Jeanette Branham was brutally abused by her second husband during their marriage. She was punched, kicked, slapped, raped, beaten, thrown into the walls and shoved down stairs, often suffering severe injuries including broken bones. She was unable to escape a man who put her life in constant danger. One day in 1987, her husband began beating her and threatening to kill her. He knocked her to the ground. The only way to get away from him alive was to fight back. Jeanette rolled under the bed and grabbed the gun that was kept there for household protection. At that moment, it was her life or his, and she chose hers. She took aim and shot him, with the purpose of wounding him enough that she could escape. While he was allowed to live out the rest of his days in peace, Jeanette was tried for attempted murder. 30 years ago,  battered women were not allowed to present evidence of the abuse they suffered when they were on trial. Her attorney and the Judge convinced her to plead guilty, telling her she would be released in 7 years. That was 25 years ago, and, at 76, she still sits in jail. The Parole Board has rightfully recognized that  Jeanette is suitable for parole, so now it is up to Governor Brown to determine whether or not she will be released. Please help me call on Governor Brown to uphold my friend Jeannette’s parole ruling and let her enjoy her remaining years free and in peace. I met Jeanette in prison while I was serving a sentence of 32 years to life for a crime I didn't commit. I have continued to support Jeanette after my exoneration and release because she is a decent, caring woman who paid her debt to society a long time ago. She deserves her freedom, and I am asking you to help us make that happen. Please sign my petition  asking Gov. Jerry Brown to uphold Jeannette’s parole ruling and set her free. Thank you for your support.

As fires ripped through Northern California burning down over 8,000 homes and other buildings, and killing over 40 people, 1,700 of those fighting fires on the front lines have been California state prisoners. In fact, 30% of California’s forest firefighters, nearly 4,000, are prisoners. While it’s a long standing practice for prisoners to work while incarcerated as a form of rehabilitation, we would be better served by rewarding prisoners who have demonstrated exceptional conduct in prison with a sentence reduction. I was a first time nonviolent drug offender who served 9 years of a 24 year sentence before President Clinton granted me clemency. I can think of no group that deserves a second chance more than those who, serving time for minor crimes, choose to risk their lives to save others by fighting fires.  In February 2016, 22-year-old Shawna Lynn Jones, was killed when she was struck in the head by a falling rock while fighting fires in Malibu. She was serving time for violating probation for a drug offense and was scheduled to be released just two months later. Over the last year, at least two other prisoners have died while performing firefighting duty. One man was crushed by a tree, another accidentally cut a femoral artery with a chainsaw.   Prisoners earn approximately $2 a day, or up to $1 an hour if fighting an active fire, through a program with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. There are 43 conservation camps in California where adult offenders work. These prisoners are screened and anyone with violent tendencies or attitude problems is not allowed into the program. Around 30 to 40 percent work 24-hour shifts, then get 24 hours of rest. At most, prisoners can earn up to two days off for each day they’re in the conservation camps. This program is estimated to save the state $124 million a year, amounting to 3 million hours of labor to fight or prevent fires. We can do better for people who clearly pose no threat to society. Please sign my petition asking California Governor Jerry Brown to exercise his clemency privilege toward prisoners who have risked life and limb to save the homes and lives of countless California citizens, animals, and hundreds of thousand of acres of forestry.   Thank you, Amy PovahCAN-DO Foundation  

California could become the first state in the world to end the sales of dogs, cats and rabbits in retail stores unless procured from a registered shelter or rescue. And you can help make that happen!We created this petition with our partners, Puppy Mill Free US, to contact Governor Brown now, so he is aware of the huge number of supporters for AB-485 well before it reaches his desk.Every signature goes directly to the Governor's office. Governor Brown has done some good things for wildlife recently, BUT he is known for capricious and sometimes contrary positions. We do not know his position on this bill. He has, in a number of issues over his long years, not always been on the side of ending animal suffering. We fully expect him to sign this bill promptly, but we simply do not know which way he will go. Please SIGN, SHARE AND GIVE IF YOU CAN to change.org—no matter how little—to promote this petition to those who most want to sign. Help get our numbers over 100,000 ASAP.HISTORYA similar bill was passed by CA House and Senate 8 years ago, which Governor Schwarzenegger promptly vetoed. The Guvenator has since found a new determination in protecting animals through his friend, director James Cameron, a vegan advocate who is producing a documentary, The Game Changers, in which Arnie is likely to appear as "the documentary will introduce "the world to elite athletes, special ops soldiers, visionary scientists, cultural icons, and everyday heroes--each on a mission to create a seismic shift in the way we eat and live."We're fairly sure Arnie would sign this bill this time around, but Governor Brown... we just don't know. Help us help him make the decision to change the world.

The Hayden Law was passed in California in 1998 and provides the nation's most comprehensive laws to protect shelter animals. Governor Jerry Brown is considering a repeal of a number of provisions of the Hayden Law citing budget concerns. With the Hayden Law, California was at the forefront of animal shelter regulation and many states have been following that lead ever since. Some of the provisions that are subject to repeal would mean permanently reducing the required holding period for animals to 72 hours prior to euthanasia, eliminating the requirement to provide veterinary treatment for shelter animals, and eliminating the requirement to keep records for animals impounded by shelter personnel, which would only make it more difficult to locate lost animals or those available for adoption. The situation for shelter animals is bad enough now. Why ensure that it remains that way in the future as well? There is no justification, budgetary or otherwise, for making these changes permanent. The provisions in question have already been suspended since July 2009, and are currently not imposing additional costs on the state. California's homeless animals deserve better. Repeal of any of the provisions of the Hayden Law would be a giant step backward for the animals of California when other states are continuing forward with animal protection laws. Further information is available here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/01/14/4186863/jerry-browns-budget-plan-would.html The bill is already being re-written and the Hayden Law provisions in question have been revised or stricken entirely:   http://www.dof.ca.gov/budgeting/trailer_bill_language/corrections_and_general_government/documents/%5b301%5d%20Repeal%20Make%20Permissive%20Specified%20Mandates.pdf

In 2015, Senator Richard Pan was assigned the position of Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Children with Special Needs.  Since that time, the Committee has met three times.  To our knowledge, nothing of substance has ever been produced by this Committee.  In 2017, parents contacted Senator Pan's office to inquire as to any upcoming scheduled meetings.  All parents were told that there was no scheduled meeting on the calendar.  We launched a petition requesting a meeting and the removal of Senator Pan from the leadership position.  Within three days of launching the petition, a meeting was miraculously 'already on the calendar.'  With little notice on a holiday weekend, a small group of parents still managed to attend the meeting.  ZERO members of the Committee (other than Senator Pan) attended the meeting.  Although parents felt that there wasn't much accomplished at the April 2017 meeting, they left mildly hopeful with the promise that they would be included in notifications for future meetings.  After the meeting adjourned, one parent visited each Committee Member's office inside the Capitol.  Not a single Senator was even aware that a meeting had been convened!  One Senator was completely unaware that he was even a member of the Committee! Another year has passed and there is no news from the Committee.  As of last week, there are no plans to hold a meeting anytime in the near future.  We were told by a staffer in Pan's office that "it takes a long time to calendar committee meetings" and she didn't see the likelihood of a meeting this year.  This is unacceptable.  Senator Pan should be removed from the Chair position and a replacement, who is committed to exploring and improving this important issue, should be appointed immediately.  The Committee COULD be an integral piece in improving the lives of children with special needs in California.  Instead, as the situation for these children and their families in California continues to worsen, the Committee is almost a mockery to parents who want action on behalf of their children.  Meanwhile, Senator Pan builds his leadership resume and does nothing. Parents attempting to contact Senator Pan's office regarding the Committee are treated rudely and dismissed with little regard. Messages are rarely returned and there is never any information of substance relayed to parents. We are told that the Senator is currently too busy. From the looks of this tweet, Pan is busy selling his services as a legislative lobbyist to other states around the country.  Our children deserve better! We have a crisis on our hands in California with regards to children with special needs!  According to kidsdata.org, school enrollment of children with special needs remained at a steady 9.8% from 2002 through 2013.  As of 2016, this number had jumped a full 2% to 11.8%!  kidsdata.org 2%  The numbers for autism are even more concerning:  in 2002, enrollment of children with autism sat at 2.2% - as of 2016, that number had climbed to 13.2%!!  kidsdata.org autism Even the Sac Bee reported on the 7% increase in kindergartners diagnosed with autism in 2016.  Couple these startling statistics with data from this study, which shows that the average life expectancy of a child diagnosed with autism is a mere 39 years and you might begin to understand why parents are concerned about this issue! It should be noted that our teachers are overburdened as well. The influx of children with special needs in our school systems has teachers working on their own time to complete iep's and ensure that they are doing the best they can for their students.  Our teachers deserve better! These numbers don't even begin to take into account the issues related to abuse in public schools that children with special needs are facing.  Like this story of a 9 year old child with special needs being abused by a teacher's aide in an Antioch school.  Or these autistic children who were physically abused in a Rocklin school. Most recently, this case of sexual abuse of a special needs student by a teacher's aide hit the news. Suffice it to say, we could continue on with case after case of abuse happening in the school setting. It is clear that Senator Pan does not have the time nor the inclination to utilize the Select Committee on Children with Special Needs. He must be removed from the committee and replaced by a Senator who can and will do the job. He is unwilling to foster working relationships with parents of children with special needs. We are not looking to be placated with another faux meeting with Pan at the helm. He has had three years and failed. Replace him now - our children deserve someone more capable!

My son Jeremy Stewart has been given 70 years in prison for stealing. He was convicted of burglarizing two homes while the residents were out. There was no confrontation, no threats, and no violence. California has the toughest Three strikes law allowing life sentences for property theft. My son had two prior nonviolent offenses, the judge made the decision to enforce the law to the fullest. I have been fighting for a fairer punishment ever since. Under previous California law, Jeremy would have most likely been sentenced to about 12-15 years in prison. But because of California's 3 Strikes law, Jeremy received a harsher sentence than drug cartel hit men who had confessed to killing more than 20 people. They only got 25-years-to-life. Jeremy's poor decisions were made while he was dealing with a serious drug addiction and depression. He needed treatment and rehabilitation.This doesn't excuse his conduct and he knows he needs to face consequences for his actions. But 70 years to life with no good time credits allowed, means he won't be eligible for parole until he is 96. The cost, 5 million dollars to taxpayers. This is an unjust and  inhumane death sentence, all for nonviolent offense. Jeremy is not the only one being punished -- I am raising his two children in his absence. Every day, these innocent young children suffer emotionally missing their father. I struggle financially working to afford day care and their basic needs.This unjust sentence means his children will never be able share the same four walls as their father. He should have an opportunity to earn the right to return home to provide for his two young children, Heatherly and David, currently ages 5 and 6. Today Jeremy is serving his sentence at Centenila State Prison. He tutors other inmates, leads the Christian worship services and the Narcotics Anonymous group. He currently has a 4.0 GPA through Coastline College and will soon be graduating, just 4 more classes to go. He has been a model prisoner. Jeremy made a terrible mistake, but should a nonviolent crime put him behind bars for life?  A Petition for Clemency has been sent to Governor Edmund G. (Jerry) Brown to exercise his discretion and reduce Jeremy's sentence. I am asking the Governor to reduce his sentence to 20 years. I humbly and respectfully request your support. Please sign my petition and stand by me and my family as we fight to give Jeremy the chance to come home one day. Thank you. Elizabeth Stewart

Tatyana Hargrove is a 19 yr old girl who was beaten by Bakersfield police and maliciously attacked by a K9 police dog while riding her bike home. The reason? Police say they mistook her for an adult male suspect but throughout the encounter, Tatyana was never told why she was being arrested. “After they beat me and threw me in the cop car, that’s when they told me,” she said. Tatyana stopped for a moment while riding her bike when  she saw three police cars and an officer pointing a gun at here. Police asked if she was just a grocery store where earlier that day police received a report of a man with a machete who attempted to stab an employee. They were looking for a 30-year-old black male nearly 6 feet tall with shaved head and goatee and weighing 160lbs. Tatyana is 5 feet, 2 inches tall and only weighs 120 pounds.  When Tatyana said she wasn’t at the grocery store, the police demanded to see her backpack: “I looked behind me and it was a big K-9 dog,” she said. “I then got scared and then I was like ‘Here just take the backpack.’” Tatyana says one officer then grabbed her wrist and neck and punched her in the mouth. “He then threw me onto the ground and then that’s when the K-9 came and started eating at my leg.”  One officer put his knees on her back. Over and over she yelled “I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe.” It wasn’t long before officers realized they had the wrong person but by then Tatyana had been punched, shoved, and severely bitten by a dog. She was taken to a hospital where she called her father who was told by an officer “it was mistaken identity.”  We’re calling for immediate action to be taken to help find justice for Tatyana:  1. BPD To Put Officers On Administrative Leave Immediately2. The D.A. to File Charges Against The Officers3. City Council To Adopt An Effective Community Police Oversight Committee4. City Council To Approve The Budget For Body Cameras5. FBI & US. Attorney Office To File Charges Against The Officers under Title 18 U.S. Code § 242 - Deprivation of rights under color of law 6. Attorney General To Include This Pattern Of Behavior In Their Investigation7. Falsified Charges To Be Dismissed  Please sign this petition and watch video of Tatyana explaining what happened and also support her GoFundMe page. 

California Assembly members Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) and Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D-San Diego) are sponsoring the “Safe Youth Football Act” which will establish a minimum age to play in organized tackle football programs in California.  Youth athletes (ages 5-14) will NOT be able to participate in any form of organized tackle football until the 9th grade.  The impetus behind this bill is to prevent young athletes from sustaining long-term brain damage caused by repetitive tackling, hitting and blocking; however, no research has definitively linked long-term brain damage or Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) to participation in youth tackle football. Young athletes who are prevented from participating in youth tackle football programs are placed at a much greater risk for future injuries of all types, especially concussions, brain damage and CTE, as they would be prevented from years of training and instruction in proper tackling and blocking techniques that are provided at the youth level. Youth athletes are slower and smaller in weight & stature then their high school counterparts, which results in collisions and impact forces substantially less in youth tackle football then those associated with high school football.  Youth athletes are therefore less likely to experience long-term brain injuries when participating in youth tackle football while learning and executing basic tackling and blocking techniques; however, as athletes progress into high school, the increased body mass and speed of high school athletes can result in collisions and impact forces which have the potential of injury on any given play, especially when the athlete does not have the benefit of years of prior training in the safe execution of these techniques. Additionally, under AB 2127 signed into law in 2014, high school football programs are now limited to no more then 90 minutes of full-contact practice per day, and limits the number of full-contact practices during the season to only (2) per week.  With a maximum of (3) hours per week of full-contact drills, the ability of high school coaches to teach the basic fundamentals of full-contact blocking and tackling is severely limited, especially when coaches have also been limited by the California Interscholastic Foundation (CIF) to a maximum of (18) hours per week of total practice, to include "any school or team or individual activity organized by the coach intended to maintain or improve a student-athlete’s skill proficiency in a sport. This includes skill drills, game situation drills, intrasquad scrimmages or games, weight training, chalk talks, film review, meetings outside of school time that are implicitly or explicitly required by the coach."  Three hours for game time is also factored into this rule, reducing the total weekly practice time to only (15) hours per week, simply not enough time for high school football programs to adequately teach basic blocking and tackling skills that youth athletes are traditionally taught from ages 5-14.  Finally, the importance of organized youth football participation in the lives of hundreds of thousands of youth throughout California each year cannot be overlooked.  Many youth athletes use football as a means to escape communities overwhelmed with poverty, crime, drug abuse and minimal family structure.  The bonds built within youth football programs between players can last a lifetime and the mentoring relationship between players and coaches can ultimately assist players to rise beyond their surrounds to excel in society and life.  By denying youth athletes access to such positive influences during their most formative years of emotional and social development is more traumatic they any possible injury that may suffered on the field of play. Please join myself and youth athletes, coaches and parents throughout California in preventing the passage of this proposal and keeping youth contact football an option for all youth athletes in our great State!

Governor Brown. Tell Sister State, South Korea and Jeju Province of South Korea, That We’re Opposed to the Torture and Consumption of Dogs and Cats. California became sister state of South Korea in 1987 and Jeju Province of South Korea in 2005.  Yet South Korea is responsible for the horrendous dog and cat meat trade.  An estimated 2.5 million dogs and thousands of cats are slaughtered and eaten as “health food” each year in South Korea. There are laws in South Korea against selling dogs and cats for consumption yet these laws are blatantly ignored. Please watch this undercover video by animal rights activists in South Korea:  http://youtu.be/3uR8R8Mu70Q   Please inform President Moon Jae-In and Governor Hee-Ryong Won that California citizens and their friends insist that they issue an official document mandating that the following existing laws be enforced: Livestock Product Sanitary Control Act, Article 2, Item 1 which governs the raising, slaughter and disposal of livestock and the processing, distribution and inspection of livestock products, does not categorize dogs as livestock that can be processed as food.  Therefore this makes the dog meat industry technically illegal.   Food Sanitation Act, Article 7, Clause 1, Korean Food Standards Codex specified by the Food and Drug Administration, does not include dogs in the list of raw materials that can be processed and cooked as food, therefore making raising and slaughtering dogs for consumption illegal. Animal Protection Act: ARTICLE 3. BASIC PRINCIPLES FOR PROTECTION OF ANIMALS Each person shall endeavor to observe the following principles in raising, caring for, or protecting an animal: 1. Each person shall ensure that an animal maintains its natural behavior and original physical shape to live an ordinary life; 2. Each person shall ensure that an animal does not suffer from thirst, hunger, or malnutrition; Each person shall ensure that an animal is free to express normal behavior without experiencing discomfort; 4. Each person shall ensure that an animal is free from pain, injury, and disease; 5. Each person shall ensure that an animal is free from fear and distress. ARTICLE 8. PROHIBITION OF ANIMAL ABUSE ① No one shall commit the following acts toward animals: 1. Act of killing by brutal methods, such as hanging 2. Act of Killing in public or in another animal’s presence ③ No one shall commit the following acts toward abandoned or abused animals: 1. Act of capture and sell or kill. 2. Act of trade or purchase knowing that the animals are abandoned or abused. ARTICLE 9. ANIMAL TRANSPORTATION ① Anyone transporting an animal that has been selected by decree from the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries must make an effort to abide by the following: 1. Ensure that the animals are properly fed, watered and drive carefully so that animals are not shocked or harmed from sudden departures or stops. 2. The vehicle used for transportation must be built to prevent any harm during transportation and to minimize any pain due to poor ventilation or sudden changes in temperature, etc. 4. Avoid any possible injuries while moving an animal and minimize any pain or discomfort, such as sudden changes in body temperature or difficulty in breathing. ARTICLE 46. PUNISHMENT ① Anyone who violates Article 8, Clause 1 through 3 shall be punished with up to one year in prison or a maximum fine of 10 million Korean won ($7,000 USD). Ministry of Environment's Conservation of Water Quality and Ecosystem Act,  Article 15 Clause 1 Item 2 and Article 78 Item 3, the act of discharging excrements, livestock wastewater, animal carcass, waste materials or sludge into public water is punishable by up to one year in prison or a maximum fine of 10 million Korean won ($7,000 USD). Livestock Safety Management Act, slaughterhouses are only authorized to slaughter animals they are registered to handle. No slaughterhouse is registered to slaughter dogs because dogs are not subject to slaughter under this law. We believe these demands are in line with the goal of sister states to establish friendly communications in the areas of tourism, commerce, cultural exchange and public health. International and Korean media coverage of the brutal dog and cat meat trade in South Korea has stained South Korea’s image and severely tarnished California’s sister state relationship. The time to end this tragedy is now. Thank you for taking swift action. PS:  Please also send Governor Brown a direct email if you can.  It's very quick and simple.   https://govnews.ca.gov/gov39mail/mail.php http://koreandogs.org/  

We have a unique opportunity to ban bobcat trapping in California but time is of the essence ~ We need YOUR help to make this happen!  Background: In 2013 California Governor Jerry Brown passed the Bobcat Protection Act which requires the California Fish and Game Commission to amend its regulations to prohibit trapping bobcats "within, and adjacent to, the boundaries of a national or state park, monument or preserve, national wildlife refuge, and any other public or private conservation area identified by the commission for protection.” The original bill would have banned bobcat trapping statewide but because of pressure from the trapping lobby, the bill was weakened. Thankfully, Fish and Game Commissioner Richard Rogers requested that a complete ban on bobcat trapping be considered and vetted through the administrative rules process.  You have the opportunity to weigh in on this important issue NOW! The Commission is currently accepting public comment and will make a final vote on the issue on August 5th, 2015 at their meeting in Fortuna, CA.   Please sign this petition and urge the Commission to support Option 2, which would ban bobcat trapping statewide. After signing, please share this petition widely with friends, family and colleagues.  For more information about this issue, see our action alert, read this article in SFGate and watch our video coverage of the three CA Fish & Game Commission meetings in which testimony regarding the issue was heard: Van Nuys, CA on December 3rd, in Santa Rosa, CA on April 9th, and in Mammoth Lakes, CA on June 11th. Sign up for Project Coyote’s E-Team to stay apprised of this and other related issues. Together we can ban bobcat trapping in California!  Thank you!