California NOW

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).

"Man Up translates to "Woman Down"

Two days ago, Governor Brown announced on a San Francisco radio program that legislators need to "man up" and cut billions of dollars from state services.  Really Governor, man up?

I recently read that neuroeconomic studies are showing that hormonally-driven young men should not be left alone in charge of our finances.  Perhaps age isn't as important a factor as neuroeconomist think.

I find the Governor's words particularly offensive given the fact that reports show the cuts he has already made have disproportionately impacted the most vulnerable women and children in our state.  The offensiveness is exponentially increased when the Governor has now tied even more draconian cuts to wholesale "realignments" of state government that takes women's equality and empowerment off the table.

So let me translate what Governor Brown means when he says state legislators need to "man up" He wants legislators to accept budget trailer bills that leave women out of goals addressing access to health care and elimination of health disparities.

Personally, I could not agree more with Senator Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa) who responded to the Governor's latest remarks by saying, "Maybe it's time for the women in the Legislature to take charge of this problem, given the fact that it's mostly the women that are being impacted."

The Governor - a Democrat - wants to balance the budget on the backs of women.

Let me make something clear.  I am an unapologetic progressive Democrat who has supported the Democratic Party my entire life.  However, I will not sit back and quietly allow this Democratic Governor - or any other legislator - (regardless of Party affiliation) to eliminate women's equality.

Because last time I checked, that's not what progressives do!

True progressives create inclusive health policies like President Obama did with his "Healthy People 2020" framework.  True progressives put a powerful, visionary Secretary of State in place as President Obama did with Hillary Clinton.  True progressives ensure equal pay for equal work in the government and private sector.  They move us forward with healthcare reform, by passing and funding the "Affordable Care Act" and the "State Children's Health Insurance Program."  True progressives create policies that move everyone - including women - forward as President Obama has consistently done during his first term in office. 

Governor Brown has proven time and again that he does not share the president's vision that gender equity and women's empowerment are core functions of our government.

It is bad enough that women and children must bear the brunt of the effects of women not being at the decision-making table in the past.  It is laughable to suggests that the Legislature capitulating to the Governor's proposed budget is manly act.

The Governor's words and deeds should serve as a call to arms for women across California.  We represent over half of our state's population.  We have the numbers to demand that the Governor move in a different direction and that he immediately stop this all-out assault on women and children.

So the only question remaining is, are you in?

Because in the coming weeks we'll need you to make calls to your local legislators asking them to vote against the Governor's trailer bills that realign women's equality out of state government.

We'll be asking legislators to "woman up" and ensure that gender equality and empowerment are core functions of our state's government.

During my meetings with legislators the past several weeks, I am certain they are with us and want to do the right thing.  We just need to let legislators know we'll stand behind them and support their decision to stand up to the Governor  and stand with President Obama.   Gender equality and empowerment are core functions of government!  We need to let the Governor know we will settle for nothing less in California.

For Equality & In Solidarity,

 

 

 

Patty Bellasalma
President, California NOW

Governor Eliminating Women's Health

Last June, Governor Brown proposed eliminating the California Commission on the Status of Women saying,   “Given our constrained state resources, this reduction reflects the need for government to focus on its core functions. While the statutory goals of the Commission are worthy, I continue to believe there are other formal and informal venues for policy development and advocacy that do not require General Fund expenditures.”

California NOW couldn't disagree more with Governor Brown's statement that women's equality and empowerment are not core functions of government.

And while we agree that there are formal and informal venues for policy development, it would have been nice if women had been brought to the table when his Strategic Growth Council, a cabinet-level committee tasked with coordinating the activities of state agencies, had met to create and publish their Strategic Plan for 2012-2014.  Instead, women were not asked to join the conversation and, as a result, Health and Health Equity indicators defined in the strategic plan do not include women.

Now the Governor, through a budget trailer bill, has proposed the elimination of the Office of Women’s Health with the creation of the Office of Health Equity.  The trailer bill language shows once again the removal of women from government efforts to close the gap in health status and access to care.

Click on this link to read the trailer bill.  Towards the bottom of page 8 and continuing on to the top of page 9, the bill reads…

"The State Department of  Public Health shall do the following: 1) Perform strategic planning to develop departmentwide plans for implementation of goals and objectives to close the gap in health status and access to care among the state's diverse racial and ethnic communities and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities."

Women are once again not included.

When California NOW raised concerns, we were told that the Legislature would decide whether they liked the language of his bill.  We were also told that legislation was a process. 

California NOW and women across the state have been activated to join the “process”.

The truth is, when government does not believe that women's equality and empowerment are core functions of government, a consistent pattern in the creation, implementation and maintenance of policies and programs emerges where women simply are not included.

A gender-blind government creates gender-blind policies that the current trailer bills represent which violate anti-discrimination laws by maintaining a preference for men - a sex/gender privilege that provides real and concrete benefits to men at the expense of all women.

That's why we'll be informing the Legislature that they must insert women into the “Health In All Policies Task Force” and all other aspects of government.

We will begin by voicing our concerns at the senate budget health subcommittee hearing on Thursday morning (April 12th at 9:30 AM) where this topic will be brought up.