CALIFORNIA POLITICS
California Voters
The LA Times looks at how the rest of the nation may follow California, in terms of how xenophobic Republican leadership and policies — similar to California Proposition 187 that was passed by voters in 1994 with strong support from Republican Governor Pete Wilson — will galvanize immigrants to support Democrats. To hear more about Proposition 187 and how it contributed to the rise of the Latinx and new majority electorate and the downfall of the Republican party in California, listen to a new in-depth podcast by Gustavo Arellano — himself the son of an undocumented immigrant father — “This is California: The Battle of 187,” from the LA Times and Futuro Studios. “Yet, 25 years later, Proposition 187 and Pete Wilson made the Golden State bluer than indigo. …. [This series is] about the time in 1994 that California Republicans went to war against illegal immigration and lost, bad. And how the legacy of those battles from 25 years ago influences America, even today, because before President Trump, there was Proposition 187.”
AAPI Data, led by CDT ally Karthick Ramakrishnan, released a report on how the state’s AAPI voters (1 in 6 of all voters) have the potential to greatly influence the 2020 primary election.
California will launch a first-in-the-nation training for transgender voters. The state has an estimated 190,000 eligible transgender voters, and the training is an effort to ensure they can navigate polling place requirements and cast their ballots.
POLICY
The California Dream Builder Alliance — the progressive policy coalition of which CDT is a member — helped pass 18 bills this legislative session, spanning criminal justice reform, early education, housing, workers’ rights and many other issues.
Paul Mitchell of CA 120 looks at how local governments have had different redistricting processes and will need to conform to more transparent and fair regulations under CDT ally Assemblymember Rob Bonta’s newly signed Fair Maps Act, AB 849. “Some local governments do redistricting in a fully-public process, holding outreach meetings, having all mapping options presented in a public setting, engaging the community and working to prevent gerrymanders. Others have made this process more opaque, and have even put the needs of incumbents or political considerations ahead of the public interest. With little oversight and unclear rules, some redistricting has been a farce that produced little more than a patently political outcome.” Hundreds of local governments will redistrict in 2021 based on the 2020 Census results.
RESEARCH
After several years of decline, California’s rate of uninsured has stalled at 3 million. The California Budget and Policy Center looks at why the rate has stalled and how policymakers have the opportunity to expand health care coverage to more Californians.
The Center released a guide on how the California Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Young Child Tax Credit broadens economic security across the state. For more context on the California EITC, check out CDT member Joe Sanberg’s Working Hero organization advocating for the EITC as a critical tool to end poverty.
The California Immigrant Policy Center looks at how law enforcement agencies across the state are still cooperating with federal Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and not protecting immigrants, despite California being a sanctuary state. The report includes best practices from cities and counties that are implementing the sanctuary state law and protecting immigrant communities.
EVENTS
Democracy in Color Podcast
CDT co-founder Steve Phillips launched his Democracy in Color podcast earlier this month, and he has a new episode out today “How to Defeat a Racist: An Interview with Tim Wise.” Check out his other episodes interviewing Stacy Abrams and examining the connections between impeachment and race.