Citizen Action Weekend ’26 Newsletter, Friday, November 13th
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Organizing to win critical priorities in 2027!
Members and leaders from Citizen Action of Wisconsin, GROWW (Grassroots Organizing Western Wisconsin), Wisconsin Public Education Network, and WISDOM and its local affiliate JONAH gathered this morning in front of the Eau Claire County Government Center this Monday morning.
The groups gathered as county officials carry out the election certification process to celebrate the process and to call on Wisconsin’s newly elected Governor and State Legislature to work with organized people across the state and take meaningful action on major priorities for Wisconsin people and families including:
- Fully Funding Wisconsin’s Public Schools so every child can receive a first-class education and communities can end the cycle of local funding referendums for basic operations.
- Dramatically expanding BadgerCare and opening it up to individuals and small employers as an accessible and affordable alternative to for-profit insurance.
- Ending Wisconsin’s state sales tax exemption for data centers so Wisconsin families aren’t forced to subsidize massive Big Tech corporations, and ensuring communities have meaningful protections and a real say before these projects move forward.
- Overhauling the prison system to improve public safety, close antiquated prisons, and invest in effective alternatives.
Citizen Action member Rita Simon (pictured above) spoke at the media event in support of a BadgerCare Public Option.
See coverage from WEAU TV 13, WQOW TV 18, Civic Media Radio Network, and UpNorthNews.
To join Citizen Action’s BadgerCare Public Option organizing, contact: Kristie.Tweed@citizenactionwi.org
Citizen Action Driftless Update: Winning the Trifecta Is Not the Finish Line. It’s the Starting Gun.
One year ago, the Driftless Region had a healthcare action team, a handful of committed members, and a lot of ground to cover across 15 counties. Today we have a growing healthcare action team, a climate action team in its early stages, and an election protection effort that came together from nothing. Over 50 people signed up for shifts, many of whom we had never met or worked with before.
This year we knocked doors, made phone calls, hosted town halls, tabled at county fairs and pride events, lobbied our legislators, protected our ballots on election night, endorsed candidates who won, and never stopped building. We showed up in places that weren’t used to seeing us. We are building power.
Wisconsin has a trifecta for the first time in over a decade, and the people who just lost power are already calling on Democrats to come to the middle. To go slow and be reasonable. We know what that means; they don’t want them to actually deliver for the people who elected them
Democrats have the power to pass the BadgerCare Public Option and the Data Center Pause Bill. The biennial budget is due July 1st. Wisconsin only stays blue if this government delivers. That requires organized people holding them accountable every step of the way.
Show up. Lobby visits, town halls, and action team meetings are coming. Watch your inbox. It’s going to be a big year!
The Driftless is organized. The work continues.
For more information about getting involved in the Driftless region, contact: Aron.Newberry@citizenactionwi.org
Attend Citizen Action’s Political Education on Our Issues Series: $20 Minimum Wage, Tuesday, November 17th, 6pm
There are 800,000 Wisconsin workers who make less than $20/hour, 30% of workers, and yet in every area of Wisconsin the living wage, the amount needed to afford the basics of life, is over $21 per hour for a single person!
Learn more about the $20 Minimum Wage legislation and find out how you can get involved in our organizing to help pass the legislation in 2027.
Does your State Legislator support the $20 minimum wage bill?Co-sponsors currently include:
Representatives Cruz, Clancy, Tenorio, Anderson, Arney, Bare, Brown, DeSanto, DeSmidt, Fitzgerald, Goodwin, Haywood, Hong, Hysell, Joers, Johnson, Kirsch, Madison, Mayadev, McCarville, McGuire, Miresse, Moore Omokunde, Palmeri, Phelps, Prado, Rivera-Wagner, Roe, Sheehan, Sinicki, Snodgrass, Spaude, Stroud, Stubbs, Subeck, Taylor, Udell and Vining;
Senators Roys, Drake, Larson, Spreitzer and Carpenter
Is one of your state legislators not on this list? Call them today 1-800-362-9472
To join Citizen Action’s organizing to pass the $20 Wage bill, contact: Grace.Koch@citizenactinowi.org
Join us for Healthcare Meeting with State Senator Kristen Dassler-Alfheim, Monday, November 16th, 5:45pm, Oshkosh.
Join us to meet with state Senator Kristen Dassler-Alfheim to advocate for BadgerCare expansion and gain her support for this critical healthcare infrastructure that our communities desperately need.
We have the opportunity to share our healthcare stories and the stories of those in our communities that would be directly impacted and their lives would be improved by this legislation with State Senator Kristen Dassler-Alfeim
For more information, contact Garnet at: g.degrave@citizenactionwi.org
Citizen Action in the News
U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin announced a new bill to lower Medicare eligibility to 50 years of age. The proposal potentially opens Medicare to over 40 million additional Americans.
Citizen Action’s Executive Director Robert Kraig was interviewed on the new plan by CBS 58 News.
Citizen Action teamed up with close partners WISDOM, Grassroots Organizing Western Wisconsin (GROWW), and Wisconsin Public Education Network, to put together a news event in Eau Claire celebrating a free and fair election and calling on the new Governor and State Legislature to show that democracy can quickly deliver real relief to everyday Wisconsinites. The event drew extensive media coverage.
See coverage from WEAU TV 13, WQOW TV 18, Civic Media Radio Network, and UpNorthNews.
Citizen Action’s Robert Kraig was also on the Jeff Santos Show to discuss the battle for who will lead national Democrats and other issues.
Watch and Listen here (@ 1 hour 35 minute mark of video)
Listen to “Funding Wisconsin’s Public Schools and expanding BadgerCare” Battleground Wisconsin Podcast
We review a media event Citizen Action held with GROWW (Grassroots Organizing Western Wisconsin), Wisconsin Public Education Network, and WISDOM to highlight how across Wisconsin, regular people are confronting the growing threat of hyper-scale data centers, rising healthcare costs, underfunded public schools, and a political system where wealthy special interests wield more power and influence in Madison than the people who live here and called on Wisconsin’s newly elected Governor and State Legislature to work with organized people across the state and take meaningful action on major priorities for Wisconsin people and families including: (1) Fully Funding Wisconsin’s Public Schools, (2) Dramatically expanding BadgerCare, (3) Ending Wisconsin’s state sales tax exemption for data centers, and (4) Overhauling the prison system to improve public safety, close antiquated prisons, and invest in effective alternatives.
Robert tells us about the U.S. Senate moving a dangerous energy permitting bill forward with enough votes to ultimately pass and go to the U.S. House in the lame duck before the new Congress is sworn in.
We welcome Heather DuBois Bourenane from Wisconsin Public Education Network (WPEN) to discuss the historic opportunity Wisconsin has to fix the state funding formula and ensure all our public schools are properly funded so no school district needs to go to referendum to provide the basics.
Robert educates us on a potential new way for Wisconsin to expand BadgerCare to all Wisconsinites and Tammy Baldwin’s new federal bill to expand access to Medicare to everyone 50 and older.
Listen to the show.
