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JPAC Website: www.jpac-cal.org |
| Photo Highlight | |
(L-R): Senate President pro Tem Darrel Steinberg, JPAC Chair Marc Carrel, and Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez at the 2010 Annual JPAC Lobby Day in Sacramento.
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| Greetings!
Shana Tova! JPAC activists and our legislative advocates in Sacramento have had a busy spring and summer working to support the statewide Jewish community's interests in the Capitol. Our Annual Lobby Day in Sacramento, held in May, brought over 100 activists from throughout California to the Capitol to fight for funding of social services and to support the passage of AB 1650, the Iran Contracting Act of 2010.
We've also been working hard to see through implementation by CalPRS and CalSTRS of AB 221, 2007's Iran Divestment bill. More recently, we've been working to counter the reemergence of a ballot initiative to require PERS and STRS to divest from companies that do any business with Israel. To learn more about our important legislative work, read below and Click HERE.
Most importantly, please share this e-newsletter with friends and colleagues who you think might be interested in JPAC's work and help us to spread the word and build support for our efforts. Thank you for your interest in JPAC!
Sincerely,
Marc Carrel, Chair
Caron Spector, Association Director |
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 Sacramento Lobby Day 2010 - Thank You!
REDUCED REGISTRATION FOR 2011 EXTENDED! ACT NOW TO SAVE $30! Over 100 Jewish community activists from throughout California took the time and made the effort to invest in our community and help to ensure a brighter future for ALL Californians by attending the 2010 JPAC Sacramento Lobby Day - and we cannot overemphasize our gratitude to those of you who joined us! With funding for vital social services at great risk of being cut or eliminated from the state budget and with Iran posing an even greater threat to peace and democracy than ever before, our JPAC community came together advocate for those without a voice.
During our Annual Lobby Day, JPAC advocates met with over half of the state legislature to fight against further budget cuts to critical social service programs that serve those members of our community most in need, including:
- Adult Day Health Care (ADHC) - Provides a full range of medical and social services in a community-based setting to allow disabled, frail, medically challenged and cognitively impaired seniors (typical age is 80+) to receive the care they need on an ongoing basis in order to continue to live successfully at home.
- Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP) - MSSP clients are the frailest elderly who are Medi-Cal nursing home eligible and cannot sufficiently care for themselves, yet they can be served at home in an effective and cost-efficient manner.
- Domestic Violence Shelter Funding - There continues to be a desperate need for these services, given the impacts of the continued economic crisis and increase in incidents of domestic violence and homelessness.
- Linkages - This one-of-a-kind program provides case management services to low-income disabled adults who were generally under the age of 65 and not eligible for other assistance programs.
Our JPAC advocates also supported AB 1650, the Iran Contracting Act of 2010 (Feur and Blumenfield), a bill that would prohibit the State of California and its subdivisions from contracting with companies that have specified business activities in Iran's petroleum sector. The bill recently passed the legislature with a unanimous vote and is on it's way to the Governor for his signature.
Finally, JPAC Lobby Day participants supported SB 1278/AB 2069, bills that would require the State Board of Education to adopt revised curriculum framework and evaluation criteria for instructional materials in History-Social Science in 2011. Periodic revision of frameworks is necessary to ensure that California's students get the best information, instruction, and materials possible.
Click HERE for more JPAC Lobby Day highlights. And don't miss the chance to join us in 2011! Click HERE to visit the 2011 JPAC Advocacy Day in Sacramento webpage and save $30 off the regular registration fee if you register before September 15, 2010. Online payment through PayPal is now available. |
 Legislative Activities & Budget Update
JPAC activists and our legislative advocates in Sacramento have had a busy spring and summer working to support the statewide Jewish community's interests in the Capitol, including helping to secure passage of:
- AB 1650, the Iran Divestment Act of 2010 (Feuer & Blumenfield)
- AB 619, the Holocaust Survivor Responsibility Act (Blumenfield)
- SB 906, the Civil Marriage Religious Freedom Act (Leno)
- SB 657, Human Trafficking (Steinberg)
To read more about these bills and for much more extensive information on legislation supported by JPAC this year, our efforts state preserve state budget funding of social services, and all our other important work, Click HERE for our 2009-2010 Legislative Activities Overview. |
Apples and honey for a sweet new year | Shana Tova! Wishing You a Happy Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashana)
Rosh Hashana, the start of the Jewish new year, began at sundown on September 8, 2010. The holiday is a special time when Jews reflect on their actions and try to make amends with each other and God and marks the beginning of the High Holy Days. In synagogue, the shofar (a ram's horn) is sounded. At home, munching on apples and honey is an expression of hope for a new year that is pure, happy, and free from past transgressions.
READ ON... |
 New JPAC Member Spotlight:
We are excited to note the recent addition of Jewish Vocational Service of Los Angeles as a JPAC member organization. JVS serves people in the greater Los Angeles area who are looking for work, seeking career advancement or interested in better managing their work environment. A not-for-profit, non-sectarian organization founded in 1930, the agency offers individuals, businesses, governmental and social service agencies high quality programs related to job seeking, career planning, skills assessment, training and retraining. JVS' commitment to helping people help themselves is rooted in the Jewish tradition of caring in a way that supports human dignity and respects each individual's capabilities and potential.
READ ON... |
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ABOUT US: JPAC is the largest single-state coalition of Jewish organizations in the nation, representing Jewish communities and nonprofit organizations across California. Comprised of most of the Jewish Federations from communities throughout California and a myriad of Jewish community advocacy organizations, we advocate on behalf of Jewish social service agencies, traditional community concerns, and broadly shared values that affect the citizens of our State. We make certain California's Jewish community acts with one united voice in Sacramento on a variety of issues of importance to the Jewish community and in order to advocate for all of California's most vulnerable populations. Visit us at www.jpac-cal.org for more information. |
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