alliance4action Newsletter
September, 2021
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Message from our Chair
Perhaps you feel as I do--you have blinked, and in that nanosecond the summer has gone by and here we are at Labor Day! I do hope you have all had a restful, fun, and invigorating summer! So now it is time for an a4a update of the summer and what’s ahead in September.
We were all surprised in August as Ann Striker announced to us that she would be leaving our a4a leadership team as she and her wife, Valerie, are moving to Atlanta to be closer to family. Ann, as many of you know, was one of the founding mothers of a4a, providing vision and putting in the grunt work to get a4a off the ground. She has continued to be a vital part of our team, providing inspiration and motivation to us all. Her keen insights always seem to cut through all the complexities and zero in on the core concern in a most practical way! We will sorely miss her. We wish her and Valerie all the best as they start this new chapter in their lives. September is looking to be an exciting month!
On September 12th, please join us for a Petition Palooza. We need your “John/Jane Hancock” on the various petitions and referendums that are seeking to overturn the laws enacted by our AZ Republican legislature this past session. Also, come out and meet some of the potential candidates for CD2 and the AZ legislature as they collect nominating signatures. The Palooza event will be held at the GV Democrats’ headquarters in the Continental Shopping Plaza, September 12th from 10am to 2pm. See you there!
September 19th, we resume our monthly a4a general Zoom meetings. We are excited to have Katie Hobbs, Arizona Secretary of State, join us as our speaker. She will update us on the “fraudit” and ensuing implications as well as answer questions. Come hear the latest and take time to thank her for all she has done!
I am looking forward to seeing everyone as our a4a summer hiatus ends and our activism again engages!
Arlynne Ostlund
Chair, alliance4action
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 a4a Program Meeting
Sunday, September 19th, 2 p.m.
Featured Speaker:
Katie Hobbs
Arizona Secretary of State
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alliance4action Treasurer’s Report
June and July, 2021
Balance as of May 31, 2021 $4738.39
Income $48.02
Expenses $100.00
Balance as of July 31, 2021 $4686.71
Maggie Sievers, Treasurer
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New Treasurer Needed
Our long-term, very competent treasurer, Maggie Sievers, has plans to move back to Nebraska. So, a4a is seeking a new individual to fill that post.
The position involves collecting membership dues, submitting online quarterly reports to the State, making bank deposits, reimbursing expenditures, and keeping financial records. The time commitment is estimated at three hours per month, on average.
No special skills are needed--if you can balance a checkbook, you can do this! If you have used Excel worksheets, that would be a plus. Maggie will be available for mentoring and consultation. For more information, contact her at:
[email protected].
Please consider volunteering for this job as it is critical to the work of a4a!
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Redistricting Commission
Gerrymandering is a serious threat to fair elections. In Arizona, we are fortunate that voting districts are created by an independent redistricting commission. However, that commission needs input from all communities to aid the process of redrawing district lines. It's important that we voice our views while the commission is doing their work. Below, is information on how to most effectively register your feedback.
Comments from "All on the Line" (https://www.allontheline.org/):
Arizona’s Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC), tasked with the redrawing of congressional and state legislative districts, has finished their first round of hearings. The purpose of these hearings was to receive input from communities of interest in order to design and continue their plans for redistricting based on the 2020 census. We’re calling on the IRC to ensure more accessibility and services to include more Arizona communities as they continue their work. Fair maps require everyone in Arizona to be able to make their voices heard and participate.
The IRC staff also recently announced their new social media profiles. You can now follow the IRC on:
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a4a Action Groups
Climate
The National Climate Change Report is out.
Visit the NCEI website for detailed information:
Education
The Education Action Group took a break this summer, but we'll be resuming meetings shortly. To be added to our email list, contact Henne Queisser ([email protected]).
Health Care
The Health Care Action Group has taken a summer break. Our upcoming meeting will be via Zoom on Wednesday, September 1st at 1:00 pm. We will review our priorities and set goals for the rest of the year. We have some 65 people on our mailing list. We have some 8-10 core members. We would love to have new people join us or just give our group a try. Please contact Laurie Jurs at [email protected] if you would like to receive the Zoom invitation and were not getting it routinely.
One bright spot is the excellent Letter to the Editor in Sunday’s Green Valley News from one of our core members, Dr. Kent Miller. He was told by a GVR member that masks do not protect against COVID. They had a conversation and Dr. Miller was motivated to write to the paper. (Side Note: We are lucky to have a thriving local newspaper. We urge a4a members to support it.)
Immigration
U.S. BUDGET RESOLUTION and RECONCILIATION PROCESSES
Watch the Budget Resolution and Reconciliation processes in the House and Senate which are happening now. We want both houses of Congress to pass a budget that enables pathways to citizenship for DACA recipients, TPS (Temporary Protected Status), Farmworkers, and Essential Workers. It wouldn't hurt for you to call your Senators and Congressperson to let them know you fully support pathways to citizenship for all unauthorized categories during this budget session.
DEPARTMENT of HOMELAND SECURITY MAKES CHANGES TO ASYLUM
The Department of Homeland Security is making two changes to the asylum process which will affect asylum-seekers at our southern border:
1. 1000 newly-hired USCIS Asylum Officers will process more incoming asylum cases at the border and reduce the 1.3 million backlog in US immigration courts throughout the country. Watch for a request for "public comments" as experts are digesting the details to determine what due process concerns are raised by the current proposal.
2. A pilot program for Alternatives to Detention at ICE will allow asylum-seekers to avoid detention and work directly with local nonprofit case workers as they wait for their hearing in immigration courts. Read here to learn more.
CALL to ACTION
Please call the Department of Homeland Security's Public Comment Line
(202-282-8495) to express your concern/distress/disgust over the deportation of non-Mexicans by plane into southern Mexico. Mexico is then bussing these families to El Ceibo, Guatemala - a small, isolated town with scarce transportation and social services. What kind of strategy is this?
If you'd like to learn more about immigration and the a4a Immigration Action Group, please contact Gail Frank ([email protected]).
Racial Justice
The Racial Justice Action Group has taken a break this summer and has not yet made plans for the fall.
If you are interested in joining the Racial Justice Action Group, email Sydney Chayes at [email protected]
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Casa Alitas Needs Volunteers
Casa Alitas is looking for volunteers to help staff a reception center in Nogales AZ. There are two shifts: mornings from 10-2 and afternoons from 2-6. Asylum candidates are dropped off twice daily in groups of up to 25. Their information is entered into the computer and then they are transported to Casa Alitas in Tucson. Spanish is helpful but not required. If interested please contact Casa Alitas at [email protected] for more information.
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From Civic Engagement Beyond Voting:
Public Input Needed for the State's Elections Procedures Manual
Before the next election, the secretary of state and county election officials have the opportunity to enact policies and best practices that will protect, not restrict, our right to vote in Arizona. But they must start planning now.
In Arizona, that planning starts with something called the Elections Procedures Manual — a guide to how elections are run statewide. And we have the power — right now — to decide what gets added to the manual to ensure we all have the freedom to vote. Here’s how:
Attend an Election Procedures Manual hearing and voice your support with All Voting is Local:
What: Elections Procedures Manual Virtual Town Hall
When: Thursday, September 2, 2021, 5:30 – 7:30 PM
Register here: https://bit.ly/3AmO7K2
If you sign up to attend the hearing, please reach out to rosemary@allvotingislocal and amanda@allvotingislocal for more information.
Thank you for taking action to protect our right to vote!
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