Posted on January 7, 2015
CREDO members power nearly $2.4 million in progressive donations
CREDO members helped raise nearly $2.4 million for progressive activism and infrastructure in 2014. This funding could not be more crucial or timely, as Republicans and right-wing politicians—many of them funded by AT&T and Verizon—have seized control in both houses of Congress.
Now more than ever, progressive groups need support to fight back against the GOP’s dangerous, unjust and unconstitutional agenda. And in the past year our members have delivered big-time. Here’s what we accomplished together in 2014.
Posted on December 31, 2014
What a year for progressive politics: 2014 CREDO activism report
Looking to 2015, the outcome of literally thousands of fights will depend on what we can do together.
That’s because what we’ve learned in 2014 is the willingness of President Obama and his fellow Democrats to stand up for what is right often comes down to whether progressives like us organize to hold them accountable.
In many ways, this past year has been a tough one for those who care about social change. Democrats lost control of the Senate in the midterms. Grand juries in Ferguson and Staten Island declined to send to trial the white police officers who killed two unarmed African-American men. Our federal elected officials continue to pursue an all-of-the-above strategy on energy and, as a result, aren’t doing nearly enough to stop the terrifying march of climate change.
Posted on July 23, 2014
VICTORY: Gov. Brown stands up for immigrant children
Tens of thousands of child refugees fleeing violence in Central America cross the border and are in need of humane treatment at temporary shelters. Almost 6,000 CREDO members urged Governor Brown to immediately step up by helping the federal government find locations in California to temporarily house toddlers and young children, who are being subjected to deplorable conditions in border patrol jails.
Governor Brown said he would do everything he can “to make sure California will do its part to shelter any young children that are in need of protection.” He added, “I would support additional shelters to deal with this particular immediate challenge we have.”
Posted on May 13, 2014
VICTORY: No vote on A.B. 2145
Community Choice energy programs empower local communities to take control of decision-making about the sources and cost of their electrical power. Not-for-profit, democratically controlled Community Choice energy programs enable local governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while creating green jobs and stimulating the local economy. These programs are dedicated to reducing consumer electricity demand, providing competitive electricity rates and maximizing the amount of renewable energy in their mix.
PG&E introduced A.B. 2145, a bill designed to destroy Community Choice energy programs in California. The bill would place arbitrary geographic limitations on Community Choice programs and impose a complex and unnecessary bureaucratic complaint process. Thanks in part to 28,353 CREDO members, the legislative session ended without a vote on A.B. 2145.
Posted on April 28, 2014
VICTORY: Gov. O’Malley vetoes anti-wind bill
The Maryland Legislature passed HB 1168, a moratorium on land-based wind energy in over 40 percent of the state and nearly 90 percent of Maryland’s most viable wind development areas. It would have significantly undermined Maryland’s progress toward a clean energy economy while setting a damaging national precedent that could stymie land-based wind power development across the country for years to come.
After grassroots activism that included almost 3,000 CREDO signatures, Gov. O’Malley vetoed the anti-wind bill.
Posted on April 16, 2014
VICTORY: NAACP and DOJ win against voter suppression in Ohio
In July, the Department of Justice backed the NAACP’s legal challenge to the reduction of early voting days and the elimination of “Golden Week,” an early voting week in Ohio. Then in September, a federal judge ruled in favor of the NAACP and DOJ, blocking Republicans’ latest attempt to make it harder to vote. CREDO members were part of the 105,000 who protected and expanded voting rights.
Posted on April 16, 2014
VICTORY: Florida panthers safe from Big Oil
Florida panthers number barely over 100 in the wild and can’t afford unnecessary, new threats. The state of Florida issued a permit to Dan A. Hughes Co. for the construction of a new oil and gas waste disposal well in prime habitat for the endangered Florida panther. This well would be placed less than a mile from the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge and would bring with it hundreds of truck trips that could harass or kill endangered panthers.
Thanks to more than 133,000 of you, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection protected the Florida panthers by revoking the oil drilling permits for the Dan A. Hughes Co. and filing a lawsuit seeking more than $100,000 in fines against the company.
Posted on March 18, 2014
VICTORY: Dr. Vivek Murthy confirmed as surgeon general
Dr. Vivek Murthy, President Obama’s nominee for surgeon general, teaches at Harvard Medical School and started a technology company to improve the efficiency of clinical trials around the world. He is also a gun control advocate who has supported measures like an assault weapons ban an mandatory safety training. The NRA tried to torpedo his nomination in the Senate.
After more than 120,000 activists signed the petition and more than 1,400 called key Senate offices, the Senate confirmed Dr. Murthy as surgeon general by a vote of 51-43 on Monday, Dec. 15.
Posted on March 16, 2014
VICTORY: Berkeley, California raises minimum wage to $12.53
Berkeley, California’s minimum wage was the state-mandated $8.00 per hour, which had not been updated since 2007. The proposal sent to the city council included a gradual increase to $13.34 by 2022 with a faster acceleration for corporations and chains, annual cost of living adjustments and health care benefits worth at least $2.22 per hour starting in 2015.
The Berkeley City Council voted to increase the minimum wage to $12.53, rolled out over a 2 year period with annual increases to follow. This victory means 5000 a year in the pockets of low-wage working families that will flow directly into our local economy improving the lives of tens of thousands of people.
Posted on March 13, 2014
VICTORY: Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick increases food-stamps allowance
Last month, President Obama signed a new “farm bill” that cuts food stamp funding by about $800 million per year. These heartless cuts – which Republicans forced through in Congress – slash $90 in food stamp benefits per month from 850,000 families nationwide.
Fortunately, a bipartisan group of governors in New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut found a way to reverse these devastating cuts by participating in a special “heat and eat” program, which would leverage heating assistance payments into higher food stamp benefits. By slightly increasing state funding for heating assistance to residents slated to lose part of their food stamp benefits, these governors have completely stopped the Republican food stamp cut from affecting residents in their states.
After almost 4,000 signatures, on Tuesday March 18, Massachusetts became the 8th state to announce that it would leverage heating assistance funding to stop food stamp cuts from affecting its citizens.
