California Legislature to consider GC Civic Works Project

Greetings!

On Tuesday, July 3, the California Legislature will consider Assembly Joint Resolution 22, which if passed, will put on record that the state requests the California Congressional delegation to support federal legislation to implement the Gulf Coast Civic Works Project (see below for full text of JR 22).

We're going to Sacramento!

Students, faculty, and Katrina survivors will drive to the state capitol in Sacramento for the July 3rd hearing in front of the Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economic Development and the Economy. Victoria Chavez, a San José State student and Amber McZeal, a Katrina survivor, will speak in support of the Joint Resolution.

Email Congress Now

In light of this exciting development, we ask that you take a moment and contact your Congress member and two U.S. Senators, and tell them to join the state of California and support the immediate development of 100,000 civic work jobs to rebuild the Gulf Coast. Click here to contact them.

If you are really inspired, please contact your local media (television and newspaper) and tell them to write a story about Assembly Joint Resolution 22. (The press release is at http://solvingpoverty.blogspot.com/.)

And if you are outside the state of California, you can email your state representative and ask her/him to introduce a similar resolution in your state. We hope you take a moment and take one of the above actions. It will make a huge difference. If you decide to take any of the above actions, please let us know at Gulf_Coast_Civic_Works@yahoogroups.com.

Thanks so much, and I hope you are having a wonderful summer. best, scott

What you can do today:
1) Alert your Congress member to the California State Legislature’s Action. Email today: Click here

2) If you are a California resident, tell your state representative to support Assembly Joint Resolution No. 22: Click here

3) Contact your local media (television and newspaper) and tell them to write a story about Assembly Joint Resolution 22: Click here

California Assembly Joint Resolution No. 22
Introduced by Assembly Member Lieber
(Coauthor: Assembly Member Ruskin, Coto)
(Coauthors: Senators Alquist, Corbett, and Maldonado)
May 3, 2007
Assembly Joint Resolution No. 22-Relative to Hurricane Katrina disaster relief. AJR 22, as introduced, Lieber. Hurricane Katrina: disaster relief: Gulf Coast Civic Works Project.

This measure would memorialize each Senator and Representative from this state in the Congress and the President to enact legislation based on the Gulf Coast Civic Works Project, a national effort to create 100,000 jobs for Gulf Coast residents to rebuild their communities.
WHEREAS, Hurricane Katrina damaged over 200,000 Gulf Coast homes; and WHEREAS, Hurricane Katrina destroyed schools, hospitals, roads, community centers, bridges, parks, and forest lands; and
WHEREAS, The response by the federal government to this unprecedented disaster has been ineffective and weak; and
WHEREAS, Approximately 101,000 Louisianans have applied for aid to rebuild their homes, but only several thousand people have received grant assistance; and
WHEREAS, During the Great Depression, when the United States faced a crisis, our country created 800,000 jobs in two weeks, and 4 million jobs in two months; and WHEREAS, Public workers in projects such as the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression built or repaired 2,500 hospitals, 6,000 schools, 13,000 playgrounds, and built the Golden Gate Bridge; and
WHEREAS, The neglect of the Gulf Coast after the impact of Hurricane Katrina is a tragedy that requires the attention of every American, regardless of party affiliation
or state of residence; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of California, jointly, That the Legislature supports the passage of federal legislation based on the Gulf Coast Civic Works Project, a national effort to create 100,000 jobs for Gulf Coast residents to rebuild their communities; and be it further
Resolved, That a WPA-like project for the Gulf Coast will rebuild homes and shattered lives, and will restore faith in our federal government; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States and the President of the United States urging their support in passing this federal legislation.

If anyone can make a difference on this issue, it's you. Thank you for speaking up.

Scott Myers-Lipton, Ph.D.Sociology Department San Jose State University

P.S. Send an email today: Click here