Compiled by RADC Members - Tracy Wise and Jeff Poggi

1. Keep Pushing: Ensure Voting Rights Legislation Is Passed in the U.S. Senate:

Senate Majority Leader Schumer brought up the voting rights bill again on November 3rd.  One Republican senator voted for it.  But it failed to survive the filibuster.  We must get voting rights passed and stop with the doomed vote theater and carve out an exception in the filibuster for voting rights.

Please write to Senators Feinstein and Padilla ASAP with this message (feel free to replace with your own words):

Dear Senator Feinstein/Padilla:

I am one of your California constituents who believes that passing voting rights legislation ASAP is vital to pushing back against efforts across the country to disenfranchise voters and block access to the polls. It is urgent that all Senate Democrats at least implement a carve-out in the filibuster for voting rights or cancel the filibuster altogether so that this bill can be passed ASAP. You are our voice in the Senate. We are running out of time.

Thank you

YOUR NAME

YOUR ZIP

Senator Diane Feinstein, 11111 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 915, Los Angeles, CA 90025 - (310) 914-7300 or [https://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-me].

Senator Alex Padilla, 11845 West Olympic Blvd., Suite 1250W, Los Angeles, CA 90064 - (310) 231-4494  [https://www.padilla.senate.gov/]

2. Get Involved in Supporting Redlands

Redlands has open positions on the following city commissions.  Apply by Monday, November 15:

Municipal Utilities/Public Works Commission

Traffic and Parking Commission

Library Board of Trustees

Cultural Arts Commission

Planning Commission

You can learn about the responsibilities of each commission and their meeting schedules at https://www.cityofredlands.org/current-openings .

Residents interested in applying for the non-salaried position on a commission may request application forms from the Office of the City Manager, City Hall, 35 Cajon Street, Suite 200, or by phone at 909-798-7510, or on the City’s website:  www.cityofredlands.org  

3. Support the Build Back Better Reconciliation Bill*

The bill is currently on hold in the House while the Congressional Budget Office produces information requested by six Democrats.  These six have promised to either vote yea on the legislation or work with House progressives and leadership to make tweaks to pass the bill (per Rep. Jayapal the evening of 11/9/21).  And then it must go to the Senate for approval. 

Please send a note to Representative Pete Aguilar to urge him to continue to keep the forward momentum on this vital legislation for our country and, especially, for residents of the Inland Empire.  Here is a suggested message to Rep. Aguilar (https://aguilar.house.gov/contact/email).

Dear Rep. Aguilar:

I am a resident in your district and wanted to reach out to you today to say thank you for your support of the Build Back Better reconciliation bill and ask that you continue to keep the pressure on your Democrat colleagues to ensure that this vital piece of legislation passes the House sooner rather than later.

Thank you for bringing our voices to Congress.

Name

Member, Redlands Area Democratic Club

*For more details on the #BuildBackBetter Reconciliation Bill, go to https://www.whitehouse.gov/build-back-better/ 

ONGOING REMINDERS

• REMINDER:  Voting Rights:  New *City* Redistricting Information/Action

Upcoming City of Redlands public meetings are scheduled:

• January 18, 2022 (time, etc. tbd)
• February 15, 2022 (time, etc. tbd)
• April 17, 2022 – adoption of the final maps

• REMINDER:  Voting Rights:  New *County* Redistricting Information

Here is the website, with the list of upcoming meetings *and* information on how to submit a map to the redistricting committee:  https://sbcountyredistricting.com/ The next two meetings are:

Special Meeting – Board of Supervisors

November 16, 2021 

1:00 pm-3:00 pm

San Bernardino County Government Center

385 N. Arrowhead Avenue, 1st Floor
San Bernardino, CA 92415-0835

+ Google Map

Special Meeting - Board of Supervisors
Watch Live

Special Meeting – Board of Supervisors

December 7, 2021

1:00 pm-3:00 pm

San Bernardino County Government Center

385 N. Arrowhead Avenue, 1st Floor
San Bernardino, CA 92415-0835

+ Google Map

Special Meeting - Board of Supervisors
Watch Live

• REMINDER:  Voting Rights:  New *Water* Redistricting Information

No new information available.  Here is a link to the current maps of the IE’s water districts:  https://www.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=e1a0b6df610f490892a970b01952274d&entry=3 

We will continue to keep you up-to-date on redistricting efforts around our county (they voted NO on any meeting[s] in Redlands) and water districts and any further City redistricting news.

• REMINDER:  Replacement process for Councilmember Paul Foster in process
  • Councilmember Foster has said that he will continue to serve until he and his wife leave.  His departure date is pending.  On November 2nd, the City Council made a decision on how to proceed:  “The Redlands City Council will reach out to former District 5 council members to gauge interest in filling Councilman Paul Foster's vacant seat in January.”  https://www.redlandscommunitynews.com/news/government/split-council-votes-to-reach-out-to-former-members-to-fill-paul-foster-s-vacancy/article_df439ba6-3d92-11ec-9ec0-1358e111a384.html 

STICK A PIN IN THIS

• UPDATED:  The California 2021 Legislative Session ended with Governor Newsom signing his last bills prior to the October 10th deadline.  The next Legislative Session should reconvene in December.

• • The final set of approved bills included:
    • Providing Immediate Relief for those Hardest Hit by COVID-19
    • Confronting the Homelessness & Housing Affordability Crisis
    • Transforming Public Schools as Gateways for Opportunity
    • Building Infrastructure for the Next Century
    • Combating Wildfires & Tackling Climate Change

https://www.gov.ca.gov/2021/10/09/governor-newsom-takes-final-action-of-2021-legislative-session/

• Of the 836 bills presented to him for approval, he signed 770 or 92%.  Some of those signed include the following (from CalMatters):
  • Making ethnic studies a high school graduation requirement, as CalMatters’ Joe Hong reports. Under a bill Newsom signed last year, California State University students must also take an ethnic studies course to graduate.
  • Mandating mental health instruction in middle and high schools that have an existing health education course.
  • Requiring public colleges, universities and secondary schools to provide free menstrual products on campus.
  • Requiring large department stores to maintain a gender-neutral section of toys and child care items.
  • Restricting sentence enhancements for many crimes, as recommended by an obscure committee examining California’s penal code.
  • Ensuring police can’t block journalists from covering protests and demonstrations.
  • Cracking down on sideshows and illegal street racing by allowing courts to suspend convicted motorists’ licenses for up to six months.
  • Giving cities more authority to reduce their speed limits.
  • Making it illegal to harass people entering vaccination clinics. First Amendment experts say several aspects of the law — including an exemption for “lawful picketing arising out of a labor dispute” — may be unconstitutional.
  • Ending “surprise billing” for COVID-19 tests and vaccinations.
  • Extending a phone tax to fund high-speed internet in underserved areas.
  • Allowing restaurants to continue selling to-go cocktails, using parking lots for expanded seating, and serving alcohol in parklets.
  • Offering year-round fishing licenses.
  • Banning the sale of new gas-powered leaf blowers, lawn mowers and other small off-road engines by as soon as 2024.
  • Phasing out controversial donor dog facilities to create a  new canine blood bank system. https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2021/10/new-california-laws/ 
• For the full text of the bills, you can go to:  http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov