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THE VOTER
LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF SOUTH SAN MATEO COUNTY
Celebrating over 50 years of service to our communities
Website: www.LWVSSMC.org
APRIL 2015
Phone: (650) 325-5780
E-mail: [email protected]
Editor: Evan Hughes, [email protected], (650) 329-8698
SAVE THE DATE—MAY 7:
Ana Angel, Director of New Voices for Youth, is working with
Ellen Hope to schedule a New Voices informational update
for LWVSSMC. This will be in the evening and will include
screening previews of this semester's work and our meeting some
of the participating students. May 7 is the date, and the event
will include ice cream! Stay tuned for additional details.
For more information or for transportation needs, contact
Ellen Hope, (650) 839-8647 or [email protected].
AND—JUNE 2 (6-9PM) FOR OUR ANNUAL MEETING:
As in the past two years, we will hold the Annual Meeting of the LWVSSMC at the
Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant in Redwood City, downtown on Jefferson at Broadway.
This year our speaker will be Don Horsley, Supervisor, District 3,
County of San Mateo. [See Page 3.] We will be electing officers
and voting on our budget for 2015-16. The kit for the meeting,
showing the nominations for officers and the budget being proposed by the Board, will be mailed to members in early May.
Have you received a paper VOTER, but would prefer not to? Have you not received
a VOTER but would like one? Please contact Shirley DesMarais, 650-322-0778 or
[email protected].
FROM THE BOARD*
On March 19, our LWVSSMC monthly meeting was an evening with Helen Hutchison, President of LWVC,
the California League. The picture below is Helen in front of our banner in the mezzanine meeting room
in the parish hall at St. Matthias Catholic Church in Redwood City. Helen discussed LWVC processes and
positions that lead to the state League’s legislative agenda and priorities. She also spoke
a bit about the statewide LWV Convention coming up in May in San Diego. (See Page 10.)
Helen spoke for about forty minutes and responded to a lot of questions, both during
her talk and in a Q&A period that followed. Members of several other Leagues joined us
in listening and discussing: North-Central San Mateo County, Palo Alto, and Los Altos /
Mountain View. In fact, the picture here was taken by Julie Cates of LWVLAMV.
Helen started by reminding us that, in general, the League activities can be said to fall in
one of two categories: (1) voter services, which include voter registration and voter information; and (2)
advocacy on issues (which means positions on issues, but not on candidates). In advocacy, League positions and actions are adopted or taken only on topics that the League has studied. She told of how the
LWVC had been in opposition to the state water bond that was en route to the ballot in 2010 and 2012.
The League had opposed because the spending listed in the proposed bond measure was judged by the
League, as well as the Sierra Club and some others, to be too much on old 20th century technology (i.e.,
dams and reservoirs) rather than on water conservation, efficiency, ground water storage and ground water conservation, etc. When the Sierra Club and the League together opposed the 2014 version of the water bond, the Legislature made changes, and the League did not oppose the 2014 version. (On the ballot
measure itself the League was neutral, due to “conflicting positions” – meaning that some League positions would indicate “Yes” but others would indicate “No” on the bond proposition as it was finally approved by the legislature, and eventually by the voters on the Nov. 2014 ballot.)
In addition to positions, the Legislative Committee of the LWVC takes into account what topics and bills
will be on the agendas of the Assembly, Senate, Governor or state agencies during the year ahead. Taking
these things into account, the state Board and Legislative Committee then set priorities for action over
the course of a legislative year or election cycle. For this year and next – depending, of course, also on
what may take place at the statewide LWVC Convention in May in San Diego – Helen expects the priorities to be the State of California Budget, voting access through better functioning of procedures such as
“Motor/Voter” where the DMV is to get change of address information into the voter registration system
so voters are not denied a vote at the polls, “Money in Politics” efforts on better functioning of the Fair
Political Practices Commission (FPPC) and perhaps new legislation on disclosure of political contributions.
This disclosure item has become a source of some disagreement among fair election advocates, as the
League is inclined to delay a push for the “DISCLOSE Act” in favor of letting the new Secretary of State
work with the FPPC to revise or replace its database and computer system. The League’s Legislative Committee agrees with the Secretary’s office that this upgrade at the FPPC is necessary to achieving an efficient and full functioning of existing laws on contributions and disclosure.
We heard these things and much more.^^^
Evan Hughes, VOTER Editor, LWVSSMC ([email protected])
*FROM THE BOARD is written by a different member of the LWVSSMC Board each month.
^^^ The LWVC.org/issues web page says the 2013-15 “issues for education and advocacy” were (1)Money in
Politics and (2) Education, plus a 2nd tier naming of Health Care and also Water. The page also notes that, for
the LWVUS, the national Legislative Priorities for 2015 are (a) Money in Politics, and (b) the “many facets of
Voting Rights and Election Administration.” LWVUS 2nd tier priorities are Climate and Environmental Protection, Immigration, and Health Care (including Reproductive Choice).
The South San Mateo County League of Women Voters’ The VOTER
April 2015 - 2
Save the Date: Our Annual Meeting
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
6:00 pm - 9 pm
at
The Old Spaghetti Factory in downtown Redwood City,
2107 Broadway (on the corner at Jefferson)
Speaker: Don Horsley, County Supervisor
First elected the Third District Supervisor on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors in
November 2011, Horsley was overwhelmingly re-elected for a second term in June 2014.
The Third District stretches along the coast from Pacifica to the Santa Cruz and Santa Clara
borders. A former police officer who went on to become the elected San Mateo County
Sheriff, Don is a native of San Francisco, although he grew up in Daly City. He attended
Westmoor High School and earned his undergraduate degree, with honors, from San Francisco State University. Don initially wanted to be a teacher, and worked as a juvenile counselor with the San Mateo County Probation Department and then as a classroom teacher
for middle school students, before embarking on a 37-year career in law enforcement. Don
and his wife Elaine reside in Emerald Hills, in the hills above Redwood City.
BOOK GROUP
Our book selection for April is The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and
Geeks Created the Digital Revolution by Walter Isaacson. We will meet at noon on
Thursday, April 23rd, at the home of Lucile Spurlock, 856 Creek Drive, Menlo Park.
Please bring your own lunch.
For May, we will be discussing Rust: The Longest War Jonathan Waldman. For further information, please contact Judy Orttung at [email protected].
WORLD AFFAIRS COUNCIL PENINSULA CHAPTER
Wednesday, May 6, 2015: Refreshments: 7:00 PM, and Program: 7:30-9:00 PM, at the Los Altos
Youth Center, 1 North San Antonio Road in Los Altos, 94022.
“International Humanitarian Law: Human Trafficking Without Borders”
Brad Adams: Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, Asia Division
Brad Adams, the Executive Director of the Human Rights Watch’s Asia Division, will discuss the epidemic extent of global human trafficking that takes place internally and across borders whether
countries are experiencing conflicts internally or with their neighbors, with a focus on the Asian
region for what is a global problem. International Humanitarian Law, or the Geneva Conventions,
plays a major role in determining how to deal with this serious global problem, and the International Red Cross is a major contributor to mitigating many of the circumstances faced by victims.
Ralph Kuiper, Chair, Peninsula Chapter, World Affairs Council of Northern California
The South San Mateo County League of Women Voters’ The VOTER
April 2015 - 3
BOARD NOTES
At its March 2 meeting the LWVSSMC Board:
 Received Treasurer’s Report; membership remains at 104;
 Received report from Lisa Conrad; nominating committee is compiling nominations to Board to
be voted on at May annual meeting [now confirmed for June 2; see below and Pages 1 & 3.];
 Discussed LWV Board job descriptions and started discussion to help streamline committees and
Board duties;
 County League Day report : a small but successful turnout to hear presentation on Money in Politics on February 28th in Belmont;
 Planning underway for Annual Meeting, now set for June 2 with Don Horsley as speaker;
 Suggestion made that we could be more active in monitoring San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and/or other public agencies if members want to become League observers;
 Received from Lisa Conrad a request from the newly formed local RepresentUs group for help in
moving forward a municipal version of the American Anti-Corruption Act to be put on the Redwood City ballot;
 Discussed who will be our delegates to the State Convention at the end of May; and
 Heard that the last of the legislative interviews is to be with Kevin Mullin on Friday March 27.
The next meeting will be Monday, April 13 at 7pm at Ellen Hope’s.
Joyce Shefren, Secretary, LWVSSMC
NEW VOICES FOR YOUTH
New Voices is having a busy Spring at Menlo Atherton High School (M-A) and Siena Youth Center
(SYC)! At M-A, the VOICE club - a collaboration between NV4Y and YCS's YLAC - is producing a video
about Identity Safety and Equality at M-A. They have been interviewing individual students and students
in after-school programs about race and ethnicity at M-A. They will complete two videos - one about
what they learn and a second about the process of making the video. (YLAC is Youth Leaders About
Change; see http://www.youthcommunityservice.org/article.php?story=20121207161747276.)
At SYC, a group of experienced videographers is working on a video about murals in San Francisco and
Redwood City. They took a trip to the Mission, followed the Precita Eyes self-guided walking tour of the
murals in the Mission and interviewed muralists. Now they are learning about murals in North Fair Oaks
and, eventually, they will create a portable mural that can be displayed at SYC but also taken to public
forums. Coincidentally, the NFO (North Fair Oaks) Public Arts Workgroup is issuing an RFP (request for
proposals) for additional murals in Redwood City and SYC will take the opportunity to respond.
Ana Angel, NV4Y Director, is working with Ellen Hope to schedule a New Voices informational update for
LWVSSM that will include screening previews of this semester's work and meeting some of the participating students. May 7 is the date! Stay tuned for additional details. [The May 7 meeting is also noted on
Pages 1 & 12, but no details yet.]
The South San Mateo County League of Women Voters’ The VOTER
April 2015 - 4
LEAGUE INTERVIEWS WITH LOCAL STATE LEGISLATORS
This year’s topics included money in politics (campaign disclosure), education, and water.
QUESTION 1: Money in Politics (Campaign Disclosure) Cal-Access is the database and website for online
reporting and disclosure of state campaign and lobbying financial activity. It is antiquated, inflexible, and
desperately in need of an overhaul to make it robust and user-friendly for the public and the media as well
as for those who are required to file disclosure reports.
Would you support funding for the rebuilding of Cal-Access? Possibilities that have been mentioned include an item in the 2015-2016 state budget and a loan from the state’s General Fund that would be repaid
over time from an existing fund dedicated to improvement of Cal-Access.
Possible follow-up question: Would you support a requirement that Cal-Access be structured to allow expansion to include electronic filing of local disclosure reports?
QUESTION 2: Education. This question is in two parts.
QUESTION 2, Part 1 – Early Childhood Education Early Childhood Education (ECE) programs were greatly
reduced during the economic downturn. Although significant funding was reinstated last session, it is still
not at the previous level, and large numbers of children, with differing needs, go unserved. Among the options for increased funding of ECE programs are 1) universal access for all four year olds, 2) limiting funding
to low-income children and those with special needs while expanding the reach to three-year-olds, 3) expanding and improving service for the very young (ages zero to three), or 4) the ideal, all of the above.
What would be your preference? What first? What do you think has the best chance of being funded and
signed?
QUESTION 2, Part 2 – Cap on Reserves As part of the 2014-15 state budget, the legislature adopted a
trailer bill, SB 858, one provision of which would place a cap on local school district reserves, including assigned and unassigned year-end balances, under certain conditions. That provision was linked to Proposition 2 in the November election, and with the passage of Prop 2, it is now in effect.
In August, at the close of the legislative session, there was an attempt to repeal the cap language, but it
failed. Would you support a bill to repeal the cap and restore the authority of local school districts, in alignment with the norm of local control, to ensure school districts can maintain healthy reserves to protect
students and teachers from budget cuts during future economic downturns?
Question 3: Water In recent months, voters approved the Proposition 1 water bond and the legislature
passed significant groundwater legislation. Do you see these actions as having addressed the important
water issues in your district? If not, what more should be done? What can the Legislature do to increase
California’s resilience in the face of future water supply uncertainties?
Interview with Assemblyman Rich Gordon—February 6, 2015
Assemblyman Staff : Jeremy Dennis
League Attendees : Ellen Wheeler (Los Altos-Mountain View), Betty Gerard (Palo Alto), Carol Kuiper (Los
Altos-Mountain View), Ann Draper (South San Mateo County), Ellen Hope (South San Mateo County), Hoa
Phan (Los Altos-Mountain View)
Below are Assemblyman Rich Gordon's responses to
topics and questions posed by League members:
A. Overview - State-of-the-State
1.
Budget: This year's budget, as submitted by Governor Brown, is balanced and there is a reserve.
2.
Legislative priorities: (a) Higher education and how to deliver on the promise that some form of education will be available to all Californians - review of UC and Community Colleges; (b) Health and welfare
safety net; (c) Infrastructure, especially transportation - expect a fee to be proposed. Expect significant volume of legislation to be proposed this month.
3.
Term limits: This will be Rich's final term. He is hopeful that the 80% of state Assemblymembers who
can serve 10-12 years under the new term limits will hold a longer-term view of what needs to be done for
state, instead of what they could get done in two years.
4. Other: Rich is appointed to the new Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee, established to address threats to privacy from use and abuse of Internet and digital data.
[continued on next page]
The South San Mateo County League of Women Voters’ The VOTER
April 2015 - 5
[continuation of the interview with Assemblymember Rich Gordon; the question list is on Page 5]
B. Money in Politics
1. Stance on Cal-Access : Database is antiquated and needs to be overhauled; awaits Secretary of State
Padilla's proposal, hopefully within this fiscal year. Only restraint will be cost.
2. Record on issue : Rich hopes that by being on the Committee on Elections and Redistricting, he can help
increase disclosure. Authored AB 800 and co-authored Disclosure Act, which died in Assembly last year but
probably will be re-introduced. Will require 2/3 vote to pass.
3. Citizens United : Does not think state legislatures will be able to get a Constitutional amendment via the
states.
C. Early Childhood Education (ECE)
1. Stance on state's responsibilities for ECE : Would like ECE for all four–year olds, but doesn't believe the
governor will sign. Governor Brown doesn't believe that it is the state's responsibility to fund pre-kindergarten and
younger.
2. What's likely to pass : Expand existing childcare services and bring back into the fold those who were left
out by budget cuts. This has support of the Democratic caucus.
D. Cap on Local School District Reserves
1. Stance : Supports removal of such cap, to enable local control.
2. What's likely to happen : We don't see legislation, but a trailer bill in the budget. This will partially depend on
Governor Brown's discussion with the CTA, which may be reconsidering its original stance on the cap (the intent
was for school districts' dollars to go to teachers instead of reserve).
E. Water
1. Stance : Recently passed legislation on groundwater is critical, but doesn't come fast enough or have enough
teeth. We need to look at water the right way. Rich has asked Speaker Atkins to authorize a Select Committee to
study water innovations, e.g., water reuse, distributive water supply (collecting storm water), desalination, protection of aquifers, etc. The Governor would be unlikely to sign a moratorium on fracking.
EXTRA QUESTIONS ASKED BY OUR INTERVIEW GROUP:
F. Measles Vaccination
1. Stance : The science is clear that vaccination is needed. Legislation has been introduced that will require
measles vaccination except in the case of health reasons. Fairly good chance of passage.
G. Infrastructure
1. Stance : We need to extend our view of infrastructure to include more than transportation, including sewers
and water supply infrastructure. We've neglected it for 50 years; it will take us about the same amount of time to
rebuild.
2. How we can fund massive infrastructure backlog : (a) Expect no funding from federal government given
the political climate; (b) State funding may encompass the following sources:
 Cap and Trade program which provides new funding every year - this will mostly go to transportation;
 Truck weight fees have previously been moved to the general fund; to move it back for transportation requires
figuring out how to fill the gap in the general fund;
 Infrastructure bonds through a user fee on autos; and
 Increase in water fee for water and sewer infrastructure. This is doable, but unlikely as it requires 2/3 votes.
H. Healthcare and Affordable Care Act (ACA)
1. ACA : We have maximized support from federal government, and expect enrollment in Covered California to
meet or exceed last year's target. Access is still a big concern and will take a while. We need to have a plan for the
possibility of the Supreme Court striking down federal funding for Medicaid expansion.
2. Capping deductible for drug copays : Since Governor Brown would not sign, Rich pulled his bill last year to
limit monthly copays for medications, as some patients with expensive chronic diseases (cancer, etc.) could reach
their deductible limit (as high as $6,000) in the first month of service by paying for their medications. The consequence is patients may stop taking their medications. The bill would have spread out the deductible cost over the
year. Rich will be working with Secretary of CA Health and Human Services Diana Dooley in coming months to
introduce more feasible legislation.
LWV Legislative Interview State Senator Jerry Hill, February 27, 2015
[This starts on the on next page.]
The South San Mateo County League of Women Voters’ The VOTER
April 2015 - 6
Interview State Senator Jerry Hill—February 27, 2015
[The interview questions are on Page 5, above the interview with Rich Gordon.]
League interviewers: Ellen Hope and Joyce Shefren (LWV South and Central San Mateo County), Kathee Tyson (LWV North San Mateo County), Ellen Forbes (LWV Palo Alto), and Ellen Wheeler (LWV Los AltosMountain View)
Senate Staff in attendance: Lisa Chung and Joan Dentler
QUESTION 1: Money in Politics (Campaign Disclosure)
He supports using money from the general fund to update Cal-Access. He also supports disclosure/reporting
and described the many things that his lawyer must do in that regard, which are, of course, an added cost.
Senator Hill noted that the Governor might not be willing to use money from the General Fund to update CalAccess and that alternative methods of funding might need to be found.
QUESTION 2: Education. This question is in two parts.
QUESTION 2, Part 1 – Early Childhood Education
Number 4, the “ideal,” would be delightful. I was the co-author last year of a bill that would have expanded
transitional kindergarten to all four-year-olds, which is your option one, above. We had to settle for second
best, which is your option two, above. What got the governor’s support was expansion of state preschool
slots, not an expansion of transitional kindergarten. Sen. Hill still wants to push for preschool for all four-year
-olds. In fact, 0-4 years are crucial. Every dollar we spend now on these young children is paid back by many
multipliers later on. There’s no better investment.
QUESTION 2, Part 2 – Cap on Reserves
He supports a bill to repeal the cap and explained that it was part of a package budget including Proposition
2. Passage of Proposition 2 (the “rainy day fund”) was important to Governor Brown. Senator Hill believes
the odds that the provision would be used are low, since 1987 is the only time such a scenario has played
out. He thinks a bill to repeal the school district cap on reserves will probably pass and be signed. He’s willing
to co-sponsor a bill to repeal the cap. Gov. Brown knows that the price we all paid for cap was too much.
It is important for local school boards to have control and know how much money they can plan on having.
QUESTION 3: Water
No, the legislation has not properly addressed the problem. In our area we don’t rely on groundwater, so the
water storage issue will not help us. What we are looking at are (1) reuse of Hetch Hetchy water, (2) storm
water capture, and (3) better conservation. Desalinization is awfully expensive. Desalinization may be reexamined in future as the technology improves and cost drops. Regarding conservation, we had a 20% reduction in December, but of course, it rained a lot. We need to make sure that statewide conservation efforts
are maintained.
He spoke about continued groundwater recharging and the technology for reuse of wastewater, citing the
“yuck” factor as the biggest challenge. He also described a bill requiring piping for new homes that includes
one pipe for regular water use and one for recycled water.
QUESTION 4: Local League Question(s) about issue(s) of particular local concern –
We asked about affordable housing fees. He noted that there was a bill to add a $75 fee for the recording of
real estate documents. Originally realtors agreed to the bill but then changed their minds so it failed. A new
bill will provide $5 million toward affordable housing but would only apply to the transfer of documents. He
is not sure how realtors will react to this bill.
Eliminating redevelopment agencies took away the only source of dedicated affordable housing money, and
we need to bridge that gap.
[continued on next page]
The South San Mateo County League of Women Voters’ The VOTER
April 2015 - 7
[continuation of questions to Senator Jerry Hill: “Local League Questions” about issues of particular local concern –
OPTIONAL QUESTION
QUESTION 5: What other major issues do you think the legislature must deal with in 2015? What
are your personal priorities?
Back to water: How do you see the future of fracking in California?
Last year he supported a moratorium on fracking but the governor would not sign it. It would have regulated the chemicals used in the fracking process (which could later end up in our groundwater) and monitored the use of proper technology and minimization of water waste. Although a lot of the water used in
fracking is reused, the federal EPA has criticized California for the way we dump the water into the aquifer.
Kern County is currently the only county with this problem. Companies are not fracking now because of the
low price of oil, and Kern County’s unemployment has risen dramatically.
OPTIONAL QUESTION
QUESTION 6: Is there anything you would like to add?
He returned to the importance of housing and the desire to develop redevelopment opportunities. But
he noted that getting support for this from the governor, the legislature, and local governments is
difficult.
Regarding license plate readers, he is very worried about our privacy rights. His bill called for a limit of
five years on how long an agency could retain data from such readers, but it failed. Then he talked
about the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department’s purchase—approved by the county supervisors
on Tuesday, Feb. 25—of a StingRay (portable cell phone tracking device) with Homeland Security
funding. He mentioned a requirement for law enforcement agencies to obtain a permit from the
local City Council to buy a license plate reader and explain why they needed the equipment.
When he worked with Joe Simitian and on this issue of license plate readers a year or two ago, Mr. Simitian advised starting simple, certainly with holding a public hearing on the issue.
He ended the interview with a statement of thanks that our Founding Fathers had the foresight to insist
on civilian control of the military.
His administrative aide, Lisa Chung, offered to send to Ellen Wheeler the complete list of bills being submitted for debate during this legislative session. Today [Feb. 27] was the last day for submittals.
Below is this list: 2015 Bills introduced by Senator Jerry Hill (SD-13)
Note: You can search for the status of bills by bill number via the LegInfo site
[There followed, in the report, a list of bills, including those introduced by Senator Hill and bills that he
has co-authored or supported—a list that is about 3-1/2 pages in length.]
UPDATE: Study of Public Higher Education in California . . . [Files are on the LWVC web
site and the new] articles are much shorter this month and mostly about the Master Plan for Higher Education that was developed in California in 1960! As you discuss the Master Plan you might want to refer
back to page 23 in the Little Hoover Commission Report to see how often it's been reviewed. And, as you
discuss possible solutions to transfer issues, need for remediation and better access to higher education,
you might also want to reread and/or discuss the Long Beach College Promise on pages 35-41 in the Little
Hoover Commission Report. . . . Let me know if our Study Committee can assist you in any way or answer
any questions you might have.
Eleanor Yick, LWVCEF State Committee Chair, Study of Public Higher Education in CA
[email protected]
The South San Mateo County League of Women Voters’ The VOTER
April 2015 - 8
League of Women Voters
of the Bay Area
An Inter-League Organization of the San Francisco Bay Area
League of Women Voters of the Bay Area Education Fund (the publisher of The
Bay Area Monitor):
Bay Area Monitor: April/May 2015 Articles




Bay Area Monitor History, Part IV
Resurgent Economy Likely to Lift Priority Development Areas
The Faucet as Power Switch: Water’s Hidden Energy Consumption
Measuring Methane and Estimating Emissions to Protect the Climate
The April/May 2015 Bay Area Monitor is now online: http://bayareamonitor.org/read/
BAY AREA LEAGUE RECOMMENDS LWVC SUPPORT NEW
“GLOBAL WARMING SOLUTIONS” BILLS
Early in March the Bay Area League requested that the Legislative Committee of the LWVC support
two bills in the Legislature:
1. SB 32 by Senator Fran Pavley, an extension of her 2006 AB 32 “Global Warming Solutions Act”
to adopt an 80% reduction of emissions of global warming gases by 2050 as the official target to be
implemented through State policy, law and regulation; and
2. SB 350 by Senator Kevin De Leon, the Senate President Pro Tem, which sets more specific and
nearer term targets for 2030, include: 50% less emission from electricity generation, 50% less from
carbon in petroleum products burned in vehicles, and 50% less from new residential and commercial buildings.
The LWVC Legislative Committee agreed to support both of these bills. Follow these bills by going
to www.lwvc.org and then clicking at the top on Bill Status Report.
ACTIVITIES HERE IN OUR LOCAL LEAGUE
SMALL GROUPS: Do you want to be part of a small group—e.g., Book Group or Climate Change
and Local Issues (sea level rise, transit-oriented housing/development, or land use, etc.)? Or, do
you want to participate in a League study, such as the California study on public higher education
[per Page 8 here, and Pages 9 & 10 in the Jan. 2015 VOTER], or study ways the League should
change? Do you want the League to consider a position or to take an action (for example, on minimum wage or right to die [per Page 6 of the Feb. 2015 VOTER])? Are you interested in taking a
closer look at responsible lending, as part of a joint task force together with LWV North/Central
San Mateo County? For any, and all, of these matters, or others of interest to you, contact:
Ellen Hope (President), or any one of those listed on Page 12.
Don’t forget when you are buying books, or anything, at Kepler’s any time of year, to
mention the League when you check out. They will donate back to us 6% of the sale! And,
if you make your purchase online through Keplers.com, begin your shopping by clicking
the Community Partners button, then click on Shop For Your Nonprofit, then click on
League of Women Voters of South San Mateo County and proceed with your purchases.
The South San Mateo County League of Women Voters’ The VOTER
April 2015 - 9
STATE LEAGUE (LWVC.org)
Best Practices Manual for Official Voter Information Guides Released
In the November 2014 election, only 31% of eligible Californians voted; as in past elections, young people and
people of color continued to be underrepresented. Many factors contribute to low voter turnout, we believe
that voter information is an important tool to engage and expand the electorate.
To help make voter information more effective, we are proud to release our Best Practices Manual for Official
Voter Information Guides.
This manual was specifically developed as an easy-to-use resource for election officials and community groups
working to better serve California’s diverse voters.
We Demand Enforcement of “Motor Voter” Registration at the CA DMV
The 20-year-old federal Motor Voter law (National Voter Registration Act) requires states to offer voter registration to people applying for or renewing a driver license or ID card at the Department of Motor Vehicles. However, in California the DMV does not make the process simple and accessible, and registrations are not reliably
sent to elections officials. We have joined forces with the ACLU and sent a pre-litigation notice letter to the Secretary of State, urging him to work with the DMV to enforce the law. Successful DMV registrations can help
combat California’s poor voter registration rate. Read more.
Register for Convention in San Diego Today
Register now for the 2015 LWVC Convention in San Diego.
Visit our Convention blog for guest speaker bios, information about
workshops, sponsorship opportunities, and award nomination
forms.
Questions? Ask us!
See you in San Diego! Let the sun shine in!
[Editor’s Note: The Bay Area League is arranging for a caucus on
climate change action during the Convention. Times and rooms
for caucuses will be assigned at the end of April. Also, see Page 9 on the Bay Area and LWVC Leagues.]
EXCERPTS FROM AN LWVC WEB SITE (https://LWVC.wordpress.com/2015workshops) ON THE 2015 CONVENTION (May 15-17, Fri.-Sun.)
Thursday [May 14] Pre-Convention Workshop
The Future of Voter Service in California, 1:00-5:00pm
Friday Workshops
Communications: Messages that Move – Part 1
League 101 (or “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the League But Were Afraid
to Ask”)
Analyzing Local Legislation
Saturday Workshops
Communications: Messages that Move – Part 2
Democracy in Dialogue: Leading Our Communities Through Civil Civic Engagement
Building a More “Leaderful” League
SPEAKERS:
Stacey Fulhorst, City of San Diego Ethics Commission, Guest speaker during the Friday Night Local League Hosted Dinner; Carolyn Lukensmeyer, National Institute on Civil Discourse;
and Jessica Levinson, Loyola Law School (election law and governance issues, including campaign finance,
ethics, ballot initiatives, redistricting, term limits and state budgets)
The South San Mateo County League of Women Voters’ The VOTER
April 2015 - 10
LWV NATIONAL (LWVUS)
LWV.org
Nationwide Assaults on Voting Rights Continue amongst Some Wins
By: Tim O'Brien 03/02/2015
We are now two months into the 2015 State Legislative sessions and as expected we have seen a groundswell
of assaults on voters in many states. At the same time, we are happy to report that there are a few states
where pro-voter reforms are moving forward. League activists have been working around the clock to fight
back against anti-voter threats as well as to advance opportunities for voters.
First the Good News: After two and half years, Florida Governor Rick Scott has given up on his appeal of a federal court order that said the state's attempt to purge the voter rolls of suspected noncitizens during the 2012
presidential campaign violated federal law. The League of Women Voters of Florida (LWVFL) filed an amicus
brief (PDF) in this case, Arcia v Detzner, and in the words of LWVFL president Deirdre Macnab "We applaud
[Scott's] decision [to abandon his appeal], [Detzner's] efforts were a micromanaging of a process that is done
every day by our independently elected supervisors of election."
Voter photo ID bills died in Nebraska and Colorado. Along with voting rights coalition partners, the League of
Women Voters of Nebraska helped defeat a bill to require voters to provide a state-issued voter photo ID when
voting in-person at the polls. A bipartisan vote stopped this discriminatory voter photo ID bill. This bill could
have negatively impact an estimated 300,000 registered voters in Nebraska, including many over-65, lowincome, women, minority, and disabled citizens, who do not have a current driver's license or other stateissued ID.
In Colorado, the League helped defeat two proposals to require voter photo ID for voters registering on Election Day or on the days immediately prior.
Finally, on the pro-voter side we have seen, or expect to see, bills introduced which would implement new or
expand existing early voting laws in Michigan and South Carolina. We also are encouraged to see online voter
registration legislation introduced in Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Oklahoma.
Now the Not So Good News: The Georgia State Legislature is again attempting to shorten the early voting period in the state from 21 days to 12 days. The League of Women Voters of Georgia has vowed to fight it as it
did a similar bill in last year’s session that nearly passed until a last-minute standoff between the House and
Senate over wording killed the legislation. Arkansas also has a bill to shorten early voting by one week and we
expect to see legislation re-introduced in Ohio to shorten its early voting period.
Voter photo ID bills continue to spread across the country with legislation introduced or expected to be introduced in, Arkansas, Maine, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Voting rights
advocates will face uphill battles in many of these states, but we remain cautiously optimistic that the League
along with our partners can help defeat some of these proposals.
The Leagues in each of these states continue to play an active role in fighting these bills. State Leagues, working
in coalition, have testified at numerous hearings, met with legislators, written letters to the editors, sent out
action alerts to their members and supporters, and have educated the public on the harm these bills could
cause to individual voters and the very fabric of our democracy.
Proponents of voter photo ID in Missouri and Arkansas are proposing constitutional amendments, since those
respective state Supreme Courts have found previous voter photo ID laws unconstitutional. Thanks to the efforts of the League of Women Voters of Missouri and other voting rights advocates, Missouri’s voter photo ID
legislation has been stopped numerous times over the past eight years.
And finally, Wisconsin is in a class all its own. In addition to the voter photo ID issues that continue to play out
in the state, the Legislature is attempting to gut the non-partisan Government Accountability Board (GAB) that
oversees elections and ethics in the state and may once again attempt to do away with their decade’s old Election Day registration. The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin has been very active in fighting voter photo
ID, including filing a lawsuit. LWVWI is also working to protect the GAB. The evidence is crystal clear – the assault on voting rights continues and our democracy remains at risk, yet we’re confident we’ll prevail. Our tenacious supporters are closely monitoring the actions of elected leaders and shining a bright light on any and all
attempts to silence the voices of eligible voters. In doing so, we have stopped dozens of anti-voter bills from
becoming law and have worked to help reform the voting process to ensure our elections are free, fair and accessible. The League has worked to protect and expand voting rights for 95 years and we’re prepared to keep
Making Democracy Work® for the next 95 years and beyond.
The South San Mateo County League of Women Voters’ The VOTER
April 2015 - 11
OFFICERS AND CONTACTS FOR OUR LEAGUE
(LWV OF SOUTH SAN MATEO COUNTY, 2014-15)
President: Ellen Hope, [email protected]
Vice-President Administration: Debby Maio, [email protected]
Vice-President Program: Denise Rice, [email protected]
Secretary: Joyce Shefren, [email protected]
Treasurer (& Database Mgmt.): Jack Morris, [email protected]
Director (Membership): Lisa Conrad, [email protected]
Director (Candidate Forums): Diana Post, [email protected]
Director (Climate Change and Local Issues), Ann Draper, [email protected]
Director (without portfolio): Patti Fry, [email protected]
Director (Speaker Services): Sue Alvarez, [email protected]
Member Notices: Anne DeCarli, [email protected]
Voter Registration: Joanne Bruggemann, [email protected]
Transportation: Onnolee Trapp, [email protected]
VOTER Editor: Evan Hughes, [email protected]
League Office: LWVSSMC, 713 Santa Cruz Ave., #9, Menlo Park, CA 94025
Our League phone and email: (650) 325-5780 and [email protected]
UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR (LWVSSMC)
APRIL
13 Mon
7:00pm
23 Thurs
noon
LWVSSMC MONTHLY BOARD MEETING at Ellen Hope’s (Contact: Ellen Hope, per above.)
LWVSSMC BOOK GROUP Book: The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and
Geeks Created the Digital Revolution by Walter Isaacson. Contact: Judy Orttung,
[email protected]. (See Page 3.)
MAY
6 Wed
7 Thurs
7:00pm; pro- WORLD AFFAIRS COUNCIL PENINSULA CHAPTER “International Humanitarian Law: Human
gram 7:30- Trafficking Without Borders” with speaker Brad Adams, Exec. Director of Human Rights Watch,
Asia Division. (See Page 3.)
9:00
LWVSSMC MONTHLY MEETING: NEW VOICES FOR YOUTH a presentation and discussion of this
evening program, including the showing of examples of the video projects of students in the program.
(See Pages 1 & 4, and watch for location and exact time in next month’s VOTER.)
11 Mon
7:00pm
LWVSSMC MONTHLY BOARD MEETING at Ellen Hope’s (Contact: Ellen Hope, per above.)
15-17 FriSun
3 days
LWVC Statewide Convention in San Diego—See Page 10. (Note: There are pre-convention
events on Thursday the 14th, including Voter Services and SmartVoter.org.)
no date
noon
LWVSSMC BOOK GROUP Book: Rust: The Longest War by Jonathan Waldman. DATE TO BE
DETERMINED. Contact: Judy Orttung, [email protected]. (See Page 3.)
2 Tues
6-9pm
LWVSSMC ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING at the Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant in Redwood City with County Supervisor, and former Sheriff, Don Horsley as speaker, followed by election of officers and annual business meeting. (See Pages 1 & 3.)
8 Mon
7:00pm
LWVSSMC MONTHLY BOARD MEETING at Ellen Hope’s (Contact: Ellen Hope, per above.)
JUNE
The South San Mateo County League of Women Voters’ The VOTER
April 2015 - 12