Invest in the rest of us! It’s time to pass our budget reconciliation priorities!

The House has until Sept. 27 to get the budget reconciliation package passed, the legislative vehicle for passing an inclusive recovery package. This means we’re in a key moment for advocacy as we fight to win the most progressive reconciliation bill possible. The House is moving on the bill first – that means you need to call your Representative and make sure they’re supporting these essential policies.

Some “moderate” Democrats are pulling back on the optics of the $3.5 trillion cost of the Biden’s Build Back Better plan. We know that corporate lobbyists and wealthy donors are whispering in their ears. But this is 2021, and we’re keeping tabs on where our money has gone…

Action #1 – Call/email your legislators now! Pick your script length here!

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Friday 9/10: VISION Act and LIFT THE BAR Act.

Action #1: State Action – CALL your state senator to pass the VISION Act. (LAST DAY!)

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.

Human Rights Watch wrote a great letter in favor of this legislation here.

We are here in the process through the labyrinth of the CA legislature….

The VISION Act (AB 937) has survived the gauntlet of the Appropriations Committee and is now heading back to the Senate floor for a final vote. Make sure your state senator knows you support this important bill that promotes human dignity, equal justice, and reunification of immigrant families to the Governor’s desk! (Read more about this bill here.)

Minimal script: I’m calling from [zip code] to urge Sen. [___] to support the VISION Act (AB 937). This would stop ICE transfers of immigrant community members who have already served their time in local jails or state prisons. 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
EMERGENCY – CALL THIS GUY! State Senator Henry Stern (SD-27): email, SAC (916) 651-2027, Calabasas (818) 876-3352
Not your people? Who is my state senator?: findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov.

Action #2: Call your representative to pass the “Lift the Bar Act” to remove 25 years of institutionalized racism against our immigrant families.

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Emergency Brady CA Action! “YES” on AB/SB 173

Brady United Against Gun Violence CA has sent out an urgent notice! These crucial bills — AB/SB 173 Public Safety— would ensure this critical research and data are once again shared so that the research center can study the impacts of gun violence and help save lives. But time is running out: We only have until tomorrow to urge lawmakers to support this vital bill. Please, send your lawmakers an email right now in support of AB/SB 173!

The NRA just sent out their own alert, asking their people to call against this bill, using unfounded excuses. Don’t let their voices be the only ones your legislators hear!

Minimal script : I’m calling from [zip code]and I want Assemblymember/Senator [___] to vote “YES” on [Assm: SB 173/ Sen: AB 173] Public Safety. There was no verifiable reason that the DOJ stopped sharing the vital research and data needed by our highly respected Firearm Violence Research Center, work vital to preventing gun violence, for the use of advocates, law enforcement, public health experts, lawmakers, and more. If we want to create successful, evidence-based policy outcomes, prevent gun violence, and save lives, we need this vital research. Please vote “YES” today.

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How much do we value our country’s future?

“It was entirely possible in the 1980s to pay your way through a typical public university with a part-time minimum-wage job. But trends in both tuition and wages have put that strategy out of reach for most today. The average in-state cost for tuition, fees, room and board at a public four-year university last year was $21,370, according to the College Board. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. To pay for college on that wage, a student would have to work 56 hours a week, every week of the year. No wonder about 2 in 3 graduates of public and private nonprofit colleges borrow, a proportion that’s held steady for a decade.“

Minimal script: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want Rep. [___] to co-sponsor Rep: H.Res.100, which calls on President Joe Biden to eliminate up to $50,000 in student loan debt per borrower.

I also want [him/her] to support H.R. 2498 – the Private Loan Disability Discharge Act, which requires private student loan lenders to discharge loan balances for both the student loan borrower and any co-signer if the borrower becomes totally and permanently disabled, matching the federal Total and Permanent Disability(TPD) discharge program.

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We’re calling out the money behind Texas’ SB8 and other ugly laws.

Action #1: Tell your senators that what happened in Texas proves we need the campaign finance reforms of S.1 – For the People Act.
Action #2: Remind the corporate enablers of Texas SB8 that we SEE them for what they are.
UPDATE – Action #3: Write to CEO’s of Texas-based corporations and tell them to speak up!

(Great video! Action to get doctors qualified immunity already written here in Action #4.)

Corporate values…

Donor transparency sites have had a lot of traffic recently, as people try to find out who’s been funding the misogynistic and extremist legislators behind Texas’ Orwellian forced-birther bill SB8 (info here). The largest donor is a private organization – Texans for Lawsuit Reform (TLR), whose ironic mission is to fight “against new causes of action and new theories of liability.” They’ve donated over $2.3 million since 2018 to support a law that is completey opposite to that. Not much to do about them yet, so we’re moving on to corporations…

(thebrick.house) The “Texas Heartbeat Bill” has been around in the Texas legislature since February 2019, when Rep. Broscoe Cain and four co-authors first introduced it. The version signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott was introduced, SB 8, was introduced in March by Sen. Bryan Hughes with 17 Senate co-authors and five House co-authors.
Sludge reviewed the campaign contributions that the 22 Republican co-authors of the heartbeat bill have received and found that telecom and media giant AT&T has been by far the largest corporate donor to the group. AT&T’s Texas PAC has given more than $570,000 to the co-authors, including many donations that were made after the bill had been proposed.
Rep. Briscoe Cain, the originator of the bill, has received $3,500 from AT&T’s PAC, $3,000 of which was received after he first proposed the bill. Sen. Hughes, the primary author of the version that became law, has received more than $50,000 from the company.

What else have these guys been up to?

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It’s time for federal laws to protect women and to rebalance the Court.

Action #1: Tell your legislators to vote “YES” on H.R. 3755/S.1975 – The Women’s Health Protection Act of 2021
Action #2: Expand and rebalance this lawless Court with H.R. 2584/S.1141 – Judiciary Act of 2021. It no longer represents the American public.
Action #3: Help fund non-profit organizations that help women access healthcare.
Action #4: Chat with Joe.

Action #1: Tell your legislators to vote “YES” on H.R. 3755/S.1975 – The Women’s Health Protection Act of 2021

Minimal script for cosponsor: I’m calling from [zip code]. I want to thank Rep./Sen. [___] for cosponsoring [Rep. = H.R. 3755/Sen. = S.1975] – the “Women’s Health Protection Act.” I’m angry that the Supreme Court essentially overturned Roe v Wade by not ruling Texas’ SB8 – the “heartbeat” forced-birther law, blatantly unconstitutional. They shirked their job and now we need [him/her] to step up and push this bill onto the floor right away. It’s possible that [his/her] own constitutents could be sued by forced-birther vigilantes if they offer aid to women in Texas. I expect Rep./Sen. [___] to explore all options to overturning this miscarriage of settled law, including removing the filibuster to ensure the rights of women to make decisions for themselves and their families.

Minimal script for NON-cosponsor: I’m calling from [zip code]. I want Rep./Sen. [___] to know that I’m angry that the Supreme Court essentially overturned Roe v Wade by not ruling Texas’ SB8 – the “heartbeat” forced-birther law, blatantly unconstitutional. They shirked their job and now legislators have to step up, so I want to know why Rep./Sen. [___] hasn’t signed on as a cosponsor of [Rep. = H.R. 3755/Sen. = S.1975] – the “Women’s Health Protection Act.” It’s possible that [his/her] own constitutents could be sued by forced-birther vigilantes if they offer aid to women in Texas. What they’re doing to protect the rights of women to decide on matters of the health and welfare of themselve and their families?

Rep-check here: Reps. Brownley and Carbajal are cosponsors.
Senator-check here: Sens. Feinstein and Padilla are cosponsors.

Contact:

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, 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 representative/senator?: https://whoismyrepresentative.com

Action #2: Expand and rebalance this lawless Court with H.R. 2584/S.1141 – Judiciary Act of 2021. It no longer represents the American public.

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Your voice is powerful. Use it to make a difference with these 5 actions!

5 actions! Seriously?! Yep! But they’ve all got easy scripts for you to follow and won’t take more than 30 seconds each.

Action #1: Federal Action – CALL the White House NOW and Urge President Biden to Use the Bully Pulpit to Pass S.1 – For the People Act
Action #2: Federal action – Call Feinstein EVERY DAY(!) until the S.1 – For the People Act passes the Senate.
Action #3: State Action – CALL your state senator to pass the VISION Act.
Action #4: State Action – CALL your state assemblymember to pass SB2 – Kenneth Ross Jr. Police Decertification Act of 2021.
Action #5: State Action – Dark money smackdown – Call out two assemblymembers for misusing their power.

Action #1: Federal Action – CALL the White House NOW and Urge President Biden to Use the Bully Pulpit to Pass S.1 – For the People Act

Pick an option that works for you, or make your own…

Call script option 1: In his Philadelphia speech, the President told the country about the danger to our democracy: “the most significant test of our democracy since the Civil War” Since that’s the threat, he needs to do much more.
He needs to use the bully pulpit to push for filibuster reform so that the Senate can pass S.1. The choice is simple: keep the filibuster as it is, or save democracy. We elected him so he could make the right choice.

Call script option 2: (from Center for Common Ground)
Hi, my name is [NAME], and I’m calling from [CITY, STATE]. I’m calling to urge President Biden to do everything in his power to protect our freedom to vote by pressuring the Senate to overcome the filibuster and pass the S.1 – For The People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. These bills are common-sense reforms to unrig our political system and make sure the voices of the American people are heard. Thank you.

Call script option 3: (from Jessica Craven of Chop Wood, Carry Water):
I voted for President Biden, and am grateful for all he’s doing, but I’m calling to ask him to do much more to pressure Democrats in Congress to pass voting rights legislation—namely HR1 the For the People Act and HR4 the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. And I want him to vocally support abolishing or reforming the filibuster to get this done. If we don’t protect our ability to vote now we will never get this chance again.

Contact: 202 456 1111 (Open only Tues-Thurs, 11am-3pm Eastern)

Action #2: Federal action – Call Feinstein EVERY DAY(!) until the S.1 – For the People Act passes the Senate.

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Aug. 28th is the March. Here’s a warmup action for your senators.

“The right to vote is the most sacred and fundamental right we enjoy as American citizens and one that the foot soldiers fought, bled and died for in my hometown of Selma, Alabama. With the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, we’re standing up and fighting back. By preventing states with a recent history of voter discrimination from restricting the right to vote, this bill restores the full promise of our democracy and advances the legacy of those brave foot soldiers like John Lewis who dedicated their lives for the sacred right to vote.” – Rep. Terri A. Sewell (D-Ala.)

This will be a weekend of marches. “The rallies come after a summer of protests calling for passage of the For the People Act, a sweeping elections and ethics bill that would set national standards for voting and override state-level restrictions, and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which aims to restore voting rights protections that have been curtailed by the Supreme Court.

Protesters have said that because it is unlikely enough Republicans will join Democrats in the Senate in passing voting rights legislation, they want to see the elimination of the filibuster — the 60-vote threshold that allows a united minority of 41 senators to block legislation from becoming law.”

We cannot continue to let Republicans hold our democracy hostage. We must eliminate the filibuster to save our democracy. Call your Senators and let them know you want them to eliminate the filibuster to pass the For the People Act and other progressive priorities. We don’t have time to waste.

Action #1: Call your senators to do their jobs to protect voting rights!

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“NO” on Rahm Emanuel being appointed to anything anywhere.

Action #1: Tell your senators to vote “NO.”
Action #2: “Dear President Biden. Please reconsider this appointment.”

President Biden announced late Friday afternoon that he will nominate Rahm Emanuel to be the U.S. ambassador to Japan. Emanual is remembered as the the former mayor of Chicago who tried to cover up the police killing of Laquan McDonald, and who drove Black residents from their neighborhoods by starving them of essential resources,

None of Emanuel’s actions from that time are forgotten and none are forgiven. This should have been clear after a previous attempt to make him secretary of secretary of the Department of Transportation was met with protests from leaders of public service unions, civil rights groups and progressive organizations. Not only is Biden’s nomination an immense miscalculation for a post for which any number of candidates would be better suited temperamentally, but it is an huge affront to the Black voters who helped put him in office.

Action #1: Tell your senators to vote “NO.”

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(4) fast actions to make a difference.

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.