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** alliance4action Newsletter
March, 2021
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**
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** Message from our New Chair,
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** Arlynne Ostlund
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**
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Greetings on behalf of the alliance4action (a4a) leadership team! My name is Arlynne Ostlund, and I am the new chair for a4a. Regrettably, but also understandably, Polly Daly, who has been our chair, needed to step down for personal reasons. We are grateful to Polly for her many years of dedicated and wise leadership of a4a and our many thanks go out to her. She will remain an active member of a4a, we just will not have the benefit of her sage presence on our leadership team.

As the new chair, I will attempt to fill her shoes, but will only be able to do so with support from all of you. As a4a is an all-volunteer organization, our impact and political influence in our community depends on all of us. We remain committed to progressive ideals and actions that bring justice and equality to our community!

Please visit our website, [link removed] excellent place to get our upcoming events on your calendar! We also invite you to join one of our action teams, a great way to get to know others and to make a difference. And while you are visiting the website, don’t forget to select the membership tab and join our organization if you have not already done so.

Our voices together are louder and stronger! I look forward to collectively lifting our voices for democracy and I am most appreciative of the opportunity to serve a4a. Please join us!


**
a4a April Program Meeting
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** Sunday, April 18, 2 p.m.
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** The Colibrí Center for Human Rights
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** Presented by Tony Banegas, CEO
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The Colibrí Center for Human Rights works to create a safe, humane, and effective process for families of missing migrants to find answers. The organization promotes healing and change by working with families of disappeared migrants to identify and honor those who have lost their lives on the US-Mexico border.

Zoom Link:

[link removed]

Meeting ID: 892 1473 8037
Passcode: 180688


** Treasurer's Report
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Balance as of February 1, 2021 $3.934.50

Income $530.62

Expenses $134.00
Balance as of March 11, 2021 $4,331.12

Maggie Sievers, Treasurer


** a4a Action Groups
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Contact and meeting information for all groups available at:
[link removed]


** Climate
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Earth Day April 22, 2021: Restore The Earth - earthday.org



1. Climate Team Communications for the coming months will be action alerts and notices by email. Monthly a4a climate conversations by Zoom have ended. Team members will be sending Letters to the Editor in April for EarthDay.

2. Energy Efficient Building Codes: As a follow-up to the a4a Climate Conversations speakers on energy efficiency, the Climate team will be in contact with local officials in Santa Cruz County and the AZ legislature re. energy efficiency in local building codes and the role of public advocacy for “greener” building codes.

3. Corporation Commission: The latest update reported at the AZ Dem Environmental Caucus is that the AZ bill that would have voided the Arizona Corporation Commission's clean energy rules is not being brought forward for a vote. If this holds, it will be a major win for clean energy. The bill has been opposed by environmental groups, businesses and trade associations and lots of folks using Request to Speak.

Here is an informative discussion of the business and conservative opposition to the bill:
[link removed]


4. Rosemont Mine: Proponents of the Rosemont Mine project had a recent court victory. Friends of the Scenic Santa Ritas, opponents of the mine, are awaiting another court decision in the coming months. No actions are called for at this time. Stay tuned.

Link to article:
[link removed]

5. Green Valley Litter Patrol - Earth Day
Someone in Green Valley is organizing an event in conjunction with Earth Day's Great Global clean-up. Here is the information to sign up:

I-19 miles 41 to 38 around Green Valley, AZ
Register to attend: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
Maximum attendance: 25
Event start time, date, and location:
4-20-21, 8 am to 11 am

6. Water Talk. Connie Williams is giving a presentation on Water in AZ to the Green Valley Democrats in April. The talk is open to the public. Look for link on AZ Green Valley Dems webpage: [link removed].

7. An OLLI Class "Climate Conversations" with talks by Connie Williams followed by group discussion will be offered at OLLI for the summer and monsoon season sessions:
[link removed]

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** Education
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The Educatio n Action Group continues to track and oppose the many bills in our state legislature that will result in decreased funding for public education. These bills will affectively nullify the ballot initiatives passed by the majority of voters to limit school vouchers and to provide increased revenue from a surtax on high incomes.

Our April meeting will feature a guest speaker, Gwen Payton, from Black Mothers Forum. She will discuss the organization’s effort to end the “school to prison pipeline” that is all too common for children of color. Details and the Zoom link are available at:
[link removed].
All are welcome!

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** Healthcare

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The Health Care Group met on 03-17-21 via Zoom. We had eleven present. We had an excellent guest speaker, Maddy Bynes, who is Director of Public Policy and Special Projects for the Pima Council on Aging (PCOA). A link to the recording of the presentation can be found on a4a’s website, Healthcare Page:
[link removed]
It is also available on the a4a Facebook page:
[link removed]

Select highlights from Bynes' talk included that PCOA is committed to racial and social equity in their organization and services. Another was that most of the problems with home-based and long term care services existed before the pandemic. The pandemic threw the problems into high relief. There is some help in the American Rescue Plan and in some bills pending in the Arizona Legislature. Arizona does better than most in the realm of Medicaid funded home care services. There is a dreadful dearth of direct care workers in the field and even $15 per hour won’t solve it. Staff are having to choose between long term care and Taco Bell, which actually pays well and offers benefits.

Our shortened agenda included brief review of our drug pricing reform priority, status of the ACA and immediate improvements, and a future public option in the marketplaces. . We are still reviewing the Indivisible Guide 2.0 as a potential road map for our actions.

Our next meeting will be April 21st at 1 pm via Zoom. Please contact Laurie Jurs at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) if you would like to join in. We would love to have you!
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** Immigration
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COMPLEX B ORDER ISSUES DELAYING IMMIGRATION REFORM

Southern Border Talking Points by the a4a Immigration Action Group. Read here. ([link removed])

Watch Jake Soboroff interview Alejandro Mayorkas (DHS Secretary) about border issues here ([link removed]) . (20 minutes)

Listen to Secretary of Homeland Security, Mayorkas, on Meet the Press March 21, 2021 her ([link removed]) e ([link removed])

"Biden struggles to unravel web of Trump immigration rules" (The Hill) Read here ([link removed]) .

CALL TO ACTION - FOR ARIZONA RESIDENTS

SCR1044 (in-state tuition for undocumented students) has passed the AZ Senate. Now we need to support this bill in the AZ House so it will appear on the ballot in 2022 here in Arizona. Please do the following:

1) Call (602-926-3128 (tel:602-926-3128) ) or email ([email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) ) Speaker of the Arizona House of Reps "Rusty" Bowers to request that he bring SCR1044 to the floor for a vote.

2) Also, contact your AZ Representative to support SCR1044. Find your AZ Representative here ([link removed]) .

NOTE: According to the National Council of State Legislatures three states—Arizona, Georgia and Indiana—specifically prohibit in-state tuition rates for undocumented students, and two states—Alabama and South Carolina— prohibit undocumented students from enrolling at any public postsecondary institution.

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** Racial Justice
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The Ra cial Justice Group continues to get its feet wet, exploring how we will move forward and discussing what we will focus our efforts on. Currently the group is researching a list of 12 national and local racial justice organizations to determine how we might select and support one of the groups. It isn't clear exactly what our support will look like until we learn more about each organization. The group members have been supportive of letting the process lead us until our path becomes clearer.

It was decided to hold meetings on the first and third Thursday of each month at 4:00 p.m. The next meeting is Thursday, April 1st. (no foolin' !) Please contact Sydney Chayes at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) if you would like to join the group or learn more about the group's efforts

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