Inside this issue
• A History of Contribution Despite a History of Discrimination
• Budget Revise and Legislative News
• Revised Budget Provides Funding to Clean Up Toxic Battery Plant
• Bringing the Catholic Teaching to the Public Square as Priorities Shift
• Number of Vaccinated Individuals Contributing to Re-opening of State
• Special Events and Resources
A History of Contribution Despite a History of Discrimination
Understanding the Diversity of Asian American Pacific Islanders
Collectively and individually, the members of the California Catholic Conference of Bishops have called for an end to violence, discrimination, and hatred as we stand in solidarity with our Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) brothers and sisters. As AAPI Month comes to a close, the Conference offers the following reflection on a history of unjust discrimination, the uniqueness and pride of the many AAPI nationalities, and the ongoing contributions of our AAPI brothers and sisters.
In recent months, this nation has seen an uptick in violent discrimination against AAPI individuals. However, in reality, racial discrimination and hatred against Asians have occurred since their first appearance in the United States of America. This hostility against particular groups because of their ethnic origins has deep roots in our nation's past and was exhibited in laws such as the Page Act (1875), the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882), and the internment of Japanese Americans in World War II (1941). These policies and laws emphasized government support of the society's fear and prejudice against Asians.
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SB 380 - Extending Physician-Assisted Suicide
Tell your State Senator now to reject the elimination of "safeguards" and the expansion of physician-assisted suicide in our state. (English/Spanish)
SB 245 - Stop the Expansion of Taxpayer-Funded Abortion
Women need greater access to life-affirming services, not more assistance to have an abortion.
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Budget Revise and Legislative News
With the June 4 deadline for legislation to pass out of their house looming, lawmakers are busily trying to shepherd bills to the other side of the Capitol. Amidst that flurry of activity, Amidst that flurry of activity, Senator Toni Atkins also announced yesterday that lawmakers will only be allowed to advance 12 bills for the remainder of the Session, a result of increased COVID-induced technological issues that have taken extra time to work through in committee hearings.
Governor Newsom also released his May Budget Revise late last week, and thanks to the State's $76 million budget surplus ($37 million according to the non-partisan Legislative Analyst's Office), the proposal includes one-time allocations for items that have long been on the wish list for Californians.
The revised budget includes $69 million for the upcoming fiscal year and $1 billion ongoing to expand Medi-Cal coverage to all adults age 60 and over, regardless of immigration status.
The budget also contains an additional one-time $50 million allocation for immigration services, as well as extensive one-time funding for restorative justice programs, including adding an addition visitation day at prisons, providing technology for education for incarcerated individuals, and boosting the California Violence Intervention and Prevention Program.
The revision also includes steep investments to support the state's homelessness services, expand water safety and infrastructure, provide funding for low-income communities battling the effects of climate change, and increase in funding for CalWORKs and child welfare services.
Click here for a more comprehensive look at the budget allocations. Please also keep watch for alerts as budget bills begin to take center stage.
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Revised Budget Provides Funding to Clean Up Toxic Battery Plant
Coinciding with Ladauto Si' Week, the CCC is pleased to report that Governor Newsom's May budget revision allocates $454 million to clean up lead and arsenic that has polluted homes and neighborhoods near the toxic Exide battery recycling facility in Southeast Los Angeles.
The announcement of the clean up was made by local elected officials, including Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Los Angeles), Assemblyman Miguel Santiago, Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo (D-Los Angeles) and Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia.
The California Department of Toxic Substances Control estimates the toxic chemicals produced during Exide's non-permitted three decades of operation spread up to 1.7 miles away, contaminating schools, parks, and more than 10,000 homes in the largely working-class, Latino neighborhoods of Bell, Boyle Heights, East Los Angeles, Maywood, Huntington Park, and Commerce.
The budget also includes additional funding if the initial allocation does not complete the abatement of the site.
The Exide battery recycling plant, which produced a host of hazardous wastes as part of the process, operated for 33 years in Vernon without a permanent permit. It closed in 2015 as part of a nonprosecution agreement that allowed the company to avoid criminal charges.
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Bringing the Catholic Teaching to the Public Square as Priorities Shift
Fifty Years of California Public Policy Debates Create a Constant Challenge
Over the course of its five decades, the California Catholic Conference faced many significant legislative campaigns. The bishops, staff, and lobbyists offer the Church's wisdom, counsel, and experience to those who craft public policy in the public square. Over the Conference's 50-years, that effort has seen history-changing debates, evolving societal norms, and the ebb and flow of political tides. This article touches on some of the most noteworthy:
Every year an avalanche of more than 5,000 proposed laws inundates Sacramento.
Every year, staffers at the California Catholic Conference (CCC) sift out 800 - 1,000 of those bills for special attention. They prioritize the bills - some they engage heavily, others are monitored. The staff engages in the public policy debate depending on how each proposal advances life, promotes the common good, protects the dignity of workers, or impacts any of the other principles enumerated in Catholic social teaching.
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Number of Vaccinated Individuals Contributing to Re-opening of State
The prospects for re-opening and getting back to a semblance of what life was like pre-COVID-19 have never been better after news this week that 60 percent of all adults in the U.S. have received at least the first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine. It also helps that children ages 12 to 15 are also now eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine.
California dioceses are optimistic about widespread re-openings and evaluating the safest ways to continue to promote the common good and responsibly re-open church capacities. Check with your diocese or parish for details in your community. If you haven't already and are medically eligible, please vaccinate at your earliest opportunity. Click here to read the California Catholic Bishops and Healthcare Ministries' statement on the vaccines and caring for the common good.
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Special Events and Resources
Mental Health Month
How Your Church Can Help With the Mental Health Crisis
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May 21, 2021
Vol. 14 No. 19
California Catholic Conference
En Español
"Praying is not easy. Each time we want to pray, we think of many other activities that seem more important and urgent. Almost always, after putting off #prayer, we realize that those things were not essential at all. This is how the Enemy deceives us. #GeneralAudience" @Pontifex
BISHOPS' STATEMENT ON COVID-19 VACCINES
May
Join Pope Francis in praying for the end of the pandemic
How Your Church Can Help With the Mental Health Crisis
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