Good news for people who want to do good: Week 51

A record number of women are looking to run for governor

“If we don’t run, then we won’t achieve.” That’s how Gretchen Whitmer, the leading Democratic contender for the governorship in Michigan, explained her decision to run in the Trump era.

And a lot of other women agree with her: Thus far, 79 women are either running for or considering a run for governor across the country, more than any year prior. The previous record was set in 1994, with 34 women running.

Trump’s presidency has helped to usher in such monumental numbers. And more women running for office and winning elections means greater support for future women candidates.

“The most surprising thing is how sustained the energy is, and the enthusiasm,” Whitmer noted. And that enthusiasm shows no signs of slowing down.

California ushered in some major changes for the good in 2018

As a leading progressive state, and the sixth-largest economy in the world, what happens in California can be a sign of things to come for the rest of the nation.

And 2018 offers some incredible prospects from the golden state.

The new laws now in effect include a prohibition on employers asking job seekers for their salary history, which can help prevent low-ball offers — especially to women, particularly women of color, who have suffered under the wage gap; a requirement that anyone convicted of a felony or certain misdemeanors give up their guns; 12 weeks of unpaid maternity and paternity leave for millions of workers; and a reinforcement of California’s status as a sanctuary state for undocumented immigrants.

Oh, and you might have heard that the state also legalized pot for recreational use.

Remember: as goes California, so goes the nation.

Watch this powerful video about the importance of DACA and of fighting for DREAMers

The hatred from the Trump administration and much of the right wing toward young immigrants is cruel and ignorant.

DREAMers are Americans, and they deserve to be treated no differently than anyone else in this country:

DREAMers are American in every way but on paper. We’ll keep fighting for them until the DREAM Act passes. Help us demand a #DREAMActNow — RT this video.

Thank you to @AlexGMusic7 & @gustavguerrero for sharing your musical talents with us. pic.twitter.com/vP8YOv2RF0

— The Democrats (@TheDemocrats) December 24, 2017

ACTION ALERT: Help protect DREAMers

If you want to do your part on behalf of DREAMers, there’s a website for that.

Head to dreamacttoolkit.org to find a list of key lawmakers who need to hear from you about why they must support a clean DREAM Act and protect the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of young immigrants.

Take some 2018 inspiration from these Maine residents

It’s a new year, but it’s still the Trump era.

If you need a little extra motivation to get you back in resistance mode, the state of Maine has got you covered.

“Take a moment to look back on the year behind us and plan for the one ahead.”

2017: Maine Resists; 2018: Maine Persists from Kelli Burton on Vimeo.

Nevada judge rules against anti-sanctuary city proposal

In a win for immigrant rights, Nevada Judge James Russell sided with the ACLU and ruled that “a proposed ballot question that aims to make sanctuary cities unconstitutional isn’t suitable for a statewide vote.”

The measure’s language was so broad that it could easily confuse voters, the judge noted.

And as ACLU executive director Tod Story said in a statement, it was also “discriminatory.”

Further, if the proposal had been allowed to go forward, it “would have mislead voters and ultimately split families apart and imperiled public safety,” he added.

Even Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval had expressed skepticism over the proposal, saying that he wasn’t aware of “there being any issues” caused by sanctuary cities in Nevada.

Dems regained unified control in Washington state last November and are ready to expand voting rights

Democrats in the state of Washington retook unified control of the state’s government last November, and they’re not wasting time getting down to work.

Specifically, they’re planning on multiple moves to improve and expand voting rights and access across the state.

Through automatic and same-day voter registration, allowing “pre-registration” for teens aged 16 and 17, and working to pass the Washington Voting Rights Act, Democratic lawmakers in the Evergreen state are defying the voter-suppression crusaders on the right and making sure that each and every citizen is able to exercise their right to vote.

ACTION ALERT: Protect voting rights, fight voter suppression

Indivisible435 has everything you need to know about your rights as a voter, the efforts to suppress them, and what you can to fight back and ensure fair and free elections across the country.

“The right to vote is the foundational principle of our democracy. American heroes like Fannie Lou Hamer, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the suffragists fought for every American to have this right. Protecting the vote is more important now than ever, as the Trump administration ramps up efforts to make it harder to vote.”

Senate bill to fight Trump admin’s attack on net neutrality will get a floor vote

Trump’s FCC has gone after net neutrality rules, which ensure free and open access and debate on the internet. But a Senate bill to reverse the FCC’s decision to repeal the rules gained its 30th cosponsor recently, which ensures that it will receive a floor vote.

Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill announced her support for the bill, pushed by Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Ed Markey, allowing it to come to the floor.

“Republicans are faced with a choice,” Markey said in a statement. “Be on the right side of history and stand with the American people who support a free and open internet, or hold hands with the special interests who want to control the internet for their own profit.”

Elected officials in blue states will protect their residents from the GOP tax scam

Trump and the Republicans managed to force their tax scam bill onto the American public, despite how widely loathed the bill was by anyone who wasn’t a billionaire.

But in blue states, lawmakers aren’t giving up just yet.

Or as New Jersey Democratic Gov.-elect Phil Murphy put it, “We sort of have two choices. One choice is to step back and let this happen to us. Or the other is to get into the arena and fight like heck.”

“And this is New Jersey after all,” he added.

Murphy, along other Democrats like New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Kevin de León, president pro tempore of the California Senate, are looking at a host of ways to push back on the tax bill on behalf of their constituents.

From challenging the law in the courts to allowing taxpayers to make charitable contributions to state and local funds for which they would receive equal tax credits, blue state officials are getting creative when it comes to battling the cruel overreaches of the GOP in the Trump era.

ACTION ALERT: Repeal the Trump Tax!

The GOP’s tax bill is nothing but a scam and a massive giveaway to the extremely wealthy.

Add your name to the fight to repeal this disastrous bill, and take Not One Penny’s pledge to keep up the resistance.

See ya, Darrell Issa!

Indivisible chapters have been holding “retirement” parties around the country for their Republican members of Congress.

On Tuesday, one group held a party for California Rep. Darrell Issa — and the very next day, he announced his retirement.

https://twitter.com/MamaMilkSD/status/951217479329636352

Way to go, Indivisible!