The election is now less than 2 months away. The Campus Democrats have tons of events and volunteer opportunities planned for you once school starts, but you can start volunteering now if you're in Santa Barbara! The Doreen Farr for 3rd District Supervisor, Hannah-Beth Jackson for CA State Senate, Capps re-election, and other various local campaigns all need your help. There are plenty of ways to get involved, check it out:
-Goleta Democratic Precinct Walk, this Saturday & Sunday (Sept 13 & 14). Walk to promote the entire SB Democratic ticket, from Obama to local Goleta candidates. Go door to door to talk with voters and distribute materials. Meet at 81 David Love Place at 10am on Saturday and/or Sunday and get out there! More details on the FB event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=33974495311
-Volunteer @ "Headquarters for Change", the offical HQ of the Santa Barbara Democratic Party. HQ always needs volunteers, so drop by anytime. 30 Chapala Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Phone # (805) 965 803. Taking the bus downtown is highly encouraged. Wednesday night Campus Dems get together and phone bank at HQ, if you're interested, email ucsbdemocrats@gmail.com and we'll arrange a car pool with you.
-Santa Barbara for Obama has several volunteer opportunities, from phonebanking at SB Dem HQs, to organizing trips to swing states like Nevada. SBFBO is going to Las Vegas this weekend, it's not too late to go! Stay in the Obama loop at http://sbforobama.com/
-Dorm Storm with UCSB Non-Partisan Voter Registration on Sunday, September 21. Every year, the UCSB Non Partisan Voter Registration Coaltion goes to every single RA meeting in the dorms to register new students to vote. We need as many volunteers as possible to "dorm storm" with us and make sure we get to register students at every single RA meeting. If you're interested in volunteering, email ucsbdemocrats@gmail.com
-Volunteer/Intern for the Doreen Farr campaign. Last spring about 20 students received academic credit and did a fantastic job interning for Doreen Farr. If you're interested, contact Doreen Farr's campaign HQ at: 805-681-710 and ask to speak with Gina Fischer.
-Volunteer/Intern for Hannah-Beth Jackson, call the HBJ campaign at 805-280-2408
Don't forget to have a good time, too. The Doreen Farr and Lois Capps campaigns are having a special "Thank You Volunteers" and Fall Kick Off Pizza Party at Gio's in Isla Vista on Wednesday (Sept 17) at 6pm. RSVP to the FB event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=33720723082
And don't forget to join the UCSB Campus Democrats email list (ucsbdemocrats@gmail.com) and join our FB group. We keep you in the loop with the latest political news and events. We've got an incredible Fall planned for you guys. Enjoy the last bit of summer, and get out there!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Thursday, September 4, 2008
The Latest on California's Budget Crisis
When it comes to the state budget, CA is always late. The deadline for the state budget was June 15. Today is September 4. We still do not have a budget, and we don't seem very close to a breakthrough. CA is the only state in the country without a budget for the new fiscal year (which began on July 1).
Let's cut to the chase: California has a $15.2 billion deficit. That's huge. I do not envy the legislatures that have to battle out a budget for us in Sacramento. But, we need to make sure that politicians in CA create a budget that will reduce our deficit, but at the same time not hurt the most vulnerable CA citizens by cutting spending for important safety net programs like Medi-Cal, Cal Grants, etc. Shoutout to Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, and to our Assemblymember, Pedro Nava, for working their tails off these past couple of months.
So how do we reduce our deficit, and still keep CA rolling? The Governor and Senate Democrats have proposed a small tax increase (1 cent sales tax- temporary). Assembly Democrats want to raise taxes on the rich and corporations, and remove some businness tax breaks.
The GOP want to borrow $2 billion from the future sales of lottery tickets. Really? Really.
This is where it gets ugly: in addition to borrowing dinero from the lottery, in order to avoid raising taxes the GOP has proposed the following cuts:
- $5.5 billion in education
- $1.5 billion in safety net programs (Medi-Cal, in-home care for the elderly, support for children, Cal Grants, student aid)
- Borrow $349 million from a fund that supports low-income housing across the state
On the front page of San Francisco Chronicle this morning is an article, "Needy Students Face Loss of Cal Grant Aid" that is definitely worth reading (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/09/03/MNCL12NJAD.DTL&tsp=1).
So that's the latest on the CA state budget crisis. Call your Assemblymember today and tell them not to cut Cal Grant Aid for needy students, not to give into GOP demands that would slash funding from our already crumbling school system and safety net programs.
If you live in Santa Barbara, call Assemblymember Pedro Nava's office at (916) 319-2035 and encourage him to fight the proposed GOP cuts.
Let's cut to the chase: California has a $15.2 billion deficit. That's huge. I do not envy the legislatures that have to battle out a budget for us in Sacramento. But, we need to make sure that politicians in CA create a budget that will reduce our deficit, but at the same time not hurt the most vulnerable CA citizens by cutting spending for important safety net programs like Medi-Cal, Cal Grants, etc. Shoutout to Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, and to our Assemblymember, Pedro Nava, for working their tails off these past couple of months.
So how do we reduce our deficit, and still keep CA rolling? The Governor and Senate Democrats have proposed a small tax increase (1 cent sales tax- temporary). Assembly Democrats want to raise taxes on the rich and corporations, and remove some businness tax breaks.
The GOP want to borrow $2 billion from the future sales of lottery tickets. Really? Really.
This is where it gets ugly: in addition to borrowing dinero from the lottery, in order to avoid raising taxes the GOP has proposed the following cuts:
- $5.5 billion in education
- $1.5 billion in safety net programs (Medi-Cal, in-home care for the elderly, support for children, Cal Grants, student aid)
- Borrow $349 million from a fund that supports low-income housing across the state
On the front page of San Francisco Chronicle this morning is an article, "Needy Students Face Loss of Cal Grant Aid" that is definitely worth reading (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/09/03/MNCL12NJAD.DTL&tsp=1).
So that's the latest on the CA state budget crisis. Call your Assemblymember today and tell them not to cut Cal Grant Aid for needy students, not to give into GOP demands that would slash funding from our already crumbling school system and safety net programs.
If you live in Santa Barbara, call Assemblymember Pedro Nava's office at (916) 319-2035 and encourage him to fight the proposed GOP cuts.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
McCain's VP pick
On Friday, John McCain shocked everyone (and by everyone, I mean a some people) by announcing his running-mate, Alaskan governor Sarah Palin. As a virtual unknown on the national scene, many people were left wondering, who is Sarah Palin?
Here's some basic background, courtesy of MoveOn.org:
-She was elected Alaska's governor a little over a year and a half ago. Her previous office was mayor of Wasilla, a small town outside Anchorage. She has no foreign policy experience.
-Palin is strongly anti-choice, opposing abortion even in the case of rape or incest.
-She supported right-wing extremist Pat Buchanan for president in 2000.
-Palin thinks creationism should be taught in public schools.
-She's doesn't think humans are the cause of climate change.
-She's solidly in line with John McCain's "Big Oil first" energy policy. She's pushed hard for more oil drilling and says renewables won't be ready for years. She also sued the Bush administration for listing polar bears as an endangered species—she was worried it would interfere with more oil drilling in Alaska.
...I don't know about you, but this doesn't exactly inspire my confidence for a woman who is a heartbeat away from the presidency--the highest office in the United States. She does not have the judgment, the experience, or the record to hold this office, and it is shameful that McCain chose her with (seemingly) the sole intention of attracting disappointed Clinton supporters. Sarah Palin stands on the opposite end of the political spectrum from Senator Clinton; fighting against choice, against responsible sex education, against science-based education, against Clinton's passion for affordable healthcare. Clinton and Palin both represent women who have had great success in the old boys club known as politics--but the similarities end there.
Here are some other interesting links to articles about Sarah Palin.
http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/09/the_palin_meltdown_in_slomo.php
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/greg-mitchell/cindy-mccain-on-abc-today_b_122759.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Palin
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/2/16501/55338/100/583660
http://www.akip.org/platform.html
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/2/163845/8978/122/583646
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/2/16501/55338/100/583660
Here's some basic background, courtesy of MoveOn.org:
-She was elected Alaska's governor a little over a year and a half ago. Her previous office was mayor of Wasilla, a small town outside Anchorage. She has no foreign policy experience.
-Palin is strongly anti-choice, opposing abortion even in the case of rape or incest.
-She supported right-wing extremist Pat Buchanan for president in 2000.
-Palin thinks creationism should be taught in public schools.
-She's doesn't think humans are the cause of climate change.
-She's solidly in line with John McCain's "Big Oil first" energy policy. She's pushed hard for more oil drilling and says renewables won't be ready for years. She also sued the Bush administration for listing polar bears as an endangered species—she was worried it would interfere with more oil drilling in Alaska.
...I don't know about you, but this doesn't exactly inspire my confidence for a woman who is a heartbeat away from the presidency--the highest office in the United States. She does not have the judgment, the experience, or the record to hold this office, and it is shameful that McCain chose her with (seemingly) the sole intention of attracting disappointed Clinton supporters. Sarah Palin stands on the opposite end of the political spectrum from Senator Clinton; fighting against choice, against responsible sex education, against science-based education, against Clinton's passion for affordable healthcare. Clinton and Palin both represent women who have had great success in the old boys club known as politics--but the similarities end there.
Here are some other interesting links to articles about Sarah Palin.
http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/09/the_palin_meltdown_in_slomo.php
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/greg-mitchell/cindy-mccain-on-abc-today_b_122759.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Palin
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/2/16501/55338/100/583660
http://www.akip.org/platform.html
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/2/163845/8978/122/583646
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/2/16501/55338/100/583660
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