Serving the people of San Jose, Santa Clara, Milpitas, Morgan Hill & Gilroy
December 2021
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President's Message from Carol Watts
Happy Holidays!
Yes! We are planning to gather on Tuesday, Dec. 7 at 6 p.m to celebrate the Holidays IN PERSON!! We are trying to balance our huge desire to become “normal” and see everyone again with making sure our event is as safe as possible.
We hope all members can join us for food, drink, and conversation so we can renew old friendships and make new ones! REGISTER NOW so we can be sure to provide enough food and drink.
What are we doing to ensure your safety? With yet one more variant in the air, it is beginning to feel like this will never be over. We are fortunate to live in a highly-vaccinated community. We ask all attending to be vaccinated and to wear masks unless eating or drinking. I’ll bet all of us even have our booster shots! See you next week!!
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EVE ORTON REMEMBERED
In October, we lost Eve Orton, 100, who had been a member of our League for over 30 years. Her story tells us so much about her wonderful contribution to our community and to our organization.
Eve was recruited to join our League by Sandy Remmers in the late 1980s, then joined the Board of Directors. She served on an Executive Committee of three which managed the League from 1993-95. Among other volunteer work, she was also on the Board of the YWCA, past president of the Zonta Club of San Jose, and on the bilingual committee for the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters.
Many of you remember the project she organized over 30 years ago to bring volunteers from our League to the Registrar of Voters office every Election Night to help do initial processing of paper ballots. As the ROV paid a stipend for volunteer work, this raised money for our League. Eve was the “recruiter extraordinaire” when asking members to join her at the ROV office. As one League member said: "When Eve calls, you can't say 'no' to her!" Thanks to Eve, we still encourage our members to volunteer on Election Night.
Gloria Chun Hoo, who often worked with Eve, said, “Eve was a strong believer in our democratic systems and especially valued the role of the ROV… (I have) joyful memories of working long nights at the ROV. We shared jokes, laughter, and community together — thanks to Eve.”
Shannon Bushey, Registrar of Voters of Santa Clara County wrote: “Eve was quite a force and with such a beautiful smile. It was an honor to have her here helping us with elections for so, so many years. I admire her spunk and her dedication. Our entire ROV family is grateful for her service to our community and to the Registrar of Voters. She will be missed by so many.”
Thank you, Gloria, for gathering the stories about Eve. What a wonderful life she led! As Winston Churchill said, "The influence of each human being on others in the life is a kind of immortality."
Stay safe and healthy,
Carol
president@lwvsjsc.org
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Challenge donation doubles the value
of your contribution to the League
An anonymous donation of $10,000 in matching funds for donations received by the League of Women Voters of San Jose/Santa Clara doubles the value of every dollar you give to your local League.
What an opportunity!
We launched our fundraising campaign in November with the theme "So Much To Do in 2022" in recognition of the many voter services that will be needed prior to the Primary Election in June and the General Election in November.
We are grateful to all of you who have made a donation so far, and we encourage more members and League supporters to consider us as you make decisions on your end-of-year charitable giving. Donations to the League are tax-deductible.
Please help us expand our reach to more voters in our community and DONATE NOW!
Thank you to these donors for getting our campaign off to a great start!
Vicki Alexander
Martha Beattie
Louise Detwiler
Gloria Chun Hoo
Beth Hughes
Soccoro McCord
Sandra Mory
Lorraine and Henry Myers
Sandra Serpa
Joyce Summers
Susan Skorey
Rosaleen Zisch
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Meet Curtis A. Jones
When his 27-year engineering career at IBM ended in 2002 at the time the company sold its disk-drive business, Curtis A. Jones decided retirement sounded OK. But he soon started volunteer work at the Computer History Museum and San Jose State University’s Library Special Collections and began teaching part-time labs for electrical engineers at SJSU. He also found more time for the League of Women Voters.
“My aunt Helen was very active with League of Women Voters in Highland Park, New Jersey, and that made a big impression on me,” he said. “Her attitude toward the League and my high opinion of her led to my interest in the League in San Jose.”
Curtis has served as a League ballot inspector at the Registrar of Voters on election nights, a participant in annual legislative interviews, membership on the Action and Housing Committees, and the Local Governance Study Committee. In the past couple of years, his involvement has provided a thread of continuity during a time of life disruptions – the passing of his mother, the loss of his church home when it changed to all Spanish services, and the COVID restrictions that cancelled a long-planned train tour of Australia.
Despite these distressing changes, Curtis has a positive outlook for 2022. He and his wife, Lucille, are exploring a new church and making new plans for that trip to Australia. He hopes the Computer History Museum will soon reopen for visitors and he expects to stay active with the professional engineering associations that he enjoys. Next year is also an election year, and Curtis is especially proud of the League’s voter services.
“There is great value is what the League offers such as impartial analysis of ballot measures and nonpartisan candidate forums,” he said. “The news is painful to watch and to see the divisions in our country. We face complicated issues like redistricting but the League can be a trusted resource of information.”
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Future of Coyote Valley preserved!
Thank you to everyone who responded to our Action Alert last month to contact the San Jose City Council about Coyote Valley. The City Council unanimously voted YES on Nov. 16 to change the land use designation from industrial to open space and agriculture, and to remove the Urban Reserve designation from Mid Coyote Valley. This vote finally ends years of attempts to bring industrial development to North and Mid-Coyote Valley.
In addition to the Action Alert that was sent to our League mailing list, we shared information about Coyote Valley in last month’s VOTER, and we sent a letter from the League to the San Jose Planning Commission and another letter to the City Council. Carol Watts, our President, also spoke at the City Council meeting.
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San Jose wants to be carbon neutral by 2030
In a special San Jose City Council meeting Nov. 8, the City Council voted unanimously for the city to become carbon neutral by 2030. At the special meeting League President Carol Watts spoke in favor, as did several League members speaking as individuals.
San Jose is the largest city to adopt such an ambitious goal and joins several other cities such as Menlo Park and Ithaca, New York. California set a goal to become carbon neutral by 2045, but Governor Newsom has asked state agencies to accelerate the goal to 2035. San Jose hopes to become a leader in reducing carbon.
In 2019 a community-wide greenhouse gas inventory found that transportation accounted for 51% of greenhouse gas emissions and buildings accounted for 34%. The city has already limited gas installations in new construction and built bike trails to encourage alternative forms of transportation. To read more about what carbon neutrality means and a list of strategies San Jose may adopt to achieve carbon neutrality, read this article from the online news source Spotlight.
The vote on carbon neutrality was preceded by an update to City Council on its Climate Smart program. Climate Smart San José was adopted in 2018 to reach the targets of the Paris Agreement by setting ambitious goals for energy, water, transportation and local jobs. The Environmental Services Department of the city reported that just in the last three years the city adopted San Jose Clean Energy, built 53 miles of bicycle trails and 2000 EV charging stations and involved many residents with an educational Climate Smart Challenge. Learn more about Climate Smart HERE
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Take city survey on San Jose Housing Element update
Do you have opinions about the housing situation in San Jose? If yes, the City of San José wants to hear from you in an online survey available in English, Spanish and Vietnamese. The survey reflects questions asked at a September community meeting held as part of the update of San Jose's Housing Element which must be updated and certified by the State Department of Housing and Community Development. The next community meeting on the Housing Element update is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 13, 6:30-8 p.m. Register for the zoom meeting HERE
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League committees invite you to attend
League committees meet virtually via Zoom and all League members are invited to attend from the convenience and comfort of their own home or office. This is a great way to learn more about what committees are working on and to decide if you would like to become more involved.
The Action & Advocacy Committee will also meet on Monday, Dec. 6, at 2 p.m. Possible topics for discussion include Coyote Valley, San Jose's Community Forest Management Plan, 2022 legislative interviews and San Jose housing. If you would like to attend, contact Committee Chair Vicki Alexander for the Zoom link.
The Climate Change/Natural Resources Committee will meet on Thursday, Dec. 9, 2 p.m. If you would like to attend, contact Committee Chairs Judy Chamberlin or Virginia Holtz.
The Public Events Committee will meet on Wednesday, Dec. 8, 10 a.m. to discuss speakers for Lunch With League in 2022. If you would like to attend, or if you have a speaker to suggest, contact Committee Chair Diane McNutt.
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Legislative interviews coming up - volunteers needed
It is time for our annual interviews with eight state legislators representing our area -- and we need your help! This is an opportunity to share with our elected state assemblymembers and senators some of the League's priorities while gathering information from them about their legislative priorities. Virtual meetings will be set with:
State Senators: Bob Wieckowski (District 10), Dave Cortese (District 15) and John Laird (District 17)
Assemblymembers: Alex Lee (District 25), Ash Kalra (District 27), Evan Low (District 28) Mark Stone (District 29) and Robert Rivas (District 30)
Would you like to be part of the team to interview one or more of these elected officials? If yes, or to learn more about the legislative interview process, contact Vicki Alexander or Taryn Upchurch.
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For your 2022 calendar
San Jose Charter Review Commission Public Hearing
Monday, Jan. 11, 5:30 p.m.
Share your thoughts and concerns about potential amendments to the San Jose City Charter that will improve accountability, representation and inclusion in San Jose government. Learn more about the Charter Review Commission HERE.
LWV of Bay Area League Day
Saturday, Feb. 19
Housing will be the topic of discussion -- how to solve the housing shortage and where should it go.
Celebrate 102 years of the League
Saturday, Feb. 27, 2-4 p.m.
Postponed from spring of 2020, this festive celebration honors the League's 102nd anniversary. It will be held at Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors Chambers, 70 W. Hedding St., San Jose. Beverages and hors d'oeuvres will be served. And there will be cake! REGISTER HERE.
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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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