PUEBLO (People Uniting for Economic Justice Building Leadership through Organization)

From Santa Barbara PUEBLO’s web site - www.sbpueblo.org

PUEBLO is a multi-issue grassroots membership organization that is building the power and leadership of low-income Santa Barbara residents by working towards economic and environmental justice.
Santa Barbara is one of the wealthiest communities in the United States, yet there is tremendous poverty. The high cost of living is forcing working families to hold multiple jobs, commute long distances for low-wage work, and live in crowded apartments. Many are frequently forced to make hard choices between paying the rent, feeding their families, or going to the doctor.
Since 2000, PUEBLO has fought for living wages, affordable housing, public transportation, immigrant rights, affordable housing, health care, child care, tenants rights, and homeless issues. We believe in a future for Santa Barbara that respects workers, honors diversity, and builds strong communities.
PUEBLO (formally the Coalition for a Living Wage) was formed in July of 2000 to pass a living wage ordinance in Santa Barbara. Through the living wage campaign, PUEBLO was able to build a powerful coalition of over fifty labor, faith-based, and community organizations to win real victories for low-wage workers while raising awareness in Santa Barbara about economic inequality.
PUEBLO has spearheaded several successful campaigns including saving the Cleveland Child Care Center, winning a discounted 10-ride and unlimited 30-day bus passes, spearheading the local campaign that defeated Proposition 54, lobbying and gaining key local support for SB 60 which expands drivers license access to immigrants, and turning out working family voters for the City Council election, resulting in two PUEBLO members being elected to City Council (see “victories”). Through these victories, PUEBLO has emerged as a leading voice for economic justice in Santa Barbara.
We welcome you to join the struggle!

The Living Wage Campaign in SB

In December 2004, PUEBLO decided to launch a new living wage campaign in Santa Barbara. PUEBLO formed a coalition, now called “Santa Barbara for a Living Wage”, made up of several labor, faith-based, and community organizations to push for a living wage ordinance. The living wage ordinance would require employers who benefit from local tax dollars through contracts or subsidies, to pay their workers a living wage of $13.40 with health insurance, and $2 additional without health insurance.
Santa Barbara functions in large part because of service workers. All over Santa Barbara, low-wage workers clean houses and offices, beautify downtown, sort through recycling, sell souvenirs to tourists, clean police and fire uniforms, pick, transport, and serve food, work in the hotels, and care for thousands of children and elderly members of our community.
Almost all of these jobs in Santa Barbara are non-union poverty-wage paying jobs. The vast majority of workers in these industries are Latino. In Santa Barbara, most service workers must work two jobs to support their families. Low wage employers rarely provide health insurance, and most workers cannot afford health care. Santa Barbara County has the highest rate of uninsured children in California. The skyrocketing cost of rent and health care creates a situation where one medical emergency can thrust afamily into homelessness.
In the meantime, large companies are getting millions of our tax dollars in City contracts, yet are paying their workers poverty wages.
A living wage ordinance will enable hundreds of hard working families to lift themselves out of poverty. Workers will spend the added income in the community, which will benefit local small businesses.
When subsidized employers are allowed to pay their workers poverty wages, tax payers end up footing a double bill: the initial subsidy, and then the food stamps, emergency medical, housing and other social services needed to sustain low-wage workers and their families.
More than 25 communities in California have passed living wage ordinances, including Ventura, Oxnard, Pasadena, Los Angeles, Port Hueneme, Watsonville, San Fernando, Los Angeles, San Jose, West Hollywood, Santa Clara, Hayward, Richmond, Santa Cruz, and Marin County. Santa Barbara should not be an exception.
Although the Santa Barbara City Council has yet to pass a living wage ordinance, the two highest vote getters in the November 2003 City Council election, Helene Schneider and Das Williams, both publicly supported a living wage in their campaigns.
Santa Barbara for a Living Wage is pushing the City Council to adopt a living wage ordinance this year. For more information, see the living wage website at www.sblivingwage.org.

VOTE! PUEBLO’s Recommendations for the Ballot Initiatives this November

PROPOSITION 74-NO
If passed, this measure would require new classroom teachers to serve a 5-year probationary period rather than the current two years. They would also lose the right to have a fair hearing on their dismissal during this period. Current law already allows for firing teachers who are not performing in the classroom. Job security and fair treatment are crucial for attracting qualified, motivated people to careers in education. Proposition 74 does nothing to alleviate the underfunding, overcrowding and the lack of materials and resources which plague our public schools. Instead, it punishes new teachers. We say: NO on 74.

PROPOSITION 75-NO
This act requires nurses, teachers, firefighters, police and other public employees to sign a written form every year, if they want their dues to be used for union political activities. No such requirement would be given to corporate or special interest groups. Unions are already required to ask permission to use dues on most political activity. This measure is designed by corporate and ultra-conservative activists to hamstring unions in their ability to respond when politicians try to harm the environment, education, health care and public safety. We say: NO on 75.

PROPOSITION 76-NO
This proposition to give the Governor new powers to single-handedly slash state funding, while gutting the voter-approved education funding requirements in Proposition 98. Poorly written, it could also deprive cities and counties of hundreds of millions of dollars for police, firefighters, health care and social service programs. This act would devastate our public schools and other vital services, cutting school funding by over $4 billion every year- that’s $600 per student! Our schools lost two billion dollars when the Governor broke his promise to repay the money he took from education. If this initiative passes, Schwarzenegger will never have to repay that money to our schools. California already ranks near the bottom in education spending, why let the Governor mortgage our childrens’ future? We say: NO on 76.

PROPOSITION 77-NO
This measure amends the process for redistricting California’s Senate, Assembly, Congressional and Board of Equalization districts, putting the process in the hands of a three-member panel of retired judges, selected by legislative leaders. It would require immediate redistricting, a costly and unnecessary process which will produce unfair results using outdated census data. Even Republican Secretary of State Bruce McPherson believes this measure is fatally flawed. We don’t need this expensive distraction. We say: NO on 77.

PROPOSITION 78-NO
The big drug companies are going to spend millions trying to fool voters and keep them from passing the real prescription drug relief contained in Prop. 79. This phony measure says only that drug companies can enter a “voluntary” program to reduce prices...but why would they? A “No” vote on this measure is necessary to provide consumers with real relief from soaring drug prices, because whichever measure gets the highest number of votes becomes law. We say: NO on 78.

PROPOSITION 79-YES
We all know that health care is in crisis. The same life-saving drugs that are sold at outrageous prices here in the U.S. are affordable in Canada, Germany and other countries where action has been taken to bring prices down. Supported by seniors and consumer groups, this initiative would make it mandatory for drug companies to provide low-income residents with cheaper prescription drugs, or risk being barred from state Medi-Cal contracts. The discounts would come in the form of rebates that are negotiated between the state and drug makers. This measure also calls for an oversight board and would make certain prescription drug profiteering illegal. We Say: Yes on 79.

PROPOSITION 80- YES
A response to the deregulation disaster that brought us the energy crisis of the late 1990s, this measure aims to bring stability and reliability back to California’s electricity grid. It will prevent the kind of Enron-style market manipulation that led to rolling blackouts and skyrocketing electricity bills, and further commits California to increased reliance on renewable energy sources. The ultimate result will be affordable, reliable energy for ALL Californians. We say: Yes on 80.