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Serving the people of San Jose, Santa Clara, Milpitas, Morgan Hill & Gilroy
March 2023
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Message from the President
Why the League endures
It's Women's History Month, a time to celebrate the achievements of women around the world. It follows the 103rd anniversary of the League of Women Voters in February where Leagues throughout the U.S. took pride in a long and proud list of accomplishments at national, state and local levels.
Women have succeeded in spite of long-standing obstacles because of their talents and perseverance. The same is true of the League as it continues the battle to empower votes and defend democracy. One of my favorite quotes is "A strong woman stands up for herself. A stronger woman stands up for everybody else." This is who we are and this is what we do. (And, yes, we also appreciate the men who support the League's mission and the women in their lives.) Together we can go after ambitious dreams with confidence, appreciating all that has been endured and conquered by generations before us.
Member Anniversaries
2023 is also a milestone anniversary for several of our members whose commitment to the League goes back decades. We thank these members for their years of service to the League and the community. You are appreciated!
- 40 years -- Sandy Remmers
- 30 years -- Sally Pyle
- 20 years -- Louise Detwiler, Deborah Garvey, Kitty Horowitz, Sandy Mory
- 10 years -- Roma Dawson, Gerald Hunt, Kathy Sutherland
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There are many interesting League activities coming up including great speakers at Lunch with League, a special reception with elected officials at the Capital Club in downtown San Jose, the annual Bay Area Education Day and more. We hope to see you at many of these events and, of course, you are also welcome to attend our monthly Board meeting on the first Thursday of the month at 3 p.m. Email me for the Zoom link.
Diane
Diane McNutt
Diane.McNutt@lwvsjsc.org
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Virtual Lunch With League
"Words Matter: Democracy's Rhetorical Failure(s)"
Thursday, March 16, 2023
12 noon-1 p.m. via Zoom
America’s founders realized from the very beginning that democracy was not perfect. It is especially vulnerable to the tendency of powerful people to undermine regulatory institutions and the allure of offloading democratic decision-making onto an authoritarian leader who might rhetorically exploit an issue for political purposes.
San Jose State University Associate Professor Ryan Skinnell will talk about the dangers of demagoguery and anti-democratic movements that pose threats in the current moment, and what we can do to strengthen our democracy. Dr. Skinnell is an historian of political rhetoric, especially as it relates to fascism, demagoguery and democracy. He has published six books and more than 100 essays, articles and reviews including Faking the News: What Rhetoric Can Teach Us About Donald Trump in 2018 and Rhetoric and Guns, published in 2022. He is currently writing a book about Adolf Hitler’s rhetoric.
REGISTER HERE
Virtual Lunch With League events are FREE and open to all members of the community. Please invite people you know to attend.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
April 20: San Jose Police Chief Anthony Mata on "State of the Department: My Vision and Priorities"
May 18: Deb Kramer, Executive Director, Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful, on "The Big Opportunities at Coyote Creek"
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Bay Area League Education Day
Equity in the Bay Area
Saturday, March 4
10 a.m. - 1 p.m. via Zoom
Join LWV of the Bay Area for our annual League Education Day. The program will feature an opening keynote by State Senator Scott Wiener, one of the most prolific and influential legislators in California. He will discuss how equity is the basis for his legislation.
The program continues with an "Equity in Healthcare" panel with State Assemblymember Ash Kalra, Dr. Susan Rogers, past president of Physicians for a National Health Program, Dr. Sarah Rudman, Santa Clara County Public Health Department Deputy Health Officer, moderated by Henry L. Abrons, MD, MPH, retired physician specializing in pulmonary disase and critical care.
There will also be panels on land/use transportation planning and a presentation on the Bay Area Equity Atlas.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
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Women's History Month Reception honoring elected officials
Wednesday, March 15, 6-7:30 p.m.
Silicon Valley Capital Club
50 W. San Fernando St., San Jose
LWV of SJ/SC is partnering with the Business Forward, Dynamic Women and the LBGTQ+ Councils of the Silicon Valley Capital Club to honor elected officials in our area including those from the City Councils of San Jose, Santa Clara, Milpitas, Morgan Hill and Gilroy, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, and state officials. At press time, confirmed attendees include Santa Clara County Supervisors Susan Ellenberg, Cindy Chavez, Otto Lee and Joe Simitian, San Jose Vice Mayor Rosemary Kamei, San Jose Councilmembers Pam Foley and Domingo Candelas, Santa Clara City Councilmember Kathy Watanabe, Morgan Hill City Councilmember Marilyn Librers and representatives of State Assemblymembers Ash Kalra and Alex Lee.
This FREE event includes hors d'oeuvres, wine, and networking. Underground garage parking at no cost. Click HERE to register.
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Program Priority Recommendations
At the Program Planning meeting on Feb. 4, League members discussed what should be our recommendations for priorities for LWV of California and what should be the focus of our own local League in the coming year. State priorities will be discussed at Convention in May. Local priorities will be on the agenda for our Annual Meeting in June.
Recommendations to LWV of California:
- Climate change and the environment
- Mental health in connection to criminal justice and homelessness
- Making democracy work, including redistricting evaluation and planning, rank choice voting
Proposed local priorities for our League:
- Voter Education and participation
- Climate and the environment
- Housing
- Homelessness
- Mental health
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MORE EVENTS
Finding Fairness in a Polarized Country
Practicing Civil Discourse
Thursday, March 16, 7-8 p.m. via Zoom
Hone your civil discourse skills and add your ideas in this Participative Conversation around using the elements of Equity & Equality and whether they provide fair solutions to community issues. Facilitated group discussion topics will include:
- Affordable Housing - Nimby vs. Yimby – What’s fair?
- No cash bail? Is it fair to have bail requirements?
- Mental health treatment for the unhoused – Mandatory or not?
- Universal Basic Income – What’s fair?
Click HERE to register.
The U.S. Abortion War in 2023: A California Perspective
Wednesday, April 19, 12 noon-1 p.m. via Zoom
In addition to the flurry of abortion bans enacted in 2022, the U.S. witnessed the highest number of abortion protections ever passed. Fully one-quarter of these were enacted in California. What does it mean to be an abortion-friendly state in a country where almost half of the states have banned abortion or are likely to do so?
Santa Clara University Professor Michelle Oberman is an international expert on the impact of abortion regulation in countries with widely divergent abortion laws. In this talk, she will share findings from her current research in a state where abortion is banned to explore what changes on the ground when U.S. abortion law changes on the books, and to consider how California’s commitment to reproductive justice does (and does not) alter that landscape.
This event is presented by LWV of Palo Alto. Check their website for registration details closer to the date.
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2023 State of the League
LWV National President Deborah Turner recently delivered the annual State of the League address and it is available for viewing HERE. In addition to summarizing the League's accomplishments in the past year, it briefly describes some of the transformative updates being planned that will allow the League to continue its effective work into the next century.
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2023 Legislative Interviews are a success
Legislative interviews are a powerful tool for increasing League visibility, gathering information, and raising awareness among California’s state representatives about our interest in policies they are considering. Leagues throughout California conduct these interviews every January/February, and this year our members participated in interviews with six Senators and Assemblymembers representing districts covered by the San Jose/Santa Clara League.
In the first two months of 2023 we interviewed David Cortese, John Laird, Ash Karla, Gail Pellerin, Robert Rivas, and Alex Lee. Two additional interviews with Aisha Wahab and Marc Berman (coordinated by other local Leagues) are pending for early March. This year’s interview questions concerned Voter Participation, Funding for School Facilities, Management of Water Resources, and the particular priorities of each representative. You will find the notes from these informative meetings posted on our website as they become available. Please take the time to check them out.
A sincere thank you to Marie Arnold, Mary Collins, Roma Dawson, Vernette Drake, Maryann Haggerty, Connie Hunter, Curtis Jones, Raenna Lari, Margaret McCann, Sandy Mory, Kathleen Muller, Vickie Mueller Olvera, Natalie Prcevski, Paula Radziski, and Carol Watts for participating in one or more interviews. Having so many members willing to participate contributed greatly to the success of the program for our League this year.
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Legislative interview with State Senator Dave Cortese -- The interview team included, from left, Eleanor Yick of LWV Southwest, Curtis Jones, Sandy Mory, Vickie Mueller Olvera and Connie Hunter. | |  |
Legislative interview with State Assemblymember Ash Kalra -- The interview team included, from left, Maryann Haggerty, Kathleen Muller, Connie Hunter, Vickie Mueller Olvera and Vernette Drake. | | | | | |
