Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy.

As We Head into Spring - We are Stronger Together

Thank you for being part of the League of Women Voters of Ventura County. Our members come from many different backgrounds and perspectives, yet we come together to advance the Mission of the League: Empowering Voters and Defending Democracy.

Stay in the Know How can we all help advance our mission? First, we can stay informed about the League’s activities. Watch for the VOTER newsletter in your email on the first of every month, and visit our website anytime to check the calendar, catch up on the latest news, read all the Voters, and explore what the State and National Leagues are up to.

“Units” Provide Community Closer to Home  Over the past year we’ve been bringing back local units of members who meet in their immediate community. Whether you're brand new or a longtime member, these small, informal gatherings are a welcoming space to meet neighbors, discuss current events, and engage on issues that matter in your community. The goal is to make participation easier for our 200+ members who live in or near every one of our ten cities. 

Elections Are Coming — We Need You With June and November elections on the horizon, there are many ways for you to get involved: registering voters, conducting candidate forums, delivering snacks to vote center workers, or serving as an election observer. The more members participate, the more we can accomplish.

We also encourage members to apply directly to the Ventura County Elections Office to work during elections. There are temporary jobs at the vote centers, and also in the Elections Office to help manage and count ballots. As our members develop greater understanding of the election process, we can better educate the public about what our local Elections Office does to ensure safe and secure elections in our County.

Find Your Place If your personal schedule allows time to volunteer, LWVVC is a great way to find new friendships and a sense of purpose in support of civic education and civil society.

We know our members join the League for many reasons, and there is much work to be done. We are stronger with each member participating in whatever ways they can to further our Mission.

Yours in League,

Barbara, Cheryl, Kathy, and Lillian

Co-Presidents

Wednesday, March 4, 5:30 pm - League Happy Hour at Aloha Steakhouse, 364 S. California Street, Ventura, CA 93001 - RSVP to Matty Park. 

Friday, March 6, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm - LWV Cool Girls Dinner-TO Unit Meeting at The Landing Grill & Sushi Bar - RSVP to Joan Palmieri or Elizabeth Zernick.

Sunday, March 8, 4:00 pm - Housing and Homelessness Meeting on Zoom

Thursday, March 12, 11:00 am - LWVVC Board Meeting in Person

Monday, March 16, 3:30pm - 5pm - Ojai Unit Meeting

RSVP to Pat Essick or Judy Murphy for address

Wednesday, March 18, 5:30 pm - League Happy Hour on Zoom

RSVP to Kay Armstrong. 

Thursday, March 19, 4:00 pm on Zoom - Social Justice and DEI Meeting

Wednesday, March 25, 5:00 - 6:30 pm - Youth Civic Engagement Fair

Thursday, March 26, 3:00 pm - Climate Change Committee

Saturday, March 28, 10 am - 12 pm - No Kings Day Ventura

To volunteer for tabling, RSVP to Pat Butler

Monday, March 30, 2pm - 4 pm - Camarillo Unit Meeting - RSVP to Kitty

Wednesday, April 1, 5:30 pm - League Happy Hour at Aloha Steakhouse, 364 S. California Street, Ventura, CA 93001 - RSVP to Matty Park. 

Saturday, May 30, Save the date - Annual Membership Meeting at

Pleasant Valley Senior Center, 1605 Burnley St. Camarillo

Partner Events That Might Interest You

Find out what it takes to be a Grand Juror

RSVP at: GrandJuryRSVP@ventura.org

Information at: www.ventura.org/grand-jury

Youth Civic Engagement Fair – District 5 – Supervisor Vianey Lopez

At Pacifica High School, Oxnard

Click on the graphic for more information

Join us at the Ventura County Government Center for No Kings Day!

Saturday, March 28, 10:00 am to noon

Click on the graphic for more information

We will be tabling there.  Please join us. Look for a SignUpGenius in your email soon. Questions? Contact Pat Butler. 

Call to Action!

Stop Voter Suppression

Voter Suppression Bills to Watch

A suite of bills similar to the original SAVE Act are currently in play, all requiring proof of citizenship at the time of voter registration — which would effectively mandate in-person registration at your county elections office.

For context: citizenship is already verified in most states, including California, through existing state and federal databases. Our election processes have proven safe and reliable time and again, and voter fraud is statistically insignificant.

The Bills

S.128 — "Safeguard American Voter Eligibility" (SAVE) Act Requires documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote, with registration completed in person at the Elections Office. Track this bill →

H.R.7296 — "SAVE America Act" (companion bills: HR22, S128) Requires identification to be a physical (not electronic) document with a photo, proof of U.S. citizenship, and either a state-issued ID number or the last four digits of a Social Security number. Track this bill →

H.R.7300 — "Make American Elections Great Again" Act Requires photo ID to vote; mandates mail-in ballots be received by poll close on Election Day (eliminating the current 7-day window); bans ranked choice voting and universal vote-by-mail. Track this bill →

Take Action — Contact Your Representatives

Ask your Congressperson and both Senators to vote No on all of these bills:

• Rep. Salud Carbajal — carbajal.house.gov/contact
• Rep. Julia Brownley — juliabrownley.house.gov/contact
• Sen. Adam Schiff — schiff.senate.gov/contact
• Sen. Alex Padilla — padilla.senate.gov/contact

FROM LWV California

California Voter Information Remains Safe

In California, the League of Women Voters of California, the N.A.A.C.P., and several other voting rights groups joined the lawsuit over access to the names and personal information of the state’s 23 million voters, persuading a federal judge to dismiss a Justice Department lawsuit filed last year demanding the data.  

“Voters should never have to choose between privacy and their right to vote,” Jenny Farrell, the league’s executive director, said in an interview on Thursday, February 19th.

The ruling by Judge David O. Carter of the U.S. District Court in Santa Ana, Calif., appears to thwart the federal government’s efforts to comb through the election rolls in the nation’s most populous state to potentially challenge voters’ eligibility.

“The taking of democracy does not occur in one fell swoop; it is chipped away piece-by-piece until there is nothing left,” Judge Carter wrote. “The case before the court is one of these cuts that imperils all Americans. The erosion of privacy and rolling back of voting rights is a decision for open and public debate within the legislative branch, not the executive.” 

Read entire article here.

Fair Elections Campaign Launched

It’s time to put power back in the hands of voters! 

The League of Women Voters of California, California Common Cause, and the California Clean Money Action Fund officially launched the campaign for the California Fair Elections Act, appearing on your November 2026 ballot! 

For too long, wealthy special interests have had an outsized influence on our elections. Since 2020, over $1 billion has been spent on state candidate campaigns alone. The California Fair Elections Act (SB 42) will give our communities the power to change that by:

✅ Removing the outdated ban on public campaign financing.

✅ Allowing local communities to decide if they want to amplify small-dollar donors.

✅ Ensuring candidates listen to voters, not just big-money donors.

This isn't just about reform; it's about making sure teachers, nurses, and community leaders can run for office and win. Let’s build a democracy that reflects ALL of California. 

Note: The Ventura County League gathered signatures at tabling events all last year to get this on the ballot - Success!! Now we just need to convince the voters to pass it.

Read the press release here..

There's a lot happening in California - read all about it on the LWVC website.

FROM LWV Ventura County

Winter 2026 quarterly membership meeting, February 21

Members and guests gathered at the Santa Paula Agriculture Museum for our League's first membership meeting of 2026.

Highlights included:

• An exhibition by photographer Diego Huerta - with striking portraits of immigrants from Mexico and Central America, living and working throughout Ventura County.
• The State of the Region report, presented by David Maron - a comprehensive report compiled by the Ventura Civic Alliance, available online at 
  https://civicalliance.org/state-of-the-region
• A spirited discussion about the National League's two-year Program Planning Proposal (which was endorsed after suggesting a more inclusive name change, and the addition of accountability), and a consensus to support the Washington State League's position on the Rights of Immigrants. Our League's preferences will be forwarded for consideration at the LWV National Convention in June.

The meeting closed by honoring the Voter Registration team for their Fall 2025 high school outreach efforts, and by celebrating sixteen members with 25 or more years in the League. Cupcakes and good conversation rounded out a productive afternoon.

The full report is available at:

Winter 2026 quarterly membership meeting

Please save the date: May 30 - for the Annual Meeting when we elect our officers and board for the coming year. This meeting will be at the Camarillo Senior Center.

More information will be available in the April VOTER.

Call to Action!

Urge Congress to reject Big Oil's call for immunity

As climate disasters like floods, fires, and hurricanes intensify, Big Oil companies are lobbying Congress for blanket immunity from any laws or legislation that could hold them accountable. We can't let that happen.

This petition to Congress - from a wide coalition of environmental groups - will let members of Congress know that we're watching, and we're not OK with this.

Get informed & Get involved

Contact Kathy Morgan or Pat Essick

Get informed: Check out the Voter Information Page on our website.

Get Involved: The California Primary Election will be held on June 2, 2026. Our Voter Service team is gearing up for a busy election season and we need your help!

Leading up to the election, the Candidate Forums Committee will be conducting candidate forums throughout the county, giving voters an opportunity to hear from and ask questions of local candidates for public office.

These forums are likely to be conducted from mid April through mid May. The in-person forums rely on League volunteers to run smoothly. In this capacity, members serve as greeters, runners, question sorters, timers and more.

To learn more about forums or to volunteer, contact Kathy Morgan or Pat Essick.  It's a great opportunity to learn about the candidates, meet other League members, and contribute to the League mission of educating voters. Join us!.

For any other questions or information, please contact Kathy Morgan or Pat Essick

Spring Voter Registration is Ramping Up

Spring events will include a few classroom presentations, a few student-led (but League-supported) voter registration drives, plus some tabling events - something for everyone.

Upcoming events in March:

Thursday, March 5, 8:30 am - 3:30 pm - Voter Registration in 4 classrooms at Oxnard High School, 3400 W Gonzales Road, Oxnard, CA 93036. Sign Up

Saturday, March 7, 10 am - 12 pm - Volunteer training for voter registration at Camarillo Community Center, Classroom 6, 1605 Burnley St, Camarillo, CA 93010. Sign Up

Thursday, March 25, 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm - Youth Civic Engagement Fair at Pacifica High School, 600 E Gonzales Rd, Oxnard, CA 93036. 

See QR code on flyer to register, or Sign Up

Thursday, March 26, 3:30 - 4:30 pm Youth Council Voter Reg table at Club Fest at Oxnard Middle College High School, 4000 S. Rose, Ave., Oxnard, CA 93033.

Contact Betsy or Pam if you are interested in volunteering.

Our coordinators spread across the county are: Mary Bergen, Ojai; Pat Belt and Kathy Morgan, Ventura; Sylvia Cohen, Conejo Valley; Marla Donley, Oak Park and helping Doris Simmelink with Materials; Pam Cwiklo and Cathy Trevino, Oxnard; Rick Wells, Simi Valley; Betsy Patterson and Pam Cwiklo, new district outreach (including Santa Paula, Fillmore, VCOE, et al); Pamela Lopez, East County training venue coordinator.

It’s an Election year, so it's important to register or pre-register students to vote. 

Contact us at lwvvc.info@gmail.com if you have questions or are interested in joining us.

Betsy Patterson & Pam Cwiklo

Co-Chairs, LWVVC Voter Registration Committee

Community Outreach Committee (Tabling)

Justice For All Ventura County, Indivisible Ventura and 50501 are all working together to bring No Kings Day to Ventura. 

When: Saturday, March 28, 10:00 am to noon

Where: Ventura County Government Center, 800 Telephone Road, Ventura

This will be one of thousands of rallies taking place across the country. It is now more important than ever for our community to have a place where folks can go to speak out against the abuses of democracy we are witnessing. 

We will be tabling there.  Please join us. Look for SignUpGenius in your email box soon. Questions? Contact Pat Butler. 

Save The Date! 04/18/25, 11:00am-4:00pm   No tabling events are scheduled until the MERITO Foundation’s Ventura Earth Day in April, at Plaza Park, 651 E. Thompson, Ventura - Watch for a SignUpGenius in your email closer to the event.    

Community Outreach Coordinator – Pat Butler – contact via email

There's a lot going on right now, but we are still working to build support for a direct popular vote system. For more information, including watching the presentation, see our website

If you want to participate, or would like us to give a presentation at your organization, please contact Pat Butler

Nominating Committee

The nominating committee is looking for anyone who is interested in serving as secretary for the coming 2026-2027 program year.  It involves taking notes and publishing minutes of approximately ten meetings throughout the year. Also let us know if you're interested in treasurer.

If you are interested in a leadership position, please contact Pat Butler before March 12th

The LWVVC Observer Corps observes county and city meetings of governing boards and councils. 

When we observe, we wear our league shirts and observer buttons. Join us as we let elected officials know we're keeping an eye on our local government.

Please reach out to Betti Mentzer if you are interested in becoming a part of the Observer Corps. You can participate as your time permits, and you will be providing a great service to other League members.

Dates for upcoming County Board of Supervisors meetings: March 3rd and the 24th

Housing & Homelessness Committee: Join Our Mission!

For more information see our Committee Page

DEI & Social Justice Committee

Meetings 3rd Thursday of the month, 4:00pm on Zoom

Contacts:

Kay Armstrong (Social Justice) or 

Laura Hernandez (DEI)

All are invited to join us! Please contact us if you are interested.

Check out our committee page on the LWVVC website for the latest information about what we're doing.

Thank you,

Laura and Kay

For Questions about Membership

or Local Action Units



Contact: Doris Simmelink

Welcome to our newest members:

• Camarillo – Cathie Dunkel, Sharon Edwards
• Malibu – Yvonne Carrison
• Newbury Park – Freyja McGarva
• Ventura – Rose Hayden-Smith, Sara Palaez, Karen Trainor, 
• Patti Verdugo Johnson

Please remember to use ChapterSpot to join or review your League membership.

RENEWING MEMBERS: Many thanks and gratitude to our members who have renewed their membership, and to those who have made an additional contribution toward the operating expenses of the LWVVC and towards the scholarship fund. Your support is vital to our continued success.

UPDATES

225 MEMBERS TOTAL

40 ATTENDED OUR NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION ON FEBRUARY 7th!

• Barbara Doyle and Cathy Trevino opened the morning with an introduction to our mission and structure.
• Kathy Morgan and Kate Russell then presented on Voter Services, including upcoming candidate forums.
• Betsy Patterson, Pat Belt, and Adela Trainer gave a lively demonstration of how voter registration volunteers engage high school students in the classroom.
• Pat Butler invited tabling volunteers from the audience to share their experiences in the community with Voter Outreach.
• Kitty Jessup and Doris Simmelink wrapped up with a discussion about our growing network of Local Action Units, highlighting the successes and upcoming plans of the Camarillo Unit.

Thank you to everyone who presented and brought refreshments — it was a morning of positive energy and engagement. If you weren't able to make it this time, there will be similar events coming up soon.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or interest in any of the League's activities. — Doris Simmelink

LOCAL ACTION UNITS NEWS

Our Local Action Units network is growing. These smaller groups are a way to form friendships and plan ways to get involved. From social get-togethers to tackling local issues, this is a chance to bring the league to your immediate community and be more active.



Camarillo - Six members attended the Camarillo City Council Meeting on Wednesday, February 11 and plan to continue as Observers on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of every month. Members of the City Council, including the mayor, greeted and welcomed the group after the meeting.

The official launch of tabling at the Farmers Market is Saturday, February 28, and, because this is an election year, will hopefully continue every other Saturday from 8 am to Noon - April, May, and June. SignUpGenius will be posted for both tabling and City Council meetings. Please sign up if you possibly can help.

The next (and 4th) Unit Meeting is on Monday, March 30, from 2 - 4 pm. 
Contact Catherine (aka Kitty) for location and questions.

Oak Park - Contact Jim Moynihan for information.

Ojai - Had their first meeting on February 9th. Eleven people attended and the discussion included many topics including the SAVE America Act as potential areas for educating the community. 

The next meeting will be Monday, March 16, from 3:30 to 5:00 pm at Ojai Villa Mobile Estates clubhouse, 70 Baldwin Ave, Ojai (parking behind the clubhouse)

Ojai members will receive an email invite. Please RSVP to the email or contact Pat Essick or Judy Murphy for details.

We will discuss what we can do to address the recent passage of the SAVE Act by the House of Representatives, and the possible effects. Members are encouraged to invite a friend.

Thousand Oaks will have their 2^nd meeting on Friday, March 6, at 6:30–8:30 pm. Look for an email invite or check the website calendar. This meeting is at a restaurant so please RSVP if you want to attend so reservations can be made. If you have questions you can contact Joan Palmieri or Elizabeth Zernick

Ventura? Oxnard? If you are interested in starting a group or if you have any questions, please reach out. We have ideas, suggestions and materials to get you started.  



Doris Simmelink

March 18th @ 5:30pm (3rd Wednesday), ON ZOOM

RSVP to Kay Armstrong.

Happy hour events are not just for new members – everyone is welcome, including guests. Join us for an informal conversation about all things LWVVC. Interested in becoming more involved in our mission of "Empowering Voters, Defending Democracy"? Then come, learn about what we're doing, and how you can help.

You don't have to be a League member to join us for happy hour. Come for five minutes, the whole hour or anywhere in between. We hope to see you there! You are welcome to attend either or both Happy Hours. Please register with the host in advance. 

If you would like to start an in-person Meet the Members in your area

please contact us



Participate in LWVUS and LWVC. Sign up for Updates and League Groups -

Open to all League Members

Join by signing in at: Join an Online Discussion Group and work with other leagues, LWV California staff and LWV US staff.

For all relevant news about the County of Ventura: https://www.ventura.org/

• View Board of Supervisor agendas, documents, broadcasts, and videos.

• Connect with County services.  

Why Renew or Join? Your membership supports our critical work in:

1. Voter education and registration
2. Advocacy for important local and state issues
3. Promoting civic engagement in Ventura County

How to Join or Renew? Visit the LWVVC website and select the Join/Renew link to access the membership portal - or just click the green button below.

Questions? Contact our membership team for assistance.

Donate 

Tax deductible donations may be made to:

•      General Fund

•      Scholarship Fund

•      Ann Gist Scholarship Fund  

•      Ann Gist Voter Education Fund

 OR make your check payable to LWVVC and send it to

P.O. Box 6786, Ventura, CA 93006

If you wish to donate in remembrance of someone, please include their name and a few lines about their life. Please specify the fund you want to support.

Thank you  

Raise Awareness of the League

Email: lwvvc.info@gmail.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/LWVVenturaCounty  

Mailing Address: LWVVC, P.O. Box 6786, Ventura, CA 93006 

Phone Number: (805) 303-1476 

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LWVVenturaCo/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lwvofventura/

The League of Women Voters of Ventura County is a 501(c)3 organization.

All contributions are tax deductible.  

The League of Women Voters, a grassroots non-partisan 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 League of Women Voters does not support or oppose candidates or political parties.