Educating Voters. Defending Democracy.

The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

The Voter

November, 2023

President's Letter

Last month I wrote about AB 764, a redistricting-related bill in the California State Assembly that would extend some provisions of the Fair Maps Act legislation passed in 2019 and 2020. (You can read a fact sheet on the bill here.) For simplicity, I did not discuss its companion bill, AB 1248.

When our October Voter was finalized, both bills were on Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk awaiting his signature. I’d like to offer a brief update. In short, we still have work to do to ensure that all redistricting is done by independent commissions and not by advisory committees that can be vetoed or influenced by elected officials.

The good news is that the governor signed AB 764 into law, but he chose to veto AB 1248. It was not because he disagreed with the intent of the bill, which is to require a city or county with more than 300,000 residents, or a school district or community college district with more than 500,000 residents, to establish an independent redistricting commission. Rather, he explained in his message to the State Assembly,

“While I share the author's goal of ensuring community control over the redistricting process, this bill creates a state-reimbursable mandate in the tens of millions and should therefore be considered in the annual budget process. In partnership with the Legislature, we enacted a budget that closed a shortfall of more than $30 billion through balanced solutions that avoided deep program cuts and protected education, health care, climate, public safety, and social service programs that are relied on by millions of Californians. This year, however, the Legislature sent me bills outside of this budget process that, if all enacted, would add nearly $19 billion of unaccounted costs to the budget, of which $11 billion would be ongoing. With our state facing continuing economic risk and revenue uncertainty, it is important to remain disciplined when considering bills with significant fiscal implications, such as this measure. For this reason, I cannot sign this bill. Sincerely, Gavin Newsom”

In other words, the governor asked that the bill go through the budget process, where it must compete for resources with education, health care, public safety, and all the other priorities jostling for allocations from the state budget.

You can find the full details on both of these bills on the California League’s Bill Status Report. Click the link at the top for “Redistricting” or search on the page by bill number.

The California League of Women Voters has long and deepening experience with establishing an independent redistricting process. You can read the final report on the 2020 state process, commissioned by the League of Women Voters of California Education Fund and California Common Cause, here.

Margaret Lukens, president

November Book Discussion – “The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens” by Richard Haass

We often think and talk about our rights as citizens, especially those spelled out in The Bill of Rights – freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and so on. The flip side of rights – obligations – usually gets less attention. What happens when we consider the obligations that go with our rights?

Join us to address that question and more in our October book discussion of “The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens”. Author Richard Haass is the president of the nonpartisan Council on Foreign Relations. He has served under multiple administrations of both major political parties. He brings his extensive career experience as well as his great love of democracy to this slim volume, making a clear case for giving citizens’ responsibilities the same emphasis as citizens’ rights.

No time to finish the book? Feel free to attend anyway -- we believe you’ll enjoy the discussion (and be inspired to read on).

We meet Thursday, November 9 from 5 to 6 p.m. All are welcome, so bring a friend.

Margaret Lukens, president

Volunteer Opportunities

Help Voters Register, Help Your League

Our League has a contract with San Mateo County to supply voter registration materials at hundreds of sites, and as the primary election approaches, these sites get even busier than usual. Would you like to learn how you can help San Mateo voters and help your League by covering a few of these sites?

Join us when the County Voter Registration Contract team meets via Zoom on Wednesday, November 15 at 5 p.m. We will hear from experienced County VR Contract volunteers on their work. Then, if you’re ready, you’ll be assigned a few sites in the county, such as post offices, libraries, and rec centers to visit regularly (sometimes monthly, sometimes quarterly) to restock their supplies of voter registration materials. After you report your progress in a simple email, you’re done for the month.

There is no obligation to sign up to maintain any sites (though of course we hope you’ll feel inspired to “adopt” a few sites that interest you). Everyone is welcome to this meeting.



Jean Johnson, County VR Contract chair, and Margaret Lukens, president

Member Celebration Open House

Date: Sunday, December 10

Time: 2:30–4:30 p.m.

Location: San Mateo Senior Center, 2645 Alameda de las Pulgas



We're inviting all members of our League to join us for a wonderful afternoon enjoying light refreshments, getting to know other League members, and hearing from some of our members who have been inspired by their mothers' active involvement in the League of Women Voters.

Further details coming soon.

Afsoon Shahrdar, Board Member

Seeking Interviewers to Meet with Legislators

Every year, the League of Women Voters of California (LWVC) encourages local League members to interview our state legislators or members of their staff. These "Legislative Interviews" are a powerful tool to increase League visibility, gather information, and raise awareness among California’s state representatives about our interest in policies they’re considering. We’re looking for three or more members to join the team for our League.

This is a short-term project that includes preparation, the interview, and wrap-up based on materials prepared by LWVC. Benefits include getting better acquainted with our legislators and their staff, as well as understanding their perspectives on key issues. You’ll also bring vital perspective back to our League, so come join our team. Simply e-mail tina.doede@lwvncsmc.org for more information.

Tina Doede, Board Member

Housing Caucus Update

Register here for our next Housing Caucus meeting at 5 p.m. Monday, November 20.

Join us as we continue our discussions on:

• Ask an Expert Series:  After our successful “Ask a Housing Advocate” program, we will identify other housing experts to invite to our Caucus.  
• Highlights from HLC’s Housing Leadership Day
• LWVNCSMC Annual Housing event, Spring 2024: Refine our current proposal to host an action-oriented program featuring those directly impacted by the lack of affordable housing in our community.
• Measure K:  Updates on San Mateo County’s Board of Supervisors' latest discussions on 2024–25 Measure K budget proposals.
• Other items:  Updates on San Mateo County’s proposed Tenant Protection Ordinance (Video of July 10 Study session) and San Mateo's Red Tag Ordinance.



If you are new to our Caucus, please watch our League’s April 11 General Meeting, Affordable Housing in San Mateo County: Behind the Numbers, to better understand some of the challenges and roadblocks our cities face, as they plan to reach the State's target of 48,000 new housing units—nearly 20,000 of which should be affordable—by 2031.

We meet monthly, on the third Monday at 5 p.m. Our next meeting will be held on December 18 at 5 p.m.

Elana Lieberman, co-chair, Housing Caucus

October General Meeting Recap:

Election Integrity, Part Two

How to Deal With Disinformation

We can all inadvertently spread disinformation - just by sharing it. Pause and evaluate before sharing. We learned this, and many more tips, from our October meeting speaker Mary Currin-Percival, associate professor in the College of Social Sciences at San Jose State University.

Currently, most social media sites permit misinformation and disinformation to remain posted in the name of free speech. We can expect more disinformation with AI-generated content in the 2024 election. What can you do to ensure you are getting accurate information?

• Pause to evaluate before believing and sharing.
• Does it sound reasonable?
• Does the content evoke strong emotions to get clicks?
• Do the images look off?                      
• Learn to use lateral reading. 
• Use fact-checking websites.
• FactCheck A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center
• PolitiFact The Poynter Institute for Media Studies
• Read this AARP article for a good summary on fighting election misinformation. 

For more on how to navigate disinformation concerns, and hear actions being taken by some states and companies, click here for the program’s recording.

Eileen Easterbrook, Program Committee Co-chair

New (& Not So New)

Member Orientation

Thursday, November 9, 7–8 p.m. via Zoom

(click here to register)

or

Saturday, November 11, 10–11 a.m.

Plus optional social hour, 11 a.m.–11:30 a.m.

at our office

444 Peninsula Avenue, Suite 1

(email tina.doede@lwvncsmc.org to RSVP)

Welcome to our new members! Please join us for new member orientation to:

•    learn about the League and find answers to your questions
•    meet other League members
•    discover how you can get involved

Whether you’re a new member or have been a member for a while and would like to reconnect, everyone is welcome. Prospective members are also welcome, so bring a friend.

Tina Doede, Membership Chair

“Welcome to California” photo credit: Tobias Müller (Twam), www.twam.info, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Wednesday Caucus

Wednesday, November 29, 10-11 a.m.

This informal meeting is all about conversation and camaraderie. Ask questions, share what you're working on, and gather inspiration.

All are welcome. Register here.

Welcome to Our New Member

Jeffrey Weiner

In Memoriam

Donald Jacobberger

October 17, 2023

Mark Your Calendar

We have a new phone number. You can now contact us at 650.229.8384.

Stay informed

Stay informed with updates and alerts from your state and national Leagues. Use these links to register:

• For California League updates, sent monthly: LWVC    
• For national League updates, sent twice a month: LWVUS (scroll to the bottom of the page to sign up for e-mail updates).
• Subscribe to Bay Area Monitor Notes here

Keep an eye on our website, https://www.lwvncsmc.org, for the latest on upcoming events.

Join the League

We love having new members join us and help with the important work we are doing. Click here to join online or print out a mail-in form. Scholarships are available for new members. Please contact us at membership@lwvncsmc.org