Every senator from across the political spectrum must acknowledge the danger posed by rushing to fill Ruth Bader Ginsburg's seat so close to an election. We all remember Mitch McConnell's blockade of President Obama's nomination of Merrick Garland 237 days before the 2016 election. The 2020 election has already started—with voting already underway in many states—and it would be a truly inexcusable act of hypocrisy and injustice for Trump and Senate Republicans to move any nomination forward. Ruth Bader Ginsburg spent her life protecting women's rights and advancing justice for those disenfranchised by the political establishment. Trump—who lost the popular vote by millions—must not be allowed to further demolish the American judiciary. Many Republican senators have already committed publicly that they would not move a nomination forward in the event of a vacancy at this late date. We must honor Ruth Bader Ginsburg's legacy and hold every politician accountable to the most basic standards of fairness by demanding they not move any new nomination forward for a lifetime appointment to the highest court in the nation until every vote is counted and the inauguration is complete.

Statues, buildings, airports, and parks should not honor racists, people who are the antithesis of what it means to be an American, a country of immigrants, a country on land taken from others and built by immigrants of all ethnicities. We, Angelenos should not have a park named for one who fanned the flames of war hysteria and race prejudice and failed to lead with justice and reason. I believe that this park, located adjacent to Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, in a city that has always been multicultural, should not memorialize this man. Let's rename the park!

Hispanic immigrant business owners face significant exposure from the coronavirus-induced economic downturn. They accounted for 51% of all Hispanic-owned businesses in 2016, shares similar to the percentages of Hispanics who are immigrants. They are now closing their businesses at a staggering rate. Historically, there are racial and gender inequalities in business ownership. Nationally, people of color represent about 40% of the population, but only 20% of the nation’s 5.6 million business owners with employees. The U.S. could have millions more businesses if women and minorities became entrepreneurs at the same rate as white men. Now, with the COVID-19 crisis, millions of “missing businesses,” are facing a massive potential disruption and some risk permanent closure. There is not the same urgency to address it—COVID-19’s impact on minority-owned small businesses—, because it is already established that’s been built up over decades, even if closing these disparities would result in the creating of millions of new small businesses.

A spike in apprehensions of migrant children crossing the U.S. southern border without a parent or guardian is threatening to overwhelm the systems set up to care for them, and has reinvigorated debate over the detention of minors. The Donald J. Trump administration has called the influx of asylum seekers—both adults and minors—a national security threat, and has implemented a suite of policies meant to deter migrants and combat human traffickers. Critics, including many in Congress, say the administration’s response is exacerbating a humanitarian crisis in Central America, breaking U.S. law, and violating international human rights norms, according to on The Council on Foreign Relations.

Our current tools to keep racism, corruption, and “bad apples” out of our police department aren’t working — as evidenced by the fact that the Jersey City Police Department’s Internal Affairs Unit received 206 excessive-force complaints from 2013-2019, but sustained only two. For more than three years, members of the Jersey City Anti-Violence Coalition and other South Side community activists have called for a CCRB. Beginning in June 2020, they met regularly with neighborhood residents, law enforcement representatives, Councilmember James Solomon (who agreed to introduce this legislation), the ACLU-NJ’s attorneys (who helped write it), and hosted a citywide August 19th town hall attended by over 100 people. They’ve created a community-driven, thoroughly researched, powerful ordinance providing Jersey City residents the authority to track, investigate, and create consequences for police misconduct in Jersey City, and to do so in a transparent way that builds community trust. Jersey City can model a Civilian Review system that works. We’re inviting you to do better than the Minneapolis officials who would not empower their own CCRB — which, despite no fewer than 17 misconduct complaints about Officer Derek Chauvin before he killed George Floyd, could do nothing to investigate, discipline, or stop him. We cannot allow a similar situation to occur in Jersey City.

On September 11th, Amazon appointed General Keith Alexander to their board of directors. Gen. Alexander headed up the NSA when they secretly built a massive domestic surveillance system, the same system to which we were alerted by Edward Snowden, who risked his life to bring this operation to light. General Alexander headed up U.S. Cyber Command along with the NSA during the Obama Administration. Alexander retired in 2014 and went on to found the private cybersecurity firm IronNet. Last week the US Court of Appeals ruled the NSA surveillance program built under the directorship of General Alexander was unlawful .

These fire crews work tirelessly to serve and save our state when we're at our most vulnerable. Yet, they are denied access as they re-enter into society. They put their lives on the line for us, let's give them the opportunity to start new, serve the community, and create a new life with the skills and experience they possess.

When the punishment does not fit the crime: Multnomah County Animal Services (MCAS) wastes money; wastes lives, and spends $22,620 to kill a young dog. MCAS will immediately kill this young dog as soon as all legal deadlines end in mid-September. Protest this politically motivated action and support the rescue, adoption, and foster offers that have been made to allow him the life he has never had. Blaze, a young American Pit bull impounded at 10 months of age, has been held in maximum security at Multnomah County Animal Services (MCAS) since May 19, 2017. Over 3 years have gone by. He is not a “dangerous dog.” Blaze has not caused a “serious physical injury.” He was never used as a weapon and has caused no one ‘s death. The bite incidents (2) that resulted his incarceration in 2017 were well within the range of incidents that occur throughout the community, were preventable, and situational, secondary to living in a chaotic multi occupant household. There is no need to kill him to keep society “safe.” MCAS’s plans to kill him are retaliatory, driven by a need for absolute control and a commitment to the idea that killing is the best way of teaching a lesson to those with the courage to a challenge MCAS’s authority. The fundamental policy at MCAS is that that no one may ever question the validity of their decisions or offer alternative solutions. The rejection of public input and inclusive thoughtful solutions began with a regime change five years ago when the newly hired director began to systematically re-write all policies to exclude all professional consultations, rescue and public input, once important parts of decision making. It was in fact a hostile takeover, unfettered by oversight targeting removal of the public from its own government. The immediate escalation in killing that followed has been covered up, disingenuously explained away way as “socially responsible,” when no data has been presented that the community is “safer” with more killing. Killing just requires less effort. The agency, not the homeless animals unfortunate to be there, is “unhealthy and untreatable.” No questions are asked by government. Complacency and collegiality trump fact finding every time. The agency requirement that Blaze be killed when safe humane alternatives exist is a continuing pattern at Multnomah County Animal Services and is about vengeance, a revenge for which MCAS as of September 07, 2020 has willingly incurred boarding costs of $22,620. Blaze’s exemplary behavior under stressful agency generated circumstances has been extraordinary. Nearly all of Blaze’s life has now been spent in solitary confinement where he is only permitted visits behind a kennel door without contact allowed for 15 minutes or less, with those closely supervised by an animal control officer. The goal to discourage visitors has succeeded. But despite the fact that nearly all of his life has been spent in solitary confinement, Blaze has survived. His daily kennel monitor reports document a cheerful welcoming behavior and efforts to seek out positive attention from other animals and people passing by the outside of his cell. MCAS refuses to allow him to be evaluated by an expert professional with a diplomate in veterinary behavior medicine and rejects the opportunity to create a behavior plan and allow him to go to a 501(c)(3) placement partner as did previous administrations. This resort to autocratic rule is occurs because MCAS can simply run out the clock. MCAS’s deliberate refusal to acknowledge and respond to consultation and rescue offers from volunteers, community professionals, and rescues in all cases now is unconscionable. “Winning” by deliberately shutting out the community has led to increased killing throughout the county without any safety agenda served. Please contact the listed responsible parties in charge of this agency where every democratic principle has been removed. Ask that Blaze be permitted to live and help us in this county advocate for a humane democratic shelter, one that does not kill arbitrarily when safe and humane options exist and partners with the community that pays its way. Documents available upon request. Gail O’Connell-Babcock, PhD [email protected] Foster Pets NW Citizens for Humane Animal Legislation/Watchdog --- Contact list for responsible parties: Wade Sadler, MCAS Director: [email protected] Phone: (503) 988-6233; (503) 988-7387 Jamie Waltz: Interim Director Dept.Community Services: [email protected] Phone: (503) 988-7968 Interim Chief Operating Officer Peggy Brey: [email protected] Phone: (503) 988-2999. -- The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners County Chair Deborah Kafoury: [email protected] Phone: (503) 988-3308 Sharon Meieran, Commissioner District 1: [email protected] Phone: (503) 988-5220 Susheela Jayapal, Commissioner District 2: [email protected] Phone: (503) 988-5219 Jessica Vega Pederson, Commissioner District 3: [email protected] Phone: (503) 988-5217 Lori Stegmann, Commissioner District 4: [email protected] Phone: (503) 988-5213

Trump’s Acting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Chad Wolf reportedly told intelligence analysts to downplay assessments on Russian election interference because they were making the President "look bad." Wolf’s politicization of the most fundamental and non-operations operations of government is the stuff of authoritarian regimes — twisting basic information used to make life or death security decisions just to appease Trump’s vanity. Incredibly, Trump wants to nominate Wolf as DHS Secretary and put him in this role permanently. But no one who believes this is acceptable behavior for the head of a government agency should have the job.

As a community of current and former Lobos, we are extremely disappointed to have been alerted that UNM has an officer who is emboldened in his behavior at a time where the nation is revisiting the systemic racism that is inherent in all police structures and cultures. We would hope by now you've been alerted that an officer who refers to himself as Eric on TikTok has displayed not only a gross misuse of taxpayer money, but created racist content. Below I will highlight all of the policy infractions this individual made, and demand he no longer represents the University of New Mexico in any capacity if, "Each of us defines all of us". Eric has built his entire online brand as being a University Cop at UNM therefore his actions cannot be explained as off-duty edgey humor. Even his username on the platform is "505collegeCop". Officer Eric's face can be clearly seen on this video: https://www.facebook.com/FFOLABQ/videos/pcb.2824755617754241/314282863356085/ Where is not wearing a mask during an international pandemic and endangering lives on University property. In this video, Eric clearly shows he is misusing University resources (UNMPD vehicle) while on duty, damaging the landscaping our campus community works so hard to uphold - staff landscapers and students during Spring Storm, and riding his UNMPD bicycle through the SUB - an action that would not be allowed if he were a student. This a complete disrespect to the student's annual fees and state taxpayers money that support the upkeep and renovation of campus buildings: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1001116097004456 And of course, the last video I'll share with you is while he is off duty but creating racist content that's already been heavily associated with the University of New Mexico: https://www.facebook.com/FFOLABQ/videos/948231055589747 How can you be a proud "College Cop" at a predominantly Hispanic Serving Institution and create content like this?

The chaos created by the lies being published and proliferated across various media in this country is disabling our democracy. If there is a chance at all for the 2020 election to go forward with a well-informed electorate, the lies must not be coddled into being or tolerated for another 270 minutes.

Joe Biden cannot control the narrative of a campaign against Donald Trump through words. HE MUST ACT. He should spend the remaining days of the campaign shuttling between Portland and Kenosha. Bring the parties together. GET THEM TALKING TO EACH OTHER.