Sat. – 6/15: Ventura asks our legislators to do their job. Join us at the #Impeach Trump rally this Saturday.

Action #1 – Meet us on the sidewalk in front of our Ventura County Government Center on Sat. June 15th at 11:00 am.

“If we had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said that.” – Robert Mueller.

The Mueller report confirms what we’ve always known: Trump abused his authority, violated the law, and tried repeatedly to obstruct justice. These are impeachable offenses. With control of the House, Democrats should use their power to do the right thing and begin impeachment proceedings.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s resolution (H.Res.257) is a good step forward (See action #2 below). It’s time for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to exercise bold moral leadership and begin impeachment proceedings, so we can have the full, public inquiry that we deserve instead of dangerous inaction that enables a racist, xenophobic and law-breaking president. The last time an administration refused to comply with a congressional subpeona was at the beginning of the Teapot Dome Scandal. If our president is or has been involved illegal activities, we want to know. We are his boss. Not the other way around.

Come join us at the Ventura County Government Center at 800 S. Victoria (at the corner with Telephone) This is a peaceful, family-friendly and non-violent protest. Please bring a sign, American flags, your loudest voice and come dance to our great protest music soundtrack!

Afterwards, relax and join in the Juneteenth celebration in Oxnard!

10:00 to 5:00 pm at the Plaza Park in downtown Oxnard. Information here.

Action #2 – Remind our legislators that we expect them to do SOMETHING – like cosponsor H.Res.257.

Continue reading “Sat. – 6/15: Ventura asks our legislators to do their job. Join us at the #Impeach Trump rally this Saturday.” →

Tues 6/11: Making voting more accessible, especially to those with disabilities. Part 2: Federal legislation.

(Today’s actions from Americans of Conscience, quote from – Lisa Schur, Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations.)

See Part 1 here.

Although 25% of the U.S. population is disabled in some way, voter turnout in the disability community lags nearly 6 percentage points behind that of nondisabled people. Challenges include voter ID laws; inaccessible polling places; finding accessible election materials; and properly trained poll workers.

Action #1 – H.R.1/S.949 – “For the People” Act includes disability access improvements.

ANOTHER reason why HR.1 and the senatorial version S.949 are so important… These bills increase voting access for those with disabilities by increasing accessibility requirements at polling places, and giving out grants to help pay for necessary alterations. These bills also make registration materials and notices regarding voter roll purges more accessible and expand access to early voting and same-day voter registration. Extending hours helps not only those with schedules dependant on personal care attendants, but also parents of young children, and those with jobs that conflict with normal polling hours. Combo-scripts and contact info. below

Action #2 – H.R.865/S266 – the Rebuild America’s Schools Act will make many polling places more accessible.

Continue reading “Tues 6/11: Making voting more accessible, especially to those with disabilities. Part 2: Federal legislation.” →

Mon 6/10: He wants to frack CA over. Got 5 minutes? Try the new EASY comment generator! Deadline TONIGHT 11:59pm EST!

PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images)

Action: This is it, people! Start making comments! Public comment open until Monday night 6/10, 11:59pm EST – NEW EASY METHOD!

Option 1 – “Super Easy” 5-minute comment generator.

The folks at Los Padres Forest Watch have created this nifty system to help you create an original (VERY IMPORTANT!) public comment on this issue.

Simply go here and follow their instructions. 5 minutes, one click and you’re done! No, you don’t have to read any further. You’re ready to go right now!

In fact, it’s so easy, please share on all your social media platforms and do a couple today before deadline!

Option 2 – More challenging – comment directly on BLM’s weird comment site.

Click to comment directly here.

For graphic instructions on using this strange portal, links to maps of open leases, government documents on this project including the “Draft EIS”, go here.

If you’re interested in this subject, we’ve collected lots of information for you to skim through here. Take one fact or issue, or as many as you want to create your comment. Comments don’t have to be long or extremely technical.
(In item #12 below, there are linked sources that specifically address the BLM EIS. They are being updated while you read this…)

Background

Continue reading “Mon 6/10: He wants to frack CA over. Got 5 minutes? Try the new EASY comment generator! Deadline TONIGHT 11:59pm EST!” →

Fri 6/7: Yes, you can do something. Pull out those orange T-shirts and be seen, pull out your phone and be heard. Join in!

Today is National Gun Violence Awareness Day…

Action #1 – Take a minute to remember what’s at stake. (Then do Action #3)

Action #2 – Go somewhere, do something.

Find an event near you here.

Continue reading “Fri 6/7: Yes, you can do something. Pull out those orange T-shirts and be seen, pull out your phone and be heard. Join in!” →

Thur 6/6: Do an “Interpretative” dance with the EPA – Write a comment to stop a dirty loophole in the Clean Water Rule. Deadline, Friday, 6/7.

How does a river catch on fire…13 times? Ohio’s Cuyahoga River caught fire because flammable petroleum products were being dumped directly into it, along with contaminated seepage from groundwater. Images like these from 1962 inspired the creation of the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) and the Clean Water Act (CWA).

Action – Write a comment on why Andrew is wrong before 11:59 pm EST Friday 6/7!

Hey, remember this guy? Andrew Wheeler, fossil fuel lobbyist, Washington Coal Club VP and putative Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)? An earlier public notice period alerted him to Big Ag and Industry’s annoyance with requirements to get NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) permits. And they didn’t think they should have to for releasing hazardous waste to groundwater systems with direct hydrologic connections to potable surface water. So Andrew issued an INTERPRETATIVE STATEMENT – the EPA and the Clean Water Act (CWA) would no longer protect the public from releases of pollutants from a “point source” to groundwater, regardless of the risks posed by hydrologic connections to potable surface water. If this rule change goes through, it’s another win for big agricultural, industrial and commerical polluters. Significant sources of water pollution, like agricultural storm water discharges and return flow from irrigated agriculture are already excluded the EPA’s charge. Now, this proposed regulatory loophole will allow polluters to avoid CWA liability by encouraging them to dispose of their problem wastes directly into local groundwater supplies, even when they know it flows into navigable, potable water. Already, a fifth of the United States, over 63 million people, have been exposed to potentially unsafe water.

Stop this now! Take 5 minutes to read some facts we’ve gathered, get mad, and write a comment. It doesn’t have to be long or technical. Just original. Comment here.

Continue reading “Thur 6/6: Do an “Interpretative” dance with the EPA – Write a comment to stop a dirty loophole in the Clean Water Rule. Deadline, Friday, 6/7.” →

Wed 6/5: Making voting more accessible, especially to those with disabilities. Part 1: CA – Thank our legislators!

(Today’s actions from Americans of Conscience, quote from – Lisa Schur, Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations.)

35.4 million people with disabilities were expected to vote in the 2016 presidential election. That was an increase of 7 percent over 2012 and represented nearly one-sixth of the total U.S. electorate at the time.

Action #1 – Check to see if our state has Automatic Voter Registration.

We do. CA was the 2nd of 15 states to adopt the process that makes voter registration an “opt-out” instead of “opt-in” option when eligible citizens interact with government agencies, like the DMV in CA, that provide this service. “Automatic voter registration” (AVR) makes voting easier for those with disabilities by eliminating the need to submit paper forms that are not accessible to them.

Action #2 – Thank our state legislators for their record on voting accessibility.

Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson voted for the bill that created AVR – AB 1461 in 2015, as well as a lot of of other great voting legislation listed in the “Background” section below. Relatively new Assembly Member Monique Límon (2016) has also consistently supported voter accessibility legislation.

Minimal Script: I’m calling from [zip code] to thank [Senator Jackson/ Assemblymember Límon] for her efforts in bring fairness and access to all of California’s voters. Continue reading “Wed 6/5: Making voting more accessible, especially to those with disabilities. Part 1: CA – Thank our legislators!” →

Wed 6/5: Cut funds for Trump’s deportation machine and thank your reps for pushing through H.R. 6 – the “American Dream & Promise Act!”

Action #1 – #DefundHate – Ask your congress member to use their vote to protect immigrant families.

Funding for immigration enforcement has exploded under Trump, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have received billions in additional funding, some taken from other agencies, to tear gas, separate, and cage families, and to terrorize communities. House Democrats must act during this year’s appropriations process to reduce funding to the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Customs and Border Control back to its Obama-era levels, and to rein in the worst abuses of these agencies.

Our particular members of Congress, Reps. Carbajal and Brownley, are not members of the Appropriations committee, but they can still have a meaningful impact on the process by voting against any funding bill that increases the ability of ICE and CBP to enforce Trump’s racist agenda.

Minimal script: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want Rep. [___] to commit to voting against any funding for ICE and CBP enforcement and sign the letter led by Reps. Jayapal, Pocan, Castro, and Chu calling on the House Appropriations Committee to #DefundHate.

Action #2 – Thank your legislators for fighting all forms of family separation, starting with H.R.6.

Sí, se puede! H.R. 6 just passed the House on Tuesday with a 237-187 vote. Continue reading “Wed 6/5: Cut funds for Trump’s deportation machine and thank your reps for pushing through H.R. 6 – the “American Dream & Promise Act!”” →

Wed – 6/5: Come join your neighbors tonight! Oxnard’s City Manager and Council needs to hear from you about the proposed budget cuts.

Action – Come to the meeting tonight and talk to the city council about your concerns. (Meeting begins at 6:00)

It is now clear that Oxnard has serious financial problems. However, people need to oversee that cuts are not unfairly placed upon minorities, the poor, the disabled and children. Unfortunately, beyond the employees who will actually lose their jobs, it appears that these groups will be hurt the most.

discover us

The city is targeting art and cultural mainstays, like the Oxnard Performing Arts and Convention Center, home to mainstream musical acts, film festivals, dance classes, school graduations, Boys & Girls Club, Martin Luther King Day, and private events and the Carnegie Museum, which hosts art shows, poetry reading and free kids’ art workshops. Both these venues serve the soul of a community, bring pride to participants and draw in visitors to the area. (The PACC is running a support campaign here, with a gofundme page here.)

Colonia branch header Continue reading “Wed – 6/5: Come join your neighbors tonight! Oxnard’s City Manager and Council needs to hear from you about the proposed budget cuts.” →

Tues 6/4: H.R. 1/S.949 – “For the People Act” is a litmus test for corruption. Ask your senators to stand up and fight for a country to be proud of.

Video and top graphic from equalcitizens.us

Today’s action on protecting our right to vote is to ask our Senators to push through H.R.1/ S.949, historic bills to strengthen democracy. H.R.1 passed the House on March 8th, on a 234-193 vote. Now the Senate version – S.949, is in the Senate and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a shamelessly partisan operative, has vowed to stop it, calling it “radical” and “socialist“. This would be a surprise to the non-partisan League of Women Voters, who’ve endorsed H.R.1 as “an important step forward in repairing our broken political system and our destructive campaign finance system.”

These bills will:

Change the way campaigns get funded
End partisan gerrymandering
Establish automatic voter registration
Restore the Voting Rights Act
Impose strong new ethics rules on members of Congress.

Action – Call your senator and remind them that we want this brought to the Senate floor now.

All the Democratic senators have already signed on. Get your family and friends in red states to pick up their phones too. We need GOP senators to get this done.

Minimal Script for Democratic Senators: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want to thank Sen. [___] for [his/her] support of S.949 and to tell Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that his constituents aren’t accepting corruption-as-usual nonsense anymore and to bring S.949 – “For the People Act” to the floor for a vote.

Continue reading “Tues 6/4: H.R. 1/S.949 – “For the People Act” is a litmus test for corruption. Ask your senators to stand up and fight for a country to be proud of.” →

Tues 6/4: URGENT ALERT! Board of Supervisors meeting this afternoon, 3:30 pm on the Oxnard Tar Sand Wells.

PLEASE COME TODAY TO PROTECT OUR WATER!

Ventura County Government Center, Board of Supervisors Room, June 4th, 3:30 pm. 800 S. Victoria Ave. Ventura

CFROG Needs everyone who cares about clean water in Ventura to gather at the Country Government Center (800 S. Victoria) on Tuesday afternoon at 3:30 pmto support The Board of Supervisors vote for an urgency ordinance that has placed a moratorium on new cyclic steam drilling on TAR SAND WELLS until the USGS study of the impact of drilling on the aquifers is completed..

County planning is currently processing a zoning clearance application for 79 new wells on the Oxnard Plain taking farmland to make new drill pads for wells that will extract dirty tar sands using cyclic steam.

A temporary ban was placed on new well or re-drilling existing wells that use an extreme steam injection process called “cyclic steam” near potable water because of a discovery by the USGS that thermogenic gases have been detected in 3 water wells in the Fox Canyon aquifer in concentrations slightly below the flammable/explosive level.

“The…wells with the strongest signals lie above the cyclic steam activity and they are associated with that and not with the deep injection wells with high volumes at the deeper depths.”

The oil companies quickly tried to smear CFROG for publicizing the findings of USGS scientist Celia Rosecrans, claiming we “didn’t understand” the research, but obviously we do. And so does Supervisor Bennett, who prepared this motion independently.

(You can watch Rosecrans’ presentation here at 1:23 minute in.)