Santa Barbara Women's Political Committee
Member Newsletter - August 2019

From the President's Desk

SBWPC Stands with Gun Sense Activists
SBWPC Members,

This month the organization hosted several events, made important endorsement decisions, participated in important demonstrations and celebrated Women's Equality Day.

The Women's Political Committee takes its endorsement process very seriously and thoroughly evaluates candidates to ensure they have strong feminist values. At the conclusion of our Endorsement Meeting this month, the Board voted to endorse Alejandra Gutierrez for Santa Barbara City Council (District 1). No candidate met the required 2/3 voting threshold for an endorsement in District 2. SBWPC does not make endorsements in races where a candidate is unopposed. However, we congratulate SBWPC members Oscar Gutierrez and Meagan Harmon for their appointments to the City Council.

I want to highlight our participation in the Recess Rally to demand that the US Senate take action on pending legislation to reduce gun violence. SBWPC joined with Moms Demand Action Santa Barbara, the Coalition Against Gun Violence and other partner organizations to rally our community to action. It was wonderful to see so many of our local elected officials (many of them SBWPC endorsed candidates) speaking out and showing up. I was honored to speak to the crowd on behalf of SBWPC and declare that we are in this fight with activists in our community and throughout the country.

We look forward to continuing to be visible, vocal and determined in September!

Adelante/Onward,


Luz Reyes-Martín
President
Santa Barbara City Council Endorsement
The Santa Barbara Women's Political Committee is proud to announce our endorsement of Alejandra Gutierrez for Santa Barbara City Council (District 1). Born and raised in Santa Barbara's Eastside, Alejandra is a trusted community advocate. She is intelligent, hardworking, and passionate about the community. Her executive experience, community roots and problem-solving skills will be a tremendous asset to the Santa Barbara City Council. We enthusiastically support her candidacy!
Celebrating Women's Equality Day
We celebrate Women's Equality Day by acknowledging how far we have come and recognizing that there is still much to fight for - including the ERA! We had a successful mixer with Santa Barbara Women Lawyers. This is our second year of this event and we look forward to continuing this tradition.

Also - check out this blog post from Past President, Lois Phillips
Equality Can't Wait
Building our Membership and Reach
In August, we held a Friendraiser in Goleta that was well attended by area members and new folks interested in the organization. We were honored to be joined by Supervisor Joan Hartmann (our endorsed candidate for 3rd District Supervisor 2020) who shared the importance of feminist values in elected office. Thank you to the SBWPC Membership and ERA Committees for another successful event!
Upcoming SBWPC Events
Save the Date - SBWPC does Broadway!
SBWPC is arranging a bus and group tickets to see "What the Constitution Means to Me"- the Broadway Tony nominated play by Heidi Schreck. More info coming soon!

Direct from Broadway, where it received the 2019 Tony® nomination for Best Play, What the Constitution Means to Me arrives at the Taper for a limited engagement. This boundary-breaking play breathes new life into our Constitution and imagines how it will shape the next generation of American women. Fifteen-year-old Heidi Schreck earned her college tuition by winning Constitutional debate competitions across the United States. Now, the Obie Award winner recalls her teenage self in order to trace the profound relationship between four generations of women in her own family and the founding document that dictated their rights and citizenship. This hilarious, hopeful, and “achingly human” (Exeunt Magazine) exploration is directed by Obie Award winner Oliver Butler.

What the Constitution Means to Me
Sunday, February 2, 2020
1 PM Matinee
Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles