RECALL ELECTION
Are you registered to vote in the recall election? Keeping Governor Newsom is critical for climate progress. If he doesn’t get least 51% of the vote, it is likely a Republican will be elected with 20% or less. You must be registered or register by August 30 to vote in this recall election. Please do so, tell your friends, and then VOTE NO!
Here is more information from the Environmental Defense Fund
· Are you registered to vote? If not, don’t worry! Eligible California residents are allowed to register by August 30th so they can cast their vote in this election. Same day registration may also be available at your polling place, find out more here.
· Are you voting by mail? If so, be sure to submit your ballot early so it can be counted before the September 14th deadline!
· Are you planning to vote in person? If yes, then consider early voting! Your polling place will be open starting September 11th for in-person early voting!
PREVENT POWER BLACKOUTS AND KEEP EMISSIONS FROM GAS POWER PLANTS TO A MINIMUM BY JOINING OHM CONNECT AND GETTING A FREE SMART THERMOSTAT OR $25 AND TWO SMART PLUGS
OhmConnect is a free service that helps to prevent blackouts by coordinating saving energy in hundreds of thousands of homes one or two hours a week when there’s extreme demand on the grid. A smart device is not required to participate with OhmConnect but pays added dividends if you use one, for example, to turn off your refrigerator for short periods. You get paid directly for the energy you save at these critical times.
If you use this link to sign up 350 Humboldt will get $50 as a signer’s bonus: https://ohm.co/dwchandl So contribute by avoiding the use of dirty “peaker” gas power and by getting a bonus for 350 Humboldt.
Thanks,
Dan Chandler for the Steering Committee
HELP 350 HUMBOLDT RESPOND TO A STATE REQUEST FOR COMMENTS ABOUT HOW TO DECARBONIZE
CARB is required to do a periodic “Scoping Plan” update. This involves such big issues as: when should we reach 100% electricity from renewables, will we use biomass and biofuels for anything, what is the role of carbon capture and sequestration, and what date will we set as a goal for carbon neutrality? They are now doing one that will be completed in 2022 and are asking for public comment on options.
The list of questions they want responses to are at: https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2021-08/carb_presentation_sp_scenarioconcepts_august2021_0.pdf
Responses are to be submitted at: https://www.arb.ca.gov/lispub/comm2/bcsubform.php?listname=sp22-concepts-ws&comm_period=1
The questions and the beginning of a 350 Humboldt response are a file in Google docs, which should be accessible to anyone with the URL, below. I You can write responses in the document (please use suggesting rather than edit mode), and I will edit and on Thursday get to you a draft for final review.
Or you can write your own responses and submit them to the URL above.
Here is the Google docs link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1n6dryqw0uLr-63psuM3egbaUefmyGS_H/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=108001554238437265136&rtpof=true&sd=true
WRITE LETTERS TO VOTERS
Write letters and sign petitions on your own or join the 350 Humboldt “chat and write” letter-writing group Sunday evenings at 7pm. Here is the zoom link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86943045708?pwd=clVqWVJZNEFQSVl0QWd6VCtOZGtWZz09
POSTCARD WRITING TO VOTERS ORGANIZED BY HUMBOLDT ACTIVIST FREDERICA AALTO
Here is Frederica describes what they are doing:
I am administering a postcarding network in Humboldt County (presently over 300 writers) and we supply postcards and stamps to writers, which are available for cost at several convenient pickup locations. Have anyone interested in joining us contact me. We mostly postcard for ROV (Reclaim Our Vote), which is non-partisan, but have also postcarded for Activate America (which used to be called Flip the West), which is partisan.
She can be reached at: [email protected]
VOTING – VOTE FORWARD
The founder of World Letter Writing Day says: Never underestimate the power of writing a letter to someone. We agree. Writing Vote Forward letters on September 1 is a great way to make a powerful connection with a fellow voter and one of the most effective ways to encourage that voter to turn out to vote in November.
Virginia is winnable for Democrats this year, but recent polling shows the races are close. If Republicans win this fall, they will no doubt use a Virginia victory to propel them into the 2022 midterm elections.
Let’s work together to make September 1 a record-setting day of letter writing to boost voter turnout in Virginia!
To prepare for World Letter Writing Day, please visit your dashboard to “adopt” Democratic-leaning Virginia voters.
VOTING – POSTCARDS TO SWING STATES
IMPORTANT: The Postal Service is increasing postcard stamp prices on August 29th. The price will go up to $0.40 from the current $0.36. Here are a couple important things to know:
You can use postcard stamps forever regardless of their current price, just like Forever Stamps.
The easiest way to stock up on postcard stamps before the price increase is to buy them online from USPS here. You can also buy them from your local post office.
Prices for Forever Stamps also go up on the 29th, from $0.55 to $0.58.
Please SIGN UP to write postcards to make sure Democrats come out and vote. We’ll send you the postcards, addresses and instructions for free. You provide $0.36 stamps and mail the cards. A number of campaigns are available on the website.
With the help of volunteers like you, we wrote 21 million postcards in 2020, and we saw incredible results! Voters who receive handwritten postcards are significantly more likely to vote. You can help us keep New Jersey and Virginia blue!
Visit our website to learn more about Postcards to Swing States and get answers to our frequently asked questions.
SIERRA CLUB VOTER REGISTRATION – this campaign in Arizona is ended. They are switching to Virginia soon.
OTHER LETTERS/PETITIONS/CALLS
Call Biden to Act
Biden has the power to stop Line 3 – demand he acts today.
SIERRA CLUB
The House just passed what the Senate passed two weeks ago — the budget reconciliation framework for what could be unprecedented investments in climate, jobs, and justice.
Now House and Senate committees will divide up the $3.5 trillion across our priorities of transportation, lead pipe replacement, clean energy payment program, retrofitting housing and schools, creating a Civilian Climate Corps, offering a pathway to citizenship, expanding Medicare, and so much more. They’ll do this over the next 3 weeks, so we have to keep up the momentum and ensure they fully fund such crucial investments.
and
The House passed the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (VRAA). This will restore key parts of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which were gutted by the Supreme Court in both 2013 and in 2021. The new bill will ensure that racially motivated voter suppression is illegal, including racist gerrymandering (the drawing of voting districts to intentionally dilute the voting power of a racial minority).
RECLAIM THE VOTE
| In partnership with Black Voters Matter and Movement Labs, we are announcing a brand new phone bank to call unregistered voters of color in Virginia and assist with the registration process. We’re anticipating phenomenal contact rates! |
| Sign up here to phonebank! |
| For more information about the importance of the upcoming Virginia elections, click here. |
350 SV
Sign petition about making military emissions transparent and including it in agreements.
Can we also put this petition for individuals in the next newsletter to our larger group mailing lists:
https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/stop-excluding-military-pollution-from-climate-agreements-2
CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
In its final days, the Trump administration approved a proposal to bulldoze a four-lane highway right through Red Cliffs National Conservation Area in southwestern Utah.
Tell the Bureau of Land Management to withdraw that decision.
Congress created the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area in recognition of its spectacular landscape of sculpted red-rock canyons and arches, and its importance to the survival of threatened wildlife like desert tortoises. It’s rich in cultural resources, as well as world-class hiking trails. This is no place for a highway. Ask the Biden administration to put a stop to the bulldozing.
SIERRA CLUB
For the next 7 days until Friday, September 3rd, we’ll be taking action together to capture the attention of Congress and the media and together feel the unified power of our movement!
This is a key moment. Why? Because of what happened this past week:
When the U.S. House of Representatives cleared a hurdle this week1 — passing the framework for the $3.5 trillion climate-centered budget reconciliation bill — it put the House on a fast track to finalize the details and (hopefully) pass this bill and the smaller bipartisan infrastructure bill in just a few weeks’ time: by a new deadline of September 27.
It was a big week — and momentum is on our side! Join in our Week of Action — there are many ways to engage. Get started here.
NOTE FROM 350 HUMBOLDT: One action they mention is letter writing about voting rights and the reconciliation bill. We’ve done this before but it is worth doing again. You can email our representatives at:
Huffman: https://huffman.house.gov/contact/email-me
Feinstein: https://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-me
Padilla: https://www.padilla.senate.gov/
Vox reports:
The fate of a federal clean electricity standard is still very much undecided. The specifics of the reconciliation package could still change drastically in the weeks to come, and every Senate Democrat will now need to agree on the clean electricity standard if they want to push it through the process known as budget reconciliation.
A clean electricity standard is a bit of a misnomer because the actual policy being discussed is even more boring-sounding: a clean electricity payment program that pays utilities to clean up their act and fines them for missing deadlines. Still, this approach could effectively double the amount of wind and solar on the market, moving the nation toward roughly 80 percent renewable sources of electricity by 2030, and within reach of 100 percent clean electricity by 2035.