lwv box no address
A VOICE FOR CITIZENS, A FORCE FOR CHANGE
In This Issue
Membership
Renew or Join the League today! And don't forget to ask your friends to join too!

YouTube
You can watch videos of Community Forums on our own YouTube Channel. Subscribe today and be notified when there is a new one to view!

Go here for membership and YouTube information.  
 
 
 
Join Our Mailing List

MAKING DEMOCRACY WORK
On Saturday June 24th, the old and new board of the League of Women Voters Santa Barbara met to begin planning for the year ahead. Our predecessors fought hard for the right to vote, but that's a right and responsibility that needs to be protected for all citizens in our nation.  

So there's much work in the coming months. Join us as we fulfill our League's job of Making Democracy Work!
OLD & NEW BOARDS MEET JUNE 24TH

A very productive Joint Board Meeting was held at the end of June to help welcome and begin the work of the 2017-2018 Board of our local League. Please check out upcoming dates for Committee Meetings, and Action Alerts put out by both the National & State Leagues. 
PUT THIS ON YOUR CALENDAR
July   5  Communications Committee 12 Noon                          League Office
July 13  Calendar Planning 5:30 p.m. for location
                 Contact  [email protected]  
July 14  Sustainable Communities 10:00 - 11:30
                 Maravilla Large Clubhouse Room
July 22  Voter Service 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon
                 League Office *
July 24  Social Policy 3:00 p.m.
                 League Office
 
*All LWV members who indicated interest in voter service, including voter education, registering voters, and candidate forums:
 
The next election is in the fall, for City of SB: the ballot will include Mayor, City Council in three districts, and a sales tax ballot measure. For this all-mail election, election materials and ballots will be mailed out to registered voters in early October 2017. This means that people will be sending or taking in their completed ballots soon after that and up until November 7.
 
The LWVSB already has a Mayoral candidate forum set up for October 2 with the first 4 candidates who have filed with the city, so far, agreeing to come. More on this at our meeting.
 
Please  CONTACT  me if you can come on July 22.  See you then, Susan Horne, Director Voter Service LWVSB.
CALENDAR PLANNING MEETING
Members are invited to the  Calendar Planning meeting, 5:30 pm July 13th.  For location contact [email protected] .  
What are your hopes and aspirations for your league in the coming months? We will be planning our monthly Community Forums, and Candidate Forums that will take place prior to the November 2017 City of Santa Barbara Election. (We are excited that the Santa Barbara Public Library is now a co-sponsor of the League Forums, and these monthly programs will continue to be held in the Faulkner Gallery at the Library.)  

In this most important civic endeavor let's come together and work to bring information to the Santa Barbara Community. To be knowledgeable and informed makes for wise choices and decisions as we move ahead.
STATE & NATIONAL ACTION ALERTS
To see and respond to the latest LWVUS (National League) action alerts, click here. Get the LWVC (California State League) action alerts and help us advocate on critical policy issues here. The League of Women Voters of Santa Barbara also shares LWVUS and LWVC Action Alerts on our  Facebook page (@LWVSB). Please share our posts and "like" us.
Our League joins other Leagues around the country to tweet information on Twitter: LWV Santa Barbara (@LWVSB)
NATIONAL ACTION ALERTS:








 
 
Voter Registration:
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Representative Robert Brady (D-PA) introduced the Automatic Voter Registration Act of 2017 on June 14, 2017. The League is proud to support legislation that enhances access for eligible voters in our elections and works to modernize our electoral system. This bill will improve the accuracy of voter records, cut down on costs, modernize outdated registration systems while supporting implementation in states across the country.
    
The League is a leader in voter registration efforts across the country. Expanding voter registration has been a principal goal of the League since its founding in the wake of the passage in 1920 of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. We are proud to see Congress embracing new technology that expands access to the ballot while still taking the necessary safeguards to secure personal information. 
  
The League fully supports this bill and urges all members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to support this important legislation.
ACTION ALERT:  SENATE REVEALS "NASTY" HEALTHCARE BILL
Click Here:  The Senate revealed it's version of a replacement Healthcare Bill that is truly a Tax Cut, and would mean that millions of Americans would lose Healthcare Insurance Coverage. In addition, the cuts overtime to our National Medicaid program are devastating! Please call, email, send postcards. Take Action!
SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES WILL MEET 
IN JULY & AUGUST
SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES WELCOMES GOLETA COUNCILMAN KASDIN
New Goleta City Councilman Stuart Kasdin will join us at our Friday, July 14th meeting. We will use the
large clubhouse room at Maravilla and anyone who has had concern about all the recent large developments in Goleta is invited to attend. We will plan time for questions from the audience. Our meeting will begin at 10:00 a.m. and end at 11:30. You may join us for lunch in their excellent restaurant, but be sure to bring some cash, because they don't take credit cards.
 
The clubhouse is in front of you as you enter the Maravilla Community & you may be able to find parking to your right. Otherwise, you can park in the large central lot.
 
In the meantime our members continue to attend the Housing Task Force meetings to monitor work on the AUD housing program, and all the other regular meetings that we cover. Email us about any special meetings that you know of and we will see if we can attend.
LWVUS PRESS RELEASES 
Request for Voter Records by Elections Integrity Commission 
To view the National League's Statement
WASHINGTON, DC-The request for voter records confirms fears of Kris Kobach continuing his tactics of voter suppression and the genesis of the Elections Integrity Commission in general. The League of Women Voters President, Chris Carson, released this statement on the issue:

"There is no justification for this giant fishing expedition. The Commission itself is a distraction from the real issue of voter suppression, and that efforts to 'investigate voter fraud' threaten our most fundamental voting rights.

This most recent move by Mr. Kobach is an indicator that the so-called Election 'Integrity' Commission is not interested in facts, but false accusations and dangerous policy recommendations."

League Urges Rejection of EAC Termination in House Appropriations Bill  
To View LWVUS President Chris Carson's Statement 
The National League sent a memo to members of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government urging them to reject provisions in the  Financial Services Appropriation Bill, HR 115, that would terminate the Election Assistance Commission, noting that this is not 
the time to abolish the only federal entity devoted exclusively to improving election administration on a bi-partisan basis.
SERVE ON GOLETA PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT COMMITTEE
The City of Goleta is now accepting applications for the City's first Public Engagement Commission.   This Commission is charged with looking for opportunities and ways to increase public engagement in City government. More specifically, the Commission will make recommendations to the City Council on matters pertaining to:
  • Whether the City should become a charter city;
  • Whether councilmembers should be paid greater compensation, and, if so, how much;
  • Whether regular City Council meeting should be scheduled after 5 p.m.;
  • Whether the directly elected mayor's term should be 4 years;
  • How to increase resident participation in government;
  • The district mapping process in determining district lines for future district elections; and
  • Any other matters as directed by the City Council.
The Commission will have six regularly scheduled meetings per year and commissioners will be compensated at $50/meeting. 
The Commission will be comprised of 7 members.  These members must be residents of the City.  They may not be employees or officers of the City of Goleta. 
Apply today! Applications due by July 31.
Completed applications can be dropped off, mailed or emailed to:
City of Goleta
Attn: Deborah Lopez, City Clerk
130 Cremona Drive
Suite B                                           
Goleta, CA 93117   Phone: (805) 961-7505
COMMUNITY EVENTS
The League of Women Voters does not support or oppose candidates or political parties. The League encourages informed and active participation in government and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

As a service to our members who want information about the SB Progressive Coalition, Indivisible, and other local meetings and events, we are directing you to the Fund for Santa Barbara's
MESSAGE FROM OUR CO-PRESIDENTS
Our "old & new" Joint Board Meeting was held on Saturday June 24th to orient all 2017-2018 Board Members to the work that lies ahead in the coming year for our Santa Barbara LWV. A full day of business and getting to know one another was both enjoyable and productive.

We invite members to join us at our July 13th Calendar Planning Meeting to help us set our agenda for the busy year ahead! 

Sincerely,

Lindsey Baker, Co-President of Program & Action
Joanie Jones, Co-President of Community Education, Membership & Administration
 
League of Women Voters of Santa Barbara 


Like us on Facebook  Follow us on Twitter