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Secretary Weber Statement on Executive Order Issued By President Joe Biden on Promoting Access to Voting

California Secretary of State Dr. Shirley N. Weber issued the following statement on the executive order issued by President Joe Biden on promoting access to voting.   “The 2020 General Election once again underscored the need and importance of expanding voter access in the United States. Americans, especially people of color, faced obstacles at every stage, including difficulties registering to vote to barriers at polling places. In order to maintain free, fair, and accessible elections, local, state and federal municipalities will need to work together to address challenges facing voters and continue to deliver safe and secure elections. “I am encouraged to see President Biden’s latest Executive Order on expanding voter access. The Executive Order, which seeks to improve and modernize election processes across the nation, is an important step in an ongoing fight to decrease barriers to voting and, as a result, increase voter registration and voter turnout across the nation. “Elections are the foundation of our democracy and continuing to adapt to the changing socioeconomic and environmental landscape is critical to ensuring every American citizen has the tools and resources they need to register to vote and have a say in their community. I support any initiative that seeks to expand access to voting and look forward to working with the Biden Administration and other federal agencies to continue our efforts expanding access to voter registration and election information for all Californians.”

Voter Registration Continues Upward Trend in State

Secretary of State Dr. Shirley N. Weber has released the Report of Registration which reflects data as of February 10, 2021. A record 22,154,304 Californians are registered to vote, which is 88.03% of eligible Californians, compared to 77.9% at the same point 4 years ago. “Voter registration in California continues to grow, building on a historic November 2020 General Election with record voter registration and turnout,” Secretary Weber said. “In fact, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, more than 17.7 million Californians cast ballots in the General Election. California has now reached another major milestone with 22.1 million citizens registered, 2,721,695 more registered voters than the same point in 2017.”  Click here to view the complete February 10, 2021 Report of Registration.   Read the full press release here.

Secretary Weber Releases Women on Boards March Report

Secretary of State Dr. Shirley N. Weber issued the third report on corporations’ compliance with Women on Boards (Senate Bill 826). The March 2021 Report saw an increase in corporations reporting that they have at least one female director on their board, with 311 publicly held corporations reporting compliance compared to 282 in the March 2020 Report. “The continued growth of diversity among corporate leadership is important to ensuring a more equitable economy and to fulfilling the promise of an equitable California,” The March 2021 Report can be found on the Secretary of State’s [WomenOnBoards.sos.ca.gov]webpage. The report includes information on corporations that have indicated compliance with SB 826 as well as the universe of identified companies that have yet to comply with the law.   To learn more about Women on Boards and Underrepresented Communities on Boards please visit DiversityOnBoards.sos.ca.gov.   Read the full press release here.

Secretary Weber Celebrates International Women's Day

Dr. Weber, alongside First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and Anna Malaika Tubbs, author of The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation, celebrated International Women’s Day on March 8th by joining the California Museum in a discussion about the role of motherhood in society and social movements. If you missed it, watch the discussion here.

Secretary Weber Participated in Women's History Month Twitter Chat

On March 10th, Dr. Weber joined 14 other women secretaries of state in a Twitter chat hosted by the National Association of Secretaries of State. They discussed what it means to them to hold prominent statewide office, the challenges facing women in leadership and what they hope for future female officeholders. Click here for more on the Twitter chat. Highlights from Secretary Weber are below.

Secretary Weber Issues Supplement to the Statement of the Vote for the November 3, 2020 General Election

Secretary of State Dr. Shirley N. Weber has issued the Supplement to the Statement of the Vote, which provides detailed information on how votes were cast within each county for President and votes cast for Propositions 14-25, which appeared on the November 3, 2020 General Election ballot. Click here to view the complete Supplement to the Statement of the Vote. The Supplement to the Statement of the Vote includes breakdowns of votes cast for President and votes cast for Propositions 14-25, including: ·        Statewide Summary by County ·        Political Districts within Counties ·        Counties by Congressional Districts ·        Counties by Senate Districts ·        Counties by Assembly Districts ·        Counties by Board of Equalization Districts

Secretary Weber Statement on Signing Bipartisan Letter to CISA Secretary Mayorkas and Acting Director Wales

California Secretary of State Dr. Shirley N. Weber issued the following statement on signing the letter to Department of Homeland Security’s Cyber and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) requesting an expansion of federal efforts to combat foreign disinformation. "Democracy exists because we have free and fair elections, and we must protect those elections at all costs. In 2020, our local and state election officials worked tirelessly to combat the spread of mis- and disinformation perpetuated by foreign actors seeking to diminish trust in our elections." "Without CISA's leadership combating this threat at the federal level, we would not be able to call the 2020 General Election the most secure in our nation's history. For this reason, I gladly join my bipartisan colleagues in calling on CISA not only to continue this vital work but expand its efforts to combat the ongoing threat of foreign interference in our elections." The complete letter can be accessed here and is co-signed by Kevin Meyer, Alaska Lt. Governor; Jena Griswold, Colorado Secretary of State; Shenna Bellows, Maine Secretary of State; William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; Jocelyn Benson, Michigan Secretary of State; Maggie Toulouse Oliver, New Mexico Secretary of State; Shemia Fagan, Oregon Secretary of State; Nellie Gorbea, Rhode Island Secretary of State; Jim Condos, Vermont Secretary of State, and Kim Wyman, Washington Secretary of State.

Swearing in of New California Secretary of State Deputies

California Secretary of State Dr. Shirley N. Weber announced the appointment of her deputies for Legislative Affairs, Policy and Planning for California, Operations, Communications, and Voter Education and Outreach. This rounds out her executive team which includes Lisa Martin as Chief Deputy Secretary of State who was appointed earlier in the year. Reginald Fair – Chief Deputy Secretary of State for Operations                                                          Reginald Fair most recently served as chief of staff for State Senator Anna Caballero in the State Senate. Prior to his position with Senator Caballero, Fair served as Deputy Secretary for Legislative Affairs to Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agencies. A native of Sacramento, Fair graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Political Science. Erric Garris – Deputy Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs Erric Garris graduated from Washington State University. Working in public policy for over two decades, Garris got his start in the Washington State Legislature, later moving to legislative affairs at the Washington State Department of Licensing. From 2002 to 2016 he served in a number of capacities as personal staff to several members in the California State Legislature. He comes to us from latest role as the Director of Advocacy and Government Affairs at March of Dimes.   LaKenya M. Jordan - Deputy Secretary of State for Policy and Planning for California.  LaKenya Jordan has over 13 years of state leadership experience and most immediately led as Executive Director of the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls. Jordan additionally served as Director of Legislation and Governmental Affairs at the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC). Jordan earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Organizational Management from St. Mary’s College, and a Master of Public Health from Touro University. She is a Senior Fellow of the American Leadership Forum, a graduate of the Leadership California Issues and Trends program, and an active member of California Women Lead.   Joe Kocurek – Deputy Secretary of State for Communications   Joe Kocurek is a graduate of San Diego State University with degrees in classics and communications. A veteran of public policy communications, he began his career in public service in as a field representative for State Senator Dede Alpert and later worked as press secretary and communications director for Assemblymembers Lori Saldana and Mariko Yamada. From 2013 to 2019, he served as communications director for Dr. Shirley Weber and as her legislative director from 2019 -2021. Lisa Martin –Chief Deputy Secretary of State Lisa Martin is a graduate of Sacramento State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Government and a Master of Public Policy and Administration. She has a career in public policy spanning decades which includes working at the California Taxpayers’ Association (CalTax) for over 20 years, the California Department of General Services in the roles of Legislative Coordinator and interim Legislative Director, as Principal Consultant for former California State Senator Curren D. Price, and as Chief of Staff for Assemblymember Dr. Shirley N. Weber from 2012 to 2021. Tamara Rasberry – Deputy Secretary of State for Voter Outreach and Education Tamara Rasberry is a 20-year veteran of the Capitol Community. She joined the staff of California Secretary of State Alex Padilla in 2016 as the Assistant Deputy for Strategic Business Partnerships and Outreach. Her responsibilities include building public and private partnerships between the Secretary of State throughout the Bay Area and Northern California. Before returning to public service, Rasberry had an extensive career in advocacy and policy. She was the manager of State Agency Governmental Affairs for Sempra Energy, responsible for maintaining Sempra’s interests in all state regulatory agencies and legislative advocacy. In 2004 she served as the Government Relations Advocate for the California State Council of Service Employees (SEIU), representing legislative and regulatory affairs for over 240,000 in-home supportive workers, nursing home caregivers and regional center staff.

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