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Serving the people of San Jose, Santa Clara, Milpitas, Morgan Hill & Gilroy
September 2023
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Message from the Co-Presidents
An assignment for all League members
It's back to school season, and we've got an assignment for you! How do we get more voters excited about voting?
California has a very high voter registration count -- somewhere around 85%. But it is difficult to get more than 50% of those voters to actually cast a ballot. Using inconvenience as an excuse is hard to justify now that all voters in Santa Clara County receive a mail-in ballot and voting centers are open for a couple of weeks prior to Election Day. Some voters believe their vote doesn't matter . . . others say that they don't feel like they know enough about the issues to make an informed decision . . . and an increasing number are disillusioned about government and democracy and just throw up their hands in dismay.
The League wants to help turn this around and that's where your assignment comes in. What can we do as concerned community volunteers to encourage more people to vote beyond our normal League activities of Candidate Forums, Pros & Cons presentations, and Voter's Edge?
Let's think outside the box and find some new approaches to try for the March Presidential Primary. All ideas are welcome so send your suggestions to us at President@lwvsjsc.org. Wild and crazy, tame and conventional -- we want to hear them all!
Martha Butzier
Co-President
Martha.Butzier@lwvsjsc.org
Diane McNutt
Co-President
Diane.McNutt@lwvsjsc.org
P.S. To get your creative juices flowing, read through a recent study by the U.C. Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies on who votes (and who doesn't) in California and the need for more voter education to close persistent gaps in participation.
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Virtual Lunch with League
New York Times Bestselling Author
Eleanor Herman
"Off With Her Head: Three Thousand Years of Demonizing Women in Power"
Thursday, Sept. 21, 12 noon-1 p.m.
Author Eleanor Herman explores the patterns that have been operating for more than three thousand years—and are still operating today—against powerful women across the globe, including Cleopatra, Anne Boleyn, Marie Antoinette, Catherine the Great, Hillary Clinton, Kamala Harris, and more. Each chapter analyzes misogynistic methods to keep women down:
Her Overweening Ambition
Why Doesn’t She Do Something About Her Hair?
The Dangers of Female Hormones
The Alarming Shrillness of Her Voice
The Mysterious Unlikability of Female Candidates
She’s a Bitch and Other Animals
She’s a Witch and Other Monsters
You can register now HERE and submit your questions for the author in advance or during the talk using the chat function.
Lunch with League is open to the public. Please pass along this information to others who might be interested in this topic.
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Voter Registration Opportunities
Volunteers are needed for several voter registration tables in September including these events:
Sept. 14, 12 noon: Don de Dios (families) 987 Fair Ave., San Jose
Sept. 19, 12 noon: Cornerstone at Japantown (families), 875 N. 10th St., San Jose
Sept. 20, 12 noon: Gateway Santa Clara (seniors), 1000 El Camino Real, Santa Clara
For information and to volunteer at these or other upcoming voter registration events, contact Voter Service Chair Sandy Mory.
The League is also supporting High School Voter Weeks organized by the Santa Clara County Office of Education, Sept. 18-29. If you are interested in volunteering, contact Rosaleen Zisch, our League's representative to the SCCOE Power of Democracy Steering Committee.
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San Jose Housing Element
California's Housing and Community Development has informed the City of San José that its Housing Element as submitted in June fails to meet state requirements. The City must make a new submission within the next year or risk loss of regional, state and national funding. The Housing and Homelessness Committee will meet soon to review the letter from the state. If you would like to attend, email Chair Roma Dawson.
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San Jose City Council Study Session on Affordable Housing is Sept. 7
The San Jose City Manager's Office is conducting a timely study session on affordable housing on Sept. 7 beginning at 9 am. The title is "Affordable Housing: Production, Preservation and Protection." The protection "P" relates directly to preventing homelessness. This is a unique opportunity to hear a comprehensive presentation on the City's efforts to combat homelessness and provide safe and adequate housing for its most vulnerable residents. No details except the Zoom link are posted yet.
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Regional groups want YOUR opinions
How has daily life changed, in terms of getting around, and where you work and live? What has gotten better, and where is there still room for improvement? What are your concerns for the environment and the economy? The Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Association of Bay Area Governments want your input on how life in the Bay Area has changed as the region emerges from the pandemic. Take the online survey by Thursday, Sept. 7, to share your opinions.
Your input will help staff develop the Plan Bay Area 2050+ Draft Blueprint. Plan Bay Area 2050+ is the limited and focused update to Plan Bay Area 2050, the adopted long-range regional plan. Plan Bay Area 2050+ will refine select plan strategies to integrate the lessons of the last three years.The survey also will help inform the development of Transit 2050+, a parallel long-range planning effort that will produce a first-of-its-kind plan to re-envision the future of the public transit network in the nine-county Bay Area, as well as the expenditure plan for a potential transportation revenue measure. The revenue measure is key in advancing implementation of Plan Bay Area.
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Save the date! Monday, Oct. 30, 5-7 p.m.
The League is planning a "League Connections" event that will invite members to connect with League friends, meet new members, talk with League leaders about upcoming projects and enjoy casual food and drink. Everyone will be encouraged to bring a friend. Watch for more details soon.
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Report Cards for School Boards
LWV of Sarasota County (Florida) has launched an innovative project to create report cards for its local school board, grading its governance practices and ability to hold an orderly meeting. Grades are given on how well the board follows a written agenda, adheres to Robert's Rules of Order, and delegates decisions to professional staff. Also coming under scrutiny is the board's conduct in limiting citizen comments to relevant topics, enforcing speaker time limits, and responding to personal attacks on board members. Read more about this initiative HERE.
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Death vs. Dollars -- Is our health an individual
or a collective responsibility?
Oct. 10, 12 noon-1 p.m. via Zoom
This is the first in a series of events on public health awareness being planned by LWV Bay Area. This presentation will focus on the history, role and scope of public health in the U.S. with two speakers: Dr. Sarah Rudman, Deputy Public Health Officer and Infectious Disease and Response Branch Director, Santa Clara County Public Health Department; and Kimi Watkins-Tartt, Alameda County Public Health Director and Co-Chair Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative. They will discuss the changing role of public health, how the departments have adapted to a changing policy environment and the future role of public health in the community. Register for this event HERE.
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Presidential Primary Election is March 6
Quicker than we realize, the Presidential Primary Election in California will be upon us -- Tuesday, March 6, 2024. Mailing of Vote-By-Mail ballots begins on Monday, Feb. 5. The last day to register to vote for the March 6 election is Monday, Feb. 19.
Voters who are registered as having no party preference (also known as nonpartisan, independent, and decline to state) are allowed to "crossover" into a political party in order to vote for one of the presidential candidates. If a non party preference voter does not request a crossover ballot, they will receive a Primary Election ballot without presidential candidates. Some political parties allow a one-time crossover voting for their candidates without a change in registration. Other parties require voters to re-register in that party in order to participate.
Check your voter registration status HERE.
For more information about the Primary Election and voter registration, visit the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters at sccvote.sccgov.org.
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