VOTER - League of Women Voters San Jose/Santa Clara

If you've looked at your sample ballot, you know you have many complex decisions to make on state propositions. How did a legislative tool designed to rein in special interests get so complicated? Find out at our October Lunch with League.

Governance by Initiative

with Terry Christensen

A specialist on state and local politics, Terry Christensen has authored or co-authored nine books, the latest of which is the eleventh edition of California Politics and Government (co-authored with Larry Gerston). Other books include Local Politics: Governing at the Grassroots, a text reflecting his years of teaching and participation in local politics, Projecting Politics: Political Messages in American Films (with Peter Haas) and Recall! California's Political Earthquake (also with Larry Gerston). He is the co-author (with Phil Trounstine) of Movers and Shakers: The Study of Community Power - an acknowledged and widely cited classic in its field.

Christensen holds a BA from Stanford and a PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He chaired the Department of Political Science from 1993 to 2002. In 1998, he was named SJSU's Outstanding Professor.

Under his supervision, nearly 1,500 political science students have completed internships in state and local politics and government and hundreds of his students have pursued careers in public service, including local government, elected office and nonprofit community organizations.

League members from all over the county have been invited to this event. Won't you join us?

Thursday, October 18

11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Bella Mia Restaurant

58 South First Street, San Jose, CA

Lunch choices include walnut and chicken salad, turkey croissant sandwich, margherita sandwich (tomatoes, mozzarella, basil and balsamic vinegar), eggplant parmesan, and linguini picatta with or without chicken. The cost is $15, payable at the door. Please RSVP, with menu choice, to Marie Arnold by Monday, October 15.

President's Message

We are truly in the midst of Election fever. I am highly energized about it and the important role that the League plays to inform and engage voters in the political process.

And I am excited that we are partnering with the AAUW (American Assn. of University Women). Working through their San Jose Branch, and with the County's Registrar of Voters, we mounted a two-venue voter registration and information effort in downtown San Jose. Kudos also to The Tech Museum of Innovation and the San Jose Museum of Art for their support, as our League joined with over 1,000 organizations nationally (and among 294 LWV leagues) to mount a program on September 25 in the first ever National Voter Registration Day.

Hats off to our own Gloria Leonard, our board secretary and active AAUW member, for being the "bridge" in that effort and in our recent Sept. 29 jointly-sponsored forum to a good crowd at Camden Community Center to present Pros and Cons on the State ballot measures. Gloria has also worked with the AAUW branches in Morgan Hill and Gilroy to help us respond to voter information/registration requests in the south county.

We are also thrilled to have student volunteers from Presentation High School. Having these young women being involved in the political process, is highly inspiring to us all! Thanks to Andrea Duwel, civics teacher there and now a League member, for encouraging them to be involved.

It's an amazing job our Speakers' Bureau members are doing to provide Pros and Cons - Many thanks go to Richard Cress, Ann Clarke, Martha Beattie, Shelly Saini, Emma Salo (a new member!), Tat Blesch, Carol and Jim Lathrop. The requests for League presentations keep pouring in. Also to Sandy Mory, Brenda McHenry, and Rosaleen Zisch for their Candidates' Forum presentations.

Don't forget, you can access our Pros and Cons on the State website. Here we have extensive information on each of the State measures. For Pros and Cons on the two county measures, A and B, go to our website for the LWVs of Santa Clara County.

But the BIG question many people ask is: Where does the League stand on the State measures? We only takes stands on issues which we have studied so we may not have a position on each measure. To see what League thinks, you can find the answer at the LWVC website.

Be engaged and informed - take part in the democratic process!

Gloria

Televised Candidates' Forums

On Friday, October 12, we will be filming three candidates' forums in conjunction with CreaTV. The races covered will be:

State Senate District 15 race - Jim Beall and Joe Coto
San Jose District 10 race - Robert Braunstein and Johnny Khamis
San Jose District 8 race - Rose Herrera and Jimmy Nguyen

Do you have a question you'd like asked at one of the debates? Send an email to forum@creatv.org or contact Cecilie Schulze.

How Many Initiatives are Too Many ??

The Initiative and Referendum study is underway. So what, you ask, is the group studying? In San Jose, we'll be voting on 13+ measures this November - 11 state measures, two San Jose measures, and other bonds and measures depending on location. That's a big ballot and a lot of studying. What if, like the Swiss, we held separate elections for initiatives? Or what if the number of initiatives per ballot was limited - with the overflow being held to the next election? Are these good ideas or expensive non-fixes? You can read the article by Joe Matthews on the NBC website and form your own opinion.

If questions and articles like this intrigue you, consider joining the Initiative & Referendum study. Our next meeting is on Tuesday, October 9 at 10:00 a.m. We'll meet at the home of Virginia Holtz. Not sure? Feel free to come and listen and then decide.

Contact co-chair Mary Collins for more information.

Convention 2013: We Do Know the Way to San Jose

From Sally Pyle, member of the state convention Executive Committee

Dear SJ/SC Leaguers,

We are "it"....Yahoo! Our League has been chosen to host the 2013 State Convention! Let's show them the way and the how of San Jose.

Do get out your calendar and in INK put "MY LEAGUE--Leading the Charge for Change"     MAY 16-MAY 19th, 2013. Reschedule those cruise plans.   Okay, maybe you won't go to the preliminary workshops on Thursday, although they will be great (Smart Voter, Fundraising, Candidate Forum Moderating Training). You must come for the keynotes and workshops that promise to have you recommitting to the mission and work of the League.

Have you been to the Hayes Mansion lately? 16 acres of loveliness. The conference center is beautiful and the food is yummy. Parking is free. Wi-fi everywhere. The State website has a lot of info on the Mansion so check it out.

This site will also be the one to visit for convention updates. Jennifer Waggoner, our state president, has challenged us to think outside the box and have a convention like no other. The title is an up beat "My League"....in the spirit of My Space. We are Silicon Valley and the Logo will surely have a connector looped in it.

What can you do now?? Your input is welcomed. Gloria Chun Hoo, Sandy Mory and Sally Pyle are on the Executive Committee. Sandy Remmers is our local league representative. We are looking for volunteers to work on these committees:

                  Communications    Workshop/Caucus   Market Place
                   Program/Plenary    Awards/Décor        Sponsorship

Promise yourself you will take advantage of this opportunity to attend State Convention in your own back yard.

A Report from the Election Trenches

LWV member Marie Arnold filed this report from the election trenches:

My house is not the neatest, and my dinners are not the most gourmet, but the time spent on League activities is exhilarating. At SJSU Community Connections on Sept. 5th, Sally Pyle, Carol Lathrop and I registered 12 new voters. A week and a half later, it was Mission College, where Shelly Saini, Gloria Chun Hoo and I registered people from all over the world including a new voter from Zimbabwe. The next day, it was on to a very interesting candidates forum in Santa Clara with Dick Cress, Sandy Mory and timer Shelly Saini, who stayed with the job of timing until after 9:30 pm.

Flash forward another day and Sharon Sweeney and I listened to the new ROV, Barry Garner, and members of his staff walk through the voting process, step by step. Tuesday, Sept. 25, was National Voter Registration Day, and our League paired with AAUW and the Santa Clara County ROV to register voters in downtown San Jose. Gloria and Stan (she does have a handsome husband) and Sharon Sweeney, along with a student volunteer, staffed a table on the sidewalk outside the Tech Museum, while Gloria Leonard, Paula Radzinski and I staffed a table in front of the San Jose Museum of Art. Members of AAUW were with us as were staff from the ROV with sample ballots, color books/crayons and VOTING BOOTHS.

Today, Sept. 29th, it's difficult to decide where to go since our local League has 3 events. I chose to return to SJSU for the Neighborhood Development Training Conference, where Rosaleen Zisch taught 2 workshops: "Voting Matters in Neighborhoods" and we staffed a League table at the Resource Fair.

National Voter Registration Day

Please jump right in and help. You get more out of it than you put in. This is the most exciting time to be an active League member. You don't have to know everything, you just have to be able to read. And you can clean your house after the election!

Voice of Our League

A huge thank you to Caroline Cooper who has answered the League phone for the last four months with grace, humor, and dedication.

And many thanks to Sara Malaun who is our "League Voice" in October, our busiest month.

The Board thanks both Caroline and Sara for taking on this vital role.

Opportunity Knocks

We have need of volunteers in two areas: one can be done in the comfort of your own home, the other requires 1 - 2 hours a month:

Watch LWV Presents: Insights and Perspectives and let us know what you think. The program airs on Saturdays on Comcast Station 15 (you must be a Comcast subscriber to watch) at 2:30 pm. The show is in its infancy and we need your input to develop the best show possible.
Loretta Hayes had been our Voter Snail Mail coordinator. She is no longer able to do this and we need someone to print off the Voter, make 30 copies, and mail them out. Sandy Remmers supplies the address labels.

If you are interested in either of these opportunities, contact Cecilie Schulze.

For those interested in a one-time job, we are planning an education forum on Water Rates and the California PUC. Contact Gloria Chun Hoo if you are interested in helping.

Vote with the League

The League of Women Voters recommends the following for the November 6th election:

PROP 30 Schools and Local Public Safety Protection Act - YES
PROP 31 Government Performance and Accountability Act - NO
PROP 32 Special Exemptions Act - NO
PROP 34 SAFE California Act - YES
PROP 40 Referendum on Redistricting - YES

For a more in depth analysis of the League recommendations, go to the LWVC website.

Membership

Welcome to our newest members:

Alice Meyer
Emma Salo

Thank you to the following members for their donations to the League:

Mary Collins, Trixie Johnson, Aldyth Parle, Anne Stahr

In the Studio at CreaTV

At the September filming for League of Women Voters presents: Insights and Perspectives, members of our Speakers Bureau presented the pros and cons on upcoming ballot measures, including Santa Clara county and City of San Jose measures. The shows will air on Saturdays at 2:30 pm this month.

Jim and Carol Lathrop, Rosaleen Zisch

Emma Salo, Carol Lathrop, Shelly Saini

Bay Area Monitor

For information on rapid transit (including San Jose's), housing allocation, air pollution standards, and more, read the latest edition of the Bay Area Monitor.

Federal Budget Challenge

If you enjoyed Next 10's State budget challenge, here's an opportunity to try the Federal Budget challenge. Next 10 teamed up with The Concord Coalition and launched an updated version of their popular challenge.

With the Federal Budget Challenge, you decide how to answer some of the most important questions being asked today that will impact us for years to come:

Which tax and spending policies will lower the national debt?
How can we spark job creation and support business innovation?
Can we meet our infrastructure needs?
How will we increase our economic growth, protect the environment, and keep America safe?
Should Social Security and Medicare be secured for future generations? If so, how?

Take the Federal Budget Challenge and see how you do!

SmartVoter Launches Next Generation Website

From LWVC SmartVoter

A revolutionary experience is waiting for you at Smart Voter's brand new Next Generation website! You can go to the special web address of m.smartvoter right now to check it out. This cutting-edge update of the League's award-winning service sports a new streamlined look and an array of feature stories that changes every day. The many enhanced features are especially helpful for the quick information needs and small touch screens of smartphone and tablet owners -- but promise to be fun and interesting for desktop and laptop computer users as well. Get together with your friends and compare the appearance of the Next Generation site - its exact layout will depend on the size of the screen and type of device each of you is using.

Announced at last year's state League Convention in Ventura and years in planning, the Next Generation site addresses dramatic changes in the way that the public now accesses and uses information on the Internet. According to national market analyses and surveys, a majority of the computer devices now being purchased are smartphones and tablets rather than desktop or laptop computers, and a rapidly-increasing proportion of voters are relying primarily on such mobile devices to get information on politics and elections.

For this November's election, Smart Voter will be available to California voters in both its traditional format and the new Next Generation design. For future elections the state League will expand the capabilities, features and innovative content of the versatile Next Generation site. If you have questions, comments or suggestions regarding it, please email SmartVoter. And click the "More" button on the new site to sign up for the Smart Voter newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and receive our latest updates.

Important Phone Change

A reminder for anyone in the 408 area code: After October 20, 2012, all calls will require dialing 1 plus the area code and the seven digit telephone number, even calls to other 408 numbers. Calls placed without the area code will result in a recording advising the caller to dial one plus the area code and the telephone number to complete a call.

Calendar

Information on many of these events is available in this newsletter. See our online calendar for more information.

Oct. 4 Board Meeting
Oct. 4 Santa Clara School District Forum
Oct. 6 Pros/Cons - Gilroy Library
Oct. 13 Gilroy Mayor and City Council Candidate Forum
Oct. 18 Lunch with League
Oct. 22 Last Day to Register to Vote
Oct. 23 Pros/Cons - Milpitas Library
Nov. 6 Election Day
Nov. 7 Board Meeting - contact Martha Beattie
Nov. 15 Lunch with League
Dec. 4 Holiday Party (Details TBA)
Feb. 27 Initiative/Referendum Consensus Meeting

Events may be added before the next Voter. Visit our website for current listings.

Address / Email Change

To keep our records current please send any changes to your address, email address, or phone number, to our Dues Secretary, Sandy Remmers, at randsremmers@gmail.com. The only updates she receives are on the renewal form which is only sent once a year.

The Voter

The LWV-SJ/SC Voter is distributed monthly. Article deadline is the 20th of the month. If you have questions or comments, contact Cecilie Schulze, the Voter Editor.

Join Our League

Visit our website to join our League.

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Democracy is not a spectator sport! Educate! Advocate!

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