The State of California very recently reported that our County experienced a 40% increase in Hate Crimes in 2017 as compared to 2016! The Commission on Human Rights for Sonoma County, California is a strong advocate for the most basic rights of our most marginalized and needy residents. The Commissioners are appointed and volunteer. The most likely county residents who need their help are......all people of color, the Homeless, disabled, LGBT, Indigenous Peoples, etc. etc.. Our County Government Budget for 2018-2019 eliminated the measly 12 hours a week, of staff support, the meeting room for the Commission to meet residents, and the emergency phone line which needy residents use in an emergency to contact the Commission when they are desperate! The County Government says that the issue is "money." The total cost to the County is only $26,432.60, including benefits, for the measly twelve hours a week of staff support!...out of a 2018-2019 Budget of more than $1.8 billion! No way.... the county's motives are 100% political!! A move right out of the Trump-Playbook. I am a white male. I am a "Senior Citizen." I am not in the demographics which so desperately need our Commission on Human Rights.... but, I do have morality and I care deeply. Please help. Thank you very much.

I am struck by the differences between these two candidates on issues where Dark Money plays a role (PolyMet mining and medical coverage). In my opinion Painter is the stronger candidate yet because he takes no Dark Money many haven't enough information about him

Prison reform. Yes, I have been affected by this issue.

In her confirmation hearing, Kathy Kraninger refused to say whether the common-sense rule reining in payday and car title lending abuses should go forward. She also wouldn’t commit to removing political appointees that Acting Director Mulvaney installed to follow around career Bureau professionals. Kraninger offered no evidence that she would take any concrete steps to actually protect consumers, leaving us all more vulnerable to abuse by Wall Street and predatory lenders. Kraninger has zero experience with Consumer Protection or banking regulation, and won’t commit to continuing the Bureau’s strong record of enforcement. Will you email your Senator, and tell them to oppose Kraninger for the CFPB Director?

In order to make a commitment to cycling as a transportation option it is important to put this on the books. More than 30 years after Idaho passed its law, the evidence suggests that it is a safe and effective reform. In 2008, Jason Meggs contacted Idaho’s Office of Highway and Traffic Safety and analyzed statewide yearly summaries of traffic injuries and fatalities, including summaries by county and mode. His analysis found no evidence of a long-term increase in injury or fatality rates as a result of the adoption of the “Idaho stop” law. In 1983, the year after the law was adopted, bicycle injury rates declined by 14.5 percent and there was no change in the number of bicycle fatalities. When bicyclists in Idaho approach a stop sign they: 1. Slow down, and if required for safety, stop. 2. Yield the right-of-way to any vehicle in the intersection or approaching, if the approaching vehicle will create a hazard while they cross the intersection. 3. Proceed after appropriately slowing and yielding without stopping. When cyclists in Idaho approach a red light they: 1. Stop. 2. Yield to all other traffic. 3. Proceed through the red light with caution.

Ellen Gerhart, a retired special education teacher from Huntingdon County, PA, has been in jail since late Friday afternoon. Four officers arrived on her property to arrest her because Energy Transfer Partners filed a motion with the Court of Common Pleas, claiming that, among other things, she had baited mountain lions and bears to go to the easement for the company's Mariner East 2 pipeline. The land was taken from the Gerhart family by the company via eminent domain. It's the part of the property where a pond, streams, and wetlands are located. As a longtime forest steward, Ellen has gone to court, shared her story with media outlets across the globe, and engaged in non-violent direct action to protect the land and the water that means so much to her. Ellen is refusing to talk to her jailors and is on a hunger strike. Please sign our petition calling on Judge Zanic to release her.

(SIGNATURES BY ATHENS-CLARKE COUNTY VOTERS ONLY, PLEASE) All counties already own optical scanners that they use for mail ballots and provisional ballots. They can centrally count paper ballots collected at the polling places, and let the touchscreens stay idle. We have had evidence that our electronic voting machines are not secure, and Secretary of State Brian Kemp seems unlikely to do his job to make the necessary changes state-wide. Since we have the right to make the change county-by-county, we should do what we can to make our votes secure locally. We the people need to take control of this loss of faith issue (in the least) and do what we have to do. Demand paper ballots.

We are in a plastic pollution crisis. Now we are in a recycling crisis. Columbia Association does a great job proving water fountains for drinking and refilling water bottles. Non-recyclable cups are completely unnecessary and adds to a plastic pollution crisis that "Will be the largest health threat facing the public, if it hasn't already become so."

The Berkeley Flea Market is the living legacy of historic South Berkeley's greatest strengths: the ethnic diversity, cultural creativity, and economic entrepreneurialism that has made it a distinctive and vital community since World War II. It continues the legacy of the South Berkeley Square district, beginning at Adeline and Woolsey, which was long the throbbing heart of non-white businesses before the BART station destroyed and scattered them. It is the cultural hub of South Berkeley for African Americans and others who come from around the region to shop, sell, and socialize. This location may be threatened by the city’s plans for development of the Adeline corridor. The loss of this site would spell the loss of a unique multicultural community, the livelihoods it supports, and the legacy it continues – gone forever. Please sign the petition to show your support of the Berkeley Flea Market in the Adeline corridor plan and any plans involving the Ashby BART station. We will also keep you informed of community meetings and gatherings.

On August 1, 2018, felons, domestic abusers, terrorists, and anyone legally prohibited from possessing a firearm will be able to download plans to 3D print untraceable and undetectable guns, without a background check. This will immediately endanger students, those in abusive relationships, students, and targets of terrorism. While there are court proceedings working to stop this from taking effect, any permanent fix will require legislation. Join #NoRA in demanding Congress keep this downloadable death from happening.

Anyone legally prohibited from possessing a firearm can purchase and be able to download plans to 3D print untraceable and undetectable guns, without a background check. This will immediately make the country more susceptible to preventable gun violence. Federal courts ordered an injunction against distribution of these designs, yet the designer of these guns has begun to sell the blueprints, and Congress and the Department of Justice have failed to pass legislation outlawing this once and for all.

As an adolescent dealing with depression, the best way to cope is to be around something you love. He has had pet ducks since childhood to deal with depression which was made worse due to his moving to another town.