More than two months ago, the Democratic House passed the HEROES Act to address a wide range of pandemic & economic issues and provide emergency relief to people who desperately need it. McConnell and the Republican-controlled Senate refused even to discuss it, let alone vote on it. When the emergency provisions of the CARES Act expired at the end of July, Republicans proposed a totally inadequate HEALS Act that provided more tax cuts for wealthy corporations, more weapons for the Pentagon, and business immunity (impunity) from COVID-negligence lawsuits. They couldn't get enough support for it within their own party to bring it to the floor.
Trump then seized the opportunity for some election self-promotion by issuing three executive orders of dubious legality. He boasted that they would provide the emergency relief that Americans need, but his orders are worthless shams that will do nothing for us, and one of them contains a stealth attack on Social Security and Medicare. Negotiations between Democrats, Republicans, and the White House have broken down, Congress is on holiday, the pandemic rages unchecked with hospitals overwhelmed and testing resources still inadequate, millions of people are out of work without funds to sustain themselves, and tens of millions now face imminent eviction and foreclosure.
You can read more on our blog about how Trump’s executive orders are designed to deceive instead of actually helping people. But this is not just Trump’s failure. Our Members of Congress can’t let negotiations for real aid grind to a halt.
Tell our Members of Congress: get back to work!
Contact your senators and tell them to cancel their vacation and get back to work on passing aid legislation.
Fight for alternatives to police intervention in the State and City!
The California State legislative session is in full swing and already very dramatic. As a part of the CA:StateStrong coalition, we’re keeping an eye on a whole slate of bills. This week, we want to highlight votes on two specific bills that are especially important in our fight to hold police accountable and to prevent police violence.
First, the CRISES Act is up for a vote in the Senate on FRIDAY. The CRISES Act, or AB 2054, would fund community alternatives to police crisis response. The CRISES Act directs the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) to administer $16 million in grants to community organizations in at least ten counties over the next three years.
Amid the protests of killings of innocent people by police and demands to defund the police, the CRISES act would provide urgent reform. We’ve already demanded that our State Senator Scott Wiener vote YES on AB 2054. Give him a call this week and let him know you’re watching.
Contact State Sen. Scott Wiener and tell him: vote YES on the CRISES Act.
Next, we need to stop SB 665, a bill that’s doing the exact opposite of the CRISES Act.
State Senate bill 665 would divert funds from the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), which provides for community mental health programs, to jail-based mental health programs, overseen by the sheriff’s department. It's another instance of prioritizing policing over community services that keep people from being criminalized. It has been passed by the State Senate and will soon come up for a vote in both houses of the State Legislature. We need our Assembly members, David Chiu and Phil Ting, to vote NO on it.
Contact your Assembly member and tell him: vote NO on SB 665.
And finally, join us at 10am on Friday for public comment in the San Francisco budget hearing!
This is the exciting continuation of the budget saga, which we’ve talked about before. Before the Board of Supervisors’ Budget and Appropriations Committee, thirteen departments, including DPW, SFPD, and the sheriff’s department, will present their planned expenditures as outlined in the mayor’s recent budget proposal. In light of the tragic injustices of the racist killings of George Floyd and countless others, we joined many activists in questioning the enormous budgets allocated to our law enforcement agencies. And with the economic devastation of the pandemic, it is doubly unjust to continue giving more money to the police department while cutting crucial services that vulnerable people most need.
We are making the same demands as before: to reallocate SFPD’s budget increases to services the City needs! We’ll be live-tweeting the hearing - join us by giving public comment as well! You can also email [email protected] to leave your public comment.
Join us by phone or on the web on Friday, August 14, at 10 AM for the Budget hearing!
All hands on deck for 2020!
We’re speeding towards election day, and the stakes could not be higher. Our democracy, our livelihoods, and our very lives are at stake.
We need to do two things: get out the vote for the biggest landslide possible and demand our Members of Congress do everything possible to secure the elections.
Drumbeat to protect elections!
We’re asking our members to contact their Members of Congress every day to ask them to publicly and vocally commit to securing our elections and to follow through with every power they have.
Check out our action script for sample messages to call in, email, or tweet to your members of Congress.
Start texting NOW!
Indivisible National’s text banking initiative is picking up steam, and we need more people to get trained and become texting experts.
Don’t miss the text banking training webinar today, August 12, at 5:30 PM (PT). Register here for it.
If that date doesn't work for you, look for “Indivisible Text Banking Training” events on Indivisible National’s frequently updated texting schedule.
On Saturday, August 15, from 5-6 PM, join numerous Indivisible chapters, led by Indivisible Los Gatos, for a Zoom fundraiser for Indivisible’s Payback Project. What does it take to win a seat in the Senate? Attendees will get an "insider look" on how to take back the U.S. Senate and how the Payback Project will do that. There will be time for sharing stories and a Q&A. Guests include Rep. Anna Eshoo (CA-18), Ezra Levin (co-founder of Indivisible National), and María Urbana (national political director of Indivisible National). Donate and RSVP here.
For more information on how you can plug into electoral work, check out our Voter Outreach page!
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ISF General Meeting: Sunday, August 16, 1–3 PM via Zoom. Register here to join our online meeting. The meeting is open to anyone interested in resisting Trump's radical agenda of hate, division, and greed.
Wednesday, August 12, at 4 PM: Indivisible Night Virtual Community Phone Bank with Grassroots Democrats HQ. (This event repeats every Wednesday in August.) In light of the growing coronavirus threat, Indivisible and the Grassroots Democrats HQ have gone virtual. Join us from home to defend the House and flip the Senate. Sign up for a shift here.
Thursday, August 13, 7-9 PM: Indivisible SF Members of Congress Meeting. Please join us for the next ISF MoC meeting to plan our federal calls to action and demands of our representatives and senators. RSVP here.
Thursday, August 13: Call Florida Voters with Seed the Vote and New Florida Majority. Participants will call voters in Broward County in support of a progressive state attorney candidate, Joe Kimok, ensuring they are registered and set up to vote by mail and inviting them to volunteer. Sign up for a shift here.
Friday, August 14, 10 AM - 4 PM: SF BoS Budget & Appropriations Committee Meeting. Thirteen departments, including DPW, SFPD, and the Sheriff’s Department, will present to the committee their planned expenditures from the mayor’s recent budget proposal. Join us as we live-tweet and participate in public comment at this meeting.
Friday, August 14, 6-7 PM: Pints & Postcards! The pandemic might keep us from holding our popular Pints and Postcards event, but that just means we have to bring the event to you. Join your friends at Indivisible SF and Vote Forward for Virtual Pints and Postcards. RSVP here.
Saturday, August 15, 5-6 PM: Don’t Flip Out, Flip the Senate Fundraiser! Several Bay Area Indivisible chapters led by Together We Will/Indivisible Los Gatos are organizing a fundraiser for Indivisible National’s Payback Project. Donate and RSVP here.
Ongoing Events
As the election approaches, several organizations are running ongoing events happening daily or weekly until election day. Sign up for a shift on the dates below:
6 days a week: Virtual Phone Banks with Flip the West! Flip the West and Commit to Flip Blue jointly host a virtual phone bank focused on flipping U.S. Senate seats, six days a week, right up until November 3. Sign up for a shift here.
Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays: Spanish Language Phone Banks with Flip the West! If you are fluent in Spanish, you are needed to call Spanish-speaking voters about electing Democrats to the Senate and White House. Sign up for a shift here.
Wednesdays and Thursdays: Pennsylvania Stands Up/Seed the Vote Phone Bank training. PASU will train you to phone bank to help support general election work between now and November. Sign up for a shift here.
Wednesdays: Sister District SF, Swing Left SF, and DemAction SF Phone Banks for Joanna and Celina. Join every Wednesday from 4-6 PM to get Texas candidates Joanna Cattanach and Celina Montoya elected and flip the Texas State House blue. Sign up for a shift here.
Sundays at 4 PM: Phone Bank for AZ with Sister District, Swing Left SF, and DemAction SF. Join Sister District SF, Swing Left SF, and Democracy Action SF every Sunday, starting Sunday, August 2, from 4-6 PM to get Arizona candidates Felicia French and Coral Evans elected and flip Arizona blue. Sign up for a shift here.
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Keep Fighting,
The Indivisible SF Team
If you'd like to support our all-volunteer team:
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Open the app and tap 'create new account' to sign up
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