We’ve learned again that democracy is precious. Democracy is fragile. At this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed.
—— Joseph R. Biden, 46th US President –
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From the League President
It was heartwarming to witness the peaceful transfer of power on January 20, a hallmark of American democracy, despite memories of the surreal images of mobs storming the Capitol, the seat of our democracy, flashing from just two weeks earlier.
The inauguration celebration felt especially monumental when Kamala Harris claimed her place in history, shattering barriers not only as the first woman to hold a nationally elected office in the United States but also the first woman of color and of South Asian descent to ascend to such heights.
There was a lot to celebrate this past week, and a lot more to be concerned about. Four years earlier we were worried about safeguarding our democracy from external threats, and now we have to contend with internal threats as well. Democracy triumphed over dire threats this time, underscoring our role as guardians of democracy. Our democracy rests on all our shoulders and not just on the President and the other elected officials. Democracy needs to be nurtured and supported by each of us at local, state, and national levels.
With the Texas 87th legislative session running and the upcoming city elections right around the corner, we have our work cut out as League members. Voters are relying, once again, on the League to provide information on legislative priority issues, city elections, and candidates running in the city council and mayoral races. League members as community leaders play a critical role in providing reliable information and not opinions to voters. If you haven’t already signed up to help, the newsletter offers several opportunities for you to participate in democracy. Please consider doing so.
Stay safe, stay healthy.
Madhu Sridhar
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The Senate Redistricting Committee has decided to start holding virtual public input hearings the week of January 25. Since the Senate has not given us much lead time to alert our communities, we need everyone's help to spread the word about these hearings.
Public comments at the committee hearings will be used to assist the Legislature when it draws district boundaries. The purpose of public testimony is to provide suggestions for improving the redistricting process and information about a region’s unique geographic and demographic characteristics from those residents most familiar with their own neighborhoods.
Speaking up about your community is critical to ensuring district lines are drawn to keep your community whole and grouped with nearby communities with similar interests. This ensures that your voice is heard by your elected leaders across all kinds of government decisions. League members who testify will be speaking for themselves, not as representatives of the League of Women Voters.
This might be the only opportunity we get to present oral testimony to the committee virtually, so now is the time to speak up about your community!
The San Antonio hearing is tentatively scheduled for February 3.
Instructions for how to register to present testimony virtually can be found on the Texas Legislature's website: Senate Committee Meetings. You can find the registration instructions for February 3 in the Hearing Notice column.
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Do you have friends and family in other parts of Texas? Let them know about hearings in their area and share the Fair Maps resources so they can get involved.
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Send Action Alerts to Your State Legislators |
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To date nearly 1,400 bills have been filed by state House members, and another 400 have been filed by state senators. Our LWV-Texas state issue chairs are following the filed bills closely as you can see by accessing their weekly blogs at https://my.lwv.org/texas/advocacy-issues/all-issues or going to LWV Texas > Advocacy & Issues > All Issues.
Our state-level priority issues are Redistricting and Voting Rights. Our urgent issues are Air Quality & Climate Change, Health Care for Low Income and Elderly Texans, and Women’s Health. Twenty-seven additional issues are listed as important, including Drug Laws (chaired by our own Elaine Talarski), for which several bills relaxing cannabis laws have been filed, and Public Education (chaired by our own Diann Andy), which includes several proposals to add civics instruction to the required curriculum.
or go to LWV Texas > Advocacy & Issues > Take Action!
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The first virtual lobby day will be held Saturday, February 6 at
10 a.m. The focus will be on redistricting and voting rights.
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Speakers include:
· Victoria DeFrancesco Soto, Assistant Dean at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and a political analyst for NBC News and Telemundo.
Dr. DeFrancesco Soto was the featured speaker at the LWVSA Hard Won, Not Done program in August 2020.
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· Melanye Price, Endowed Professor of Political Science at Prairie View A&M University and principal investigator for its African American Studies Initiative.
· Michael Li, Senior Counsel for the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program.
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2021 League Lobby Days
Take Action at the Texas Capital on Voting Rights and Redistricting!
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Texas Legislator Interviews |
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In preparation for this legislative session, 24 LWVSA members formed teams of two to four interviewers who spoke to the 14 legislators (10 state representatives and four senators) who represent all or part of greater San Antonio and Bexar County. We were successful in connecting with all 10 representatives, but just one senator, José Menéndez, most via Zoom. All were gracious with their time and thorough in answering our questions.
In addition to addressing the budget and redistricting, which are the only legal requirements of this session, the majority of legislators interviewed expressed the following priorities (in descending order of the number of replies):
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Public education, especially continuing the work begun in the last session’s HB3, was listed by all but one. Plans included maintaining or increasing financing for schools, students’ resources and teachers’ pay and lowering certain property taxes.
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Medicaid expansion was espoused by most to address healthcare needs exacerbated by the pandemic and to add to state funding.
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Pandemic concerns were expressed in terms of safety measures, funding, and resource needs.
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Child welfare concerns were raised, especially the need to address children at risk.
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Criminal justice, including finding ways to improve community policing, was also of deep concern to five.
Thank you to all of our dedicated volunteers for making this happen!
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The Economic Inequity Study team continues its efforts in collecting and digesting information about Bexar County. With the current situation documented, efforts are now focused on looking at factors that might contribute to the problem: our tax policies, education, health care, childcare, housing, the criminal justice system, and several issues related to the workforce.
The group is now at the point of being able to share some information with League members. To that end, we are planning a series of forums to be held over the next several months. Each forum will deal with specific topics covered in the study. In light of the current pandemic, the forums will be held in a virtual format. Watch your mailbox for invitations to the forums.
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Show Your Love! Invest in Democracy! |
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On February 1, the League of Women Voters of the San Antonio Area will launch its annual fundraising campaign, timed to coincide with the anniversary of the founding of the League of Women Voters and Valentine’s Day, February 14.
The goal of the campaign is to raise $15,000 to fund the League’s ongoing voter engagement efforts. Your local League depends on your generosity to fund its activities, receiving no annual funding from the state or national League offices.
Please watch your electronic and surface mailboxes for your invitation to show how much you love the League of Women Voters.
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As the new year begins, the Nominating Committee is seeking candidates to fill upcoming openings on the LWVSA Board of Directors.
The League is composed of a vibrant, creative, and active group of members dedicated to voter education, voter outreach, voter rights, voter participation, and the study and advocacy of public policy. Members and board members actively pursue these goals through the creation and distribution of educational materials, organization of candidate and issue forums, voter registration drives, publication of the Voters Guide, the Vote 411 website, and more. All volunteer activities are in the interest of empowering Bexar County voters.
The board is a working board, and its members have opportunities to chair and participate in various committees. They work closely with local leaders, other board members, and members of the community. As a member of the board, you will have the opportunity to influence and guide the League’s programs.
If you or anyone you know is interested in becoming a member of the board, please let us know. The LWVSA is an organization fully committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Nominating Committee:
Theresa Poenisch, Chair – Theresa.poenisch@gmail.com 210-313-2629
Evelyn Bonavita – ebonavita@satx.rr.com 210-828-1368
Jill Torbert – torbertj@aol.com 210-748-5292
Carolina Barrera – carolinapbarrera@gmail.com 210-365-4876
Harriet Wiygul – hpwsatx@gmail.com 210-379-8109
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New Board Member
Please welcome Monica Garza as the League’s newest director. She is an activist, a well-respected leader, and well-connected with the community, being a native San Antonian. She joins the board following a term as co-chair of the Latina Leadership Institute, a program whose mission is to increase the number and influence of Latina women in elected and appointed office positions in the United States.
She was named a San Antonio Business Journal “40 under 40” Rising Star and is an alumna of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Alexander Briseño Leadership Development Program. She is the vice-chair of the San Antonio Area Foundation Women and Girls Development Fund and serves on the Northeast Educational Foundation Board and the H-E-B Corporate Diversity Leadership Council.
Professionally, she oversees the H-E-B self-insured medical plan. In her work at the YMCA of Greater San Antonio, she was the director of Síclovía, the largest health and wellness community event in San Antonio with over 70,000 participants.
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On the Move
Leslye and Bill Altemeier are long-time San Antonians, but they are even longer-time League of Women Voters members. After 14 years in San Antonio and as San Antonio League members, they are leaving for a retirement community in Asheville, North Carolina, near family, but their volunteer spirit will continue.
Leslye recalls that she joined the League in Columbia, Missouri, in 1995 when she quit working, when a friend invited her to a meeting. When they moved to Sewannee, Tennessee, she joined again. Bill, also a member, explains his role as “always carrying her briefcase,” but those who know him know his constant support has been invaluable to both Leslye and the League.
Once they’re settled in, they plan to search out new volunteer opportunities in the area. “We hope to be part of the League, if there is one,” Bill said. He said he also plans to write and do some teaching to children or adults. Leslye wants to see how she can help in their new community.
Both Altemeiers are strong believers in the League. “I believe in the League and what it does,” Leslye said, noting that it can be discouraging, but “sometimes you get a home run.” Bill believes its emphasis on nonpartisanship is its greatest strength. “People listen,” he said.
His friends in their neighborhood have a wide variety of political views, and they share their ideas in a civil manner. Bill has contributed greatly to crafting our candidate questionnaires because of his understanding of differing viewpoints.
As much as they are looking forward to their move, the Altemeiers say they will miss much about San Antonio: the food, the Riverwalk, the weather, and of course, the League. But most of all, Bill said, “the Fiesta attitude about life.” And we will miss them.
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Welcome Our Newest Members! |
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Jenee Margo Gonzales
Cara Jensen
Agi Graham
Dolores Villarreal
Katie Brown
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Taylor Watson
Ashley Logan
Grace Porter
Gloria Ramirez
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Earline Long-Zlotkowski
Joe Zlotkowski
Jo Ann Andera
Cindy Katz
Amy Phipps
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Thanks also to all of our renewing members! |
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