Serving the people of San Jose, Santa Clara, Milpitas, Morgan Hill & Gilroy
April 2021
The VOTER
President's Message from Carol Watts

Revising League's position on local governance structure in San Jose -- consensus meeting on April 24
Did you get your vaccinations? When will we have in person meetings??? I hope one day soon, but not yet...

This month, a very important meeting will decide whether we want to change our current position on the structure of local San Jose government. Our study committee members have been working very hard to analyze the issues and gather the facts and the best analyses to present to our members on Saturday, April 24 at 10 a.m. 

We hope everyone will be interested in this issue and willing to do some homework as the foundation for a great discussion. Learn more about Study on Local Governance including links to an Executive Summary and background material. About this meeting:

WHAT? A Consensus Meeting is the most substantive part of a study. Committee members have worked for several months to educate themselves and to prepare for this meeting. They have formulated questions for members to consider and discuss. Consensus means members substantially agree, in broad terms ,on what we think about various aspects of the issue. 
WHY? We are developing a position that should serve us for years to come. (The current position was adopted in 1986!) This means separating what we think of current office holders and city staff and focusing instead on the structure of local government that suits San Jose no matter who is in leadership roles. 
HOW? Our goal is to formulate a position that will be our basis for advocating on local government structure issues that might be proposed at some time in the future. These would be changes to the City Charter that require voter approval.  Not a trivial subject!! Will we feel like the early framers of the U.S. Constitution when they were discussing how to define the federal structure? 
 
THEN WHAT? After the April 24 meeting, committee members will formally draft a modification to the current based on the consensus meeting discussion. After the board approves the wording of the updated position, it will be presented at our Annual Meeting on Saturday, June 5 for a vote of our members. Then we will be prepared to take action when the time comes! 

Please SIGN UP to attend this important meeting. 

Don't forget Lunch With League on Thursday, April 15, when we welcome Maryann Tekverk, Political and Community Organizer from Save the Bay who will talk about "Urban Greening in San Jose." 

I hope to see you at both meetings!!

Carol
president@lwvsjsc.org
Virtual Lunch With League
"Urban Greening in San Jose"
Thursday, April 15, 2021, 12 noon
A Zoom Online Event

Maryann Tekverk, Political and Community Organizer, Save the Bay, will speak on "Urban Greening in San Jose" at the April Lunch with League. She will discuss how natural infrastructure, native plants and trees, and green space can improve quality of life for residents, protect against climate change, provide habitat for birds and other wildlife, and improve water quality in the bay. She will also provide an update on the status of urban greening as a priority for the City of San José.

REGISTER HERE for Virtual Lunch With League.

Also note Thursday, May 20 on your calendar when we will hear from Josh Barousse and Ramona Giwargis,
co-founders of San Jose Spotlight news service.
Consensus Meeting To Discuss Local Governance Structure in San Jose

Saturday, April 24
10 a.m.-12 noon via Zoom

Should the League revise its current position on the local governance structure in San Jose?

Read the President's Message above to learn more about the months-long study process and how it
could lead to changes in the position.

Access background information including consensus discussion questions and register to attend HERE

ALL MEMBERS encouraged to attend.
Observer's Report: San Jose Clean Energy NGO meeting

Vicki Alexander, Chair of the Climate Change/Natural Resource Committee, attended a San Jose Clean Energy (SJCE) NGO meeting and reports these observations:

SJCE energy options may be changing. There is a proposal to add a third tier called Green Value (36% renewables and competitive in price with PG&E). Also proposed is an increase fee of about $4 a month for GreenSource, the standard tier. It's renewable portfolio would increase to 55%. The 100% renewable option -- TotalGreen -- is priced at $4 more per month than the GreenSource plan. Informational letters about these rate increases are going out to current SJCE customers.

One of the main drivers of the price increase is PG&E’s PCIA charges. PCIA stands for Power Charge Indifference Adjustment, and it’s a fee that all customers pay to investor-owned utilities like PG&E. The charges cover the utility's above-market costs from legacy energy contracts and power plant operations. PCIA charges have increased more than 900% since 2013 and more than 41% in the last year.

SB612 (Portantino) addresses concerns by CCAs (Community Choice Aggregators) like San Jose Clean Energy about the PCIA and aims to protect rate-payers from rising costs from these legacy energy contracts.
  LWV Bay Area Biennial Council Meeting 2021
 Saturday, May 1, 10 a.m. -12:30 pm
     
The Bay Area Biennial Council Meeting will focus on Bay Area issues and advocacy and implications for local Leagues. Proposed topics/briefings on the agenda may include voting rights/voter services; nonpartisanship update/relook; health care/pandemic impact; climate change sustainability priorities/Plan Bay Area 2050; housing/homeless strategies; and others to be determined. This Council Meeting will include a business segment focusing on elections, new communication tools/website, Monitor publication changes, and a report from the Treasurer.

A featured Town Hall segment will give local leagues ample time to report out their league priorities, successes during this pandemic climate, and challenges. The goal is to have an interactive forum for leagues to share and connect, as we continue to gather via Zoom. LEARN MORE HERE

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We Appreciate Our Donors!!
Thank you to the following people who recently made donations to our League. We couldn't do our work without you!
Amazon Smile
Marie and Paul Arnold
Susan Devencenzi
Joan Halperin
Beth Hughes
Patricia Linder
NVIDIA Corp.
Vicki Muller Olvera
Suzanne Thomas

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Welcome New Members
We are pleased to welcome these individuals who recently joined us at LWV of San Jose/Santa Clara during Q1 2021: Justin Lardinois, Elizabeth Meeker, Patricia Moxon, Pierluigi Oliverio.

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Mark Saturday, June 5, 10 a.m. on your calendar
for the Annual Meeting

Watch for more information in the May issue of The VOTER.
Quick Links
Join the League of Women Voters of San Jose/Santa Clara HERE
Donate to the League of Women Voters of San Jose/Santa Clara HERE