Gov. Chris Christie has unilaterally passed a regulation that blocks automakers from directly selling to consumers in New Jersey, requiring them to go through third-party car dealers instead. As a direct result, Tesla—the electric car company that reduces our dependence on fossil fuels—must now close its two dealerships in the state. New Jersey is the third state to kick out Tesla that way, the other two being Arizona and Texas. It is an intentional move on the part of Republican politicians to kill the electric car. Sign the petition denouncing Gov. Christie for killing the electric car in New Jersey.

Marissa Alexander was sentenced to 20 years of prison time for firing a warning shot to stop her abuser from hurting her. She was granted a re-trial because of national outrage over the case. But now, Florida state attorney Angela Corey is pushing for an even harsher sentence--60 years. It's outrageous. Even more so when you consider that the average prison sentence of men who kill their female partners is 2 to 6 years. You read that right. 2 to 6 years. And Florida state attorney Corey is pushing 60 years for a woman who fired a warning shot that didn't even hurt anyone?! It's a blatant abuse of power and a clear effort by Corey to raise her profile as a tough state attorney right before an election year. But playing politics with the life of Marissa Alexander is not okay. And Governor Rick Scott, who is already facing a ton of criticism in Florida, has taken no action to curb this rogue state attorney. After two years filled with horrible stories of racial violence in Florida--the killings of Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis--and falling approval rates, Gov. Scott can't afford another crisis. We need to show him that the whole country is still paying attention, and we won't stand for this kind of blatant injustice. Will you sign the petition calling on Governor Scott to remove Angela Corey as state attorney?

For millennia, the cool, clear waters of Barton Springs have flowed into the Colorado River, in downtown Austin, Texas. This incredible resource generates millions of dollars for Austin each year. Now, a lame duck majority of Travis County Commissioners wants to commit $15 million dollars of taxpayer money to build this toll road before an environmental impact statement can be completed. Keep the aquifer toll road off of the recharge zone for Barton Springs!

My wrist bone was shattered and I had to have an emergency surgery because I slipped on the ice that was left on the sidewalks in Campus Green for days. Campus Green's lease states that they are not responsible for clearing the snow on the sidewalks or the streets and if a resident were to fall and injure him/herself they are not liable.

Almost 20 years ago, politicians began passing harmful restrictions that put affordable health coverage out of reach for many immigrants authorized to live and work in the United States. Today, overly complex and restrictive policies deny access to health care for hardworking, taxpaying immigrant communities; these policies are harmful to immigrant women and families, are costly and counterproductive, and undermine shared values of fairness and equality of opportunity. The good news is we have champions in Congress who just introduced legislation to tackle this problem! Representative Michelle Lujan Grisham recently introduced the Health Equity & Access under the Law (HEAL) for Immigrant Women & Families Act of 2014. The HEAL Immigrant Women & Families Act would remove political interference so immigrants can participate in the health care programs their tax dollars support. By restoring access to coverage and allowing immigrant women and families to receive the health care they need, this bill will create healthier communities and a stronger economy. Immigrant women need this policy change. They are less likely to have access to employer-sponsored and private health coverage and are more likely to be low-income and of reproductive age. Under current policies, many lawfully present immigrant women are denied access to care and others are forced to wait 5 years or more before being able to participate. For a woman facing breast or cervical cancer, 5 years could be the difference between life and death. Immigrant women and families work hard, pay taxes, and contribute to our communities and our economy. They should have the same access to health care as their friends and neighbors.

All Americans are unjustly and unfairly impacted by any form of legislation passed by elected officials who hold themselves exempt from those laws. What happened to "equality under the law"? Let's fix this issue once and for all and let's fix it without controversial riders or other attachments to the bill. Is it not true that, in America, "no one is above the law"? Let's mean it.

High interest rates coupled with collection agency fees, increase original student debt dramatically. Many of these former students are unable to apply for a mortgage, start a family, or take out a business loan due to their outstanding and unpayable debt. During the last Bush administration, these Americans were outlawed from filing for bankruptcy, often the only recourse they had to get out from under crushing debt. This situation is a kind of indentured servitude which unwitting students signed up for, naive of the reality that they would never be able to repay these loans. These adults are not only in their 20's and 30's, but often in their 40's and 50's as well. The fact is that some of America's brightest and best are unable to thrive despite a world class education. We can change this now, and give these graduates a real future.

On March 7th, 1,200 people detained in the privately run Tacoma Detention Center started a hunger strike for better food, better treatment, better pay (they currently receive $1/day for prison labor) and fairness among other demands. The hunger strikers are blowing the whistle on how the corporation, the Geo Group, is cutting corners on conditions to increase profits. Since they started their protest, GEO Group and immigration authorities have tried to isolate the detainees, put them in "the hole" and threaten to force feed them like has been done to Guantanamo prisoners. They have said, "we are not animals. We're human beings. We did not come here to be tortured. We're doing our part to speak out." Please sign to support their effort to improve conditions and blow the whistle on corporate abuse at the detention center. See Democracy Now coverage here: http://bit.ly/nwhunger

Since 2004, the State has been siphoning off approximately 25% of the stable county property taxes allocated to K-14 schools-- $7 billion this year. The State transfers this money away from public education and spends it on other State priorities unrelated to education. Only 3 of CA's 58 counties report this transfer to voters and taxpayers. In Alameda County, 41% of property taxes are reported spent on schools. After the state takes $272 million (over a quarter of a billion), the actual amount delivered to schools is only 27%. In L.A. County, the amount pilfered by the state was $2.1 billion, leaving the schools with only 20% of their county property taxes vs a reported 41%-- less than HALF. In San Francisco County, the actual vs. reported percentages are 18% vs. 34%. Schools deserve to receive their assigned share of the property taxes we pay like everyone else. The state is not permitted to touch the property tax revenue of ANY OTHER recipient (public hospital, park, library, fire, flood, mosquito abatement districts, cities, counties, etc). Sign NOW to give equal protection to stable, reliable funding for schools and community colleges. Let's ask the legislature to put this on the 2014 ballot - they made this back room deal and sneaky initiative, let's give voters a chance to decide if they want to keep it. California's Constitution (Article 8) states that our government will first set aside enough money for public education through the university as our #1 spending priority. Improve gov't transparency, increase reliability of school funding, and defend our State's Constitution -- all without raising taxes -- SIGN TODAY!

Since 2004, the State has been siphoning off approximately 25% of the stable county property taxes allocated to K-14 schools-- $7 billion this year. The State transfers this money away from public education and spends it on other State priorities unrelated to education. Only 3 of CA's 58 counties report this transfer to voters and taxpayers. In Alameda County, 41% of property taxes are reported spent on schools. After the state takes $272 million (over a quarter of a billion), the actual amount delivered to schools is only 27%. In L.A. County, the amount pilfered by the state was $2.1 billion, leaving the schools with only 20% of their county property taxes vs a reported 41%-- less than HALF. In San Francisco County, the actual vs. reported percentages are 18% vs. 34%. Schools deserve to receive their assigned share of the property taxes we pay like everyone else. The state is not permitted to touch the property tax revenue of ANY OTHER recipient (public hospital, park, library, fire, flood, mosquito abatement districts, cities, counties, etc). Sign NOW to give equal protection to stable, reliable funding for schools and community colleges. California's Constitution (Article 8) states that our government will first set aside enough money for public education through the university as our #1 spending priority. Improve gov't transparency, increase reliability of school funding, and defend our State's Constitution-- SIGN TODAY!

Portland needs some sunshine. Portlanders are mostly left in the dark about how city funds are spent. Last year, the City of Portland earned a "D minus" for how transparent the city makes information about spending and subsidies available to the public online. [1] This is unacceptable. We need to make sure Mayor Hales hears from a lot of people across Portland so he knows that the public wants better transparency from our city so we can engage in decisions about public funding priorities and hold the city accountable for spending public dollars appropriately. [1] Transparency in City Spending, OSPIRG Foundation. 1/23/13.

For years, Senator Mark Udall of Colorado has been fighting to rein in abuses of federal power in the name of combating terrorism. Sen. Udall warned the American people about the dangers of mass surveillance against millions of innocent Americans for years before anyone knew the name Edward Snowden. To Udall’s great credit, he has consistently fought for our civil liberties in Congress--regardless of which party occupies the White House. Today, Sen. Udall needs our help.