Stop attack on Palestinian rights activism - take action now

Thu Jul 7 18:09:48 PDT 2016

Your help is needed again to defeat  <https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB2844> AB 2844, a bill that attacks non-violent efforts to end Israel’s violations of international law and human rights including its occupation, illegal settlements, home demolitions, apartheid laws, and extrajudicial killings. AB 2844 also attacks our constitutional right to boycott and wastes our taxes. 

The CA  <http://sapro.senate.ca.gov/> Senate Appropriations Committee will hear the bill on Monday, August 1, 2016, 10am in Room 4203. Please contact  <mailto:SabeelSacramento at gmail.com> SabeelSacramento at gmail.com if you can attend the hearing and/or help with lobbying. 

TAKE ACTION NOW <https://sac4palestine.org/stop-ab-2844/> : 

1) Call or email your CA state Senator and members of the Senate Appropriations Committee – see
    contact info below.  You can simply state your opposition to AB 2844 or use the talking points below.

2) Call the Appropriations Committee office: 916-651-4101 and tell them you oppose AB 2844.

3) Ask AB 2844's author Assemblymember Richard Bloom to withdraw the bill: 
    Email: Assemblymember.Bloom at assembly.ca.gov. Tel: (916) 319-2050. Fax: (916) 319-2150.
    Twitter:  <https://twitter.com/AsmRichardBloom> @AsmRichardBloom 

4) Write your local paper's editorial board (or send a letter to the editor) and ask them to cover AB 2844.
    Note the high level of opposition, including the Center for Constitutional Rights <http://ccrjustice.org/ccr-national-lawyers-guild-and-palestine-legal-urge-california-legislators-oppose-anti-boycott-bills>  and the ACLU <https://sac4palestine.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/aclu-letter-june-27-2016.pdf> . 
    Click for Sacramento Bee editorial board <http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/editorial-board/> . 

Contact information for CA State Senators:

■ You can find your State Senator member here:  http://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov

■ Sacramento:  For those who live in the Sacramento Area, our State Senator is Richard Pan. Email him at senator.Pan at senate.ca.gov or click here <http://sd06.senate.ca.gov/contact/email>  to email him through his website. You can also call him at (916) 262-2904  or send a fax (916) 914-2179. Tweet: @DrPanMD <https://twitter.com/DrPanMD>  (See below for Davis and Folsom)
   Folsom:  <http://senate.ca.gov/SD01> Senator Ted Gaines;  <mailto:Senator.Gaines at Senate.ca.gov> Senator.Gaines at Senate.ca.gov. Tel: 916-651-4001; Fax: 916-651-4901
   Davis:  <http://senate.ca.gov/SD03> Senator Lois Wolk: Senator.Wolk at Senate.ca.gov. Tel:  916-651-4003; Fax:  916-651-4903

■ Members of Senate Appropriations Committee (http://sapro.senate.ca.gov):

   ● Send one message to the Appropriations Committee by cutting and pasting their emails: 

 <http://senate.ca.gov/sd33> Ricardo.Lara at sen.ca.gov;  <http://senate.ca.gov/sd36> Patricia.Bates at sen.ca.gov;  <http://senate.ca.gov/sd15> Jim.Beall at sen.ca.gov;  <http://senate.ca.gov/sd13> Jerry.Hill at sen.ca.gov;  <http://sd02.senate.ca.gov/> Mike.McGuire at sen.ca.gov; Tony.Mendoza at sen.ca.gov;  <http://senate.ca.gov/sd04> Jim.Nielsen at sen.ca.gov

And cc their staffs:  erika.contreras at sen.ca.gov; jennifer.douglas at sen.ca.gov; kevin.bassett at sen.ca.gov; Alexander.Khan at sen.ca.gov; lynne.andres at sen.ca.gov;  patrick.welch at sen.ca.gov; jason.liles at sen.ca.gov; Brittany.Petitt at sen.ca.gov;   jennifer.teasdale at sen.ca.gov 

   ● If you can, please contact the CA Senate Appropriations Committee members individually:

 <mailto:Senator%20Ricardo%20Lara%20(Chair)> Senator Ricardo Lara (Chair) 
Email: Senator.Lara <http://senate.ca.gov/sd33> @senate.ca.gov <http://sen.ca.gov/>  cc staffers:  erika.contreras at sen.ca.gov; jennifer.douglas at sen.ca.gov 
State Capitol Room 5050, Sacramento, CA 95814
phone: (916) 651-4033, Fax (916) 651-4933; Twitter @SenRicardoLara  

 <http://senate.ca.gov/sd36> Senator Patricia Bates (Vice Chair) 
Email : <http://senate.ca.gov/sd33> Senator <http://senate.ca.gov/sd36> .Bates@ <http://sen.ca.gov/> senate.ca.gov cc staffers:  kevin.bassett at sen.ca.gov and Alexander.Khan at sen.ca.gov
State Capitol, Room 4048, Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916.651.4036 - Fax: 916.651.4936; Twitter: @SenatorPatBates

 <http://senate.ca.gov/sd15> Senator Jim Beall 
Email: Senator <http://senate.ca.gov/sd33> .Beall <http://senate.ca.gov/sd15> @senate.ca.gov <http://sen.ca.gov/>   cc staffer:  lynne.andres at sen.ca.gov
State Capitol, Room 5066, Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 651-4015 - Fax: (916) 651-4915; Twitter: @Jimbealljr

 <http://senate.ca.gov/sd13> Senator Jerry Hill 
Email: Senator <http://senate.ca.gov/sd33> .Hill <http://senate.ca.gov/sd13> @senate.ca.gov <http://sen.ca.gov/> ; cc staffer: patrick.welch at sen.ca.gov
State Capitol, Room 5035, Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 651-4013 - Fax: (916) 651-4913; Twitter: None listed

 <http://sd02.senate.ca.gov/> Senator Mike McGuire 
Email: Senator <http://senate.ca.gov/sd33> .McGuire <http://sd02.senate.ca.gov/> @senate.ca.gov <http://sen.ca.gov/> ; cc staffer: jason.liles at sen.ca.gov
State Capitol, Room 5064 , Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-651-4002 - Fax: 916-651-4902; Twitter: @ilike_mike

 <http://senate.ca.gov/sd32> Senator Tony Mendoza 
Email: Senator <http://senate.ca.gov/sd33> .Mendoza at senate.ca.gov; cc staffer: Brittany.Petitt at sen.ca.gov
State Capitol, Room 5061, Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone:  (916) 651-4032 - Fax:  (916) 651-4932; Twitter: @MrTonyMendoza

 <http://senate.ca.gov/sd04> Senator Jim Nielsen 
Email: Senator <http://senate.ca.gov/sd33> .Nielsen <http://senate.ca.gov/sd04> @senate.ca.gov <http://sen.ca.gov/> ; cc staffer: jennifer.teasdale at sen.ca.gov
State Capitol, Room 2068, Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916.651.4004 - Fax: 916.651.4904; Twitter: @CASenatorJim

Sample talking points:

● AB 2844 violates the First Amendment of the Constitution.

● AB 2844 seeks to penalize and punish those who choose not to do business with Israel as a means of 
opposing the Israeli government’s well-documented abuses. Complaints could even be lodged against companies making economic decisions not to do business with Israel. Such companies could face loss of business or costly legal fees to defend themselves.

● AB 2844 will waste our state tax dollars to have the California Attorney General participate in a witch hunt that could result in costly lawsuits.

● Your state tax dollars should not be squandered to promote and protect the Israeli government while it is engaged in well-documented egregious violations of human rights and international law. California legislators need to be on the right side of history and not be bullied by the Israel lobby to defend Israel’s abuses. 

● Boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) are time-honored non-violent tactics that have been used by human rights advocates around the world to help bring about justice, including ending apartheid in South Africa, supporting the civil rights movement in this country, improving working conditions for farm workers and opposing discrimination against the LGBT community.  

● AB 2844 seeks to single out Israel as an exception and to equate boycott and divestment of Israel with anti-Jewish discrimination. Taking action to oppose human rights violations of governments, for example Mexico, China, the U.S. does not make one anti-Mexican, anti-Chinese or anti-American.

● Contrary to the claims of AB 2844’s author, Assemblymember Richard Bloom, the tactics of BDS are NOT being used to “attack Jews” or “destroy the state of Israel” – they are being employed by those supporting Palestinian human rights to end Israel’s abuses.

● AB 2844 is an attempt to silence those many Jews, including Jewish Voice for Peace, and many others, who support using BDS as a tool to end Israel’s occupation and other violations of Palestinian rights.

Resources
     <https://sac4palestine.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/aclu-letter-june-27-2016.pdf> American Civil Liberties Union letter
     <http://ccrjustice.org/ccr-national-lawyers-guild-and-palestine-legal-urge-california-legislators-oppose-anti-boycott-bills> Center for Constitutional Rights Statement
    Boycotts of Israel are a protected form of free speech <http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-bds-bill-20160630-snap-story.html>  – LA Times editorial 7-5-16
    CA Senate Judiciary Hearing June 28, 2016 <http://senate.ca.gov/media-archive> 
    State shouldn’t stifle debate about Israel, Palestinians: Guest commentary <http://www.dailynews.com/opinion/20160707/state-shouldnt-stifle-debate-about-israel-palestinians-guest-commentary> 

Support Palestinian rights: Sign petitions & take actions www.sacbds.org/petitions

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