California NOW

Help Us Continue Fighting for Women!

We're proud that our work is moving California closer towards achieving women's equality and empowerment, even if our leaders continue to kick and scream along the way.

When the governor proposed eliminating the Commission on the Status of Women, we not only held a fundraiser to keep the Commission going, we made it our business to ensure the Commission and gender equity continued to be part of state government.  When the Governor eliminated the office of Women’s Health and tried to implement Health in All Policies without women, we were there to ensure all women were counted by the state in eliminating health disparities.

Right now we’re fighting to ensure women’s employment and women workers are part of California’s Strategic Plan for Economic Development & Jobs and we’re fighting to ensure domestic violence and rape law enforcement mandates remain and are finally paid for by all levels of government.

We’re also working with the Attorney General’s office to ensure that women across the state have access to full reproductive healthcare and that end of life directives are respected as Catholic healthcare corporations seek to expand their market share.  You can count on us to ensure that women and men will have the information they need to be an informed healthcare consumer.

The reason we can fight for all of these important issues is because we aren't financially dependent upon any of the special interest groups that run Sacramento.

Unfortunately, the down economy has hit our supporters hard which, in turn, has hit us hard. Even though we work on a shoestring budget, we're finding it more difficult to get by each month.

That's why we're holding a fundraiser. We know the ticket price is high and may be cost prohibitive for some of you but if you can afford to attend, we assure you that your TAX-DEDUCTIBLE donation will be spent wisely. And please forward this to anyone you know in the LA area. If you cannot attend the event but would like to make a tax-deductible donation NOW, click here.

No other organization works on as many issues impacting women and girls as we do. And no other organization is as independent as we are. We hope you'll support our work by attending this fundraiser. It's a good tax deduction and a great investment in our daughters' future.

Stopping Walmart's Abuses

Today, our state president, Patricia Bellasalma, spoke at the Capitol in support of AB 880 (D-Gomez) which would force Walmart and other large corporations to stop their current practice of dumping employees onto Medi-Cal where taxpayers end up shouldering the burden of their healthcare costs.

Here's the text of Patty's speech:

"California NOW stands in partnership with Assemblymember Gomez because he stands in partnership with the Women of Labor who are here today working to enact AB 880.

We are all here gather together on the 50th Anniversary of the Federal Equal Pay Act in solidarity over our commitment in working towards a more just and fair society.  Equal Pay for Equal Work - 50 years women have been working for justice – for fairness.  Unfortunately, that day has not yet arrived.  We are still waiting for our work to be equally valued and respected.

We are here because we know women represent nearly two-thirds of all minimum wage workers in this country.  That means millions of women living well below the poverty level. That isn't by accident - it's because of what some in our society have chosen to value and not value.

We are here because we know that true prosperity for everyone will occur when we equally value early education and childcare because doing so breaks the cycle of poverty.

We are here because we know true prosperity for everyone is a living wage that includes universal healthcare and a defined benefit pension.

We are here because we know true prosperity for everyone means an economy that recognizes and values everyone’s economic contributions.

The truth is, we - as a society - make a decision every single day as to what we value. We are here because we know that we still live in a society that values traits and jobs labeled male over traits and jobs labeled female.

When we pay a plumber $100 an hour yet pay the person who cares for our children and our aging parents just $10 an hour, we're making a decision as to what we value. I want you to think about that. Why do we place greater value on the person who fixes our toilet over the person who cares for our children? 

Care work is often called "noble," but only when that work is free or close to it. Women in California provide $47 billion annually in unpaid care work.  It’s time for our work to be economically counted.  It’s time for California to also enact a Domestic Worker Bill of Rights.  It’s time for the Legislature and the Governor to also adopt the Mitchell Plan for Cal-Works.

Here in California, we need and must to do better. Enacting AB 880 is another important step in doing better. We are here because this bill will protect women’s health.  Medi-Cal already has a shortage of doctors.  It is women and other low-income workers who will suffer from lack of access to healthcare if big corporations take advantage of a loophole that will allow them to dump 400,000 workers onto Medi-Cal at taxpayer expense.

It’s bad enough that Walmart and other big corporations pay workers so little that they qualify for government assistance, while also failing to pay their fair share of property and other taxes that pay for that assistance. 

We are here because Walmart and other large corporations are cutting worker hours so they can continue to shift their fair share of responsibility for healthcare onto California taxpayers.

We are here united to protect women’s health - to protect all taxpayers by closing the Walmart loophole. We are here in support of AB 880.”

What are our priorities?

Next week, leaders from across the world will gather at the G8 Summit in Ireland. One of the discussions will be whether to plug a gigantic $1 trillion per year corporate tax loophole - enough money to end poverty, put every child in school, and double green investment!  $1 trillion is more than every country combined spends on their military. It's bigger than the budgets of 176 nations. It's $1,000 for every family on this planet.

$1 trillion is also the amount that our largest corporations and wealthiest individuals evade each year in taxes.

Apple, one of the world's wealthiest companies (headquartered right here in California), paid basically $0 in tax on $78 billion they made in recent years by setting up shell corporations in low-tax countries and posting profits abroad. Ironically, Ireland is one of those countries.

California NOW has been talking about this problem for more than a year. Finally, at the G8 summit next week, world leaders will consider a plan that would make it harder for companies like Apple to evade taxes by hiding their money offshore and in tax shelters. The plan would require countries to share information to expose where the money is hidden and require "fake" companies to reveal who's really behind them.

Seems like a no-brainer, right? So who's the holdout? The United States and Canada. Both countries are considering siding with corruption over this momentous step forward.

We can't let that happen. That's why we're supporting a petition to get 1 million signatures asking President Obama to sign on to this plan. We've already crossed the 500,000 mark - let's get the full million signatures so that the media has to pay attention and spotlight this demand. Click here to sign the petition NOW!

When governments everywhere are cutting spending on vital social priorities (that disproportionately impact women and girls), it's particularly galling that the wealthiest get a free pass from paying their fair share. It's even more disgusting when you consider the fact that the hard times were caused by massive government handouts to bailout banks owned by the same people who continue to evade taxes.

World leaders finally want to get serious about plugging these holes and they want powerful multinationals to pay their fair share in taxes. Unfortunately, President Obama has not signed on to supporting this action. We need him to feel the pressure of a million Americans demanding he stand with us - not with the 1%. Please sign the petition NOW and share it via social media asking everyone you know to sign it.

Together, our million voices are stronger and more powerful than the lobbyists. We just have to use them. Please join me in standing up for the other 99% on this planet.

For Equality & In Solidarity,

Patricia Bellasalma
President, California NOW

Help Us Make Women are Visible!

California is the eighth largest economy in the world and the third largest oil producing state. We lead the nation in farm income and Silicon Valley accounts for one-third of all of the venture capital investment in the U.S.

But that's only side of California. You know, the side that is most often talked about.

But there's another side. For example, we also have the highest poverty rate in the nation, the fourth highest uninsured healthcare rate in the country (almost 25%) and our farm workers are not granted the same shade and water that animals receive. And while our most vulnerable communities have been pushed further into poverty as a result of the budget cuts, California tech companies have been skipping out on taxes for years, with Apple reporting $3.2 billion and Google reporting $2.07 billion in unrecognized tax benefits.

The truth is, California isn't golden for everyone.

That's why California NOW works every single day to push legislators in Sacramento to follow through with their campaign rhetoric of moving us in a better direction. We aren't sure yet if leaders will really fight for increased revenues and for passage of the minimum wage increase. We also aren't sure if they'll use their super majority to override the governor if he once again vetoes the domestic workers bill of rights. These decisions are critical to women (who have taken the brunt of the budget cuts). Two-thirds of minimum wage earners are female and domestic workers are predominately women. We can't allow women and girls to be virtually invisible this legislative cycle.

California NOW is working to make women visible – but we need your help!

We're the only feminist organization that consistently fights to ensure women are not left out of legislative and policy decisions. Maybe it's because we aren't funded by million dollar grants and we're not tied to any corporate or political interests. We're independently funded by YOU!

And even though we work with a very limited budget, we don't ask for donations often. But we're asking NOW.

Please click here to donate $5, $10 - or whatever you can afford - to make sure that we have the resources necessary to continue standing up for California's almost 19 million women and girls. They need us NOW more than ever!

Tell Governor Brown to Expand Medi-Cal

Access to health coverage is a critical component in promoting the ability of women, their families, and communities, to lead healthy and fulfilling lives. Studies have shown conclusively that lack of access to health coverage causes women to delay or forego needed health treatment, including both preventive and sick care. For women of childbearing age, this means that critical opportunities to improve their health before pregnancy are missed. If women can obtain regular health care services to help them quit smoking, achieve a healthy weight, and maintain normal blood pressure and blood sugar levels, they are much more likely to have a healthy pregnancy and baby.

Two bills in the Legislature (ABX1 1/SBX1 1) would extend health coverage to more women of childbearing age and expand Medi-Cal benefits for pregnant women.

Here are some facts:

• As of 2011, an average of 25.3% of women of childbearing age were uninsured here in California.
• Of the uninsured, Latinas and immigrant women have the least access to health insurance and, as a result, experience disproportionate health disparities.
• About 856,000 uninsured women in our state would be eligible if Medicaid were expanded up to 138% of the federal poverty level.
• Currently, women up to 200% of the federal poverty level are eligible for only pregnancy-related and postpartum services. Providing full scope benefits to pregnant women will improve their overall health and help reduce premature and low birth weight babies.

These two bills will help to promote health equity here in California but we are not sure that Governor Brown will sign them.

That's why we're asking you to take a couple of minutes today to call Governor Brown at (916) 445-2841 and ask that he support ABx1 1 and SBx 1 1.

Governor Brown shouldn't just be hearing from health insurance companies on a bill this important. He needs to hear from us, urging him to stand up for women (especially Latinas and immigrant women) by supporting ABx1 1 and SBx1 1!

Can't call? No problem. Take a moment to email the governor by clicking here.

You can play a key role in promoting health equity in California. Please join me in calling Governor Brown NOW!

For Equality & In Solidarity,

Patty Bellasalma
President, California NOW