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VOTER newsletter
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September 2018-Volume 70, Issue No.10
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| League of Women Voters San Jose / Santa Clara P. O. Box 5374
San Jose, California 95150 |
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President's Message
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Mary Collins President,
LWV SJ/SC
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Welcome to an already active midterm election season! Your League is acting to continue the League's historic mission of securing and protecting a vibrant democracy. Members are acting by registering voters and working to get out the vote. At the same time, we provide unbiased and accurate information to educate as well as engage the electorate. We do this through candidate forums, presentations on ballot measures, and providing Voter's Edge, a website with candidate and election information. In addition we reach out to the community with cable television and online broadcasts of LWVSJSC's CREATV's programs on election issues.
While these actions are already underway, we can use your support to help us respond to the many requests for general election presentations and outreach. Cheryl Fuelleman, our Voters Service Chair, is organizing National Voter Registration Day; Sandy Mory schedules candidate forums; and Martha Beattie is providing our response and scheduling Pros and Cons presentations on state and local ballot measures. Contact us if you can help in any way.
On a second topic, I want to share one of the directions coming from the LWVUS which was addressed at convention. We are challenged to keep the League relevant for the next 100 years-- first, by aligning around the mission of keeping our democracy sound and second, by becoming a more diverse organization reflecting our communities. These two priorities are part of a transformational roadmap.
The LWVUS board created a unifying statement of purpose for all Leagues:
OUR MISSION
Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy.
OUR VISION
We envision a democracy where every person has the desire, the right, the knowledge and the confidence to participate.
OUR VALUE
We believe in the power of women to create a more perfect democracy.
Trainings across the League are planned through 2020. We will inform you of them as they are scheduled. To read the entire document, go to the League of Women Voters website,
LWVUS.org and under League Management, search for Transformation Roadmap or
READ HERE.
Thank you for all your enthusiasm and support,
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Membership
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Welcome
to our newest
Members:
Andy Butcher, Wylmina Hettinga,
Jennifer Imhoff-Hayton
Libi Kavanah, Deborah Lettow, Ponti Manolides, Diane McNutt
Kathleen Muller, Janet Odell, Erin O'Doherty,
Jill Osofsky,
Kathleen Smoot
Thank you to the following members
for
contributions for our League:
Anna Fox,
Barbara Freitas Susan Skorey
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Lunch with League - September 20, 11:00am
Speaker: Terry Christensen, "Why Millennials and Latinos (and others) Don't Vote and What We Can Do About it"!
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Dr. Christensen is a professor emeritus in the Department of Political Science at San José State University and the host of "Valley Politics" on CreaTV.
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| Terry Christensen |
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Terry served as the Founding Executive Director of CommUniverCity San Jose (www.cucsj.org), a partnership between the City of San
José
, San José State University and the neighborhoods surrounding the university that concentrates hundreds of students performing community service in these neighborhoods with projects selected by residents and supported by the city. He is still involved with two CommUniverCity projects initiated while he was Executive Director: Friends of Five Wounds Trail (www.fivewoundstrail.org) and BART Alum Rock Transit Village Advocates (BARTVA)
http://five-wounds.equoria.org/bartva/
In 2015, Dr. Christensen became the host of Valley Politics, a monthly TV show focusing on politics and public policy in San Jose and Silicon Valley produced by CreaTV. Valley Politics airs Wednesdays at 8pm. on Comcast Ch. 30 or episodes can be viewed on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/CREATVSANJOSE
Terry Christensen
Professor Emeritus Dept. of Political Science, SJSU
Host of "Valley Politics" - CreaTV
Topic: "Why Millennials and Latinos (and others) Don't Vote and
What We Can Do About it"!
Thursday, September 20th, 11:00am to 1pm
Parking in front of restaurant
Please RSVP by Tuesday, September 18th by going to
http://lwvsjsc.org/lwlregister.html and filling out the form, including your choice of entree. Beverages include coffee, ice tea, and soda. Select entree: Strawberry Fields. Mixed Greens, Strawberries, Pecans, Feta Cheese; Mixed Greens Salad with Shrimp; Chinese Chicken Salad; Rookies Burger with French Fries; Garden Burger. A Healthy Blend of Vegetables, Grains & Mozzarella Cheese with French Fries. You may also RSVP by sending an email with your choice of entree to
lwl@lwvsjsc.org or call Marie Arnold,
629-5340.
We meet at 11:00am and are served lunch at 11:30am. The guest speaker begins his talk at noon for 15-20 minutes and then invites attendees to ask questions and give comments. LwL ends at 1pm.
The price of lunch is $20 payable in cash at the door or, if you don't want to worry about having cash, you can prepay just after you register by using PayPal which will take a credit card or a personal PayPal account.
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A First-Timer's Impression of the LWV National Convention
By Maryann Haggerty, VP, LWV SJ/SC
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Maryann Haggerty
LWV SJ/SC
LWVUS Convention
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I arrived in Chicago not knowing what to expect of the LWV national convention. I presumed it would be similar to a conference with many workshops and informational meetings. What I found was much more. Yes, there were many sessions on such topics as redistricting, voter's rights, the Electoral College and the national public vote. However I found that this event was more similar to a national political convention with emotionally charged plenary sessions concerned with all the operations of a large multistate organization. Bylaws and amendments were presented, debated, cheered or protested and finally voted on. There was much excitement, politicking and lobbying. The Floridians lobbying for a National Public vote successfully got their amendment, others did not.
The convention offered education, camaraderie, new ideas and brought new and old friends together. However, the biggest take away for me was the empowerment I felt. Powerful women such as Adriana Barbosa, Ashley Allison, Rosie Rios, and Elaine Weiss talked about the impact of the LWV in their lives, the importance of women in the suffragette movement and the challenges women faced in the past and present to make our nation a more perfect democracy. I left Chicago not only proud to be a member of the LWV but also committed to improve and protect our focus on voter's rights.
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LEAGUE MEETINGS AND OUTREACH
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It's Time to Step Up: Take Action Now: Get Involved
By Cheryl Fuelleman, Voters Service Chair
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WE NEED YOUR HELP To Register Voters and Do Voting Presentations
PLEASE VOLUNTEER - THIS ELECTION IS SO IMPORTANT!
Need Leads and Helpers:
Evergreen Valley Community College - Constitution Day - September 17
San Jose State University, SJSU - National Voter Registration Day - September 25
Santa Teresa High School - National Voter Registration Day - September 25
EAH Housing; Bella Terra and Cochrane Morgan Hill - Date TBD
Nutanix - Employee Registration - Date TBD
We could also use help at these schools already being led by a member:
Pioneer High School
Del Mar High School
Oak Grove High School
Yerba Buena High School
Pros and Cons Presentations: Buddy up with another League member and present non-partisan, unbiased informative talks on the November Ballot measures. We're scheduling presentations at community associations, civic organizations, affordable housing locations, churches, mosques and synagogues. Pros and Cons Training will be held in downtown San Jose.
Wednesday, September 12, 4:30pm.
PLEASE CONTACT CHERYL FUELLEMAN,
cheryl.fuelleman@lwvsjsc.org
if you have any interest in helping out to register or to make calls prior to election day to GET OUT THE VOTE! Thank you!
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Participate in Candidate Forums - Volunteer in neighborhoods
By Sandy Mory
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League hosts and supports many local candidate forums. Would you like to be part of these forums held in San Jose and Santa Clara neighborhoods? Below are upcoming forums.
We need question sorters, timers, and greeters.
Contact
Sandy Mory
to participate.
Alum Rock Union School District Candidate Forum
Wednesday, September 12, 6:30-8:30pm
Alum Rock Branch Library
We have a good group to staff this forum.
CreaTV Valley Politics District 4 and Sheriff: At CreaTV
Wednesday, October 3, 6:30-8:00pm
We need to provide 3 people to act as ushers. Please let Sandy know if you are available.
Santa Clara County Sheriff Candidate Forum
Monday, October 8, 7-8:30pm
Cupertino Community Hall
Candidates Forum - Candidates from District 9 and from County Supervisor District 4
Wednesday, October 10,
6:30-8:00pm
Barbara Marshman, Moderator
Presented by Greenbelt Alliance and LWVSJSC
Camden Community Center
We need Greeters, Timer and Question sorters.
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Alum Rock Union School District (ARUSD) Governing Board
Candidates Forum, Wednesday, September 12, 6:30-8:00pm
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District 5 United and the League of Women Voters of San Jose/Santa Clara invite you to a Candidates Forum for the Alum Rock Union School District (ARUSD) Governing Board. The Candidates Forum will be held on Wednesday, September 12 from 6:30-8:00pm
in the Community Room of the Alum Rock Library. Neither District 5 United nor the League of Women Voters endorse candidates.
This event will have a strict format which includes opening statements, questions from the event organizers, questions from the audience, or submitted via the linked form to be provided, and closing statements. All candidates will be allowed to answer all questions and will each have one rebuttal opportunity.
Cheryl Fuelleman
LWV SJ/SC
Voters Services Chair
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LWV SJ/SC Partners with Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority:
Global Climate Action Summit affiliate
By Karen Warner Nelson
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I am excited to announce that LWV San Jose/Santa Clara is partnering with the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority to host a Global Climate Action Summit affiliate event.
The
Global Climate Action Summit
, from Sept. 12th to 14th, will bring leaders together from around the world to celebrate the extraordinary achievements of states, regions, cities, companies, investors and citizens and most importantly to take climate action to the next level. This is the most significant bridge climate conference between Paris and the follow-up conference to be held in 2020.
The Tale of Three Valleys is a bus tour affiliated with the Climate Summit which showcases how multiple groups across the world are working together to build landscape level climate mitigation and resilience in high growth areas like Silicon Valley and the French Silicon Valley just south of Paris.
Coyote Valley: A Case Study for Urban Adjacent Open Space Preservation.
Before it was Silicon Valley, the Santa Clara County was a mecca for farming. As the 20th century gave way to the 21st, urban sprawl consumed much of the prime soils of the valley floor. Today, preserving the remaining open space is the key to mitigating climate change and its impact on this vital economic engine.
About the Global Climate Action Summit
The Global Climate Action Summit will take place from September 12-14, 2018 in San Francisco, California and the affiliate events will take place from September 10-14. The Summit brings together state and local governments, business, and citizens from around the world to showcase climate action taking place, thereby demonstrating how the tide has turned in the race against climate change and inspiring deeper national commitments in support of the Paris Agreement.
The Tour
The Coyote Valley bus tour affiliate event, known as A Tale of Three Valleys, will take place on Tuesday, September 11th with a number of spaces available for the League and others. If you are interested in attending, you can request to be placed on the wait list. There are two Tour times available; a half day event with a bus leaving and returning to San Jose City Hall and an all day event that includes stops in Silicon Valley with the buses leaving from and returning to San Francisco. This is an all-day event with a cost of $20 USD.
For More Information and Reservations Go To:
news.openspaceauthority.org/a-tale-of-three-valleys
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LOCAL CITY/COUNTY/STATE/UNITED STATES ISSUES
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Carbon Farming: Sequestering Green House Gases in the Soil
By Aleta George, Bay Area Monitor
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| Bay Area Monitor |
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The term "farm" can have more than one meaning these days, especially when it comes to farms fighting climate change. While wind farms are easily recognizable with their giant wind turbines marching across a landscape, a carbon farm is not so easy to spot, given that the fruits of the farm lie in the soil.
A carbon farm is a working landscape, and more. It's a conservation-based, whole-farm approach that strives to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon sequestration while pursuing agricultural production.
Here's the dirt. Since the Industrial Revolution, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased by 40 percent, and that is causing record-breaking temperature rises, drought, and dramatic weather events.
In response to this global threat, in 2016 California passed Senate Bill 32 (Pavley), setting a 2030 target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 40 percent below the 1990 level. The two-fold strategy to meet this target is to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases we put into the air, and to capture some of the carbon dioxide overload that is already there.
Working landscapes can help - if they are managed correctly.
READ MORE:
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I Vote with the League
California State Ballots
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Want to know what the League recommends for ballot measures, based on its study and positions? See link below to Vote with the League. The LWV California Board reviews and makes recommendations for all state ballots while our local league board reviews local measures.
Download Vote with League flyer HERE.
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Legislation
Bill Status Report - LWV California
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Based on
our positions, League of Women Voters California (LWVC) periodically reviews bills before the California State Legislature and makes recommendations.
2017-2018
- Bill Status Report: Bills on which the LWVC has taken a position and recommends action.
- Bills of Interest 2017-2018: This report includes bills being "followed" by the League, on which no formal position of support or opposition has been taken, as well as bills on which the LWVC has taken a position and recommends action.
Need help with legislative terms? Try this useful
glossary
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A Victory for Our Climate - SB100 Goes to Governor Brown
League of Women Voters of California
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SB100 (De León) "Enact 100 Percent Renewable and Zero-Carbon Electricity Policy" passed the Assembly late in the day on August 28 with a vote of 43 Yea, 32 No, and 5 abstentions. The first vote in the early afternoon only reached 39 yea votes, and a majority of the 80 members of the Assembly (41 votes) was needed to pass. It was opened again for votes later in the afternoon, and with intense lobbying from the LWV and many others, the vote swung to a majority and a pass.
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California General Election
Last Day to Register to Vote in November Election is October 22
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Find your Ballot on Voter's Edge HERE.
More information on the eleven State Ballot Propositions
Nonpartisan information for statewide elections.
This guide can be downloaded in English today, and soon in Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean.
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League and Community Activities
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LWV Presents: Insights and Perspectives
Comcast Channel 30, Mon, 7:30pm and Sun, 4:30pm; Ch 27, Wed, 5:30pm
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The best way to describe Channel 30 and Bay Voice Channel 27 is TV "by the community for the community." Channels 30 and 27 air non-commercial, member-produced videos that educate, express views, and expose talents to the San Jose community and beyond.
Connect to our League Web Site for current and archived Insights and Perspectives broadcasts:
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Nick Kuwada, Gloria Chun Hoo
Asian Law Alliance advocating for community for 40 years,
Hopes and Dreams
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Elizabeth Guimarin, Gloria Chun Hoo The importance of healthy soil and how soil can help solve the problem of Climate Change
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In October tune in to
PROs and CONs Presentations
State and Local Ballot Measures
Watch CREATV Channel 30 shows on your computer with an
internet connection
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Vote for Ethics: A How-to Guide for Voters
Government Ethics Program at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University
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Vote for Ethics: A How-to Guide for Voters: Santa Clara University is offering an interesting new short course to educate voters on how to identify ethical campaigners and encourage honesty in politics.
Register Now
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Calendar
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Information on many of these events is available in this newsletter. See our
website calendar
for current listings and more information. If you'd like more information but don't have web access, contact the League at (408) 271-7163.
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Sept 11
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Coyote Valley Bus Tour: Global Climate Action Summit Affiliate Event
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Sept 12
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Alum Rock Union School District Governing Board Candidate Forum |
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Sept 20
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Lunch with League |
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National Voter Registration Day |
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Oct 6
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Board Meeting |
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Oct 8
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Santa Clara County Sheriff Candidates Forum |
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Oct 10
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District 9 and County Supervisor District 4 Candidates Forum
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Oct 18
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Lunch with League |
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Oct 22
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Last Day to Register to Vote before General Election |
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Address / Email Change
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To keep our records current please send any changes to your address, email address, or phone number, to our
Dues Secretary, Sandy Remmers. The only updates she receives are on the renewal form which is only sent once a year.
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The Voter
Submissions due the 20th of the month
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The LWV SJ/SC Voter is distributed monthly. Article deadline is the 20th of the month. If you have questions or comments, contact
Liz Bogatin-Starr
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the Voter Editor.
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Democracy is not a spectator sport! Educate! Advocate!
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Join Our League
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Visit our
website to join and/or donate to our League.
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