What can we do? These simple action steps are designed to provide concrete actions to give you a mechanism for doing something. Daily assaults on personal freedoms and institutions meant to serve American citizens can be overwhelming. Ignoring the worst and retreating inward can seem like the only response. Fear is understandable. But fear contributes to the dismantling. Action, because it is the right thing to do, helps us sleep at night. Action, regardless of outcome, makes a pillow softer.
The League suggests that you post each message in your kitchen. Grab your morning beverage, grab your phone, and take action.
To receive the What You Can Do actions directly, please email info [at] lwv-alachua.org (subject: What%20You%20Can%20Do) with "What You Can Do" in the subject line. Request to be added to the email list. Messages come out about once a week.
CURRENT ACTION TOPICS: 1) GRU referendum 2) Office of Sustainability 3) Militarization of cities 4) Garcia deportation 5) Support the CDC, reverse MAHA 6) Stabilize the Social Security Office 7) Keep drinking water safe 8) Release the Epstein files
Local:
1) A special election is on Nov 4, 2025. There is a single item on the ballot: the GRU referendum.
Here are the thoughts of a GRU customer who does not live in city limits:
I am a GRU customer who lives outside the city limits. Since I don't live in Gainesville, I
understand that, by law, I am not eligible to vote in the city elections. However, in my view, a Yes
vote on the GRU referendum makes sense for several reasons. First and foremost, I believe that
our local utility should be governed by our local, elected officials who are accountable to the
voters. At present, we are all voiceless in decision-making at GRU. And what GRU does affects us
all, whether it is the rates we pay, the decisions they make that affect reliability of services, or
the type of energy that we use. These are important issues for everyone - regardless of zip code -
and that is why I am encouraging my friends who are city residents to vote Yes.
Action:
A. Put Nov. 4 on your calendar to vote or plan to vote by mail or vote early.
B. Let friends, neighbors, family know that a special election is coming up. Attached are the dates for the election. Share them widely. Make the referendum part of your conversations.
C. Handouts, the VOTE411 site, presentations, and more info is all in the works. Stay tuned!
2) UF closed the Office of Sustainability.
Student Abigail Trachtenberg wrote a compelling article in the Alligator on 8/25/25 headlined “Office of Sustainability closed”.
Action: Support the next generation. Contact the UF Board of Trustees at: ufbot [at] ufl.edu. Suggested script:
As a community member, I am disappointed that the UF Office of Sustainability has been closed. The Climate Action Plan set green building standards and helped curb emissions at UF. Gainesville is experiencing above-average temperatures and severe weather is becoming more intense and frequent all over Florida. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce reported that every $1 invested in resilience and disaster preparedness saves $13 in economic impact, damage and cleanup costs. Planning for extreme weather makes financial sense. Please reconsider the closure of the Office of Sustainability and consider how to prevent and prepare UF and the surrounding community for changing weather.
NATIONAL
National Legislators:
Senator Rick Scott: (202) 224-5274
Senator Ashley Moody: (202) 224-3041
Representative Kat Cammack: (202) 225-5744
Action Item:
1) Militarization of LA and Wash DC
a. The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 prohibits the use of the US military to execute domestic law. Despite that, in June, the executive branch, against the will of local leadership, took over the California National Guard and later deployed Marines to the city. A judge has ruled that the Posee Comitatus Act was violated.
In August, the executive branch deployed thousands of troops to Washington DC, allegedly to fight out of control crime, despite data showing lessening crime rate. Legal action is pending, given the use of the military for domestic law matters. Per CNN, troop morale is low, they have been picking up trash and doing “beautification” and are unclear about their purpose.
Action: Call your legislators. Suggested script:
(Name of legislator), I am concerned about the use of the military against Americans in their own cities. Per the Possee Conitatus Act, the military are not to be used to execute domestic law. But that is what has happened in Los Angeles and in Washington DC. It is a thin pretext to say that the military was in LA to defend federal sites. A federal judge has ruled that the use of troops was illegal. It is a thin pretext to say the military were preventing crime in DC when statistics show violent crime had lessened. (Name of legislator), do you think the military should be in war gear and carrying war weapons in American cities against Americans? If so, please explain to your constituents how the Posse Comitatus Act was not violated and why you support such action. I strongly disapprove of the military used against Americans.
Sources: Heather Cox Richardson 9/2/25; Fox News, 9/2/25, “Federal Judge Rules Trump Violated Military Law…”; Politifact “Timeline: Was the National Guard at LA Protests…”
2) In 2022, Kilmar Abrego Garcia had a traffic stop for which he was not charged anything. In March 2025 he was unlawfully deported to CECOT terrorist prison in El Salvador. When he was finally returned to the US. he was indicted for conspiring to transport undocumented immigrants based on the traffic stop. On August 22 he was released to his family but during amandatory ICE check-in, he was arrested. He has no criminal convictions. The executive administration calls him a gang member, human trafficker and child predator. The government is now trying to elicit a guilty plea of human trafficking in exchange for deportation to Costa Rica instead of Uganda.
Action: Call your legislators. Suggested script:
(Name of legislator), can you explain to your constituents why the federal government is demonizing and pursuing Kilmar Abrego Garcia? This person, who was in the US legally, was erroneously deported to El Salvador. He is now being chased and harassed by the federal government, arrested for meager excuses and is now being pressured to plead guilty or face deportation to Uganda. Do you find it ironic that the administration has called him, with no evidence sited, a child predator at a time when they are refusing to release the full Epstein files? Do you support the actions of our federal government against Abrego?
Source: Heather Cox Richardson 8/26/25.
3) The Center for Disease Control: Per The Hill on 9/4/25, “The CDC has lost thousands of employees and nearly half its budget. Within the span of just a month, the agency faced a fatal
shooting at its Atlanta headquarters, laid off 600 workers and lost five of its top leaders.” Under
the direction of Heathe and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., in March, Peter
Marks, the Food and Drug Administration’s top vaccine regulator was let go. In June, he got rid
of 17 members of the vaccine advisory panel. In August, he fired CDC Director Susan Monarez.
Action: Call your legislators. Suggested script:
(Name of legislator), vaccines save lives. Before the polio vaccine, there were 16,000 cases a year in the US, causing permanent disability and suffering. In 2023, there were zero cases of polio in the US. Before the measles vaccine, there were 500,000 cases a year in the US. Measles is highly contagious and can be spread through the air or touch even before there are symptoms. In 2023, there were 23 cases of measles in the US.
Explain to your constituents how making America healthy again can happen if polio and measles
vaccines are not used and epidemics resume. The CDC is in shambles. 600 staff have been laid off, the budget has been halved and top leaders, including director Susan Monarez have been pushed out. How can this possibly lead to a healthier America? Kennedy should be fired. Now before he does more damage.
Sources: Mayo Clinic, Healthline
4) The Social Security Administration is unstable. Chief Data Officer Charles Borges resigned under
pressure after being a whistleblower about data breaches that left 300 million American at risk
of identity theft and loss of benefits. There are 7 million more Americans being served with
7,000 fewer staff. Offices have been closed.
Action: Call your legislators. Suggested script:
(Name of legislator), Americans pay into social security from their paychecks so they can have income during retirement. Under the current administration, there have been social security offices closed and staff have been laid off. Now, Chief Data Officer Charles Borges has been fired after he reported that 300 million Americans had data loaded to an unsecure server by the DOGE team. What are you doing to make sure Americans can receive the benefits they have paid for and what are you doing about the data that is in an unsecure place? Are you calling for an investigation? What are you doing to notify and inform the Americans who have been affected?
Source: Newsweek, 2/24/24 “SS Office Closures by State” ; ABC 8/26/25 “Whistleblower Complaint…”.
5) A longtime lawyer, Steven Cook, who worked for chemical companies, is now in a senior role at
the EPA where he can influence a proposed rule to make chemical companies pay for pollution of PFOA and PFOS. Whereas he represented clients who opposed the rule, he is now in a position to influence whether the rule is passed. Under the Superfund law, there is almost no safe level of those chemicals and they are in half of the nation’s tap water.
Action: Call your legislators. Suggested verbiage:
(Name of legislator), Steven Cook has been a longtime lawyer who worked for chemical companies.
Those companies have used PFOA and PFOS chemicals that have leached into half of America’s tap water. Now Mr. Cook is a leader in the EPA. He is now in a position to influence whether or not a
rule is passed that would require chemical companies to clean up the “forever” chemicals. There is
almost no safe level of those chemicals that can have serious health risks. What are you doing to
make the chemical companies use some of their profit to clean up dangerous forever chemicals?
Source: New York Times 8/28/25 “An Industry Insider’s Changes…”
6) On September 4, 2025, over 100 women who were assaulted during the Epstein debacle, met
and spoke of their ordeals.
Action: Call your legislators Suggested verbiage:
(Name of legislator), did you read about or listen to the many women who spoke out last week about their ordeal caused by Jeffrey Epstein? Jess Michaels said “We are the experts and the subjects of this story.” “Justice and accountability are not favors from the powerful. They are obligations, decades overdue.” “We are one powerful voice, too loud to ignore, and we will never be silenced again.”
Nothing short of releasing all files and records about the years of abuse suffered by women and girls is acceptable. Americans are tired of broken promises about releasing records. You, our federal legislator, are responsible for bringing justice to perpetrators. Your constituents are watching and waiting for your actions.
Source: Heather Cox Richardson 9/3/25
