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Santa Barbara Medicare-for-All Rally
April 17, 2021 @ 1:00 am PDT
Santa Barbara Medicare-for-All Activists urge state legislators to publicly
declare support for AB1400, the California Guaranteed Health Care for All Act
On Saturday, April 17, local activists are hosting a series of rallies in downtown Santa Barbara, urging state legislators to pass AB 1400, the California Guaranteed Health Care for All (“CalCare”), a statewide equivalent to federal bills calling for Medicare for All.
Participants will practice physical distancing, wear masks, and will observe other Covid safety guidelines. Walking between rallies will be on sidewalks and the State St. mall.
Approximate Timeline, Saturday, April 17:
1:00 pm. Participants will meet at 1:00 pm at the Santa Barbara courthouse on the Anacapa St. side to share and make signs. After a short rally, at about 1:35 pm, participants will walk two blocks west on Anapamu St. to the offices of Assemblymember Steve Bennett at 101 W. Anapamu St. (at Chapala)
1:40–2:00 pm. Short rally in front of 101 W. Anapamu St. (Assm. Bennett or staff invited to address rally.)
2:00–2:30 pm. Participants will walk back east one block on Anapamu, turn right and walk down the State St. mall two blocks, turn left and walk down Carrillo St. three blocks to the offices of State Senator Monique Limón at 222 E. Carrillo St. (at Garden St.)
2:30–2:50 pm. Short rally in back parking lot of 222 E. Carrillo St. (Senator Limón or staff invited to address rally.)
Local sponsors of this action are: Democratic Socialists of America (DSA-Santa Barbara), Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP-Santa Barbara), Healthcare for All-California (HCA-CA-Santa Barbara), Progressive Democrats of America, 24th Congress. Dist. (PDA- CD24) and the Green Party of Santa Barbara County.
In 2019, an estimated 3 million Californians were uninsured, and another 12 million were underinsured; that was even before the global pandemic, which has resulted in widespread job losses and, and with lost jobs, lost healthcare insurance. Communities of color and other marginalized communities have suffered the most under our warped, inefficient, overly-complex for-profit healthcare system. The time is ripe to pass guaranteed, universal health care for all in California. We are building a strong, multi-racial, grassroots movement in every corner of our state. We are asking our California legislative leaders to state with whom they stand: with the people of California who are sick and tired of paying outrageous insurance premiums, copays and deductibles while still having to fight with insurance companies for coverage, or with the multi-millionaire insurance/pharma/hospital corporation executives. It’s one or the other. https://healthcareforall.org/2021/04/03/connect-with-the-ab-1400-calcare-campaign/