California NOW

It's 2013! Isn't it time to focus on gender equity?

In a few days, we'll begin celebrating Women's History Month. Throughout the month, we'll hear a lot of speeches from government officials about how they believe in gender equality and women's empowerment.

That's a good thing! But an even better way to celebrate Women's History Month would be for legislators to ask one basic question before they pass another bill or implement another policy - What is the gender impact?

Gender equality is the law!  We've found no constitutional or statutory exception to gender equality mandates.  There's no language stating anti-discrimination statutes and equal protection of laws apply to women and girls only if they don’t cost too much.

Therefore, California NOW will begin persistently demanding that state and local governments follow the law by ensuring that analysis of budget decisions, legislation, policies and programs include a gender impact statement.

The failure to find out the actual impact of budget decisions, laws and policies year-in and year-out is simply unacceptable, especially in 2013. It is time for California government to ensure compliance with equal protection standards and anti-discrimination laws.  Such a task cannot be done if state and local governments fail to collect data on gender equality and anti-discrimination compliance and make that data available to the public.  The failure to enact outcome and/or performance-based decision making to the budget, as well as policies and programs, has produced an unaccountable state and local government that fails to ensure gender equality and that further fails to promote women and girls empowerment. It’s time to put an end to such failures.

Click here to read our letter.

We have a super majority in both Houses and a Democratic Governor. The time for excuses is over. If we really want to move towards full equity, join me in asking for more than words this year.

Together, let's insist that legislation and policies coming out of Sacramento have a gender impact statement attached to them. The nearly 19 million women and girls in California deserve - and should settle for - nothing less.

Why California NOW is Rising!

By Linda Long, Action Vice President of California NOW

Eve Ensler asked “What are you over?” And California NOW answers, “We are over rape!”

We are over rape culture, slut shaming and blaming.

We are over rape jokes and men and boys thinking they are funny. 

We are over politicians who won’t vote to put rapists in jail because it is too expensive.  We say - let our brown brothers and sisters whose only crime is being poor - let them go and put the rapists in jail!

We are over courts who think that some rapes are more “legitimate” than others. What?  Uninvited penentration is rape. PERIOD.

We are over dominance. PERIOD.

We are over bullying. PERIOD.

We are over gendered violence hurting my queer brothers and sisters!

We are over the silence!

We are over a culture which incubates rape in its silence against dominating assholes. Dominating figures in politics, in business, in schools, on TV, on computers. We are so over them!

We are over the men in our lives who say they care and then are silent!

We are over the men in our lives who hit, belittle and use violence to make us less than. 

We are over being polite! Rape, violence isn’t polite! 

We are over hoping that men will make laws to protect us. We won’t beg anymore. 

Women - we must take our government for ourselves!

California NOW is co-hosting the Sacramento One Billion Rising event because we are over it!  We hope you are too. We are done asking for help. It is time to Strike – To Rise – To Dance!

One Billion Rising!

Today, on the planet, a billion women – that's one in three women on the planet – will be raped or beaten in her lifetime.  ONE BILLION mothers, daughters, sisters, partners, and friends violated.  V-Day REFUSES to stand by as more than a billion women experience violence.

On February 14th, 2013, V-Day's 15th Anniversary, we are inviting one billion women and those who love them to walk out, dance, rise up and demand an end to this violence. One Billion Rising is a promise that we will rise up with women and men worldwide to say, "Enough! The violence ends now!"

California NOW will be co-hosting the event on the west steps of the Capitol at noon.

Click here to find a One Billion Rising event near you.

Get VAWA Done....NOW!

Ask your Senators to VOTE YES on VAWA!

The Senate’s bipartisan bill to reauthorize VAWA, S. 47, is coming up for a vote. The bill will be considered on Monday, February 4th and up for a vote on Thursday, February 7th.
 
S. 47 now has 60 co-sponsors – due in large part to phone calls by women demanding it!  This should guarantee VAWA’s passage in the Senate.  However, there is a possibility that amendments could be introduced on the floor that would attach non-germane provisions to VAWA - weakening it further - and slowing down forward movement on the bill.

Please call Senators Boxer and Feinstein NOW and urge them to vote yes on S. 47, without amendments that might weaken it!
 
Call the Capitol switchboard at 1.888.269.5702 and ask the operator to connect you to Senators Boxer and Feinstein. When you’re connected to their offices, tell the person who answers the phone:

I am a constituent from (city and state) and my name is _________.  I urge Senator____ to vote yes on S. 47, a strong, bipartisan bill that would reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act – and to oppose any amendments that are introduced which might weaken the bill in its current form. Thank you and I look forward to hearing that the Senator has voted for VAWA.

We are optimistic that a strong bill will be passed out of the Senate – and then we can turn our attention to the House and to getting a final VAWA that safely and effectively protects all victims!

Join Us for One Billion Rising - Sacramento