Dear Colleagues,
This week is a statewide CTA/CFT week of action.  We will be sending you information about the campaign to get tax extensions passed and to promote progressive tax reform such as AB 1130 which would increase taxes on the top 1% of wage earners (those that earn over $500,000) by 1% in order to raise over $2 billion for education and vital public services.  We are also working at the statewide level to put forward a ballot measure toward this end.  

In addition to this, we will be standing with our students and part-time colleagues who have been hurt the most by the budget cuts with the cancellation of summer school and fall/spring classes.   Please join our students along with your AFT representatives, SDCCD Board member Peter Zschiesche, SDUSD Board Member Richard Barrera, and our community allies this Friday at 9:00 AM at Assembly Member Nathan Fletcher’s office at 9909 Mira Mesa Boulevard to send a message to Fletcher and his Republican allies that they can’t hold the future of education in California hostage.  We need to: 

1) Extend current tax revenues.  We simply can’t afford to lose $8.5 billion annually from this loss of revenue. We can’t afford more cuts to public education and essential public services.
We need our Legislature to pass the tax extensions Governor Brown has proposed to balance the State budget.

2) Restore higher taxes for wealthiest Californians.  The wealthiest 1 percent of Californians pay less in taxes now than they did in the mid-1990s. Assembly Bill 1130 would start correcting this inequity by taxing 1 percent of our state’s highest income earners, those who make more than $500,000, an additional 1 percent. This single change will bring in $2.5 billion annually.
We need our Legislature to restore tax equity and pass AB 1130.

3) Demand fair and progressive taxation.  Our school funding ranks 47th in the nation; our community college funding ranks 45th. California simply must change its ways. Just as last year’s Proposition 25 restored a majority vote to adopt a state budget, we must do the same for taxation.
We need progressive change so everyone pays their fair share.

Finally, if you can help drive students to this event, please meet at Lot 8 at City College (14th and C St.) at 8:00 AM so we can carpool to the site.  If you can help drive students to this event, please reply to this email.
We need a large turnout at Assembly Member Nathan Fletcher's office this Friday!  We need to let him know that it's not OK that he refuses to give us the right to vote on our taxes.
In Solidarity,
Jim