Please contact Governor Newsom and ask him to sign the revised state budget! This budget includes funding for many of the bills we have been working on.
Category: AiQ
1. Please send out this announcement to your congregation encouraging everyone to register for Lutheran Lobby Day on Wednesday, May 18th:
Lutheran Lobby Day is Wednesday, May 18th: Advocate with us on Lutheran Lobby Day, Wednesday, May 18th as we respond to our baptismal calling as Lutherans to strive for justice and peace in all the earth. We are grounded in Lutheran theology, and all are welcome regardless of faith or lobbying experience. We will gather virtually on Zoom to pray, learn, and meet with California’s legislators. Go to https://lutheranpublicpolicyca.org/lobby-day-2022 to register.
2. Also: it is not too late to register for Ecumenical Advocacy Days, April 25th-27th. EAD 2022 is a virtual gathering to be held April 25-27, 2022. Register today! https://advocacydays.org/. Scholarships are available at https://blogs.elca.org/advocacy/ecumenical-advocacy-days-with-scholarships/
3. Immigrant Day of Action April 26th: Are you ready to build an equitable California where everyone—our family, friends, colleagues and neighbors can thrive? Join us Tuesday, April 26, 2022, as we gather our collective power virtually for Immigrant Day of Action! to register go to: https://caimmigrant.org/event/immigrant-day-2022/
Bill Priorities for LOPP-CA 2022 for the 2022 Legislative Session:
SB 854 (Skinner), the HOPE for Children Act. This bill would establish California’s first baby bond program for children who lost a parent or caregiver to COVID-19 and eligible foster youth. The bill also lays the groundwork so one day California can expand the program to all children living in low-income circumstances.
AB 2180 (Wicks), The Children of Incarcerated Parents and Caregivers Taskforce. This bill would establish the Taskforce for Children with incarcerated parents and caregivers as California lacks a statewide entity that focuses on identifying and addressing the needs of system-impacted children. Asm. Wicks will be including this bill in her working class families package of bills as an emphasis to the disproportionate impact mass incarceration has on working class families, especially women, and the destabilization that leads to.
AB 2589 (Santiago) This bill will would provide a 1-time payment of $2000 per child dependent to California residents who made less than $30,000 in 2021 and file their taxes. Increase the California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC) minimum tax credit to about $255 per eligible tax filer. AB 2589 would benefit approximately 5 million Californians, including 2 million children.
AB 1615 (Ting) Foster Youth Housing: This bill would extend housing assistance for former foster youth to 36 months.
These are 3 bills LOPP-CA may be supporting during this legislative session.
- SB 854 (Skinner), the HOPE for Children Act.
This bill would establish California’s first baby bond program for children who lost a parent or caregiver to COVID-19 and eligible foster youth. The bill also lays the groundwork so one day California can expand the program to all children living in low-income circumstances. I’ve attached the support letter template for more details.
- AB 2180 (Wicks), The Children of Incarcerated Parents and Caregivers Taskforce
This bill would establish the Taskforce for Children with incarcerated parents and caregivers as California lacks a statewide entity that focuses on identifying and addressing the needs of system-impacted children. Asm. Wicks will be including this bill in her working class families package of bills as an emphasis to the disproportionate impact mass incarceration has on working class families, especially women, and the destabilization that leads to.
- AB 2589 (Santiago) This bill will would
- Provide a 1-time payment of $2000 per child dependent to California residents who made less than $30,000 in 2021 and file their taxes.
- Increase the California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC) minimum tax credit to about $255 per eligible tax filer.
- Together, AB 2589 would benefit approximately 5 million Californians, including 2 million children.
Urgent: Please call Dianne Feinstein’s San Francisco office at (415) 393-0707 and state that you want all the provisions dealing with housing that were part of the Build Back Better Bill to go forward in reconciliation regardless of what they are titled!
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AIQ News for February 2, 2022
Assembly Bill 1400: Sadly, the single-payer health care measure, Assembly Bill 1400 known as CalCare failed to come a vote, after its author couldn’t round up enough support before Monday’s deadline. Because it was introduced last year, it needed to pass the Assembly by Monday January 31st to continue through the legislative process. Many advocates of this bill were very disappointed.
State Bill Introduction Deadline: February 18th is the deadline for bills to be introduced in the state legislature. After that date LOPP-CA will set its priorities for the year.
LOPP-CA Lobby Day 2022: Our lobby day is set for Wednesday, May 18th. Save that date and join us!
Yesterday at AIQ we had two guest speakers. Phillip Kim representing AB 1400 (CalCare) California’s version of Medicare for All and RL Miller Director of Climate Hawks Vote speaking for the campaign for save rooftop solar.
We thank both of our speakers for keeping us informed on these important issues.
AB 1400 (CalCare): Phillip Kim stressed the importance of advocating right now for passage of AB 1400 in the Assembly. It must come to a vote in the Assembly by January 31st. He urged us to join email List for regular updates. Here are some links for more information.
CalCare Fact Sheets
http://bit.ly/AB1400factsheet
https://bit.ly/calcareprinciples
https://act.medicare4all.org/signup/calcare-mfa
https://act.medicare4all.org/signup/calcare-101
Rooftop Solar: RL Millr stressed that the California Public Utilities Commission is poised to kill off much of the rooftop solar industry in California with a plan to slash solar incentives. She urged us to Call the Governor’s office at 916-445-2841 and say something along these lines: I am against the proposed Solar Penalty Fee! Nobody should pay a penalty for putting solar panels on their roof and California should be doing more, not less, to promote rooftop solar. Please show us you are serious about rate hikes, blackouts and air pollution. Say no to the utilities’ profit grab, and yes to helping millions of working and middle class people get solar.
Here is a link she left us with: https: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/send-a-letter-to-save-california-solar/?
It’s important to learn what Congressional, State Senate and State Assembly Districts you are in. These will be our districts for the next ten years, beginning with the June 2022 Primary. I used the following link to find mine. It is important to click just one final map at a time to see the districts you are in. If you are close to a line between two districts you can put in your exact address to make sure which one you are in. I needed to do that to verify my State Senate District.
ELCA Advocacy is urging all of us to contact our senators urging them to support the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. If you have friends or relatives in states other than California, especially urge them to contact their senators. This is crucial to saving our democracy. Here is a link to an ELCA Advocacy contact form. https://support.elca.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1426
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AIQ is On Hold
AIQ is on hold until the State Legislature meets again the first week of January. We may rename it at that time, but we will meet again on Wednesdays at noon beginning in January.