Action Alerts from January Meeting

Because of our jam-packed meeting on Saturday we ran out of time for two important action items.  If you missed the meeting we had an informative presentation from Susan Lerner of the California Clean Money Campaign followed by an energetic speech from gubernatorial candidate and State Treasurer Phil Angelides.  We hope to see you for our February where we hope to hear from another major statewide candidate speak about election protection and integrity.

Senator Dianne Feinstein
United States Senate
331 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-0001
Fax (202) 228-3954

January 14, 2005

Dear Senator Feinstein,

Supreme Court Justices hold unparalleled power and shape national law and policy for generations.  A new anti-choice Justice could tip the balance in many cases dealing with reproductive rights and other personal freedoms. 

President Bush's nominee for the Supreme Court has been a legal architect who spent years working to dismantle fundamental protections guaranteed under Roe v. Wade. If Alito, who has written that Roe should be overruled, replaces Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the Court will shift in a direction that jeopardizes the fundamental values of freedom and privacy that a vast majority of Americans want protected. The American public deserves a nominee who can be counted on to uphold our rights - not take them away.

The confirmation hearings have also revealed that Samuel Alito would support eavesdropping on Americans. In 1984, Alito supported the use of illegal, warrantless wiretaps and wrote that the attorney general should be shielded from lawsuits.

Justice Alito would help President Bush bypass torture bans. President Bush has issued at least 108 "signing statements," which lay out the president's interpretation of the law. In 1986, Alito, who was then working for Attorney General Edwin Meese III, proposed that President Reagan issue signing statements more frequently. Last week President Bush "quietly reserved the right to bypass" restrictions on a bill outlawing the torture of detainees.

Samuel Alito would also support the sidestepping of Congress. In the past, Alito was known to have an expansive view of presidential powers. In a 2000 speech, Alito endorsed the theory of the "unitary executive," where "all federal executive power is vested by the Constitution in the president." Given the controversy surrounding Bush’s sidestepping of Congress and the courts for his wiretapping program, Alito’s views on absolute presidential authority should be cause for concern.

The nomination of Samuel Alito poses a grave threat to the protections Americans count on, including basic workers' rights, women's rights, and civil rights. We call on the Senate to stand up for all of us and reject the nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court of the United States.


Please oppose the Alito nomination.

Sincerely,

You can also call Senator Boxer's office at (213) 894-5000 or fax her at (213) 894-5042.

I'm writing to ask that you please vote YES on AB 583, the Clean Money bill. AB 583 sets up a system of full public funding of campaigns for state offices so that candidates don’t have to chase big money contributions.  It will let voters take control of politics in California as they have already in Arizona, Maine and Connecticut.

The American system of funding elections is nothing but a form of legalized bribery. Politicians collect the money they need to run for office from special interests, who expect something in return and more often than not get it. The Abramoff and Cunningham scandals have made it more obvious than ever that we need to reform the system completely.

Clean Money public financing of campaigns holds politicians accountable to the voters because voters pay for political campaigns rather than big money contributors. Clean Money allows people representing a greater diversity of voices, opinions, and backgrounds to run viable campaigns. And most importantly, Clean Money lets politicians vote for what the public wants, legislation impacting our lives, health, environment, economy, etc.

Now is the time to act and pass the Clean Money bill, AB 583. I will be watching your votes and do what’s best not for the big money contributors, but for the people of California. Thank you for your support!

Sincerely,

Speaker of the Assembly - Fabian Núñez, 320 West 4th St, Room 1050, Los Angeles, CA  90013.  (213) 620-4646, fax (213) 620-6319

District 37 - Audra Strickland, 2659 Townsgate Rd, Suite 236, Westlake Village, CA  91361. (805) 230-9167, fax (805) 230-9183

District 38 - Keith Richman, 10727 White Oak Ave.,  Suite #124, Granada Hills, CA 91344. (818) 368-3838, fax (818) 885-3307

District 39 - Cindy Montañez, 120 N. Maclay, Suite E, San Fernando, CA  91340. (818) 838-3939, fax (818) 838-3931

District 40 - Lloyd E. Levine, Van Nuys State Building, 6150 Van Nuys Blvd., Suite 300, Van Nuys, CA 91401, (818) 904-3840, fax (818) 902-0764

District 41- Fran Pavley, 6355 Topanga Canyon Bl, Suite 205, Woodland Hills, CA 91367. (818) 596-4141, fax (818) 596-4150

District 42 - Paul Koretz, 9200 Sunset Blvd, PH-15, West Hollywood, CA 90069. (310) 285-5490, fax (310) 285-5499

District 43 and Majority Leader - Dario Frommer, 620 N. Brand Blvd, Suite 403, Glendale, CA  91203. (818) 240-6330, fax (818) 240-4632