The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization encouraging the informed and active participation of citizens in government. It influences

public policy through education and advocacy.

Hello Friends –

A few warm days and summer is here!...And did you hear the news? LWVSMV Members voted in June at the Annual Meeting to change our name to the League of Women Voters North Santa Barbara County! This official change will define and enhance our effective, impactful LWV work in North County. We are meeting with leaders in each of the northern cities to form advisory groups to ensure our voter education has meaning for all the communities we serve. If you have ideas you would like to share, please email us at lwvsmv2012@gmail.com.

Our League Committee work is beginning on our primary areas of focus: Water, Housing, Women’s Healthcare, and Making Democracy Work. We’ll bring you updates as action is taken. Are these topics priorities for you as well? Click here to learn more about how you can make a difference.

Don’t miss the opportunity to taste a little wine, mingle with friends, and hear State Senator Monique Limón on Friday, September 29th from 5-6pm at the Pico Restaurant Patio in Los Alamos. Senator Limón will explain how a bill becomes a law and address our focus areas as well. Full details below and you can RSVP here.

California’s primary is in March -- earlier than ever before. The League has been called to do at least one candidate forum in late January. Door-to-door information regarding the local “voting districts” for school boards, city councils, and other elected offices have been asked for by two of our service communities. We can do this with YOUR assistance! I can tell you from experience, that door-to-door work is fun and a learning experience for the walkers as well as the residents who answer the door. If you would like to be trained for this activity, please respond here for more information. We will spend the rest of this year preparing our membership for the tasks ahead in 2024’s election cycle.

This fall, there will also be opportunities for working tables for voter outreach at Allan Hancock College, National Voter Registration Day, Open Streets in Santa Maria, and others, asking voters if they have recently moved and/or want to check their registration status or party affiliation. All great ways to converse with people in a nonpartisan way about their key concerns locally. Members will also be distributing Easy Voter Guides with factual information at key sites. Apply here and we’ll contact you when dates and times are firmed up.

Looking forward to working with you as we GOTV (Get Out the Vote).

Vote Local -- Your Vote Counts More!

Sincerely,



Virginia

Virginia Souza, President

A second-generation Santa Marian and LWV member since 2015, Virginia retired from Morgan Stanley in 2017 after a career of more than 30 years. Virginia’s first community activist position was as an appointed Santa Barbara County Women’s Commissioner in 1985. She's a past President of the Historic Century Rotary Club, co-founder and Board member of the Natural History Museum of Santa Maria, and founding member of Buena Vista Beautifiers. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, cooking with friends, reading, and spending time with family.

Alison Wales, First Vice President – Voter Service Alison is a transplant, moving from Iowa in 1987. She attended Allan Hancock College and Chapman University where she received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. Her parents instilled a strong sense of community service and the importance of the political process. She is currently Associate Director, North County Rape Crisis and Child Protection Center, where she’s worked for 27 years. Appointed to the Santa Barbara County Commission for Women in 2019, she's served as Chair for the last 2 years.

Tracy Beard, Second Vice President – Programs

CEO of the Solvang Chamber of Commerce since 2015, Tracy has had a long career empowering women and girls. Since 2012, she has served on the Commission for Women of the County of Santa Barbara and since 2015 on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Commissions for Women. She was honored in 2020 as one of the 24th District Congressional Women of the Year by Congressman Salud Carbajal and in 2021, as one of the Top 50 Women in the Tri- Counties by the Pacific Coast Business Times.

Lisa Thornhill, Treasurer: Lisa has been an informed, involved voter from a very young age thanks to her Mother, Nancy Johnson, a local activist and a founder of the LWVSMV. Lisa has been a Registered Nurse for 44+ years, following in her Father's footsteps who was a doctor. A LWV member since 2006, she has a deep knowledge of the governmental and LWV process. Lisa served as a past President for 2 terms and V.P.-Programs for 4 terms.

Sandy Boyd, Secretary: Sandy Boyd is a California native and attended Long Beach State College, San Jose State College, and, after raising two children, finally graduated from Cal Poly SLO with a BA in English. She has worked as secretary to the City Administrator for the City of Santa Maria, retiring in 1998. Her favorite pastimes are reading, taking walks, and socializing with friends. She is active in the League, AAUW Santa Maria Branch, the AAUW Santa Barbara County Interbranch Council.

In July, the Board gathered for a Retreat with an in-depth training on LWV policies and procedures. Led by Tim Carson and Chris Carson, LWVCA President (3rd and 4th from right). Discussions focused on LWV nonpartisan principals, roles and responsibilities of Board members, and how local branches interact with national and state LWV.

By Lawanda Lyons-Pruitt, LWVSMV Board Member and Chair, Diversity/Equity/Inclusion (DEI) Committee. President, Santa Maria-Lompoc NAACP.

•  In June, Robert Rivas (29th District-Salinas) was sworn in as the 71st Speaker of the California Assembly. Rivas is the first Speaker to represent the Central Coast in California’s modern history. Nominated by the majority party's caucus and elected by the full Assembly, the Speaker is the presiding officer of the Assembly and controls the flow of legislation and committee assignments.
•  Governor Newsom and state legislative leaders Assemblymember J. Irwin and Senator S. Talamantes Eggman unveiled the legislative package transforming the Mental Health Services Act and a $4.68 billion bond to help build 10,000 new community behavioral health beds across the state. The bill was supported by NAMI CA.
• Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law a slate of bills to accelerate critical infrastructure projects across California that help build 100% clean electric grid, ensure safe drinking water and boost the state’s water supply and modernize our transportation system.

State Budget Approved

The 2023-24 California State budget was signed by Governor Newsom, continuing significant funding increases for K-12 education and public colleges and universities. It also expands child care affordability and increases pay to child care providers, continues investments in innovative solutions to address the homelessness crisis, expands healthcare access, and combats climate change.

To follow our State Legislature, click here and to learn more about the budget here.

Support Women’s Equality Now

Our democracy depends on poll workers to ensure safe, free, and fair elections for all voters. Join LWV on August 23 and Power the Polls for National Poll Worker Recruitment Day. Get involved by clicking here.

Since 1971, Women's Equality Day has been celebrated on August 26 to commemorate the anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment which granted some American women the right to vote. You can read more about women’s history gaining the vote here.

Concerned about the increasing loss of women’s rights, the LWV is engaging in a digital campaign throughout the month of August to demand that lawmakers protect women’s rights to vote, ensure that the ERA is added to the Constitution, and restore reproductive freedom for all. For information on Women’s Inequality Day, click here. You can also add your name to the petition urging Congress to protect women’s rights by clicking here. Inequality hurts everyone.

LWV will join other civil rights organizations on August 26 for the 60th Anniversary March on Washington in DC. This march commemorates the historical 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom when 250,000 people joined a non-violent protest at the Lincoln Memorial to draw attention to continuing racial discrimination and to show support for civil right legislation pending in Congress at that time. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was among the many speakers that day, delivering his “I Have a Dream” speech. To join the March, click here.

AUGUST

9: LWVSMV Board Meeting. 5:30pm on Zoom. All members are welcome. To get the Zoom link, email here.

9: The Solvang Chamber of Commerce is hosting the State of the City 2023, featuring keynote speaker Assemblymember Gregg Hart, 37th District, and presentations by Solvang Mayor Mark Infanti and Solvang City Manager Randy Murphy. 11am-1:30pm; Craft House at Corque (420 Alisal Rd., Solvang). Purchase tickets here.

22-23: Join in the fun at the 77th annual Los Alamos Old Days. The event will feature a chili cook-off, car show, artisan fair, and the “biggest little parade” on the Central Coast. For details, click here.

31: The LWV Santa Barbara’s Overlooked Book Club will discuss “Lessons in Chemistry,” by Bonnie Garmus. Email Elaine Rudin for Zoom link here.

 SEPTEMBER

1: 10th Annual Santa Maria Valley Labor Day Picnic, hosted by the Central Coast Labor Council and Central Coast UDW. 3:30-6:30pm, Pioneer Park (1150 W. Foster Rd., Santa Maria). Free event celebrating the working families of the Central Coast.

4: While many celebrate Labor Day as the last 3-day weekend of the summer, its history is little known and complex. Throughout the 1880s, the height of the Industrial Revolution, labor strikes became increasingly common, with workers protesting their long hours and often dangerous working conditions. After a number of deadly strikes, the result of clashes between union members, the police, and federal intervention, Congress passed an Act making Labor Day a legal holiday. It was signed into law in 1894 by President Grover Cleveland. You can find more on this topic at the History Channel by clicking here.

13: LWVSMV Board Meeting. 5:30pm on Zoom. All members are welcome. To get the Zoom link, email here.

19: Celebrate National Voter Registration Day by registering to vote, confirming your registration, updating your address, serving as a poll worker, or finding information about election dates. Just click here.

OCTOBER

9: Open Street Santa Maria is back this year – a mile of care-free space for people of all ages and abilities to play and be active. Join the fun on Main Street, from Broadway to Blosser, by signing up for a shift at the LWVSMV table here. Plans for the celebration are in the works and you can learn the latest here.

24: UCSB Arts and Lectures presents two-time Pulitzer finalist and award-winning historian and journalist Jill Lepore for a talk titled “Amend: Rewriting the Constitution,” focusing on why the U.S. Constitution, which was meant to be amendable, is so difficult to change. 7:30pm; UCSB Campbell Hall. Group ticketing and carpooling from Santa Maria may be available. Click here to email name and contact information if interested.

Stay tuned for dates: The PCPA will present “The Agitators,” a 2-character play based on the tempestuous yet close friendship between Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass. Click here if interested in possible discounted group ticket purchase.

Our new fiscal year began July 1 and our Committees are busy with plans for the upcoming election cycle -- from voter registration tabling events to 7 issue and/or candidate forums to inform and educate voters through the upcoming election cycle.

We'd love to have you join us. We have much work to do across all of North Santa Barbara County and we need you. And if you're a current member, it's time to renew our membership. You can join or renew online by clicking here and pay online or by mailing your check to LWVSMV, P.O. Box 1388, Santa Maria, CA 93456. Scholarship funds are available and dues are waived for students of any age.