EVI ENDORSES NICK SCHULTZ IN CA ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 44 NOVEMBER RUNOFF

While we were sorry to see that Steve Pierson did not make it through the primary in the race for AD44, we are very lucky to have another great candidate who we are proud to endorse in the runoff - Nick Schultz! We heard from Nick in our endorsement meeting last year and we were all very impressed by him. Nick was elected to the Burbank City Council in 2020 after receiving the second-highest number of votes in the city's history for a city council race and is currently serving as the city's mayor. Nick is an advocate for our environment, increased affordable housing, and criminal justice reform (specifically post-conviction review). Nick is up against a Republican and we want to help him keep this district blue. We are proud to endorse Nick and look forward to helping him win in November!

You can find out more about Nick here: https://www.votenickschultz.com/

VOTE!!!

The long-anticipated 2024 election cycle has begun in earnest. It’s time to get in gear to support our preferred policies and candidates up and down the ticket. Regional vote centers are already open, and more local vote centers will open on March 1st. You can vote by mail, by drop-box, or in person.  Go to https://www.lavote.gov/ to locate drop-boxes and vote centers near you.

EVI MARCH 5TH PRIMARY ELECTION ENDORSEMENTS 

Thanks to all of you who attended our Endorsement Meetings, EVI is excited to be endorsing the following candidates who are running in the March 5th election:

Member of the Los Angeles City Council, District 4: Nithya Raman

Member of the Los Angeles City Council, District 2: Adrin Nazarian

Member of the California State Assembly, District 44: Steve Pierson

Yes on Measure HLA for safer streets

EVI endorses Laura Friedman for State Assembly, District 44

EVI is excited to add Laura Friedman to our roster of Endorsed Candidates. Her years of public service embodies EVI's progressive values and service to not only her constituents but the people of California.

After serving seven years on the Glendale City Council, including a term as the Mayor of Glendale, Laura Friedman was elected to the California State Assembly in 2016.

In her time in office, she served as the Chair of the Assembly Natural Resources Committee, Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship and Chair of the Joint Rules Subcommittee on Sexual Harassment Prevention and Response. She currently serves as the Chair of the Assembly Transportation Committee and the Chair of the Bicameral Legislative Environmental Caucus.

Laura lives in Glendale with her husband Guillaume Lemoine, a landscape designer, and their daughter Rachel.

To learn more about Laura please visit her website: votelaurafriedman.com

EVI is hosting a Meet & Greet with Laura Friedman on Monday May 23, 2022! Click here to RSVP.

Op-Ed: Crime And Punishment

What happens in Russia when things don’t go exactly as planned? When Putin is displeased, worried or paranoid? He cleans house. Ukraine not unfolding as planned? Fire your top 8 generals in one grand sweep. Worried about disgruntled help stirring through the kitchen? Simple. Fire the entire staff of 1,000 and find the most reliable food tasters the planet has to offer. No discussion, no drama. Perhaps not pretty but it’s swift and efficient. 

And what do we do here when things go awry and justice needs to be done? Thankfully we don’t typically employ the extreme top-down measures of our Moscow brethren. Democracy is messy, we all know that. But please - can’t we move a little faster! Global warming is moving faster than our seemingly stuck-in-glue judiciary. Anchored in 2019 by the Trump & Bannon show, Congressional aides, appointed officials, consultants and the cadre of vassals that accompany any President, were told explicitly to simply ignore Congressional subpoenas. Don’t be home. Don’t be found. Just say no to judicial inquiry, a strategy which thus far has proven very effective. 

As the House Select Committee continues to be stonewalled by fearless suspects, there is little indication members are close to charging anyone with “criminal contempt of Congress” the prescribed remedy for non-compliance. Criminal contempt means not showing up or refusal to show documents. Three measures are available to encourage cooperation. 

1. Cite Inherent Contempt where the Senate Sergeant of Arms can imprison the person until they comply. (not currently in vogue!) 

2. Congress can vote on contempt then refer the case to the Executive where a one month prison term can be invoked if the person does not comply and the Judiciary agrees. 

3. Congress can ask the Judicial branch to have a civil court enforce a subpoena, a tactic recently attempted several times but the courts moved too slowly for it to be effective.  

In reading about attempts by Congress to subpoena potential witnesses, a common response by process servers is that they simply can’t find the person. So, if there is no budget for tracking their whereabouts, find it! Aren’t multiple attempts made until the mission is accomplished? I bet a teen with a phone and a little motivation could do better. To me, saying a person can’t be found is like saying the dog ate my homework. C’mon. Really? 

What’s at risk now is everything. Trump is campaigning as I sit here typing, talking about how Putin’s going to give him the skinny on Biden’s Jr.’s dirty Ukrainian money. Midterms are around the corner and the popular consensus seems to be that we will lose the House, possibly the Senate. If rules need to change to enforce judicial compliance, we need to fight for the changes. We can’t win the election if we lose on the judicial front. Serious crimes have been and continue to be committed. If we want to prove our effectiveness as citizens, we need punishment as well. We need accountability. We need to see all the deserving people behind bars.

Eileen Austen
March 30, 2022

Op-Ed: A Room with a View

Editor Eileen Austen debuts with her thoughts on the global War Against Democracy

March 11, 2022

It seems impossible. Our East Valley Indivisible group, a small group of progressive activists, should begin its first blog with what’s happening continents away, in the beleaguered towns and cities of Ukraine. Unfortunately it’s all too logical, given that democracies around the world are under attack - including our own. As I write this in the quiet of my office, Ukraine is being illegally invaded under the terms of the Geneva Convention, the Russian authorities have arrested thousands of dissidents in hundreds of cities who may or may not be seen or heard from again, scores of Russian soldiers have died in a war that they thought was to be a training exercise. War crimes are being committed against the citizens of Ukraine; men, women and Ukrainian children are dying as you read this. Why? Because they had the gall to want to govern themselves; because they were building a free, democratic country instead of a puppet government ruled by a tyrant.

It’s ironic then, witnessing the possible demise of Ukraine from the comfort of our couches, that here at home some of our wealthiest citizens and most powerful office holders, are obsessed with destroying our own electoral system. There are any number of places to take off with this but I’ll start with what came across my desk this week. Russia has oligarchs - we have billionaires. On the radar screen now is billionaire Richard Uihlein, CEO of Wisconsin based Uline packaging supply company and creator/donor of a very healthy Super PAC. It appears that funds from his Super Pac are being directed to The Voter Reference Foundation, a group dedicated to putting the nation’s voter rolls on-line so everyone can conclude, as they have, that every American election is fraught with fraud. 

To date they claim to show that Nevada’s election was hi-jacked, as were those in the battle-ground states of Michigan, Georgia, Ohio and Wisconsin. Under the auspices of Gina Swoboda, a high ranking official in the Arizona Republican Party, 18 additional states have been analyzed and found corrupted, despite the “official” election officials finding nothing wrong. 

Perhaps this wouldn’t be so newsworthy if the people in Ukraine weren’t dying on TV, right in front of us, dying to maintain their democracy and the right to vote. 

So what can we do? Write, call or visit your representatives in Congress with these messages: 

1. Continue the ban on imports from Russia, especially oil

2. Demand that Russia be formally sanctioned for war crimes

3. Demand that we make it possible for Poland to give jets to Ukraine

4. Call for banks worldwide to seize assets of Russian oligarchs              

5. Demand that children of oligarchs in American Universities be sent home NOW

Give: 

1. International Red Cross -  redcross.org

2. International Rescue Committee - rescue.org  

3. Save the Children - Ukraine Relief Fund -  savethechildren.org

EVI Endorses Lindsey Horvath for LA COuntry’s 3rd Supervisorial District

East Valley Indivisibles is excited to announce our endorsement of Lindsey Horvath for LA County's 3rd Supervisorial District. It is clear that Horvath will advance our progressive values at the County level and truly values our support. 

Her experience is impressive From her early days as a founding member of the local chapter of the National Organization for Women, to spearheading efforts to bring a Metro alignment that serves the District, to her role on the board of the National League of Cities.

In 2009, she was appointed to serve as a City Councilmember following the death of a long-serving Councilman. She returned to the Council in 2015, was sworn in as Mayor in April 2015 and again in May 2020.

“I am deeply grateful for the trust and partnership of East Valley Indivisibles, not only in this campaign, but in our ongoing work to create lasting change in Los Angeles. It’s an honor to have the backing of such a hardworking group of people, who I know will continue to hold our leaders accountable and push Los Angeles County towards making meaningful change.” - Councilmember Lindsey P. Horvath

To learn more about Lindsey, please visit her website.

We'll soon host Lindsey for a meet-and-greet ON APRIL 7th, so please look out for that info in the coming weeks.

East Valley Indivisibles endorses Caroline Menjivar

East Valley Indivisibles is excited to announce our endorsement of Caroline Menjivar for the newly defined 20th State Senate District in the San Fernando Valley. At our candidate forum for EVI members on Thurs. Jan. 20th, members voted in support for Menjivar overwhelmingly and it was clear that she embodies the grassroots movement and truly values our support.

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Caroline Menjivar’s life and on the ground experience growing up and serving in the community she intends to represent makes her the ideal candidate and informs her thoughts and intentions on what needs to be done. Menjivar is the daughter of an El Salvadoran immigrant. She grew up in Tarzana in a working class family and attended local public schools, joined the police academy magnet, LAFD cadet program and played basketball. Life circumstances forced her  family into housing instability when she was 18. She became an EMT, and later enlisted in the Marine Corps, serving from 2009-2016. After serving on active duty. Menjivar returned to civilian life and worked as an EMT and returned to school to study sociology, earning her Bachelor of Arts from California State University, Northridge. She continued her education at UCLA, completing a Master of Social Welfare and earning a Fellowship to work in the Los Angeles Mayor’s Gender Equity Office. She served as a field deputy with Councilwoman Nury Martinez’s office and then as East Valley Representative for Mayor Eric Garcetti. She volunteers her time on boards in groups that work to create more inclusive learning and family environments for LGBTQ+ youth and young adults as well as veterans. Menjivar is a homeowner in Panorama City, where she resides with her wife and two dogs. 

Menjivar was excited to receive EVI’s endorsement saying: “I am honored to be the choice of the East Valley Indivisibles to represent the San Fernando Valley and Burbank in the State Senate. We need elected representatives who are connected to the grassroots activists and reflective of the residents of their community. The East Valley Indivisibles are my neighbors, and I am grateful they support my plans to rewrite the rules so that every resident in our community receives the support they need no matter their zip code, age, race, gender or sexual identity.” 

You can find out more about Caroline on her site.

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A Message from City Councilmember Nithya Raman

Dear Friends, 

With 2022 in full swing, my team and I are excited to be out and about in the new Council District 4! The new boundaries went into effect at the top of the year, and it’s been a pleasure to welcome Encino and parts of Studio City and Reseda to our district. These new neighborhoods join the many wonderful areas I am lucky to represent, including Sherman Oaks. 

Since the City Council voted to adopt the new district map in December, we’ve been hitting the ground running, meeting with Valley stakeholders across education, business, and faith communities, Neighborhood Councils, and more (with a few adjustments to account for the Omicron surge in January!) We want to share all the ways our office is available to help, including small business assistance, addressing traffic and parking concerns, grants, housing and rental information, and homelessness response. 

As my team and I continue to meet more of you in the coming months, I encourage you to continue to stay up to date on the latest from our office— from our district newsletter to our latest press releases.

Website: cd4.lacity.org
Email: contactCD4@lacity.org or kevin.sanchez-morales@lacity.org 
Phone: City Hall: (213) 473-7004 / Sherman Oaks District Office: (818) 728-9924
Mail: 200 N Spring St, Suite 415, Los Angeles, CA 90012.
Sign Up For Updates: cd4.nationbuilder.com/Newsletter

I look forward to you getting in touch. 

Warmly, 
Nithya

Bug your electeds better!

Your phone may be the best weapon you have in the battle to save democracy.

Longtime EVI member Bob Westal's Asks of the Week newsletter makes it easy to contact congressional reps, senators, and others, providing all the info you need to help shape policy in just a few minutes a week.

To add yourself to the email list or to ask any questions, get in touch with Bob at westal@gmail.com. Electeds take notice when they get a flurry of calls on the same topic; the more people use the newsletter, the more powerful we become.