• HeartLADems official events
  • Next meeting - Thursday, October 5, 2023, 7pm. RSVP here. Program TBD.
  • Saturday, September 23, 2023, 8:30 a.m. - LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER! Join Team HLA at the Homeboy 5K in downtown Los Angeles!
• Take Action on HLA Legislative Endorsements
  • Federal  (Paycheck Fairness Act, Healthy Families Act, and FAMILY Act)
    • Sign on to MomsRising’s action
  • California (AB28 Gun Violence and School Safety Fund)
    • Contact Governor Newsom
  • Beverly Hills (Abortion Clinic Update and Action)
• Support our endorsed candidates and partners
  • CADEM Day of Action with Democratic HQ of the Desert info here
  • Congressman Ted Lieu, Heart of LA, and several of our Board and Steering Committee members are sponsoring an in-person event to support the re-election of Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez 
    • Saturday, September 30, 2023 at 6:00 p.m.
    • RSVP here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/9-30-23la
  • Fundraiser for Laura Friedman for Congress (CA-30).
    • Sunday, October 1, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
    • RSVP here
• Upcoming September Dates to Remember
  • September 15 - October 15 - National Hispanic Heritage Month
  • Happy Rosh Hashanah! September 15-September 17
  • Yom Kippur - Sun, Sep 24 – Mon, Sep 25
  • September 28 - National Voter Registration Day

Saturday, September 23, 2023, 8:30 a.m.

LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER! Join Team HLA at the Homeboy 5K in downtown Los Angeles!

Click here and sign up for the event - make sure that you select team “Heart of LA Democratic Club” so we know you’re coming. Can’t make it? Support Team HLA and donate a few bucks to Homeboy Industries under our special link to contribute here.

Federal Legislation

Childcare Stabilization Act
We are about to go off a cliff with respect to funding for childcare in the United States when pandemic-related funds run out. To learn more about this issue, read the Axios story here. This Act would help provide desperately needed funds that will help parents - especially working mothers. Learn more about the Act here, and contact your legislators through MomsRising’s action here. 
 

Paycheck Fairness Act
This Act will modernize and strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963 to better combat pay discrimination and close the wage gap, including by protecting workers from retaliation for discussing pay, banning the use of prior salary history, and codifying pay data collection. 

Healthy Families Act
This Act will set a national standard for paid sick and safe days to allow workers in businesses with 15 or more employees to earn up to seven job-protected paid sick and safe days each year

FAMILY Act
This Act will provide workers with up to 12 weeks of partial income when they take time off from work for their own serious health condition; the serious health condition of a family member; the birth or adoption of a child; to address the effects of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking; and for certain reasons related to military deployment.

Go here to sign on to MomsRising’s action to support the Paycheck Fairness Act, Healthy Families Act, and FAMILY Act. 

Please share these actions with your friends and family in the area as well as throughout the country - everyone can do their part to help get these important pieces of legislation passed! 

California Legislation 

AB28 - Contact Governor Newsom’s office and encourage him to sign this bill!

AB 28 will establish the Gun Violence Prevention and School Safety Fund to support important programs like the California Violence Intervention and Prevention (CalVIP) grant program, school safety and mental health programs, firearm relinquishment programs to get guns out of the hands of people not legally allowed to have them, programs to support equitable improvement of firearm homicide and assault investigations, firearm safety programs, support services for mass shooting victims, and gun violence research. The bill is funded by a modest industry tax on gun dealers and manufacturers based on their retail sales of firearms and ammunition. 

Beverly Hills City Council - Abortion Clinic Update

Update on Beverly Hills City Council Action Item from our last meeting, via member Amanda Smith organizing with BH for Choice:

On Tuesday, Sept. 12, the Beverly Hills City Council held its first session since the August 14 LA Times article that broke the story. We were joined by members from Heart of LA Dems, San Fernando Valley Young Democrats, and Black Women for Wellness/Action Project.

Thanks to the allyship of these groups, we delivered a strong response during the non-agendized public comment portion, with several speakers and over 30 emails demanding an investigation and an ordinance prohibiting city officials from using city resources to co-operate with out of state entities investigating abortions. You can read more about this in the Beverly Press's coverage. 

As we move into this week, we are again turning to community and reproductive justice organizations to help spread the word about this attack on abortion. For the week of 9/18, our two action items are:

A)      Please send an email to cityclerk@beverlyhills.org to echo the demands we made last week: 

1.       A full investigation and public disclosure of contact between City Hall officials, the Beverly Hills Police Department, Douglas Emmett, and anti-abortion groups. The people of this city deserve to know the full extent to which city officials were acting in collusion with anti-choice activists.
2.       Legislation prohibiting city agencies from using city resources to cooperate with out-of-state entities related to abortions performed within California state. Similar legislation was passed by New York City 8/12/22.

B)      Please call (ideal) or email these politicians, who have not yet made a public statement:

• Rep. Ted Lieu - 323.651.1040, marc.cevasco@mail.house.gov
• Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, LA County Board of Supervisors 213.974.3333, thirddistrict@bos.lacounty.gov

•  They aim to
  • raise awareness and present expectations to the City Council
  • advocate for an independent investigation into the city's involvement with anti-abortion groups
  • propose an ordinance to prevent city resources from supporting out-of-state entities related to abortions in California
  • create a Change.org petition for an independent investigation and resolution of lawsuits involving the clinic
  • have a strong presence at the October 3 City Council meeting

In the last midterm election, California swayed control of Congress and narrow losses in key races added to Republicans' margin of power. Next year, the path to the House will run through California again and we need your help to empower voters in our community! 

Help flip the 40th & the 41st by joining In-person or Virtually.

Saturday, September 30, 2023 at 6:00 p.m.
Congressman Ted Lieu, Heart of LA and several of our Board and Steering Committee members are sponsoring an in-person event to support the re-election of Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez - ”MGP” (WA-03).

Rep. MGP flipped the district that republicans have dominated for the last 12 years with only 0.8% margin. She’s one of the most targeted House districts by the RNC. It’s a must win for us in 2024. Let’s support her together.

• Saturday, September 30, 2023 at 6:00 PM PT -
• RSVP here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/9-30-23la
   

Sunday, October 1, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Fundraiser for Laura Friedman for Congress (CA-30).
Suggested contribution $50, but no minimum required to attend. RSVP here, to Drew or Camryn, 310-477-8081 or rsvpforlaurafriedman@gmail.com. 

Join HLA for 2023!

You can join for 2023, here! Memberships are good through December 31, 2023.

Note: we have plans to soon transition most of our regular communications to our paid club members through NGP/VAN. If you would like to continue receiving emails like this one, but you are not yet a member, we highly recommend that you join!

• Tuesday, September 26, 12:15 p.m.
  UCLA Law Safeguarding Democracy Project: “How Should Platforms Handle Election Speech and Disinformation in 2024?” RSVP here. 
   
• Tuesday, September 26, 7:00 p.m.
  Mayor Karen Bass’ first telephone town hall! Sign up here with your phone number to receive a call when it begins. 
   
• Thursday, September 28, 9:00 a.m.
  American Constitution Society National Supreme Court Preview. RSVP here. 
   
• Monday, October 16, 6:00 p.m.
  2nd District Virtual Town Hall on LA County Budget. RSVP here. 
   
• Sunday, October 22, 4:00 p.m.
  LiveTalks - An Afternoon with Rachel Maddow, discussing her new book Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism,  in Culver City (virtual option also available on October 27). RSVP here.