Citizen Action Weekly: Friday, June 28th
Mireya Mercado Starts as Citizen Action’s New Digital Media & Community Outreach Organizer
Mireya Mercado is an organizer with a digital communications and public relations background who will work to amplify Citizen Action’s social media presence, and the role of directly impacted people in our campaigns. Mireya has worked on various electoral and issue campaigns. She also led student efforts at Marquette University to ensure equitable representation of students of color on campus. She recently completed a fellowship at NextGen where she mobilized the youth vote on her campus. Mireya looks forward to utilizing digital tools and direct organizing to highlight our fight for equitable access to health care for all. Her principal focus this year will be recruiting and average people with health care stories to impact the fight for guaranteed affordable health care.
Health Advocates in 9 Wisconsin Cities Urged Lawmakers to Expand BadgerCare in the state budget.
Unfortunately, the full State Legislature failed to override the disastrous Finance Committee rejection of federal Medicaid expansion.
This Monday June 24th, a day before the full Legislature began voting on the state budget, Citizen Action members led a statewide health care day of action urging lawmakers to accept federal Medicaid money to expand Wisconsin’s popular BadgerCare program. Citizen Action members also trekked to Madison from across the state to lobby their legislators one last time before the big votes in the Assembly and Senate.
Showing the breadth of public support, there were twelve BadgerCare expansion events in nine cities, including Eau Claire, Green Bay, La Crosse, Milwaukee, Minocqua, Ladysmith, Wausau, Brown Deer, and Madison.
Over 80,000 working people in Wisconsin living just above the poverty line are denied access to affordable health coverage through no fault of their own. They
hold jobs that do not provide affordable health coverage, the kind of jobs that have grown the fastest since the Great Recession, in retail, home care, restaurants, child care, agriculture, and many other professions.
“Unfortunately this week Republicans turned their backs on working people with jobs that do not
provide affordable health coverage,” said Robert Kraig, Executive Director of Citizen Action of Wisconsin. “Governor Evers would be justified in using his veto pen to force Republicans to the table to work out a budget that serves the interests of the people of Wisconsin.”
Read the media Coverage: WQOW TV Eau Claire; WKTB TV La Crosse; WSAW TV Wausau; WAOW TV Wausau; WSAU Wausau TV Shepherd Express
A Victory for Milwaukee’s Green New Deal
This week Citizen Action won the first step in a major campaign we have been developing over the last three years to initiate a just climate transition that meets international climate targets and addresses the horrendous level of racial economic inequality in Milwaukee.
On Thursday, June 27th, the City of Milwaukee started the process with a unanimous Rules Committee vote to create of a City-County Task Force to begin developing a Green New Deal plan. The task force resolution now goes to the full City Council, and to the Milwaukee County board.
Citizen Action members from the Southeast Wisconsin Organizing Co-op are playing a very active role in leading this campaign. This work is being coordinated by the Milwaukee Economic Climate Justice Coalition (MECJC), which includes Citizen Action, Sierra Club, 350.org, and other partners. The Milwaukee Area Labor Council endorsed the task force, and there will be members of organized labor on the panel. A special thanks goes to our sponsors, Milwaukee Common Council President Ashanti Hamilton and Milwaukee County Supervisor Supreme Moore Omokunde.
Read more in the Shepherd Express
The campaign is being led by Citizen Action Civic Engagement Program Director Rafael Smith. For more information about how you can get involved contact [email protected]
Southeastern Co-op Day of Action
We had a big day in Milwaukee on June 24th. We had dozens of folks who participated in Gordon Park, El Rey Grocery Store, and at City Hall. We had State Reps, County Board Supervisors, activist and multiple Citizen Action members joined us in the battle to let the Republicans know that we want our HealthCare. We had powerful testimonies where heard how having health coverage saved an elected official’s life. We heard from a single mom who struggles with two jobs and still cannot afford health coverage. We took it to the streets and our community was in full support. We had multiple people give us a honk as they drove by. Citizen Action is very grateful for all the folks who participated.
Updates From the North Central Organizing Co-op
On Monday, June 24th, Members of the NC Organizing Co-op held Expand Badgercare rallies in 3 cities in the region! One in Wausau, one in Minocqua and one in Ladysmith. Prior to these events, efforts were under way to get Badgercare resolutions passed at the county level.
On Tuesday, June 18th, the Lincoln County Board, on a unanimous voice vote, passed a Badgercare resolution, stating that the Board wishes for the state to accept the federal funds to expand Badgercare. On Tuesday, June 25th, the Rusk County Board passed a similar resolution unanimously, thanks to the efforts of NC Steering Committee member and Rusk County Board Supervisor Chrysa Ostenso.
On Monday night, June 24th, NC Organizing Co-op member David Barnhill, gave a presentation on the Green New Deal. David lives in Vilas County (Hazelhurst) and traveled to Eau Claire to give his presentation and then headed back to Wausau on the same day! We were joined by Wausau City Council member Pat Peckham, who shared with us steps that the City of Wausau has taken, or continues to pursue to become a more green city.
City of Eau Claire Approves All Gender Restroom in Owen Park
This week the Eau Claire City Council passed an amendment supported by Citizen Action Co-op members Laura Benjamin and Andrew Werthmann to include an All Gender Restroom in Owen Park. Andrew Werthmann said “Eau Claire’s parks just became a little more welcoming and a little more caring for all our families and neighbors. I’m proud that we are a community that values diversity.” Congrats Eau Claire and thanks for your leadership.
“Gerrymandered democracy” Battleground Wisconsin Podcast
We discuss the new Supreme Court decision to rubber stamp partisan gerrymandering and its link to the bad budget that just cleared the State Legislature. We game out the potential next steps for Governor Evers in the budget drama. Next, we talk about Trump’s effort to redefine poverty in a way that will remove a million people from important social services. Finally, we analyze the first Democratic presidential debate and take a closer look at Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign.
Facebook post of the week
