Aug 05

Senators Harris and Paul Introduce Bill to Encourage States to Reform or Replace Unjust, Costly Money Bail System

U.S. Senator Kamala D. Harris (D-CA) and Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) introduced a bipartisan bail reform bill – The Pretrial Integrity and Safety Act of 2017 – to encourage states to reform or replace the practice of money bail, the requirement that people awaiting trial are locked up in jail unless they are able to pay for their release. Across the country, state and local governments continue to have ineffective money bail systems that negatively impact poor people and people of color.
“Our justice system was designed with a promise: to treat all people equally,” said Senator Harris. “Yet more than 450,000 Americans sit in jail today awaiting trial and many of them cannot afford “money bail.” In our country, whether you stay in jail or not is wholly determined by whether you’re wealthy or not – and that’s wrong. We must come together to reform a bail system that is discriminatory, wasteful, and fails to keep our communities safe.”

To learn more about the Senator’s bill, check out this joint Op-Ed by Senator Harris and Senator Paul featured in today’s New York Times.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE BILL:   https://www.harris.senate.gov/sites/default/files/HEN17684.pdf

Help spread the word via social media by retweeting @SenKamalaHarris and tagging@SenKamalaHarris in your tweets and share posts from @SenatorKamalaHarris on Facebook and tag @SenatorKamalaHarris in Facebook posts. Also, be sure to use #BailReform.

Below are sample tweets you can use to help spread the word.
SAMPLE TWEETS:
In our country, you may stay in jail even if you didn’t commit a crime – just because you can’t make bail. We need to fix that. #BailReform
Criminal justice reform isn’t a bipartisan issue – it’s a nonpartisan issue. @SenKamalaHarris and @RandPaul have plan for #BailReform. 

Not being able to make bail for a crime you didn’t commit could cost you:your job
your home
your kids

It’s time for #BailReform.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/20/opinion/kamala-harris-and-rand-paul-lets-reform-bail.html

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/policing/2017/07/28/alternatives-bail-police-policing-the-usa-money/513032001/

Aug 04

Want to improve Obamacare? HELP AMEND IT.

 

REPUBLICANS VOTE TO REPEAL OBAMACARE FAILED!

Need to sign up for CA Care health insurance?  Enroll here:

http://www.coveredca.com

 

Help efforts to fix problems with Obamacare and improve health insurance for Americans in the future.  Take Action Now!!  There is a Bi-Partisan caucus in Congress working on fixing problems with the Affordable Health Care Act.  

A coalition of roughly 40 House Republicans and Democrats plan to unveil a slate of Obamacare fixes they hope will gain traction after the Senate’s effort to repeal the law imploded.  Got a Democratic Senator? We’ve still got work to do.  Send support for fixing the AHC and protecting millions of Americans from losing their insurance coverage during the Trump administration term:

https://www.ouramendments.org

 

 

Read what California’s position is on Trump’s plan to force Obamacare to “fail”:.

In this corner: Health

Jul 05 2017

Wipe those smiles off their faces in 2018. They showed their true colors of greed and heartlessness.

WE WON’T FORGET IN 2018.  Donate as little as $1 to help defeat them.

THE REPUBLICAN SENATE MAY HAVE DEFEATED (BY ONLY 3 VOTES) THE TRUMPCARE HEALTH BILL THAT WOULD THROW MILLIONS OFF OF HEALTHCARE, BUT WAS VOTED FOR BY THESE REPUBLICAN HOUSE OF  REPRESENTATIVES.  HELP DEFEAT THEM AT THE POLLS IN 2018.

Donate as little as $1 to fund their opponents in 2018.

https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/dkendorses2018dems?refcode=20170504fsdemslate

Photos of Trump and Republican U.S. House of Representatives celebrating their passage of the health bill that would throw tens of millions of Americas off of health care and give billions in tax cuts to the wealthy.  

 

 

Jul 04

AAMC Discussion on Senate Health Bill

 

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) is a not-for-profit organization based in Washington, DC and established in 1876.

Without coverage, people often delay getting the care they need, turning a manageable condition into a dangerous and costly emergency.
When Congress began considering health care reform, including reforms to Medicaid, the AAMC outlined three key principles we hoped to see included in a reform bill, which we continue to stand behind:
1 It should maintain or improve current levels of health care coverage.
2 It should happen as part of a deliberate and thoughtful implementation process.
3 It should strengthen Medicaid, not weaken it.
Unfortunately, the Senate bill doesn’t include any of these principles. Rather than stabilizing the health care marketplace, this legislation will upend it by crippling the Medicaid program while also placing untenable strain on states and providers.

 AAMC-member teaching hospitals represent only 5% of hospitals nationally, but we see a much larger percentage of patients on Medicaid and who don’t have insurance. We provide 24% of all Medicaid hospitalizations and 33% of all hospital charity care.
We know what so many people losing coverage will look like:
• Patients will delay or forego necessary care, leading to more complex conditions, higher costs and overwhelmed emergency departments
• Costs will increase for all patients due to an increased number of uninsured
• Without corresponding support for the health care safety net, more uninsured individuals would cause a ripple effect on regional health care networks due to a lack of corresponding support
• Teaching hospitals will be forced to limit investments in job creation, critical services, and training the next generation of all health professionals
The AAMC is not against health care reform, but, as medical professionals, we are against health care reform that leads to fewer people having coverage—and lower-quality coverage for people who are insured. 
 

Jul 03

They will never stop scheming. Failure to decimate health care won’t stop this 13 white male Republican Senate panel to continue secret negotiations. Fax them.

They don’t have the votes for now to throw millions off of healthcare. Time to be alert for back room negotiations.  Count the times these Republicans in congress have tried to repeal Obamacare, if you can keep track of the dozens of times.  If they won’t work with Democrats, they should not be in congress.

The 13 Republicans on the Senatorial panel of all white men that wrote the disastrous Trumpcare.  Fax (free) them and tell them to work with Democrats to fix healthcare.  (See link below)  

 

  • John Thune (SD)
  • Mike Enzi (WY)
  • Pat Toomey (PA)
  • Rob Portman (OH)
  • Cory Gardner (CO)
  • Ted Cruz (TX)
  • Mitch McConnell (KY)
  • Tom Cotton (AR)
  • Mike Lee (UT)
  • John Barrasso (WY)
  • Lamar Alexander (TN)
  • John Cornyn (TX)
  • Orrin Hatch (UT)

 

Send them a free FAX:   https://faxzero.

com/fax_congress.php

Jul 02

FIX-IT Healthcare at the Tipping Point

A powerful documentary that reaches across the political and ideological divide. It makes the case for business leaders support for major healthcare reform.

The film was two years in the making, with more than forty voices advocating for reform, including: activists, health policy experts, economists, physicians, nurses, patients, business and labor leaders.This documentary takes an in-depth look into how our dysfunctional health care system is damaging our economy, suffocating our businesses, discouraging physicians and negatively impacting on the nation’s health, while remaining un-affordable for a third of our citizens.

 
BE NOTIFIED OF THE PROGRESS OF SB562, HEALTH CARE FOR ALL:  http://www.healthycaliforniaact.org

 

Jul 01

Big Lies about CA Single Payer Healthcare begins.

KNOW THE FACTS!

As the Single-payer bill heads to the state Assembly, big pharma wants to discourage us with this….SACRAMENTO — As a legislative deadline loomed, California senators Thursday — in some cases, reluctantly — voted to pass a $400 billion plan to create a government-run health care system without a way to pay for it.

As the single-payer bill heads to the state Assembly, this is exactly the media message that the private insurance and pharma industry wants. And it’s utterly, completely, embarrassingly inaccurate.

With single-payer, the cost would drop to $331 billion — meaning the people and businesses in California would pay $37 billion less than they are paying now for health care, a new study shows.

http://www.healthycaliforniaact.org/the-big-media-lie-about-single-payer-health-care/

Jun 22

Trump signed away your internet privacy. A California legislator wants to give it back.

 

Call CA (R) Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham Phone: (805) 549-3381 SLO.  Vote YES on AB 375 introduced by CA (D) Assemblyman Ed Chau.

AT&T, Comcast and other internet service providers can continue to track every search you make and website you visit and sell that information to the highest bidder, under legislation recently signed by President Donald Trump.
That legislation, which reversed an Obama regulation, ought to alarm any American who ventures online, no matter their political persuasion. Now comes Assemblyman Ed Chau, a Democrat from Monterey Park, carrying a bill that for Californians would reverse the legislation and provide someprivacy at a time when seemingly nothing is private.
Chau’s Assembly Bill CA AB 375 promises fundamental protections: Internet services providers would have to provide customers with a “clear and conspicuous” opportunity to agree to authorize their information to be used, disclosed or sold. You could revoke that permission at any time. Providers could not deny service if consumers refuse to sign away their right to privacy. And they could not they charge customers more for failing to grant them access to their information.

Text of AB 375:  http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB375

(Also more information on our FB page – see link on our home page)

Jun 18

Small town, low income Santa Maria pays city staff top dollar, receives unfavorable grand jury report.

As of 2015, 30.4% of Santa Maria residents were living below the federal poverty line of about $24,000 year.

Santa Maria City Manager salary exceeds $376,000 including benefits.  30 other city salaries exceed $200,000.

http://transparentcalifornia.com/salaries/santa-maria/

Statistics in an article in the Santa Maria Times, February 24, 2017:

As of 2015, 30.4% of Santa Maria residents were living below the federal poverty line of about $24,000 year.

That’s 10% higher poverty than the statewide average, and the Santa Barbara County average is 20%.

That means 1 out every 5 families in Santa Barbara county have an income of $24,000, or less.

78% of Santa Maria residents rent, they don’t own their own home. That’s 40% higher than statewide.

Santa Maria is 73% Hispanic, and are part of the agriculture industry, without much else to rely on.

 

 

Jun 08

CALL ASSEMBLYMAN CUNNINGHAM. Fight Dark Money.

Give the California DISCLOSE Act a vote!

Last Wednesday, June 11, over 150 people from all around the state rallied and lobbied their legislators to demand that the California legislature give AB 14, the California DISCLOSE Act, its promised vote to stop secret money in politics. Chants rang out loud and clear across the Capitol steps — from coauthors, coalition partners, and activists alike — that “We Want a Vote!”
To get our democracy back, we must stop the wealthy and powerful from secretly buying elections — which the California DISCLOSE Act will do by making political ads show who really pays for them. That’s why we have to keep fighting to show our elected officials how many people are demanding they vote to end Dark Money.

Sign Petitions CA AB 14 & CA SB 651 Fight Dark Money  

Sign Petition for CA AB 1089 Limit Campaign $ in Local Elections

California DISCLOSE Act!

CALL ASSEMBLYMAN JORDAN CUNNINGHAM: 

Phone: (805) 549-3381 

1150 Osos Street, Suite 207, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 

 

CA STATE ASSEMBLYMAN REPRESENTING NORTH SANTA BARBARA COUNTY:

District 35 State Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham (R)http://ad35.assemblygop.com   (Term 2016-2018)

State Capitol, Room 4098, Sacramento, CA 94249-0035 Phone: (916) 319-2035; FAX: (805) 549-3400

District 35 Map:   http://www.calvoter.org/voter/maps/2011/assembly/map_20110815_ap_ad_35_certified.pdf

1.)  SIGN THE PETITION FOR AB 14:    

https://www.yesfairelections.org/petition/ab14.php?ms=caclean-home

Read  AB 14 Bill:  http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB14

AB 14, The California DISCLOSE Act, will fight Dark Money by making it illegal for political ads to mislead voters about who’s paying for them. 

AB 14 will strike the biggest blow yet against the unlimited secret money unleashed by Citizens United by requiring that ballot measure ads and ads about candidates by outside groups clearly and prominently disclose their top 3 true funders.

 2.)  SIGN THE PETITION FOR SB 651:

https://www.yesfairelections.org/petition/sb651.php?ms=yfe-home-feature

Read SB 651 Bill:http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=

 SB 651 complements AB 14, the California DISCLOSE Act, which requires political ads to clearly disclose their top 3 funders when they ask for your vote.  Together, they’ll let voters know who’s paying for initiatives every step of the way.

 

3.) SIGN THE PETITION FOR AB 1089:

http://www.yesfairelections.org/petition/ab1089.php?ms=facebook-post-ab1089-2017-05-23

AB 1089 In 78% of cities, wealthy special interests can give unlimited amounts of money to candidates in LOCAL elections.   Most states impose limitations on contributions to candidates for local elective offices. California is among the minority of states without these contribution limitations.

 

Jun 02

Trump ignores the world, withdraws the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement

The main goal of the Paris deal was to limit global temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius. Beyond that point, scientists worry that catastrophic impacts of warming become irreversible.

Trump at the White House:

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/06/01/530748899/watch-live-trump-announces-decision-on-paris-climate-agreement

 

INDIVISIBLE.  WHAT YOU CAN DO NEXT.

Trump Against the Planet: Defending the Climate with Local Action

Jun 01

CA DEM Convention 2017 Resolutions


Adopted by the California Democratic Party
At its 2017 Statewide Convention
Sacramento Convention Center

https://santamariademocrats.info/resist-call-to-action/call-to-action/get-informed/

https://www.facebook.com/cadems

https://www.instagram.com/cademocrats/

https://twitter.com/ca_dem

https://www.youtube.com/user/cademorg

 

May 16

Another bill, H.R. 1180 that erodes work-life balance for women.

Congress is considering the deceptively-named Working Families Flexibility Act (H.R. 1180/S. 801), which would erode longstanding overtime protections and create a “comp time” law that would offer hardworking people a false choice between time off and money in their paychecks.
Access to a high standard of benefits and policies that promote work-life balance, which are critical to achieve economic self-sufficiency for all women. The misnamed Working Families Flexibility Act is not an improvement for working families. 
The Working Families Flexibility Act has already passed in the House of Representatives. Urge your Senators,

Diane Feinstein Phone: 1-202-224-3841 and Kamala Harris Phone: 1-202-224-3553, to oppose the Working Families Flexibility Act (H.R. 1180/S. 801) now!

https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/1180/text?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22hr+1180%22%5D%7D&r=1

https://santamariademocrats.info/call-to-action/

 

May 05

217 Republican U.S. House of Representatives voted Yes to gut health care for millions.

Here are the names of all of the Republicans who voted Yes on May 4, 2017. (Click on image to enlarge.)
Action #1.  Call Toll free 1-844-241-1141 (a number that will randomly make the selection of who receives the call) and tell them that you:  “will be funding their opponent in their next re-election.  It’s not a state constituency issue when citizens in every state will be affected by national health care policies.  We know who they are and we will not forget, no matter what the Senate decides to do.”  
Action #2.  Donate as little as $1 towards defeating these Republicans. Here’s a special fund set up for that:
Twenty-four Republicans from districts where Trump won less than 50 percent of the vote in 2016 voted for this bill. Democrats need 24 seats to take back the House. Most of these races don’t have Democratic candidates yet or have primaries next year. But we’re not waiting till then. Every dollar you contribute to a Democratic Nominee Fund on this page will be transferred to the Democratic nominee when they win their primary next year. That means every dollar will go directly to beating Paul Ryan’s majority and taking back the House.  You can select CA districts, or your donation will be spread evenly by ActBlue.
Click here and donate (secure site):    https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/dkendorses2018dems?refcode=20170504fsdemslate

Apr 12

Santa Maria City Community public TV station may lose funding. (See our Sign Petitions to help)

 

Santa Maria….USE IT OR LOSE IT!!  
  It’s OUR community channel available at minimal cost.  The studio is the only one of its kind in northern Santa Barbara County. It’s in the hands of the Santa Maria City Council and the Supervisors of Santa Barbara County to keep or discontinue this community benefit!!

Professional equipment for us to film and broadcast community events and programs.  Located at 910 South Oakwood Drive in Santa Maria.

See our tab POSTS CONTINUED for additional information and SIGN PETITIONS tab.