May 2020

The VOTER

President's Message from Carol Watts How to live through these tremendously changing times? I love reading “big picture” histories to try (not very successfully) to get a grasp on how our world has come to today.  Just think that humans have been living on this planet for several hundreds of thousands of years, but only in the last few hundred have so many changes come so quickly.  Technology and capitalism and more have changed the way human beings are able to satisfy their basic human needs.   We are now relying on our federal, state, and local governments to protect us during this pandemic. We have seen our local governments, both city and county, be especially proactive.  On April 17, the Commonwealth Club hosted a virtual event moderated by Terry Christensen . .. read more HERE

Brown Bag Lunch With League May 21, 2020, 12:00 noon A Zoom Online Event Our May speaker is San Jose Opera's New General Director Khori Dastoor . Among her missions are renewing the Opera San José commitment to developing and curating emerging talent and elevating the company as a vibrant artistic incubator in the heart of Silicon Valley.  She will be speaking on  Opera San Jose’s approach to executing their mission and delivering value to the community during the time of COVID-19 and the pandemic’s uniquely damaging impact on the fragile ecosystem of Bay Area artists and musicians. Register for Brown Bag Lunch With League HERE. You will be sent information on how to link to the Zoom event prior to the presentation.

Celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the League August 16, 2020, 5-7 pm Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors Chambers 70 West Hedding Street, San Jose, CA 95110 Join our colleagues from all of the Leagues of Women Voters of Santa Clara County at this rescheduled celebration of the League's 100th Anniversary. Cindy Chavez will host this informative event which will include guest speakers sharing the important work that the County Leagues have accomplished over the years. Beverages and a light dinner will be served. Register for this inspirational evening HERE.

Annual Meeting -- Save the Date! June 6, 2020, 9:00 am A Zoom Online Event Save the date for the 2020 Annual Meeting. This year we will be taking our meeting online and meet together via Zoom. More information on the agenda will be sent soon. Register HERE for this important annual event. You will be sent information on how to link into the meeting prior to the date.

League Calendar May 4 -- Board Meeting May 18 -- Action Committee Meeting May 20 -- Voter Articles Due May 21 -- Brown Bag Lunch With League June 4 -- Annual Meeting Click HERE f or information on all Member Calendar dates. Click HERE for information on all League Public Events

Voters Edge Update from Judy Connor Voter’s Edge is a voter resource site and an integral educational program for the League of Women Voters. The website is used by voters to research the legislative priorities of their local, state and federal candidates. With the primary election behind us, it was obvious that Voter’s Edge was a much-used tool for voters when researching their options.  Here is what I learned while working with candidates to get their information up on the Voter’s Edge site for the primaries  .... read more HERE

Climate Change Committee Update from Vicki Alexander The Climate Change Committee hopes you had a Happy Earth Month! Earth Day started on April 22, 1970, and the event helped jumpstart the modern environmental movement. Since we are still under a shelter-in-place order, we are happy to share some resources that helped everyone enjoy Earth Month in their homes. Have time to read? Click HERE for an EarthDay.org list of some “must read” books on the environment and climate change. And the Green Book List from the San Francisco Library is broader in scope. Even though the libraries ... read more HERE.

Census 2020 Outreach Update   from Sandy Mory The five Santa Clara County Leagues are exploring the idea of working with the county on phone banking. We will be asking members to become involved. We need 4-6 people per League to volunteer for about 4 hours a week. More details are being worked out. If you are interested, please contact Sandy Mory HERE . The response rate of our cities as of April 25 th. Gilroy               58.4% Milpitas            62.5% Morgan Hill     67.6% San Jose           61.6% Santa Clara      62.6% Santa Clara county response rate is 63%. California overall is 54.2%. Click HERE to see all response rates for the US. EVERYONE COUNTS! Find out more information on the 2020 Census HERE .

Subscribe to the League eList NOW! How do you get the latest news from the League in between the monthly Voter? Subscribe to our San Jose/Santa Clara elist. These informative email blasts will keep you up to date with the latest local, state, and national League news and calls to action. Our elist blasts are timely and will keep you on top of all the breaking news. Subscribe to the elist by sending an email HERE. Are you a subscriber to the elist and want to send important news to other League members? It's easy! Just click HERE to send your email. Don't forget to add this email address to your directory for quick access. leagueofwomenvoterssanjosesantaclara@yahoogroups.com

Insights and Perspectives New episodes of Insights and Perspectives will recommence after our current shelter in place directives change. You can view our archived Insights and Perspectives programs online HERE . Insights and Perspectives will be shown on CreaTV and is broadcast on Comcast channel 30, Sunday at 4:30pm, Monday at 7:30pm, and Wednesday on channel 27 at 5:30pm.

The League Needs YOU! T he League's work relies on members like you who volunteer to put our goals and plans into action. Please volunteer now for these important activities: Train the trainer for Schools and Communities First, contact Gloria Chun Hoo Voter Co-Editor, contact Pat Reardon Social Media Champions, contact Pat Reardon Voter Registration Leaders, contact Sara Nicolson Climate Change Champions, contact Vicky Alexander CreaTV Production Team, contact Carol Lathrop Housing Committee, contact Roma Dawson

Member Information Thank you for your donation to the League: Rosaleen Zisch, Kathleen Haydel, Sharon Jackson, Judy Stabile, Curtis A. Jones and Deborah Garvey Welcome new members: Naava Ellenberg, Kathleen Haydel Did you change your personal contact information? Contact Sandy Remmers HERE to update our files. Quick Links League Public Website League Members Website (PW: votesforwomen) Join the League Elist Follow our Facebook Page Submit Voter articles by the 20th of Each Month HERE Voter's Edge LWVC Bill Status Report

Links to Elected Officials President Donald Trump Senator Dianne Feinstein Senator Kamala Harris Governor Gavin Newsom San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmore Find all your Elected Officials

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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