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President's Message
November 12, 2019
LOOK FOR THESE EVENTS IN THE UPCOMING WEEKS...SAVE THE DATES!
November 18, 2019..."Housing...Past is Prologue", with speaker, noted author Richard Rothstein. Event supported by the Davis LWV, Monday, 11/18/19 @ 6:30 pm, Davis Community Church, 412 C Street, Davis. Panel discussion to follow.
November 21, 2019...Housing Study Meeting, Thursday, 11/21/19 @ 6 pm, Raley's Community Room, Woodland.
December 5, 2019... Holiday Celebration & Potluck, Thursday, 12/5/19 @ 6 pm, Hermosa Place 5, Woodland.
December 10. 2019...December Board Meeting, Tuesday, 12/10/19 @ 6 pm, 418 Buena Vista Way, Woodland.
Amazing that 2019 is almost a fond "memory"! September and October saw very successful events, the "Membership Mixer" and "Democracy Works". Both were well attended by members and guests and thank you all for your enthusiastic support!! The YES Program's October fundraiser was also supported by our Chapter. All in all, a very busy couple of months.
The new year brings its own excitement as we look forward to the celebrating 100 Years of LWV & Woman's suffrage or Right to Vote. Honestly, this is looking like a true gala is in the making!! Chairs Janet Ruggiero & Carol Sousa Cole are planning a very "polished" affair, have secured an impressive speaker, a known expert and author of the Suffrage movement and are working with their committee to orchestrate an impressive evening at the historic Woodland Hotel. If you haven't done so already, mark Valentine's Day, February 14, 2020, on your calendar and get your tickets early as this will be a SELL-OUT affair. Tickets go on sale 1/1/2020.
See You there.
Pat Butler,
President, LWV Woodland
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The League of Woment Voters Davis Area (LWV)
and CivEnergy Present
"Housing...Past is Prologue"
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When: November 18, 2019
Where: Davis Community Church
412 C Street, Davis
Time: 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
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The LWV and CivEnergy bring noted author and speaker Richard Rothstein to Davis. Mr. Rothstein's book deals with how our government enacted Housing Policies produced and maintained segregation - and he discusses how this history effects housing and housing policies today. The is an effective and interesting topic. We hope you will join us.
Rothstein was recently nominated for the National Book Award for
his book The Color of Law.
"It is the League's goal that Mr. Rothstein's presentation and the
panel discussion to follow will provide a foundation for discussion as the city goes forward it its update of the General Plan, Housing Element and Housing Policies."
- MaryJo Bryan, President LWV Davis Area
Panel of Speakers:
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Alysa Meyer
Managing Attorney
Northern California
Legal Services
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David Thompson
President
Twin Pines Cooperative Foundation
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Ashley Feeney
Assistant City Manager
City of Davis
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David Sandino
Moderator
Senior Counsel
Dept. Water Resources
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WE WILL HAVE CHILDCARE AVAILABLE AT THIS EVENT!
For more information on this event please contact:
MaryJo Bryan
mjbryan6642@gmail.com
Georgina Valencia
georginavalencia@sbcglobal.net
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Membership News
The Membership Mixer was a great success. Karen and Ramon Urbano hosted the informal buffet at their home on September 25. Tom Stallard, city councilman, explained his role as our representative to SACOG's regional planning commission.
If you have not yet renewed your membership, you will find the form below. We currently have 45 paid memberships.
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Democracy Works Dinner
We met at the Legion Hall where Ludy's served an abundant buffet dinner and guests enjoyed drinks from the Club Room.
Please be thinking about nominations for honorees for our 2020 award.
The Woodland Public Library Programs including the Literacy Program and by association its volunteers were honored for two of its contributions to our democracy:
1) The multitude of programs housed there which go far beyond lending books, and 2) Promoting literacy in many ways and the GED and Diploma program for Incarcerated
Adults and Youth in particular. The human faces of the organization were Maureen King accepting for Greta Galindo, Woodland Public Library's Services Director, and Charlotte Beal, who has been working with incarcerated aspirants to education for the past twenty-five years.
Tom Stallard introduced Kathy Trott, whom we honored as an individual for all her work as a community organizer advocating for housing for the homeless and the Tiny Houses project. She has completed twenty-three years coordinating the Children's Theatre Program for Parks and Recreation. Trott is past president of Yolo County's Hunger Coalition and gets credit for the development of transforming a small start up into a professionally administrated food bank. Trott encouraged us to become involved in the Tiny House project. Her enthusiasm and energy made clear why Stallard nominated her.
Laura Kofoid introduced Charlotte Beal who has served as the inmate Literacy Coordinator by noting that in addition to her success encouraging her students to 251 successful high school equivalency certificates and five diplomas, Charlotte and her husband fostered twenty three children in addition to raising their own six. She also found time to serve on seven grand juries, four of them as foreperson, and has given fifteen years of service to the Juvenile Justice Commission, currently acting as chairman. The Sheriff's Department has been supportive of the education program throughout its history. We were pleased to have Sheriff Lopez with us as an honored guest.
Gil Walker introduced Maureen King, a trustee of the library accepting for Greta Galindo who was away on library business. Walker reviewed Literacy Services for children, the Science and Society discussion series by UCD professors, Tuleyome presentations on the natural environment in and around Yolo County and Square One, a "maker's space' that provides a place for wood-working, electronics, digital arts and textiles; housed on the main floor of our unique Carnegie Library. In addition Walker referenced computer resources, audio tapes and DVD's as examples of how many resources are available in addition to the shelves of books.
Thanks to all members who decorated the room and made the dinner arrangements.
Thanks especially to Catherine Portman for arranging and donating the cost of the Legion rental and to everyone who decorated and worked in the kitchen including Pat, our president, arranging flowers before and washing dishes after. We are lucky to have many hands making work lighter. Thanks Roz, Maria, Evelia and Audrey.
Left to right: Kathy Trott, Maureen King, Sheriff Lopez and Charlotte Beal
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Housing Study
Please get involved in helping to update our position on housing.
On October 10 in the Parker Hall of the Christian Church on College Street, Greg Chew of SACOG presented a description of the scope of his work and a fact filled explanation of housing in our region.
The Housing Study plans to meet in the Community Room of Raley's on the following dates: at 6:00. Nov. 21, Jan. 8, March 4 and May 6. There may be sub-committee work at separate times. If the time or location change, expect a listserve message. The goal of the study will be an updated position ready for adoption at the annual meeting.
Co-Chairs: Janet Ruggiero (jmruggiero@sbcglobal.net) and Elizabeth Kemper
For more information on SACOG, click here.
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Voter Services
Chair Gil Walker (walkergil@hotmail.com)
Forums will take place in January preliminary to the March 3 primary and the vote by mail which begins February 3. The last day to register for the primary is February 18. Forums are scheduled after candidacy is announced.
The 2020 general election will be held November 3.
We received just today from Celina Stewart, Senior Directory of
Advocacy and Litigation at the National League the following:
In 2013, our democracy received a devastating blow when the Shelby v. Holder decision overturned key protections of the Voting Rights Act. Since then, we have seen the integrity of voters and elections continually undermined through suppressive tactics-disproportionately targeting communities of color-such as voter ID laws, illegal purging of voter records, and gerrymandering.
In the coming week, after years of tireless organizing and the advocacy efforts of many organizations like the League of Women Voters, the Voting Rights Advancement Act (H.R.4) will have a vote on the floor of the U.S. House and we invite you to help us urge Congress to pass this historic legislation.
We need YOU to contact your Representative and ask them to vote YES on H.R. 4, the Voting Rights Advancement Act.
Throughout 2019, Congress has held hearings in states around the country that which gathered evidence about voter suppression. The House Judiciary Committee also held seven hearings collecting evidence from expert witnesses about the barriers to voter participation that remain for people of color and language-minority voters in Native American, African-American, LatinX, and Asian American communities.
H.R. 4 needs the support of every member of Congress, no matter the party to which they belong. Please contact your Representative today and ask them to vote yes on H.R.4.
For over 50 years, protecting voters from discrimination at the ballot box has been a bipartisan activity. Passage of the original VRA (and subsequent reauthorizations in 1970, 1975, 1982, 1992, and 2006) was not only accomplished with bipartisan support in Congress, but was led by stalwart members of the Republican caucus who were committed to doing right by voters. In fact, every reauthorization of the legislation was signed into law by a Republican President, who refused the notion that voting is a partisan issue.
With the upcoming election in 2020 and redistricting cycle in 2021, the Voting Rights Advancement Act protections are critical to ensure the process remains fair, nonpartisan, and protected from interference. The passage of the bill in the house would be a monumental win for democracy.
It's time to pass H.R. 4 and restore the Voting Rights Act.
We also received the following from the California League:
MARCH EASY VOTER GUIDE AVAILABLE ONLINE ONLY
The March 2020 Easy Voter Guide will be available online only on January 6, 2020 in five languages. We will not be distributing printed versions of this one-page Easy Voter Guide. We encourage you to download and print the one-page PDF to use for your Voter Service efforts.
We will have an additional one-page handout specifically for Voter's Choice Act counties.
We will not have a Pros & Cons for this election. Our traditional InDepth publication for Voter Service volunteers will be available on the new members only site on January 6.
LAWN SIGN PRE-ORDER BEGINS TODAY
The enormously popular LWVC lawn signs are back and available for pre-order for the 2020 elections! Get these double-sided lawn signs to display around your neighborhood and at events. Place your order now and you'll receive your lawn signs between January 6-17, 2020.
Pre-order your lawn signs by Friday, December 20 here.
$50 per bundle of 5 lawn signs, plus wire stakes.
Shipping & handling rates
1-2 bundles - $20
3-4 bundles - $40
5-8 bundles - $60
10+ bundles - $80
(Bear in mind that we already have a number of signs!)
Training will take place for high school registration volunteers, presenters, assistants, and those who would prefer to observe, during the first week of January. We have around 20 Government class sections to cover. Please see Calendar for dates. Email Evelia Genera (eveliagenera5@gmail.com) to sign up for training. Specify day or evening. You will be provided with everything necessary to present and register the students to vote.
To be on Gil's team, call walkergil@hotmail.com.
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100 Years of
LWV & Women's Suffrage
Our Gala, February 14, 2020, is being planned by co-chairs Carol Sousa Cole & Janet Ruggiero. Tickets will go on sale January 2. Our speaker will be Dr. Sally Roesch Wagner, nationally renowned Women's Studies professor.
You should have received a Save the Date postcard like the one below. We won't be making soup or selling tickets this year, but there will be opportunities to get involved with this fundraiser. It will be a celebration of the founding of the League as our foremothers made the transition from Suffragettes into voters.
Don't wait to get your tickets to the Banquet at the Hotel Woodland!
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Youth Empowerment Summit Contributions
Catherine Portman, our liaison to YES, reports that we contributed both set-up and clean-up volunteers and an auction basket to the inaugural Yolo Fest: A Celebration of Democracy for which they were very grateful. "The Youth Empowerment Summit was recognized by the Election Center, the National Association of Election Officials, and received the Guardian Award for Promoting and Exemplifying Professional Principles and Standards. The award was one of seven national awards presented at the 2019 annual conference in August." We were pleased to be among the supporters of the program that encourages youth to say yes to leadership.
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Mark Your Calendar...
All members are welcome guests at board meetings. The locations on the calendar are tentative. Call Laura Kofoid or email to confirm the location and receive the agenda. 668-0345 lcaruso.kofoid@gmail.com
November 21 2019
Housing Study, 6 pm
Location Raley's
December 5 2019
WLWV Potluck Holiday Party,
5:30 pm, Butler's,
5 Hermosa Place
December 10 2019
Planning Session for
Centennial Gala,
1:30 - 3:30 pm
Location Simas', 418 Buena Vista Dr.
Week of January 6 2020
High School Registration Training
Genera's
January 8 2020
Housing Study
January 14 2020
Board Meeting, Urbano's
January 15-16 2020
Pioneer HS Voter Registration
January 22-23 2020
Woodland HS Voter Registration
January 30 2020
Look for Winter Voter
February 14 2020
Board Meeting, Kofoid's
February 14 2020
Centennial Gala, Hotel Woodland
March 4 2020
Housing Study
March 10 2020
Board Meeting, Urbano's
April 14 2020
Board Meeting, Lago's
April 15 2020
Look for Spring Voter
May 6 2020
Housing Study
May 12 2020
Board Meeting, Butler
June 9 2020
Annual Meeting
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We Need a Webmaster!
If you are interested and have the skills to update the LWVW website twice a year, contact President Pat Butler (butler@accelyrs.com) or Laura Caruso-Kofoid (530-668-0345).
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(click following links to read...)
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Money in Politics
Elections should be about the voters not big money interests. It's time to limit SuperPACs and secret donors to protect representative democracy.
We fight to increase voters' access to the polls, including expanding early voting, automatic and online voter registration.
Congressional districts and government legislative bodies should be apportioned substantially on population. We oppose partisan and racial gerrymandering that strips rights away from voters.
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Where do My Dues Go?
You may not be aware that a significant portion of our dues go to the National (
$1408)
and California (
$1232
) Leagues. Check these websites to learn about the work of the national, state and local leagues and to follow their advocacy and studies.
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WE NEED OBSERVERS!
OBSERVER MEETING DAYS AND TIME
Board of Supervisors
2nd & 4th Tuesday (9:00 AM)
Woodland City Council (covered)
1st & 3rd Tuesday (6:00 PM)
WJUSD Board Meetings 2nd & 4th Thursday (6:30 PM)
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Transparency is important and must be documented. Observers of the County Board of Supervisors
or the Woodland City Council can use Wave televised meetings.
If you can attend school board meetings, or other local government meetings, contact President Pat Butler
(butler@accelyrs.com) to receive an observer badge and template for taking notes.
Visit the City of Woodland
website for meeting times, and agendas and think about your interest and strengths.
Meetings are cordial, informative, about Woodland, and often feature special presentations. Public commentary is typically welcomed.
A primary function of observers is to determine how League policies are affected by Council votes.
See the PDF Library for a link to our positions.
For additional information, contact Gil Walker, 530-661-6449
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VOTER TOOLS
(Click link for more information)
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YOUR BOARD
League of Women Voters -- Woodland
Laura Caruso-Kofoid
Eric Kofoid
VP (Membership)
Karen Urbano
Secretary
Maria Lago
Treasurer
Judith Simas
Evelia Genera
Voter Services (Forums & Schools)
Gil Walker
Centennial Celebration
Carol Souza Cole
Janet Ruggiero
Nominations
Audrey Doehne
Committee to Review Positions & Studies
Janet Ruggiero
Elizabeth Kemper
Observer Positions
Contact Gil Walker
All members are welcome to attend board meetings.
Phone 530-668-0345 to confirm date, time & location.
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Woodland District Maps
City of Woodland district maps can be found
here
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