VOTER

President: Barbara Inatsugu

Editor: Barbara Inatsugu

league@lwvsantamonica.org

SANTA MONICA VOTERS - BE PREPARED

CANDIDATES FORUMS 2024

MEET AND GREET LOCAL CANDIDATES

Learn About

LOCAL BALLOT MEASURES

*** STAY TUNED ***

Up Close and Personal

WATCH for More Information in:

The Next Issue of the LWVSM VOTER/NEWSLETTER

Candidate Forums

Candidate Meet and Greet Sessions

Issue Forum

LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF SANTA MONICA

PRESIDENT'S CORNER

Hi all,

It a busy year and a busy election season. Here's a taste:

Every year, we remember and celebrate. On August 26, we celebrate the certification of the 19^th Amendment which granted women the right to vote.

Every two years, our League works with community partners to bring information about our local, County and State elections to you, our voters and other community members.

In September, the LWV LA County is hosting a Ballot Briefing & Speaker Training.

LWV LA County’s excellent speaker training for Pro and Con speakers in election years, will be held on ZOOM on Saturday, September 14 from 9am to noon. See more information below and RSVP.

We are also working with the Santa Monica's new City Clerk Nikima S. Newsome and other community organizations to bring a special opportunity -- a community event titled: Loving Democracy - Why We Vote (10/05/2024). Location: Santa Monica Public Library - main branch. Stay tuned for more information!

AND, WE TABLE. Come visit our LWVSM Table at upcoming Santa Monica events:

• Human Relations Council - Countering Truth Decay: A Community Conversations (9/11/2024). More information below.
• Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration of Life and Teachings (1/2025)
• Santa Monica PRIDE (6/2025)
• Juneteenth (6/2025)
• Let us know if you have any special requests for ""League Tabling"

Countering Truth Decay: A Community Dialogue

We encourage you to take part in this year's community-led conversation about the impacts of misinformation on local issues and what can be done about it.

• Hosted by the Santa Monica Bay Human Relations Council
• Wednesday, September 11 @ 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
• Location: Santa Monica College; 1900 Pico Boulevard Santa Monica, CA 90405
• Register now for more information. Your voices are important.

In League,

Barbara Inatsugu

President

LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS of the UNITED STATES

LWVUS CONVENTION 2024

Representing the LWVSM:

-->Barbara Inatsugu, President

-->Maria Rodriguez, Vice-President / Administration

The 56th biennial Convention of the LWVUS was held in Washington, DC from June 27-30. Like the last time, the convention was hybrid and League members were invited to attend as voting delegates or as observers.

League of Women Voters Statement on VOTE411.org

WASHINGTON ...the League of Women Voters Education Fund issued a statement regarding the League’s nonpartisan election information tool VOTE411.org. More...

LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF CALIFORNIA

Subscribe to the LWVC Newsletter

STAY UP TO DATE & INVOLVED!

Subscribe here or here

LWVC Among Most Effective Advocacy Organizations in CA

A June CalMatters analysis identified the League of Women Voters of California as the third most effective advocacy organization in the state, achieving 85% of our desired policy outcomes during this legislative session so far. The League rises to the top in effectiveness because we are grassroots and we stand firmly in advancing equity for all people. Each day, we fight for equity across voting rights, government transparency, affordable housing, racial justice, climate, environmental justice, and criminal justice reform (and much more!). In total, the LWVC has taken a position on 101 bills this legislative session.

LWVC Condemns Exclusion of Black & Jewish Jurors

Helen Hutchinson, LWVC Area Director for Government, and member of LWV of Alameda County joined local leaders and other advocates at a press conference at the Alameda County Courthouse in Oakland on June 18 to demand resentencing in all death penalty cases. This urgent call to action follows revelations that Black and Jewish residents have been systematically and unlawfully excluded from serving on capital juries in Alameda County for decades.

Read more about the rally here. 

The California VOTE411 team consists of over 100 passionate volunteers who power our online election guide.

Investing in Voters: As the date for mailing ballots barrels toward us, we’ve been investing immense resources into getting ready for voters and Leagues across the state. Our team of volunteer authors is hard at work drafting ballot measure explainers for the League’s Pros/Cons publication, set to be published in early September. We also held volunteer training for candidate outreach for VOTE411, our online ballot planning tool for voters, and have been busy making sure that every detail is correct and ready for when ballots hit mailboxes! We are working to ensure EVERY voter has what they need to cast their ballot! #WomenPowerTheVote

LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF LA COUNTY

An InterLeague Organization

Click on flyer to Register

Because ballots will be in Voters’ hands

by October 7, Leagues will have

speaking engagements in September and October.

WHAT OTHER LEAGUES ARE DOING

...from the League of Women Voters of Santa Barbara

Getting Ready for the Election 

As many people have observed, the Nov. 5 Presidential election will be one of the most important elections in the history of the country. More...

Alternative to 911 for People who are Unhoused

LWVGLA’s Committee on Criminal Justice Reform has been learning about successful programs around the country that respond to nonviolent emergencies with unarmed teams of professionals. Here in Los Angeles, the Mayor’s Office has had a pilot program called CIRCLE (Crisis and Incident Response through Community-Led Engagement) in Hollywood and Venice for nonviolent calls involving people who are unhoused. The City is now expanding the program to all of West LA, Metro, Northeast Valley, and South LA. CIRCLE has shown to improve outcomes for unhoused individuals by making referrals and connections to services. More...

...shared by Teri Mufic Neustaedter of LWV Beach Cities

Here's the link to LWV Beach Cities newsletters (VOTERs). This is an ongoing link and will be updated as new issues are posted. We publish our newsletter, The Voter, four times a year.

Read and download the current and past issues. https://lwvbeachcities.org/newsletters.html

...shared by shared by LWVBA (League of Women Voters of the Bay Area)

https://mail.aol.com/d/list/referrer=newMail&folders=1&accountIds=1&listFilter=NEWMAIL

A new resource has just been launched to keep us informed: Digital Democracy

CalMatters, a nonpartisan and nonprofit news organization, has launched Digital Democracy, a project using the latest technologies to help Californians understand their state government and create more accountability for politicians. The website introduces each of the state’s 120 legislators and explains this year’s policy agenda. In our unprecedented database, you can instantly find any word uttered in a public hearing, every vote cast, every bill introduced and every dollar donated. For more details, read more from their engagement team.

LEAGUE MEMBERS AND FRIENDS NEVER STOP LEARNING

NEVER STOP SEEKING KNOWLEDGE

NEVER STOP ENGAGING

Are Schools Resegregating? Data Since 1991 Says Yes

As the 70th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling in Brown v. Board of Education approached on May 17, research emerged revisiting school integration trends — and showing how, in some cases, segregation has persisted or even worsened over recent decades.

Overall, segregation has declined since the historic 1954 Supreme Court decision striking down student placements based on race as unconstitutional. However, data suggests that racial segregation began to creep back up during the 1990s through the early 2020s.

Read more.

California moves to create genealogy office for reparations eligibility

The California Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill that would create a new state agency for implementing the state's reparations task force recommendations and determine which individuals qualify as descendants of American slaves. Read more

Do you own books that you’re not planning on reading again?

The American Library Association has a great guide where you can find book donation programs in your area: for example, some programs focus on getting books to kids and to incarcerated people.

"Realignment" is the holy grail of American Politics

“Are We in the Midst of a Political Realignment?”

By Rick Hasen, March 24, 2024 Nate Cohn for the NYT:

“Realignment” is the holy grail of American politics — the fantasy of every political consultant who wants to usher in a new era of Democratic or Republican dominance.

What’s a realignment? It’s a lasting shift… Continue reading

The post “Are We in the Midst of a Political Realignment?” appeared first on Election Law Blog.

Our Mission...

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization encouraging informed and active participation in government. It influences public policy through education and advocacy. We never support or oppose any political party or candidate.

LWV Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policy:

Discrimination or harassment of any kind will not be accepted within the League, including but not limited to race, socio-economic status, age, ability status, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, gender identity, or marital status.

Read more here.

Acknowledgement of Native Lands:

The geographic areas this League represents are the traditional lands of the following Native People: Chumash; Tongva; Kizh. Find more information here and here.