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California Council of Churches IMPACT was part of the convocation established by California Common Cause to create and support the founding of the Citizens’ Commission on Redistricting.  We believe totally in the need for fair non-partisan redistricting to create and maintain legitimacy in our election process.  Voters should have the right to pick their representatives.  Representatives and their parties should not pick their voters.

We have stood 100% on this accomplishment.  Until now.

As we watch the march of both fascists and theocrats, we see the erosion of all we cherish. Our entire system of law, polity, decency, freedom is cracking and beginning to fall.  We are, as people of faith, being told we’re unworthy, that our work for justice is somehow wrong because a few can’t tolerate equality.  We are being told our care for creation, our support for the ‘alien’ are wrong, that democracy is expendable, that power and money and might must prevail. 

We resist on every level the erosion of democracy with its liberties and freedoms. We take the Constitution seriously as a secular document that enables our faith values to flourish.  We will not cede any of that. We do not accept fascism, authoritarianism, tyranny. We will not abide any of it without resistance.

We see enablers of authoritarianism in Texas proposing to redistrict mid-decade to hand ONE man, Donald Trump, an utterly complicit Congress.  Unless courts shut down this unprecedented theft of districts, districts designed to eliminate minority voters’ voices and choices, we in other states are commanded to find extraordinary responses.  

We in California have the opportunity to offset the numbers of seats Texas proposes with equal numbers in opposition. It may seem partisan, but the issues of freedom, of accountable government, of the survival of our Constitution are what all is on the line. This is not an ordinary circumstance. It calls for innovative strategies.

In 1776, Thomas Paine wrote in his pamphlet, “The American Crisis” that the colonies faced massive civic, moral, and practical challenges.  “These are the times that try men’s souls” he stated.  

We face the same kind of crisis today. The times today try our souls and call us to resist.

This November there will be a special election to suspend the work of the Citizens’ Commission on Redistricting and allow redistricting to gain more Congressional seats that will provide opposition to authoritarianism in Washington DC.  It is a move made in direct confrontation of the Texas plan that will be followed in other states that seem to have no problem enhancing the march to authoritarianism.  We as citizens of both California and the United States are called to do what is unprecedented and fight back with something we would otherwise find odious.  We see no other alternative. 

We are heartened by the public declaration by the Citizens Commission that they unanimously agree with this ballot measure, this strategy.  The Commission is made up of Democrats, Republicans, and no-affiliation members. That they see the threat to democracy as the Governor, Gavin Newsom does, is stunning. They support passage of the ballot measure.  

I helped create the Commission.  IMPACT backed it. We believe in what it has accomplished. 

But we are urging a YES vote on the dissolution of existing districting in favor of fighting for the greater good.  These are not ordinary times. They require extraordinary measures.

If you ever asked yourself what you would have done if you lived in Weimar Germany in the 1930s, well, the challenge is upon us all. The greater principle of obstructing fascism must prevail.  Germans didn’t get the chance to fight legally and politically against Hitler.  We have the opportunity to fight the authoritarianism closing in around us.  We cannot ignore the call.

Spread the word!  We will issue a formal ballot statement when the measure is ready for the election.  Until then please do the teaching in your congregations and communities.  These are necessary changes to save our nation and all that we believe.  This is a key part of our Resistance.  Please keep it alive!

Thank you.

Eliabeth Sholes

Public Policy Advocate

Dear Friends,

The bill we wrote about earlier, SB 805 the “No Vigilantes””Bill, has passed all its hurdles in committees. Now it’s headed to the Assembly Floor, last step before it becomes a law, and we need your voices.

This bill would give local police the right and duty to demand identification from those purporting to be ICE agents. It would require said agents to remove masks while operating in this state. These are critical issues since we have confirmed reports of criminals posing as ICE to harm people in many ways, and assuring their identity is a major safety measure. 

In another state, two men posing as ICE agents tried to break into a home and were killed by the homeowner. They were not ICE. We deserve, and they need legal identification for our safety — and theirs. Still other cases of abductions of especially women have resulted in rape and murder and cannot be tolerated. We deserve transparency in law enforcement and safety in all police actions.

Please contact your Assembly Member and support SB 805. We do not need the awkward portal for contact, and in fact can’t use it for floor votes, so please go to 

Welcome to the California State Assembly | California State Assembly to obtain your Assembly Member’s contact information. You may email, phone, or use their contact portal to express your support. 

Time is of the essence. Please let the Assembly know how essential this action is to honest law enforcement practices and to public safety. 

Thank you!

Elizabeth Sholes

Public Policy Advocate

Dear Friends,

This is a request to sign on to SB 805 by Senator Sasha Renee Perez (D-Pasadena). It is a new revision to her bill that now requires police to enforce an existing standard of no face coverings for law enforcement of any kind operating in the state of California. 

This replaces the original version of SB 805, so if you bump into insurance issues, that is no longer the focus and language of the bill. 

Why Sen. Perez did this:

As you no doubt know, ICE agents have been obscuring their ID and covering their faces with masks, gaiters, hoods to prevent detection by the immigrants they are apprehending and bystanders videoing them.  The problem is, no one has verified, since they drive private vehicles, that these are actual federally authorized agents.  We have learned that several times they have been vigilantes, bounty hunters and opportunists, sweeping people off the street who are never heard from again.  

Phony ICE gear can be purchased on Amazon. Anyone can pretend to be an agent. Many of the quasi-official ones are actually bounty hunters defying California state limits on their actions and don’t want this known.  We know of one horror story of a fake ICE agent who, in another state, abducted, raped, and killed four women while a fifth escaped to tell the story.  This is horrific and has to stop!

We urge you and your congregations to support this simple law – reveal identities, show your faces.  No excuses about “risks” cover them more than for any California law enforcement officers.  

Your letter should go to Assembly Public Safety before July 15.  

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR LETTER. WE HATE THIS, BUT HERE IT IS:

Now, the second part of this is to tell you how to submit a letter.  Since COVID, all letters have to be filed electronically through a “legislative portal”.   

The Public Safety Committee has a direct link to where you file the letter: Welcome to the Committee on Public Safety | California State Assembly  It is right below the pictures of the committee leadership. 

It is one of our greatest beefs that this system is not very easy to use, so Public Safety has provided a guide usable for all letters to all committees.    

2019 Committee Services: Position Letter Portal (Quick Reference Sheet) (ca.gov)

One does have to set up an account either organizationally (page 1) or individually (page 2).  Once that’s done, the REALLY annoying part, it will always come back to you for any future letters you want to send.  Thus one bad time of figuring this out will pay off now and later.

We think this simplifies life in the Capitol and offices – and complicates it for citizens, especially those not really comfortable with technology and with legislative templates. They mean something if you already know them – but not if you don’t.  The guide is helpful on those points.  The system just is not very user friendly.

But be assured if I could do it – known widely as “The Queen of the No. 2 Pencil” – you will be able to as well.  Going through the Committee link actually helps. You minimize a few steps, but you STILL have to set up an account.  Sorry – we find no workaround on that.

Please take the time to thrash this out so you can express your support for transparency and safety in every corner of our state. We deserve to know who is operating in a law enforcement capacity – and if they are real. 

No Gestapos! No Secret Police! No Vigilantes!   Keep our state and all its people safe. Support SB 805.  

Thank you!

Elizabeth Sholes

California Church IMPACT

Dear Activists,

The Senate has just passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” and it is now racing toward a vote in the House—a vote could happen at any moment.

We need you to pick up the phone right now and call your Representative to demand they vote NO on this deeply harmful Budget Reconciliation bill. Time is critical. Every minute we wait puts more lives at risk.

If your Representative is on the fence—or worse, feeling pressure to support this bill—they need to hear from you immediately. Remind them: their vote on this bill will be remembered, and they are up for reelection in just 16 months.

This bill directly contradicts the values Christ taught us about compassion, justice, and care for the vulnerable. Urge your congregation, your family, and your community to join you in calling. Forward this email. Post it. Share it everywhere.

If you’ve already called—thank you—but we need you to CALL AGAIN. The pressure must be relentless.

Here’s why this is urgent:

• The Senate version is significantly worse than the House bill.
• House Members were told issues around Medicaid and SNAP would be fixed in the Senate. They were not.
• According to the latest CBO report:
  • 17 million more people will become uninsured.
  • Over $1 trillion will be cut from Medicaid alone.
  • That’s even worse than the already-devastating House version, which would uninsure 16 million.

We cannot allow this to become law.

📞 Call your Representative TODAY.
📢 Ask your friends, your family, and fellow justice seekers to do the same.

You can find your Representative’s contact information on their website or at this link: Find Your Representative

Let’s flood the phones. Let them know we’re watching—and we won’t forget.

In solidarity,
The Rev. Dr. Rick Schlosser, Executive Director

California Council of Churches IMPACT

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If you support our work to be a prophetic witness to the Gospel by educating faith communities to pursue justice, equity and fairness in the treatment of all people, in particular those most vulnerable in our society, please support us with your generous contribution here.

Dear Friends,

Last week the House Rayburn Office Building in Washington DC was overrun by low-income people trying to prevent Medicaid cuts. Taking health care from the poor, seizing the subsidies on the Affordable Care Act for those above poverty line but below 250% of the Federal Poverty Level are the work of sheer evil.

In Matthew 10, Jesus tells his disciples to go into towns and villages to bring the story, the news, but first heal the sick. Not with superhuman intervention, but with medicine. Basic health care was their first direction. Before all else, heal.

When Medicaid – Medi-Cal in California – was expanded to all adults as part of the Affordable Care Act, miracles really did happen. Our communities overall, grew healthier. I remember going to my pharmacy and having to stand in line for once. Why? People without health coverage finally had doctors and prescriptions to take care of what ailed them. 

Prior to Medi-Cal expansion, three homeless men died in my alley. They had treatable issues but no path to help. We knew all three fairly well. It was heartbreaking injustice, and it is not the mark of a strong community that these things occurred. I know some in Congress think the homeless are losers, but all three had worked, contributed to society, and simply fell on hard times. And we let them die. We tried to help, but the costs were prohibitive. Without Medi-Cal there was little we could do. I still miss them a lot.

When the poor got healthy, we got healthier. What does it benefit a society to have desperately sick people among us, unable to be treated or cured? Homeless folks lined up during COVID to get vaccinated. Low-income people the same. We were not affected by sick people providing us services and leaving us with diseases. It’s not selfish to wish for a healthy society as well as for healthy people in it. It’s good sense. 

Now the proposed House reconciliation act seeks to give MASSIVE tax cuts to the billionaires by cutting a few, low-cost programs. Medicaid is among them. So are the copay and deductible supports for those over poverty level but below 250% of the poverty line. What cruelty are we offering that takes affordable health care from struggling people to give the rich more tax breaks? We aren’t saving money. We are merely stealing health care. 

Please call your House member, regardless of party, to say you do not want sick people to go untended in America. Knowing, cynically, lots of House members have zero compassion, it is perfectly logical to affirm the need for a healthy society so we, the taxpayers won’t be sick either. If they have no compassion, speak to their self-interest. It does not bode well to have dead and dying people in our midst. It is dangerous to have those with contagious diseases going untreated. However you frame it is fine. Let your heart speak to your Representative.

“Keep Medicaid! Keep ACA lower income support payments!”

Another issue for especially rural folks is the likely closing of smaller hospitals. No Medicaid? The state’s subsidy for “charity care” is not remotely enough to cover costs. We have to protect our health providers as well as our health recipients.

We can’t flood the Rayburn Office Building with our bodies regularly, but we CAN flood their phone lines in both the Capitol and the district offices. We can send written messages from their web sites. We can send FAXes as well. Speak up for the health of America by speaking out on the need to keep Medicaid. It is a critical issue we all can address. 

To find your Representatives phone, Fax, and email please go here: Find Your Representative | house.gov Call often, get others to call. Do a visit if you can with others upholding these values. The very poor often have no voice. Let us be theirs.

Thank you.

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If you support our work to be a prophetic witness to the Gospel by educating faith communities to pursue justice, equity and fairness in the treatment of all people, in particular those most vulnerable in our society, please support us with your generous contribution here.

Dear Friends,

You may have heard that Congress, to provide a budget for the upcoming year, is looking to cut Medicaid to help make up the deficit that will be caused by tax cuts for the very wealthy. We now know there are GOP as well as Democrats who are objecting to this tactic. This is a good time then to raise our voices!

In addition to the profound harm such cuts will do to those who are poor, homeless, low income, there is a universal harm that will come to our smaller hospitals. Without Medicaid — MediCal in California — those smaller, rural hospitals may have to close.

California used to have a fund for “charity care” that helped hospitals cover costs of treating the uninsured. It was a pittance compared to the costs, and it did not help enough. You might recall that before the Affordable Care Act that passed 2010 expanding Medicaid, we learned that between Bakersfield and Sacramento, there were no trauma hospitals that could afford to stay open. It meant everyone traveling I-5 and US 99, the two main north-south routes between Los Angeles and cities in northern California, had no access to trauma centers in case of an accident or illness along the way.

Our rural and small-town hospitals could not survive. We speak of “food deserts” on hunger, but we had many “health deserts” from hospital closings, the absence of community clinics. That affects us all. MediCal expansion was a lifeline to everyone whether or not they were using it. 

Now it’s under threat from massive cuts that will do grave harm everywhere.

Photo courtesy of our friends at SEIU

Please call your House Representative and keep calling! Medicaid — MediCal — is essential to everyone. Please remind Representatives that providing health care was one of Jesus’ first directions to his apostles. In Matthew 10, he tells them first to heal the sick, and only then to spread the word. Health is a fundamental social good, and in this funding issue, cuts to coverage impact everyone.

We have stopped suggesting you call the Capitol switchboard for contact with your Representative since it’s massively overloaded! 

Instead, please find the Representative’s Capitol and district numbers here: Find Your Representative | house.gov  Please call to save Medicaid funding to keep our nation healthy, our hospitals and community clinics open to everyone. Call often and urge your friends to do the same.

Thank you!!

===================== We Need Your Help!  =====================

The California Council of Churches has been at the forefront of many, many social justice and civil rights movements for over 112 years. Like many justice-oriented nonprofits, we have lost most of our financial support since COVID and are working on ways to re-engage in the important work we have done so well for so long. We are currently seeking funding to create an online resource center to help congregations find the best resources to support the social justice ministries they feel their local communities need most from our member denominations, congregations, and partners. If you can help us, please contribute by using the donate button on our website, by PayPal here, or by sending your check to PO Box 980981, West Sacramento CA 95798-0981. If you can help us raise the funding we need from your congregation, judicatory, denomination, or other sources, please contact rick@calchurches.org.  Thank you!