Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy.

We are pleased to share that our League's high school voter registration activities continue to expand to ensure that young voters have an opportunity to register to vote, and (if 18) participate in the November 2024 election. Betsy Patterson and Carmen Hurd, voter registration co-chairs, have responded to requests from teachers and administrators at high schools across the County.

In addition, Lillian Zelinski has been updating voter registrations for senior citizens at assisted living or retirement communities to make sure that their mailing address is correct.

The Voter Services committee hosts in-person Candidate Forums throughout Ventura County. Candidates are invited to participate in a forum and respond to questions submitted by the attendees. David Maron continues to do an excellent job of organizing and conducting Forums, with the support of members of the Voter Services Committee.

In order to educate and inform LWVVC members and a broader audience, the LWVVC’s "Lunch & Learn with the League" program hosted a special event on Zoom on Sept 25th: “The Electoral College: Understanding America's Presidential Election System.” Celina Stewart, LWVUS CEO, Tracy Adkison, current LWVUS and LWV Education Fund Board Member, as well as Joan Hunault, former LWV Board member, presented information about the Electoral College process. If you were unable to join us, we invite you to view this informative event through our YouTube channel.

The Fall Membership Meeting was held at the Camarillo Community Center on September 21st and included Pros & Cons presentations as well as reports by the Climate Change, DEI, Social Justice, Housing & Homelessness, and Scholarship committees. The meeting included time to discuss Propositions and also to socialize. Thanks to all those who organized and presented at this event!

We invite you to participate in committee meetings and upcoming events included in this newsletter. Join us for informative and socially engaging activities!

Kathy Morgan and Susan Roth

Co-Presidents

The League of Women Voters In-person Candidate Forums for Election 2024

The League of Women Voters of Ventura County has hosted several Candidate Forums for the 2024 election. Below is a list of the remaining forums. If you missed any, you can find the recorded forums on our website at this link.

These non-partisan events have covered races in all cities across Ventura County, providing you with an invaluable opportunity to hear directly from the candidates vying for local offices. Whether you're interested in city council, mayoral, or school districts positions, our forums will help you make informed decisions at the ballot box.

For additional information please contact Kathy Morgan or Pat Essick.

Port Hueneme Forum

Thousand Oaks City Council Forum

Co-Hosted with Moorpark Chamber of Commerce

Date: Tuesday, October 1

Location: High Street Arts Center, 45 East High Street, Moorpark

Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

7:00 – 7:45 V.C. Community College District – 3 candidates in Area 4

8:00 – 8:45 Moorpark Unified School District – 3 candidates in Area 2

Co-hosted with Santa Paula Chamber of Commerce

Date: Tuesday, October 8

Location: Santa Paula Community / Senior Center,

530 West Main Street, Santa Paula

Time: 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM

6:30 – 7:20 PM City Council – 3 candidates in District 5

7:30 – 8:00 PM  School Board – 2 candidates in Area 2

8:15 – 9:00 PM  (Tentative) Ballot Measure R (Sales tax) debate

Date: Thursday, October 3, 2024

Location: Paciifica High School Performing Arts Center, 600 East Gonzales Road, Oxnard

Time: 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Mayor – 5 candidates

City Council District 3 – 4 candidates

City Council District 4 – 5 candidates

City Council District 6 – 2 candidates

Date: Wednesday, October 9, 2024

Location: Kent Hall at City of Ojai main campus, 111 West Santa Ana Street

Time: 7:00 PM - 7:45 PM

Mayor – 2 candidates

All City Council and school board races have only one candidate in each district.

Our Vote is Our Power

Through our votes, elections make our voices heard. The League protects and empowers millions of voters every year to ensure that our elections are fair, accessible, and representative of all Americans.

Why It Matters

Elections affect every area of our lives, from health care to jobs to racial justice. When we choose our leaders by voting, we’re choosing the people who will make decisions that shape the direction of our country and our communities.

Stay informed. Visit VOTE411.org, our award-winning, nonpartisan one-stop-shop for election information.

Discover all your voting options, from early voting to absentee and mail-in voting, to voting on Election Day, and make an election plan that fits your life.

VOTE411.org is the League’s one-stop-shop where you can find all the information you need to cast your ballot. It's virtual, nonpartisan, and available in both English and Spanish. Whether it's local, state or federal, every election is important to ensuring our laws and policies reflect the values and beliefs of our communities. For more information checkout the website using this button.

Local Pros & Cons Chairs: Pat Essick and Susan Roth

California voters are being asked to vote on 10 ballot propositions in the November 2024 election. Members of LWV throughout California provide a rich network of deep knowledge in law, education, medicine, budgeting, and the history of California legislation. This makes understanding the measures much easier than if we each attempted it on our own. The opportunity to understand ballot measures in an unbiased way is a rare opportunity given the mass marketing surrounding the election.

Join us October 13 for a "Pros & Cons presentation" in Thousand Oaks.

When:        December 7, 2024

Where:       Ottavio’s Italian Restaurant, 1620 Ventura Blvd., Camarillo, CA        

Menu:         Salad; choice of four main entrees; dessert; coffee, tea, or soft drink included.

Cost:          $40.00 per person

Time: Mingle 12:00–12:30p.m. (Cocktails available from waiters on a cash basis.)

                  Lunch served at 12:30 p.m.

RSVP:           By Nov. 28^th to Pat Butler

Wednesday, October 2nd, 5:30pm - Happy Hour at Aloha Steakhouse, 364 S. California Street, Ventura, CA 93001

Sunday, October 13th, 2:00pm, Pros & Cons Presentation at Grant R. Brimhall Library Community Room, 1401 East Janss Road, Thousand Oaks.

Wednesday, October 16th, 5:30pm - Happy Hour on Zoom 

Saturday, December 7th, LWVVC Holiday Party at Ottavio's Italian Restaurant, Camarillo - RSVP Here.

Be a Part of the Greater League

Participate in LWVUS and LWVC. Sign up for Updates and League Groups - Open to all League Members

Join by signing in at: Join an Online Discussion Group and work with other leagues, LWV California staff and LWV US staff.

Additionally, the LWVC has several interest committees - see details below.

Contacts: Kathy Morgan or Pat Essick

High School, College & Community Events

Contact: Betsy Patterson or leave a message at (805) 303-1476

Empowering the Next Generation of Voters:

LWVVC's High School Education Initiative

LWVVC has been making significant strides in youth civic engagement through its High School Education Weeks program. This initiative aims to educate and empower young citizens about their voting rights and responsibilities.

Our newly trained volunteers are coming out to help with our high school voter registration and many are stepping up to contribute to the presentation - thank you all!.

As of Monday, Sept 26 (data is incomplete and we are not finished registering students), we have presented to 2,101 students across Ventura County. Of those students, 109 were already registered and we have registered or pre-registered 553 students. We still have many schools and many classrooms to visit.  These interactions provide invaluable opportunities for soon-to-be voters to learn about the democratic process and the importance of civic participation.

Kudos to those amazing volunteers who have helped us get here. BIG KUDOS to Carmen Hurd and Cathy Trevino for setting up 25 classes at 5 different schools in the Oxnard Union High School District! The rest of the coordinating team (Mary Bergen, Pat Belt, Betsy Patterson) set up 30 classes over 7 school districts. And, we could not have done it without the logistics coordinators - Doris Simmelink and Cathy Trevino - who got volunteers to help put together the voter registration form and information packets for every student.

We have had volunteers helping register students on the community college campuses - Moorpark and Ventura with Oxnard coming in October.

Impact and Future Goals

The high school outreach program is making a tangible difference in youth political engagement. By interacting with students directly, the League is:

1. Increasing voter registration rates among young adults

2. Enhancing understanding of the democratic process

3. Encouraging lifelong civic participation

As we continue this vital work, the LWVVC aims to expand its reach to even more high schools in Ventura County, ensuring that every young citizen has the knowledge and opportunity to become an active participant in our democracy.

We will resume training volunteers in the Spring (Jan-Feb) so if you missed this round and are interested, please contact Betsy and Carmen.

Become an Observer - Ventura County Government Meetings – including the Board of Supervisors

Contact: Carol Lindberg

The LWVVC Observer Corps observes county and city meetings of governing boards and councils. Please reach out to Carol Lindberg if you are interested in becoming a part of the Observer Corps. You can participate as your time permits and will be providing a great service to the other League members.

Dates for remaining calendar 2024 County Board of Supervisors meetings are: October 8 and 29, and December 10 and 17.

Contact: Kay Armstrong

We are starting a new year!

Our committee members include: Melanie Ashen, Mary Bergen (historian), Sharon Bushman who coordinates with Ventura College, Ashley Chelonis (historian), Carmen Hurd, Carol Lindberg who coordinates with Oxnard College, and Kay Armstrong coordinating with Moorpark College.

The committee met on September 9th to review our scholarship requirements, affirm our liaisons with each college, review our financial situation, and to make our recommendation for money dispersal. Each school will receive $2,500 to award to the selected student(s). We will maintain our current requirements:

1) Must be a transferring student from the designated college to a 4 year university.

2) Must have a minimum GPA of 3.0.

3) Must carry a minimum of 12 units.

4) Must have completed or currently be enrolled in a political science, history, or government course. A stated major in these fields is preferred but not required.

5) Must demonstrate financial need.

6) Leadership, community service and extra curricular activities is a plus

This past June, we were fortunate enough to have 3 of our 5 scholarship recipients attend our annual meeting. It t was a pleasure to meet them and to introduce them to our members.

We thank all our donor who make these scholarships possible.

Scholarship donations, of any size, are very much appreciated!! If anyone has questions for us about our meeting or would like to join us, please contact Kay Armstrong.

3rd Thursday of the month, 4:00pm on Zoom

Contact: Kay Armstrong or Laura Hernandez

As our committee’s focus is on racial and social justice we looked to see if there were an issue happening in our community that we might research and address.

We are focusing on low level traffic stops. This issue has received more attention over the past 10 years and changes around these stops in different states and communities are expanding. Statistics indicate that in communities where low level traffic stops for such things as dangling objects from rear view mirrors , one rear tail light or defective brake light license plate/ registration not up to date are curtailed, it does not contribute to a charge in accidents or road safety. This allows officers more time to attend to true safety issues. Concerns regarding finding guns, drug/ other issues are also not born out. It also appears certain racial groups are impacted physically, emotionally, and financially more than others.

Please contact Kay with any questions or to obtain a link to a future meeting.

2nd Sunday of the month, 4:00pm on Zoom

Contact: Sharon Crane

The issue of Housing and Homelessness is certainly a major issue today. The amount of information on a daily basis is amazing. It is an issue that has affected everyone. 

Below is just some of the current information available to address the issues. 

Encampment clearing is front and center due to the recent ruling by the Supreme court that they can be cleared whether or not there is shelter or housing available. Governor Newsome has directed that state agencies must clear encampments on state property, prioritizing sites that pose significant health and safety risks and offering resources to assist unhoused individuals. Encourages local governments to adopt similar measures. Difficult to offer resources if you don’t have shelter available. If cities and counties do not show demonstrable progress in addressing homelessness, their state funding could be impacted. Funds will be redirected from areas where sufficient progress isn’t being made to those that are actively working on solutions.  This is information from our state representative and we have contacted our other state and county representatives for further information.  

U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness

New Report from BHHI on Sheltered Homelessness in CA and tools addressing encampments

We are sharing this new report from the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative. BHHI has released new data on unsheltered homelessness in California and tools to assist communities in addressing encampments and rehousing unsheltered people as quickly as possible. Some data points worth noting:

• In California, 78% of people experiencing homelessness are unsheltered, living outdoors (57%) or in vehicles (21%).
• The median age is 47.
• 72% of unsheltered people are people of color.
• Unsheltered people face extremely high rates of physical (40%) and sexual violence (11%)
• 25% of women living outdoors reported having experienced sexual violence.

The Encampment Prioritization Tool is  is designed to help communities navigate the complex landscape of homelessness.

No sleeping bags, keep moving: CA cities increase crackdown on homeless encampments (Source CalMatters)

Article on cost of housing in CA and homelessness:

“Why the California housing market is so expensive (2024) (Source CalMatters)

“Ventura County Housing Conference” - October 24 (Source HOME Housing Opportunities Made Easier)

“CA Homeless population grew again this year, especially in these counties” (Source CAL MATTERS)

“CA risked millions in homelessness funds due to poor anti-fraud protections” (Source CAL MATTERS)

https://calmatters.org/housing/homelessness/2024/08/hud-hcd-audit/

Closure of RAIN residential center for homeless families in Camarillo.

We are also continuing to monitor what projects Ventura County will be funding with various funding sources including that from Proposition.

Just a reminder that our own Kay Wilson Bolton will be on the panel presentation on homelessness at the 2024 Ventura County Celebration of Books scheduled on Saturday, October 12 from 11-12 in the Grand salon at CSUCI. Also check out her book Harvard Shelter.

We welcome the following new members:

• Ventura - Tatiana Von Klan, Valentina Viletto, Dennis Goldstein, Marian Butler, Mary Ellen Kearney
• Oxnard - Denise Tronstad
• Oak Park - Brianna Adams
• Oak View - Therese Duncan
• Port Hueneme - Martha McQueen-Legohn
• Studio City - Shelley Deutsch



NEW MEMBERS: Please contact any officer, board member, or committee chair to volunteer for the activities that spark your interest. You can be partnered with an experienced member if you like. We will help you learn what you need to know. And please sign up for whatever committees you would like to participate in by contacting the committee chair to be invited to meetings. Do as much or as little as you like. We look forward to your participation.

RENEWING MEMBERS: Many thanks and gratitude to our members who have renewed their membership and to those who have made an additional contribution toward the expenses of operating the LWVVC and towards the scholarship fund.

To join or renew your membership: find our membership form and the online payment option here, or send a check to P.O. Box 6786, Ventura, CA 93006.

Your support is critical!

Happy Hour – 1^st & 3^rd Wednesdays



1^st Wednesday @ 5:30pm, IN PERSON

Aloha Steakhouse, 364 S California Street, Ventura, CA 93001.

Please RSVP to Matty Park.  

3^rd Wednesday @ 5:30pm, on Zoom. Please RSVP to Kay Armstrong.

Happy hour events are not just for new members – everyone is welcome, including guests. Join us for an informal conversation about all things LWVVC. Interested in becoming more involved in our mission of "Empowering Voters, Defending Democracy"? Come, learn about what we're doing, and how you can help.

You don't have to be a League member to join us for happy hour. Come for five minutes, the whole hour or anywhere in between. We hope to see you there! You are welcome to attend either or both Happy Hours. Please register with the host in advance. If you would like to have an in-person Meet the Members in your area, please let us know. 

For all relevant news about the County of Ventura: https://www.ventura.org/  Find out how to view Board of Supervisor agendas, documents, broadcasts, and videos. Connect with County services.  

The dues rates for 2024-2025 are: 

Individual Membership                  $75.00

Student Membership                     $25.00

Family Membership                      $125.00

Associate Membership                   $25.00

OR make your check payable to LWVVC and send it to

P.O. Box 6786, Ventura, CA 93006

Membership Scholarships available with the approval of the Board of Directors.

   Donate 

Tax deductible donations may be made to:

•      General Fund

•      Scholarship Fund

•      Ann Gist Scholarship Fund  

•      Ann Gist Voter Education Fund

 OR make your check payable to LWVVC and send it to

P.O. Box 6786, Ventura, CA 93006

If you wish to donate in remembrance of someone, please include their name and a few lines about their life. Please specify the fund you want to support.

Thank you  

Raise Awareness of the League 

Email: info@lwvVenturaCounty.org

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/LWVVenturaCounty  

Mailing Address: LWVVC, P.O. Box 6786, Ventura, CA 93006 

Phone Number: (805) 303-1476 

  Facebook: @lwvventuraco

 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LwvVentura

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lwvofventura/

The League of Women Voters of Ventura County is a 501(c)3 organization.

All contributions are tax deductible.  

The League of Women Voters, a grassroots non-partisan 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 League of Women Voters does not support or oppose candidates or political parties.