Courage Campaign

Campaigns

• No pay for Congress during the shutdown

  Since October 1st, hundreds of thousands of middle-class federal employees have been furloughed due to irresponsible members of Congress who refuse to govern for the well-being of the American people. The GOP-controlled House of Representatives decided to shut down the government rather than pass a spending bill that funds the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as “Obamacare.” Not only has the President’s signature healthcare law been upheld by the Supreme Court, but it was a major issue in the last presidential election when Republicans were soundly defeated. These Republican members of Congress -- including California’s own House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy -- are putting the extreme and ideological demands of a small minority over the health of the American economy. And now, federal employees, veterans, and hard-working families will be the ones that have to pay the price. That is unfair and morally reprehensible. Congress should take responsibility for their own inaction and lose their paychecks until they come to a resolution. Every day this drags on, the more damage it does to everyday Americans and our nation’s fragile economy.

  459,550 of 500,000 Signatures

  Created by Laura Leavitt, Courage Campaign
• Demand Nestlé immediately stop bottling precious water from California during drought!

  While the entire state is urged to conserve water and is potentially facing mandatory water usage restrictions, Nestlé is bottling the scarce resource straight from the heart of California’s drought and selling it for profit -- according to a recent Desert Sun report. Since Nestlé’s bottling plant -- which extracts water for its Arrowhead and Pure Life brands -- is located on the Morongo Band of Mission Indians’ reservation, it is exempt from oversight by local water agencies and is able to keep information about its groundwater levels and usage confidential. Therefore, it’s impossible to know just how much of the limited resource the plant is extracting to export and sell elsewhere. And to top it off, the bottling plant is located in one of the most drought-stricken areas of the state. With a recent report showing that California only has enough water to last the state one more year, we must put an end to this madness at Nestlé before it’s too late. Join us!

  30,636 of 35,000 Signatures

  Created by Laura Leavitt, Courage Campaign
• SIGN THE PLEDGE: I'm fasting for farm workers!

  NOTE: FASTING CAN BE DANGEROUS. THOSE WITH HEALTH ISSUES OR CONCERNS THAT MAY BE AFFECTED BY FASTING SHOULD NOT PARTICIPATE. ANYONE UNSURE OR WITH QUESTIONS SHOULD CONSULT THEIR DOCTOR BEFORE PARTICIPATING. Farm workers are vital to our well-being as a nation. But for nearly 100 years, they’ve been treated like second-class citizens and denied real overtime. But right now, we have an opportunity to right this wrong with Assembly Bill 1066 by Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez. AB 1066 is a commonsense solution that will give farm workers overtime pay after eight hours. But powerful corporate lobbyists are trying to tear it down. That is why on Tuesday, August 16, legislators, faith-based leaders, and activists across the country are going to fast for 24 hours in support of farm workers and help pass AB 1066.

  15 of 100 Signatures

  Created by Tim Molina, Courage Campaign
• Tell Obama: Speak out on Prop 8 at the Supreme Court

  President Obama has said same-sex marriage is fine by him, but the Supreme Court will consider a more fundamental issue than that: whether Prop 8, and possibly state bans on same-sex marriage nationwide, violate the guarantee of Equal Protection under the U.S. Constitution. The Supreme Court often asks the Administration for its views on cases, and the position of the Department of Justice carries significant legal weight -- so we need the President and the DOJ to weigh in. As attorney Ted Olson commented on December 7th, 2012, "...given the stand the president of the United States and the attorney general of the United States made with respect to marriage equality, we would certainly hope that they would participate...I think that, given the position that the government has taken in the DOMA cases and the reasoning that they have used in filing their brief would apply with great effect in our case, the Perry case, as well." President Obama and the Department of Justice can fulfill this request by filing a friend-of-the-court brief arguing that a state ban on same-sex marriage violates the U.S. Constitution. With the Supreme Court hearing oral arguments in March 2013, and the civil rights, respect and dignity of potentially millions of same-sex couples on the line, we need the President to lead and speak out.

  116 of 200 Signatures

  Created by Adam Bink
• Tell the CA Supreme Court: Give CA voters the opportunity to overturn Citizens United!

  The “Koch Primary” -- a meeting of billionaires and right-wing presidential hopefuls held by the Koch Brothers in Palm Springs, CA -- has made California GROUND ZERO for fighting the corrupting influence of money in politics. And we must demand that Californians have a right to weigh in on this critical issue with Prop 49. Since the disastrous Citizens United ruling opened the floodgates of corporate money in our elections, the Koch brothers’ extreme right-wing agenda has become the platform for virtually the entire Republican Party -- including "Koch Primary" attendees, Senators Ted Cruz (TX), Rand Paul (KY), Marco Rubio (FL), and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. And if one of these candidates becomes President in 2016 -- with the Koch Brothers' help -- say goodbye to Obamacare, women's rights, and every progressive value we care about most. The fight to stop this madness starts by demanding that Prop 49 be put back on the ballot in California in 2016 -- to allow California voters to decide whether the U.S. Congress and California Legislature should approve a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United.

  205 of 300 Signatures

  Created by Tim Molina, Courage Campaign
• Tell the CPUC and Attorney General Harris: Stop the Comcast-Time Warner merger!

  If Comcast merges with Time Warner cable, Comcast will gain unprecedented power over our country’s cable and internet market -- resulting in higher prices, fewer choices, worse customer service and control over the information we read, watch, and hear. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and CA Attorney General Kamala Harris have the power to block this disastrous merger. But they must hear from concerned citizens like you RIGHT NOW to let them know that we do NOT want the corporate giant Comcast to have a monopoly over us. If we can stop the merger in California, Comcast’s national domination plan could be over. Without California’s biggest markets, the cable giant would most likely walk away from the whole deal!

  686 of 800 Signatures

  Created by Laura Leavitt
• Stop the Comcast/Time Warner merger!

  If Comcast merges with Time Warner cable, Comcast will gain unprecedented power over our country’s cable and Internet market -- resulting in higher prices, fewer choices, worse customer service and control over the information we read, watch, and hear. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and CA Attorney General Kamala Harris have the power to block this disastrous merger. But they must hear from concerned citizens like you RIGHT NOW to let them know that we do NOT want the corporate giant Comcast to have a monopoly over us. If we can stop the merger in California, Comcast’s national domination plan could be over. Without California’s biggest markets, the cable giant would most likely walk away from the whole deal. So let's make sure the CPUC and Attorney General hear us loud and clear! JOIN US & SIGN TODAY!

  3,552 of 4,000 Signatures

  Created by Laura Leavitt
• Tell Congress: Don't slam the door on refugees

  FOUR MILLION children, women, and families have fled from war-torn Syria to ESCAPE violent extremism, NOT to spread it. But right-wing Republicans and some Democrats are being overpowered by fear and bigotry -- not logic, tolerance, and goodwill. They refuse to even consider allowing refugees to enter the United States, and are fast-tracking legislation to slam our doors on those who need refuge most! To these extremists in Congress, facts don’t matter. The facts are that refugees undergo a rigorous screening process that can take up to THREE YEARS, and not one terrorist attack has been committed in the U.S. by a refugee! This is the same dangerous line of thinking that leads to hate crimes and wars. Don't let our leaders toss aside our American values due to panic and paranoia.

  2 of 100 Signatures

  Created by Laura Leavitt, Courage Campaign
• Tell Gov. Brown: Ban fracking in CA NOW!

  The largest rally against fracking in California history is coming up on February 7th -- The March for Real Climate Leadership -- and whether or not you can join us in person, we need you to sign the petition demanding Governor Jerry Brown ban fracking in California now, so we can deliver your demands right to his doorstep in Oakland! New York’s Governor took an unprecedented step by completely outlawing fracking -- now it’s California’s turn. But while Gov. Brown laid out bold plans to address climate change in his recent inaugural address, he made ZERO mention of the extreme dangers that fracking has to the health and safety of our communities. THIS is a game-changing moment for the climate movement in California. We applaud Gov. Brown's bold plans to address the climate crisis in California. But how can California claim to be a global leader in the fight against climate change while also allowing Big Oil to frack up our state and release millions of tons of carbon into the air that climate scientists agree must stay inside the earth? This is even before you factor in how fracking endangers the health of our communities, poisons our scarce water supplies, and increases the risk of catastrophic earthquakes Now is the time for Gov. Brown to show real climate leadership.

  50 of 100 Signatures

  Created by Tim Molina, Courage Campaign
• Stop Insurance Companies From Wasting Patient Care Dollars on Luxury Suites and Corporate Bonuses

  Blue Shield's purchase of a multi-million dollar executive skybox in an NFL stadium is only the recent example of healthcare insurers cheating California patients and taxpayers out of millions of taxpayer dollars. As a result of its non-profit status, Blue Shield is avoiding California's corporate income tax. This generous tax-break, on top of millions of dollars from rising premium rates, contributes to massive surpluses for non-profit insurers. Blue Shield, for example, built a reserve that is $3.68 billion – or 1667% – more than what’s required by state law. On top of that, we’ve seen the healthcare industry spiral out of control for years, with immense increases in premium rates, and with no one in California with power to stop them. That is why voters put Proposition 45 on the November ballot -- to help curb out of control premium increases by requiring healthcare companies to get approval for rate hikes. And if passed, Prop 45 will give the California insurance regulators the power to block excessive rate increases, like the ones that helped funded Blue Shield’s 49er skybox. But before November, only the Attorney General has the authority to hold insurers accountable and protect patient care. That is why it is on us to urge Attorney General Harris to take action immediately.

  305 of 400 Signatures

  Created by Dr. Paul Song, Courage Campaign Issues Committee