Here's a cheer for summer!  I hope you are all enjoying the long and indolent days of summer.  It's not been all play - the Board and League leadership team met August 1 to begin planning for the busy year ahead.
 
And, soon we'll enter the frenzy of the fall election season. Our League calendar is filling up with many service events - candidate forums to moderate, voter registration and education, and holding "Pros and Cons" League information sessions on the many ballot measures.
 
I hope many of you will join us and support our efforts.  We need members to assist with all of these events.  We are being inundated with requests!  That's a good sign that our community is seeking good, impartial, nonpartisan information.
 
If you can take time to participate in our Speakers' Bureau program, Carol Lathrop will offer a training session in early September.  Do let her know of your interest and availability.  And Sandy Mory, besides working with Sally Pyle on the 2013 State Convention Planning, is also coordinating Candidate Forums and could use moderators.
 
Good news:  Our league has received a grant from the State League to work with the Northern California Islamic Council (NCIC) to provide training, resources and education to assist member organizations to fulfill their goals to galvanize greater and more effective civic participation by the Bay Area Muslim community.  We are reaching out and working with a local mosque and its community to provide Voter Registration and information at key events.
 
Plus, this fall "LWV Presents: Insights and Perspectives" will premiere on CreaTV, extending our reach in San Jose and providing information on key issues affecting the community.  Thanks to Carol and Jim Lathorp and their hard-working committee.
 
Our goal is simple:  we carry the torch for good government.  It's an exciting goal.  Join in.  Elections 2012 - an important time for the League!
 
Gloria 

Creating a Conservation Legacy in Santa Clara Valley

In many areas of California, development of land for roads, housing and other needs adversely affects wildlife protected by the Federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the California Endangered Species Act (CESA).   A Habitat Plan looks at habitat resources on a regional basis and identifies conservation and mitigation measures to protect listed species while allowing for planned development and public agency activities, such as roads and levee maintenance.   The Santa Clara Valley Habitat Plan is a joint Habitat Conservation Plan/Natural Community Conservation Plan (HCP/NCCP) that began in 2005 by the County of Santa Clara, the Santa Clara Valley Water District, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, and the cities of San Jose, Morgan Hill and Gilroy. The Habitat Plan is expected to have a permit term of 50 years. The Plan's study area is 520,000 acres, and is being developed in association with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the California Department of Fish and Game, stakeholder groups and the general public.

The final EIR for the Habitat Plan will need to be approved by the board or council of each partner. Each jurisdiction has their own process with meetings to study and approve the plan so there will be many meetings where your letters and comments would be valuable. Find the whole list of dates at the project website. As of today (8/9/12), it will come before the Santa Clara Valley Water District Board on September 25th, Gilroy on October 15th, San Jose City Council on October 16th & 23rd, Morgan Hill on October 17th, and VTA on November 1st.  

The Habitat Plan:

• Has studied future public- and private-sector development cumulatively to evaluate the likely endangered species impacts of planned development activities on 18 covered species;
• Provides a coordinated method to obtain state and federal project-specific permits and mitigate impacts on species and habitat; and
• Will create a new habitat reserve system that will be both larger in scale, more ecologically valuable, and easier to manage than is possible when mitigating projects on an individual basis; and
• Provides access to state and federal funding sources for approved HCP/NCCPs.

Information on all of these events is available in this newsletter.                    

• Aug. 25               Summer Social   
• Sept. 4                Board Meeting - contact Cecilie Schulze for info  
• Sept. 5                SJSU Community Connections  
• Sept. 22              Watershed Summit   
• Sept. 23              Pros/Cons - Saratoga Library  
• Sept. 29              Pros/Cons - AAUW - Camden Community Center  
• Oct. 6                  Pros/Cons - Gilroy Library  
• Oct. 22                Last Day to Register to Vote  
• Oct. 23                Pros/Cons - Milpitas Library
• Nov. 6                 Election Day  
• Dec. 4                 Holiday Party (Details TBA)   
• Feb. 27               Initiative/Referendum Consensus Meeting