VOTER-June-2008

League of Women Voters^®
of Oakland

Renew Your Membership. Annual Meeting. President's Message. Thanks. LWVUS on Supreme Court Voter ID. Brainstorming and Planning Meetings. LWVBA Convention. Membership Renewal. Go to the Movies!. Smart Voter. LWVC Leadership Council. Redistricting. Candidate Forums.

Time to Renew Your Membership

You'll find the renewal form and interest survey on pages 5-6 of your paper VOTER. We hope each of you will use the interest survey to let us know how you'd like to be involved with the League. If you cannot be active, use it to tell us that too. To find out about incentives for renewing your membership before or at the Annual Meeting see the article

Annual Meeting

Wednesday, June 11 ● 5:45 PM

Richard C. Trudeau Training Center
(the former East Bay Regional Park District Headquarters)
11500 Skyline Boulevard (Between Joaquin Miller and Redwood Roads)

The Speaker will be Oakland's City Auditor

Courtney Ruby, CPA

Her topic will be Performance Auditing for a Better Oakland She will answer such questions as:
Is Oakland using its dollars effectively and efficiently?

$ 15 - Dinner, meeting and program
$ 5 - Coffee, meeting and program

RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED

RSVP by Friday, June 6, by mailing your check to the League office,
1305 Franklin Street, Suite 311
Oakland CA 94612

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

By Helen Hutchison
Do you have enough chocolate in your life? Let me tell you about the chance for some chocolate, other good food, and wonderful conversation this summer: the League's brainstorming and planning meetings! We're trying a new model of summer planning this year. We're breaking the standard one-day Board retreat into several different days, and inviting LWVO members to join us for brainstorming and planning. We'll have one evening devoted to "development" (also known as fundraising), another just looking at voter service. We have one Saturday morning devoted to membership outreach opportunities, and one at our programs for the year. So choose the area that interests you, bring your great ideas + we know that all League members have a lot of those! - and come join the fun. We'll provide the food, including chocolate. These meetings are not just for the Board members. We really want to get input from all of our members, so please come! see details about the meetings.
Remember to renew your membership! It's membership renewal time. Please take the time right now to renew your membership and fill out the interest survey. If you get your renewal and interest survey in by the time of the Annual Meeting, you will be entered into a drawing at the Annual Meeting for a number of wonderful items, including a free ticket to next year's All-City Luncheon.
Annual Meeting: I hope to see everyone at the Annual Meeting on June 11. Courtney Ruby is a dynamic speaker who is trying to bring transparency and accountability to Oakland government. Come learn about what's going on in the City Auditor's office and find out what a "performance audit" is.
Remember to vote! And remind everyone you know that it's No on 98 and Yes on 99. I've been telling my friends that "we hate 98, but 99 is fine."

Thanks to Our Contributors

Our sincere thanks to our members and friends who donated either to our general fund or the education fund this year. These contributions help LWV Oakland pay for many activities which would not be possible with dues income alone. These were the contributors to the general fund since our fiscal year started in July 2007:
Mary Arcana, Adele Bertaud, Nancy Blackman, Caroline Booth, Margaret Bowerman, Marisel Brown, Susie Butler-Berkeley, Alice Cary, Clear Channel Outdoor, Inc., Arlene Daniels, Christopher Dobbins, East Bay Spanish Speaking Citizens' Foundation, Kathryn Gavzy, Ruth Hafter, Laila Halsteen, Robert Hamilton, Elaine Ginnold, James Graham, Joan Hanrahan, Jean Jackson, Frances Kendall, Sherrill Lavagnino, Muriel Nelson, Barbara Newcombe, Jean Quan, Garrett Riegg, Phyllis Robbins, Barbara Ruffner, Pamela Salsedo, Nancy Sampson, Daniel Siegel, Marion Taylor, and Wilfred Ward.
Helping to pay for our local Easy Voters Guides which are translated into several languages and other voters service activities, the following tax-deductible donations to our education fund were made this year by:
Judi and Peter Bank, Nancy Blackman, Caroline Booth, Marie Credit, Ruth Hafter, Laila Halsteen, Ann Hammonds, Joan Hanrahan, Adrienne Hillebrandt, Nikki Harris, Juliette Linzer, Garrett Riegg, Bette Roberts-Collins, Mary Stevens, Susan Veit, Ilene Weinreb and Gertrude Young.
If you would like to see your name in this list next year, please send a check (for any amount) made out either to League of Women Voters of Oakland or to League of Women Voters Education Fund to the office. You could even include it with your dues renewal.

LWVUS on Supreme Court Voter ID Decision

League Says Supreme Court Voter ID Decision "Disgraceful"
Voters Cannot Look to Court to Ensure Fair Elections Washington, DC - "This is a disgraceful decision by a court that has no credibility on election issues. The court has shown once again that it does not respect voters," said Mary G. Wilson, president of the League of Women Voters of the United States.
Because of the procedural status of the case, there was no record on which the Court could judge how great the burden of a photo ID requirement would be on voters. Nonetheless, the three key justices found that the burden was not "excessively burdensome." This finding is "intellectually as well as morally bankrupt," Wilson said.
"There is a concerted effort in this country to disenfranchise legal voters and, unfortunately, this Supreme Court has joined those ugly efforts," Wilson said. This is a "bad decision for our democracy," Wilson asserted. "Just because the Supreme Court says a bad policy is constitutional doesn't mean legislatures should adopt it," she said. "The League of Women Voters will be fighting against these limitations on democracy in the states and, when necessary, in Congress," she said.
"It is simply disgraceful when the Supreme Court refuses to protect the constitutional voting rights of Americans," Wilson said.
"We can no longer look to this Supreme Court to ensure fair elections," Wilson concluded.
The League of Women Voters of Indiana, LWV of Indianapolis and the League of Women Voters of the United States filed a joint amicus brief in the Supreme Court case, Crawford v. et al.

Summer Brainstorming and Planning Meetings - With Chocolate!

We're trying a new model for our `summer planning.' Traditionally, it has happened in one day, and all been done by the Board. This year we're breaking it out into four separate, shorter meetings and we're inviting all of our members to be part of the process. We hope that every member will attend at least one meeting and share their ideas. We promise good food, including chocolate, at each meeting!
Monday, June 23, 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Development -- Dimond Library (come whenever you can after work; we'll provide the food) - we'll brainstorm about fundraising plans for the coming year.
Saturday, June 28, 9:00 AM + 12 NOON
Membership Outreach -- Montclair Presbyterian Church - ; we'll plan ways to do better outreach to help increase our membership, and look at ways to help new members become active.
Saturday, July 12, 9:00 AM - 12 NOON
Program -- Montclair Presbyterian Church - what kinds of programs do we want to have each month?
Monday, July 21, 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Voter Service - Dimond Library (come whenever you can after work; we'll provide the food) - planning our activities for the November election.

LWV Bay Area Convention

Saturday, May 31, 2008
9:30 AM Registration
10 - NOON Meeting
Martin Luther King Main Library
150 E. San Fernando Street at 4th Street, San Jose
Contact Nikki Harris for carpool information
704-8286 or nikkihar@aol.com

Time to Renew Your Membership

Most LWVO memberships expire on June 30, 2008. Please take this opportunity to renew your membership for 2008-09 and make a contribution to the League. You'll find the renewal form and interest survey in the middle of your paper VOTER, along with an envelope addressed to the League office.
There are a couple of incentives for you to renew your membership this year before (or at) the Annual Meeting:
▪ Your name will be entered in a drawing for prizes including a free ticket to next year's All-City Luncheon IF you renew before the Annual Meeting (or bring the form & your check to Annual Meeting), AND use the Interest Survey to tell us how you would like to be involved with LWV (If you cannot be active, use the survey to tell us that, please); ▪ You can renew at the current rate of $60 for the first member of a household, $30 per additional member at one address, $20 for students. A proposed dues increase to $65 and $32.50 will be voted on at Annual Meeting.
Our membership year runs from July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009. We ask everyone to renew before July 1, even if you have joined recently or in the months since last July 1. To calculate your dues, see the following paragraph.
Check the date on your mailing label. It's the date your membership expires. If it says July 2008, your dues are $60. If your label says 8/08, your dues are $55; 9/08 - $50; 10/08 - $45; 11/08 - $40; 12/08 - $35; 1/09 - $30; 2/09 - $25; 3/09 - $20; 4/09 - $15; 5/09 - $10; 6/09 - $5. If the date says 2050, you have been a member for 50 or more years, are considered to be a "Lifetime" member and don't owe us any dues! (Please let us know if you are a Lifetime member but have not been acknowledged as one.)
We look forward to hearing from you. When you renew using the form in the VOTER you save the League postage and volunteer time. You also may save yourself some money and have a chance to win a prize in the raffle held at Annual Meeting. You do not have to be present to win + though we hope you will be there for a good meal and an interesting speaker.
The Membership Committee

Lets Go to the Movies!

Save the Date

Paper Clips

Sunday, July 13, 2008

1:15 PM - Theater opens for refreshments and socializing
1:45 PM - Pre-film Welcome & Intro
2 - 3:30 PM - Film
3:30 - 4 PM - Time to talk

Admission Free

Parkway Theater
1834 Park Blvd., Oakland

One mile down the hill from the Park Blvd. exit of 580. Just a block above East 18th Street on Park Blvd. Wheelchair accessible
When the students of Tennessee's Whitwell Middle School began studying the Holocaust as a way to learn about the diversity of the world beyond their insulated valley, nobody could have predicted the results. In 2001 the Paper Clip Project culminated in a unique memorial that changed the lives of those who created it, as well as touching Holocaust survivors and countless communities.
"Patiently told and lovingly made" (Variety), this inspiring, award-winning documentary shows how even small-town students and educators can teach the world powerful lessons.
For more information about this "Sunday Salon" at the Parkway, call the LWVO office at 834-7640 and visit the Parkway's Website at http://www.parkway-speakeasy.com/index.php. (Check out their menu!)
For more information about the film, visit the following Web site: http://www.paperclipsmovie.com/
Invite a friend - or two or three.

Smart Voter --Voter Information 24/7

As you prepare to vote in the California Primary Election on June 3 (or by mail before that), be sure to visit http://www.smartvoter.org/ca/alm. Not only are there races for state Senate and Assembly on the ballot, but Oakland is having its municipal and school board elections this June also.
A high percentage of the Oakland candidates have taken us up on our offer to have a free web page on Smart Voter. We are particularly pleased that the four candidates for Superior Court Judge have submitted information, as have some of the candidates for the party central committees. (If you personally know a candidate who hasn't posted their information on Smart Voter yet, give them a nudge!)
Added features are schedules for KTOP rebroadcasts of League candidate forums, and, something new this time, links to videos of parts of the Assembly District 14 and Oakland City Councilmember-at-large races on YouTube!
Check out the Smart Voter pages about the two state ballot measures. There you'll find out who is giving the money that buys those incessant TV ads. There are also links to the League's extensive background information about each measure, In Depth.
Want to know where your polling-place is and what your ballot will look like? Check out the "My Ballot" feature on the Alameda County Smart Voter Home Page.
Then let your friends and neighbors know about Smart Voter. It's a user-friendly site to be aware of.

LWV CALIFORNIA LEADERSHIP COUNCIL

REPORT
The California League's Leadership Council--Our Bridge to the Future--took place in Sacramento on May 17-18. Three Oakland Leaguers were there, Bonnie Hamlin, Nikki Harris, and Marion Taylor.
We heard outstanding and inspiring messages from our state president Janis Hirohama and our national president Mary Wilson and had a chance to get to know the members of the state board of directors and the LWVC staff. We approved a state League budget for the next year which includes an increase in the per member payment of $1.00. The increase in dues is the first one since 2004-05 and is needed to keep up with the cost of doing business, not for any expansion of programs or staff. The major expanding programs of the state League, specifically the Easy Voter Guide and Smart Voter, are funded through grants, not member dues. The state League plans to expand its successful program of fundraising through individual donations.
The state League gave an award to Elizabeth Hill, the Legislative Analyst who is leaving office after 32 years. We heard an analysis of the current budget situation from Jean Ross, Executive Director of the California Budget Project. Both Elizabeth Hill and Jean Ross immediately returned to their offices for continuing weekend work analyzing the Governor's revised budget proposals.
Peter Scheer, Executive Director of the California First Amendment Coalition talked about the need for public access to labor union negotiations with cities and counties. Both unions and government agencies need confidential meetings to prepare for negotiations, but the negotiations themselves can be open to the public if a city or county enacts a local Sunshine Act provision to allow this exception to the Brown Act. Sheer warned that closed door negotiations might lead other cities to go bankrupt as just happened in Vallejo.
Perhaps the most exciting thing about the Leadership Council was learning that the League is in active, well-organized coalitions working on issues of major importance to us.
On Redistricting the California Voters First coalition expects its initiative to be on the November ballot. Check the League website, http://ca.lwv.org/ to see a photograph of Janis Hirohama with Governor Schwarzenegger announcing submission of signatures for the initiative. All of you will be asked to work on the campaign in the fall.
On the state budget, a broad coalition has formed to oppose the proposed cuts. Our view is that the budget cannot be balanced on cuts alone; we must increase revenue as well. Education and health care proponents will not compete for smaller cuts; they will work together with us and many others to promote a responsible budget.
On single-payer health care the coalition OneCareNow with which we have been working will continue its grassroots education campaign. We expect the legislature to approve SB 840 and that it will be vetoed by the Governor. It will be introduced again next year. A goal is to persuade a few key legislators to change their views so that there is a 2/3 majority to pass the funding mechanism required to make it work. This could take two years or ten years; we will just keep working until it happens.

California Voters FIRST Campaign Takes Significant Step

Redistricting Likely To Go Before Voters in November
Common Cause, AARP, the League of Women Voters of California, the LA Area Chamber of Commerce, Governor Schwarzenegger, Governor Davis, and other members of the broad and bipartisan coalition supporting the California Voters FIRST Act on May 6 submitted more than 1.2 million signatures to qualify the measure for the November 2008 ballot . In addition, former Gov. Davis and the California Democratic Council joined the growing number of Republicans, Democrats and Independents supporting this reform plan that will make politicians more accountable to California voters.
"Legislators have perpetuated partisan, incumbent protection when they draw their own districts. That serves the politicians' interests, not those of the voters, and it negatively affects communities in Los Angeles, San Diego, Stockton, San Jose and a multitude of other places throughout California," League of Women Voters of California President Janis Hirohama said at the press conference held after the submission of the petitions. "California Voters FIRST has garnered the support of over 1.2 million voters across the state because the people want reform so that legislators will tackle the problems facing our state--jobs, health care, water, the economy, and more."
"I have said many times that we need a system that truly represents the voters so when lawmakers go home they are held accountable and people get results on issues they care about - whether it is health care reform, budget reform, education, making sure California never runs out of water or rebuilding our infrastructure," said Governor Schwarzenegger. "The California Voters FIRST Act will make it easier for people to come to Sacramento and find common ground, solve problems and end gridlock in our government. I ask the people of California to join us in supporting this reform."
"Everyone in Sacramento wants a safe-seat. However, safe-seats generally produce legislators who are less accountable to voters, not more. Under the current rules legislators pick their voters, and with this reform voters will once again pick their legislators," Governor Davis said as he announced his endorsement.
The California Voters FIRST Act proposes the creation of a 14-person independent citizen's commission comprised of an equal number of Democrats and Republicans and including representation of voters from neither major party- a voice that is often unheard in today's system. The reform also requires support from Democrats, Republicans and nonpartisans for approval of all new redistricting plans. The initiative requires 694,354 valid signatures to be placed on the November 2008 ballot.
For more information go to: http://ca.lwv.org/lwvc/action/redistrict/

Candidate Forums Galore

We in the Oakland League really outdid ourselves this primary season. We sponsored, co-sponsored, or moderated 18 candidate forums for 41 candidates. We provided 18 moderators, 32 timekeepers, and 31 question sorters. Thanks to our many members who handled one or more jobs at these forums.
The 14 League-sponsored forums ran in early in April to catch the growing number of voters that vote by mail. Forums were held at City Hall and were taped by KTOP + allowing voters to view them numerous times on Cable Channel 10.
The races covered were:
▪ Oakland City Council District 1, 3, 5, 7, and At Large,
▪ Oakland School District 1, 3, and 7;
▪ Alameda County Board of Ed Area 2 and 3, Board of Supervisor #4, and Superior Court Seat 9:
▪ CA Assembly Dist 14 and CA Senate District 9.
Copies of the latter two forums were sent to the Berkeley, Albany, Emeryville League for use by their local cable stations. Additionally, Lee Aurich has put some of the forum tapes on YouTube.
League members provided technical expertise to other organizations for four additional forums: Judy Mann with the Associated Students Council of Merritt College, Helen Hutchison with the East Bay Housing Organization, and Nikki Harris with the Alameda County Bar Association and the Rockridge Community Planning Council. Nikki and Judi Bank set up the initial 14 forums and sent out the 41 invitations .The long list of volunteers includes
▪ Moderators - Sandra and Michael Coleman, Lyn Daley, Bonnie and Earl Hamlin, Nikki Harris, Helen Hutchison, Marion Taylor, and Sandy Threlfall;
▪ Question sorters - Judi Bank, Katherine Gavzy, Bonnie Hamlin, Helen Hutchison, Judi Merrill, Bea Rudney, Rosalee Schubert, Marion Taylor, and Mary Weinstein;
▪ Timekeepers - Judi Bank, Kathleen Cha, Judy Cox, Lorraine Force, Lois Hansen, Rachel Kahn-Hut, Suzanne Loosen, and Iris Winogrond;
▪ Hosts - Judi Bank, Judy Belcher, Helen Bersie, and Nikki Harris.
Once again, thanks to all.

Comments, suggestions, questions? Contact our webmaster. Last revised: August 27, 2008 11:22 PDT.