Educators Support Tony Thurmond for SPI | State Council

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Stop Trump and His Enablers - Save Lives- Vote

Contrary to the recent Trump Administration statements, we are not being invaded by people from Central America.  President Trump  has called the upcoming midterms an “election of the caravan”in reference to migrant caravan group of Central Americans currently walking towards the U.S.-Mexico border. 

Referring to the caravan as “an assault to [the U.S.],” Trump is extending  his racist rhetoric he used against Mexicans—calling them “rapists” and “criminals”—to migrants from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. 

This fear campaign being mounted by the Administration is an attempt to win the November Congressional electionat the cost of once again promoting racially exploitive politics and violence.  See more here

http://www.sacramentoprogressivealliance.org/2018/10/trumps-politics-produced-hate-in.html

As NY Times columnist Nicholas Kristoff wrote, while the Trump campaign tries to raise the fear that we are being invaded, during the same time 16,800 Americans will die from drug abuse, 690,000 will become homeless, including 267,000 children, 8,850 will die from gunshot wounds, and another 9,000 will die from lack of health insurance.  But, Trump and his enablers are worried about the possible migration of 1,000 refugees. 

Within the past year under Donald Trump, the U.S. has admitted only 22,491 refugees—one of the lowest numbers on record. The admissions count for the 2018 fiscal year, which ended on September 30, was less than half the number of refugees admitted in FY 2017 (53,716) and about one-quarter of the number of people admitted in FY 2016 (84,994). 

Trump has arbitrarily reversed the U.S. traditional position of welcoming refugees. 

Rather than joining in this fear campaign, we need to defeat Trump and his enablers. The Trump  fear campaign could cost the Democrats several seats in the very close Congressional election on Nov. 6.  What we can do is work twice as hard to defeat the Trump/Republican  anti -immigrant agenda. 

The caravan of poor people, mostly Hondurans, heading toward the border should not be stopped.  The Trump administration now threatens to deny refugee status to all of the migrants.  That would be a violation of our treaty obligations as required by the Convention Relating to the Status of Migrants a United Nations Multilateral Treaty (1951) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1946), which the U.S. government helped to draft. Many migrants are seeking asylum because the communities from which they are fleeing are taken over by violence. The U.S. has laws that allow suchrefugees to seek asylum and we have a due process system for determining who is eligible. 

Selecting the Next Superintendent of Public Instruction for California

NPE Action Endorses Tony Thurmond for Superintendent of Public Instruction in California!

By dianeravitch

October 4, 2018 

The Network for Public Education Action Fund endorses Tony Thurmond for Superintendent of Public Institution in California!

California is a mess because of the intrusion of billionaires into education, billionaires who do not send their own children to public schools but want to control and privatize them. They pour millions into school board races, and they are now pouring millions into the state superintendent race, in hopes of capturing that important position. 

Tony Thurmond’s opponent, Marshall Tuck, has a long history in the charter industry. Although he claims to be a Democrat (as in DFER), Tuck was endorsed by the California Republican party. Thurmond won the support of 95% of the delegates to the California Democratic party convention. Tuck was also endorsed by Arne Duncan, and Duncan’s endorsement means support of charter schools, high-stakes testing, and misuse of test scores to evaluate teachers. 

California desperately needs accountability and transparency for its unregulated charter sector, not a fox in charge of the henhouse.

Teachers Respond to Hate

As I stood at a vigil at Temple Emanuel in New York City today to honor the Tree of Life synagogue victims, I couldn’t stop thinking about how hate has become a fact of life in our country.



Hateful rhetoric and words of incitement have fueled heinous acts of violence across our nation over the past week: pipe bombs mailed to elected officials and the media, a racially motivated shooting at a Kroger grocery store after a failed church attack, and, yesterday, the most deadly anti-Semitic attack in our nation’s history. Political violence that once seemed unimaginable now seems inevitable—the result of hate being normalized and divisions stoked by those in power. This is a moment of crisis for our communities that we have not experienced in decades.



We are in pain, but our pain can’t immobilize us; we must act, and that starts with voting on Nov. 6.



On Tuesday night, one week before the midterm election, we’re holding a telephone town hall, with partners including MoveOn, the NAACP and other progressive groups, about what’s happened in the last week and what we’re doing about it. Sign up here, and we’ll make sure you’re on the call.



The sad truth is that no matter how much we plead for Donald Trump to change, he won’t. He can’t. He’s so caught up in his quest for praise and power that he seems incapable of reflection on, much yet empathy for, what’s happened to America during his tenure and his role in enabling such division and polarization. Despite these three terrible acts in the last week, at the hands of assailants who self-identify as anti-immigrant, anti-Semitic, racist white supremacists who have embraced Trump’s words and deeds, the president is still using the same tactics and exacerbating the same shameful divisions.

Help Us Defeat Trump !!

Sacramento Progressive Alliance

Progressive Voter Guide 

 November, 6, 2018.

U.S. Senate

Kevin de León

Governor

Gavin Newsom

Attorney General
Xavier Becerra 

Superintendent of Public Instruction

Tony Thurmond

Congressional District 4  Jessica Morse

                      District   10  Josh Harder

          District 6.  Doris Matsui

        District 7 Ami  Bera 

       District 9   Jerry McNerney 

District 3 John Garamendi 

State Senate District 4

Phil Kim

District 6  Jacky Smith 

American River Flood Control District

Rachelanne Rae Vander Werf

Propositions

Yes on Prop. 1  & 2

Veterans and Affordable Housing

No on Prop 6:  Gas Tax

https://noprop6.com

Yes on 10.  Permits Rent Control 

  https://voteyesonprop10.org

Not printed nor distributed at any candidate’s expense or direction. 

Bernie Sanders ANTI-TRUMP Speech at GOTV Rally in Boulder, Colorado

Voter Turnout. 

Children on the Run in Central America

Foul tactics: Fox News and Donald Trump are creating fear about the caravan of migrants from Honduras in an effort to win this election. 

This fear campaign could cost the Democrats several seats in the very close Congressional election on Nov. 6.  What we can do is work twice as hard to defeat the Trump/Republican  anti -immigrant agenda. 

·      We must stop him now before he and his enablers can further consolidate power.   See post below.

Fox News /Trump Create Fear About Honduran Caravan

Foul tactics: Fox News  fear creation about the caravan from Honduras.  See  how Trump is using the news cycle to build the Republican campaign


https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/conservative-max-boot-slams-fox-news-on-caravan-coverage_us_5bcd054ce4b055bc9481f807

What can we do?  
This fear campaign may cost the Democrats several seats in the very close Congressional election on Nov. 6.  What we can do is work twice as hard to defeat the Trump/Republican campaign.

We must Defeat Trump and the  anti immigrant Republican agenda:. 

·      We must stop him now before he and his enablers can further consolidate power.  

·      The available way to stop him is to Vote to win control of the U.S. Congress in the 2018 election.  

We need to defeat Trump enablers Congressmen  Jeff Denham &  Tom McClintock. 

Elect a stronger advocate for U.S. Senate,   Kevin de Leon, rather than Dianne Feinstein. 

Who you vote for depends  upon which Congressional district you are in:

Congressional District 4  Jessica Morse

                   District   10  Josh Harder

          District 6.  Doris Matsui

          District 7 Ami  Bera 

       District 9   Jerry McNerney 

District 3 John Garamendi 

October 22, Last day to register to vote.  After 22, you will need to register for a provisional ballot. 

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antiracismdsa: Migrant Caravan Being Used by Trump

antiracismdsa: Migrant Caravan Being Used by Trump: The caravan of migrants from Honduras heading across Mexico for the U.S. border is a very inopportune act. It is dangerous,  It will add...

Fact Checking the De Leon - Feinstein Discussion

FACT-CHECKING KEVIN DE LEÓN’S CONVERSATION WITH MARK BALDASSARE AND DIANNE FEINSTEIN 

SAN FRANCISCO – Just after U.S. Senate candidate Kevin de León and incumbent Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s met on stage this afternoon, Communications Director Jonathan Underland made the following statement:

“The historic debate we witnessed today is testament to the unprecedented strength of Senator de León’s challenge and exposed just how starkly the values of the two candidates differ. It is shocking that California’s senior senator would dismiss the value of organizing and peaceful protests. Saying that ‘it doesn’t do anything’ and that we should focus on winning elections ignores a basic truth: You have to build coalitions to make real change. Senator de León, who cut his teeth organizing the largest civil rights protest in state history against Prop 187, knows that organizing and coordinating with the grassroots is vital to California’s success in Congress.”

FACT CHECK

IMMIGRATION REFORM OVERDUE…

• Senator Feinstein claims that “immigration reform is long overdue.” But in 1993, Senator Feinstein said that “whether it’s a space for a job, a space is a home, a place in a classroom, it becomes a competition for space… The people who should be here are those who come legally.” [C-SPAN, 9/17/93].

• And even now, “for immigration advocates rushing to beat back congressional momentum to crack down on so-called ‘sanctuary cities,’ their chief worry isn’t the Republicans who control Capitol Hill. It’s Sen. Dianne Feinstein.” [Politico, 8/03/15].

SO OVERDUE, DE LEÓN HAS PICKED UP THE SLACK

• During the PPIC discussion today, Sen. Feinstein said she "just learned" that there are multiple family detention facilities in CA. Senator de León – pictured here marching on the Otay Mesa Detention Center with religious leaders this past June – has been fighting to keep immigrant families together since long before it became a hashtag: In 2012, his SB 1064 broke down barriers to reunite detained and deported Californians with their children.

If Millenials Vote- We Win

If Millennials Vote- We win.

 The critical elections of 2018 will determine if the Congress can put the brakes on Donald Trump, his allies, and the Koch-Adelson agenda. The question is, will enough people turn out to vote?

According to Pew Research surveys, 2018s will see a record turnout of 18- 34 year olds for a mid term election.  More, 57% of millennials who are registered plan to vote for Democrats and only 37 % for Republicans.  I have no measure of how the decline to state voters will vote. 

Given the enthusiasm of youth for common sense social democratic proposals as shown by Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, we can hope that young people will vote left. 

People who are unlikely to vote make up some 50% of the population. 

 If Millennials don’t vote- we lose. 

Why We Are Red for Ed

Why We Are Red for Ed

It’s about protecting students and public schools

By Mary Ellen Flannery and Amanda Litvinov

This is a moment: More than 75,000 Arizona educators turning the streets of Phoenix red with their crimson shirts this spring.

This is also a moment: Arizona educators delivering more than 270,000 signatures to state officials in July, demanding a say in whether to invest $700 million more in Arizona’s starving public schools.

These moments, joined with others in West Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Colorado, and elsewhere, aren’t isolated. Together, they are shaping a national movement that will deliver pro-public education voters and candidates to the polls this fall and, in the long term, protect the nation’s public schools and transform our unions.

http://neatoday.org/2018/10/12/why-we-are-red-for-ed/

Check out the new NEA Today feature: “Why We Are Red for Ed.” While you’re there, take the #RedForEd pledge and join millions of voices fighting for our nation's public school students and educators.

The Reality Check: “MIGRATION IS A FORM OF FIGHTIN...

antiracismdsa: The Reality Check: “MIGRATION IS A FORM OF FIGHTIN...: The Reality Check: “MIGRATION IS A FORM OF FIGHTING BACK” : “MIGRATION IS A FORM OF FIGHTING BACK” Looking at the Root Causes of Migration ...

Dolores- The Film

Get Involved ! Do It Now !

Many Americans who oppose Trump and Kavanaugh did not even vote in the last election. In 2014, the last midterm election, only 16 % of citizens between 18 and 29 voted.

Perhaps  the best way to encourage turn out is to talk with your families and friends.  Use social media to reach out to persons who might not vote. 

The critical issue for this election is to defeat Donald Trump and his enablers. 

·      He has magnified racial prejudice to win tax cuts for the wealthy, to assault labor unions, and to reverse efforts to halt climate destruction. 

·       He has collaborated with the Russians while cutting health care for the poor in the U.S.  

·      In the Kavanaugh fight he has proven to be a misogynist, sexist, bully.

·      We must stop him now before he and his enablers can further consolidate power.  

·      The available way to stop him is to vote to win control of the U.S. Congress in the 2018 election.  

Campaigns need volunteers to knock on doors and make phone calls.  These are the critical local Congressional races

District 4  Jessica Morse

   District  10  Josh Harder

                             District 6.  Doris Matsui

                             District 7 Ami  Bera

   District 9  Jerry McNerney

    District 3  John Garamendi

Indigenous People's Day

More U.S. Cities Celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day

Across the US, more cities ditch Columbus Day to honor those who really discovered America. CNN: “By now, you probably know Christopher Columbus didn’t discover America. He wasn’t even the first European to do it. Somehow, the 15th-century Italian explorer still got his own national holiday. But more cities and states are scrapping Columbus Day to honor the people who were here first — and who suffered greatly after Columbus’ arrival. Just this year, at least a dozen US cities — including San Francisco and Cincinnati — decided to stop observing Columbus Day and will instead celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day on Monday. ‘This issue is a lot like the Confederate flag for southerners. As an Italian-American it feels good that there is an official holiday that is nominally about us. We are proud of our heritage. Yet the specifics of this holiday run so deep into human suffering that we need to shift our pride elsewhere.’ Dozens of other cities and entire states, including Minnesota, Alaska, Vermont and Oregon, have also replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day. Hawaii celebrates Discoverers’ Day on the second Monday of October. And South Dakota celebrates Native American Day.”

Corporate Money, Charters and the Schools

Hijacked By Billionaires: How The Super Rich Buy Elections To Undermine Public SchoolsAn NPE Action Investigative Report www.npeaction.org

SCUSD Budget

Dear Community Member, Superintendent Jorge Aguilar and Sacramento City Unified Board of Education President Jessie Ryan released the following statement this afternoon after the district, working with a fiscal advisor appointed by the County Superintendent, has determined the amount of cost savings the district must achieve to eliminate its structural deficit is $28.5 million in 2019-2020 and $19.5 million for 2020-2021: “The Sacramento City Unified School District’s fiscal problems are structural, complex and not new.  The fiscal challenges are the result of the district’s decades-long history of operating with an ongoing structural deficit that has not sufficiently prioritized meeting the needs of students. Making real, solid, and permanent reductions in expenditures to address our longstanding fiscal problems requires courage and commitment and working in collaboration with all partners and stakeholders. Quick fixes made within a 30-day period will not serve students well.   Therefore, we have notified the Sacramento County Superintendent that the revised budget we plan to submit by the state required October 8th deadline, while making approximately $10 million in cuts, does not contain sufficient reductions to completely eliminate the structural deficit. We simply need more time to work alongside the Sacramento County Office of Education, the County Superintendent’s appointed fiscal advisor, labor partners and our community to chart a sustainable course that is student-centered.

Selecting a Superintendent of Public Instruction

What makes the superintendent far more than a glorified administrator is the authority that comes with a popularly elected mandate.

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The most persuasive evidence that the California Dream is rooted in Enlightenment notions of free public education, democratic governance and equity can be found in the state’s founding document. Not only does the 1849 Constitution sketch out the contours of public schools, accountability, a funding mechanism and a Department of Education, but the framers stipulate that it be led by an elected State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI).

Fast-forward 169 years to the election of a new superintendent and the latest test of California’s commitment to its foundational cornerstone. The stakes are high. Though California spends 40 percent (or $56 billion) of its $138 billion budget on its six-million student public school system, the past four decades have seen the state slip from among the top-five states for school funding to consistently rankingin the bottom five. Whoever is elected on November 6 will have a historic opportunity to correct the course of a system in which the public good has increasingly been compromised by the competing demands of private interest.

What, exactly, does the superintendent do? The political shorthand typically describes the $175,000-a-year position as Sacramento’s elected equivalent to Betsy DeVos, the Trump-appointed U.S. Secretary of Education.

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The superintendent can use the post’s bully pulpit to act as a super-lobbyist
on behalf of students.

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On paper, the SPI interprets regulations, sets curriculum and teaching standards, collects school accountability data and manages the day-to-day business of the sprawling California Department of Education. The superintendent is thus an implementer but not a maker of policy — which is the bailiwick of the governor and his appointed president of the State Board of Education.

Trump Expands Concentration Camps for Children in ...

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