http://www.couragecampaign.org/page/community/group_rss/CourageCampaignStaff Blog posts from the Courage staff. Click All Network Posts for community blog posts. A year ago I knew what went wrong and I knew how to fix it. A year later, I don't know what went wrong. I don't know how to fix it. We had the money. We had a stable campaign. We had the a robust well-oiled field campaign. We had a strong campaign manager. We had the turnout we wanted. We had great coordination between the netroots and the campaign. We had a not particularly religious state. We neutralized the church issue. We had a manageable voter universe. We had an opposition with an inferior media and field operation. We had TV ads with gay people in them. We responded to their attacks swiftly. And we still lost. Our campaign wasn't perfect. But it was damn good. And that's why this loss is so hard. The lessons to be learned are not as obvious. Not knowing how to fix it makes it tempting to throw our hands up in the air and say at 0-31 we just can't win marriage rights at the ballot box. Or we have to wait a decade until we can. But that would be letting them win. That would be giving up. That would be accepting inequality. We can't. I won't. We need to learn how to neutralize the schools issue better than we did this time. We must continue telling our stories, one by one, person by person, door by door. Nate Silver as usual has some smart thoughts: I certainly don't think the No on 1 campaign can be blamed; by every indication, they ran a tip-top operation whereas the Yes on 1 folks were amateurish. But this may not be an issue where the campaign itself matters very much; people have pretty strong feelings about the gay marriage issue and are not typically open to persuasion. There's going to be an effort by many on the left to blame Barack Obama for his lack of leadership on gay rights issues; I think the criticism is correct on its face, but I don't know how much it has to do with the defeat in Maine. A more popular Democratic governor, for instance, who had been a bit quicker on the trigger in his support of gay marriage, might have helped more. Persuading voters to change their minds about marriage equality is extremely difficult, but it is possible and it happens every single day. It just takes a lot of resources and is most effective on a one-to-one level. That means we must continue to invest in grassroots organizing, training new leaders to work in their communities and supporting their efforts over time. We need to continue to build connections and relationships with faith communities. We can organize in churches. We can even organize in Mormon Temples and Catholic Churches. It has happened. It is happening. There are lessons to be learned out of Maine and the No on 1 loss. We know that we can build a massive GOTV operation. We know how to build a model where a campaign invests in the netroots and reaps the rewards. The church issue can be neutralized. It's possible to set aside differences and focus on a common goal. We can build a campaign to be proud of as a community. What we can do now is have experts in Maine politics analyze the results to understand better how we lost. We need talk to the No on 1 campaign leadership/consultants to get their advice like they did from our Prop 8 loss. We can win marriage back in California. We will win marriage back in California. We can win marriage in Maine. We will win marriage in Maine. I am not quitting. You better not be either. This weekend I am picking myself back up and getting right back to work, training hundreds of activists in Sacramento how to organize at Camp Courage . They will and I will come in with heavy hearts, but leave empowered. We will leave and fight the next fight together. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/juliarosen/C2ZN http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/juliarosen/C2ZN/commentary#comments Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:18:37 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/juliarosen/C2ZN Julia Rosen, Online Political Director http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/0ca8c47d776c223f85_zb4mv24s8.jpg Julia Rosen, Online Political Director 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2ZN/ Note: this email was sent to our members this morning from Mike Bonin, one of the founders and now Program Director of Camp Courage. Dear friend -- I never could have imagined it. As a kid growing up scared and closeted in New England in the 1970's, I never could have imagined that the issue of gay marriage would ever be seriously debated, let alone hotly contested. I never could have imagined a day when gay people would have been in television ads, when WWII veterans emotionally spoke out in favor of their gay children, when people of faith stood up for LGBT rights, when armies of people -- gay and straight alike -- would descend into a small New England state to say gay people should be equal. I know that the news from Maine is depressing. But it is not the end. It is just another bump in a long road. Let's not forget how far we've come as a country, while recognizing how far we need to go to achieve full federal equality, fighting for it at every level: in the courts, at the ballot box and in Washington, DC. Equality will be ours, but we will have to fight for it. And I can't imagine a better opportunity to learn the secret to our future success than Camp Courage -- an experience that graduates say is one of the most powerful and transformative events of their lives.. If you want to join more than 200 people who have signed up for Camp Courage Sacramento this weekend, you have less than 24 hours to do so. On Friday at 12 p.m., registration will close. Click here now to sign up: http://www.couragecampaign.org/CampSacramento While marriage equality did not come to Maine, it will surely come to America, and when it does, events like Camp Courage will be where the seeds of equality were planted. On Saturday morning, Camp Courage Sacramento will begin. Within minutes, the room will be buzzing with energy, as participants learn how to tell their "story of self" -- the foundation of changing the hearts and minds of our friends, family and neighbors. By the end of Camp Courage on Sunday, lives will be changed, powerful friendships will be forged, and a community will be connected. Time is running out. If you want to experience this transformative event, sign up now for Camp Courage Sacramento before it's too late: http://www.couragecampaign.org/CampSacramento When I was a kid, I never could have imagined a day in America when full equality would be the law of the land. But one day, from sea to shining sea, that change will come. Come to Camp Courage Sacramento this weekend and learn how to be that change. Mike Bonin Camp Courage Program Director http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2Zn http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2Zn/commentary#comments Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:58:46 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2Zn Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/8e501f6005c216fc9b_j8m6b99j3.jpg Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2Zn/ It stings, deeply, to have witnessed another close defeat for marriage equality. We fought a hard battle in Maine, and it is heartbreaking to have come so close and not won a victory. And yet, we're not going to let this defeat discourage us. After the passage of Proposition 8, a new movement emerged to fight for and win full equality for LGBT Americans. That movement is a grassroots, bottom-up movement. The Courage Campaign has been empowering that movement ever since. That movement helped us fight to a near-victory in Maine. That movement appears to have fought to an actual victory in Washington State. And with your support, that movement will fight for victories in California and at the federal level. The Courage Campaign is going to redouble its efforts to win. We're going to continue organizing on the ground. We're going to continue to do the research to learn from the experience in Maine and to learn how to win in California. And we're going to continue to fight for full equality at the federal level as well. To do that, we need you to organize with us. Click here to make an investment in the movement for equality. Help us power the repeal. Help us win. Below is the email Julia Rosen sent to our members today from Maine, where she had worked for the last week for equality. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2ZS http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2ZS/commentary#comments Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:14:54 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2ZS Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/8e501f6005c216fc9b_j8m6b99j3.jpg Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2ZS/ As I write this, we are beginning to hear results from Maine’s version of Prop. 8 and will soon enough hear about right wing attempts to quash freedom in Kalamazoo, Michigan and Washington state. How well we all remember election night here in California last year, that flash of impossible joy and elation at the election of Barack Obama juxtaposed with the horror of the loss of equal rights. How could both be true? How could we elect Barack Obama and simultaneously watch our fellow Californians vote away our rights? A year later, regardless of the outcome of these elections tonight, the progressive movement is much broader, more determined and smarter. We know what must be done to change the way people think. We know that multiple tactics, ranging from court fights to ballot box battles to marches to push for federal legislation all must happen simultaneously. We also know that those who invest in repression, in damaging families and in singling out LGBT people (or other minorities) for discrimination must be called on their actions and their investments. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/rickjacobs/C2ZV http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/rickjacobs/C2ZV/commentary#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:40:28 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/rickjacobs/C2ZV Rick Jacobs, Courage Campaign Rick Jacobs, Courage Campaign 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2ZV/ Last Thursday the San Francisco Chronicle reported that under the current bills being considered in the House and Senate, 90% of Americans would not be able to pick a public health insurance option . The proposed rules would limit access to the Exchange, where the public option would be offered, to "individuals who cannot get insurance, or whose health care costs exceed 12.5 percent of their income." Not only would that mean most Americans wouldn't have access to the public option - it also means that public option would be weaker. For the public option to bring down costs and provide quality care, it needs to have a large base of paying customers to be able to negotiate good rates. Further, it needs to be able to attract healthy young people. If it can't, then the public option may suffer what is known as "adverse selection" where only the sickest people get the public option. That would drive up the costs of the public option, and make it less effective. In order to make the public option provide the most benefits for the most people, we need to open it up so that anyone who wants to buy into it may do so. Oregon Senator Ron Wyden is offering an amendment to allow anyone to access the Exchange, where the public option will be offered. Senator Barbara Boxer has already indicated her support for the Wyden Amendment. It's now up to Senator Dianne Feinstein to join Boxer, Wyden, and the American people in demanding everyone be allowed to choose the public option. That's why we sent the following email to our members today, asking them to sign the letter to Senator Feinstein asking her to open the public option to everyone: http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2Zx http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2Zx/commentary#comments Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:43:49 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2Zx Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/8e501f6005c216fc9b_j8m6b99j3.jpg Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2Zx/ We sent the following email out today about Camp Courage Sacramento - and telling a remarkable story about an experience one of our campers had at Camp Courage East Los Angeles back in August. Dear friend -- Before we see you at Camp Courage on Saturday, we want to share a story with you. Take a moment to read what Theresa Wang, a Los Angeles activist, said about her experience at Camp Courage and how transformative it was for her mother: My mother, Stella, has always been the stereotypical Asian woman, not drawing any attention to herself and for the most part keeping quiet. When I came out, she was devastated, but dealt with it on her own, prioritizing my happiness over her own discomfort. Eventually she grew to be completely supportive, even attending protests and on this particular weekend, attending Camp Courage East LA. The heart of Camp Courage is about telling your "story of self," and as I facilitated my group's stories, I peeked over to see my mother telling hers. She was crying. As this was an exercise completely foreign to her, I immediately began to question my judgment in bringing her to camp. Telling her story out loud appeared to be too much. After group sharing, a few people were asked to share their story on stage and I was surprised to see my mother getting up to tell hers. I watched in shock as my mom's group stood behind her as she talked about her coming-out process as the mother of a lesbian who was getting married. In that moment, I watched my mom turn into a storyteller on stage, grabbing the attention of the whole room. Near the end of my mom's story most of the audience was crying as well. As she finished, the entire room gave my mom a moving standing ovation while chanting her name -- "Stella!" "Stella!" "Stella!" -- in a moment of unbelievable joy. The people attending Camp Courage that day were not the only ones moved by my mother's story. A few weeks later, my mom wrote her story down and had it published in the China World Journal -- the most widely-read Chinese language newspaper in the United States. There are so many "Stellas" in our lives -- people who want to learn how to support us in our activism or become an engaged activist themselves. Do you know someone like Stella -- a friend, family member, co-worker or ally -- or anyone who would enjoy sharing Camp Courage with you? If so, please ask your friend to come to Camp Courage Sacramento. Just give them a call and tell them how important it would be for them to come with you on Saturday. Or forward this email to your friend or loved one and let them know that you want to share this experience with them and that you need their help in bringing marriage equality -- and full equality -- to California. Here's the link for your friends to RSVP: http://www.couragecampaign.org/CampSacramento We all have a place in this movement. See you on Saturday at Camp! With gratitude, Daniel Segura and Billy Pollina Camp Courage Coordinators http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2Zg http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2Zg/commentary#comments Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:53:09 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2Zg Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/8e501f6005c216fc9b_j8m6b99j3.jpg Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2Zg/ 11 of our amazing Deputy Field Organizers and Equality Team members have come out to Maine, as part of the Volunteer Vacation program to work insane campaign ours until the polls close. They arrived over the weekend and have been put to work for No on 1 all over the greater Portland area. Mitchell is helping "cut turf" for all of the canvassing over the weekend. Jasmine has been out on the University of Southern Maine campus encouraging students to vote early and volunteer. Laura is fielding phone calls from Maine voters calling the office with questions. Derrick buried in spreadsheets, helping organize staging locations for election day. The office here has been a buzz of activity, crammed with staff, volunteers and on occasion TV camera crews. The Rachel Maddow show was here yesterday interviewing Governor Baldacci, who previously opposed marriage equality and is now one of its biggest backers. NBC News was also here filming a spot for Sunday. Yesterday some local TV stations came by to film shots of some No on 1 signs that appear to have been shot up by a paintball gun. The Yes on 1 campaign has been trying to make themselves a victim since some of their signs have been defaced and stolen. These types of shenanigans are typical during a heated election, and usually it's just a couple of numbskulls messing with signs instead of doing something productive like talking to voters. Here is a few of our Courage Campaign DFOs, Equality Team members and staff holed up in a small windowless room making calls. Much more to come over the next few days. No matter where you are you can help bring home a victory to Maine. Sign up now to be a virtual phone banker and we will get you trained and on the phones. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/juliarosen/C2q9 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/juliarosen/C2q9/commentary#comments Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:12:06 PDT http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/juliarosen/C2q9 Julia Rosen, Online Political Director http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/0ca8c47d776c223f85_zb4mv24s8.jpg Julia Rosen, Online Political Director 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2q9/ We're delighted to share this message with you from Sheila Kuehl, elected in 1994 as the first openly gay or lesbian state legislator in California history, and the first woman to hold the position of Speaker pro Tempore. Sen. Kuehl attended Camp Courage Fresno in March and would like to share her experience with the Courage Campaign community in anticipation of Camp Courage Sacramento. Rick Jacobs Chair, Courage Campaign Dear eden -- "We were all amazingly moved. We cried. We didn't want it to end. Maybe most unexpected of all, we were profoundly changed." That is what I wrote in 2004 after flying to San Francisco to officiate at the weddings of eight of my closest friends, following Mayor Gavin Newsom's historic decision to -- at least temporarily -- legalize same-sex marriages. I could just as enthusiastically have written those words about Camp Courage Fresno, the transformative training event for marriage equality activists that I attended in early March -- just over five years after the "Winter of Love" in San Francisco and a few months after the shocking passage of Proposition 8. I was there as a camper and loved every minute of it. We all -- experienced organizers, or not -- learned so much and came away very fired up. We've come a long way. But we still have a long way to go, if we want to repeal Prop 8 and restore marriage equality to California. That's why I want you to sign up for Camp Courage Sacramento on November 7-8. Spots are filling up fast and I don't want you to miss this wonderful opportunity: http://www.couragecampaign.org/CampSacramento People ask me when I first became an activist, expecting me to say that I experienced some great tragedy because of my sexual orientation that lit a fire, ignited a bulb, or wound up the spring leading me to devote a good part of my life to the lesbian and gay movement. Imagine their surprise when I say, "It was the week I spent as a camp counselor at UCLA's UniCamp for 'underprivileged' children." The pain expressed by these kids -- a feeling of being unworthy -- affected me deeply. I realized that I needed to start working to make things better in the world. That was the root. The tree took a little longer to grow. That is the beginning of my "Story of Self" -- the training model used by "Camp Obama," and adopted by Camp Courage, that transforms each participant's unique inspiration for supporting marriage equality into compelling and authentic narratives that can be used to persuade undecided voters. To discover your own Story of Self and gain so many skills and committed new friends, please come to Camp Courage Sacramento on November 7-8. Space is limited for this special training in Sacramento, so please sign up ASAP: http://www.couragecampaign.org/CampSacramento For most of our lives, gays and lesbians have been part of a community that couldn't even dream of full equality. But that afternoon in 2004 on the steps of San Francisco City Hall -- and later, when the couples came home to balloons in their yards, flowers in their homes, celebrations at work, presents, notes, and endless congratulatory e-mails -- we saw how marriage allows society to recognize our equality. For the couples, and for me, it was like a dam opened. That place where all of us had buried any hope of marriage -- where we had dutifully registered as domestic partners and convinced ourselves marriage wasn't worth having -- that place cracked open to the sun. It was a revelation. No matter your level of experience or skill, Camp Courage can be a revelation for you as well -- gay, lesbian, straight, bisexual or transgender. I hope you will be at Camp Courage on November 7-8. Sheila Kuehl NOTE: Please note that it is necessary for participants to bring their own lunch to Camp Courage on both Saturday and Sunday. As lunch time is limited and there will be no time to leave the Camp venue to purchase lunch, please make arrangements before you arrive at Camp to bring lunch with you. Thank you. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2qY http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2qY/commentary#comments Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:19:22 PDT http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2qY Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/8e501f6005c216fc9b_j8m6b99j3.jpg Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2qY/ Arnold Schwarzenegger wrote a letter to California's Congressional leaders today about health care reform. Most of it is a long extended whine about the feds not offering enough money to states to provide for health care, since Arnold believes California should not be spending much money to help people get health care. But there's also an interesting proposal from our governor about the public option. Basically, he wants to use the "opt-out" as an opportunity for California to design its own public option, one that would benefit fewer people than the federal option: In terms of state coverage options, I support the inclusion of language that will provide states the option of developing state-based insurance options for people with incomes above 133 percent of the federal poverty level but below 200 percent. I believe this provision can be strengthened and made more effective by allowing states, especially those with higher costs of living, to serve populations up to 300 percent FPL, providing states access to at least 95 percent of the tax credits and cost-sharing subsidies available for eligible individuals in the state and ensuring sufficient state flexibility to enable continuity of care between Medicaid and the state-based option. Providing states with the flexibility to set eligibility to 300 percent of the federal poverty level recognizes different cost structures across states and is more consistent with existing income eligibility thresholds allowed under the federal children’s health insurance program, which will help support the policy goal of keeping families together for health insurance purposes. Finally, creating transparent and user-friendly health insurance exchanges at the state level can help facilitate the enrollment process. At the same time, I believe these state-based exchanges must be more than simple clearinghouses of information, but instead allow states to certify plans and negotiate within broadly established federal parameters to help promote competition among health plans. I also continue to believe that states must remain the primary regulator of health insurance in order to maintain the strongest consumer protections possible. What this means is that Arnold Schwarzenegger would have California exercise the opt-out in order to design a "public option" much more restrictive in who it is available to, provided in state-based exchanges instead of through a national system. Alongside protecting the customer base of his insurance industry allies, this would also enable California to force the people who would want a public option to jump through a number of hoops designed to discourage them from actually getting the benefit, as California now does with things like IHSS, food stamps, and such. Some may argue that California would never go for this kind of "Arnold option," but let's consider some things here. First, the Senate language regarding the opt-out has yet to materialize. Arnold may well be mainstreaming right-wing and corporate talking points that could be used by conservadems in the Senate to shape the opt-out in a way that would have the program more closely resemble the Nixonian "block grants" that have given states too much power to restrict federally-mandated benefits. In short, Arnold might be saying "hey, here's how the opt-out should look!" Arnold may also be setting up the language and framing that could be used by Republican gubernatorial candidates to deal with federal health care reform. In a state where the public option concept is popular, Arnold could be showing how the public option could be neutered in practice while preserved in name. In a state that has gutted much of its public sector over the last two years, with bipartisan support the entire time, it's a strategy worth watching closely. Especially since the outcome of the federal health care reform project now appears to be a shifting of the battleground to the states. UPDATE by Robert: John Myers reports via Twitter that "Guv's ofc says his health care letter should not be interpreted as support for opt-in/opt-out public option" and that, quoting a governor's office spokesperson, Arnold "is calling for state-based insurance options to offer coverage for lower income populations not eligible for Medicaid." http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2qs http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2qs/commentary#comments Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:08:57 PDT http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2qs Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/8e501f6005c216fc9b_j8m6b99j3.jpg Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2qs/ LOS ANGELES-The right-wing lead Tea Party express pulled into Los Angeles today seeking to delegitimize President Obama and efforts to improve access and affordability to quality health care for nearly 50-million Americans, only to meet the opposition of over 60 local activist lead by the Courage Campaign. Rev. Eric Lee, President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Los Angeles, delivered moving remarks that underscored the moral imperative for meaningful health care reform while dozens of tea party protesters stood within ear shot of the counter protest bullhorn. Armed with the courage to stand up, step out, and be heard activists from Organizing for America (formerly Obama for America), New Frontier Democratic Club, RENEWL, and Zombies for Progressive Reform joined our Courage Campaign members at Griffith Park to demand their right for health care. Dozens of Los Angeles Police officers were on hand to prevent a lively protest and counter protest from becoming a heated provocation. Lead by Rev. Eric Lee early in the afternoon, the counter protesters separated from tea party protesters by yellow caution tape and a 30-foot buffer zone designed by LAPD, shouted "Jesus believed in health care," "Yes we can," and "We want reform." Courage Campaign Equality Team Leader Robert Olivarez shared a compelling personal story that underscored the need for affordable health care for all Americans regardless pre-exisiting conditions like the diabetes he suffers with. With the support of Courage Campaign Equality Team Leader Derrick Mathis and Courage Campaign Deputy Field Organizers Brian Shurwood and Ruben Murillo, our tea party counter protest was organized in three days to demonstrate support for meaningful health care reform with a strong public option. In addition, we wanted the tea party protesters to know that they do not represent the people of Los Angeles and the vision of a more progressive America we must continue to support. The fight for meaningful health care reform continues tomorrow and the next day until it's law. Visit www.couragecampaign.org to learn what you can do to fight for meaningful health care reform. ### http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/niiquartelaiquartey/C2q7 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/niiquartelaiquartey/C2q7/commentary#comments Sun, 25 Oct 2009 23:58:13 PDT http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/niiquartelaiquartey/C2q7 User from North Hollywood, CA User from North Hollywood, CA 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2q7/ One of the most important transportation projects in California, aside from my beloved high speed rail project of course, is the Subway to the Sea. A long-planned effort to build passenger rail to Santa Monica via the Wilshire corridor, it has become a primary goal of LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Few areas in North America are as congested as LA's Westside, and a subway through this region would be a godsend, creating thousands of jobs and reducing dependence on oil while untangling the traffic mess. But LA County also has several other passenger rail projects they're considering, and with the passage of Measure R (a *tax* approved by 2/3rds of voters in the state's most populous county last November) along with a transit-friendly White House, Metro can actually reasonably expect them to get built. The question is what gets built and when - and with what federal funds. As with most other transportation projects around the country, Metro's projects will need federal "new starts" funding. Villaraigosa wants Metro's board to prioritize the Subway to the Sea and another related project, the "Downtown Connector" (finally linking the Blue and Gold lines, as originally intended). Villaraigosa's plans are getting some pushback from local members of Congress . 14 members of Congress, including Adam Schiff, Jane Harman, David Dreier, and Maxine Waters, wrote a letter telling the Metro board that if they follow Villaraigosa's plan, they risk losing out on federal funding: The 14 members of Congress who signed a letter released Tuesday said those two programs [Subway to the Sea and Downtown Connector] don't have a good shot at immediate federal funding. Further, they said the county risks not getting much from the federal New Starts program for several years unless it adds other regional transit proposals to the application, including the Gold Line extension east from Pasadena, a rail line down Crenshaw Boulevard and the Gold Line Eastside extension Phase 2 from East L.A. to South El Monte or Whittier. "We are very concerned that Los Angeles County is not positioning itself well to receive its fair share of New Starts funding in the near- and long-term," the delegation wrote. The background is that there are three other projects that some Metro board members and legislators want funded: a light rail line down Crenshaw, connecting the Red and Purple lines to the Expo and Green lines; and two extensions of the Gold Line into the suburban San Gabriel Valley. The battle reflects typical political debates in LA County, with the Subway to the Sea and the Downtown Connector seen as benefiting the wealthy Westside at the expense of the less prosperous and more diverse South LA and San Gabriel Valley communities. And as the legislators' letter makes clear, it's inconceivable that Metro could get new starts funding for all 5 projects. Yonah Freemark, who runs The Transport Politic , one of the best transportation blogs out there, points out that the other 3 projects would serve far fewer riders than the Subway to the Sea and the Downtown Connector, and that from a transportation need perspective, those should be prioritized. Of course, the US Congress isn't a place where such sensible considerations rule the day. David Dreier, whose district includes the I-210 corridor along which one of the Gold Line extensions would run, has been particularly adamant about ensuring that project gets support from the Metro board. And South LA representatives understandably want to ensure that their communities get served by transit - as residents there have the greatest dependence on transit, their case is strong. If it were up to me, I'd back the Subway to the Sea, the Downtown Connector, and the Crenshaw line and tell Dreier to shove it. As the LA Subway Blog notes , the Subway to the Sea will have enormous regional benefits. Just because it is located on the Westside doesn't mean that's the only place it will assist - just as the Port of Los Angeles-Long Beach doesn't just benefit people living in San Pedro and Wilmington. But the real issue here isn't picking which of the 5 worthy projects gets supported and which doesn't. Metro would be in better shape if the state of California wasn't in the process of abandoning its support for mass transit. The state ought to be able to help fund construction of one or two of these projects, leaving the feds more able to support the other three. For example, the state should be able to help start the Crenshaw line and one of the Gold Line extensions, enabling the feds to fund the Subway to the Sea, the Downtown Connector, and the other Gold Line extension. Southern California was the poster child for the 20th century sprawlconomy, and is now suffering greatly for having clung to that model for too long. Voters there now recognize it is time to change, and have put their money behind the kind of mass transit solutions the region desperately needs. It's up to the state and federal governments to deliver their share. UPDATE by Robert: The Metro board voted today to recommend the Subway to the Sea and the Downtown Connector for federal new starts funding. The board also passed an amendment by Mark Ridley-Thomas directing Metro to seek all other possible funding (aside from new starts) to build the Crenshaw and Gold Line extension LRT projects. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2q4 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2q4/commentary#comments Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:59:42 PDT http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2q4 Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/8e501f6005c216fc9b_j8m6b99j3.jpg Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2q4/ Major policy changes often happen as a result of a sudden shift that is, in fact, not so sudden at all. Public attitudes and behavior steadily change over time, but a political system whose practitioners have made up their minds on a topic years ago, before that change became apparent, are typically unwilling to accept the new reality. Until something changes - a new generation of leaders takes power, a financial crisis causes people to become more open to new ideas. Or perhaps it's just as simple as an idea whose time has come, an idea whose wisdom can no longer be denied. We're at such a turning point with marijuana. One of the state's main cash crops, the economic base of many small towns in the North Coast (and of a growing but hard to track number of metropolitan households), marijuana is already widely available in California, whether on the black market or at a quasi-legal dispensary. As more and more Californians are comfortable with the use of marijuana, even if they do not partake of it themselves, the decades-old drug war has become seen as more and more absurd when it comes to marijuana. When an April Field Poll found 56% of Californians back marijuana legalization, it became only a matter of time before the topic became a fully mainstream subject, deemed appropriate for "serious" conversation at everything from public policy summits to the dinner table. And so this week California is witnessing a fundamental shift in marijuana policy, where for perhaps the first time it really is a question of "when," and not "if," the sale and use of marijuana will become legal in California. The biggest news comes from the federal government, where Attorney General Eric Holder has followed through on his early signals and announced the Justice Department will no longer prosecute people for using medical marijuana in accordance with their state's laws. Holder is not yet embracing full legalization, of course. But this is a significant shift that recognizes states do have a right to innovate when it comes to drug policy. Whether the Obama Administration intends it or not, the new policy will be further evidence that a strict federal "War on Drugs" is no longer desirable or viable. Here in California, more fundamental changes are under way. As a judge rules LA DA Steve Cooley's attack on dispensaries to be invalid , the movement for full legalization is well under way. Tom Ammiano's bill to legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana, AB 390 , will get its first hearing in the Assembly next week. Arnold Schwarzenegger, speaking at a bill signing ceremony in Merced yesterday, said he is "basically opposed" to legalization but believes it's time to have a debate about the issue. In Arnold-speak that says he doesn't see legalization as a political loser, even if he's not quite willing to go there himself. His comments show that legalization has gone from being a sensible idea on the fringes of our political discourse to something we can debate as easily and naturally as, say, water policy. Meanwhile, armed with the Field Poll results - as well as the recent Gallup Poll which found support for legalization was highest in the Western US, with moderates and independents nationwide about split on the matter, California activists are not waiting around for the legislature or the governor to act. Instead they're going directly to the ballot. TaxCannabis.org is the headquarters for the effort to put an initiative on the November 2010 ballot to treat marijuana much like alcohol. The initiative would legalize possession of up to one ounce for all adults over 21, and give local governments the ability to determine whether to more broadly legalize and tax marijuana themselves. It would essentially create a "local option" instead of a statewide free-for-all. It's not yet clear if they have the money or the volunteers to put this on the ballot. And the fact that local governments would be the ones implementing the policy, instead of a single statewide standard, might limit the savings in prison spending and the overall tax revenues created. But it's a clear step forward for sensible drug policy, one whose time has clearly come. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2qm http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2qm/commentary#comments Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:48:06 PDT http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2qm Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/8e501f6005c216fc9b_j8m6b99j3.jpg Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2qm/ Late last week we learned that California's unemployment rate dropped 0.1% in September , from 12.3% to 12.2%. That stat obscures far more than it reveals, including the fact that the 12.3% rate for August was an upward revision of the earlier reported number. More significantly, the stat is not an accurate reflection of the job market in California. We actually lost 39,000 jobs in September . The only reason the rate appears to have dropped is that a significant number of the long-term unemployed have stopped looking for work and are no longer counted as "unemployed. Nearly 1/3 of those lost jobs came from the public sector, as Steven Levy explained: The state's job losses were especially pronounced in construction, which lost 14,100 jobs over the month, and government, which lost 12,700. Cutbacks in government employment, which includes public schools, are partly to blame for the state's lackluster performance this month, said Stephen Levy of the Center for the Continuing Study of the California Economy. "We are disproportionately hit in the government sector because our state and local governments are having worse budget shortfalls than in other states," he said. ( LA Times, 10/17/09 ) As Atrios said, that's not the way it's supposed to work . Government needs to be the employer of last resort, especially in a state that has the highest unemployment levels in 60 years. When 12,700 government employees lose their jobs, that translates into less consumer spending, which in turn means pressure to lay off more workers, all of which results in less tax revenue for the state, which merely exacerbates the vicious circle. Yet Arnold Schwarzenegger simply doesn't care about the unemployment crisis. Instead of working to create private sector jobs through the preservation and expansion of public sector jobs, Arnold has engaged in a right-wing shock doctrine attack on the basic services of the state, an attack that was never going to succeed before the recession hit. Once upon a time conservative Republicans claimed job creation was their #1 task, and that we had to give corporations whatever they wanted to create jobs - tax cuts, regulation cuts, etc. California did so - and as a result we have a far larger recession and unemployment numbers than we've ever had when Big Government supposedly ruled our political economy. Today, you'll hear nary a peep out of the Republican Party about jobs. Sure, the Cal Chamber will publish its list of "job killer" bills, but that's only the public excuse to give Arnold the reason he needs to veto bills he'd have vetoed anyway. Instead you have a party that simply does not care about unemployment and the jobless. Instead, to hear Chuck DeVore tell it, the unemployed should just leave California . California Republicans see unemployment as an unalloyed good, something to be embraced as a tool to destroy what remains of the New Deal and create a working class utterly dependent upon and unable to resist corporate power. California's economic policy has become nothing short of kleptocracy, justified by a constant media drumbeat demanding greater spending cuts, apparently for their own sake. It is up to Democrats and progressives, then, to make the case to California that jobs matter, that jobs are what this state desperately needs, and that Republicans have not just given up on providing jobs, but are actively cheerleading unemployment and attacking the jobless. Of course, we don't need jobs for their own sake. We need quality jobs, jobs that pay a living wage, jobs that are sustainable and not dependent on the latest asset bubble Ponzi scheme. And just as we learned in the 1930s, we need government to step in and provide them - instead of actively destroying them. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2qk http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2qk/commentary#comments Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:25:36 PDT http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2qk Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/8e501f6005c216fc9b_j8m6b99j3.jpg Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2qk/ A few weeks back the Guardian's Sunday paper, the Observer, published a long article titled Will California become America's first failed state? It was one of their most widely read and emailed articles that week, and generated a lot of responses. One of them was mine at Calitics . The Guardian wanted a response to their article for their Comment is Free section of the website, and asked me to write it. The result is now available: From Golden State to failed state . With a 700-word limit it was difficult to be more expansive than I could here at Calitics. But my article makes the basic points: the 20th century model of California, emphasizing sprawl and weighing government down with absurd, non-functional rules designed to protect that sprawl, have produced "a California that more closely resembles the world of Charles Dickens than that of the Beach Boys." We need to craft a new vision of the California Dream for the 21st century . Go read the article to see what that would look like. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2q8 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2q8/commentary#comments Sun, 18 Oct 2009 10:30:52 PDT http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2q8 Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/8e501f6005c216fc9b_j8m6b99j3.jpg Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2q8/ I'm at a beautiful retreat house on a hilltop in the mountains north of San Luis Obispo as thirty volunteers led by Courage's brilliant field team learn the skills to be community organizers. The spirit and energy in the room outshine the magnificent California countryside. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/rickjacobs/C2qd http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/rickjacobs/C2qd/commentary#comments Sat, 17 Oct 2009 15:50:58 PDT http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/rickjacobs/C2qd Rick Jacobs, Courage Campaign Rick Jacobs, Courage Campaign 2 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2qd/ On the heels of the national equality march and the momentous changes in our movement so evident from this weekend in Washington, DC, we want to share with you an update on our work around marriage equality in California. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/rickjacobs/C2ql http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/rickjacobs/C2ql/commentary#comments Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:00:51 PDT http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/rickjacobs/C2ql Rick Jacobs, Courage Campaign Rick Jacobs, Courage Campaign 1 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2ql/ Six years ago this month, California voters threw out an unpopular governor amidst a recession and a severe budget crisis, replacing him with a Hollywood action star who promised to fundamentally change the way the state does business. Instead the people of California got a governor who actually is as a bad as Gray Davis was incorrectly assumed to be. And finally, the public realizes just how bad he is. The latest Field Poll shows a state that is fed up with the failure currently occupying the governor's office. Only 27% approve of Arnold Schwarzenegger's job rating, and 65% disapprove. The lowest approval rating Gray Davis ever sustained was 22% in August 2003, 2 months before he was recalled. And that remains the lowest approval any CA governor has sustained since at least 1958 (Field Poll doesn't offer stats before that year). Arnold Schwarzenegger is now in Davis territory. This will likely spark more talk in the comments of a recall of Schwarzenegger. But in fact, such a recall is scheduled, just 385 days from now. The November 2010 election will be California's chance to decide whether they want to continue Arnold Schwarzenegger's policies in the form of either Meg Whitman, Steve Poizner or Tom Campbell. It would be nice if the Democratic candidates offered a meaningful change away from Arnold's policies of "cut for cuts' sake, no matter the damage it does to our economy" and his overall right-wing approach to governance. Jerry Brown might have signed AB 98 but he has stated his preference to continue the totally failed Schwarzenegger "no new taxes" policy that is wrecking our state's finances and our economy. Gavin Newsom has made some interesting statements about the need for structural reform, but he has yet to offer a specific solution to the economic and financial crisis. Which is unfortunate, because Californians clearly, desperately, want change. The candidate that offers a different and better path than the failed legacy of Arnold Schwarzenegger will be the one to sweep into the governor's office in January 2011 with a mandate for change. We'll see if there is any such candidate willing to step up and play that role. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2qf http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2qf/commentary#comments Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:57:55 PDT http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2qf Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/8e501f6005c216fc9b_j8m6b99j3.jpg Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2qf/ Yesterday was the deadline for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to veto or sign nearly 700 bills passed by the Legislature. It was a mixed bag, with some great news for the cause LGBT rights but some very bad news for health care reformers and women across the state. Among the vetoed bill was AB 98, which would have mandated that all health insurance plans offer maternity coverage. The governor's veto message : Maternity coverage is offered and available in today’s individual insurance market. Consumers can choose whether they want to purchase this type of coverage, and the pricing is reflective of that choice. While the perfect world would allow for all health conditions to be covered, including maternity, I cannot allow the perfect to become the enemy of the good. This is, as I noted back in March, is untrue : When Wendy Root Askew of Monterey started looking for a doctor she hoped would be her gynecologist as well as deliver her future children, she was shocked to discover her health insurance policy didn't include a single OB/GYN in her county. The 31-year-old considered changing health plans. But then she learned that while 85 percent of the plans available in Monterey County offered maternity coverage five years ago, just 15 percent offer it now. She found only two individual policies that included maternity, but they were three to five times as much as the policy she already had and came with annual deductibles of up to $15,000. Wendy is a very good friend of mine. And now she, like women across the state, have fallen victim to Arnold Schwarzenegger's greed. Given his veto of AB 98 and a number of other similar bills designed to produce meaningful health care reform, it was somewhat surprising to learn early this morning that the governor signed two bills advancing the cause of LGBT rights, including a bill he previously vetoed. The governor finally signed the bill declaring May 22 as Harvey Milk Day. And even more importantly, he signed Sen. Mark Leno's SB 54 allowing California to recognize same-sex marriages performed outside the state. If a same-sex couple gets married in Massachusetts, under this law, that marriage will be recognized as valid in California. Equality California did some excellent work on both of these bills, and deserves credit for getting them signed. We can expect right-wingers to challenge that law as well, as part of their campaign to take away rights from LGBT Americans. Ultimately this very mixed record on bill signings shows us how much damage Arnold Schwarzenegger has done to California - and how much better a governor he could have been. As we begin to look toward the 2010 election, when we will pick Arnold's replacement, progressive Californians should seek candidates who will embrace LGBT rights and health care reform at the same time - for we need both at once if we are to have a progressive state that cares for and respects the rights of all its people. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2vy http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2vy/commentary#comments Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:31:42 PDT http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2vy Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/8e501f6005c216fc9b_j8m6b99j3.jpg Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2vy/ I'm in the Danceboutique at 2009 8th Street, NW in Washington, DC. Yes, the bar is open even though it's only 2:30 in the afternoon. But no one is drinking. No one is dancing. There's no music, no thump of house music banging away. In fact, you can hear a pin drop, and even my the noise from my typing. It's Camp Courage DC. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/rickjacobs/C2vs http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/rickjacobs/C2vs/commentary#comments Sat, 10 Oct 2009 11:39:09 PDT http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/rickjacobs/C2vs Rick Jacobs, Courage Campaign Rick Jacobs, Courage Campaign 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2vs/ Just a few months into the 2009-10 fiscal year, and after three excruciatingly painful rounds of budget cuts (September 2008, February 2009, and July 2009) we learned today from John Chiang that California's budget is again in the red : State revenue has already fallen more than $1 billion short of assumptions in the budget lawmakers passed less than three months ago, according to a new report from the state controller. Disappointing income tax receipts are the main culprit, falling 11% below what lawmakers and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger expected when they agreed on a patchwork budget during the summer, halting the state’s issuance of IOUs. Sales and corporate taxes have also slid below projections. "While there are encouraging signs that California's economy is preparing for a comeback, the recession continues to drag state revenues down,” said Controller John Chiang in a statement. He called the new figures “a major blow to a budget that is barely 10 weeks old.” Even before the bad fiscal news, policymakers were bracing for a big budget deficit next year. The Department of Finance anticipates a $7.4-billion deficit in 2010-11. That’s a conservative estimate, because lawsuits have tied up or reversed some planned budget cuts. As we've made quite clear here at Calitics, the previous budget deals did absolutely nothing to solve the state's economic and fiscal crisis. Despite those who would have us believe the problem is somehow caused by "overspending," we are actually seeing the effect of state budget cuts that have laid off thousands of workers, and caused them as well as those who remain to spend less money in the state. It was entirely predictable that the massive budget cuts would merely weaken the economy further and thereby exacerbate the cycle of decline in revenues. But it should come as no surprise to us that such an outcome has taken place. At no time during the present recession have legislators and the governor given any thought to how they will produce economic recovery. The dominant impulse in Sacramento is to cut, to cut for its own sake, to cut when it costs money to do so, to cut when it is illegal to to do, to cut when it further weakens an already disastrous economy. The last thing California needs are the further and deeper budget cuts that we're likely to hear suggested in the wake of this news. California instead desperately needs jobs, particularly unionized, well-paid and high-benefit government jobs. Californians also need affordable health care. They need affordable transportation. They need also more educational options. As Paul Krugman pointed out today, the cuts to education are weakening our economy and will cause permanent damage: For example, the Chronicle of Higher Education recently reported on the plight of California’s community college students. For generations, talented students from less affluent families have used those colleges as a stepping stone to the state’s public universities. But in the face of the state’s budget crisis those universities have been forced to slam the door on this year’s potential transfer students. One result, almost surely, will be lifetime damage to many students’ prospects — and a large, gratuitous waste of human potential. Krugman calls for an emergency package of aid to state and local budgets, a call we at Calitics heartily second. But we must also work hard to stop the 121 Herbert Hoovers in Sacramento from doing further harm to an already stressed state. We've tried Republicans' neo-Hooverite solution. Democrats have insisted we had no choice to go along with it, but they have instead caused untold suffering and pain to the people of California without gaining anything in return. As we prepare for the next budget battle, we need to also prepare to demand that Democrats abandon neo-Hooverism and stop embracing policies and budget deals that merely make the economic and fiscal crisis worse. Yes, our state has severe structural governance problems that make truly progressive solutions difficult. But the first step toward fixing those structural problems is to articulate a clear vision for a fairer, more prosperous, and more economically secure California. Only then will Californians be willing to dismantle the structural barriers that have strangled our state over these last 30 years. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2vP http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2vP/commentary#comments Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:59:08 PDT http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/roberticruickshank/C2vP Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/profile_picture/8e501f6005c216fc9b_j8m6b99j3.jpg Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/C2vP/