Universal Health Care is back in the conversation under two recently introduced legislative measures in the current California Legislative session.
 
California Legislation AB 1690 Universal Health Care Coverage was officially introduced by Democratic Assemblyman Ash Kalra on February 17, 2023. During the last legislation session, he was the author of AB 1400 California Guaranteed Health-Care for All Act.  Currently, this legislation is designated as a spot bill.

Editor’s note: this is the eleventh in a series of summaries based on author and professor of history, Timothy Snyder’s book “On Tyranny”. The goal is to pass on his insights, wisdom and forecast to those who have not read his works.

 Contribute to Good Causes

 “Be active in organizations, political or not, that express your own view of life…Then you have made a free choice that supports civil society and helps others to do good.”

April follows what has been a wet, windy, snowy and ‘fallen trees’ late winter this year.  This is good news for the drought conditions and the snow pack may extend the winter sports season by months! 

The weather is not the only thing acting like climate change in our area.  I hope most of our readers are aware of the political changes and controversies taking place at our local school boards.  Book banning and stigmatizing of the LGBTQIA and their allies in our community have caused a great deal of pain and community upheaval.  I encourage individuals to take action in line with our democratic values by attending school board meetings and communicating with board members by letter/phone/email.

Many of the loudest voices are attempting to impose their values based on their religious beliefs on the entire school system.  

Censorship in Placer County schools was a growing problem last year, and with conservative school board slates’ overwhelming success last November, efforts to ban books in Placer County have not slowed down. On March 10th, the Western Placer Unified School District considered banning The Hate U Give from being required reading in 9th grade English classes. Thankfully, the board decided against it - for now.
 
On March 9th, the Roseville Joint Union High School District (RJUHSD) took a different approach when it unanimously approved its Curriculum and Instructional Materials Approval Process. While this process is much less flashy than outright banning a book, it can nonetheless be effective at overriding the recommendations of teachers and banning books if abused. You will not hear about the books being banned; they just will not make it into the approved curriculum.

Republicans like to talk a lot about the word “freedom.”

Let’s take one completely random example — Ron DeSantis.

He talks about freedom A LOT. He signed a “Freedom First Budget.” His new book is called The Courage to Be Free. He even released an absolutely ridiculous rock ballad about Florida’s freedom.

But the DeSantis vision of freedom is a complete fraud. He is one of the most anti-freedom governors in the most anti-freedom political party in the country.

Freedom is under attack in Florida.

March 2023 Message from Our Chair

WELCOME and CONGRATULATIONS to the newly elected Assembly District 5 (AD05) ADEMS: Annie Bowler, Tiffany D Sickler, Ellen Debach-Riley, Ann Keating, Nichole Trujillo Rice, Stephanie Goldman, John Savage, Tomas Evangelista, Sameer Kazim, Michael Saunders, Charley Riley, Leo Bennet-Cauchon, John Rector and Joe Mlakar. The E-Board representative is Michael Saunders from El Dorado County Central Committee.  AD05 is composed of both Placer and El Dorado Counties and this group covers both geographic areas. 

Among the many holidays celebrated in America every year, one should be of particular interest to women and those who care about women. This year, Equal Pay Day will be noted on March 14th. Originated by the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) in 1996, its’ goal is to demonstrate the differences in what women are paid for their work, and for the products and services they buy/consume compared to men.  While California women fare much better than those who live in many other states, there remain discrepancies.
 

DEMOCRATIC REALITY/REPUBLICAN MYTH
A SERMON IN MESSAGING
by
Terry P Rodriguez
PCDCC Chair Legislation Committee

President Biden, in his February 7, 2023, State of the Union Address (SOTU), made clear to the nation, his administration’s position supports our nation’s police establishment in providing whatever is needed to maintain law and order in our communities.  At the same time, he is also advocating the funding of social community programs that will work to reduce the causes of neighborhood crimes.  The President’s State of the Union address (SOTU) strengthened our Democratic Party’s stance on this important issue, consistently, from the time he campaigned for this office to the present as the leader of our county. President Biden strongly countered GOP messaging that portrays Democrats as advocating reducing law enforcement funding.  
 
The GOP has escalated this argument from myth into “fact” to their electorate since the “defund the police” movement gained momentum after the George Floyd incident in 2020. 

In February, Donna Trumbo and Twiana Armstrong were featured guests at our PCDCC meeting. As members of ABC Equity Consulting, they focused on Systematic Racism, Implicit Bias, and the history of the Civil Rights movement from slavery.  They provided examples and perspective about a society that encourages living together peacefully.

For a recap of their program, further information or questions about programs, they provided the following links:

On Tyranny….Timothy Snyder 

Editor’s note: this is the ninth in a series of summaries based on author and professor of history, Timothy Snyder’s book “On Tyranny”. The goal is to pass on his insights, wisdom and forecast to those who have not read his works. 

In Chapter 11 (Investigate) of On Tyranny, Timothy Snyder delivers potent and topical “standards” of sending/receiving information. Although written in 2017, his message is even more topical, timely and important in today’s political climate, both nationally and worldwide.

Placer Perspectives, our writing group, formed in 2021. The intent was to organize an effort to share our Democratic ideas and opinions through letters to the editor in our local publications and on social media. Through Zoom seminars, I shared the strategies I’ve used since 2017 to get my letters to the editor published in newspapers throughout the CD4 Congressional District. I began by showing how to write letters that get published, how to use social media to amplify those opinions, and how to combat disinformation. The effort grew and became a multicounty initiative. The name Writers Alliance was chosen for the overall organization, with each county having its own group within the alliance. Our county group is known as Placer Perspectives.

First, Let’s Be Clear: The Debt Limit is NOT a new spending limit, it’s a borrowing limit.

Congress has taken action to permanently raise, temporarily extend, or revise the definition of the debt limit 78 times since 1960; 49 times under Republican presidents, 29 times under Democrat presidents. Taking no action on the debt ceiling would trigger what experts call catastrophic economic consequences for Americans and the global economy. But that hasn’t stopped extreme members of the Republican party in Congress from using the debt ceiling to get their way in spending cuts.

Our 2022 Democratic Party election process succeeded in strengthening our voice in the Senate and minimizing the power of the re-established Republican majority in the House of Congress. Yet, our party will still face challenges in enacting our party agenda through the Federal process. The California State legislators will operate as they have in the past with Democrats in control. Both legislative branches are now in the beginning phase for the 2023 through 2024 sessions, introducing new legislation and our PCDCC Legislation Committee will soon begin the task analyzing and submitting measures for endorsement consideration by our organization.  The California Democratic Party Legislation Committee will do the same. 

A third consecutive year of drought is in the books and, despite the recent rain, most reservoirs across California are still below their historical levels.  However, progress is being made at the state level to ensure that Californians can access to water amid climate change.

 While passed into law in 2021, the second half of a $200 million appropriation is now being allocated to repair canals and aqueducts damaged by land subsidence, which have lost up to 60% of their capacity to move water throughout the state. 

Editor’s note: this is the eighth in a series of summaries based on author and professor of history, Timothy Snyder’s book “On Tyranny”. The goal is to pass on his insights, wisdom and forecast to those who have not read his works.

 “To abandon facts is to abandon freedom”