Dear Friend --

I am Rev. Michael Lehman of the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles. Last week, I had the privilege of journeying to Sacramento with other clergy and members of CLUE to join workers outside of the Capitol to ask that Gov. Newsom to sign AB 3216.

There, I met and prayed with workers whose lives and courage inspired me. I also listened to story after story filled with great anxiety and fear about the future, and whether that future might include the guarantee that the jobs they'd faithfully worked for years and decades would still be there after Covid.

Some workers are facing eviction, some wonder how they will provide for their families, and all expressed the hurt of feeling abandoned and betrayed when news of the Governor's unconscionable veto reached the group on Wednesday evening. 

As a follower of Jesus Christ and a citizen of California, I was disappointed and disheartened by the decision. Love of God and neighbor is the guiding ethic of my faith and life.

Therefore, I will continue to implore Gov. Newsom to reconsider those for whom life is especially difficult and who've been made even more vulnerable by his actions. I will continue to pray that he provides the protections and dignity workers deserve. Without them, our state's hotels, restaurants, banquet halls, theme parks, and others, do not work. More importantly, when the lives of others among us are diminished, we all suffer.  

Next week, we will be reaching out to you to sign a CLUE letter to Governor Newsom expressing our upset about this unconscionable veto.

Please read below updates on our work and upcoming events.

Table of Contents

Sacramento Dispatch

• CLUE takes to the State Capitol for AB 3216

Immigration Program

• Shelter Program: Episcopal church opens doors

BE COUNTED SoCal! Don't Forget About the Census!

Racial Justice

• Black Jewish Justice Alliance
• Black Brown Clergy Coalition

Los Angeles

• Grocery Workers begin Month of Mourning for 210K+ lost to COVID-19.

Long Beach and South Bay

• Ports Campaign
• Victory: Justice Fund permanent

Santa Monica

• New Affordable Housing Secured

Orange County

• Hope as a tool in the midst of pandemic

Sacramento Dispatch

As the end of the legislative session loomed on October 1st, CLUE pulled out all the stops for AB 3216, the Right to Recall law that would have protected veteran workers in the state's largest hotels. Over 250 clergy and lay leaders signed our letter urging Governor Newsom to sign the bill into law. Rev. Michael Lehman of First Congregational Church of Los Angeles led a CLUE caravan to the capitol to accompany fasting workers and fight for justice.

Tragically, the governor vetoed AB 3216 just hours before it would have become law. Unite Here Local 11 Co-President Kurt Petersen said it best:

"Workers were looking for a leader to walk with them through this time of struggle, and Governor Newsom did not support them. We held vigils, told our stories, cried, fasted, sang, and prayed to save these jobs. The Governor instead sided with the wealthy owners, like those at the Langham Huntington, the Terranea Resort, and the Chateau Marmont. 

This veto is devastating to all of us who have built the hospitality industry and on whose labor that industry runs—mostly women of color and immigrants. Compounding the pain are his vetoes of emergency food assistance to immigrants (AB 826) and workplace safety protections for domestic workers (SB 1257)."

Click here now to tell Governor Newsom what you think about his veto of AB 3216, the right to return to work.

Immigration Program

Shelter Program: Episcopal Church opens its doors

CLUE's Immigration Organizers helped The Rt. Rev. John H. Taylor, VII Bishop of the Los Angeles Episcopal Diocese, open another church to sponsor housing for detainees. St. John’s Episcopal Church in San Bernardino has provided five rooms to house immigrants. The church is beginning this service by welcoming two detainees released from Adelanto and Otay Mesa.

We are still organizing churches and community leaders who are able to provide shelter to recently released immigrants. If you or someone you know has a space to offer, please contact Juan Carlos Durruthy at [email protected] or Guillermo Torres at [email protected].

Racial Justice

The Black Jewish Justice Alliance (BJJA) is currently focused on Black-Jewish relations as well as criminal justice reform. The BJJA is working in coalition to defund the police and hold the LA County District Attorney's office accountable.

Through our advocacy, the Board of Supervisors passed a motion which prevents ICE from transferring anyone without a judicial warrant. By empowering the Community Oversight Commission and by giving the Board the power to remove the sheriff for specific grounds of violating the public trust, we aim to make right the system of checks and balances that currently is not working. We reiterate our call on Sheriff Villanueva to resign, and we continue our participation with Black Lives Matter LA’s action every Wednesday at 3pm at the Hall of Justice.

The Black Brown Clergy Coalition (BBCC) is a partnership between CLUE, clergy community groups, and SEIU 721. The objective is to bring Black & Brown community together to address issues affecting both communities. We are currently working to help address issues such as the effects of immigration on Brown & Black communities, the lack of housing & and issues of mass incarceration and police use of force.

The BBCC has two upcoming events:

We are working on abolishing USC Police and hoping to redirect their $50 million directly into the communities surrounding USC.

CLUE is also part of Reclaim Black LA, with Black Lives Matter, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Community Action Network, SCLC, ACCE and other community partners in an initiative to help house Black folks in the City of Los Angeles due the disproportionate effect of homelessness on the Black Community. 

BE COUNTED SoCal! Don't Forget About the Census!

CLUE continues to work to ensure that everyone is counted in Census 2020 throughout Southern California. In Los Angeles, we are distributing at food banks throughout the region. 

For information or materials, please reach out to Faith-Rooted Organizer, Rev. Juan Carlos Durruthy, at [email protected].

Los Angeles

Do you have or know of a local food bank?

We are collecting information about food banks across the region that can serve those in need. If you have any information, please fill out this google form.

Grocery Workers: October is Month of Mourning for those lost to Covid-19

On August 31^st, CLUE Clergy in Residence Rabbi Neil Comess-Daniels presided over a memorial service for over 5,700 grocery worker lives lost to COVID. On the heels of this observance, members of United Food and Commerical Workers Local 770 are lifting up the sanctity of the over 210,000 Americans lost to the novel coronavirus. 

Long Beach and South Bay

Ports Campaign 

CLUE partnered with Teamsters to host free COVID testing at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Long Beach. Rev. Nancy Frausto and Rev. Jane Gould provided a space for our community members to receive testing with safety. With positive feedback from the community, we are planning to continue supporting Teamsters to host more free-COVID testing in South Bay and Long Beach. Deacon Robert Vazquez represented the faith community from CLUE to express gratitude and support for our truck drivers.

Immigration Justice Fund permanent

On Tuesday, September 8^th, the Long Beach City Council voted to renew the Long Beach Justice Fund of $300,000 annually, and to make it permanently funded in the city budget. We are grateful for Pastor Cedric Nelms, Rev. Nancy Frausto, and Ann Burdette for speaking with councilmembers to advocate for the renewal of the Justice Fund. This will provide legal representation for Long Beach residents at risk of deportation.

Santa Monica

New Affordable Housing Secured

The long-sought renovation of the Fairmont Miramar hotel will move forward after the City Council approved by a vote of 4-2 the development agreement at last week’s council meeting. Members of CLUE's Santa Monica committee sent letters and emails, made phone calls, and joined the meeting to offer public comment in support of the project. CLUE is grateful to Mayor Pro Tem O’Day and to Councilmembers Jara, McCowan, and Winterer for their votes to approve.

Thanks to the community’s combined efforts, Santa Monica will have forty-two new affordable housing units and hundreds more good jobs. 

Orange County

Hope as a Tool in the Midst of the Pandemic: A Conversation

CLUE hosted “Hope as a Tool in the Midst of A Pandemic: A Conversation,” a much-needed event that took place on the evening of Tuesday, August 25^th. Approximately 30 people participated. It was an uplifting evening where CLUE succeeded in creating a safe space for a diverse group of Spanish-speaking residents and faith leaders who identify as Muslims, Lutherans, Catholics, and Evangelicals. We welcomed the participants with uplifting music. Angeles Urban, one of CLUE's 2020 Digital Summer Fellows, helped to prepare the curriculum and organize the event during and after the fellowship. Pastor Misael Fajardo-Perez of St. Peter Lutheran Church, Santa Ana graciously offered an opening blessing. After introductions, we coordinated breakout Zoom rooms where people shared how they have responded non-violently to injustices in their communities. 

Forty-Seven school employees in Buena Park School District will keep their jobs

Sixty-two classified employees and CSEA members in the La Habra School District had been facing layoffs. CLUE and community joined together to send in public comment to the school board. The members were then successful in reducing the layoffs from sixty-two to only fifteen, saving forty-seven jobs. There are currently nearly 300 jobs at stake in Los Alamitos Unified School District. Several CLUE community members submitted letters asking that the layoffs be rescinded.

Thank you for being on this journey with us. 

CLUE: Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice

http://www.cluejustice.org/