Hello my LWVSPA friends,

This past month has been extremely busy and exciting. And now April promises to be a meaningful month as we conduct our Annual Meeting and Luncheon. Here are the items on which we will vote:

- A new League year Program, determined by our members at our recent annual Program Planning Meeting

- A slate of officers and directors assembled by our Nominations Committee

- A new budget with an increased focus on convention participation, fundraising, and member and community outreach, formulated by the Budget Committee

- Bylaws clarification offered by our Bylaws Committee

All the details are here for you in the Voter, so scroll down, take a look, and come prepared to vote on Saturday, April 9th.

As is our routine, after our annual membership meeting, we'll move on to our annual luncheon. We are thrilled to have former LWVF president  Deirdre MacNab as our keynote speaker and to present her with our "Making Democracy Work" award, last presented two years ago to U.S. Congresswoman Pat Schroeder for a lifetime of service, and five years ago to Florida Governor Charlie Crist for his efforts in supporting voter rights.

Outside of our preparations for our annual meeting and luncheon, we've been involved in many activities. We sent four members to Tallahassee to participate in the League Lobby Days. While there, we lobbied for Closing the Gap in Health Care, Gun Safety, Environmental Conservation (Amendment 1) and assorted Voter Rights issues. And we had fun doing it.

In the legislative session, we helped to  defeat Campus Carry and Open Carry, multiple punitive Immigration bills, as well as forcing the hand of the legislature to appropriately fund Amendment 1. And of course, a tremendous victory for the voters of Florida: Fair Districts. 

ALL state senate districts have been redrawn prompting ALL of our state senators to run in this upcoming election. And, we've won in the fight to redraw the state U.S. congressional districts . For the first time in 75 years, the Florida voters will choose their officials in these districts, rather than the officials choosing their voters. 

On the home front, we've been busy conducting municipal election forums, registering voters, gearing up to educate citizens on the constitutional review commission, participating in the state study on open primaries, working with the community as a member of Agenda 2020, supporting the success and expansion of recycling, and developing our 2016-17 Program proposals. In February, we hosted an incredibly exciting event at the Mahaffey Theater, where recording artists Patty Griffin, Sarah Watkins and Anais Mitchell encouraged folks to use their voices to vote.  To honor our work locally, the ACLU Board voted to present the Gardner Beckett Civil Liberties Award to the two Pinellas chapters of the League of Women Voters in recognition of the LWV's heroic work on behalf of fair and balanced political redistricting. The Award will be presented at the ACLU annual Bill of Rights Dinner at Banquetmasters (Ulmerton Road and 49th St.), at 6:00 PM, Wednesday, March 23rd.

Your efforts have been tremendous this year. There is so much to do, and we are grateful to you for all of your commitment to make democracy work. As you can see, we are making a difference!  The League is what you make of it, and we need your support to help us continue our work.

See you on April 9th!

In League,
Julie

At its March 1st, 2016 meeting, the Bylaws Committee presented the attached recommendations for bylaws changes to the Board of Directors.

 

Click here 

Voting Season has Started. Join Us in this Very Important Work

by Raechel Garafalo, Voter Service Committee Chair

As we move into prime time this election 

season,  LWVSPA Voter Service

Committee's need for volunteers is expanding, with an increasingly populated calendar of events such as voter registration drives, candidate forums, voter education speaking engagements, as well as voter guide creation and distribution.

 

Below are two events coming up in March at the USF St. Petersburg campus for which we need volunteers to register college students to vote. If you're interested in volunteering to register and educate voters with the League and participate in these two events or upcoming events, please contact me.

 

USFSP The Environmental Science and Sustainability Club--Florida Environmental Issues Awareness Event: March 28, from 5-7 in the USC Ballrooms

USFSP The Women's Empowerment Club--Walk a Mile in Her Shoes Event (an international walk to end rape, sexual assault, and gender violence) March 31st from 4-6 PM on Harbor Walk.

 

On a festive note, join us as we gather in the Tap Room at the Historic Hollander Hotel (421 4th Ave N, St. Petersburg, FL 33701) for the Voter Service Committee's Election Season Kickoff Party, at 6:30 this Thursday, March 10th.

 

Join the LWVSPA Voter Service Committee and help make democracy work!

 

Here are some important 2016 dates to note:

 

March 09  5:00 PM--Deadline to Request a Ballot to be Mailed

March 13  5:00 PM--Early Voting Ends

March 14  5:00 PM--Last Day to Pick Up Mail Ballot in SOE Office

March 15 --Presidential Preference Primary ELECTION DAY

August 01  5:00 PM--Registration Deadline for Primary Election

August 02 --Deadline to Mail Ballots to Domestic Voters for Primary Election

August 20 --Early Voting for Aug. 30 Primary Election

August 24  5:00 PM--Deadline for Voter to Request a Mail Ballot to be Mailed

August 29  5:00 PM--Last Day to Pick Up Mail Ballot in SOE Office

August 30 --PRIMARY ELECTION

October 11 --Registration Deadline for General Election

October 24 --Early Voting for Nov. 8 General Election

November 02  5:00 PM--Deadline for Voter to Request a Mail Ballot to be Mailed

November 07  5:00 PM--Last Day to Pick Up Mail Ballot in SOE Office

November 07  5:00 PM--Deadline to Cure Unsigned Mail Ballot Envelope

November 08 --GENERAL ELECTION

More Progress on Recycling: Alley Pickup Has Begun, Condos Are Next

by Karen Coale,  LWVSPA Recycling Co-Chair & People's Trash Coalition Chair

Alley pickup started on Jan. 25th.

With the commencement of alley pickup at the end of January, we hope the set-out rate will increase from the current 52.4% rate. This expanded service applies to 40% of the households who currently have blue bins. As expected, the weight collected in January was down from the holiday-driven December, but exceeded the monthly tonnage of of August thru November. 

The most notable change is the drop in revenue, which is mostly due to the declining value of the commodities that are the output of the recycling collection (aluminum, paper, plastic, etc). However, the city continues to save money due to the decrease in trash tonnage, for which we pay $37.50 per ton for disposal at the Pinellas County incinerator. Thru January that savings amounts to $281,737. Click here to view the entire Recycling Scorecard (also available on our website).

What about condos and large apartment buildings? Glad you asked! The People's Trash Coalition (CONA, LWVSPA and Sierra) recently met with City Staff to review their plans for expanding this service to apartment buildings, condos and mobile homes. Solutions will vary depending on the number of units in the complex. For example, a series of shared 95 gallon bins is suggested for complexes that have 85-110 units. Larger complexes will have shared dumpsters, and recycling chutes will be incorporated into the construction of new multi-story buildings. 

Retrofitting existing multi-story buildings presents two challenges--a second chute for recyclables and space for the dumpsters. A phased implementation is expected with pilots for the various types of solutions. The city's proposal will be presented to City Council in early March, and the Coalition will be there to support it. Please join us. I will send out an eblast once we have the date. If you have any questions, please contact me at [email protected] .

Immigration Committee's Human Trafficking Event A Success  

by Karen Coale, LWVSPA Immigration Co-Chair & LWVF Immigration Co-Chair

84 people attended this committee's 

educational event on January 26th at the

	LWVSPA's Karen Coale and Julie Kessel with the Human Trafficking Event Panel Kathlyn Mackovjak, Chief Dewey Williams, Dr. Jill McCracken.

USFSP University Student Center. The three talented and very experienced panelists provided a variety of perspectives on this growing world-wide issue. Because Florida has been identified as a hub for human trafficking activity, we asked the panel to focus on our local area. Unfortunately this form of modern slavery is all around us, but most of us have been unaware and did not know how to identify when it is taking place. 

 

Your Immigration Committee (Mary Berglund, Helen Briley, Lydia Castle, Marilyn Hafling, Diane Hodson, Kay Lahdenpera, Joan Lander, Dwight Lawton, Sue Price, Sheral Redwood, Gina Rothlein, and Jinna Stewart) and Communications Group (Edie LeBas and Susan Mayer) have worked for several months planning this event and marketing it in the community. The attendance figures, which were a solid mix of LWVSPA members, students, and people from the community, is a positive reflection of their efforts. My THANKS to each of you.

 

Immigration is certainly an issue in the presidential race, and some of that negativity has spilled over into bills introduced in the current Florida legislative session. As you know, the LWVF has many legislative priorities, and immigration-- while a priority for the League--is on the Tier 2 list for this legislative session. However, due to the potential severe impact on Florida's undocumented residents, we have asked for League positions on the following bills:

 

1. Local government to enforce federal immigration laws

HB675: passed the House along party lines: 80/38

SB872: has been referred to three Senate committees but has not yet been scheduled. Judiciary Committee Chair, Sen. Diaz de la Portilla has stated that he may not schedule hearings in his committee. 

League opposes these bills.

 

2.  Criminalization of undocumented with prior deportation orders 

HB9: Original bill contained an automatic 1st degree felony charge, but was amended to reduce to a 3rd degree felony. Currently in House Judiciary Committee but hearing not yet scheduled.

SB118: has been referred to three committees but has not been scheduled. Again, Judiciary Committee Chair Sen. Diaz de la Portilla has stated that he may not schedule hearings in his committee. 

League opposes these bills

 

 3. Recommending action to US Congress to prevent voting by non-citizens 

These bills are non-binding and rely on Congress to take action. 

HB1225

SM1514 

League opposes these bills

Be in the Know!  Come Hear Facts and Ideas about Education from an Expert:  Dr. Sue Legg                                       

Dr. Sue Legg

The League of Women Voters of North Pinellas is proud to present a talk by Dr. Sue Legg, a long-time supporter of public education. She is a highly-credentialed speaker and is Chair of the LWV Florida Project on School Choice. 

Dr. Legg holds a PhD in Educational Measurement and Evaluation. She has taught in public schools, and later later directed the Office of Instructional Resources at the University of Florida. Dr. Legg has a wealth of experience in the field of education. She is the expert we all want to hear. Click here to read more about her background.

Where: St. Pete. College Clearwater, ES Building, Room 104 

When: March 19, 2016 

Time: 10:00 AM

EVERYONE IS WELCOME

SPC Seeking Telling Project Workshop Facilitators

SPC's Institute for Strategic Policy Solutions and Veterans Services, in conjunction with the National Telling Project Institute and the Florida Humanities Council, will present a unique workshop to enhance the college experience for SPC's student veterans. The goal is to deepen understanding by SPC faculty and staff of the military experience, easing student veterans' transition back into civilian society, and enhancing their prospects for academic success leading to productive employment in the career of their choice. Click here to read more about this volunteer opportunity with SPC.