Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry California

Easter. Passover. Spring Equinox.
Festivals of liberation, new life, and new hope.

This season, UULM is joining communities across the country for 40 days and 40 nights to lift up our hopes for a renewed commitment to healthcare reform.

Some folks give up chocolate for lent. We recommend that we give up despair.

Starting on Ash Wednesday, Feb 17, we invited you to join in a daily practice to cultivate hope by making one call a day for healthcare reform.

Download and print our handy wallet cards (below) for the phone numbers of your elected leaders. Hand them out to friends, family, and fellow congregants.

Look up the name of your congressional rep here.

This is not a time to be silent. It is a time to witness, together. Make a pledge to make a call a day for 40 days and 40 nights.

For more information on Health Care for America Now - California's "40 Days, 40 Nights" Campaign, go HERE.

President Obama is hosting a televised bicameral bipartisan meeting at Blair House on Thursday, Feb 25. The meeting starts at 7AM California time and will be streamed live here. You can read the President's proposed healthcare compromise bill here.

We hear about water shortages in far-flung parts of the world, but how imminent are water shortages in California? How compromised is the quality of water in parts of California and specifically LA County? Where does Southern California's water come from, and how sustainable are these arrangements? Who is affected by our water challenges and who can make a difference and how? Which water policies get the most bang for the buck and which policies are to be avoided and why?

Hear the answers to these questions and more by attending the Water Justice Forum on the ground floor of the Natural History Museum at 1:30 PM. Rev. Hannah Petrie, Associate Minister of Neighborhood UU Church in Pasadena and Chair of the UU Legislative Ministry of CA's Water Justice & Climate Change Team, will moderate these expert panelists: Conner Everts, Executive Director of the Southern California Watershed Alliance and Co-Chair of the Desal Response Group, Nancy Steele, President of the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy of Southern California, and Miguel Luna, Executive Director of Urban Semillas.

Joined by CA Faith for Equality, the CA Council of Churches and several other interfaith amici, the UULMCA filed a friend of the court brief today in the United States District Court, helping to lift up the religious concerns related to the passage of Prop 8. The brief highlights issues of religious liberty and the impact of powerful religious groups attempting to codify their religious doctrine into California law.

When interfaith couples are denied the religious rites of marriage by a faith community, but the state allows them to marry, the practitioners of the faith which will not sanctify their marriage suffer no harm to their religious liberty. So it is with same-sex couples. Allowing same sex couples access to legal marriage will not impact the religious liberty of those who are members of faith communities who do not marry same sex couples. Our deepest appreciation to our attorney Eric Isaacson for his tireless work on behalf of religious freedom and in support of the inherent worth and dignity of all.

The so-called Prop 8 trial or Perry vs. Schwarzenegger is under way in San Francisco. Several UUs were at the courthouse at the break of the first day to join in Standing on the Side of Love as this historic trial began. While the US Supreme Court has prohibited Judge Vaughn Walker from posting video of the trial, very talented bloggers inside the courtroom are providing up to date information. This is an opportunity to learn more about the history of marriage, homophobia, Proposition 8 and the law. Here are some links where you can read and/or join the conversation each day.

Rev. Ramsden’s Blog: “The Real Threat to Religious Freedom” on the Prop8 Trial
Prop 8 Trial Tracker

Be a fan on our Facebook page and join in the discussion. There's a topic called "Prop 8."

"Make principle a guest in your heart, -
by denying the worldly side of your nature,
by fettering passion, conquering pride,
living for something other than luxury,
using money for good,
drilling the will to loyalty, -
and it will become thus an immeasurable gain as
a resource to your soul.

God bends a boundless and sparkling sky over our heads;
but he offers a deeper heaven,
filled with more glorious lights and diviner promise,
to all souls that will welcome a principle,
go out and pitch their tent in the moral universe,
and live here for him." - Rev. Thomas Starr King

The statue of Thomas Starr King was installed with ceremony and eloquent words. It had been cold in the morning but by the time the ceremonies were ready to begin the sun had warmed the crowd of 150 who came to see Thomas Starr King's statue installed on the Capitol Grounds in Sacramento. His bronze likeness will grace the entrance to the Civil War Memorial Grove. The speakers included the Honorable Darrel Steinberg; Reverend Rebecca Parker, President of Starr King Seminary; and Reverend Lindi Ramsden, Executive Director of UULMCA. Here are photos of the event and some of the UU contingent who attended.