(Cross-posted from The Courage Campaign also at MyDD)

Last week, The Courage Campaign hosted a public conference call to discuss the status of the fight for universal healthcare in California. We enlisted Assemblymember Karen Bass (also our majority leader in the Assembly), as well as Sal Roselli, President of SEIU United Healthcare Workers West and MyDD's Chris Bowers to lead a lively 1 hour discussion on the topic.

Go here to listen to it in its entirety.

What was great about the call was the sense of optimism among all of our speakers. Karen Bass opened by remarking on the great opportunity we have, not only with our new majorities in Congress but also with a Republican governor calling for universal coverage as Arnold Schwarzenegger has done rhetorically if not substantively. But as Roselli made a point of saying, this fact alone really is extraordinary, especially considering the governor has called for all children to be covered under his plan, including children of undocumented Californians. Bowers, in his opening remarks, echoed this sense of optimism, saying:

I am hopeful that what we are seeing is a new era where moderate and conservative Republicans break with their own party to support what can be seen as progressive agenda ideas.

This is how Bowers sees Schwarzenegger's call for universal healthcare and I'd agree.

More over the flip…

Having said that, all of the speakers noted some real concerns with the governor's proposal, namely the central premise behind it, the individual mandate, which would require all Californians to get health insurance as we currently are mandated to get car insurance. Luckily, we have other proposals on the table including, by all accounts the gold standard, Sen. Sheila Kuehl's single payer healthcare bill that passed the legislature last year only to be vetoed by the governor. And since in California a bill that calls for raising taxes, as the single payer bill does, requires a 2/3 majority to pass, the best option for successful healthcare reform through the legislative process will require support from Republicans in the legislature as well as the governor. Single payer does not have that…yet.

Which leads us to the ground campaign of coalition building, grassroots organizing and voter education that SEIU plans to launch later this month called "It's Our Healthcare." A year ago, SEIU declared pursuing the passage of universal healthcare to be their number one priority and set out to do the research that would be needed to begin a fight in 2007. What they learned, as SEIU's Jeanine Rodriguez noted:

People are supportive [of single payer healthcare] up until the end when they start getting real fearful about how reform is going to change their own healthcare.

Which is why SEIU's campaign this year will be one largely focused on educating voters. It also plans to work with legislators on alternative bills to see if they can indeed pass something amenable through the legislative process. Roselli said they feel Speaker Fabian Nunez's bill in particular has great potential. But, again, getting the governor AND Republicans on board is a tall order so if nothing passes this year, they will seek to put an intiative on the 2008 ballot and let the people, by then hopefully warmed to the idea of single payer or something close to it, decide. This, as Roselli said on the call, is their single biggest piece of leverage in this fight.

The Courage Campaign looks forward to joining the SEIU's coalition in their fight for real universal healthcare here in California. If you'd like to find out more about the "It's Our Healthcare" program, you can e-mail Jeanine Rodriguez at [email protected]. We'll certainly keep you updated on the blog and for a more comprehensive look at what is planned for 2007 and beyond, I recommend listening to the entire conference call, which you can access HERE.

The California Courage Campaign has launched a new campaign for the fall focusing on five initiatives that will be on the Nov 7 ballot here in California. Last year we had great success as part of the progressive coalition that defeated Arnold’s reform initiatives. This year, Arnold is, probably wisely, keeping his distance from them. Without a unifying force behind the initiatives, we knew we had to come up with a theme, a narrative, with which to frame the initiatives in a way that would educate and motivate the ballot measure-weary electorate. And this year, what better motivator for voters in our great blue state, and, truly, what better uniter of what ordinarily would be disparate progressive groups than the decider himself, George W. Bush.

Yes, this fall, George Bush’s agenda will be on the November ballot in California, and we’re calling on our supporters and all of you to join us in saying simply “George Bush, you’re not welcome here” by signing our open letter to President Bush. Go ahead, try it. The comments section is particularly therapeutic.

More over the flip.

Rick Jacobs, Chair of The California Courage Campaign, launched the campaign with an e-mail to supporters yesterday:

The issues vary, but the effects are  the same. Conservatives plan to make California a national leader in regressive  policies and unfair practices.

Courage Campaign, with your help, wants to stop Bush and Co. from:

• Invading our privacy
• Giving tax breaks to Big Tobacco and Big Oil
• Corrupting fair elections
• Handing over our state to rich real estate developers

We are mounting a concerted effort to keep Bush, Karl Rove and their conservative special interests out of California. We've stepped up to coordinate with dozens of other progressive organizations around the state, from the ACLU to the League of Conservation Voters to the California Nurses Association and together, we will send George Bush's dangerous policies packing.

We’ve launched a Bush in CA website where we describe the 5 initiatives we’re taking positions on including how the other side is framing the debate, who is funding the initiatives, an explanation of the positions we take and links to the actual “Yes On” or “No On” campaigns for those props.

A rundown:

No On 85: Waiting Period and Parental Notification Before Termination of Minor’s Pregnancy.

Yes on 85 calls this the “Parents’ Right To Know” Act

No on 85 says that voting no means “Real Teen Safety”

We call it “Protect Teen Safety.”

If approved, Proposition 85 would require notification given to parents of a pregnant girl under the age of 18 when she seeks an abortion. Then, a 48-hour waiting period is mandated.

Yes on 86: Tax on Cigarettes. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute.

Yes on 86 Campaign calls it “Stop Big Tobacco”

No on 86 Campaign calls it “Stop the $2.1 Billion Tax Hike”

We call it “Hold Big Tobacco Accountable”

Will raise state cigarette tax $2.60 a pack and is projected to raise about $2.1 billion in 2007 to fund health insurance for uninsured kids, improved emergency care, tobacco prevention programs, and chronic disease research.

Yes on 87: Alternative Energy. Research, Production, Incentives. Tax on California Oil Producers. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute.

Yes on 87 Campaign calls it “Make Big Oil Pay for Cleaner Energy”

No on 87 Campaign calls it “No on $4 Billion Oil Tax. It’s a Recipe For Waste, Not Progress”

We call it “Make Big Oil Pay Their Fair Share”

Right now, Big Oil pays California almost nothing to drill in our state, while they pay billions of dollars in drilling fees to every other oil producing state. Prop 87 will set California’s oil drilling fees to 1.5 to 6% (depending on the price of oil per barrel) which is at levels similar to those in Oklahoma, Alaska, and Texas. The revenue raised ($4 billion over 10 years) will go towards research and producing alternative fuels and energy.

Yes On 89: Political Campaigns. Public Financing. Corporate Tax Increase. Campaign Contribution and Expenditure Limits. Initiative Statute.

Yes on 89 calls this the “California Clean Money and Fair Elections Act”

Californians to Stop Prop 89, a coalition of taxpayer groups, insurance companies, and corporations, says that this is “Phony Reform.”

We call it the “Restore Democracy Act.”

If enacted, Proposition 89 would reduce the influence of lobbyists and special interests in California. This is why it’s often called the “clean money” act. Currently, lobbyists and corporations can donate “dirty” money to the campaign funds of their favorite candidates. Prop 89 would restrict the ability of special interests to donate to campaigns, and would provide public financing for qualified “clean money” candidates.

No on 90: Government Acquisition, Regulation of Private Property. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.

Yes on 90 campaign calls it “Protect Our Homes Act”

No on 90 campaign calls it “The Taxpayer Trap”

We call it “Leave No Real Estate Developer Behind”

This is fake “eminent domain” reform. Prop 90’s out of state backers are trying to capitalize on people’s fears about government confiscating private property (made infamous in the Supreme Court’s Kelo v. New London decision) to inject their own anti-government ideals into our constitution. Prop 90 will destroy future environmental protections, responsible land-use planning and basic laws intended to protect the welfare of California’s citizens.

Leading up to the elections, we’re going to be spreading the word throughout the state and throughout the blogosphere about these initiatives with e-mail alerts, petitions and an ad we have in the works, which we’ll be running some time next month. Any contributions to the cause are of course always welcome. We actually have a generous donor who has pledged to match up to $30,000.

So please, join us by signing the open letter to Bush and spreading the word to all your friends and family in California.

Thanks!