Imagine heading to the polls and seeing machines that are malfunctioning or power outages at your polling place. You wait for an hour, but have to leave to go to work or pick up your children. It might be difficult for you to get back to the polls before 7:30 p.m. Normally, officials can extend polling hours when equipment malfunctions, inclement weather, or other problems prevent folks from being able to vote. But a bill on its way to Ohio Gov. Kasich’s desk would make that much harder by forcing an individual to foot the cost of a bond (and maybe the whole bill) to keep the polls open. Even worse, the bill would leave it up to a judge to decide which petitioners have to front tens of thousands of dollars to cover overtime pay for every poll worker in the county and which ones don't. A voter can petition for extended hours without paying anything if they are "indigent" but in a case in which a voter claims inability to pay, they are the only one who gets to vote. The polls are closed to all other voters even though they faced the same problem. Last November more than 83% of polling locations in Hamilton County reported having problems with new election equipment and the polls were kept open longer [1]. In March, a massive car wreck prevented thousands of voters from making it to the polls in the normal time, so Hamilton County extended the closing time. Under the new law, this could have cost an individual voter upwards of $30,000 [2]. Tell Governor Kasich: The right to vote shouldn't carry a price tag. Veto SB 296 and stop this attack on voters. [1] http://www.wcpo.com/news/political/elections-local/hamilton-county-board-of-elections-report-promises-fixes-after-83-of-poll-sites-report-problems [2]http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2016/05/26/3781780/ohio-voting-cash-bond/

Minnesota Democrat Betty McCollum is circulating a letter to her House colleagues on protecting Palestinian children being held in military detention. [1] Maryland Democrat Elijah Cummings and Illinois Democrat Luis Gutierrez are now in a position of unique influence: they've been named to the Democratic Platform committee. [2] If we can get Reps. Cummings and Gutierrez to sign the McCollum letter, that's two more signers on the letter, but it's also two more members of the Platform Committee who've signed up for the idea that the U.S. should do more to help protect Palestinian kids in military detention. That will improve the prospects for getting strong language on respect for the rights of Palestinian children in the Democratic platform. Urge Rep. Cummings and Rep. Gutierrez to support the McCollum letter by signing our petition. References: 1. http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/protect-children-in-military?r_by=1135580 2. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/sanders-scores-platform-concessions-from-democratic-national-committee/2016/05/23/e9ee8330-20fc-11e6-aa84-42391ba52c91_story.html

Unlike the pundits and media spokespeople who constantly refer to a "presumptive" Democratic candidate for the General Election, many California voters are apparently of a different opinion, evidenced by the recent dramatic surge in polls for Bernie Sanders. The near virtual tie between Sanders/Clinton may be reflective of Hillary Clinton's decreased favorablity ratings compared to Donald Trump in national polls, and raise the legitimate question among California voters as to who is the strongest candidate to beat Trump in the Presidential Election.

We now know scientifically the importance of the role mountain lions play in the health of the ecosystem. The death of our native wildlife should not be an ad permitted to be posted as an auction.

I was dragged at of my waterfront home at gunpoint by the Blue Gang and forced into Mental Home against my will for 2 days while my neighbors assisted Mark Laslow, his father & partner in stealing my home. I had resided peacefully at this address for nearly 25 years and am US Veteran that served Honorably in the US ARMY. This unacceptable behavior from anyone including Governor Rick Scott and therefore request his immediate impeachment for his role in Insurance & Foreclosure Fraud in my particular home.

We have a rare opportunity to make a revolutionary reform to the primary process. During each of the conventions in July, the Party Chairs relinquish their power to the thousands of delegates selected in the primaries. Those delegates, many of them regular folks like us, have the power to change the rules for all future Presidential Primaries. And, over the last 100 years, they have done so multiple times.

I believe whistleblowers like Manning should be rewarded, not punished, for exposing crimes, like the unnecessary killing of civilians and journalists. The Obama administration has punished more whistleblowers than any other president. By commuting Manning's sentence, Obama can show he values honesty over suppression of the truth.

Due to the overwhelming following of US Senator Bernard Sanders we are requesting a review of the votes of pre-pledged Superdelegates and their reconsideration of support for Senator Sanders, especially in those states he has won where very few to zero Superdelgates have unfairly sided against Senator Sanders. The Democratic National Committee has soared in new membership numbers due to the millions of Senator Sanders supporters. He has repeatedly shown his strong following of supporters with rallies larger than any Democrat or Republican to date. 27,000 plus in New York. 31,000 in one of the many California rallies recently... Please respect the popular vote with your support in this election cycle.. Thank you http://superdelegatelist.com/list California Mixed primary

The American people should know exactly what Trump is hiding.

We recently witnessed the sale and leasing of several Housing Authority controlled properties in the Civic Center area, to a developer, with very little public input or consideration. In 2013 the Main Street Parking Commission was dissolved. The Housing Authority was granted control of the long standing west side parking lot for Main Street residents, shop owners, their employees and customers. The land had been previously controlled by a Parking Commission, that had maintained the lot before the city had incorporated. Our previous city leaders abolished the Parking Commission and handed the land over to the Housing Authority. The Garden Grove Housing Authority operates under federal grants received from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide rental subsidies to low-income families. There are no rental units in this parking lot, at least not yet. Not long ago, the city quietly offered the west side parking lot to developer Steve Sheldon, who wanted to create a condo complex on our last remaining parking lot for downtown. Luckily, concerned residents and merchants got together within the 72 hour notification and temporarily halted this conversion and sale. The Housing Authority is not intended to serve as a steward of land, as a real estate broker or as a holding area for properties until they decide to redevelop something. It is time for the city to either reinstate the Main Street Parking Commission or to give the parking lot to the Main Street Commission. If people have nowhere to park, they will not come to Main Street.

The House Republican leadership is trying to do to Puerto Rico what the International Monetary Fund is doing to Greece: put the demands of international bondholders ahead of the needs of the majority of working people, and replace democratically elected government with a "control board" that can overrule the democratic government to impose an austerity agenda so international bondholders can be paid more. Sen. Bernie Sanders called on Senate colleagues to oppose legislation that would establish a control board. Sanders said the House bill, H.R. 5278, “would make a terrible situation even worse” by requiring the governor of Puerto Rico to submit a fiscal plan to an unelected oversight board comprised of seven members, a majority of whom would be chosen by Republican leadership. Puerto Ricans would choose no members. The oversight board would enact its own fiscal plan to cut the budget, slash pensions, raise taxes, privatize and sell public assets without the approval of Puerto Rico’s democratically elected government. The legislation requires that any restructuring of Puerto Rico’s debt be “in the best interest of creditors.” H.R. 5278 would also exclude Puerto Rico from the Department of Labor’s new overtime rules and allow the governor of Puerto Rico to slash the minimum wage to just $4.25 an hour for a period of up to five years. [1] Rep. Luis V. Gutiérrez [D-IL], one of five Puerto Ricans in Congress, said: “I cannot support this legislation because it runs counter to basic values of democracy, fairness and justice.” He wrote, “The profits and profiteering of investors are likely to be weighed as heavily or more heavily by the Board in its decision-making and that fails my test for what is needed for Puerto Rico.” He also pointed to reductions in the minimum wage, the exemption from overtime rules, questionable protections for pensions earned by Puerto Rican workers, and expedited permitting of energy and construction projects without environmental checks as reasons he opposes the legislation. [2] The AFL-CIO, AFSCME, SEIU, UFCW, USW, and the UAW oppose the bill. In a letter to the House, the unions wrote that the bill “provides no economic stimulus, and in fact takes money out of the economy by reducing the minimum wage and overtime protections" for union members they represent in Puerto Rico. [3] Urge Congress to oppose the bill unless the "IMF" control board provision is removed by signing our petition. References: 1. http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-to-senate-democrats-do-we-stand-with-puerto-rico-or-wall-street-and-the-tea-party 2. http://gutierrez.house.gov/press-release/rep-guti%C3%A9rrez-tells-natural-resources-committee-he-cannot-support-promesa-bill-puerto 3. http://thehill.com/policy/finance/economy/280696-labor-unions-oppose-puerto-rico-debt-bill; http://www.world-psi.org/en/unions-reject-us-bill-seeks-impose-fiscal-oversight-board-puerto-rico

Ever since Watergate, Democratic and Republican presidential nominees have released their tax returns to the public. Why? Because the American people deserve transparency and information when choosing who to vote for to run our country. And, ever since Watergate, presidential nominees recognized that and released their tax returns. A tax return cannot spin blatant exaggerations and opinions into facts. A tax return cannot pander and only present one side. A tax return cannot fabricate income, charitable giving and tax shelters. A tax return tells the truth. Once in the light, a tax return cannot be explained away by conspiracy theories, bravado or misdirection. It is what it is: a very telling document. What does the candidate value, give to charity? Does the candidate pay their fair share of taxes? Is the candidate telling the American public the truth about their finances? This is why presidential nominees have released their returns for nearly 40 years. And it’s why the American people shouldn’t have to rely on the benevolence of a presidential nominee to know exactly who they are voting for President of the United States of America. I’ve introduced the Presidential Tax Transparency Act to require all presidential nominees - no matter their party - to release their tax returns after the nominating convention. So stand with me. Tell Congress to pass the Presidential Tax Transparency Act! --Ron