July 11, 2020
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The Latest
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*Friend, you are not alone in this fight.* No matter what your key issue is right now — climate action, racial justice, economic equity, COVID-19 recovery — we are all in this together. We can accomplish so much when we unite across all issues and join forces in the fight for a better, more equitable tomorrow. Read on for the latest from Team Tom, plus resources for you to take action.
* 🌎 Tom is proud to help mobilize climate and environmental justice voters as the Co-Chair of the Climate Engagement Advisory Council for Vice President Joe Biden. *Learn more. ( [link removed] )*
* 💚 In 2018, Tom fought against Arizona Public Service, the largest utility in AZ, in support of Prop 127, which would have required electric utilities to get 50% of electricity from renewable resources by 2030. Though the state measure did not pass, renewables are now prevailing: APS just put out its plan to be carbon free by 2050. *Read more here. ( [link removed] )*
* 📰 The importance of the 2020 election cannot be understated or overlooked — Tom has been talking to reporters about what’s at stake this November and what to keep an eye out for. *Check out Tom in the news here. ( [link removed] )*
* 📩 As an advisor on Climate Power 2020, Tom co-signed a letter to Facebook asking the company to close a loophole that allows climate deniers to publish lies. The letter states: “By allowing climate misinformation to go unchecked, Facebook is actively putting the health and well-being of our nation’s most vulnerable low-income communities and communities of color at risk.” *Read more here. ( [link removed] )*
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Community Circle
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As a part of his work as Chief Advisor to Governor Newsom on Business and Jobs Recovery, Tom has asked this team about how COVID-19 has had an economic impact on your lives. We received many responses about people going through very hard times, as well as many stories about people finding ways to persevere through it all. *We want to share some of those stories — and some helpful resources — with you.* *Check out our COVID-19 Story Page, and share your story too.* ( [link removed] )
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Action Toolkit
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We recently asked you to email your representative to support the Justice in Policing Act. Thanks in part to the flood of emails sent from this team, that bill was passed in the House. As with many important pieces of legislation passed by the House, this bill is now languishing in the Senate under Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. *Email Sen. McConnell today and demand he takes up this important legislation. ( [link removed] )*
We’re committed to turning the tide on climate action this November, and that means electing climate leaders at every level of government. We’ve launched our Climate Candidate series in partnership with GiveGreen — *watch the first two candidates, Sara Gideon and Rep. Sydney Batch, talk to Tom about their passion for climate justice. ( [link removed] )*
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Worth a Review: Protester Rights
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As thousands of people continue to march at racial justice demonstrations across the country, some city administrations are listening to the people and committing to reallocate police funds. This is not the case everywhere. *Instead, we are seeing continued, racist police brutality and increased military involvement ( [link removed] ) , captured on camera and propelled by tweets from our racist president.*
The First Amendment protects our freedom of speech and right to peacefully assemble. However, there is an active effort to dismantle those protections through anti-protest legislation ( [link removed] ) and sanctioned use-of-force against protestors.
Progressive lawmakers are trying to fight back by approving an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act which would prevent the use of military force against peaceful protesters. That defense bill is unlikely to receive Trump’s signature ( [link removed] ) for unsurprising reasons.
The NDAA amendment would not impact the state-based laws that seek to criminalize peaceful protests for Black Lives Matter or for climate justice. It is notable that these legislative tactics were not utilized against protestors angry about shelter-in-place rules, many of whom stormed state government buildings ( [link removed] ) with firearms earlier this year.
*Regardless of what we’re protesting, every person has a Constitutional right to peaceful assembly — a right we need to protect.* *Before you join a protest, know your rights.* ( [link removed] )
*Tom’s take:* “Beyond infringing on First Amendment rights, these measures undermine a huge source for progress in this country. Often it is mass demonstrations that force slow-moving institutions to make meaningful change. The largely unnoticed campaign to cut down protests is just another way of trying to silence the American people.”
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Get Inspired
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( [link removed] ) Tom met Deanna Berry when he visited Denmark, South Carolina, to learn about the community’s poisoned drinking water. Since then, she has become a friend and continues to be a strong ally in the fight for environmental justice. Now, Ms. Berry is the CFO and Executive Director of *Vision Walkers* , an organization that promotes political engagement within Black communities. *Learn more about their important work by following them on Facebook.* ( [link removed] )
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