RSVP For June 10 Annual Meeting

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Reserve Now

For Annual Meeting: Saturday, June 10

Make your reservation today for our Saturday, June 10 Annual Meeting, to be held at Valle Verde, 900 Calle De Los Amigos, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Lois Capps will be our honored guest and speaker. Mail your reservation and payment of $35 or pay online by June 3. Click on the "Donate" button, and in the "special instructions" box write "annual meeting" and your choice of vegetarian, salmon or chicken.

At the business meeting we will elect our 2017-18 Board and our Nominating Committee, approve the budget, amend and/or approve the Local League Positions for Program Action for 2017- 18 (bring your Directory) and hear year-end reports including news from the State Convention. We also honor our long time members of 50 years at this gathering. Non-members can also pay $35 to attend the luncheon and speech by Lois Capps.

Joanie Jones, Nominating Committee Chair

The League is a co-sponsor of the forum.

End Unlimited Mone y
In Local Elections
Are you disgusted by the influence of big money in politics? Did you know that in most California local elections, there are no limits on the size of campaign contributions to candidates? Tell your Assembly Member to support AB 1089 to end unlimited money in our local elections.

California is one of only four states that limit campaign contributions to state candidates, but not local candidates. And in about two-thirds of counties and a whopping 78 percent of our cities, wealthy special interests can give unlimited amounts of money to candidates. In some cases, a candidate for local office has taken $100,000-or even more-from a single wealthy donor. That's outrageous!

AB 1089 would safeguard democracy by ending that local loophole. It provides a general contribution cap to stop the worst abuses, while respecting the autonomy of our counties, cities, and districts to set their own limits tailored to their communities' needs. Please tell your Assembly Member to vote YES on AB 1089 to prevent corruption, curb undue influence, and protect local democracy.

State and National Action Alerts

To see and respond to the latest LWVUS action alerts, click here. Get the LWVC 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.

LWV Celebrates Major Win for Voters:
Supreme Court Finds North Carolina Redistricting Unconstitutional

The United States Supreme Court has ruled that North Carolina lawmakers used racial considerations to draw congressional districts following the 2010 Census. This unconstitutional racial gerrymandering benefited one political party's power in the state.

"This is a major win in the battle for fair election districts," said League of Women Voters president Chris Carson. "The Court rejected North Carolina's claim that a racial gerrymander can be justified by arguing that it is a political gerrymander, which is allowed by law."

The League of Women Voters filed with the Campaign Legal Center in this case, arguing that "post hoc explanations by the legislature that the lines it drew were based on partisan concerns cannot override evidence that race, not politics, was the primary motivation in drawing district lines."

"This is a critical win where racial and political gerrymanders intersect," continued Carson. "The claim by the North Carolina legislature that the lines drawn were based on partisan concerns cannot override evidence that race, not politics, was the primary motivation in drawing district lines."

The April-May Channel Voter is Online.

Inside you will find our calendar of events, state and national Action Alerts, and much more.

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 Community Calendar.

Sustainable Communities
Takes a Vacation

In June the Sustainable Communities committee will be taking one month off, which is unusual for us. In July and August we will be back on our usual schedule on the second Friday mornings at 10 a.m.

In the meantime our members will be attending 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 President Chris Carson at our Garden Party

LWVSB at Earth Day

We were happy to see you at our May Community Forum and at our Earth Day booth. I hope to see many of you again at our annual meeting. Community Forums and Discussion Unit meetings will resume in September.

Sincerely,

Lindsey Baker, Co-President

League of Women Voters of Santa Barbara