Weekly Call To Action - July 2, 2023

Quote of the Week:

“In ending affirmative action in college admissions, the Supreme Court’s six-justice conservative majority went out of its way to ignore history, precedent and reality — not for the first time, and probably not for the last.

“I have very little hope that these justices will desist in their attempts to march our society headlong into the past.”

--Eugene Robinson, The Washington Post

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Olympia Indivisible:

OI Candidates for Primary Election
Voting: July 14 to August 1

Candidates clockwise from top left: Sarah Tonge,Wayne Fournier, Jasmine Vasavada, Maggie Sanders, and Emily Close.

Are you passionate about helping OI-endorsed candidates win their primaries? Great! Send me an email and tell me whose campaign you would like to volunteer for, or go directly to the candidates website.

 Here is the list of our newly endorsed candidates:

• Port of Olympia Commissioner, District 1: Jasmine Vasavada
• Port of Olympia Commissioner, District 4: Maggie Sanders
• Port of Olympia Commissioner, District 5: Sarah Tonge
• Thurston County Board of Commissioners, District 4: Wayne Fournier
• Thurston County Board of Commissioners, District 5: Emily Clouse

So now...it's time to lean in!! Endorsements that are not followed up with campaign volunteer support are--well--pretty empty. We want to not just talk the talk, but walk the walk. That's where you come in!!

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Local Actions:

School Board PRIMARY Elections Matter!

Photo credit: Olympia School Board of Directors 

School boards have never been more important!

Many “parents’ rights” groups have infiltrated our schools to support book bans and the removal of discussions of race and LGBTQ+ issues in schools. Local groups were very active in opposing gender affirming care bill SB 5599 as well as opposing gun regulations. 

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs foster a culture of inclusion and belonging, creating a safe and respectful environment where every student can thrive. These programs are often targeted by far-right candidates who talk about “parents rights”. 

Actions: 
Get to know who is running for school board and where they stand.

• Use Vote WA to enter your County name and type “School” in the District Type box. Here you will find the names of those who are candidates for school positions. 
• Voters' Guide – PRIMARY 2023 will be mailed July 5 - Read it. It gives more information on each candidate, including candidate statements.

Support good candidates. 

• Use this document: Thurston PRIMARY School Board Candidates to avoid candidates (identified by red flags) who have ties to groups which promote pro-censorship, anti-public school views, who have independently expressed such views, whose campaigns are conspicuously silent on the need for inclusivity, or whose previous public service demonstrates lack of transparency.

 

• The above document was compiled by an Olympia Indivisible volunteer working with Washington STOP Moms for Liberty to help protect inclusive public education by researching school board candidates statewide.​​

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Federal Actions:

Protect Transgender Health Care

A bill (HR1399) introduced by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene would criminalize life-saving health care for trans youth nationwide. 

Data from more than a dozen studies of more than 30,000 transgender and gender-diverse young people consistently show that access to gender-affirming care is associated with better mental health outcomes—and that lack of access to such care is associated with higher rates of suicidality, depression and self-harming behavior. 

Major medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the Endocrine Society, the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association, have published policy statements and guidelines on how to provide age-appropriate gender-affirming care. All of those medical societies find such care to be evidence-based and medically necessary.

Action: Fight back against laws attacking LGBTQ communities and tell your Congressperson: Protect trans health care.

• Marilyn Strickland, Phone: 202-225-9740 or Contact Form 

Script: I’m from [City, Zip Code] and am concerned about protecting transgender health care. I’d like Rep. Strickland to oppose H.R. 1399, the so-called Protect Children’s Innocence Act, which would deprive children of critical gender-affirming care. 

[Source: ACLU]

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Support Julie Su as Secretary of Labor

Julie Su has made a career out of representing not only workers, but the most vulnerable workers in America. As a young attorney representing trafficked Thai garment workers outside of Los Angeles, she won $4 million in stolen wages. Her case set a huge precedent, and that was just the beginning of a storied career.

The problem? Well-heeled lobbyists and corporate special interests are spending big to block Su’s confirmation because they know she puts working people first.

Workers deserve a labor secretary who will fiercely defend them. Promoting economic stability for families and rebuilding the middle class calls for someone at the top who will work to protect working people, not corporations.

Action: Contact our senators now and tell them to vote to confirm Julie Su as Secretary of the Department of Labor.

Option A: Take this action with one click in Take Action Network (TAN) Support Julie Su as Secretary of Labor

Option B: Contact WA Senators

• Senator Patty Murray, Phone: 253-572-3636 or Contact Form 
• Senator Maria Cantwell, Phone: 253-572-2281 or Contact Form 
  • Email both your MOCs at once using Democracy.io. 

Script: 
Dear Senator, I'm reaching out to urge your support for Julie Su's nomination to become the Secretary of Labor.

Throughout her long career in public service and as a civil rights attorney, Su has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to ensuring that all working people are treated with dignity and are able to enjoy basic protections in the workplace. Her work has reflected a deep understanding of how equity, justice, and economic security are linked, especially for working people from communities that have been marginalized economically, socially, and politically.

Please ensure her nomination is confirmed soon.

Sincerely,

[Name]
[City, Zip Code]

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​Ask our Senators to Support the RECOUP Act

​Executives at Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank and First Republic Bank were paid millions of dollars over their tenures up until their banks failed, the bulk of the compensation coming in the form of company stock. That stock is now largely worthless but the CEOs still pocketed millions from the planned sales of their shares before the banks' collapse.

The Recovering Executive Compensation from Unaccountable Practices (RECOUP) Act addresses concerns surrounding executive accountability following recent bank failures by strengthening certain existing authorities regarding senior executives. The bill also requires banks to adopt forward looking, corporate governance and accountability standards to promote responsible management and provides clawback authority in the event of a bank failure.

The RECOUP Act will:

• Strengthen the banking agencies’ ability to remove or prohibit senior executives who did not appropriately oversee and manage the risks and governance of their banks.
• Require banks to include governance and accountability standards in their bylaws.
• Provide the FDIC with the authority to clawback certain compensation from senior executives at failed banks, including profits made by selling the bank’s stock.
• Increase and strengthen penalties against bad actors.

Action: Contact Senators Murray and Cantwell to ask them to support the RECOUP Act.

Contact WA Senators

• Senator Patty Murray, Phone: 253-572-3636 or Contact Form 
• Senator Maria Cantwell, Phone: 253-572-2281 or Contact Form 
  • Email both your MOCs at once using Democracy.io. 

Script: please feel free to personalize!

Dear Senator,
I'm a constituent from [zip code]. My name is ______. I want you to support the bipartisan Recovering Executive Compensation from Unaccountable Practices (RECOUP) Act. This bill would protect taxpayers by establishing measures to block massive, unjustified bonuses for senior executives of failed banks. CEOs of Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank and First Republic got millions of dollars in bonuses before their banks collapsed. This is wrong! We need legislation like this. 

Please support the RECOUP Act!

Sincerely,

[Your name]

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Have You Scheduled This Event?

Action Cafe 2023, 
Every Monday at Noon

The Cafe is a weekly Monday Zoom noon-hour gathering where OI members meet, make new friends, and take actions together. Every Cafe comes with a side order of live music and a heapin’ helpin’ of good cheer!

Cafe patrons receive an email on Sunday with a sneak-peek at what we'll do at the cafe the next day. On Monday morning, Chef Lisa will send you a pdf "Menu" which has links to the actions we'll take together at the Cafe. 

Action: Register HERE. We will send you a Zoom link and tomorrow morning, Chef Lisa will send your "menu."