California NOW

Monday's Action Checklist

Today, a female soldier in Iraq and Afghanistan is more likely to be raped than killed or injured by enemy fire.  Every day American service women and men, who have pledged their lives to protect our country, are being raped and sexually assaulted. Not by the enemy, but by their fellow soldiers, commanders, and officers – by the people whose job it is to protect them.  Take Action NOW:  Click here to learn more about the movie that we need to be talking about.

Farm workers are dying from heat. In fact, since California issued its landmark 2005 regulations to keep farm workers from dying of extreme heat, preventable farm worker deaths are still occurring at a similar pace as before.  That's why the United Farm Workers has taken matters into their own hands and sponsored AB 2346, the Farm Worker Safety Act (Butler). This bill will allow farm workers to be able to enforce mandatory shade and drinking water requirements by taking delinquent employers to court.  It will also make growers jointly liable along with farm labor contractors they hire   Take Action NOW:  Click here to show your support for AB 2346!

Right now 7 million U.S. kids have asthma and that number is rising every day. Limiting carbon pollution could cut down on smog, and on asthma attacks.  The proposed new carbon rule will reduce pollution by 123 billion pounds of carbon annually (Yes!  That's billion with a "B"). If the EPA is overwhelmed by the support the public shows for clean air, then they will likely recommend a much-needed, strong carbon rule for President Obama to sign. Take Action NOW:  Click here to sign the petition.

We need your help to beat back a new industry bill that would actually make things worse for consumers.  The Cosmetic Safety Amendments Act of 2012” was written by the Personal Care Products Council, a trade association that represents the big multinational cosmetic companies.  Even though it may sound like a step forward on the surface, the “fine print” inside the bill would allow industry to continue placing profits over public health.  Take Action NOW:  Contact Congress to demand meaningful reform that protects our health.

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.

Eating Disorders in Young Girls

Guest Blogger Maryann Margheim is a 27 year-old native Californian. Serving vulnerable and underrepresented populations has always been her life goal.  She is currently studying for her Master’s degree in Social Work at the University of Southern California and has taken a recent interest in public policy.

Last year I met Nova, a 10 year-old girl, who was referred to my agency for somatic symptoms of headaches and tummy aches. During our free time, Nova would look at teen magazines.  I noticed that she idolized the overly thin and made up teen girls telling me “if only I could look perfect on the outside, no one would know I wasn’t perfect on the inside.” Nova’s eating disorder and negative self-thoughts are unfortunately only one story out of the 24 million pre-teens currently suffering with this type of disorder in the U.S.

One of the reasons I have connected so deeply with Nova is because her story brought back memories from my own personal struggle with anorexia. Growing up in a turbulent home, full of chaos, I fought for any way to control my environment. Withholding food from myself was the only control I had over the only part of my environment I could control, my body.

At the age of nine, my parents took me to my pediatrician for malnourishment. I remember the doctor telling my parents that this was attention-seeking behavior, and eventually I would eat. Anorexia haunted me until my early 20s, and I presume, without necessary intervention, Nova’s eating disorder will continue to affect her, too. Looking back, I wonder why none of my teachers, principles, coaches, or school counselors ever intervened.  It seems inconceivable that school officials were unaware of eating disorders, or were never educated on how to assist a student affected by an eating disorder. Either way, I know that I fell through the cracks so I want to do whatever I can to ensure that Nova doesn’t have to fall through the cracks.

That’s why I am so passionate about a new bill before Congress.  H.R. 36: The Eating Disorders Awareness, Prevention, and Education Act would create programs and procedures to assist children in the school setting who have been or are currently affected by issues relating to eating disorders.  Recent studies have revealed girls - and boys - as young as age eight are seeking treatment for eating disorders which means we have to get to them early.

If H.R. 36 is passed into law, it would require all public schools to train teachers, school nurses, school social workers, coaches, school counselors, and administrators on effective eating disorder prevention and assistance methods for children and youth with these disorders. Currently, no programs in public schools make these types of resources readily available to all children and youth on a national level. Upon becoming a law, children and youth could receive comprehensive services, all built in within their school day, without limitations due to transportation, financial limits, time, etc.

As a female scholar myself, there is nothing I hold with greater respect than the lives, educational advancement, and well-being of all children in the education system, especially young girls. That's why I feel we have a social obligation to pass H.R. 36 into law in order to provide awareness, prevention, and education to save the young lives of individuals who become victims of eating disorders.  I was lucky.  But I don't want Nova or any other young girl suffering from an eating disorder to have to count on luck to save her life.  Please contact your Congressional representation today and ask them to support H.R. 36.