EscInd: Weekly Action Plan for April 15, 2024
Welcome to Escondido Indivisible’s action plan for the week of April 15, 2024! Firstly, apologies for the long unannounced hiatus. Secondly, our newsletter service, TinyLetter, was shut down on February 29th and so we’re trying a new newsletter service, Buttondown. Our newsletter can be accessed at https://buttondown.email/EscondidoIndivisible, and we can always be found on our website EscondidoIndivisible.com. Please let us know if you encounter any issues and thank you for your patience!
Events
- Wednesday, April 17, 2024, 5:00 PM: Escondido City Council Meeting at City Hall Council Chambers, 201 North Broadway, Escondido, CA 92025. Agenda includes Item #9 on Escondido Police Department Annual Military Equipment Report and Item #10 & 11 on Playground Equipment Replacements. Live broadcast of the meeting will be at escondido.org here. Public comments may be made via Public Comment Form.
Future Events
- Saturday, April 27, 2024, 08:30 - 11:30: City of Escondido Arbor Day Tree Planting at House of Prayer Lutheran Church, 795 N. Rose Street, Escondido, CA 92027. Sign-up at the Volunteer Event Registration.
Actions
Election 2024
Plan to vote. The Presidential Election will be on November 5, 2024 which will be ~205 days from now. Register to vote if you’re eligible to vote, check your voter registration, sign-up to track your mail ballot and plan to vote. Information is not available yet, but our Escondido municipal election will include District 3 and 4.
Read-up on 2024 Elections to Use District Maps Challenged as Discriminatory, Racial disparities in voter turnout have grown since court ruling, study says, The most detailed look yet at the 'exodus' of local voting officials, Huntington Beach on collision course with California over voter ID requirement and Every vote counts. Just ask these two candidates tied with exactly 30,249 votes each.
Homelessness
In Brief: Escondido City Council adopted a policy in February that “rejects Housing First and calls for a “public safety-first” approach” to addressing homelessness. Escondido at last count had about ~304 unhoused residents in 2023, but only ~85 shelter beds then and now maybe only ~49 after the city council had denied funding for one of two homelessness shelters. Focusing on enforcing code ordinances and criminalizing homelessness is not meeting the immediate needs of our community for emergency shelters and affordable housing.
Read-up on Escondido Will Consider Taking a Tough on Crime Approach to Homelessness, Housing First? Escondido instead to try a 'Public Safety First' approach to homelessness, Escondido passes controversial policy statement on homelessness, Escondido’s new homeless policy a framework for local shelter and Escondido’s New Homelessness Policy Could Put Future State and Federal Funding Dollars at Risk.
Read-up on A homelessness nonprofit believes it could be kicked out of Escondido. The mayor says it's exaggerating, Escondido Is Turning Up the Heat on Its Only Homeless Shelter Provider and Interfaith establishes task force, seeks community input regarding homelessness.
Contact the Escondido City Council and ask them to do more to address the immediate needs of our community, such as, creating a Safe Parking Program similar to Encinitas and Vista and a Homeless Outreach and Mobile Engagement similar to La Mesa.
In-Related News: read-up on Homeless Deaths Rose -- Again -- in 2023.
Reproductive Rights
Read-up on How Florida and Arizona Supreme Court rulings change the abortion access map and Escondido doctor a plaintiff in abortion medication lawsuit before US Supreme Court.
Contact Representative Issa, Representative Peters, Senator Butler and Senator Padilla and ask them to pass legislation to codify abortion, contraception and reproductive rights into federal laws such as H.R.782, H.R.3420 and H.R.4303. Note that Representative Issa had previously praised the overturn of Roe vs. Wade and voted against codifying abortion rights. See Codify Abortion Rights and Indivisible's Abortion & Reproductive Freedom.
Escondido Indivisible is a grassroots group dedicated to affecting changes in our local community. Our website is at EscondidoIndivisible.com. Send us links and comments at EscondidoIndivisible50@gmail.com. And feel free to forward our newsletter to interested parties! If you were forwarded this letter, you can subscribe here, and check the archive here.