October 25, 2021 02:09 PM UTC

VOTE SMART and more ways to fight for progress this week (October 25)

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• by: ProgressNow Colorado

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Since our launch on Saturday, thousands of Colorado voters have already accessed the 2021 Colorado Progressive Voters Guide! If you haven’t checked it out already, we’ve got the details on statewide and local ballot measures, municipal races, and school board elections across the state. This year, we tried a new approach to save your time by only including the candidates and issues where our progressive partners have made an endorsement.

Our goal is to be your quick-reference guide to the names you need to know to advance progressive values at the neighborhood level in 2021. Take a moment right now to review the Colorado Progressive Voters Guide, and be part of the solution to lower off-year turnout instead of part of the problem.

Once you’ve got your ballot completed, you can return it to your county clerk by a variety of convenient methods including the U.S. Mail! Visit our friends at JustVoteColorado.org for information on where to take your completed ballot, or call the Election Protection Hotline at 866-687-8683 to get help by phone.

Meanwhile in Washington, D.C.–the latest word is that the Democratic majority is close to a deal with holdout Senators Manchin and Sinema on the Build Back Better budget reconciliation package. This week, we’re asking you to call Colorado’s Senators Hickenlooper and Bennet, and urge them to support Senator Ron Wyden’s Billionaires Income Tax (BIT) to raise about $250 million of the total needed to pay for the Build Back Better plan. Both Manchin and Sinema support this revenue-generating proposal, and we need to be sure Hickenlooper and Bennet are on board too.

Call Sens. Bennet and Hickenlooper at 888-594-6720 and urge them to SUPPORT the Billionaires Income Tax (BIT) as part of the budget reconciliation package.

Thanks for your help week after to week to fight for progress! Here are a few more ways to make a difference for the week of October 25, 2021:

9to5 Colorado: SB173 Renters’ Know-Your-Rights Training Webinar

As of October 1, Colorado renters have a slew of new rights thanks to the passage of SB21-173. Join us on Monday, October 25 at 5pm as we hear from bill sponsors Senator Julie Gonzales and Representative Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez alongside housing advocates and legal experts as they discuss the key protections that this bill provides.

When: Monday, October 25 at 5:00pm

Click here to RSVP.

Stand with Bella Romero for the right to clean air

The reality for families and faculty at Bella Romero Academy is far from safe. Preliminary analysis from the data available has shown that there have been 211 occurrences of elevated levels of benzene on the school grounds. In March of 2021, CDPHE sent out a notice with an update about air monitoring at Bella Romero Academy stating that the air monitors were to be removed for repairs; however, monitors will not be returned even after repairs are completed. 350 Colorado is standing by the families of Bella Romero Academy. We are calling for the air monitors to be reinstalled and real time results to be shared with the community.

When: Tuesday, October 26 at 9:00am
Where: Colorado State Capitol, Denver

Click here to RSVP.

Denver Alliance for Street Health Response Press Conference: Decriminalizing Homelessness

Join DASHR and the Colorado Public Health Association as we discuss the criminalization of homelessness in Colorado. Colorado’s 76 largest cities have 351 anti-homeless ordinances. Often, policies that criminalize survival for unhoused folks and efforts to enforce them are done through a public health justification. However, these same policies have resulted in increased trauma, violence, and harassment of our unhoused community, in many cases directly contributing to deaths on our streets and even greater public health concerns without address the root issues of homelessness.

When: Tuesday, October 26 at 3:00pm
Where: Denver City and County Building

Click here to RSVP.

LGBTQ Health & Policy Changes

Join One Colorado and Colorado Consumer Health Initiative for a community townhall on Tuesday, October 26th for discussion about recent health care policy changes and how they affect our LGBTQ+ community. Learn about policies, access to insurance buyers guides for the LGBTQ+ community, as well as how Medicaid can be used to transition. Ask your health care questions to our panel!

When: Tuesday, October 26 at 6:00pm

Click here to RSVP.

Conservation Colorado: Phonebank: Pueblo Council Election

Join Conservation Colorado for a virtual group phone bank in support of our endorsed Pueblo candidates on Tuesday, October 26, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM MST.

When: Tuesday, October 26 at 6:00pm

Click here to RSVP.

Colorado Sierra Club: Telluride + Ridgway: Clean Energy Action Night + Film Screening

Join the Wilkinson Public Library, Sheep Mountain Alliance, Western Colorado Alliance, EcoAction Partners and Colorado Sierra Club to learn about what actions YOU can take RIGHT NOW to help bring local, affordable clean energy to your community! In 2021, we have a unique opportunity to influence how we get our power from Tri-State, the energy provider of San Miguel Power Association.

When: Thursday, October 28 at 5:30pm

Click here to RSVP.

9to5 Colorado: October Member Meeting | Reunión de miembros de octubre

Join 9to5 Colorado and Clayton Early Learning Center on October 28th at 6pm via zoom to learn about the implementation of Paid Family and Medical Leave in Colorado! Last November, we passed PFML by ballot and is on track to roll out benefits in 2024. So what happens in between? A LOT! Most importantly, community members are able to influence all the details that weren’t written in the ballot – but that are still important to ensure we have an equitable program. Join this meeting to learn what is at stake and how to participate!

When: Thursday, October 28 at 6:00pm

Click here to RSVP.

NAACP Denver Fall Festival

Join NAACP Denver for our Fall Festival, October 30th from 3pm-6pm, at Cross Purpose 3050 Richard Allen Court, Denver, CO 80205.

When: Saturday, October 30 at 3:00pm

Click here to RSVP.

We’ll see you next week! Thanks again.

Sincerely,

Sara Loflin, Executive Director