By Allyson Tabor — Hallelujah! In 2021 the U.S. officially recognized Juneteenth as a Federal holiday, signed into law by President Joe Biden, with no opposing vote in the Senate and only 14 Republicans, including Rep. Tom McClintock, voting against creating the new Federal holiday named Juneteenth “National Independence Day.”
By Jay Michaelson, The Daily Beast — I am approximately zero percent surprised by the draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, authored by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, that was leaked to Politico. Not only am I unsurprised—I predicted it, several times, in this publication. And not just me, of course, but everyone in my profession.
By Susan Gamache, El Dorado Hills — “Gay Pride Day” initially began as a day of commemoration, but soon grew to encompass a month-long series of events, and to be celebrated as LGBTQ Pride Month. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month is celebrated in June to honor the Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan, and the greater issue of human rights.
El Dorado County has declared a shelter crisis as a new strategy to address homelessness on the West Slope.
Health and Human Services Agency staff last week presented to the Board of Supervisors a way to quickly provide beds for unsheltered residents and potential locations for short-term congregate and non-congregate shelters and a navigation center.
By KIÊN VU, Oak Ridge High School Student — The Union is in peril — it always has been and must always be. The volatile nature that constitutes the foundation of the United States is what strengthens it. The unending struggles between the states and the federal government, among the states themselves and between sectional and national identity provide the catalyst with which America has been able to achieve global prominence. The democratic experiment proved to be, by most measures, a runaway success. The Revolutionary War gave birth to a country sturdy enough to grant its citizens significant liberties, with ample ability, though not necessarily abundant will, to facilitate social change — all inside a federal framework that has effective, though not dictatorial, power. However, that struggle has evolved beyond a healthy test of character and threatens to tear the country into two. The Union is in serious jeopardy, threatening democracy in America, and by extension, the very idea of democracy.
By SUMMER DIXON, Oak Ridge High School Student —Throughout history, it is evident that the ability to vote has significantly evolved to expand the political power of citizens. Classical Greece, the Roman Republic, the United States, universal white male suffrage, and the 15th, 19th, 24th, and 26th Amendments all illustrate this distinct global and domestic development.
By MADISEN BERRY, Ponderosa High School Student — Voting has always been an integral aspect of the United States; it represents our democracy and freedom from the previous tyranny of past monarchies. Throughout the country’s brief history, one can see the ups and downs of voting rights, from the highs of women’s suffrage to the lows of the Three-Fifths Compromise. With all that has gone on surrounding voting rights in the United States, it remains a controversial topic. I whole-heartedly believe in equal voting rights. The ability for someone to vote should not be hindered by their ethnicity, social status, or race. That being said, some people still struggle to vote because of the systems put into place by the government. State governments have recently been changing their laws to make it easier, or harder, for some people to vote.
In 2021, one of our members, Susan Chandler, worked closely with an intern to develop this comprehensive guide to living green, with ideas and resources to help you take the next steps. Take a look and take some action.
Smaller, infill development helps promote green living by placing housing closer to established corridors, thereby reducing vehicle trips and encouraging walking and cycling.
In 2008, El Dorado County adopted a resolution providing an environmental vision for the county.
For those inspired to change habits, or adopt new ones, here are some ideas.
Before the EPA, the Clean Air Act or Clean Water Act, there were no legal or regulatory mechanisms to protect our environment. Rachael Carson’s profound book, “Silent Spring” opened many people’s eyes regarding the incredibly damaging effects of pesticides and the complacency of our goverment in blindly accepting industry talking points about their safety. In spring 1970, Senator Gaylord Nelson created Earth Day as a way to force this and other environmental issues onto the national agenda.