UPDATE! H.R. 4 – the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act has PASSED the House. Now we need our senators to ditch the filibuster for voting rights and get this through the Senate.
Hot off the our resistance communication lines…
ACTION #1: All hands on deck! Save CA from this GOP-scam of recall at taxpayer expense.
See our action here on how to alert to alert your social circles on:
- the importance of voting “NO, GOD, NO!” on the recall election.
- stopping these abusive and possible unconstitutional wastes of taxpayer money from happening in the first place with scripts to contact our legislators.
- how to find postcarding campaigns, phonebanking, textbanking, literature drops and canvassing opportunities to join in. tinyurl.com/Antiracist-events-Ventura. Many are accessible for those living outside Ventura County.
ACTION #2: UPDATE! H.R.4 – John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021 is now in the SENATE!
“Some have sought to delegitimize the [November 2020] election and make it harder to vote, in many cases by targeting the methods of voting that made it possible for many voters to participate,” the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) said in a statement.
“These efforts violate the most basic ideals of America.”
- Statement by NAACP Pres. Derrick Johnson here.
- What’s inside H.R. 4? Here.
- 15 GOP reps already complaining…Here.
H.R. 4 – the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act has PASSED the House. Now we need our senators to ditch the filibuster for voting rights and get this through the Senate.
Minimal script for senators: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want Sen. [___] to commit to doing whatever is necessary to get H.R.4 – the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021 passed through the Senate, even removing the filibuster for all voting rights bills if GOP senators continue to obstruct the basic tenets of our country. Passage of this bill is critical to our country remaining a true democracy where every citizen is given equal access to the ballot.
Minimal script for representatives: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want to thank Rep. [___] for [his/her] part in passing H.R.4 – the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021. I also would like the representative to reach out to both of our senators on the importance of getting this bill passed through the Senate, even if they have to remove the filibuster to do so. Passage of this bill is critical to our country remaining a true democracy where every citizen is given equal access to the ballot.
(Was my representative a cosponsor? Check here. Both Brownley and Carbajal were original cosponors. Original cosponsors have (*) by their names.)
Contact:
- Senator Feinstein: email, DC (202) 224-3841, LA (310) 914-7300, 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
- 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
- Who is my representative?: https://whoismyrepresentative.com
ACTION #3: Tell your state assemblymember to vote “YES” on SB 752 – Elections: disclosure of contributors (Disclosure Clarity Act)
SB 752 is the first bill in the nation to require large online ads to clearly show their top funder. It will also make it easier to see the top 3 funders of political ads on TV; will improve disclosures on text message ads; and will ensure voters know they must be shown the top funders of initiative, referendum, and recall petitions before they sign. Obviously, a bill like this has powerful opposition, so it’s crucial to make sure your assemblymember knows how important this is to us.
This sounds familiar…
Didn’t we pass some sort of disclosure act recently? Yes, the California DISCLOSE Act and the Petition DISCLOSE Act. Both laws have worked well but a few of their provisions are being abused by some campaign committees, (see examples here) subverting the intent of the legislature and denying voters the ability to clearly see the committees’ top funders.
Our Assembly Member Steve Bennett voted “YES!” to pass the bill out of the Assembly Elections committee, where it’s back in the Appropriations Committee. We need it
Minimal script: I’m calling from [zip code] to thank Assembly Member [___] for being a Clean Money Champion, and to ask if he/she can express to Assembly Appropriations Committee Chair Lorena Gonzalez how important it is to the voters of CA that SB 752, the Disclosure Clarity Act, passes the Appropriations Committee. We must make sure special interests can’t abuse the DISCLOSE Act! Thank you.”
Contact:
- State Assemblymember Steve Bennett: (CA-37): email, SAC (916) 319-2037, SB (805) 564-1649, VTA (805) 641-3700
- State Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin: (CA-44): email, SAC (916) 319-2044, CAM (805) 482-1904, OX (805) 483-4488
- Not your people? Which assemblymember is mine?: findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov.
ACTION #4: Tell your state senator to vote “YES” on the VISION ACT.
The trauma of familial separations is not just happening in war zones. It’s happening right here under the cloak of “ICE transfers”, and we can stop it.
On August 26, we hope the members of the Appropriations committee will move the VISION Act out of the Senate Appropriations suspense file. If so, the bill will immediately head to the Senate floor where all Senators will have an opportunity to vote for the bill. Next week will be critical to ensure the VISION Act makes it to the Governor’s desk!
Action #1: Call your state senator!
Minimal script: I’m calling from [zip code] to urge Sen. [___] to support the VISION Act (AB 937). The VISION Act would stop ICE transfers of immigrant community members who have already served their time in local jails or state prisons. This is important because California must end double punishment and stop assisting ICE who routinely targets, detains, and deports Black, Latinx, & AAPI immigrants. I urge the Senator to vote yes on the bill, and keep our immigrant families and communities whole.
Contact:
- State Senator Monique Limón (SD-19): email, SAC (916) 651-4019, SB (805) 965-0862, OX (805)988-1940
- State Senator Henry Stern (SD-27): email, SAC (916) 651-2027, Calabasas (818) 876-3352
- Not your people? Which state senator is mine?: findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov.
Action #2: Tweet to Portantino!
The VISION Act heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee, chaired by Senator Portantino, on Monday, August 16. We need to urge Senator Portantino to pass the VISION Act and ensure the bill remains whole. There should be no exclusions to human dignity, equal justice, and reunification of immigrant families and loved ones!
Sample tweets to Portantino:
CE transfers separate families, disrupt re-entry plans, and intensify existing trauma. Sen. @Portantino, please pass the #VISIONAct #AB937 so that ALL immigrant families and communities can remain whole. #StopICEtransfers
Senator @Portantino, there should be no exclusions to human dignity, equal justice, and reunification of immigrant families and loved ones. Pass the #VISIONAct #AB937 and stop the cruel double punishment of our immigrant community!
When local & state law enforcement collaborate w/ICE, it amplifies the racial disparities already present in our criminal legal system. I urge Sen. @Portantino to support the #VISIONAct so that all communities, including immigrants, have the chance to reunite with loved ones.
California should not be bolstering ICE’s scapegoating of marginalized ppl, including incarcerated immigrants. Senator @Portantino, ensure that ALL immigrants & refugees are protected from ICE’s tactics to divide our communities with the #VISIONAct.
Action #3: Tweet to your own state senator!
Find your Senator’s twitter handle here, and add a VISION Act graphic available here! For Senator Limón, it’s @MoniqueLimonCA
Sample tweets:
I’m one of the 8 in 10 CA voters who want to keep families together by stopping transfers of immigrants that have served their time to ICE detention and deportation. Sen. @________ please vote AYE on the #VISIONact.
Today, I called my Senator, Sen. @________ , to ask them to stop the inhuman transfer of Californians to ICE detention by passing the #VISIONact. Can you take 2.5 minutes to join me and call your Senator today? Here’s how! ⬇️
Incarceration is devastating not just for the individual, but their whole family and our community in [CITY]. ICE transfers separate immigrants from loved ones and hurt our communities. Sen. @________ will you support the #VISIONact to #StopICEtransfers?
Local & state law enforcement in California allow ICE to pick up immigrants who have completed their time in jail or state prison to detain & deport them. Sen. @________ will you represent our district’s values and help end this cruel practice by voting for the #VISIONAct?
Many immigrants–including our community members in [CITY]–fled war & genocide and arrived in the US with little support and complex trauma. Sen. @________ will you vote for the #VISIONact to allow people to return home and heal with their loved ones. #StopICEtransfers
Sen. @________ – your constituents need you to #StopICEtransfers and vote for the #VISIONAct (AB 937) to keep families whole, build healthy communities, and send a powerful message across the nation that CA protects immigrant and refugee communities.
ICE transfers from CA prisons bolster ICE’s scapegoating of marginalized people, including incarcerated immigrants. Sen. @________ will you stand up against ICE’s attempt to racialize fear and divide our community here in [CITY]. #VISIONact #StopICEtransfers
INDIVISIBLE VENTURA 