Analysis of Propositions on June 2018 Ballot Released
In 1911, in an effort to wrestle control of the legislature away from the railroads, California was one of the first states to introduce the initiative process.
Allowing citizens to place policy directly on the ballot with an initiative is an “experiment” in direct democracy that the citizens of the Golden State still seem to hold dear.
The system has its pluses – citizens can address issues their lawmakers cannot – and its minuses – almost any special interest with sufficient financial resources can get something on the ballot.
Take Action Now on These Important Alerts
It is the busiest time of year at the State Capitol in Sacramento. Please take a few moments to review these important Action Alerts then contact your elected representative today:
· Help Support New Teachers – Urge an AYE Vote on SB 1214
· Ask Your Congress Person to Support the USA Act AND the DREAM Act
· Oppose Bill Adding Sexual Orientation Counselling to Consumer Code
· Farm Bill Needs Changes or It Will Harm Californians
· Bill Wants to Mandate Abortion Pill at College Health Centers
· Urge an Aye Vote on SB 982 to Prevent Deep Poverty in Children
· Promote the Most Effective Anti-Poverty Tool
Catholic Social Teaching Supports Temporary Protective Status
In recent months, the federal government has chosen to reverse an almost 30-year-old asylum program, leaving roughly 300,000 current residents of the U.S. vulnerable to deportation by early 2020.
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) was established in 1990, initially to give escapees from the brutal civil war in El Salvador temporary leave to remain in the U.S. It is granted to people who have fled their home countries for the U.S. and are unable to return due to ongoing armed conflict, environmental disasters or other humanitarian crises that have made daily life difficult and dangerous. TPS programs are currently in effect for ten countries, but more than 90 percent of recipients are from only three – El Salvador, Honduras and Haiti. Salvadorans alone number around 200,000, or 60 percent, of all current TPS holders.
The Department of Homeland Security has determined that within the next two years, TPS for migrants from these three countries, in addition to smaller numbers from Nepal, Sudan, and Nicaragua, will be allowed to expire with no possibility of renewal. TPS has provided its recipients, some of whom arrived as teenagers, with protection from deportation and legal permission to work. Having lived as legal residents of the U.S., in many cases for more than twenty years, they are now embedded in American families, communities, and local economies.
LA Archdiocese Signs Historic Protocols with Southern CA Tribes
In a novel event in late March, members of several Native American tribes in Southern California joined with Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez at the Kuruvunga Springs Cultural Center in West LA to mark the signing of 17 historic protocols to guide relations between the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and tribes in the area.
Members of the Chumash, Tataviam, Tongva and Acjachemen Nations were present on March 28 to witness the signing of the document, an agreement to ensure that Native American tribal members are welcomed and respected on church grounds.
“We recognize that our shared history has often been a long trail of tears — marked by broken promises, bitter misunderstandings and painful injustices,” Archbishop Gomez said before the signing.
Mental Health Letter Receives Extensive Media Coverage
Last week’s release of Hope and Healing: A Pastoral Letter from the Bishops of California on Caring for those who Suffer from Mental Illness Addressed to All Catholics and People of Goodwill by the California Catholic Conference of Bishops was met with an overwhelmingly positive response from clergy, media and the lay alike.
In a piece in Crux, Saddleback Church pastor Rick Warren praised the release of the letter as a “watershed moment” that can serve as a “new standard for mental health ministries around the world.”
The origin of the letter stems from the work between Pastor Warren and Bishop Kevin Vann of the Diocese of Orange who began addressing mental illness together after the suicide of Warren’s son after a lifelong battle with mental illness.
Coverage of the document included pieces in the Los Angeles Times, the San Diego Union-Tribune, as well as several Catholic news media including National Catholic Reporter, American Magazine, and the National Catholic Register and The Christian Post.
In Case You Missed It
Last Chance for Catholic Advocacy Day Reports
Thank you again to those who participated in Catholic Advocacy Day. For those who did so but have yet to fill out a report, the reports are vital in documenting time spent with lawmakers and ensuring the Catholic Conference is approaching advocacy efforts in an accurate manner.
Click here to quickly fill out your report form. A summary of the visits will be available next week.
Religious Freedom Week June 22-29
Catholics across the United States are encouraged to pray and act in support of religious liberty at home and abroad during Serving Others in God’s Love: Religious Freedom Week 2018, which begins on June 22, the Feast of Sts. Thomas More and John Fisher, and ends on June 29, the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul.
Click here for more information.
May 11, 2018
Vol. 11, No. 17