Citizen Action Weekend ’26 Newsletter, Friday, January 30th
Donate/Join Citizen Action of Wisconsin!
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 announces Governor Forums across Wisconsin!
This August and November, Wisconsinites will vote for their next governor. But before they get there, they need to meet the candidates! Citizen Action is excited to host forums around the state, giving folks a chance to hear directly from the candidates about values such as healthcare, climate change, $20 Wage, democracy, and more.
Citizen Action will be running a thorough endorsement process with the goal of endorsing in the primary. Over the last decade, Citizen Action has established itself as one of the premier social justice groups in Wisconsin, and has had a strong record of endorsing in primaries, including major state primaries!
We believe the strongest candidates focus on a bold agenda and are committed to working with grassroots groups that represent their constituents’ interests. We believe in candidates who will work to achieve a democracy which delivers again and again for the multiracial working and middle class.
Our endorsement process will consist of in-person candidate forums in our five co-op regions around the state, and one virtual forum.Forum attendees will be asked for feedback on what they heard from candidates, and that feedback will be used to guide our endorsement decision.
CAN WE COUNT ON YOU TO JOIN US?
LA CROSSE (Hosted by: Southwest Driftless Organizing Cooperative)
WHEN: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28th
DOORS OPEN 9:30am, FORUM 10am-12pm
WHERE: First Congregational UCC, 2503 Main Street, La Crosse.
WAUSAU (Hosted by: North Central Organizing Cooperative)
WHEN: SATURDAY, MARCH 14th
DOORS OPEN 9:30am, FORUM 10am-12pm
WHERE: TBA
MILWAUKEE (Hosted by: North Side Rising and Southeast Organzing Cooperative)
WHEN: SATURDAY, MARCH 21st
DOORS OPEN 9:30am, FORUM 10am-12pm
WHERE: TBA
STATEWIDE VIRTUAL
WHEN: TUESDAY, APRIL 14th, FORUM 6-8pm
GREEN BAY (Hosted by: Northeast Organizing Cooperative)
WHEN: SATURDAY, APRIL 18th
DOORS OPEN 9:30am, FORUM 10am-12pm
EAU CLAIRE (Hosted by: Northwest Organizing Cooperative)
WHEN: SATURDAY, APRIL 25th
DOORS OPEN 9:30am, FORUM 10am-12pm
WHERE: TBA
For more information, please reach out to Priscilla Bort, CAW Political Director, at priscilla.bort@citizenactionwi.org with any questions or needs.
Citizen Action State Healthcare Action Team Update
Last week, Statewide Healthcare Team member and Driftless member leader Lori Toso joined Healthcare Action Coordinator Kristie Tweed for a powerful Day of Action at the State Capitol. Together with Main Street Alliance and a broad coalition of partners—including Family Friendly WI, 9to5, WECAN, WPEN, Mother Forward, Motherhood for Good, NOW Appleton, and the Wisconsin Hemp Farmers and Manufacturers Association—they advocated for policies that put Wisconsin families first.
Lori and Kristie met with Sen. Brad Pfaff and Rep. Steve Doyle to urge support for critical healthcare legislation, including the BadgerCare Public Option, Postpartum Medicaid Extension, Paid Family and Medical Leave, and more. The following day, they continued meetings with legislators and staff to advance the BadgerCare Public Option and Hospital Accountability measures. They also discussed Sen. Pfaff’s newly introduced bill, SB 50, which would cap insulin costs and establish a Prescription Drug Affordability Review Board—a major step toward lowering prescription drug prices.
You can learn more about these efforts and how to get involved by attending one of our upcoming Healthcare Town Halls:
Milwaukee – Healthcare Town Hall: A Community Call to Action
📅 Saturday, January 31 | ⏰ 11:00 AM
📍 Martin Luther King Library, 2901 N. Dr. MLK Jr. Dr., Milwaukee
La Crosse – Healthcare Town Hall: A Community Call to Action
📅 Wednesday, February 4 | ⏰ 6:00 PM
📍 Black River Beach Neighborhood Center, 1433 Rose St., La Crosse
Green Bay & Wausau – Locations and dates coming soon
Reminder: Our Statewide Healthcare Team meets Tuesday, February 3 at 7:00 PM on Zoom.
To get involved in our healthcare work, contact Kristie Tweed, Healthcare Action Coordinator, at 608-317-1331 or kristie.tweed@citizenactionwi.org.
Green Bay area members start organizing support for $20 Wage legislation.
Green Bay area Citizen Action members met last Friday on a frigid night to plan organizing support for a new $20 Wage bill in the state legislature.
Thanks to the nearly 2 dozen people, including supporter State Representative Amaad Rivera-Wagner, who joined in person or via Zoom.
The group met with Peter Rickman, president of the MASH union and member of the Living Wage Coalition to discuss how we can build support from residents in Northeast Wisconsin to lobby and pressure state legislator and governor candidates to support and lead on making $20 Wage a toip issue in the 2026 Election and top priority to pass in 2027 with a new governor and stat legislature.
To join our organizing, contact: g.degrave@citizenactionwi.org
Take action in support, send a letter to your state legislators.
Attend the Coalition Winter Gathering in Eau Claire, Tomorrow, 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.
Attend Healthcare Town Hall in Milwaukee, Tomorrow, 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
ATTENTION Driftless region: Why You Need to Be at the Healthcare Town Hall on February 4th, in La Crosse.
Right now, Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act are under attack, and the cuts will hit Wisconsin families hard. On February 4th, we’re gathering in La Crosse to hear directly from people already feeling the impact and to talk about what we can do about it.
This isn’t just another meeting. We’ll hear from SEIU members, St.Clare Health Mission (a free and charitable clinic), and community members whose lives have been upended by rising costs and reduced access to care. We’ll also discuss two critical bills we’re pushing in Madison: the BadgerCare Public Option, which would create affordable health coverage for all Wisconsinites, and the Hospital Accountability Act, which would restore public oversight to hospital pricing and prevent the monopoly practices driving up costs and closing rural hospitals.
These are real solutions to real problems, but they only move forward if we show up and make our voices heard.
We need you there, not just to listen, but to share your story if healthcare costs have affected you or someone you love. And we need you to help us reach more people. Share the Facebook event with your friends. Like and comment on the post so it shows up in more feeds. The more people who show up, the stronger our message to Madison.
Wednesday, February 4th, 6-7:30 PM at Black River Beach Neighborhood Center, 1433 Rose St., La Crosse. RSVP appreciated but not required. See you there.
Aron Newberry- Driftless Region Organizer
Citizen Action Southeast Organizing Co-op Weekly Update
🏥 Health Care Town Hall — Happening Tomorrow
Our Health Care Town Hall is tomorrow, Saturday, January 31 at 11:00 AM at the MLK Library. This is a key moment to bring community voices together and push for real solutions around affordable, accessible health care.
👉 You don’t want to miss this — register here:
If you haven’t signed up yet, there’s still time—bring a friend and show up strong.
🌿 Climate Team Update
Our Climate Team met recently and is already taking action—lobbying city legislators in support of two key climate bills. We’re keeping the pressure on and building momentum.
📣 The Climate Team is also hosting a Utility Justice Town Hall on February 24—more details coming soon.
📅 Next Climate Team meeting: March 3 at 6:00 PM
We’re actively looking for more members—reach out directly if you want to get involved.
✊ Movement Politics Team
Our Movement Politics Team endorsement interviews are happening on Wednesday, February 4 from 5:30–8:00 PM. This team helps interview and evaluate candidates and plays a key role in our people-powered political strategy. New members are welcome.
Questions or want to plug in? Ruben Aquino: 📞 414-377-2995
📧 ruben.aquino@citizenactionwi.org
Citizen Action in the News
Citizen Action’s Robert Kraig on the Jeff Santos Show to put the fight in Minneapolis in perspective of the fight to save democracy.
Citizen Action’s Robert Kraig was on the Earl Ingram Show on the Civic Media radio network to discuss the deeper threat to democracy.
Listen to ““The Bitter Fruits of Failing Democracy” Battleground Wisconsin Podcast
This week we put the tragic events and courageous resistance to tyranny in the Twin Cities in the context of our failing democracy. A new report from the Urban Institute shows that Wisconsin has fallen behind other states in income over the past 50 years, especially compared to our neighbors in Minnesota and Illinois. How does the failure of Wisconsin’s economic policy relate to the vulnerability of democracy?
We assess the role of the Democratic Primary for Governor, and the active involvement of organized groups such as Citizen Action of Wisconsin, in charting a new policy course that truly addresses the income and affordability crisis. We also give a detailed update of the data center controversies across the state.
We invite all Battleground Wisconsin listeners to attend Citizen Action’s Governor Forums in La Crosse, Eau Claire, Wausau, Green Bay, and Milwaukee. RSVP for the La Crosse Forum here.
Listen to the show.
