Do you want to end homelessness? Do you have family or friends struggling to pay rent? Do you want the State to work towards a Hawaii where all can be safely and securely housed? Hawaii needs more affordable housing and NOW is the time to take action. Recently, the National Low Income Housing Coalition released a report finding that while Hawaii has the highest rents in the nation, the median hourly wage of a Hawaii renter is only $13.86 – less than half of what is needed to afford a 2-bedroom unit at Fair Market Rent. Housing is simply not affordable in Hawaii and more needs to be done.

Steve McNall of Lacey, Washington, was a son, an uncle, and a hard worker. When the recession hit, his hours at his job at a local golf course were cut back. He cut back too. He sold his house and moved into a small apartment near his family. He was living paycheck to paycheck. So when his tooth began to hurt, instead of seeking treatment he took an over the counter painkiller. But the pain continued. When it became unbearable, he finally gave in to his mother’s pressure to see someone. He visited a dental clinic accepting low income clients where staff confirmed he had an abscessed tooth and referred him to the emergency room for treatment of the severe infection. But without money for medical bills, he went home to rest instead. Hours later, after he didn’t answer his phone, his mom came by to check on him. But Steve was gone. The infection in his tooth had traveled throughout his body. Just two weeks after his tooth started hurting, on November 13, 2012, Steve McNall lost his life to an abscessed tooth – and a lack of affordable dental care. “He was a good man,” says his mother Brenda. “He worked. He paid his bills. When you think of all the medical problems in the world, it’s such a waste. Why are Steve and others like him not around? It’s unfair in a way. But dental care is outrageous.” It doesn't have to be this way. When people have access to routine care, emergencies are prevented. Mid-level dental providers—highly trained professionals who work with dentists in high need communities—are successfully working in other states to deliver exactly this kind of care. Even with Washington state’s increased efforts to provide dental insurance through Medicaid, too many people can’t get routine and preventive care. Three out of four dentists in our state reject this form of payment. We are a compassionate, innovative state. No one should suffer, and no one should lose their life because dental health care is out of reach. The time is now to put solutions in place, so that what happened to Steve doesn’t happen again.

Two thoughts: "We foster cultural equity so that Roxbury’s rich heritage and vibrant present become an integral part of Boston’s cultural landscape." and "We believe in food with purpose and the power of community." Not only powerful words, but also the creed by which Discover Roxbury and Haley House respectively live, breathe and vitally contribute to Roxbury and Boston every day! To continue this work, Discover Roxbury and Haley House have submitted proposals for retail space in the new Dudley Square Municipal Building/Ferdinand Building at 2300 Washington Street in the heart of Dudley Square. Competition is strong and we need your support to create a new space in Roxbury that will build upon and strengthen our community. Let’s show the city and the rest of Boston our strong support for Discover Roxbury and Haley House at Dudley! Sign below and share with neighbors and friends. Together with Discover Roxbury and Haley House, the community has the opportunity to create the space so many of us have dreamed of for so long - a space to gather and work together to continue to build a community-based vision of the future of Roxbury that builds upon its rich history and culture. As strong community partners, both Discover Roxbury and Haley House have proven time and time again their deep commitment to the people of Roxbury. Discover Roxbury provides a platform where the existing talents of Roxbury are made central to the understanding and appreciation of the community, and where residents and visitors can partake in authentic neighborhood-based experiences. At the Ferdinand, Discover Roxbury will create a welcoming environment with interactive programming and spaces that include: gallery openings and exhibitions; retail highlighting local entrepreneurs that changes seasonally; musical and theatrical performances by local groups; and shared office space/public work-bar for entrepreneurs. Discover Roxbury is well positioned to bridge the knowledge and interaction gaps between commuters, visitors, and residents as a welcoming hub representing the vibrant history and culture of Roxbury. Haley House, long known for their innovative solutions to social injustice, will bring their organic wholewheat pizza dough - smothered in all things good for you - to the Ferdinand Building. Their shop will also feature the whole range of coffee drinks - all prepared with fairly traded, organic coffee from Equal Exchange. Daily, made from scratch soups and salads will be topped off by Haley House’s renowned baked goods. Haley House seeks ways to serve the community’s health while it promotes economic justice. Working together, Discover Roxbury and Haley House will create a space that meets the desires of the city and the community in creating a vibrant presence in the square from early-morning coffee right on through the evening and weekend hours. Our current community partners deserve our support as we work together to build the future of Roxbury.

HB 851, sponsored by Florida state represented Jeanette Nuñez, will allow undocumented students in the state who attend a Florida high school for four consecutive years and enroll in college within two years after graduating high school to receive in-state tuition rates. The bill will help make college more affordable for DREAMers in the state who wish to earn their degree.

Because since Jim Brown made his comments about Kobe, Kobe has dispatched his press secretary (Stephen A Smith) to do the Arsenio Hall show on his behalf twice with Jim unable to give a rebuttal. Let's keep this conversation going...

Honoring a great American whose works impacted the entire nation and the world. Yes, we all have been affected by his works and life.

Because NY summers are the best and my BK fam needs to see what's really good. My Oaktown fam needs to represent.

While Vice President at Common Cause, I led ballot campaigns in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Colorado and Montana where voters instructed Congress to overturn Citizens United by margins of 3-to-1. Now, it's time for a statewide vote in California. I'm running for Secretary of State, and if elected I will hold a hearing in every congressional district in California to examine whether our elected officials have complied with the wishes of their constituents and taken action.

A Delware man was convicted of raping his 3 year old daughter from 2005 to 2007 and subsequently assaulted his infant son as well. This is a serious sex offender instead being taken into custody. He used a get out jail free card. The Judge Jan Jurden cited that "He would not fare well in Prison" simply being born rich is not an excuse for avoiding Justice. If an average man was charged with this. He would be spending the next decade behind bars. We need to break the new normal that the really rich can easily buy their way out of jail. It's unethical that poor and middle class are charged with much lesser offenses then this. And are locked up for years. Sometimes decades at a time. While the very rich of our society are able to buy their way out of Prison. Articles for this http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/30/robert-richards-rape_n_5060386.html http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/03/30/wealthy-heirs-sentence-raises-questions-in-child-rape-case/7061933/

Tell the Virginia General Assembly that we can’t afford double-taxation to pay for our healthcare system. We need to expand Medicaid to take back our federal tax dollars and ensure that 400,000 in-need Virginians have access to basic healthcare. Expanding Medicaid will: • Create 30,000 new jobs for Virginians • Recover $5 million federal tax dollars every day, allowing the legislature to fund other key priorities like education, economic development and foster care programs • Stop taxing Virginians twice on the healthcare for which we already pay • Provide life-saving healthcare to the 400,000 currently uninsured Virginians Sign the petition to tell legislators we can’t afford to play partisan politics with Virginians’ lives, we need to ensure access to basic healthcare for all Virginians.

Court of Appeal Rules in Favor of Pony Ride Protester In a May 9, 2016, victory for legislative advocates, Division 5 of the California Court of Appeal – a panel of three conservative-leaning Justices – unanimously reversed Superior Court Judge Lisa Hart Cole’s decision that petitioner and protester Marcy Winograd (that's me) should stand trial for accusing the pony ride and petting zoo operators of animal abuse. The Court, in an opinion written by Justice Sanjay T. Kumar, said such accusations were protected by California’s legislative privilege because the accusations were made while petitioning the City Council to close the pony ride and petting zoos. The appellate court ruled that the statements in my articles and television interview “relate to the supposed poor treatment the pony ride and petting zoo animals received, and either directly or inferentially solicited public support for (my) petition to cause the City of Santa Monica to take action to end the pony ride and petting zoo.” The ruling stated: “Civil Code section 47 provides in part, “A privileged publication or broadcast is one made: [¶] . . . [¶] (b) In any (1) legislative proceeding, (2) judicial proceeding, [or] (3) in any other official proceeding authorized by law . . . .” “The privilege set forth in section 47(b) applies to ‘any’ legislative proceeding. The use of the term ‘any’ necessarily requires that its application be construed broadly” (Spitler v. Children’s Institute International (1992) 11 Cal.App.4th 432, 440 (Spitler)), and it applies “when it is shown that the statement … bears some connection to the work of the legislative body …” The pony ride operators petitioned the California State Supreme Court to review the appellate court ruling, but on July 20, 2016, the Supreme Court rejected their petition for review. Under California's anti-SLAPP law, plaintiffs are required to pay attorneys' fees. ------------------------------------------------- Sunday, May 17th, the City of Santa Monica ended twelve years of tethering ponies to a metal bar or "hot walker" to push them round and round a tiny circumference, always in one direction, shoeless on hard ground. Likewise, the petting zoo where an alpaca and zebu were tightly penned was closed. The City of Santa Monica is seeking new activity vendors -- those offering cooking demos, arts and crafts, painting and more. Please share this link with vendors who might be interested. http://www.smgov.net/portals/farmersmarket/ Potential applicants should copy [email protected] and [email protected] when submitting an application. On Sept. 9, 2014, following almost two hours of robust public debate (link below) the Santa Monica City Council voted to give preference to non-animal vendors while asking City staff to explore alternative venues for the pony operators. If you want to watch the debate, click below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKUxy-pvLlI Pony operators Tawni Angel and Jason Nester sued me, Santa Monica resident Danielle Charney, and 20 unnamed defendants (DOES) following the City Council's September 9, 2014, vote. A lower court judge dismissed part of the suit against me, and the entire lawsuit against Charney, calling it a SLAPP or Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation intended to chill public debate. Following the ruling, Angel and Nester reimbursed Charney's lawyer for $20,000 in legal fees. Meanwhile, I am taking my case to the California Court of Appeal, arguing protesters have a First Amendment right to picket a carousel pony ride and petting zoo at a city-sponsored market and to petition their government for a redress of grievances. Many thanks to the Animal Legal Defense Fund and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press for filing amicus "friend of the court" briefs to support my case. You can read the briefs at LA Progressive: https://www.laprogressive.com/pony-ride-activist/ Thank you for your support! Below are past posts about this petition. I live a few blocks from the thriving Santa Monica farmers market on Main Street, where market goers must pass the pony rides and petting zoo in order to purchase fruits and vegetables. Each time I go, I feel sad and ashamed that a progressive and visionary city like Santa Monica allows such animal exploitation. During the last year, out-of-town guests visiting the market have turned to me and said, "How can Santa Monica tolerate this kind of abuse?" I didn't have an answer until now -- We can't tolerate it any longer. Shut down the pony ride and petting zoo. To see photos of the animal exhibits, visit www.freethepony.org UPDATE: On Sept. 9, 2014, the Santa Monica City Council voted to give preference to non-animal vendors when the animal operators' contract expires in May 2015. City Staff is looking at implementing a pilot program that would involve a variety of alternative children's activities, such as arts and crafts and storytelling. Meanwhile, the pony ride and zoo operators have launched a counter-petition to reverse the Council's decision. Please show your support for freeing the ponies from the metal turnstile and ending the penning of zoo animals in a small enclosure. Update: (3/26/15) An October USDA inspection of the pony vendors' operation notes an abundance of fecal material and flies in the corral and barn in Fillmore, and in the transport trailer that pulls up to Main Street. The report (link below) notes "risks of disease hazards" and "no areas in the enclosure (barn, corral) free of excreta" and "The animal transport trailer has not been cleaned since the facility's last trip. Bedding and fecal material were observed in the trailer." It's not clear if these problems, noted by the USDA in 2014, have been fixed. See the link below to read the report: https://www.laprogressive.com/santa-monica-pony-ride-facility/

At the same time that the President has said that he would like to make immigration practices more humane, the immigration enforcement agency is using deportation as a weapon against families working toward the same goal. Jaime Valdez and Ardani Rosales were both illegally deported without notice and in retaliation for their part in bringing attention to the abusive conditions in the detention centers where they were held. On Tuesday April 1st, both men will present themselves with their legal files at the Nogales port of entry to request permission to reunite with their loved ones and close their cases using humanitarian parole. Today's civil rights leaders deserve respect not retaliation. Their families belong together, it's unjust intimidation practices that have no place in the United States. See videos and more information at: http://www.notonemoredeportation.com/2014/03/29/right-to-reunite/