Run for Something feel-good updates

Share this post

RFS feel-good update (3/6): Students standing up for students

rfsfeelgoodupdates.substack.com

Discover more from Run for Something feel-good updates

Good vibes - and no fundraising emails - from the Run for Something community. Check your inbox every Monday morning.
Over 3,000 subscribers
Continue reading
Sign in

RFS feel-good update (3/6): Students standing up for students

Read about how our alums are fighting for LGBTQIA+ Nebraskans

Ross Morales Rocketto
and
Abe Rakov
Mar 6, 2023
3
Share this post

RFS feel-good update (3/6): Students standing up for students

rfsfeelgoodupdates.substack.com
Share

Hi Team - We loved to see Texas State University’s student newspaper, The University Star, fight back against the state legislature’s efforts to stop young people from voting. In an editorial against a bill that would ban polling places on college campuses, the newspaper wrote that “In times when it’s increasingly important that a young voice be heard in the political world, this bill would make an already low demographic of voters even more discouraged.”

Many students are new to voting which can make it scary to participate in elections. Having polling places on college campuses gives students an opportunity to vote in an environment that they’re comfortable in.

Rather than having to inevitably spend thousands of dollars on buses to get students to voting locations, the state legislature should do the right thing and expand access to voting through more locations and take away restrictions on early voting and voter ID laws.

Seeing student journalists use their platform to stand up for the youth vote not only makes us happy, it will help mobilize and energize more young people to get involved in politics, vote and maybe even run for office! We hope to see more student newspapers across the country engaging like this.

(Fun fact: LBJ was the summer editor of The University Star in 1930)


We had more wins last week! In Chicago, Ronnie Mosley finished the first round of voting in first place in his City Council race and will head to the April 4th runoff (please uplift him on social and/or contribute to his campaign between now and then). Alderman Matt Martin was unopposed in his race and is set to serve on the Council for another four years!

And Leonardo Quintero, Murillo Garcia, Anthony David Bryant and Sam Schoenburg all appear to have won seats on newly established police District Councils. Council members will play a role in police oversight and get community feedback on safety and policing in the police district in which they serve.


There’s much more to come on the election (and wins!) front. We have already endorsed 72 candidates for 2023 races, with many more to come. And they’re out and about on the campaign trail.

Denver City Councilwoman Candi CdeBaca is putting in the work to get another term next month:

Twitter avatar for @CandiCdeBacaD9
Candi CdeBaca @CandiCdeBacaD9
We’re out there today! And all next week too. Come sign up here >> mobilize.us/candiforcounci…
A picture of people in a room talking. A table and a row of chairs is in the foreground, with laptops and papers on it. “Come out and join your local city council candidates to knock some doors!!” DSA Denver is tagged
5:22 PM ∙ Mar 5, 2023
9Likes5Retweets

New York City Council Member Shahana Hanif’s reelection campaign for New York City Council is off to a strong start:

Twitter avatar for @aliyaplatif
Aliya Latif @aliyaplatif
“The city we want is a hard fight. We need a progressive caucus that is principled and centers joy.” - @ShahanaFromBK at re-election launch party. “There is no reason not to vote for her.” - Naureen, 6th grader. She is our conscience. Join us 3/18 to petition for her. #MuslimVOTE
Image
3:33 AM ∙ Mar 5, 2023
19Likes6Retweets

Nancy Fry’s campaign for Coconut Creek City Commission got a bunch of volunteers out this weekend:

Twitter avatar for @votenancyfry
Nancy Fry for Coconut Creek City Commission @votenancyfry
Thank you so much to the incredible volunteers that came out for today’s Day of Action! And a huge thank you to the volunteers from @DolphinDems, @RuthsListFL , and @BYDs for your help. It means the world to me that you would dedicate your time to support our campaign!
Image
12:10 AM ∙ Mar 5, 2023

And check out this RFS alum collab:

Twitter avatar for @JabariBrisport
Jabari Brisport🌹 @JabariBrisport
Good morning Bed Stuy! We're getting @OsseChi back on the ballot!
Senator with petition sheet
Chi Ossé with 2 human constituents and 1 dog constituent
4:47 PM ∙ Mar 5, 2023
111Likes9Retweets

  • Memphis Council Member Michalyn Easter-Thomas proposed legislation that would prohibit police officers from pulling over drivers for certain minor traffic violations.

    “This is a proactive effort,” said City Council member Michalyn Easter-Thomas, who introduced the ordinance, in a press conference. “We want to decrease the possibility of negative interactions.”

    Twitter avatar for @PhillyInquirer
    The Philadelphia Inquirer @PhillyInquirer
    In the wake of the Tyre Nichols killing, Memphis will consider a version of Philly’s driving equality law that bans minor traffic stops. “We want to decrease the possibility of negative interactions,” Michalyn Easter-Thomas, who introduced the plan, said.
    inquirer.comMemphis to consider version of Philadelphia law that bans minor traffic stops in response to Tyre Nichols killingA Memphis City Council member is pushing for the city to adopt a law banning traffic stops for some low-level violations to reduce police interactions with residents.
    1:38 PM ∙ Feb 21, 2023
  • New Mexico state Rep. Linda Serrato cosponsored legislation that passed the state House that would prohibit local restrictions on access to abortion.

    But the long-term threat to access remains, Ziegler warned, regardless of public opinion or prevailing legal interpretations. With a conservative supermajority on the U.S. Supreme Court, she said, policymakers must weigh the risk that any crackdown on municipal laws could jeopardize abortion rights in other places.

    For New Mexico state Rep. Serrato, the calculus is not a difficult one. “I know there are always going to be tactics,” she said. “But you can’t have a hodgepodge of regulations for health care access.”

  • Nevada Assemblyman Howard Watts’ legislation to remove language in the state Constitution that allows slavery to be used as a punishment for crimes passed the legislature and will be on the ballot in 2024.

    Twitter avatar for @HowardWattsNV
    Howard Watts III @HowardWattsNV
    We are making Black History at #NVLeg! Today the Assembly passed AJR10, which I introduced to remove the constitutional loophole allowing slavery as a punishment for crimes. When the Senate does the same, it will head to the 2024 ballot for voter approval! #BlackHistoryMonth
    3:29 AM ∙ Feb 17, 2023
    124Likes29Retweets
  • Colorado state Rep. Iman Jodeh’s work to cap EpiPen copays was noted by Physician’s Weekly, saying “This unfortunate trend we were seeing of lifesaving medication being completely unattainable or out of reach for people is something that we are really trying to put an end to.”

  • Indiana state Senator Andrea Hunley has only been in office for a few months, but already got her first piece of legislation through the senate. Her bill to “study data and roadways to help implement safety improvements across the state, as well as boost driver education” passed with broad, bipartisan support.

    Twitter avatar for @SenatorHunley
    Senator Andrea Hunley @SenatorHunley
    I want to thank FOX 59 for meeting with me to discuss my bill SB 233 for the creation of a Vision Zero task force. This legislation will help us make Indiana roads safer for every Hoosier that uses them, investigating best practices and reporting back to legislators 1/
    Image
    Image
    2:31 PM ∙ Mar 1, 2023
  • Three Nebraska state senators / RFS alums are standing up for LGBTQIA+ Nebraskans: Senators Megan Hunt, Jen Day and John Fredrickson.

    • “Bills that could expand protections this session include Legislative Bill 169 and LB 670, both proposed by Hunt. The bills would add sexual orientation and gender identity to the state’s employment nondiscrimination policies.” 

    • “LB 179, proposed by Fredrickson, would prohibit conversion therapy for minors in the state, what he defined as a ‘deceptive’ medical practice to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity.”

    • “Legislative Resolution 26CA, a constitutional amendment proposed by State Sen. Jen Day of Omaha, would remove mentions of marriage from the Nebraska Constitution. In 2000, voters defined marriage in the Nebraska Constitution as a union between one man and one woman and invalidated same-sex civil unions. Both the U.S. Supreme Court in 2015 and Congress in 2022 recognized same-sex relationships, but the Nebraska law remains on the books.”

  • Phoenix Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansari and Phoenix Elementary School District #1 Governing Board Member Regional Carrillo were featured in a Next City article about Phoenix’s work on “preventing deaths and lowering urban temperatures, which they hope to achieve through initiatives as simple as handing out bottled water and as ambitious as doubling the city’s tree cover.”

  • San Antonio City Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez is working to ensure city residents are not discriminated against because of their hair.

    Twitter avatar for @CouncilmanJalen
    Jalen McKee-Rodriguez @CouncilmanJalen
    Today, with the support of young women of the Lemonade Circle, we filed a CCR calling for the adoption of the CROWN Act to protect natural hair from discrimination into our City’s Non-Discrimination Ordinance and Legislative agenda.
    Image
    Image
    Image
    2:20 AM ∙ Mar 2, 2023
    41Likes10Retweets
  • Oklahoma state Sen. Jo Anna Dossett is yet another great example of why representation matters, as the former educator authored legislation that would update the definition of “career teacher” to ensure teachers are credited with years worked if they move to a new district. The bill, which would give more Oklahoma teachers the job security and protections that a career teacher designation provides, passed out of the Senate Education Committee.

    “When people get out of college, they often take the first job offer they get just to have a paycheck. After being employed for a while, they may find better opportunities and decide to move to a different district, and they shouldn’t be punished for that by not being named a career teacher in the allotted time frame,” Dossett said.

    Senator Dossett also got a bill out of a Senate committee that would help new small businesses grow by tracking how many state contracts are given businesses that have been around for fewer than five years compared to more established businesses.

  • Colorado state Rep. Brianna Titone’s bipartisan legislation to make it easier and more affordable for farmers to repair their equipment passed the state House. The bill requires manufacturers to sell “tools, parts and digital information to farmers and independent shops so they can make their own diagnoses and repairs.”

    Twitter avatar for @BriannaForCO
    Rep Brianna Titone - COHD27 @BriannaForCO
    I hear Republicans pound their fists, saying we need to support the ag industry, we need to support rural Colorado. That’s what #righttorepair does. Many of those legislators are wavering in their support for their constituent famers, who are Republicans.
    coloradonewsline.comRight-to-repair bill for farming equipment advances out of Colorado House - Colorado NewslineA Colorado bill would require manufacturers to give farmers the resources they need to make their own repairs on farm equipment.
    3:38 PM ∙ Feb 25, 2023
    34Likes6Retweets
  • Massachusetts state Sen. Becca Rausch’s proposal to expand abortion access to 15 year olds was included in larger pro-choice legislation moving through the legislature. In 2020, the state passed a law to expand “access to 16- and 17-year-old individuals, who no longer need parental consent to get an abortion or circumvent their parents by going to court and receiving permission for the procedure from a superior court judge.”

    “It’s actually mostly a delay method, and a discouragement and intimidation method, to scare young people away from abortion access because going before a judge can be scary,” Rausch said of the judicial bypass process. “At some point, someone’s going to have to explain to me the difference between a 15-and-10-month-old and a 16-year-old. This doesn’t make any sense.”

  • And Charlottesville City Council Member Michael Payne announced he’s running for reelection!

    Payne, now 30, was 26 when he was first elected, making him the youngest councilor in Charlottesville’s history since the city abandoned the mayor-council form of government in 1922.


If you read one opinion piece this week, make it Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta’s op-ed on reducing prescription drug costs:

In 2017, my mother tragically passed away from a stroke brought about by diabetes. Growing up, I watched my mother inspire others as a foster mom, a nurse’s assistant, and a community leader, all while being under the immense stress of struggling to afford her insulin costs.

She was my rock and my best friend. And it was tragic to watch her chronic disease and the sky-high cost of her prescription drugs cost her her life. I know so many Pennsylvanians reading this share a similar story of a loved one who left us too soon due to being unable to afford care or medication they so desperately needed.


We’ll leave you with Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow’s MSNBC interview about legislation that would require universal background checks for gun purchases and the secure storage of guns and ammunition.

That’s all for this week!

Ross and Abe

Share

3
Share this post

RFS feel-good update (3/6): Students standing up for students

rfsfeelgoodupdates.substack.com
Share
Previous
Next
Comments
Top
New
Community

No posts

Ready for more?

© 2023 Run for Something
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great writing