Fri 9/14: Gun action Friday – Tradition!

Action – Call your senators and thank them for protesting against Kavanaugh’s pro-gun rulings.

Brett Kavanaugh authored a dissent in a case that upheld a semi-automatic weapons ban, arguing that the assault weapons ban was unconstitutional. In an excerpt from Judge Kavanaugh’s dissented in Heller v. D.C. (2011) “In Heller, the Supreme Court held that handguns – the vast majority of which today are semi-automatic – are constitutionally protected because they have not traditionally been banned and are in common use by law-abiding citizens. There is no meaningful or persuasive constitutional distinction between semi-automatic handguns and semiautomatic rifles. Semi-automatic rifles, like semi-automatic handguns, have not traditionally been banned and are in common use by law-abiding citizens for self-defense in the home, hunting, and other lawful uses.”

Maybe he missed the fact that a 10-year ban on assault weapons had been enacted, starting from 1994 through 2004 under the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. Even though that ban had some huge loopholes that limited its effectiveness, like grandfathering in semi-automatic weapons and large capacity magazines made before 1994, statistics show that a total of 16 mass shootings took place during the ban in the U.S., with an average of 20.9 people shot in mass shootings each year, as compared with 154 mass shootings this year alone with 11,000 deaths due to gun violence. We’re on track to match 2017, with its total of 346 mass shootings. Continue reading “Fri 9/14: Gun action Friday – Tradition!” →

Help Ventura house our Homeless Residents! Write City Council to acquire State funds to address our Shelter Crisis & attend the Council Meeting on 9/24

First things first. Familiarize yourself with the issues, myths, and solutions in the pipeline regarding our homeless brothers and sisters in Ventura.

On Monday, Sept 24, our City Council will be deciding whether or not to ask for State funds by declaring Ventura as having a Shelter Crisis. 

The City Council will be voting on the decision to declare a local emergency shelter crisis to be eligible to access California Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP) funding.

In order to receive these State funds, Ventura must have an official Shelter Crisis declaration for this funding to be utilized within our city. Funds are anticipated to be released by year-end 2018 and in an amount significant to really make a difference to our most vulnerable residents.

Action #1: Email our City Council (addresses below)

Talking points for emails (be sure to make it your own!):

-As a voter and concerned citizen in Ventura, I’d like your commitment to declare a Shelter Crisis to be eligible to receive California Homeless Emergency Aid Program funding.

-State funds are being allotted by year-end to help our most vulnerable residents and, in addition to the funds earmarked by the Council in June, I feel strongly that, we, as a city can make great strides in addressing homelessness in our city

-Funding will go toward homelessness prevention, emergency housing vouchers, rapid rehousing, and navigation centers.

-In addition,
Continue reading “Help Ventura house our Homeless Residents! Write City Council to acquire State funds to address our Shelter Crisis & attend the Council Meeting on 9/24” →

Thurs 9/13: The Endangered Species Act is endangered, in three acts.

Jim Hines of the Sierra Club has written us about three proposed regulatory changes that affect the Endangered Species Act.

“These [three actions] and other soon-to-be-coming regulations rollbacks are nothing more than part of a full scale effort by the Trump Administration to eliminate the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA), an act which has worked just fine for 50 years saving thousands of plants, animals, birds and marine mammals from extinction…
…[U.S. Senator John Barrosso (R-WY) and Deputy Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt, among others] are dedicated to a complete rollback of any regulation which protects wildlife in our nation and they are doing this all for the fossil fuels industry.”

This is a great video from 2012 that describes what the Endangered Species Act has been so far.

Action #1 – They keep moving the battlefield, thinking they’ll lose us…

  • The GOP hid environmental devastation in funding bills in what  could only be described as environmental war crimes. Our post on the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is here.
  • They are hiding extinction in deceptively-named legislation (here) and (here)
  • They also like to kill threatened species abroad (here)

But until the deadline of September 24th, we are now concentrating on three proposed rule changes that would severely undermine the Endangered Species Act (earlier post here).

Continue reading “Thurs 9/13: The Endangered Species Act is endangered, in three acts.” →

Wed. 9/12: We don’t need another anti-environmental corporate-fanboy on the Supreme Court.

Action #1 – Call your senators to support them or chide them on the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh.

Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court would do exactly what the Trump administration hopes he would do. Based on his record, he would wreak havoc on the environment to aid the administration’s largest donors, extractive industries like oil, gas, logging and mining, as well big agriculture. He will do it with “decisions” based on the strange, extreme, and absurd arguments that have puzzled and enraged his colleagues during his time on the federal bench. Now that the effects of global climate change are destroying parts of our country on a continual basis, we cannot afford another enabler of the polluters that foul our environment and destroy our health.

Minimal script: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want Senator [___] to [keep on resisting/fight against] Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court because he has been proven to be ally of those who would weaken our protections for our environment.

Contact your Senator:
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 Harris: email DC (202) 224-3553, LA (213) 894-5000, SAC (916) 448-2787, Fresno (559) 497-5109, SF (415) 355-9041, SD (619) 239-3884
Other Contacts: https://hq-salsa.wiredforchange.com

Action #2 – Write another comment on the Clear Air Act rules page.

Click here for details.

Continue reading “Wed. 9/12: We don’t need another anti-environmental corporate-fanboy on the Supreme Court.” →

Tues 9/11: Nope, we’re not going back to the dark old days. And we’re not halting our environmental protections either.

Keep working on Kavanaugh here.

Action #1 – Stop the proposed rollback of CA Clean Car Standards

The Trump-controlled EPA announced that they will be abandoning the long-term fuel economy standards for passenger cars and light trucks for 2022-2025, freezing everything at 2020 levels. Worse, but not unexpected, they are trying to revoke California’s Clean Air Act Waiver that allows us to set our own air quality standards along with our own fuel economy standards. That would force us, along with 13 states (and DC) that follow our lead on fuel economy, to use less stringent federal standards for polluting emissions and fuel efficiency. Both proposed provisions would significantly undermine our efforts to control automobile emissions, protect our citizens’ health and slow dangerous climate change.

Oppose the rollback of key federal clean car standards and the elimination of California’s ability to set more stringent standards. Continue reading “Tues 9/11: Nope, we’re not going back to the dark old days. And we’re not halting our environmental protections either.” →

Mon 9/10: Hey, the government wants to know what we think of incarcerating little kids indefinitely. Let’s make Mr. Rogers proud and tell them!

Mr. Rogers’ widow says if he were alive he’d speak out about the treatment of undocumented children.(remezcla) It’s our responsibility to do it now in his place.

Action #1 – Write a comment to prevent the indefinite incarceration of immigrant families. Deadline: Nov. 6th

“These places can destroy people.”

We have 57 days left to flood this government rules site with comments protesting the revocation of the Flores Agreement’s 20-day maximum limit for incarcerating children. The government wants to lock up families, including young children, indefinitely, instead of utilizing alternate methodologies to ensure hearing attendence that have been proven effective and humane. Detaining families indefinitely is not the answer for protecting our borders.

Comment here.

Read the entire rule text here.

Read other comments for inspiration here. We’ve included some great comments at the bottom of this post. They don’t have to be long. You can use someone’s comments as a basis, but try to insert your own voice for your comment to be fully counted at the deadline.

Action #2 – Sign this petition

Sign this petition here.

Action #3 – Call your senator to vote “NO” on Kavanaugh – our immigrants will not be safe with him. 

Continue reading “Mon 9/10: Hey, the government wants to know what we think of incarcerating little kids indefinitely. Let’s make Mr. Rogers proud and tell them!” →

Fri – 9/7: Latest in Kavanaugh Resistance actions! Like the ACA fight, we’re taking it to the end.

We’re going to keep updating this as new resistance actions come in…
Senators on the Judiciary Committee are likely to vote on Kavanaugh’s confirmation on Sept. 20 with a vote by the full Senate the following week. Mitch McConnell wants him ready by the first day of court’s new term, Oct. 1.

Come on, kids. Let’s mess that up!

Action #1 – Read this article, watch this video and call your senators, Red or Blue, again and again, EVERY DAMN DAY, until this fight is done.

Read this: “The Nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court Feels Inevitable. But We Can Actually Stop Him.” (teenvogue)

Watch this:

No, they don’t get tired of hearing from you! Continue reading “Fri – 9/7: Latest in Kavanaugh Resistance actions! Like the ACA fight, we’re taking it to the end.” →

Fri 9/7: Get ready for the Climate March tomorrow. Dress like fire.

Facebook link. RSVP link. Host’s website link.

Please join RISE VENTURA at the beach near the parking garage and pier at 2:00. Here, we will spell out VOTE for a photo op before we march up to City Hall. The march will end behind City Hall in the parking lot, where we will spell out RISE and send up a drone to capture the image with the Botanical Gardens behind us.

Bring your signs and your spirit! Also, bring hats, sunscreen, and water. (Free refills will be available at the end of the march.)

We will have several extra signs as well as some sign-making materials for those who need them.

Participants are encouraged to wear yellow, orange, or red to the event.

PLEASE RSVP so that we know how many people are coming AND invite your friends and family! Hope to see you there! Remember, to change everything, it takes everyone!

Thurs 9/6: The Regulation Clock is ticking on baby bears & fracking! They are done, tonight and tomorrow.

Action #1 – Stop “sport hunting” of predator species to make more game for human hunters. – Deadline tonight!

We need more people to write a short note on the Rules site. You have until Sep 6, TONIGHT, at 11:59 PM ET to tell the Interior department that this is wrong. Go here for all the links. image.png

Action #2 – Stop fracking in CA. Deadline tomorrow, 9/7.

Continue reading “Thurs 9/6: The Regulation Clock is ticking on baby bears & fracking! They are done, tonight and tomorrow.” →

Thurs 9/6: Kavanaugh v. health care (3 actions, including “NO” on S.3388)

Action #1 – Call your senators AND do any of these actions today.

Call your senators to support them or stand up to this nomination, then go here for the latest action list.

Action #2 – Call your senators about Kavanaugh’s plan on killing healthcare access for millions of Americans. 

Judge Kavanaugh declined to answer a question from Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) (who, BTW, rocked his opening statement), about whether he would uphold protection for those with pre-existing conditions. Based on his known record, there’s every reason to believe Judge Kavanaugh would be the deciding vote in overturning and gutting critical health care protections.

Minimal script: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want Senator [___] to protect healthcare access and vote “NO” on the the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.

Background
He has already written extreme legal theories to overturn longstanding precedent to diminish the power of federal agencies to help people. As a D.C. Circuit judge, he has written dissenting opinions in three cases that could have undermined the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) and jeopardized access to health care.

Seven-Sky (2012): This upheld the ACA’s requirement that individuals purchase health insurance as within Congress’s authority under the Commerce Clause. Kavanaugh claimed that the individual mandate was “unprecedented” as well as “jarring” and praised a judicial decision that would limit Congress’ ability to regulate commercial activity such as health care. His opinion was well-outside the legal mainstream at the time but echoed the beliefs of partisan political organizations working to undermine the ACA.

Priests for Life v. US Dept. of Health and Human Services: The D.C. Circuit court rejected a challenge to the ACA’s accommodation to the birth control benefit, which allowed certain religiously-affiliated non-profit employers to opt out of providing birth control coverage directly to their workers by submitting a one-page form notifying their insurer or the federal government of their objections. Guess who Kavanaugh sided with.

Sissel v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Sissel v. HHS, 2015 rejected the claim that the ACA was unconstitutional because it was a revenue-raising bill, but failed to originate in the House of Representatives as required under the Origination Clause.  Judge Kavanaugh argued that the D.C. Circuit Court should consider a claim that the ACA was unconstitutional. His fellow judges described it as a ‘flawed’ ‘misread’ of SCOTUS precedent.”

Action #3 – “NO” on S. 3388, a piece of nonsense to protect the GOP from being ridden out of town on the rail of pre-existing conditions

Continue reading “Thurs 9/6: Kavanaugh v. health care (3 actions, including “NO” on S.3388)” →