Courage — It Looks Good On You!

For our Season 2 finale of Courage — It Looks Good on You! , we’re looking ahead to 2024! Specifically the 2024 primary election, taking place in California in March, and how one of California’s most important voting-blocks, Latinas, can shape the future. According to a UCLA study , “turnout gaps between Latinos—one of the fastest-growing demographic groups— will lead to election results that are...

The 2022-23 California legislative session may have come to an end, and in our guest’s opinion, was an “epic fail” – but the people still have opportunities to impact change in our communities, by urging Gov. Newsom to sign key legislation and voting for transformative ballot measures in the upcoming 2024 election.  Jay Hockley Sr., a community organizer at Initiate Justice, joins Irene Kao, Execu...

The UFW has been instrumental in passing laws, securing protections for farm workers, and advocating  for immigration reform, but there is still much work to be done, and fast, due to the severity of the climate crisis. Year after year, increased temperatures and natural disasters have proven fatal for farm workers – even in California, where we have some of the strictest labor laws. So why are ad...

School districts nationwide, including here in California, have been up against right-wing activists who have been pushing back against the LGBTQ+ community in education. While this is nothing new, in recent years there has been an uptick in activists pushing misinformation, strategically electing right-wing leaders to school boards, and passing discriminatory policies in our schools.   San Bernar...

As the 2022-23 California Legislative calendar year comes to an end, voters will soon be bombarded with campaign ads and candidates making impressive claims and promises about themselves, and damning claims about their opponents, all in an attempt to win your 2024 vote.   But thanks to Courage Score , Californians can tune-out the campaign noise (and misinformation) and see the receipts firsthand....

Californians overwhelmingly care about the environment and climate change. Courage California’s newly released polling provides us with a better understanding as to what exactly this means to our state’s diverse communities – how Californians view it, are impacted by it, who they believe is responsible for it –  and what this means for the future of environmental racism and justice. According to t...

In the aftermath of the Antioch Police Department’s “racist text scandal” – in which texts were released that revealed decades of police officers using derogatory, homophobic and sexually explicit language, and bragging about falsifying evidence and beating up suspects – community members are left picking up the pieces, facing hard truths, and in need of healing.  James Herard, executive director...

We're kicking off season two of  Courage — It Looks Good On You! with Steve Phillips,  author of "Brown Is the New White: How the Demographic Revolution Has Created a New American Majority" and the newly released national bestselling book "How We Win the Civil War: Securing a Multiracial Democracy and Ending White Supremacy for Good."  Steve Phillips, joined by Irene Kao,...

Join us in June for a new season of Courage — It Looks Good On You! We’ll be covering an array of topics to ensure you're an empowered voter, and Californian.  If you have any questions or topic suggestions please feel free to email us at Info@couragecalifornia.org.  With You, fashioned in Courage, We Can create a California that represents and serves us all. Connect with us: @CourageCA #Cour...

Hear from our Courageous team members – who have been busy helping pass progressive state legislation, getting out the vote for our elections, and holding our electeds accountable – to find out what they’re thankful for in 2022.  Spoiler alert, we’re all a bit thankful to the California voters who made their voices heard in the midterm elections!  With You, fashioned in Courage, We Can create a Ca...

Today we're talking about California's youth vote! We polled young voters in our state's key Congressional toss-up districts -- and found that young voters care, plan to vote, and  lean progressive – but want parties and candidates to EARN their vote. What will it take to turn out the youth vote in California?  Join our colleague Lindsay West in a conversation with Bulmaro 'Boo...

California's 2022 Legislative session is long-gone. While our state’s environmental and climate justice advocates saw some wins this cycle – we also saw some disappointing failures, such as Justice40, which died in the Senate.  AB 2419 — introduced by Assemblymember Bryan (CA-54) – would have created an equity framework for federal climate and infrastructure funds, mandating that 40% of those...

As we head into the General Election season, what ALL Californians should be focused on is our state’s voter turnout. In this episode Jay Chotirmal, Courage California’s Senior Communications and Voter Engagement Manager, has a conversation with James Herard, ED of Lift Up Contra Costa, and Cindy Lee, Field Organizer at Hmong Innovating Politics, about what happened during California’s 2022 primar...

The California Legislature is currently on Summer recess – returning in Aug.  Lawmakers adopted a $300 billion dollar state budget , that will provide refunds to most taxpayers in the state, boost public education funding, and expand abortion access.  The following made the cut:  $2.3 billion to provide healthcare access to all income-eligible Californians through full-scope Medi-Cal, extending ac...

The Supreme Court issued its opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization – which overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey – ending the right to safe and legal abortion in the United States. In this episode we learn what the Supreme Court decision means for California, and how California’s fight to expand abortion rights and access can be a model for the nation. Nourbese F...

LisaMarie Betancourt interviews two Central Valley healing justice advocates, community organizer Grisanti Valencia & Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Gidai Maaza.  What roles are communities currently occupying in public safety?  What are the small entry points we all can make for collective healing?  In this episode, we talk about healing justice for communities most impacted by polici...

LisaMarie Betancourt interviews co-founder of the Prosecutors Alliance of California , Cristine Soto DeBerry for a conversation about lasting public safety. How do we create safer communities for everyone?  Who is harmed and what is criminal?  In this episode, we talk about the impacts of crime and punishment in California, victimization, and how progressive prosecutors throughout California are c...

Jay Chotirmal interviews Data for Social Good ’s Jose Bedolla and Lisa Garcia Bedolla to learn about the ins and outs of political polling and pollsters, the people behind the polls. As most Americans have experienced, polls aren’t always reliable – but it turns out, even inaccurate polls can provide us with important information. Who funds, conducts, and is surveyed for polls can be just as infor...

Irene Kao interviews Executive Director of Communities for a New California Pablo Rodriguez, and Los Angeles Supervisor Holly Mitchell in this episode to learn more about the word progressive and the progressive movement. We unpack how the terminology translates across diverse parts of California, and how Holly and Pablo are working towards progressive goals in their respective communities. Shot o...

You're invited to join us on April 4 for the launch of " Courage — It Looks Good On You!" Courage California is fighting for a California that works for all of us – by providing the information and resources Californians need to hold their elected officials accountable.  Courage — It Looks Good On You! will help keep Californians informed about the issues – and help you discover the...