Serving the people of San Jose, Santa Clara, Milpitas, Morgan Hill & Gilroy
July 2022
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Presidents Message
Happy Birthday, America!
May you have many more!
Is there a more fitting day than America's Independence Day to think about what lies ahead for the League as we start our new fiscal year? We are at many turning points in our nation, it is clearer than ever that the voice and actions of the League are needed to protect and support the principles of democracy and freedom that define who we are as individuals and as a country.
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National Convention
Four of our League members were among the 1,000+ delegates (in person and virtual) who attended the biennial convention of the League of the U.S. It was encouraging and energizing to see women and men from all 50 states and D.C. work together to learn from each other, debate priorities, and agree on a plan for the next two years that will have impact on the challenging issues that face us today and in the future.
Local Priorities
At the June Annual Meeting, League members approved six program priorities for 2022-23: climate change/natural resources; affordable housing and homelessness; effect of money on politics; governance; redistricting; and public education system. In future issues of The VOTER you will learn more about how we are tackling each of these through education and action.
We also elected new officers and Board members for 2022-23. Serving as Co-Presidents are Taryn Upchurch and Diane McNutt. Anita Romero is Treasurer and Martha Butzier is Secretary. Board members are Vicki Alexander, Roma Dawson, Gloria Chun Hoo, Gloria Loventhal, and Sandy Mory. The Annual Meeting also acknowledged with gratitude and appreciation the outstanding work of three departing Board members -- Marie Arnold, Kathleen Muller, and Julia O'Keefe.
Please contact either one of us if you have a question or would like to talk about how you can become more involved in the League.
Taryn Upchurch
Taryn.Upchurch@lwvsjsc.org
Diane McNutt
Diane.McNutt@lwvsjsc.org
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Virtual Lunch With League
"Getting Bay Area People
Out of Their Cars"
Thursday, July 21, 2022
12 noon-1 p.m. via Zoom
Ian Griffiths, Policy Director of Seamless Bay Area, will present on the mission and vision of this organization that seeks to create an world class transit system throughout the Bay Area that integrates the region’s 27 transit agencies into one easy-to use system. He’ll discuss the path to transformative change over the next several years, relevant current legislation, and steps that local groups and individuals can take to support a better transit system that gets more people out of their cars and helps our region reduce emissions from transportation.
Virtual Lunch With League events are FREE and open to all members of the community. Please invite people you know to attend.
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Meet Anita Romero
Some might say that Anita Romero was destined to become the League’s new treasurer.
During her successful career at General Electric and Silicon Graphics, she gained significant experience in preparing and analyzing spreadsheets, forecasting, and preparing budgets. After her retirement, she volunteered in several positions at her church, including treasurer of the Over-50 Group. And, for the cherry on top, her sister-in-law is serving as treasurer for her League in New Jersey this year.
“I like dealing with numbers,” she admits, and especially enjoys preparing 1, 3 and 5 year financial plans. “A good forecast is based on history, future needs and a big dose of reality,” she added.
Anita says she has always been fascinated with politics and finding out “what’s really going on here.” Years before she joined the League, she frequently attended the League’s Candidate Forums, read Pros & Cons, and used Voter’s Edge to help make voting decisions.
“I value and treasure my ability to vote,” she said, “and I appreciate the League’s nonpartisan approach and concern about voter issues, and I have always admired and respected the women of the League.”
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Fundraising Campaign provides resources
for Voter Service activities
“So Much To Do in 2022” – the theme we chose last September for this year’s fundraising campaign – still resonates!
The June primary elections are now behind us, but all-important general election campaigns are gearing up for the fall and so are our Voter Service activities. As individuals and as a League, there is so much we can and must do to encourage informed participation in our local, state, and national governments. Fortunately, the fundraising drive that ended in April provides the League with financial resources to extend our reach further than ever.
Our six-month campaign raised a total of $14,221. $4,221 came from 38 individual donors, who gave an average gift of $102.00. To our great surprise and delight, a very generous anonymous donor stepped forward with a matching gift of $5,000! We were also awarded a $5,000 grant from the Farrington Historical Foundation to support Voter Service efforts in 2022. Some of these grant fund were used to purchase paid ads promoting Candidate Forums prior to the June primaries; the remainder of the grant will promote Voter Service activities between now and the November general elections.
Thank you to everyone who participated in our fundraising drive. Your contribution is important to supporting the work of our dedicated League members!
And a special thank you to Fundraising Chair Kathleen Muller for her leadership and expertise in making this campaign so successful.
We continue to accept donations to support our work
in empowering voters and making democracy work.
Just click on DONATE to help make a difference in our community.
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Voter Service gearing up for November Election -- YOU are needed |
The next meeting of the Voter Service Committee is Tuesday, July 26, 10:30 a.m. via Zoom. All League members are invited to attend to learn about the upcoming activities related to the November Election. There will be many elected offices on the ballot in the five cities covered by our League -- San Jose, Santa Clara, Milpitas, Morgan Hill and Gilroy.
Committee Chair Sandy Mory emphasized that the need for volunteers is great. "We need more moderators, technical support and coordinators for the Candidate Forums. We need people to go to various events and farmers markets to register voters," she said. Volunteers will have training so that they are comfortable and confident about their roles.
Email Sandy for more information about the meeting and/or about volunteer opportunities.
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QUICK LINKS
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
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