Subject: *M*: CA AB 1982 Update
From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 13 Jun 1996 18:05:28 -0400

TO:  Gay Media List
TO:  LIFE's Marriage Action Alert List...

I am forwarding this to all of you because it is excellent!  Also, in hopes
that you will take action immediately (as many of you have already), and also
forward it on to others you know in California.  I have added notes in   [
brackets ]   ...  and if you already got this -- well, it bears repeating!!
 (Plus there is some new stuff)

We must defeat this bill in California!

Thanks --

Laurie McBride
Executive Director
LIFE: California's Lesbian/Gay and AIDS Lobby
916 444 0424 -- voice
916 444 3059 -- fax
[email-masked]

-----------------
Forwarded Message:
Subj:	*M*: CA -- Final push coming against AB 1982
Date:	96-06-13 11:08:53 EDT
From:	[email-masked] (Dave Forrest)

AB 1982 will be heard in the Senate Judiciary committee on one of the next
three Tuesdays: 6/18, 6/25 or 7/2. We must make our final push NOW, and our
position is not necessarily great -- we have some real work to do.

[NOTE:  to date, it appears very unlikely that AB 1982 will be heard on 6/18]

All the votes on the committee are essentially tied up except for Sens.
Petris and O'Connell. We must deluge these two with messages from our side.
The nasty folks need both of their votes to carry AB 1982 -- but
unfortunately there is a real possibility that they have them.

As members of a committee, these Senators are representing EVERYONE IN
THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, and not just their constituents -- you may remind
them of this if you write from outside their districts.However, CONTACT FROM
THEIR CONSTITUENTS  is nevertheless much more influential and VITAL right
now. If you know people living in these areas, get them active now:

Petris' district includes Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond, Alameda, El Cerrito,
and San Leandro. Religious persons (especially EasternOrthodox Christians)
and people of Greek extraction are especially  encouraged to contact him,
though of course EVERY letter from a constituent of his helps A LOT. 

O'Connell's district includes most of Ventura, and all of Santa Barbara and
San Luis Obispo counties. His district is marginal and he fears losing it to
the GOP if he does not support this piece of poorly drafted,
unconstitutional, discriminatory legislation. Perhaps 
someone from Southern California (or Sacramento?) could post re the most
effective tack to take with him. 

[ TWO ARGUMENTS TO TRY:  (1)  AB 1982 puts the California tax payer on the
line to pay for the defense of this bill.  The issue will undoubtedly end up
in the courts, but if California does nothing, the challenge is likely to be
against a business entity rather than the state of California.  If AB 1982
passes, then California taxpayers will be footing the entire bill -- sure to
be expensive and sure to take needed monies away from social programs, etc.
  (2) AB 1982 is mean-spirited public policy -- it is intended to divide
Californians.  Senators Petris and O'Connell should -- at the very least --
refuse to be baited into a positive vote-- they could abstain in protest of
time being wasted on a divisive matter when the legislature should be tending
to real problems in the State... ]

Also, if any of you have contacts with influential Democratic politicians in
California, see if you can get them to work on Senator Bill Lockyer,
President Pro Tempore of the Senate.  He must be pressured to hold these
Democrats to a party-line vote. Pres. Clinton has made this more difficult,
but all these politicians must realize that we locally will hold them
accountable on this issue (the most important civil rights issue in U.S.
history for lesbians and gays) in a way that we can't hold President Clinton.

Also, any of your organizations that have PHONE TREES in place, please have
them forewarned, organized and activated to let loose and generate a ton of
phone calls to Sacramento right before the hearing (whichever Tuesday it is).
Keep in contact with the LIFE Lobby in Sacramento, (916) 444-0424, re hearing
dates, etc. 

A reminder, Sen. O'Connell has e-mail but no fax, 
and Sen. Petris has fax but no e-mail. 
Whatever way you contact them, handwritten letters being the most effective,
REMEMBER TO REQUEST A WRITTEN REPLY, so they know you will follow 
how they vote. 

It's coming down to the wire, folks. Good luck!

Dave Forrest
Freedom to Marry / No. Calif.
L-G Immigration Rights Task Force

FAX NUMBERS available for members Senate Judiciary Committee ...

Senator Ray Haynes	(916)447-9008       Republican who wrote Amendment 2
Senator Bill Lockyer	(916)323-2234       Leading Democrat in the State
Senator Nick Petris	(916)327-1997       NEEDS TO HEAR FROM YOU !!!
Senator Byron Sher	(916)323-4529       A friend on this issue...
Senator Hilda Solis 	(916)445-0485       A friend on this issue...

Senator E-MAIL addresses that we know they actually use...

[email-masked]             see above... NOT a friend
[email-masked]               very homophobic legislator from
Sacramento area
[email-masked]            see above
[email-masked]          NEEDS TO HEAR FROM YOU !!
[email-masked]              A Republican NO vote, but should hear
from us

Keep up the Good Work -- Activate Your Friends -- We gotta win this one!

Laurie McBride
LIFE: California's Lesbian/Gay and AIDS Lobby