Educating Voters. Defending Democracy.

The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

The Voter

June 2025

Up Front from our President

You are probably already aware that Congress is considering a budget that includes the largest proposed cuts to Medicaid in U.S. history — slashing $880 billion over ten years. If passed, this decision will endanger access to essential health care for millions of Americans, including seniors, people with disabilities, and children. It is worth noting that children make up nearly half of all Medicaid enrollees nationwide.

However, you may not have known how important Medi-Cal (California’s version of Medicaid) is to our county. According to the 2023 annual report from San Mateo County Human Services Agency (HSA), there were 188,874 Medi-Cal clients—nearly 25% of the county’s population. For these individuals and families, Medi-Cal isn’t just a program; it’s a lifeline that covers doctor visits, prescriptions, and long-term care—no matter their income.

Medi-Cal relies on stable federal funding. In 2023, federal funding covered slightly less than half of Medi-Cal expenses and made up 22% of HSA’s $281.9 million operating budget. If these cuts move forward, we will face a hard choice: increase state and local taxes or strip away basic health services from those who need them most.

For the League, protecting Medicaid is a current priority highlighted by the 8.5 Unite & Rise Up campaign that I shared last month. Research shows that Medicaid coverage is associated with improved health, lower rates of disability in adulthood, less medical debt, and long-term financial benefits for society. Moreover, Medicaid has broad bipartisan support with 77% of Americans holding a favorable view of the program

Take action today. Use the LWVUS Action Alert to tell Congress to protect Medicaid and protect our community.

Tina Doede, president

Last Call for Annual Meeting

Saturday, June 7

9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

Burlingame Community Center

850 Burlingame Ave., Burlingame

FOR: Members and guests of the League of Women Voters of North & Central San Mateo County.

SPEAKER: Jackie Speier, representing District 1 on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors.

Eileen Easterbrook., Program Planning chair

One Person, One Vote

Monday, June 9 at 5 p.m. via Zoom. Register at the link below.

Every elected office in the U.S. -- mayor, senator, governor, all of them -- is elected directly by the people. Every office, that is, except the office of President, which is elected not by you and me but by the Electoral College. Why do we insert the Electoral College into the process of choosing our highest office, where it takes away the right of each of us to have our votes counted equally? We can do better.

Details about the work of this important committee can be found on our website.

For questions or to join the committee, contact margaret.lukens@lwvncsmc.org.

Margaret Lukens, OPOV committee

LWVNCSMC Monthly Board Meeting

Wednesday, June 11, 4–6 p.m., via Zoom

All members are welcome. Join here.

Housing Caucus

Monday, June 16, 5 p.m. via Zoom

Many who work in our County cannot afford to live here. Join the Housing Caucus, committed to engaging and educating the Local League about our region’s affordability crisis. We meet monthly, on the third Monday at 5 p.m. Our next meeting will be on Monday, June 16. Please register at the link below.

New to our Caucus? Please watch our April 11, 2023 General Meeting, Affordable Housing in San Mateo County: Behind the Numbers, for challenges and roadblocks our cities face, as they plan to reach the State's target of 48,000 new housing units--nearly 20,000 of which should be affordable--by 2031.

Elana Lieberman, Housing Caucus co-chair

Meet Our League's Youth Council

Pictured, L to R: Ari Guelman, Josh MacLeitch, Zurine Cheng, Ellora Mehta, Brooke Phimsoutham, San Mateo Council Member Lisa Diaz Nash, Margaret Lukens

In early 2024, Zurine Cheng reached out to our then president, Margaret Lukens, to establish what is now the League of Women Voters of North & Central San Mateo County Youth Council.

Our mission is to benefit the community and its youth by promoting the importance of voting and civic engagement. Meet the members below, and check out our complete bios, including our accomplishments and plans, on our League's website.

Zurine Cheng, Youth Council founder and senior from Millbrae. Zurine will leave the Youth Council this fall when she goes to college.

Ari Guelman is from San Carlos and is a sophomore.

Josh MacLeitch is from San Carlos and is a sophomore.

Ellora Mehta is from Belmont and is a junior.

Brooke Phimsoutham is from Burlingame and is a junior.

Zurine Cheng, Youth Council

ASK YOUR SENATOR TO VOTE YES ON SJR-1 and SB-42

SJR 1:

A Constitutional Convention—an "Article V Convention"—can be called for by a state for any reason. BUT—even a convention called for a specific purpose could spin out of control. There are no rules to limit what can be proposed or changed, giving powerful special interests free rein to rewrite the Constitution behind closed doors. Former Chief Justice Warren Burger warned: “There is no way to effectively limit or muzzle the actions of a Constitutional Convention.”

Senate Joint Resolution 1 (Wiener), sponsored by the League of Women Voters of California, would rescind all of California’s prior calls for an Article V Constitutional Convention. In today’s political climate, where extremist forces are actively seeking to undermine democracy, California’s open calls for a convention offer a direct pathway to chaos. California has seven open calls on the books—each one an open invitation to dismantle the Constitution. SJR-1 is our chance to close that door before it’s too late.

ACT NOW—STAND WITH THE LEAGUE, STAND UP FOR DEMOCRACY. SUPPORT SJR 1.

SB 42:

Big money in politics is drowning out voters—and Californians have had enough. An overwhelming majority say wealthy donors and special interests have too much power over our elected officials. And they’re right. Mega-donors and corporate-funded independent expenditures are dominating our elections, sidelining everyday voters and eroding trust in government. That’s why the League of Women Voters of California is sponsoring SB 42 (Umberg).

TELL YOUR STATE SENATOR: VOTE YES ON SB 42 AND GIVE POWER BACK TO THE PEOPLE..

Welcome to our New Members

Anne Abreu

Susan Friedman

Anne Hoffman

Lisa Porter

Mark Your Calendar for these June events

Stay Informed

Stay informed with updates and alerts from your state and national Leagues. Use these links to register:

For California League updates, sent monthly: LWVC
For national League updates, sent twice a month: LWVUS (scroll to the bottom of the page to sign up for e-mail updates).

Keep an eye on our website, lwvncsmc.org, for the latest on upcoming events.

Join the League

We love having new members join us and help with the important work we are doing. Click here to join online or print out a mail-in form. Scholarships are available for new members. Please contact us at membership@lwvncsmc.org.