Democratic leaders in Congress have once again prioritized working families and functional government by providing enough votes to pass Republicans’ two-phase Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep our government funded into this coming January and February. The CR passed the House yesterday with a vote of 336-95.
The Senate had been working on a competing stopgap funding measure. Senate Majority Leader Schumer delayed voting on that Monday night because the House “seems to be moving in our direction by advancing a CR that does not include the highly partisan cuts that Democrats have warned against.”
The second phase of the CR includes the Defense bill, which gives Democrats some leverage over the Labor-HHS-Education bill and other bills funding domestic agencies in the second batch, all of which must be resolved by February. You may wish to call our representatives to thank them for preventing another Republican government shutdown.
We’re taking a break for Thanksgiving week
We will not be sending out a newsletter next week as we take a break for the holidays! In the meantime, read up on our perennial-favorite blog post on talking to family and friends about Trumpism if you have some difficult conversations coming up around the Thanksgiving table.
APEC is upon us and will disrupt your commute and other travel
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference is happening now in our City, and a number of world leaders, including our own President Biden, will be in attendance. Consequently, the United States Secret Service will impose security zones in specific parts of the City, and those zones will affect travel for residents and workers who need to pass through them.
This will affect your routine travels as well as tourist visits, as SFMTA says “APEC will impact travel throughout the city.” SFMTA has a webpage detailing the closures and reroutes, including maps.
Start planning what detours or additional time you’ll need now. The tightest restrictions, including street closures, are scheduled to be in effect from Monday, November 13, to Sunday, November 19.
Get your 2023 vaccines to protect yourself and your love ones over the holidays
To keep ourselves, our loved ones, and our neighbors safe from respiratory illnesses that can cause long-term complications, it’s important that we keep up with our annual vaccinations. There are at least two shots you should get this fall: one for COVID-19 and one for flu. If you’re sixty or older, you should also get the new vaccine for RSV.
Availability of the new, updated COVID-19 vaccines is gradually improving. If you haven’t gotten vaccinated yet, it might be time to give it another try. Most places have Pfizer, Moderna, or both, and Costco and Rite Aid have the new third option, Novavax.
The COVID-19 vaccines are still free, but the details have changed. People with insurance will have to present their insurance, and their insurance will be billed. People without insurance can get the new vaccine for free via the CDC’s Bridge Access Program.
For more information on where to get the shot and how to get it for free if you’re uninsured, see our blog post.
If you’re interested in participating in activities like drafting letters to our Members of Congress and developing our strategy for influencing them, the Indivisible SF Federal Working Group is where it happens.
ndivisible SF Federal Working Group: Thursday, Dec. 14, 7:30–9 PM. Planning meeting where we discuss strategy to influence our Members of Congress and the Biden administration to enact a progressive agenda. Meeting starts promptly at 7:30 PM. All are welcome. Register here!
TODAY: Meet the Candidates: Joanna Weiss for CA-47: Wednesday, Nov. 15, 7:00–8:30 PM. The road to the House in 2024 lies through California. Join the SoCal MEET THE CANDIDATES Series to meet Joanna Weiss, candidate for CA-47. RSVP here.
Meet the Candidates: Kim Nguyen-Penaloza for CA-45: Wednesday, Dec. 6, 7:00–8:30 PM. The road to the House in 2024 lies through California. Join the SoCal MEET THE CANDIDATES Series to meet Kim Nguyen-Penaloza, a candidate for CA-45. RSVP here.
Meet the Candidates: Cheyenne Hunt for CA-45: Wednesday, Dec. 20, 7:00–8:30 PM. The road to the House in 2024 lies through California. Join the SoCal MEET THE CANDIDATES Series to meet Cheyenne Hunt, a candidate for CA-45. RSVP here.
Meet the Candidates: Derek Tran for CA-45: Wednesday, Jan. 3, 7:00–8:30 PM. The road to the House in 2024 lies through California. Join the SoCal MEET THE CANDIDATES Series to meet Derek Tran, a candidate for CA-45. RSVP here.
About this week’s photo
If you’ve seen our newsletter posts on social media, you might have noticed that we include a photo or graphic with each issue.
Today’s graphic is a photo of an ad for the upcoming APEC summit on a Muni bus stop. It was taken by Stephen Lam for The Chronicle.
