Citizen Action Weekly: Friday, July 17th

Friday, July 17th

Citizen Action announces more 2020 State Legislative Candidate Endorsements

Friday afternoon, July 17th the Citizen Action Board announced more candidate endorsements in state legislative elections. There will be more endorsements coming throughout the summer.

Senate District 16: Melissa Sargent
Senate District 18: Aaron Wojciechowski
Assembly District 37: Abigail Lowery
Assembly District 38: Melissa Winker
Assembly District 69: Brian Giles
Assembly District 78: Lisa Subeck
Assembly District 81: Dave Considine
Assembly District 85: Jeff Johnson

Milwaukee County Election
Register of Deeds: Israel Ramon, Citizen Action Healthcare Co-op member

Vote safely and conveniently from home in 2020! 

All Registered Wisconsin voters are eligible to vote with an absentee ballot. You can request ballots for both the primary and general elections in 2020.

Request your absentee ballot today.

• Primary Election is Tuesday, August 11th; Thursday August 6th is the last day to request your absentee ballot.
• General Election is Tuesday, November 3rd; Thursday, October 29th is the last day to request an absentee ballot.

Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich & Sen. Dave Hansen endorse Citizen Action co-op member Kristina Shelton for 90th Assembly District!

Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich and state Sen. Dave Hansen joined other Democrats this week as they endorsed Northeast WI Co-op member Kristina Shelton in the 90th Assembly District primary.

The backing from Hansen and Genrich comes less than a week after Democratic leaders in the Assembly threw their support behind Shelton, a member of the Green Bay School Board.

The primary election is Tuesday, August 11th.

“Words cannot express how tremendously honored I am to have the support of Mayor Genrich and Sen. Hansen. In their own way, they have both fought hard for the working people of Green Bay, and knowing I have them behind me shows the community that I am the one clear choice for Democrats on August 11.” — Kristina Shelton

Request your absentee ballot today!
Donate today to Kristina Shelton.
Volunteer to help the campaign!

Citizen Action holds 4 media events on Wednesday to urge Congress and the President to take action on COVID-19 relief & demand WE Energies and utilities stop power “cut offs”.

This Wednesday, July 15th, Citizen Action held 4 media events and a rally and march in Milwaukee telling Congress and the President to take urgent action in the next ten days to maintain existing pandemic relief efforts and expand them with new investments to address the full depth of the employment crisis in Wisconsin. The media events and the march in Milwaukee demanded that WE Energies and other utilities end planned “cut offs” of customers on July 25th.

When Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) in March, it was impossible to know that the pandemic would continue to spin out of control after the four month sunset of many of its provisions. It is now essential for Congress to pass a new round of relief, extending current benefits and dramatically expanding them to the scale of the crisis.

Milwaukee: North Side Rising leads rally and march to We Energies.

In Milwaukee, Citizen Action’s North Side Rising organized a rally that called for federal action to provide financial assistance to institutions and individuals still struggling in Milwaukee during the pandemic. The rally included Supreme Moore-Omokunde, who is running for State Assembly District 17, who advocated for the Jobs for Economic Recovery Act and for calling for a moratorium on We Energies and utilities from cutting of power to those who can’t currently pay their bills.

Sign our petition calling on We Energies to stop the “cut offs”

State Representative Jodi Emerson leads Eau Claire pandemic event.

State Representative Jodi Emerson (AD 91), Eau Claire City Council member Emily Berge, and Citizen Action Wisconsin’s Executive Director Robert Kraig joined together in Eau Claire Wednesday to urge congress to extend unemployment relief to thousands of families struggling to make ends meet during the COVID-19 pandemic. Emerson and Berge, who is also a Citizen Action endorsed candidate for the 68th assembly district, made a point to explain that this isn’t about people not wanting to work, but rather unable to due to businesses wrestling with their bottom line, child care, and health concerns.

Madison leaders speak out on pandemic relief and jobs creation

Citizen Action of Wisconsin hosted a major press event with Executive Director Robert Kraig, Madison’s Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and representatives from Kids Forward and the United Way to advocate for pandemic relief packages.  Presenters spoke of the need to pass Tammy Baldwin’s legislation to extend the federal pandemic unemployment benefits AND to create millions of federally subsidized jobs.  You can read more about this event here and here.

In Green Bay, Mayor Eric Genrich and Citizen Action urge extension of Pandemic Relief

“We really don’t have the resources to respond in a way that’s necessary, so that’s why we’re relying on the federal government that does have the resources at their disposal… They need to act expeditiously, as quickly as possible to respond to the needs of these families that are going to have these benefits cut off in the next few weeks.” Green Bay Mayor and co-op member, Eric Genrich

You can find out more about our Green Bay event here! Both members Desiree May and Eric Genrich spoke at the event, along with Kevin Kane.

Sign Petition to Stop the WeEnergies “Shut Offs”

Home Healthcare Workers deserve so much more

The ladies of the Care in Action team held a zoom party with the main goal of advocating for better benefits for home healthcare workers.  There is a shortage in this workforce and because now, more than ever people are starting to realize how valuable and noble these workers are.  They allow people to live as independently as possible in their own homes.

Governor Evers appointed a task force to study the shortage and we only had a short amount of time to submit public written advocacy in the form of an online survey.  Many members of the healthcare co-op stepped up and submitted a uniform push for higher pay, health coverage and paid leave. We submitted over 60 surveys statewide and I am sure our effort was noticed.

If you want to join us email [email protected]. We have a great camaraderie while also making the world a better place.  Friendship and change is very uplifting during this time so you should join us.

Make Medicines Work with Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes

Medicines can’t work if nobody can afford them. That’s why people all across the country are coming together to MAKE MEDICINES WORK. Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes, Maine State Senator Rebecca Millett, experts on pharmaceutical monopolies and grassroots leaders directly impacted by this crisis joined us last Thursday in a special live event hosted by the Action Center on Race & the Economy (ACRE), Center for Popular Democracy (CPD), People’s Action, Public Citizen and Social Security Works.

This is just the beginning of this campaign so there will be plenty of opportunities to be active around this issue. Email Karen at [email protected]

You can watch the whole event here, if you missed it.

La Crosse County joins 70+ other communities demanding Guaranteed Health Care for All

This week the La Crosse County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution calling on Senator Ron Johnson, Senator Tammy Baldwin, and Representative Ron Kind to work toward the immediate implementation of universal health care, like Medicare For All Act of 2019.

The resolution is one of more than a dozen that have been passed in 2020. The effort is organized by numerous local, state, and national organizations and elected officials, including Citizen Action of Wisconsin, the Coulee DSA, Public Citizen, and Our Wisconsin Revolution.

County Board Chairperson Monica Kruse stated, “Our voices will join those of the many other counties across Wisconsin and throughout the nation demanding a more equitable, more efficient and more inclusive healthcare system.”

“Single payer, publicly funded, national healthcare insurance is the most economical and most equitable way to achieve full healthcare services for all people,” agrees Citizen Action of Wisconsin Driftless Co-op member Mark Neumann.

The Medicare for All Act of 2019 would guarantee comprehensive health care coverage for all Americans and would eliminate co-pays, deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs that are keeping needed health care out of reach for residents of La Crosse County.

Volunteer to Help Citizen Action endorsed State Assembly candidate, JoAnna Bautch

Calling all volunteers! Join Team JoAnna for volunteer opportunities every weekend (including this weekend) leading up to the August 11th primary election. Pick a date or a few that work best for you and help us connect with voters across the 8th Assembly District on Milwaukee’s near south side. We will have a variety of safe volunteer activities for folks to engage in.

Sign up here: https://forms.gle/oYyZSJ5je4AxnFeKA
Learn more: https://www.facebook.com/JoAnnaforWI/events

Northwestern Co-op Virtual Coffee w/Your Co-op Dates! 

We will be having numerous “Coffee w/Your Co-op” events in July! We are working on building our membership and activism in the rural communities across Northwestern Wisconsin and we need your help! Please ask 1-2 friends to join us virtually on the date that corresponds to where they live and let them know how they would be paramount to our important organizing work in 2020 and beyond! Please register for one of the dates below (BYOCoffee!)

July 17th – St. Croix, Polk, and Burnett Counties – Register Here
July 24th – Pierce, Dunn, and Pepin Counties – Register Here
July 31st – Eau Claire, Trempealeau, and Chippewa Counties – Register Here

Driftless Co-op hosting a candidate town hall with endorsed State Assembly candidate Josefine Jaynes

Please join Citizen Action on July 21st at 6:00 PM for a very special town hall with State Assembly candidate Josefine Jaynes.  Josefine is running for the 96th Assembly seat covering Vernon, Crawford and Monroe Counties.

Josefine was one of the first candidates to receive a Citizen Action endorsement in the new Driftless Region Co-op.  At age 18 Josefine is also the youngest candidate Citizen Action of Wisconsin has ever endorsed. Josefine is committed to fully funding our public schools, ensuring that every Wisconsinite has access to healthcare, addressing the housing and daycare shortage in the district and safeguarding our water both for our health and our tourism. Even though Josefine has spent her entire life surrounded by politics she has committed to not being a career politician. She wants to get in, make the kind of changes Wisconsin needs and get out.

This very special, virtual, town hall is open to the public (even those outside of her district) but RSVP is required to join.  Please use this link to RSVP.  You will receive the Zoom link after you RSVP.  Space is limited so reserve your spot now!

“Stand Against Medical Debt” Rally and Protest August 2nd 3:00 PM

Citizen Action and SEIU Healthcare are taking a stand against medical debt. Join us for a socially distant rally and protest to let Gundersen Healthcare System know that they need to stop suing their employees and the community over medical debt!

Please use this form to RSVP for this important event.

We demand Gundersen:

1. Cease suing our community members and employees for medical debt
2. Forgive existing medical debt
3. Provide Gundersen employees with affordable health insurance coverage

Remember to bring water and sunscreen.  Also please wear the color purple in solidarity.

PLEASE USE THIS FORM TO RSVP
PLEASE USE THIS FORM TO SIGN OUR DIGITAL PETITION AGAINST MEDICAL DEBT

 

“Schools during COVID-19 pandemic” Battleground Wisconsin Podcast

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to surge, and Wisconsin state government is at a standstill, Wisconsin municipalities are stepping up with new mask ordinances. Citizen Action holds news events around the state to call attention to the damage inaction in Washington is doing to the economic well being of working families. Without urgent action by the middle of next week, the unemployed will be cut-off of enhanced unemployment assistance, and we are already facing a wave of utility cut-offs, evictions, and foreclosures. As corporate leaders and their political puppets demand the reopening of schools, we welcome Ben Ward from the MTEA (the Milwaukee teacher’s union) to discuss whether it is even possible to have in-person classed safely when the pandemic continues to rage. We also talk with Voces de la Frontera’s Christine Neumann-Ortiz and Mario Ramirez about their follow up meeting with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services concerning the outrageous decision to withhold the COVID-19 infection numbers of businesses.

Sign MTEA petition to open schools safely.
Sign our petition to stop the We Energies shut offs!

LISTEN NOW – EPISODE #451
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