – Election Worker and Polling Place Protection Act. (Feinstein and Padilla are NOT cosponsors)
YES for S.3802 – Big Oil Windfall Profits Tax Act (Feinstein and Padilla are both cosponsors)

FEDERAL CONTACTS

President Biden: email , Comments: 202-456-1111, Switchboard: 202-456-1414, TTY/TTD: 202-456-6213
Rep. Julia Brownley (CA-26): email, DC (202) 225-5811, Oxnard (805) 379-1779, T.O. (805) 379-1779
or Rep. Salud Carbajal (CA-24): email. DC (202) 225-3601, SB (805) 730-1710 SLO (805) 546-8348
Senator Feinstein: email, DC (202) 224-3841, LA (310) 914-7300,https://whoismyrepresentative.com/ SF (415) 393-0707, SD (619) 231-9712, Fresno (559) 485-7430
and Senator Padilla: email, DC (202) 224-3553, LA (310) 231-4494, SAC (916) 448-2787, Fresno (559) 497-5109, SF (415) 981-9369, SD (619) 239-3884
Who is my rep./ senator?: https://whoismyrepresentative.com

WRITTEN ACTIONS
Tell these 6 companies that they can’t claim to support women while donating to GOP legislators.
Judd Legum of Popular Information compared the public statements of six corporations in support of women’s rights, to their donation history to extremist legislators dedicated to removing those rights.
The top six corporate hypocrites funding the legislators behind these horrible bills are listed here, with sample letters and contact information. And thanks to their funding, the danger to women is escalating. A legislator in TX has proposed legislation to subject women who get abortions to jail time and the death penalty. Other red states will not be far behind. Sample letters and contact information here.

“Aid and Comfort” to an enemy of democracy – the list is constantly updating!
The very first definition of aid and comfort to an enemy is to provide them money. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld of Yale University created a list of corporations who have commerial ties to Russia, and has organized it into tiers of how responsibly they are reacting to Putin’s crimes against humanity. We’ve included sample emails, contact information and links to additional information. The action will be updated as companies make their choices.

MEDIA ACTIONS
Keep sharing! – Sen. Scott said the actual GOP agenda out loud!
Indivisible started by using the techniques that allowed the Tea Party, a small but vocal group, to take over our country. One thing is obvious…They do not let issues quietly fade away. Neither should we. While they try to distract us with “stolen election”, Hunter’s laptop, “grooming” and weird definitions of the word “woman,” we need to focus on getting the bitter truth out about their actual intentions if they regain power.

Broadcast their agenda far and wide! Make sure every hard-working non-millionaire, every parent, and every senior citizen gets to see their scorched-earth vision for America. Here’s a toolkit to get started with lots of great graphics to use on all your social media platforms! https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Nbsu459riCGU5zArZuj_xtKXaW5-EYe2B9osuoTYilY/edit
The Indivisible Truth Brigade has some tested strategies for inserting “truth sandwiches” into the GOP’s toxic and purposely divisive nonsense. Toolkit includes sample messages and graphics for you to share on Facebook and Twitter. Link here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1onF04nvIVyDwtRpGVYjrlVxO4_yUkljUr-w4haa1f-U/edit?usp=sharing

GOOD READS!

(The Atlantic) The Mantra of White Supremacy – The idea that anti-racist is a code word for “anti-white” is the claim of avowed extremists. Ibram X. Kendi
(Time) “We’ve Found the Enemy, and It’s Not Each Other.” Heather McGhee’s Quest to End America’s Zero-sum Thinking on Race
(ARD) The Number of BannedBooks is Rising. Here’s Why.
(Wall Street) ‘The Newspaper Axis’ Review: Hitler’s Editorial Allies – As Adolf Hitler rose to power, some of the most powerful publishers on both sides of the Atlantic cheered him on.

SHARE!

Don’t allow them to silence, shame, or override the voices of women who’ve needed abortions. Tell your story. More details are available online at https://forms.gle/vDZ7BeSj3u22dTXBA
Room to spare for a Ukrainian refugee?
NAACP scholarship application period open from April 11-May 20.
Help Spread the Vote get people the ID’s they need to vote.

EVENTS/ACTIVITIES!
Our most up-to-date “calendar” has been moved to HERE.

EARTH DAY EVENTS!: Check out this listing by the Sierra Club.
Ongoing – Join our Postcard Brigade! Indivisible Ventura is working with Postcards to Swing States (PSS) to coordinate GOTV postcarding focused on Senate races in swing states. PSS identifies the campaigns, writes the message, and provides the voter names and addresses. We will provide the cards and, if needed, the stamps. To participate, please send an email to ivpostcards@gmail.com.

Ongoing – Ventura County Covid-19 Testing and Vaccine Updates – California Vaccine Sites and Availability
Ongoing – Online Phonebank – “Phone Bank NOW with Grassroots Democrats HQ” (Anytime)
April 11 – Online Forum – “League of Women Voters – Ventura County District 38 (7:00 pm PT) REGISTER (Steve Bennett, Cole Brocato, Daniel Wilson)
April 11– Online Phonebank: Voter Protection Phonebanks with Common Cause (1:00 pm – 3:00 pm, 3:00 pm – 5:00pm PT)
April 11– Online Phonebank: “Phone Bank to flip Wisconsin Blue” (3:00 pm – 5:00pm PT)
April 12 – Online Event: “Do you want to know how Steve BAnnon and other right wing propagandists fund their projects?” (5:00pm PT)
April 12 – Online Phonebank: “Guided Phone Bank to Texas” (3:00pm – 5:00 pm PT)
April 12 – Online Phonebank: “Environmental Voter Project – Needham, MA” (9:00 am PT)
April 12 – Online Phonebank: KOREAN – “Texas Phonebanking with Woori Juntos” (9:00am PT)
April 12 – SANTA BARBARA: ” Santa Barbara Rent Control Vigil” (5:00 pm PT) De La Guerra Plaza
April 13 – Online Webinar: “Indivisible Truth Brigade – Big Truths Webinar – Oil on the Disinformation Fire” (3:30 am PT)
April 13 – Online Phonebank: “Phone Bank to Keep Nevada Blue” (5:00 pm – 7:00pm PT)
April 14 – Online & Live phonebank – “CA: Make Calls to Protect Our Drinking Water in Ventura County” (5:00 pm – 7:00 pm PT)
April 14 – Online Phonebank: “Guided Phone Bank to Texas” (3:00pm – 5:00 pm PT)
April 14 – Online Phonebank: “Phone Bank in Arizona” (3:00pm – 5:00 pm PT)
April 14– Online Phonebank: Voter Protection Phonebanks with Common Cause (1:00 pm – 3:00 pm, 3:00 pm – 5:00pm PT)
April 15– Virtual Event: “MICOP – Tequio Rising 2022- Fundraiser for the Tequio Youth Scholarship Fund” (5:00 pm – 6:00 pm PT)
April 16 – Online & Live phonebank – “CA: Make Calls to Protect Our Drinking Water in Ventura County” (10:00 am – 12:00 pm PT)
April 16 – Online Phonebank: Voter Protection Phonebanks with Common Cause (9:00 am – 11:00 am, 3:00 pm – 5:00pm PT)
April 16 – CASTAIC: “Canvass for Christy Smith in CA-27” (10:00 am – 2:00 pm PT)
April 16 – Online Phonebank: KOREAN – “Texas Phonebanking with Woori Juntos” (2:00 pm PT)
April 17– Online Phonebank: Voter Protection Phonebanks with Common Cause (3:00 pm – 5:00pm PT)
April 17– Online Phonebank: ” DCCC – Phone Bank in Orange Country” (1:00 pm – 3:00pm PT)
April 19 – Online Forum – “League of Women Voters – Ventura County District Attorney (7:00 pm PT) (John Barrick, Erik Nasarenko) REGISTER
April 18– Online Phonebank: “Phone Bank to flip Wisconsin Blue” (3:00 pm – 5:00pm PT)
April 20 – Virtual Lecture: Democracy for the Few and the Struggles to Include the Many: Lessons from History (4:00 pm – 5:30 pm PT) This is a 3-part course. Register for each part separately. April 20 – Part 2, May 4 – Part 3
April 20 – Online Phonebank: “Phone Bank to Keep Nevada Blue” (5:00 pm – 7:00pm PT)
April 21 – Online & Live phonebank – “CA: Make Calls to Protect Our Drinking Water in Ventura County” (5:00 pm – 7:00 pm PT)
April 21 – Online Phonebank: “Phone Bank in Arizona” (3:00pm – 5:00 pm PT)
April 23 – Online & Live phonebank – “CA: Make Calls to Protect Our Drinking Water in Ventura County” (10:00 am – 12:00 pm PT)
April 24 – Oxnard – Swap Meet Justice Free Citizenship Fair, Expungement Clinic, Family Resources and COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic (9:00 am- 3:00pm) Oxnard College (new link to event will be posted HERE soon)
April 24 – Online & Live phonebank – “CA: Make Calls to Protect Our Drinking Water in Ventura County” (5:00 pm – 7:00 pm PT)
April 24– Online Phonebank: ” DCCC – Phone Bank in Orange Country” (1:00 pm – 3:00pm PT)
April 25– Online Phonebank: “Phone Bank to flip Wisconsin Blue” (3:00 pm – 5:00pm PT)
April 27 – Online Phonebank: “Phone Bank to Keep Nevada Blue” (5:00 pm – 7:00pm PT)
April 28 – Online Forum – “League of Women Voters – Ventura County Clerk and Recorder (7:00 pm PT) REGISTER (Michelle Ascencion, Bruce Boyer, Jeff Hargleroad)
April 28 – Online Phonebank: “Phone Bank in Arizona” (3:00pm – 5:00 pm PT)

VOTING INFORMATION!
California Primary Election. Primary election ballots will be mailed out to all registered voters on Monday, May 9 and must be postmarked on or before election day, June 7, 2022. If you want to check on your registration status or re-register because you have changed your address go to this site.

Your ballot will include candidates for U.S. Senate, U.S. Representative in Congress, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Controller, Treasurer, Attorney General, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, State Senator, and State Assembly Member. For statewide offices, the top two vote getters will appear on the ballot in the General Election in November, even if they are both from the same party and even if one of the candidates receives more than 50 percent of the votes.
Don’t miss the League of Women Voter’s online forums, listed in the “EVENTS/ACTIVITES” section!

Resources: