July 24, 2006 Issue #1 Topics Staff NewsHealth Care for All Quote of the Day Marriage Equality Update November 2006 Propositions Charity Search Engine Important Dates Dear California UUs, Welcome to our first UU Legislative Ministry, CA e-newsletter. We hope that this will provide a timely and environmentally friendly way to stay in touch. In the midst of the heartbreaking news in the Middle East, this summer has also seen some hopeful news in California. San Francisco is moving forward to offer universal health care to its residents, and in Sacramento, SB840 (California Health Care Reliability Act) will be coming to a vote in the Assembly in mid August. Read on for the latest UULM-CA news, the quote of the day, action alerts, ways to get involved, and notice of upcoming events. We also hope to hear from you. Help UULM to highlight your congregation's or region's justice ministries by sending us your " news from UUs in the pews"! Thanks and Blessings, Rev. Lindi Ramsden, Executive Director We’ll miss you, Christy! We know the larger UU Legislative Ministry community will join those of us here at the office in regretfully celebrating the departure of Christy Baker, our fearless Operations Manager, who’s moving to attend Starr King School for Ministry in Berkeley, CA. Christy’s presence has been an invaluable asset to the UULM-CA. We’re sorry to see her go but we’re confident she’ll make a dynamite seminarian and religious leader. Good luck, Christy, we’re rooting for you! Welcome Summer Staff Members  Summer Office & Program Assistant Leah Hart -Landsberg is a third year student at Starr King School for the Ministry Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she brings great administrative talent, as well as experience with fundraising, event planning, and community organizing. While she’d prefer Sacramento didn’t get quite so hot, she’s happy for the opportunity to support and learn from the UULM-CA this summer. Leah will be working Monday – Wednesdays through mid August and can be reached at admin@uulmca.org  Summer Intern A.Tianna Scozzaro is a senior at UC Davis, studying International Relations, with a minor in Religious Studies. She grew up at the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara, and continued her involvement at the UU Church of Davis, where she served as the President of Campus Ministry. As a summer intern with UULM-CA her work will focus on Health Care Reform and UU Young Adult activism. She is planning to study for a Masters in Public Health where she can continue her social justice work in the health care arena. Many thanks to the generosity of the UU congregations in Santa Barbara and Davis who helped to make this young adult internship possible. A.Tianna is working Tuesdays – Fridays and can be reached at intern@uulmca.org Assembly to vote on SB840 in August! Governor begins to address health care. On Monday, the Governor is hosting a "Summit on Affordability".
We are glad to have the attention on the health care issue, but wish he would
include Senator Kuehl and others who have been actively working on health care
reform for years. Keep and eye on the news to hear about the summit, as well as
from those excluded from the meeting.
- Rev. Bill Sinkford briefing staff and members of U.S. House of Representatives. Three cheers! Last week a whopping 187 Representatives voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment in the House of Representatives, joining the Senate in their refusal to enshrine discrimination against GLBT people in the US constitution. UUA President the Rev. Bill Sinkford gave eloquent testimony, and UUs from around the country joined in a national call-in. Thanks! See www.uua.org for details. How did your Representative Vote? Here in California we are working to open minds and touch hearts that we may survive any effort to amend our state constitution to deny same sex couples the right to marry and to take away domestic partnership rights and responsibilities. UUs can help!  We’ve created a conversation guide to go with a powerful 25 minute video edited (with permission) from the feature length film "Tying the Knot". Cottage Conversations help foster open dialogue, so people in the moveable middle (like many older Californians who are regular voters and belong to moderate or liberal faith communities) can understand the impact marriage discrimination has on real couples and their families. Cottage Conversations offer an opportunity for participants to reflect on how denying access to civil marriage to some people impacts our democracy. We hope to get 1000 Cottage Conversations going all across the state. How many could members of your congregation sponsor? What does a Cottage Conversation look like? They’re easy to host and we’ll walk you through all the details! Just invite friends, neighbors and colleagues who may not yet have thought through how marriage discrimination hurts. Cottage Conversations range from 8 to 25 people, the right size for a respectful exchange of ideas and feelings. They happen in your home, church, senior center, college dorm, or condo complex and last about two hours. There’ll be time for socializing, light refreshments, a 25 minute DVD, reflection questions, discussion, wrap up, sign-ups, and closing. Interested in helping move public opinion in the direction of equality? Contact Leah Hart-Landsberg at admin@uulmca.org for more information.  Virtual UU Meeting House Prepares for November Election: UU Reflections Wanted! Imagine having internet access to the wisdom of UUs from across the state while you’re trying to sort out pros and cons of the13 Propositions we’ll vote on in November. Not all UUs agree, but respectful discussion helps us refine our thinking and reach beyond canned campaign “talking points.” Our UU values encourage us to bring experience, soul, and reflection to the ballot box. Could you write a UU reflection that shares your experience and insight on the issues addressed by a particular Proposition? Perhaps there’s someone in your congregation who’s just the right person to share their unique perspective with the larger UU community. Check out last November’s (2005) Meeting House to get a feel for the format. The list of significant issues that will be on the November 2006 ballot include: Major bond measures; raising taxes on cigarettes to fund children’s health care; raising taxes on oil to fund alternative energy; clean money (publicly financed elections); requiring doctors to notify parents of minors who seek an abortion. To help the Virtual UU Meeting House as a writer or to suggest links to on-line content so we can open in the fall for discussion, please contact Rachel Morris webmistress@uulmca.org It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s. . .GoodSearch! Heard about GoodSearch.com yet? It’s a Yahoo-powered Internet search engine that donates funds to your charity of choice every time you use it. Just select the UU Legislative Ministry of California or the UULM Action Network (by entering UULM) and we’ll get a penny every time you search the Internet! If 1,000 supporters use the site twice a day, we’ll receive about $7,300 a year. So get started price-comparing ceramic squirrels or whatever you were going to look for online anyway! Save the Date & Spread the Word • July 29, 2006 is Medicare’s 40th birthday. Celebrate and push toward our goal of single payer health care for all. Plan a birthday party for Medicare, bake a cake and set up a letter writing table on behalf of Health Care for All (SB840) after the Sunday service. August 5, 2006 Universal Health Care Advocacy Trainings in San Jose, Carson, and San Diego, click here for details • August 18 & 19 the UU Legislative Ministry and UULM Action Network Boards will be meeting in San Jose. We are planning a forum to learn more about Proposition 89 which supports public financing of elections "Clean Money" - more info will be coming. • August 20, 2006 at the UU Church of Riverside. Rev. Lindi Ramsden will lead Sunday morning worship. • September 22-23, 2006 - UULM Leadership Summit in Sacramento - for UULM Board, regional and congregational organizers. • October 7, 2006 - Houseparty in Pasadena to raise funds and fun for UU Legislative Ministry We are in the process of securing dates for regional UULM conferences to be held in Fresno, the SF Bay Area, Orange County and San Diego in early 2007 - as dates are confirmed, we'll pass the word. To contribute to the work of UULM Action Network, California, please visit our Donation page. With your help, we will can strengthen the voice of UU values in the public square. |