California NOW

Monday's Action Checklist

Tell Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act!  In what marks their latest anti-woman position, Senate Republicans are prepared to vote against the Paycheck Fairness Act. This would provide a much-needed update to the Equal Pay Act of 1963 to make it fit our modern times.  At its core, this law enforces actions against employers who discriminate against an employee's compensation based on gender and it strengthens penalties for equal pay violations.  Take Action NOW:  Click here to sign the petition urging Congress to pass the bill.

You may have heard that throughout the country, states have adopted new barriers to voting, making it harder for Americans to exercise their rights at the ballot box.  Here in California, there is a bill (AB 1436) that allows eligible voters to register to vote on election day and the two weeks leading up to it. This allows voting to be open to any citizen who is eligible and willing to exercise this fundamental democratic right. States with Election Day Registration (EDR) lead the nation in voter turnout. With EDR, we too can increase voter participation.
Take Action NOW:  Click here to sign the petition urging state legislators to support AB 1436.

When 40 million Americans lack even a single paid sick day, that is a big problem for the health of our families and for the health of our economy.  Research shows that the costs of replacing workers, including advertising for, interviewing and training new employees often far outweighs the cost of retaining employees by offering paid sick days.  The Healthy Families Act (H.R. 1876, S. 984) would set an important national standard for paid sick days. Its passage would be a critical step toward meeting the health and economic security of working families.  Take Action NOW:  Click here to sign the petition urging Congress to pass H.R. 1876.

Monday's Action Checklist

This week we're all about legislation here in California.  We are spotlighting three bills authored by Holly Mitchell.

First up is AB 2348 which will allow registered nurses in community clinics to provide birth control under a standardized procedure. That makes perfect sense in today’s world, especially given the safety of birth control and its wide use. Access to birth control is a critical public health issue and an essential component of women's health care.  Millions of women have safely taken the pill since the FDA approved it back in 1960. By passing AB 2348, California will expand women’s access to reproductive services. While elected officials across the nation are passing laws to defund reproductive health services and restrict women’s access to reproductive care, California can continue to be a leader in expanding access to essential women’s health care services by passing this bill.

AB 2266 would create “health teams” – including social service and housing providers to offer coordinated care to frequent users.  This bill would transform our Medi-Cal system from a ‘treat the illness’ to a ‘treat the person’ approach.  Overwhelming data on supportive housing, which offers the type of services this bill would fund, show that AB 2266 could save Medi-Cal between $7,500-$29,000 per participant, per year.  Most importantly, it would save the lives of potentially thousands of Californians, getting people off the streets, out of hospitals and into decent, appropriate care.

AB 2015 (Calls for Kids) gives parents in California the ability to make arrangements for their child at the moment of an immigration raid or an arrest.  Imagine the parent who is arrested and wants to ensure their child is with a relative or friend, but is prevented from making a phone call.  Once separated, bringing families back together and avoiding legal separation becomes more difficult. It is more expensive for state and local governments when children are unnecessarily placed in the custody of child protective services or foster care. Let's take care of families at the point of arrest and save unnecessarily cost and heartache in the future.  Right now, Calls for Kids has been sent to the Suspense Fille.  Let's ask the bill's author, Holly Mitchell, what we can do to make sure children don't end up in child protective services if they have another option.

Take Action NOW:  Call Assemblymember Mitchell's office and ask how you can help: 916-319-2047

 

Monday's Action Checklist

American Reclamation is a family-owned recylcing and solid waste company in El Monte.  However, Teamsters Local 396 who has been helping the employees form a union says employees are badly treated and that management is fighting unionization.  Dozens of employees of the city-contracted trash-hauler are rallying for change in what they say are dismal working conditions and environmentally detrimental and illegal practices.  Workers say rats and roaches are in the company's bathrooms and break areas. They also allege that the management team ignores employee safety hazards and have detailed the lack of adequate training and safety features on trash trucks.  Take Action NOW: Click here to watch a video and learn how you can help.

31 Republican Senators - all men - voted last week against the re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act.  We cannot simply ignore those 31 votes against women.  Voters need to know the names of these 31 and MoveOn has made it super simple for us to do just that through social media.   Take Action NOW:  Click here to ensure that the names of those 31 senators are spread like wildfire through our social media channels.

Parents have enough on their plates; we shouldn't need a degree in chemistry to pick safe toys and safe food for our children. That’s why we need comprehensive chemical reform today.  Scientific studies demonstrate that toxic chemicals we are exposed to every day can significantly increase the risk of developing childhood cancers, infertility, and learning and developmental disabilities.  Take Action NOW:  Click here to sign the petition urging senators to pass the Safe Chemical Act.

Unite Against the War on Women

On Saturday, April 28, women across the country will come together to Unite Against the War on Women.  California NOW will be participating in events in Los Angeles, San Diego and Sacramento.

Since the 2010 election, the Republican Congress and legislators in state government have introduced and/or passed hundreds of bills restricting women's reproductive healthcare choices.  This year, the attacks have included trying to fire women for using birth control in Arizona, repealing equal pay laws in Wisconsin and state-sanctioned rape in Virginia.  And who could forget Darryl Issa's Congressional panel on birth control that did not include a single woman's testimony.

Here in California our own Democratic governor is throwing women's equality and empowerment out the window as he proposes eliminating gender equity in his plans to restructure our state's government.

To counter these attacks, a newly formed organization Unite Women says, “Enough is enough" and is mobilizing women and men on April 28th, 2012 to Unite Against the War on Women! With rallies and marches in every state capitol, California is proud to host three events: Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Diego.

Los Angeles: Meet at 10 am at Pershing Square, South Side 
Sacramento: Meet at 11 am, State Capitol Building, North Steps 
San Diego: Meet at 10 am, Balboa Park, Organ Pavillion 

Each location is rallying and marching for a day-long demonstration of equality.

For more information or to volunteer, please visit Unite Women California's fan page at  https://www.facebook.com/womenunitemarch or email UniteCalifornia@gmail.com.

Information on events nationwide can be found at www.UniteWomen.org

Pay Equity Day

Yesterday was pay equity day.  Leaders from across our nation issued statements on the work they are doing to close the existing gaps in pay inequities and the continuing work that must be done to move everyone – including women - forward.

The leader of our country, President Obama, said, ”Women are breadwinners in a growing number of families, and women's earnings play an increasingly important role in families' incomes. For them, fair pay is even more than a basic right -- it is an economic necessity.  That is why my Administration is committed to securing equal pay for equal work. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the first bill I signed as President, empowers women to recover wages lost to discrimination by extending the time period in which an employee can file a claim. In 2010, I was proud to create the National Equal Pay Task Force to identify and combat equal pay violations.”  To read the full text of the statement by President Obama, click here.

The leader of the Democratic Party, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, said “Today is National Equal Pay Day, a day when women across this country can reflect on the progress that’s been made toward equal pay for equal work and continue to shine a light on the pay inequities that still exist and the politicians who deny, ignore or exacerbate the problem.”  To read the DNC Chair’s complete message, click here.

The leader of the U.S. Senate, Harry Reid, said “Equal Pay Day is a reminder that our nation’s gender pay gap is still a reality that holds back women professionally and holds back our nation economically. When a woman makes 77 cents for every dollar a man makes, for the same type of work, it means less money for families to pay for their children’s education or put food on the table.  We took a big step to close that gap in 2009, when President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which restored protections for women challenging pay discrimination. But we can’t stop there. We should pass the Paycheck Fairness Act to help ensure women are paid the same as men who do the same work. Unfortunately, when I brought this legislation for a vote in 2010, Republicans filibustered, and now the leading Republican presidential candidate refuses to declare whether he supports measures that protect wage equality. Nobody should receive a smaller paycheck based solely on their gender. It’s disrespectful and it hurts our nation.”  To read the Senate Leader’s complete statement, click here.

The leader of our state, Governor Jerry Brown, had this to say about the actions he and his administration are taking to close the pay gap and other gender disparities that exist here in California:  Click here to read his statement (You are being directed to a blank page because Governor Brown had NOTHING to say).