Citizen Action Weekend ’26 Newsletter, Friday, January 23rd
Join/Donate to Citizen Action of Wisconsin
Organizing for a $20 Wage in Wisconsin
Let Wisconsin workers fight inflation and the high cost of living with their work. Make all work pay!
Learn more and take action in support of soon-to-be-released state legislation raising the Minimum Wage to $20/hour.
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!
Many people who make above the living wage also have trouble making ends meet and getting ahead because their wages are also depressed by the artificially low wage floor in Wisconsin. When the minimum wage is increased all boats are lifted.
Learn more and take action in support of soon-to-be-released state legislation raising the Minimum Wage to $20/hour.
Citizen Action members attend Wisconsin Main Street Care Day of Action at the State Capitol
This Tuesday, Citizen Action members traveled to Madison to talk directly to their state legislators and build community across organizations at the Wisconsin Main Street Cares Day of Action.
Members spoke with legislators about a BadgerCare Public Option bill to expand access to healthcare to more Wisconsin workers and small businesses currently locked out of affordable care.
Other issues members discussed included increasing public school funding and child care.
Photos: Citizen Action leaders Julia Bennker and Chris Hambuch-Boyle, who are members of the Northwest Organizing Cooperative, met with State Senator Jeff Smith in his office, and visited with Rep. Christian Phelps and Rep. Angelina Cruz. They also met with staff for Rep. Emerson and had almost an hour meeting with State Senator Jesse James.
Citizen Action Driftless Organizing Cooperative Meet and Greet Social
Despite frigid temperatures and dangerous road conditions, 30+ people turned out in La Crosse for Citizen Action Driftless Organizing Cooperative meet and greet social!
Thanks to everyone who came out to build some community.
During brief remarks, the message was direct: everything feels terrible because many things are terrible. People are losing health insurance. Democratic norms are being shredded. Armed federal agents are showing up in communities. The outrage and fear people feel are real and justified.
But there is still control. You can organize.
Real change is still possible when people build power locally and statewide, through elections, issue campaigns, and sustained organizing.
Next opportunities to plug in the La Crosse area:
- Healthcare Town Hall -February 4- La Crosse; A community forum focused on protecting and expanding access to healthcare.
- Governor’s Forum- February 28- La Crosse: Creating space to hear directly from candidates on healthcare, climate, and Wisconsin’s future.
- Key 2026 elections ahead- Races that will shape Wisconsin’s future and our daily lives. Spring: State Supreme Court, Local County Board, and School Board. Fall: Primary & General for State Assembly and Governor, and Congress.
If you live in the Driftless Region and want to help build power around these efforts, reach out to Aron Newberry at aron.newberry@citizenactionwi.org
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
🏥 Health Care Town Hall — Don’t Miss This
Our Health Care Town Hall is happening January 31 at 11:00 AM at the MLK Library, and this is a big moment for our work. We’ll be bringing community members together to share real stories, lift up solutions, and fight for affordable, accessible health care.
👉 You don’t want to miss this — register here
The more people in the room, the stronger our collective voice. Invite a friend and plan to attend.
🌿 Climate Action Team — Join Us
We are actively looking for more members to join our Climate Team. Our next Climate Team meeting is Monday, January 26 from 6:00–7:00 PM at the Citizen Action office. If you’re interested in getting involved, reach out directly—we’d love to have you join the team and help shape the work ahead.
✊ Movement Politics Action Team
Our Movement Politics Team will be holding endorsement interviews on Wednesday, February 4 from 5:30–8:00 PM. This team plays a key role in interviewing and evaluating candidates and shaping people-powered political strategy. If you’re interested in joining, now is a great time to get involved.
Questions or want to plug in?
Contact: Ruben Aquino 📞 414-377-2995 📧 ruben.aquino@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.
Listen to “Freddy Peralta trade, wage floors, and the politics of MLB” Battleground Wisconsin Podcast
The Milwaukee Brewers’ billionaire owner traded All-Star Freddy Peralta yesterday for prospects, leaving fans upset at the trade and the financing of Major League Baseball that created and normalized such a lopsided and unfair trade.
We welcome Simon Rosenblum-Larson, a former minor league baseball player who helped organize a union for minor league players, to provide his perspective on the trade and take a deep dive into the financing and politics of MLB that enriches billionaires while extracting money from taxpayers.
We close with Lisa Lucas, the co-host of the Brewers Babes Podcast, to get her take on the trade and MLB’s broken system.
Listen to the show.
Read Simon Rosenblum-Larson op/ed in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel calling for The New Wisconsin Idea, a vision for democratic renewal rooted in our progressive tradition.
Listen to the Brewer Babes Podcast, featuring Lisa Lucas.
