Chop Wood, Carry New York 12/19

Hey, Team NY.

We hope you’re enjoying your holiday preparations, and staying safe from any nasty viruses and infections that always seem to hit right when the Holidays arrive.

I know things seem impossibly hard right now– between Trump’s threats to privatize the post office, legacy media caving in, and Hegseth seeming like a shoe-in for DOD Head. But focusing on the little things we can control is key. Here are some things you can do:

• Minimize your exposure to the news. Different authors on Substack as well as independent journalists via The 19th, Axios, The AP, BBC, and The Guardian are my go-to for finding out what’s going on in the world.

• Minimize your time on social media especially if you are prone to “doom scrolling.” I’ve turned my IG page into a page where I get a dose of serotonin daily by following cat lovers, home cooks, my favorite restaurants, activists/heros and my friends. You can mute people, groups, and pages that elevate your blood pressure or stress levels. You are under no obligation to follow someone who gives you stress!

• Read feel-good stories. Here are two:

  • Judge Juan Merchan in Manhattan shines a light on the correct way forward (read here!)

  • Read this feel-good story of the grassroots organizing behind getting the ERA passed in New York State (also known as Prop 1)

To make things easy, we will be sharing actions based on region.

For All New Yorkers:

Call your NYS Reps and tell them to fight for our future.

We need to keep up the pressure on our New York State lawmakers to act quickly to protect free speech, LGBTQ+ and immigrant rights, as well as our digital privacy… BEFORE Inauguration Day. Call your NYS Senator and Assemblymember and tell them that you, as a constituent, want lawmakers to take immediate action to defend New Yorkers from what’s coming by following the recommendations in NYCLU’s November 6 report, “Four Things New York Lawmakers Must Do Before Trump Takes Office.”

This includes passing the New York for All Act (S.987/A.5686) to protect our communities from mass deportation, and passing bills like S.7879A/A.8884A to protect healthcare patients and providers. You can see where your representatives stand on the bills NYCLU highlights using our tracker here. If you can’t make phone calls, try using NYCLU’s toolkit to send an email to your NYS elected representatives here.

Urge Governor Hochul to sign the Warehouse Worker Injury Reduction Act into law.

One out of nine warehouse workers in NYS were injured at work last year, which is twice the national rate. Through better job design, safety standards, training, and enforcement, WWIRA will keep workers safe on the job and make warehouse work sustainable. This legislation is sitting on Governor Hochul’s desk, waiting to be signed into law. Send Hochul an email using ALIGN’s one-click tool here. (H/t Indivisible Brooklyn!)

Call Majority Leader Schumer and tell him to confirm Biden’s nominees ASAP.

The Senate has just weeks left to confirm Biden’s nominees to important federal positions. Any seats they don’t fill now will be filled by Trump instead. Last week, Indivisible Brooklyn put up some signs around BK (including in front of Schumer’s Brooklyn home) looking for some Dems with spines! Let’s build on our momentum and keep on calling him at 212-486-4430, demanding that ALL federal nominations get an up-or-down vote in the Senate while we still have the majority.

If you can’t reach him on the phone, you can send him an email using Indivisible’s tool here. You can call as often as you want – even every day!

Script:

I'm calling to urge you and your colleagues in the Senate to spend every minute until the next session begins prioritizing confirming pro-democracy judges. Thank you for confirming so many judges thus far. Every vacant seat will eventually be filled. The current Democratic majority must confirm the highly qualified candidates that President Biden has nominated rather than leave the seat open for Trump far-right and extremist picks instead. There are still about 30 nominations pending, and every one of them deserves an up-or-down vote.

Push Governor Hochul to sign the Legislature’s Climate Bills!! (H/t NYD16 Indivisible)

The following critical bills, passed by the Senate and Assembly during the Spring, are still waiting for Governor Hochul's signature! Just 23 days remain in the calendar year for her to act– a period that includes a busy holiday season.

• Climate Superfund Act: S2129B/A3351B makes fossil fuel companies pay for the impacts of their pollution by funding climate resilient infrastructure and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

• CO2 Fracking Ban: S8357/A8866 will protect New Yorkers from the latest fracking threat involving carbon dioxide, which adds the potential for community asphyxiation from pipeline leaks to all the dangers of other fracking methods!

• Tropical Rainforest Economic & Environmental Sustainability (TREES) Act: S8898/A9711 prevents state agencies from purchasing goods linked to tropical deforestation. This bill not only supports global environmental efforts but also boosts our local economy by giving a competitive edge to NY's small and medium-sized businesses, including Minority- and/or Women-Owned Business Enterprises, through a 10% bidding preference.

Please CALL Governor Hochul at (518) 474-8390 and urge her to sign these critical bills. You can also write to her HERE. Let her know how important it is to you that she signs these bills into law!

Capital Region:

This Week with Progressive Schenectady: Sign up to join Progressive Schenectady by clicking here. This group is thinking of starting a reading group in early 2025. This information will help them make plans ... stay tuned for more info and please complete this form if interested!

Rally Against Mass Deportation: Wednesday, January 8 in Albany. On the first day of the new legislative session, four immigrant justice campaigns – New York for All, Dignity Not Detention, the Clemency Coalition of NY, and CARE – are uniting to send a clear message: the time for the legislature to act is NOW. Protect our immigrant communities and pass the necessary bills before inauguration to help fight against Trump's cruel plans to attack New Yorkers! Food and transportation will be provided. RSVP here.

Central Region & Mohawk Valley:

If anyone has a connection with Cooperstown Indivisible, we want to be connected! Please email Lydia at lydia.howrilka@gmail.com

Long Island Region:

Ongoing: The Trump administration has been very clear on their plans to decimate the ACA, reduce funding to Medicaid, and reduce funding to Medicare. This translates to sky rocketing insurance rates for New Yorkers, increased medical debt, less coverage, and more sick New Yorkers going without treatment.

We don't have to take it. New York has the ability to protect our healthcare by passing the New York Health Act. Nassau Progressives is raising money so the Campaign for New York Health can continue the critical work of fighting for passage of the bill. You make a donation directly on the website or at the fundraising link below.

Click here to donate to the Campaign for Health!

Lower Hudson Valley (Includes Westchester):

NY-16 Indivisible wishes to share their meeting recording with NYS Senate Leader Cousins. The recording is here. Their next meeting is on Sunday, January 12, 2025, 12:30 PM at the Yonkers Riverfront Library, 1 Larkin Plaza, Yonkers, NY

Here’s a quick recap of their latest meeting:

• We talked about making NYS a bulwark against MAGA’s Project 2025.

• To do that we have to extend protections to ALL New Yorkers. There are bills sitting on the governor’s desk, all waiting to be signed, that would offer such protections. The governor needs to get busy with her pen! Let’s help her by reminding her every day between now and December 31 that we expect her to sign the bills listed below into law. CALL GOVERNOR HOCHUL at (518) 474-8390 and tell her to sign these bills into law for the good of all New Yorkers.

Environment:

• Climate Superfund Act: S2129B/A3351B makes fossil fuel companies pay for the impacts of their pollution by funding climate resilient infrastructure and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

• CO2 Fracking Ban: S8357/A8866 will protect New Yorkers from the latest fracking threat involving carbon dioxide, which shares all the dangers of other fracking methods as well as adding the potential for community asphyxiation from pipeline leaks!

• Tropical Rainforest Economic & Environmental Sustainability (TREES) Act: S8898/A9711 prevents state agencies from purchasing goods linked to tropical deforestation, which not only supports global environmental efforts but also boosts our local economy by giving a competitive edge to NY's small and medium-sized businesses, including Minority and Women Owned Businesses, through a 10% bidding preference.

Health:

• Hospital Transparency Law: S1003/A733. There are New Yorkers who lack local access to reproductive health care but might not know it. This law will provide them with tools to determine whether their local hospital provides the care they need, and it will help the state identify communities where particular services are completely unavailable. This will lay the groundwork to expand access to care in health care deserts around the state. Tell Gov. Hochul to sign the hospital transparency bill now: CLICK HERE TO ADD YOUR NAME!

• NY State Senate Bill 2023-S8843A/A1633, which requires public notice and public engagement when a general hospital seeks to close entirely or to close a unit that provides maternity, mental health or substance use care. More info here.

• In addition to calling Gov. Hochul at 518-474-8390:

  • Sign an online petition to Gov. Hochul.

  • Send Gov. Hochul your own personal email here.

  • Use this social media toolkit to help spread the word.

New York City Region:

Please sign this petition from Class Size Matters if you haven’t already, urging the DOE to implement a real five-year class size plan, including providing more space for those schools that need it. More than 600 people have so far, but we’d like to get to a thousand signers before the New Year.

Next up, call your Council Member about supporting immigrants’ rights. NYC has “sanctuary” policies in place that prohibit city agencies from colluding with ICE to deport undocumented New Yorkers. However, it is very hard to hold the NYPD and DOC accountable when they violate these laws, which they’ve done time and again.

Intro 214 would create a private right of action for anyone who is illegally transferred to ICE, empowering New Yorkers to take legal action to protect themselves from violations of their rights under current law. If your City Council Member is already a co-sponsor of Intro 214, please call their office to thank them for signing on and ask them to encourage their colleagues to join them in co-sponsoring the bill. If your Council Member is not yet signed on – especially if your Council Member is Rita Joseph – please use your power as a constituent to tell them that now is the time to support immigrants’ rights.

You can find an up-to-date list of sponsors here. And you can find your Council Member here.

Script:

Hi, my name is… and I’m a constituent living in [your neighborhood]. I’m calling about the urgent need to protect immigrants’ rights by passing Intro 214. Intro 214 is a straightforward bill that allows New Yorkers to protect themselves from illegal transfers to ICE custody if their rights under existing law are violated. I hope the Council Member will help advance this proposal to make our city safer for us and our neighbors.

Oppose the Nomination of Frank Seddio to the NYC Board of Elections. Join Common Cause NY to oppose the nomination of former Brooklyn Democratic Party Boss Frank Seddio as Brooklyn Democratic Commissioner at the NYC Board of Elections. Seddio’s extensive record of ethics violations, corruption scandals, and financial shadiness makes him simply unfit to serve, while his history as Chair of the Brooklyn Democratic Party creates a conflict of interest. Take action here.

Here are a few groups/events to look into:

• Click here to sign up for Empire State Indivisible’s email list!

• If you live/work around Inwood, Inwood Indivisible will be hosting a meeting on January 15 from 7 to 8 PM. This meeting is virtual. You can register here.

• Click here to join Indivisible Harlem!

• Click here to join Indivisible Brooklyn!

• If you live in Queens, email Lydia at lydia.howrilka@gmail.com for how to join a new Queens Indivisible group!

North Country:

NY21 Special Election Call. Tuesday, January 21st at 6:30pm. Register here. Open to those in NY21 who want to learn how they can take action to support the special election.

Southern Tier:

Saturday January 18, 2025 12 PM - Indivisible Binghamton members are planning a HUMAN RIGHTS MARCH and Rally for January 18, 2025 here in Binghamton ending at the United Presbyterian Church with speakers, music, singers, etc. This is part of a Nationwide protest sponsored by the Women's March organization. Marches will be held across the country and in Washington DC. Come hear more about this important event and to sign up to be part of the planning committee!

Indivisible Binghamton would like members to be aware of their upcoming 2025 meetings. All meetings will be happening on Mondays from 6 to 8 PM at the Vestal Library. Here are the dates for the first few of the new year:

• Jan 6, Feb 3, Mar 3, Apr 7

Thanks for reading! If you live in a region not mentioned in this newsletter, it’s because we are not connected with local organizations in this region yet. As we get into 2025, we are sure to get connected to more regions in NYS. If you know of an organization in the Upstate or Downstate regions across NYS, please let us know by emailing Lydia (lydia.howrilka@gmail.com)!

Happy Holidays! We’ll “see” you in 2025!

Lydia (and Jess)