Asm. Gail Pellerin will open Annual Meeting

Serving the people of San Jose, Santa Clara, Milpitas, Morgan Hill & Gilroy

June 2023

The VOTER

Message from the President

Taking care of business

Last month LWVUS released its newly Board-approved Member Rights & Responsibilities Policy. The timing is opportune as we approach our League's Annual Meeting and end of the fiscal year on June 30. It clarifies how each member participates in the effectiveness of the League at the local, state and national levels.

To do our best work, we need our organization to be structurally and financially sound. That's why it is so important that members sign up for the Annual Meeting on June 8 when we will adopt a budget, approve program priorities and elect new leadership. If you haven't already registered, please do so ASAP!

Judicial Elections

Are you curious about how judges are vetted, appointed and eventually voted into office? A countywide League committee is being formed to conduct a "mini study" on this topic this summer. If you would like to participate, email me to have your name added to the list.

Lunch with League Speakers

We are looking for new members to join the Public Events Committee to help identify potential speakers and topics for Lunch with League events this year. Email me if you have ideas you'd like to share.

Diane McNutt

Diane.McNutt@lwvsjsc.org

State Assemblymember Gail Pellerin

will keynote Annual Meeting

Thursday, June 8, 2023

3:30-5:30 p.m. via Zoom

We are thrilled that State Assemblymember Gail Pellerin will be our keynote speaker at 3:30 p.m., followed by our business meeting which will include adoption of the budget and program priorities for 2023-2024, and election of officers, board members and next year's Nominating Committee.

Download the Annual Meeting Agenda Kit HERE.

This is an important meeting for all League members to attend. Hope to see you there!

Did you miss a

Lunch with League program?

Lunch with League is recorded and posted on our website and YouTube channel. The archives include speakers from 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. Click HERE to find these educational -- and sometimes provocative -- virtual events.

League Bay Area Biennial Council set for June 16

The LWV Bay Area Council is scheduled for Friday, June 16, 12 noon-1:30 p.m. on Zoom. The Council is held in odd-numbered years and is open to all members and guests. The program will include an update on our Regional Government and Land Use Study, discussion and follow up from the State Convention in May and an open forum. Guest speaker is Tommy Gong, Deputy County Clerk-Recorder for Contra Costa County and a member of Bay Area Votes, Coalition of Bay Area Elected Officials.

Update from the very active

Action/Advocacy Committee

Since the beginning of May, our Board has approved three Action Committee letters to the San Jose City Council. We supported San Jose’s acceptance of the Natural and Working Lands Element and the incorporation of it into Climate Smart San Jose; the City Council voted for this unanimously. A second letter asked for more transparency and community involvement, along with data-driven decision-making, for any possible re-allocation of Measure E funds. This issue is still being decided. The third letter supported campaign finance reform with an amendment to Title 12 of the San Jose Municipal Code; the amendment passed.

The Climate Change and Action Committees have also been advocating for greater protection of San Jose’s Urban Forest. The City of San José Department of Transportation and Environment Committee will hear the annual report of the Community Forest Management Plan on Thursday, June 1 at 1:30 pm. For more information about the community forest, you can read the City Auditor’s Report, and you can contact Virginia Holtz for the meeting link.

Please contact Vicki Alexander for more information about the Action Committee and Virginia Holtz or Judy Chamberlin for more information

about the Climate Change Committee.

Summer Reading Suggestion

If you are looking for an interesting read this summer, consider Off With Her Head: Three Thousand Years of Demonizing Women in Power by NY Times best-selling author Eleanor Herman. With wit and humor, she explores the patterns that time and time again seek to "put uppity women in their place" -- from Cleopatra and Catherine the Great to Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris.

Ms. Herman will be the Sept. 21 Lunch with League speaker so you will have an opportunity to hear more about why she wrote this book and what the reaction has been since its publication in November.

Members of our League who attended the League State Convention in San Francisco in May:

(from left) Roma Dawson, Carol Watts, Martha Beattie, Vicki Mueller Olvera, Gloria Chun Hoo, Martha Butzier, Raeena Lari, Sandy Mory.

Our League was well represented at

State Convention in May

Eight members of LWV of San Jose/Santa Clara attended the LWV California Convention 2023 in San Francsico at the end of May. Four were delegates (Martha Butzier, Raeena Lari, Sandy Mory and Carol Watts) who took part in the plenary sessions and voted on a budget and new board for 2023-2025 and priority issues for the next two years. Gloria Chun Hoo was also a delegate for LWV California where she serves as 2nd Vice President. Roma Dawson attended as President of LWV of the Bay Area, an Inter-League Organization.

Our League representatives divvied up attendance at the many workshops presented by LWV California and caucuses presented by local Leagues to share ideas and conversations about important issues. Martha Beattie presented "It's Transparent: LWV for Open Government" at one event in her role as a legislative analyst for Government Issues for LWV California. League member Vickie Mueller Olvera also helped to present a caucus on health care. Convention speakers included State Assemblymember Ash Kalra from San Jose who discussed how organizations can work together to influence legislation.

We look forward to hearing more about the convention experience as our League members report back on the ideas and information they obtained at convention events and through casual conversations with League members from throughout California.

The LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

QUICK LINKS

League of Women Voters of the U.S.

League of Women Voters of California

League of Women Voters of the Bay Area

League of Women Voters of San Jose/Santa Clara

Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters

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