Protecting California from Donald Trump–A Message from Eric Bauman, Vice-Chair, Calif Dem Party

 

WE MUST PROTECT CALIFORNIA 
FROM PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP
Time to build a metaphorical wall against Donald Trump’s policies

The election of Donald Trump ushers in one of darkest eras in our nation’s modern political history. Many across the state and country are frightened, and they are right to feel that way.

But now is not the time to give in, now is not the time to give up. Now is not the time to capitulate… now is the time to stand up and fight!

I call upon Governor Jerry Brown and our State Legislature to pass constitutional amendments and statutes to safeguard the people of California from Donald Trump’s dystopian worldview.

I have already begun discussions about these concepts with California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon who agrees with me that these are important steps to protect California’s future. Now is the time to shore up California’s mantle as a beacon of hope in the coming years.Donald Trump has promised to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and he has the votes in Congress to do it. So, we must enshrine a right to quality health care for all into our state’s constitution.

Donald Trump has promised to deport all undocumented immigrants with a “deportation force.” We must do all we can to shield undocumented immigrants from Trump’s clutches, and empower our institutions to refuse to turn over lists of names to agencies who attempt to ferret out those who live in the shadows and on the margins.

If Donald Trump follows through with his promise to block entry into the United States for Muslims, we must speak out loudly in opposition, and if he attempts to create a system to “register” all Muslims who already live here, we must instruct our institutions to refuse to cooperate.

Donald Trump has said he will appoint conservative Supreme Court Justices and federal judges who will overturn Roe v. Wade, marriage equality, and innumerable anti-discrimination laws. Therefore, we must ensure that California’s constitution clearly enshrines the right for women to make their own reproductive healthcare choices, for people to marry whomever they love and to be protected from all forms of discrimination.

If Donald Trump appoints federal judges who attempt to limit first amendment protections for free speech, we must enshrine in our state constitution the strongest freedoms for the press in the country.

If Donald Trump’s administration and Supreme Court Justices try to limit the ability for working men and women to organize and bargain collectively, we must ensure that our state’s constitution maintains the strongest protections for these essential rights.

If Donald Trump appoints officials who deny the grave dangers of climate change and green light the pollution and degradation of our land, air and water, our laws must continue to keep California as a world leader on these fronts.

Several months ago, I facetiously called on Governor Brown to build a wall around California to keep Donald Trump out. Today, on a more serious note, I sincerely call on Governor Brown and our Legislature to build a metaphorical legal wall to keep our residents safe from the grim and cynical vision that Donald Trump has laid out for America.

The battle is not over, it has just begun. Standing up to a man like Donald Trump won’t be easy, but it wasn’t easy to win our rights in the first place. Progress is never easy.

It’s time to roll up our sleeves and get to work, and let the world know that California will never let hate win. We will always be a bastion of freedom and the protector of the real American dream.
Eric C. Bauman
Vice-Chair, California Democratic Party
Chair, Los Angeles County Democratic Party

 

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