OneCareNow has a big agenda for 2008

[eridani]

As a supporter of SB 840 (Kuehl), you'll be pleased about Tuesday's great success in the first round of our coalition's Healthy Majority Campaign (formally the 2/3rds Campaign) for single payer universal health care in California.

In the June 3rd primary elections, single payer advocates targeted five districts, based on the following criteria.

• There was a Democrat who strongly supported single payer/SB 840.

• This candidate faced formidable opposition from at least one other Democrat who either lacked a record of support for our single-payer SB 840 legislation or opposed it.

In our four targeted Assembly districts, we had three victories! We congratulate:

Mariko Yamada - AD 8 (Lois Wolk, D, was termed out. AD 8 is mostly in Solano County, with a small portion of Yolo County, and includes Davis, Fairfield, Benecia, Vacaville, and West Sacramento.)

Bill Monning - AD 27 (John Laird, D, was termed out. AD 27 is in Monterey County and Santa Cruz County, and includes Aptos, Capitola, Carmel, Morgan Hill, and Santa Cruz.)

Manual Perez - AD 80 (Bonnie Garcia, R, was termed out. AD 80 has Imperial County and eastern Riverside County, and includes Palm Springs, Cathedral City, La Quinta, Blythe, Brawley, El Centro, Calexico, and Holtville.)

In our one targeted Senate district, we won! We congratulate:

Mark Leno - SD 3 (Leno defeated incumbent Carole Migden, as well as former Assembly member Joe Nation, a long-time opponent of single payer. SD 3 has Marin County, Sonoma County and the city of San Francisco.

Because AD 80 has been represented by a Republican, single payer advocates will continue to work for Manual Perez to help get him elected in November. The other targeted districts are strongly Democratic, so yesterday's winners are the presumptive winners in November.

Although some Democrats who are strong SB 840 supporters had no trouble winning yesterday, they will face strong Republican opponents in the general election. Single payer advocates will now target these districts.

This ultimate goal for electing pro-SB 840 candidates is to establish a veto-proof legislature. In other words, when at least two-thirds of both the Assembly and the Senate are supporters, if not co-authors, of single payer legislation, it will be impossible for a governor to successfully veto a single payer bill. For example, after Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed Sen. Sheila Kuehl's SB 840 in 2006, there were not enough votes in the legislature to override his veto. Regrettably, when SB 840 goes back to the Terminator's desk this summer, there still will not be the votes to override his veto.

We call our work to elect a veto-proof, pro-single payer legislature The Healthy Majority Campaign.

Our high rate of success yesterday shows how well we were able to mobilize "people power" - single payer advocates who did precinct walking and phone banking - to overcome the richer treasuries of our opponents. It shows the Healthy Majority Campaign is critical to building a huge grassroots movement of activists for single payer. And it shows the Health Majority Campaign is essential to a winning strategy to pass single payer legislation, with or without a governor's signature.

For more about SB 840, please go to Sen. Kuehl's website http://dist23.casen.govoffice.com/

For more about the California single payer movement, please go to http://www.onecarenow.org/

Now it's on to more victories in November!

Dan Hodges

Chair, Health Care for All-California

Andrew McGuire

Executive Director, Health Care for All-California


Urge your local representatives to support SB 840
http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/HCA_CA/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=7081

[eridani]

1. Rally in San Francisco on 6/19

Join Senator Sheila Kuehl at the Huge Protest Rally
June 19 in San Francisco

Dear Martha,

Two weeks from today, we hope you will join us in San Francisco for a giant rally in support of single payer -- the health care solution for California and the U.S.

WHAT: PROTEST RALLY VS. INSURANCE COMPANIES

AND FOR SINGLE-PAYER SB 840 AND HR 676

MASTER OF CEREMONIES: SENATOR SHEILA KUEHL

WHEN: Thursday, June 19

Noon to 1:30pm

WHERE: Moscone Center West

Howard St. at 4th. St.

San Francisco

WHY: On June 19, the program at the national convention of the America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) will feature former US senators John Breaux and Bill Frist, former Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson, former Counselor to President Bush Dan Bartlett and former Chairman of the Democratic National Committee Terry McAuliffe.

All these speakers oppose legislation - such as California's SB 840 and US HR 676 - that would remove the health insurance industry from our healthcare.

This is going to be the biggest insurance protest yet!

Solidarity rallies are being held around the country.

Healthcare YES - Insurance Companies NO
Sen. Kuehl will emcee the program, which will include speakers from state and national organizations working for single payer, such as the California Nurses Association, S. F. Labor Council, California Alliance of Retired Americans, and Physicians for a National Health Program.

The rally will end with a funeral procession because, as you know, insurance companies are killing us.

There will be a lot of effort made to get media coverage of the rally. This will include on the spot texting and phoning messages and photos about the rally to news organizations, whose phone numbers and on-line contact information will be available at the event.

Most important for media coverage will be the turnout. WE NEED YOU THERE!

Buses are coming to the Moscone Center from cities throughout the state.

If you want to get a bus ride or find out about carpooling, call Jodi Reid at 510-663-4086. (Jodi is the Executive Director of the California Alliance of Retired Americans, CARA, a member of our State Strategy Group for SB 840.)

Directions to the rally are as follows.

BART/MUNI: Exit at Powell St. Station. Walk one block east on Market St. to 4th. St. Turn right and walk two blocks south to Howard St.

DRIVING: From the Bay Bridge: Take 5th. St. exit off the Bay Bridge. From 5th. St. turn right onto Folsom St. Turn left on 3rd. St. Park in the garage on 3rd. St. between Folsom and Howard. Walk to Howard, turn left and walk one block west. (If the 3rd. St. garage is full, continue on 3rd. St. and turn left on Mission. Turn left on 5th. St. and then immediately left again on Minna to enter the 5th. St. & Mission Garage. Walk one block south to Howard and one block east to 4th. St.)

From Rt. 101 North: Follow 80 East. Take the 4th. St. exit. Turn left on Bryant and turn left on 3rd. St. (See directions above for parking.)

Later this summer SB 840 will pass out of the legislature and go to Governor Schwarzenegger's desk. Single payer supporters and the OneCareNow Campaign will keep the heat on the governor because of his commitment to the private insurance industry in health care.

The June 19 rally is a critical opportunity to get public attention on the only real solutions for the state and nation's worsening healthcare crisis -- SB 840 and HR 676!

We ask you to do three things:

1. Come to San Francisco on June 19 for the rally at the Moscone Center West!

2. Bring OneCareNow.org and Health Care for All.org and other signs and banners in support of SB 840 and HR 676 and join our group at the rally.

3. Forward this message to get more people to come to the rally!


Thank you so much. See you on June 19.


Dan Hodges, Chair, Health Care for All-California

[roody]

2. k

[eridani]

3. SB 840 hearing 7/16

California Assembly Appropriations Committee hearing on SB 840
July 16 at 9:00 AM.

If you're in the area, help us tell legislators: PASS THIS BILL NOW!
Dear Martha,

Next Wednesday, July 16, at 9:00AM, SB 840, the historic California Universal Health Care Act, will be heard by the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

This will be Senator Sheila Kuehl's last presentation of her comprehensive health care reform bill before a legislative committee. The hearing will take place in Room 4202 at the state capitol.


Your attendance is invited and is important to show Assembly Members strong public support for single-payer SB 840 as the best solution to California's broken health care system.

Unions such as the California Nurses Association and the California School Employees Association will be turning out their members for the hearing.


We look forward to seeing you there, too.

We will advise you of an expected full Assembly vote and advance of the bill to the Governor's desk in the coming weeks.

Sincerely,

Dan Hodges, Chairman of the Board
Andrew McGuire, Executive Director
Health Care for All-California