Citizen Action Weekend ’26 Newsletter, Friday, January 16th
Donate/Join Citizen Action of Wisconsin to start 2026!
In 2026, Citizen Action is building the grassroots power across the state to protect democracy from an authoritarian onslaught and to enact cutting-edge reforms on pressing issues like affordable health care, energy costs, the climate crisis, and raising wages for working people.
Help us meet the organizing challenges of this moment!
Citizen Action Fights Energy Sucking Data Center Bill at the State Capitol
Citizen Action member Amber Joy Kostecki and Citizen Action Climate Coordinator Kat Klawes attended today’s state legislative public hearing on a terrible Republican data center bill that attacks clean energy!
The bill fails to address how Wisconsin will meet the huge increase in energy demand from data centers and the long-term cost, health, and climate impacts of those decisions.
We discuss the Republican bill and a Democratic alternative bill on the new Battleground Wisconsin Podcast.
Listen here to the entire podcast.
The truth is, Wisconsin has no Climate Plan to evaluate the climate impact of all the energy-sucking data centers invading our communities or anything else!
It is a matter of political will. The climate goals are easily technologically and economically achievable.
That’s why we are organizing support for Wisconsin to pass the Climate Accountability Act (AB 145/SB 150; Over 40 legislative co-sponsors, so far), which requires Wisconsin for the first time to adopt an accountable Climate Action Plan that tracks and cuts greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030, while maximizing the economic benefits of climate action for all Wisconsin residents.
Learn more about the Climate Accountability Act.
Sign our petition to fight back against data centers, lack of environmental protections and join us in calling for a statewide pause of approvals of A.I. data centers.
Join our organizing fighting climate change, contact: Kat.Klawes@citizenactionwi.org
Citizen Action of Wisconsin State Healthcare Action Update
Over the past several months, the Affordable Care Act has been on a rollercoaster in Washington. Votes in the House and Senate have swung back and forth, creating uncertainty and real anxiety for families who rely on the ACA for coverage. While a clean 3 year extension of the ACA enhanced tax credits passed in the house, the Senate just voted no. Bipartisan compromises are being discussed but no one is holding their breath.
Please call your Members of Congress today! Demand they vote YES on a three-year extension of the current enhanced premium tax credits (ePTCs), with no new restrictions. Better yet, tell them to improve affordable coverage for our communities by working to make the ACA tax credits permanent and reversing the harmful health care cuts in H.R.1 that are already resulting in higher health care costs and shuttered hospitals.
To take action today, call this number to be connected with your Senator: (202) 224-3121
Call this number to be connected with your House Representative: (202) 225-3121
In response to this federal instability, we are working on state-level solutions that can help mitigate the damage and protect Wisconsin families. That’s why we are laser focused on key legislation like the BadgerCare Public Option, which would expand affordable coverage and strengthen our health care system right here at home. It would provide coverage for those left behind if the ACA tax credits aren’t extended.
Main Street Alliance Lobby Day – Tuesday, January 21
Citizen Action is joining the Main Street Alliance and other partner organizations at the Capitol in Madison for a lobby day to advocate for the BadgerCare Public Option as well as other key legislation. This is a critical moment to show lawmakers that Wisconsinites are demanding bold action to make health care affordable and accessible.
Our movement continues to grow. Our statewide health care team is expanding and is meeting monthly, and our local teams across the state are gaining new members and momentum.
We are also actively looking for people who are directly impacted by ACA and Medicaid cuts—those dealing with medical debt, coverage gaps, denied care, or rising costs. Your stories matter, and they are essential to winning real change.
If this is you or someone you know, we want to hear from you—and we want you in this fight. Together, we’re building power to protect and transform health care in Wisconsin.
For information please contact Kristie Tweed, Healthcare Action Coordinator at 608-317-1331 or kristie.tweed@citizenactionwi.org
Citizen Action Northeast Organizing Cooperative Update
Starting on January 6th, a news story was run about people in Greenleaf WI being approached by Cloverleaf, a developer looking for space to put an AI data center, to sell their land. Greenleaf residents were quick to sound the alarm to their neighbors! By the 7th a facebook group called “Stop the Greenleaf Data Center” was created by a partner organization, Moms Clean Airforce. They were quick to tap us in to help with strategy and administration. We were able to grow that group to 3 thousand people in less than 72 hours.
Everyone was very clear on our mission as a community in the Fox Valley area: Stop this data center and save ourselves from high utility bills, overuse of water, taxes to foot the bill for the development of the infrastructure needed to build this monstrosity, and keep our air clean.
Citizen Action worked quickly to put together a petition that included language we know would work and an explainer to educate the public. We published it on Sunday to gather signatures before the Monday info session–a local business owner was incredibly concerned put together.
By Monday night reports that Cloverfield was no longer interested started to circulate. By Tuesday it was clearly confirmed that they were not looking at Greenleaf anymore due to public unity against the project.
On Wednesday the 14th the town assembled for the village board meeting demanding that they take action to protect the town from this in the future. The room was packed. Standing room only even after they brought in more than 50 extra chairs. The board did not seem to want to take that request under advisement, but the crowd was unified in knowing what they wanted and being clear. When the request was not heated, the community moved quickly out of the building to show their displeasure. That really was the key here–the community and the surrounding supporting municipalities came together with one voice to declare that these data centers are not wanted and are no good for our land and water or our people.
In just 5 days of solid, steady, rapid organizing–pulling on our existing resources–we were able to get this harmful project shut down. Now, the fight isn’t over! They’re still looking for a site in northeast Wisconsin. They’re still wanting to use our water to support their profits. They are still wanting us as the people who actually live here pay increasing costs so that they can run this complex on our dime.
We won this battle, we won it quickly, but we are still in a war against climate change and these data centers are sure to make that battle harder. That’s why we must work together to pass the Climate Protection Act and the 2% utility rate cap because our communities need these and other protections.
We discuss the Republican bill and a Democratic alternative bill on the new Battleground Wisconsin Podcast.
Listen here to the entire podcast.
Please consider signing this petition from Clean Wisconsin that Citizen Action supports Stop unchecked data center development and please reach out to me, your organizer if you’d like to get involved in this fight.
Contact: Garnet De Grave 920-309-0356 g.degrave@citizenactionwi.org
Upcoming meetings:
We are so excited to announce our $20/Hour Minimum Wage Action Team will be launching in North East Wisconsin!
There are 800,000 Wisconsin workers who make less than $20/hour, 30% of workers, and yet in every area of Wisconsin the living wage, the amount needed to afford the basics of life, is over $21 per hour for a single person!
The stagnant and outrageously low minimum wage is not an accident, it is not natural, it is a sign of the corruption of our democracy. The economy has been rigged against working people to benefit the wealthy and the powerful through the lobbying and political might of exploitative employers like fast food chains and big box stores, and big corporate lobbying interests like Wisconsin Manufactures and Commerce (WMC).
Their voices are heard more loudly than the people at the State Capitol. As a result, working people have lost their bargaining power in the economy. Without a reasonable minimum wage, workers are left at the mercy of the greedy and the powerful.
We want to change that!
The meeting will be held hybrid at long-time member Rep Amaad Rivera-Wagner’s community office on Friday the 23rd at 6PM and via zoom.
Amaad is extremely excited to be supporting this bill and thrilled that Citizen Action can make good use of the space he created for the community. Our Guest speakers for this meeting are MASH union president Peter Rickman (representing workers at Lambeau Field) and Rep Amaad Rivera Wagner will also help with his experience as a community organizer!
If you make less than $25 an hour, we really want you to join us and be a part of this team.
RSVP for this meeting.
Healthcare Action Team meeting:
The Northeast Healthcare team meeting will be held on January 20th, at the East Green Bay Library room D at 6:00pm
Attend Milwaukee Area $20 Wage Action Team, Monday, Jan. 19th, 6pm
Live in the Milwaukee area and want to get involved in our organizing support for a new $20 Wage bill in the State Legislature?
Also Join us on Monday, January 19th, 6pm at our office to get involved with our Milwaukee organizing.
We will be planning a big Milwaukee Town Hall event at the meeting in addition to providing updates on the bill’s drafting and political support.
For more information, contact: Maletha.Jones@citizenactionwi.org
Follow our new $20 Wage Milwaukee Action Team facebook page!
If you live outside the Milwaukee area but are interested in organizing support for the bill in your area of Wisconsin, contact: Matt.Brusky@citizenactionwi.org
Health care is under attack: We fight back! Attend Healthcare Town Hall in Milwaukee, Saturday, January 31st, 11am
Health care in Wisconsin is under attack from cuts to Medicaid and Medicare to hospital closures and rising costs that hurt all our families and communities.
Join Citizen Action of Wisconsin for a community health care town hall in Milwaukee to learn what’s happening, hear from neighbors directly impacted, and find out how we can fight back together.
We’ll discuss hospital accountability, new state legislation to expand health care access through a BadgerCare Public Option.
Saturday, January 31st, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
MLK Library, 2901 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Milwaukee
For more information or questions: Ruben Aquino, Southeast Co-op Organizer; ruben.aquino@citizenactionwi.org
Citizen Action Southeast Organizing Cooperative Weekly Update
Here’s what’s happening this week.
🏥 Health Care Action Team
Our Health Care Team meeting went well, with strong participation and momentum as we continue organizing for accessible, affordable health care.
Please save the date for our Health Care Town Hall on January 31 at 11:00 AM at the MLK Library. This will be an important space for community voices and shared solutions.
👉 Register for the Town Hall
🌿 Climate Action Team
Our next Climate Team meeting is Monday, January 26, 6:00–7:00 PM at the Citizen Action office. We’re continuing to grow the team and dig into climate and utility justice work. New members are welcome to join us.
✊ Movement Politics Action Team
We’re gearing up for Movement Politics interviews on Wednesday, February 4 at 6:00 PM. This team helps interview and evaluate candidates and plays a key role in building people-powered political strategy. If you’re interested in joining, we’d love to have you involved.
Questions or want to get plugged in?
📞 Ruben Aquino – 414-377-2995
📧 ruben.aquino@citizenactionwi.org
In solidarity, Ruben
Attend Citizen Action Driftless Organizing Cooperative Social, Wednesday, January 21st, 6pm
Join us for the first Driftless Region Citizen Action social of 2026!
We’ll gather for pizza, conversation, and community at Big Al’s (Downtown LaCrosse, 115 3rd St. South) on Wednesday, January 21 from 6–8 PM.
New members, longtime supporters, and curious neighbors welcome. No program—just good conversation.
For more information, contact: Aron.Newberry@citizenactionwi.org
Attend the Coalition Winter Gathering in Eau Claire, Saturday, January 31st
Citizen Action of Wisconsin’s Northwestern Organizing Cooperative is co-hosting the Coalition Winter Gathering in Eau Claire on Saturday, January 31st from 1-3pm at the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public LIbrary (400 Eau Claire St, Eau Claire, WI 54701).
The purpose of the event is to gather folks involved, or who want to be involved, with grassroots organizations in the Eau Claire area, to build community over food and music, and share and build relationships with each other and figure out how to support each other and the issues we face in 2026.
Other co-hosting organizations include JONAH, Wisconsin Conservation Voters, League of Women Voters, WECAN, Chippewa Valley Votes, Power Up Eau Claire, and Wisconsin Public Education Network. FREE & Open to the public.
Share the event on Facebook.
Citizen Action North Central Organizing Cooperative Members Join “Ice Out” Protests in Merrill and Rhinelander
A North Central Co-op leader felt driven to do something in response to the tragic events that led to the death of Renee Good.
He wanted to organize something in Wausau, and wanted it to coincide with other events happening across the country. Given that he had less than 24 hours to do so, he joined an event organized by Wisconsin Resist in Merrill instead. This was an opportunity for him to network, and be prepared to lead any future events if they occur. Members joined the events in Merrill, as well as in Rhinelander in solidarity with those across the country.
To get involved in the Wausau area, contact: Joel.Lewis@citizenctionwi.org
Citizen Action in the News
Citizen Action’s Robert Kraig was on the Earl Ingram Show to discuss the relationship between the affordability crisis and the threat to democracy.
Citizen Action’s Robert Kraig on the Jeff Santos Show on the political and economic side of the fight to save democracy.
Listen here (at the 2 hour 8 minute mark in podcast)
Listen to “Greenleaf Data Center: Organized People Win!” Battleground Wisconsin Podcast
We applaud a victory for local democracy this week in little Greenleaf, Wisconsin. When Big Tech came calling, local residents pushed back so quickly on a proposed data center that the developers immediately pulled out. We put the Greenleaf story in perspective, taking a deep dive into the details of bills from Legislative Republicans and Democrats, and commitments so far by candidates for Governor, to create a framework for regulating data centers. Are the current proposals enough to make sure the data center binge will not jack up already high utility rates, and prevent a response to global warming at the scale and urgency of the crisis?
We also evaluate the first 2026 Affordable Care Act enrollment numbers in the aftermath of the end of enhanced affordability subsidies. Will the enrollment numbers get worse without meaningful action by Congress? We close with the ongoing attempt to criminalize dissent at the state Capitol.
Listen to the show.
