LETTER WRITING PARTY
A second letter-writing party will meet at 7pm Sunday June 21. In addition to climate actions, some of the bills we can write about are current anti-racist bills, such as one regarding reparations and another regarding court fees. The zoom access URL is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86124086478
· Anyone can sign up to write letters at Vote Forward (https://votefwd.org) and/or Sierra Club (https://www.sierraclubindependentaction.org/writing-climate-voters-letters).
· 350 Humboldt has put together a list of tips for effective GOTV letter-writing gleaned from webinars put on by these organizations. They can be accessed at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qKnxoyyMLVxdKf7M6uqtautx3cZ8-EAI3tEmTgczXQU/edit?usp=sharing
· If you want to join the 350 Bay Area Go Green | Vote Blue campaign team, we would love to have you. Contact [email protected] for more information on how you can plug in and help us do our part for success in November.
· Join the Environmental Voters Project: https://www.environmentalvoter.org/how-were-different. A Bay Area activist says: “I’ve been through one of their trainings, and they are encouraging people to use text messaging. But you don’t have to do that over the phone — you CAN do it on your computer. They send you 20 names, you use the pre-prepared message — or write your own — and then send it out in a batch. Usually you’ll get 1-2 responses back — and then you can reply (again, on the computer and with a standard message or with your own). They provide info to people about how to register, what they need to have to vote (photo ID? Etc.) —and as the election comes up, they will be doing Get Out The Vote messages.”
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OTHER ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE TODAY, OR THIS WEEK
350.ORG SUGGESTS THE FOLLOWING ACTIONS
Pledge to Act in Defense of Black Lives https://act.350.org/sign/pledge-in-defense-of-black-lives/
Right now, as we are able, we commit to:
· Visibly and vocally support the Movement for Black Lives demands including divestment from police and reinvestment in Black communities.
· Give money and resources to Black-led organizations to support work for racial justice
https://blacklivesmatter.com
· As we continue to fight for climate justice, we commit to ensuring our work addresses the racial injustice that is at the core of the climate crisis. We will:
· Fight for a just recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic that prioritizes Black communities hit hardest by the virus and supports the https://m4bl.org/covid-19-platform/
· Demand a Green New Deal that centers racial and economic justice by investing in Black community and worker needs and divesting from systems of white supremacy like the police and prisons. https://350.org/callgnd/?multitool-tab=1
· Build a multiracial climate movement that shows up to defend Black life, through campaigns that center Black communities and by supporting the demands and campaigns of the Movement for Black Lives.
Watch a video of the 350.org webinar on supporting black organizations and demands and their relationship to climate action is available. Recording:https://350.org/in-defense-of-black-lives/
Read the Movement for Black Lives platform: https://m4bl.org/policy-platforms/
Contribute funds: to the Movement for Black Lives, a coalition of 50 organizations: https://m4bl.org
WRITE TO INFLUENCE PENDING LEGISLATION
Contact Mike McGuire about AB 860 (Berman) vote by mail bill and SB 1044, which would eliminate toxic PFAS chemicals from fire-fighting foams: [email protected]
MORE LETTER WRITING OPPORTUNITIES FOR ASSEMBLYMAN JIM WOOD AND SENATOR MIKE MCGUIRE
Listed here are eight bills identified and described by the California Legislative Black Caucus. They are designed to help end systemic racism.
ACA 5 Weber–Support
Restore Affirmative Action
ACA 5 removes Article I, section 31 from the California Constitution to be voted on by voters in the 2020 ballot. This measure would repeal the provisions enacted by the initiative, Proposition 209 in 1996, of the California Constitution prohibiting the state from discriminating against, or granting preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting.
AB 3121 Weber–Support
Reparations Task Force
AB 3121 will establish a Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans. This bill will also provide an in depth examination of the impacts of slavery in California in the broader sense and provide the State guidance on how to address the disparities born of a shameful history.
SB 144 Mitchell–Support
Families Over Fees Act
SB 144 would end the assessment and collection of administrative fees
imposed against people in the criminal justice system. By doing so, it
would dramatically reduce the suffering caused by court-ordered debt and
enhance the economic security of system-involved populations, taking the
first step towards ushering in an era of more just criminal justice policy
that does not rely on stripping wealth from communities of color and low-income communities.
AB 1950 Kamlager–Support
Probation Reform
AB 1950 amends the California State Penal Code to limit probation to a maximum of one year for misdemeanor offenses and two years for felony offenses.
AB 1994 Holden–Support
Medi-Cal Eligibility
AB 1994 ensures that juveniles have uninterrupted access to health care services upon release from a public institution. This bill also ensures that when juveniles are leaving the system, they have easy access to healthcare by prohibiting their Medi-Cal eligibility from being canceled.
AB 2019 Holden–Support
College and Career Access Pathways Partnerships Education
AB 2019 increases access to dual enrollment for students in juvenile court schools and alternative schools, by allowing county offices of education to participate in College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP) partnerships. Amends the CCAP statute to add court schools.
AB 2054 Kamlager—Support
C.R.I.S.E.S. Act
AB 2054 establishes the Community Response Initiative to Strengthen Emergency Systems (C.R.I.S.E.S.) Act pilot grant program, promoting community-based responses to local emergencies. The proposed pilot seeks to fill the void currently existing in emergency response services for vulnerable populations.