Category Archives: California Legislature

California Legislature, Endorsements, Meeting notices

Our Next Meeting – Wednesday, September 13

MEMBER MEETING
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2023, 7:00 PM

ZOOM MEETING

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There is a hotly contested State Senate race this year to replace Bill Dodd. We have the fantastic opportunity to hear from and ask questions of all three candidates at our next meeting on Wednesday (note the day), September 13, at 7 pm. Many of you met the candidates at our July Garden Party.

This will be a more formal meeting with each candidate presenting separately, followed by a time for us to ask questions.  The candidates (in alphabetical order) are Christopher Cabaldon, former Mayor of West Sacramento, Jackie Elward, City Council Member of Rohnert Park, and Dr. Rozzana Verder-Aliga, Vice-Mayor of Vallejo.

 

From left to right: Christopher Cabaldon, Jackie Elward, & Rozzana Verder-Aliga

The candidates have answered a few questions in writing to give you more background before this meeting:

State Senate Race 2024:
Candidate Questions & Answers

 

Please read through them. We want to be able to really zero in on their responses to these questions and use this meeting for your more specific questions.

After the meeting, we plan to use our Google Group to discuss the candidates before we have our endorsement vote.  We will have our endorsement vote a week or so after our candidate meeting, and we will most likely run it through our website.  In the primary only the top two candidates will advance, so our endorsement is important.  The top two will likely be from this group.  Please make sure your dues are paid, as only current members can vote.  

We will also hear briefly about the Save our Streets initiative that is currently gathering signatures. You can sign at the Farmer’s Market for the next few weeks.

Finally, we will vote as a club on whether or not to send a letter in support of Solano County boards and commissions.

Check Out the United Dems Candidate Interviews

The United Democrats of Southern Solano have already held in-depth, hour-long interviews with Jackie Elward and Christopher Cabaldon.  The recordings of these interviews are available on their Facebook Page.  Their last interview will be with Rozzana Verder-Aliga and will take place on Wednesday, September 6 at 7pm.  Everyone is welcome to attend and we will share the link when it is available.

An endorsement from the Progressive Dems is important both to candidates and to our club, and there may not be unanimity in our membership regarding who we support. Watching these interviews in advance, reading the questionnaires when we send them out and seeing all three on the same night will help you make an informed decision.

Zoom Sign-In

Our Zoom meeting details are below.  Our Zoom link and sign-in details will be the same through October if you would like to save them to your calendar.

Join PDB Zoom Meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82362109045?pwd=bG9SMzE3RnA5VlJWeXhUMWhUNjk5Zz09

Meeting ID: 823 6210 9045
Passcode: 039610
One tap mobile
+16699006833,,82362109045#,,,,*039610# US (San Jose)
+16694449171,,82362109045#,,,,*039610# US

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdtJHvmFU6

Don’t miss this important meeting!

See you on Zoom, Wednesday, September 13 at 7:00 PM! 

 

350 Bay Area, California Legislature, Climate Emergency Declaration, Legislative Action, September 20 Climate Strike, Youth vs Apocalypse

URGENT! Call our representatives today!!

CALL TO IMMEDIATE ACTION! – and a brief  report on our September meeting

Kathy 350 Bay Area Action’s Legislative Action Team.  Download the powerpoint presentation of Kathy’s excellent talk.

The Tuesday, September 10th, Progressive Democrats of  Benicia met and heard featured speaker, Kathy Dervin, Co-Chair of 350 Bay Area Legislative Committee and a consulting professional with a Master of Public Health (MPH) focused in Health Education/Environmental Health.

Kathy presented a compelling overview of pending legislation relating to Climate Change (see bold text below).  She also coveredhe Sept. 20 Climate Strike and 350 Bay Area’s work through Youth vs Apocalypse, the youth‐led environmental justice program

URGENT CALL TO ACTION!
> With only three days to the close of the California Legislature’s  session (now until Sept 13th), everyone is asked to call Assembly member Grayson and Senator Dodd’s office TODAY to advocate for the following bills: (download this list)
BILLS NOW IN ASSEMBLY Call Tim Grayson 925-521-1511
SB 1 (Atkins) SUPPORT Protect Califs Environmental, Health and Worker Safety Laws from Trump Administration roll backs of federal laws that California already administers in state programs under federal authority. (At risk are parts of the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, OSHA and others).
SB 54 (Allen) SUPPORT (Companion bill to AB 1080-see below) This bill (with its companion AB 1080) requires manufacturers and retailers in California to reduce single-use plastic packaging and products by 75 percent by 2030. After 2030, all single-use plastics sold in the state would need to be compostable or recyclable, making plastic resale value sufficient enough to be economically worth recycling.
SB 210 (Leyva) SUPPORT Requires the state Air Resources Board to develop a smog check program for heavy trucks similar to the program that has existed for decades for cars and light trucks. This is a critical air pollution control bill, climate bill (reduces emissions and black carbon) and an important environmental justice bill to protect communities with disproportionate exposure to truck emissions.
Also (lower priority – NOTE – THIS BILL PASSED!) SB 127 (Wiener) SUPPORT  Requires Cal Trans to implement its “complete streets” program to support walking and biking infrastructure and protections on “state highways” (like Ashby Ave and San Pablo Ave in Berkeley or Lincoln Ave in SF).
SB 520 (Hertzberg) OPPOSE Would create new obstacles for our CCAs/local clean energy programs in comparison to investor owned utilities.
BILLS NOW IN SENATE Call Bill Dodd 707-551-2389
AB 1080 (Gonzalez) SUPPORT (see companion bill SB 54 above) Reducing single use plastic by 75% by 2030.
Also (lower priority) AB 936 (Rivas) SUPPORT Requires additional state response planning and prevention for oil spills involving non-j/oating oil (tar sands or other heavy oils) which is a particular concern in the Bay Area as area refineries, such as Phillips 66, tries to expand their capacity to take tar sands.

AB 857 (Chiu) SUPPORT Allows local governments to charter local public banks in partnership with “existing local financial institutions” such as credit unions and local community banks so as to increase the lending capacity of the local banking system.

THANKS – CALL NOW! OR SET YOUR ALARM TO CALL TODAY OR TOMORROW!!

California Legislature, California Politics, Courage Campaign

Interesting and informative: Find your California Representative’s Courage Score

A PDB member recommended this from California’s Courage Campaign:

Courage Scores grade legislators on how well they stand up for constituents over corporations or special interest groups that seek to exploit Californians, particularly the poor, disadvantaged, or communities of color.

Find your California Representative’s
Courage Score HERE.

Read all about the Courage Scores here.