Weekly Advocacy Wrap-Up: January 29
Let your Member of Congress Know You Support Refugees and Asylum Seekers

NCJW Greater Long Beach & West Orange County is participating in HIAS’ Welcome to Congress campaign. To begin 2021, we want to welcome the new Congress to Washington DC and tell them their constituents want them to prioritize the rights, dignity and safety of refugees and asylum seekers this year. To communicate this, we are collecting signatures on an online welcome card which will be shared with our members of Congress, along with asking for an opportunity to meet.

Our Section is now listed on the Welcome to Congress site. Click here, select National Council of Jewish Women Greater Long Beach and West Orange County in the drop down menu and fill out the form.

We will be sure the card with your signature gets to your Member of Congress. Please support refugees and asylum seekers by signing on.
Several churches in the Los Angeles / San Bernardino area have converted or are in the process of converting unused space into temporary shelters for immigrants.
 
Church Shelters will soon House 24 Immigrants:  Three shelters are currently housing nine (9) immigrants, mostly asylum seekers who have never lived in the USA. Three others will soon welcome an additional fifteen (15) immigrants released from Adelanto.
 
NCJW GLB & WOC’s partner CLUE has an Instrumental Role:  
CLUE helps shelters convert their space and assists them in all phases of operations. Setting up and operating shelters requires money and cash donations are always welcome. Here is a list of items that are needed as well.


Needed items:
  • blankets for twins and queen size beds (new or gently used)
  • sheets for twins and queen size beds (new or very gently used)
  • towels & washcloths for showers and face (new only)
  • plastic tupperware 
  • toaster (2) 
  • microwave (1) 
  • shampoos and body wash
  • toothbrushes and toothpaste
  • toilet paper (big demand)
  • semi-gloss white paint for bathroom and kitchen 
  • dry food for pantry
  • Gift Cards in $25 amounts to Ralphs & Target

Contact Section member Naomi Steinfeld at nomilcsw@gmail.com or
562-682-3093 to arrange pick up or drop off by Feb. 12th
Our sister section NCJWLA has a number of advocacy opportunities regarding the continuing California budget discussions and actions to address the effects of the pandemic. Lawmakers are starting to hear the message that the immediate budget must include emergency paid sick days. California lawmakers will be making decisions on the budget very soon, and we need to make sure that they keep hearing from us! 

Actions you can take TODAY to advocate for emergency paid sick days.
  1. Call and email your State Assemblymember and State Senator. Please visit this website for a call script. This is especially important if your legislators are on the Budget Committee. Patrick O’Donnell, Assemblyman for the 70th District, is on the Budget Committee.
  2. Check out the email action alert from the Friends Committee on Legislation for California's. 
  3. Check out https://legalaidatwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/COVID-Emergency-Paid-Sick-Days-Letter-to-CA-Leg1.pdf
NCJW Greater Long Beach & West Orange County is excited to host a virtual panel discussion with three speakers. Dr. Michele Goodwin will discuss the shocking, wrongful criminalization impacting women of color in all aspects of reproductive health and motherhood in the U.S., as described in her book “Policing the Womb.” Nourbese Flint will discuss Black women’s health issues, and struggles for access to care for low-income and women of color. And Shannon Hovis will talk about legislative priorities around reproductive justice for 2021. We will learn how we can be allies and advocates for reproductive justice.

Details and Registration information coming soon to our website.
Crisis in California for Women, Families and Children: Food and Housing Insecurity and Childcare Deficiency--
What We Can Do 
February 10, 1 - 2 pm
NCJW California invites you to a webinar exploring critical issues facing women, families and children in California, all of which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Rising to the top of these issues are housing and food insecurity and lack of a childcare system that works.

Experts will provide context on these issues and propose policy and legislative solutions. These discussions will prepare us to engage in more informed and deeper advocacy in advance of our annual lobby day and beyond. All are welcome. Please pass this information along.

Speakers:
  • Caroline Danielson, Policy Director and Senior Fellow, Public Policy Institute of California
  • Mike Herald, Director of Policy Advocacy, Western Center on Law and Poverty
  • Mary Ignatius, Statewide Organizer, Parent Voices

Click here to register: https://forms.gle/2zcQURzfpMDY3ego8
Refugee and Asylum Policy 
Where Do Things Stand Today? • What Lies Ahead? • What Can We Do To Shape The Future? • What Can We Expect From the Biden Administration?
Thursday, February 11 at noon
OCJCR is pleased to present a panel of legal and policy experts to discuss current protocols and future goals for refugee children, asylum seekers on our southern border, and would-be refugees seeking to resettle in the United States from the Muslim world.

Attendees will develop an understanding of the current state of asylum law and refugee programs. You will also gain insights as to how to partner with the Orange County Jewish Coalition for Refugees to advocate for the protection of vulnerable refugees and displaced persons.

Click here for detailed information about this event. Registration is required in advance to receive the Zoom link.