Chop Wood, Carry NY 1/24

Hey, Team NY!

I’m going to open with a gentle reminder from Jess Craven from Tuesday’s Chop Wood, Carry Water. She brought up four really excellent points (and you can read the full newsletter by clicking here), but I want to remind you all of this one point that resonated with me:

. . . There’s us. And really, this is the most important part. As Robert Hubbell [author of Today’s Edition] often says, “we’re not potted plants.” Quite the contrary. We are a force to be reckoned with. We have agency, intelligence, courage, strength, and vast numbers on our side. We have the artists. We have the educated. We have a decent majority. We have money. We have the moral high ground. We have a vast network of seasoned activists who know how to fight and have shown themselves willing to do so. We have democracy movements the world over rooting for us. We have some incredible elected officials. We have a ton of experience winning tough fights. . .

While I do not wish to trivialize the damage that Trump and MAGA can and will do, I want us to also remember that “we contain multitudes” and can accomplish a lot so long as we try not to react angrily or in despair to everything Trump does. Some days will be harder than others. When it gets hard, take a break or turn to your community- your book club, knitting club, friend group, or political club. Take solace in others and then rejoin the fight when ready.

As Jen Rubin from The Contrarian stated in her live broadcast on MLK Day, “Donald Trump may be inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States…. But today you all are being inaugurated as members of the Resistance.”

And that, my dear friends, is an honor. Just like the suffragettes, civil rights protestors, French Resistance in Vichy France, and the courageous Danes during Nazi occupation, we are now part of something way bigger than ourselves.

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to be an even bigger pain in the rear over the next few years.

Regardless of the region in NYS, all of these actions focus on state-level and national-level issues that concern us all. Forward and restack this newsletter to your loved ones across the Empire State.

Actions for All New Yorkers:

Make Calls to Democrats in NY-21

Anyone interested who wants to call hardcore Democrats in NY21 about the upcoming special election are welcome to join Indivisible’s phonebank on Feb. 5.

Engage in State-Level Actions with Invest in Our NY

Invest in Our NY is having an in-district day of action, on Thursday, January 30th, where we’ll be meeting with some key Senators and Assemblymembers about the IONY agenda. The meetings will be in-person or virtual, depending on the member, and we’ve targeted electeds who are either somewhat supportive of our agenda, or haven’t really engaged yet. We’re hosting a meeting prep call where we’ll go over the agenda on Tuesday, January 28th at 6pm, too.

If you or your organization would like to attend a meeting with an elected on Thursday, January 30th, please email Maria at MDuarte@citizenactionny.org. Meeting spots are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. You can view the spreadsheet with meeting details and availability on this spreadsheet. The spreadsheet might look a little intimidating at first glance, but every row that has a time and place listed is a confirmed meeting.

Please confirm your attendance by end of day today, Friday, January 24th.

Push Back Against Trump’s Executive Order on Ending Birthright Citizenship

This isn’t NY specific, but it is incredibly important! Make sure to tell Gov. Hochul to stand up against Trump’s executive order by making sure children born in our state receive a birth certificate, as required by the Constitution. Call Gov. Hochul at her NYC office number- 212-681-4580. And be sure to get in touch with your Congressperson, no matter their party– you can find more details for how to do so in yesterday’s Chop Wood, Carry Water.

Stand Against Book Bans

TAKE THE PLEDGE: sign this ACLU petition to help make sure New York school districts know that unwarranted calls to ban books have no place in our state.

NYS: This year, let’s get some crucial pieces of legislation out of committee and passed!

You can look up your legislature by clicking here and calling them at their Albany Office number. You can use this call script to support three key bills:

Hello, my name is ____________ and I am a constituent who lives in ______ (your zip code). I'm calling upon Senator / Assemblyperson ________ to support The New York for All Act (Senate Bill S987 and Assembly Bill A5686). The New York for All Act helps immigrant New Yorkers lead more open lives and take care of family, preserves state and local resources for our communities, and ensures New York dollars cannot be diverted to carry out a cruel, politicized immigration agenda. The legislation prohibits New York’s state and local government agencies, including police and sheriffs, from colluding with ICE, disclosing sensitive information, and diverting personnel or other resources to further federal immigration enforcement. By passing the New York for All Act, we’ll be one step closer to cultivating safe and vibrant communities for all New Yorkers, regardless of status. Please support The New York for All Act in committee and on the legislative floor.

Additionally, please support the Access to Representation Act, (S.999A/ A.170A). This act will invest $150M in immigrant legal services, education, and infrasctructure to provide immigrants with legal support if they are detained by ICE or face issues with renewing their visas. We cannot permit seperation of families and deport New Yorkers to dangerous conditions in their former country. Please support The Access to Representation Act, (S.999A/ A.170A) in committee and on the legislative floor.

Finally, please urge Governor Hochul to sign the NY HEAT Act. The NY HEAT Act is essential to achieving the ambitious goals of its landmark climate law, the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. It calls for legislation to decarbonize buildings—New York’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. This common-sense legislation will stop ratepayer subsidies for dirty gas expansion, begin the transition to clean heating, and cap utility bills at 6% of household income.

You can then follow up with an email using this tool from the New York Immigrant Coalition to support The New York for All Act and the Access to Representation Act.

Cleaner Heat, Lower Bills: Help Pass the NY HEAT Act!

The NY HEAT Act is essential to achieving the goals of our landmark climate law, the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). It calls for legislation to decarbonize buildings—New York’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. This legislation will stop ratepayer subsidies for dirty gas expansion, begin the transition to clean heating, and cap utility bills at 6% of household income. It is plain old common-sense!

Email Governor Hochul and call her office at (212-681-4580. Tell the Governor to put the NY HEAT Act in her Executive Budget! You can say:

Hi. I’m a constituent from ______ (zipcode). I’m calling upon Gov. Hochul to add the NY HEAT Act to your budget proposal. The NY HEAT Act would cap every New Yorker’s energy bill, saving the 1 in 4 families who can’t currently afford their bills up to $136/month on average. The NY HEAT Act would also eliminate the unfair 100-foot rule which forces New Yorkers to pay $200 million every year for new gas hookups accelerating the costly climate crisis. The NY HEAT Act is popular across party lines. The Senate has passed the bill twice, and the bill has support from a majority of Assemblymembers. Please support working NYers by passing the NY HEAT Act.

Count Every Vote Act

This bill (which passed the Senate last year, 51:2) is a technical fix, precisely defining the formula that determines a "close election" for a required hand recount. This clarification could keep a recount decision out of the courts.

Deputy Senate Leader Michael Gianaris has resubmitted the Count Every Vote Act (CEVAS, S417). Please call Assemblymember Jeffry Dinowitz's office (718) 796-5345 or (518) 455-5965 and ask him to resubmit the Assembly version of the bill as early as possible this year, to increase the chance the bill will make it onto the agenda of the Assembly Election Law Committee (of which he is a member).

Using Facebook Better:

You might be boycotting Meta like I am or planning to leave Meta apps altogether. I’m not endorsing one plan over another, you all need to make a decision that is best for you. Here are some helpful tips for folk who plan to stay on from the amazing Rogan’s List:

For those who choose to stay on the platform, there is a program out there that can make the Facebook experience less stressful. F.B. (Fluff Busting) Purity is a Facebook customizing browser extension. It alters your view of Facebook to show only relevant information to you. It lets you remove the annoying and irrelevant posts from your newsfeed such as game and application spam, ads and sponsored posts. It can also hide the boxes you don't want to see on each side of the newsfeed. It is available for many operating systems, but not for phones. If we are going to stay on Facebook, let’s check out this extension to see how it can work for us.

Another tool for those who choose to stay on the platform is refusing to click on any ads and changing our privacy settings to make it much harder for Meta to make money off our personal data. We can follow these steps from the Electronic Frontier Foundation on how to adjust our settings to clear past and future activity.

If you’d like to fully retire from Facebook/Threads/Instagram, please consult this guide for how to preserve data and delete your Facebook, Instagram and Threads presence.

That’s all for now– thanks so much folks, and keep up the good work. I’ll leave you with this lovely postcard as a reminder of what we’re working toward, and what we all need to try to live up to.

More soon. Enjoy your weekend!

Lydia & Jess