Every week at All Saints Church we put our faith into action.

As this year’s session of California’s State Legislature reaches its conclusion, the focus of our action this week are the following two pieces of legislation. Both bills have passed the Senate and are now in the Assembly. We are urging our members of the Assembly to pass them and put them on Governor Newsom’s desk to be signed into law.

SB252 – Fossil Fuel Divestment – landmark legislation that will mandate that California’s two state pensions (CalPERS and CalSTRS) divest their $14 billion of investments out of Exxon, Saudi Aramco, and dozens of other dirty fossil fuel companies.

In California, we have experienced unprecedented and ongoing wildfires, droughts, floods and other extreme weather events. In 2020, we experienced the worst fire season on record, and this last winter, a series of nine atmospheric rivers caused over 700 landslides, widespread power outages, damages of over $1 billion dollars, and 20 deaths. Yet as California alternately floods and burns, the state’s massive retirement pension funds are actively investing billions in the very fossil fuel companies powering these climate extremes.

It is time for California, the world’s sixth largest economy, to shift toward investments that lead on climate responsibility, as California has been a leader on renewable energy. Quoting the LA Times Editorial Board: “Helping to fund the destruction of our environment is insanity; profiting from it makes us complicit. Business-as-usual is simply untenable.”

SB616 – Sick Days – Current California state law requires employers to provide only 3 paid sick days per year. This is simply not enough. When workers run out of paid sick days, staying home can mean losing their job or necessary income, forcing many workers to keep working while sick. It is time to improve our state law so that no worker must work sick or risk losing their income or job. SB 616 would require California employers to provide 7 paid sick days per year. This is a common-sense change that would safeguard public health by ensuring that California workers do not have to choose between their health and paying the bills.

Options to Take Action:

1. Sign a letter at the Action Table on Sunday.
2. Download, sign and mail an action letter to your member of the State Assembly.

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If you ever need to look up your member of the U.S. House of Representatives or your U.S. Senators check here: www.house.gov and www.senate.gov.

To find contact information for your California State Senator or California State Assemblymember check here: www.senate.ca.gov and www.assembly.ca.gov.