| December 2024 Volume 52 No. 5 | | Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy. | | | __________________________________ |
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Thanks to All Who Participated in the Voter Service Efforts:
Voter Service - November Election Wrap-Up
The Voter Service Team began planning for the November Election in July and it has been a very busy time. Over 16 volunteers contributed their time and talents to helping us inform and educate voters in our community. Some highlights of our activity include:
- Hosting 10 candidate forums via Zoom, in-person and hybrid
- Hosting 5 Pro Con presentations - in-person and on Zoom
- Over 500 live attendees at the in-person and Zoom events
- Over 2000 views of our recordings
- All of the candidates for Cupertino and Sunnyvale elections had profiles posted in VOTE411
- Registering voters on National Voter Registration Day
Thank you again to the Voter Service volunteers who helped make all of this happen: Allison, Aryaa, Beth, Bruce, Dan, Debbie, Elaine, Marieann, Marilyn, Mike, Nina, Pam, Rose, Sara, Tracey and Tony!
Pam Anderson, Director Voter Services
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Election Results and Next steps
A heartfelt thank you to the dedicated volunteers who worked tirelessly to educate and support voters during this election. Your efforts to promote informed participation embody the true spirit of civic engagement. The importance of providing facts, educating voters and getting people to vote has never been more obvious.
As we move forward, let us focus on what unites us rather than what divides us. Through Civil Discourse and finding common ground, we can work through the challenges of our community respectfully. | | |
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Leadership Sunnyvale
Our League had the opportunity to attend and present at their Nov 8 training. We gained valuable insights from Sunnyvale City Clerk Carnahan as well as from the Registrar of Voters Mike and Brynn. It was fantastic to work with such a thoughtful and diverse group of people that wanted to know how government works at the local level and how to successfully get things done in a respectful manner. We were very impressed with the work being done by Tara and Bruce and the others in Leadership Sunnyvale. We strongly encourage anyone that wants to become a leader in our community to attend their training.
Nominating Committee
Our Nominating Committee will be reaching out to members to see how they can get involved. We hope you’ll take the time to have a conversation with them.
Thanksgiving
The recent election and Thanksgiving share a common theme of community and reflection. Just as Thanksgiving encourages us to gather, express gratitude, and think about the values that unite us, the election reminds us of the importance of participating in our democracy and shaping the future together. Both occasions provide opportunities to listen, engage, and find common ground, emphasizing the strength of collective efforts in building a hopeful and inclusive society.
And so, we close this message by wishing you, your family, and friends a joyful and peaceful Thanksgiving and holiday season filled with gratitude, love, and hope.
Elaine & Tracey
Your Co-Presidents
| __________________________________ |  | Special LWVCS Event -
The Civil Grand Jury Explained: The Purpose, Power, and Selection of the Civil Grand Jury in Santa Clara County.
A webinar brought to you by the League of Women Voters of Santa Clara County
Join us for a special information session about the Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury. Discover the vital role of the Civil Grand Jury in our local government! December 11, 2024, 7-8pm. Register at https://tinyurl.com/LWVSCC-CGJ-2024, Cost: no charge
What you'll learn:
- How the Civil Grand Jury acts as a watchdog for county and city agencies, special districts, and school districts.
- Learn about the jury's authority to investigate, audit, and report on government operations.
- Find out how 19 citizen volunteers are chosen and how to apply to be part of the Civil Grand Jury.
- Get a glimpse into the daily activities of Grand Jurors:
- Investigating citizen complaints
- Examining financial records
- Inspecting jails and detention centers
- Writing public reports and making recommendations
- Who should attend: Anyone interested in civic engagement, government oversight, or considering applying for Grand Jury service. Don't miss this chance to learn about this powerful civil institution and its impact on Santa Clara County!
- Speakers: Britney Huelbig, Deputy Manager for the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara, will discuss what the Civil Grand Jury does and share the Court’s role in selecting and supporting the Civil Grand Jury and
- Lauren Diamond and Tracey Edwards, members of the Civil Grand Jury, will share their firsthand experience serving in this broad oversight role.
Click here to register. Questions about webinar content should be directed to Tracey Edwards: tracey@edwards123.com.
The webinar will also be recorded and posted for later viewing.
- Volunteer Opportunity! New Citizen Voter Registration on Jan 22
On Wednesday, January 22, LWVCS will partner with the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters to register new voters after their Naturalization Ceremonies. This will take place at the Heritage Theater in Campbell. It is a very rewarding experience to help new citizens register to vote.
We need volunteers to help cover two shifts:
Please email Pam at voterservice@lwvcs.org to sign up and indicate if you have a shift preference. (FYI, we will most likely be sitting outside, under a canopy.)
Also, if you want to help, but cannot make it on January 22, mark your calendar; LWVCS will have similar opportunities again on June 25 and November 19.
- Santa Clara County:- From Our Friends at Palo Alto University -
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- Check our website for Event Details, Registration and Recording Links - It's all There!
- LWVCS Monthly Board Meeting, December 2nd, 7pm, check website
- LWVCS Coffee Hour - December 19th, 11-12, join here to share your voting experiences
- LWVCS Communications Committee Meeting - January 16 at 2pm, join here
- LWV Santa Clara County Civil Discourse Committee Meeting - December 16th,1pm, join here
- Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury, December 11th, 7pm, register via website.
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LWVCS Coffee Hour -
Informal Conversations related to League stuff.
Join us at our regular third Thursday, December 19th Coffee Hour at 11am here
This month - share YOUR voting and election-related experiences!
You can view recordings from all our Coffee Hours here.
| | | __________________________________ | | Membership Renewal Reminder |  |
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Surely, You Have Already Renewed!
We are grateful for your past support and hope that you will continue to support our work through your membership.
Your membership renewal is critically time sensitive this year. Our membership system, including our renewal process, will be changing in 2025. For this reason, we are asking everyone to renew as soon as possible to avoid your annual renewal being caught up in this system change. You can find detailed information on the changes below.
Many of our members whose memberships expired in the last 4 months have renewed—THANK YOU!! If you have not yet renewed and your membership has expired or will be expiring by January, PLEASE renew as soon as possible. Log into your account at www.lwvcs.org to renew. E-mail our membership director (membership@lwvcs.org) if you don’t remember when your membership expires.
You can renew early and your membership will still have the same renewal date. For example, if your membership expires on 11/30/24, you renew on 10/2/24, your membership will be good through 11/30/25.
Questions/Concerns? Please contact Nina Wong-Dobkin at Membership@lwvcs.org.
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| __________________________________ | Changes Coming to your Membership Dues System
February 1, 2025
On February 1, 2025 the entire League of Women Voters will change the method of collecting and sharing dues that it has used for over 100 years. The new online system will be implemented simultaneously for over 700 locations, including over 650 local Leagues, over 50 state and territorial Leagues, and the national LWVUS headquarters. This will require some actions by the members of LWVCS.
About the new LWV ChapterSpot Membership System
Instead of over 700 local and state Leagues individually tracking, collecting, and then sharing dues at the local, state, and national levels, the LWVUS national League office is implementing a central, computerized membership dues system to support the dues collection and basic membership data records of every League nationwide. This system will run on a customized online membership software system developed by ChapterSpot, which interfaces with the existing SalesForce database already in use by LWVUS.
Actions Now for Members of LWVCS:
Ø If your renewal date is before February 15, 2025
o Please renew by January 3, 2025, using our current system, to avoid the possibility of any problems during the change-over. You will still retain your current renewal date.
Ø If your renewal date is later than February 15, 2025
o No action currently needed
We will be posting a ChapterSpot Dues System FAQ on the lwvcs.org website with more information about this upcoming new system, providing more information as it becomes available.
Questions? Contact:
membership@lwvcs.org or online@lwvcs.org | __________________________________ | | Voter Service Activities Update | |
Elaine Manley Getting Ready to Deliver Ballots to ROV | |
Volunteeer, Roberta Hollimon, and Hella-Blum Stieber volunteering at ROV | | | November General Election Fundraising Opportunity Accomplished!
Our presidents, Elaine Manley and Tracey Edwards discovered a fundraising opportunity for LWVCS members where we help pick up and deliver ballots to the office of the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters in San Jose. The ROV pays individuals a stipend for this work which, upon request of the workers, can be donated to an organization of their choice.
Between Saturday, November 2, to Election Day, Tuesday, November 5, we served as Drop Box couriers, Vote Center couriers, and Logistics and Supplies Center Coordinators. A week after the election, a few of us even helped hand-sort ballots by precincts, in preparation for possible recounts and eventual archival storage.
Most of us signed up soon after our June general meeting where ROV staff spoke to us about the program and a schedule of pick-ups was submitted to ROV in early August. Our assignments included picking up ballots from one vote center in Sunnyvale and 3 Drop Boxes (two in Sunnyvale and one in Mountain View). We also staffed one Logistics and Supplies Center (the one located in the ROV) for four days. We attended mandatory training in October when Drop Box courier teams received their supplies (keys to the drop box, bags for transporting ballots, safety vests and other supplies); Vote Center couriers and LWSC coordinators received instructions for their assignments.
Altogether, 23 of us (working in teams of two—required by the ROV) made 17 courier trips, securely transporting the precious cargo of ballots, from Vote Center or Drop Boxes (we picked up from 3 out of the county’s 109 Drop Boxes) to the ROV, and served as Coordinators at the Logistics and Supplies Center at the ROV for 4 days (November 2-5). Ten volunteers did more than one shift and four picked up 3 or more assignments! We raised a total of $3,490 for LWVCS (assuming everyone donated their stipends to LWVCS). Four of us responded to a desperate call from the ROV to help sort ballots (for recount/archival storage) on November 13—that’s another $325.00!
Our membership director, Nina Wong-Dobkin, organized this effort and even recruited a few friends who are not members to participate. She is thrilled to share that everyone reported enjoying the experience and was happy to play a part in helping with the election. Everyone also was thoroughly impressed with the superb organization at the ROV when we dropped off the ballots. We are already looking forward to participating in the next election!
A volunteer appreciation pizza lunch is scheduled for early December. It will be a nice gathering of the whole group, an opportunity to share their experience with others and offer feedback/suggestions for the future.
And Thanks to All Who Participated in the Voter Service Efforts:
Voter Service - November Election Wrap-Up
The Voter Service Team began planning for the November Election in July and it has been a very busy time. Over 16 volunteers contributed their time and talents to helping us inform and educate voters in our community. Some highlights of our activity include:
- Hosting 10 candidate forums via Zoom, in-person and hybrid
- Hosting 5 Pro Con presentations - in-person and on Zoom
- Over 500 live attendees at the in-person and Zoom events
- Over 2000 views of our recordings
- All of the candidates for Cupertino and Sunnyvale elections had profiles posted in VOTE411
- Registering voters on National Voter Registration Day
Thank you again to the Voter Service volunteers who helped make all of this happen: Allison, Aryaa, Beth, Bruce, Dan, Debbie, Elaine, Marieann, Marilyn, Mike, Nina, Pam, Rose, Sara, Tracey and Tony!
Pam Anderson, Director Voter Services | | AROUND THE COUNTY and STATE |
LWV Santa Clara County News:
- Santa Clara County Office of Education
“Our democracy is about more than elections. Our democracy is dependent upon a shared understanding of the processes of government and knowing about our civic and constitutionally established institutions and rights. It is about the appreciation and practice of civil discourse, free speech and engaging with those whose perspectives differ from their own with respect and a willingness to work together. It is about each of us having the agency and confidence to serve the public, volunteer, attend public meetings, engage with our communities and vote.” Dr. Mary Ann Dewan
Read entire article here. More Icivics Resources here
Youth Voter Toolkit link here
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- Mis/Disinformation: How to Recognize and Respond To It - Community Conversations are a joint project of the Contra Costa County Library, LWV Diablo Valley and LWV West Contra Costa County, and CCTV. Check out previous Community Conversation on this topic, Making Democracy Work: Tools for Finding the Facts.
From the Brennan Center:
- The League of Women Voters of Sonoma County is pleased to offer a virtual series on how our government works:
Three Sessions
Quickly and easily improve your "government IQ". If you know a lot about government, this series will be a good refresher. If you have been thinking you should learn more about government but never seem to find the time – you’ll love this series!
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Civil Discourse Committee
With LWV & NICD we co-hosted an outstanding discussion on "How to Disagree Better" - you can view it here
Hagai Weiss joined us to share the findings from the Stanford Polarization and Social Change lab that they did on the National Governors Association Disagree Better initiative ads.
Help us with 2025 event planning!
Join our next planning meeting December 16, 1pm here
Upcoming topics include immigration and mis/disinformation.
View the recordings of prior LWVSCC Civil Discourse events here.
We need your help to make our events a success!
| __________________________________ |  |  | LWC Bay Area - LWVBA
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League of Women Voters Bay Area Received the Global Citizen Award from the UNA East Bay Making Democracy Work
The United Nations Association East Bay with UNA Berkeley, the International House at UC Berkeley, and the Port of Oakland at their 19th Annual UN Day Celebration honored local leaders in the areas of peace, democracy, and law on November 3rd. The League of Women Voters Bay Area with the 8 East Bay Leagues were celebrated before an audience of 100 leaders and advocates for their efforts in making democracy work. As part of the award, the eight East Bay Leagues from Alameda and Contra Costa Counties were honored and highlighted: Alameda; Berkeley- Albany-Emeryville; Eden Area; Fremont-Newark-Union City; Oakland; Piedmont; West Contra Costa; and Diablo Valley. The other 2024 global citizens celebrated included the Miller Institute for Global Challenges and the Law at UC Berkeley for Law, the Ella Baker Center for Human rights for Peace and Law, and finally the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center for Democracy and Peace.
In photo above, LWVBA was represented by LWVBA Directors Kathleen Cha and Louise Rothman-Riemer with Ernestine Nettles, President of Oakland League marking its centennial and the role of local leagues.
Summary of Remarks describing LWVBA and Role of 8 Bay Area Leagues
The League of Women Voters Bay Area (LWVBA) an ILO, interleague organization, is one of the oldest organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area dedicated to the concept of regional solutions. Formed in 1961, LWVBA had a special League of Women Voters’ function of managing studies of regional problems, evaluating regional planning, decision making and implementation dealing with growth management, resolving problems beyond local political boundaries. The League of Women Voters Bay Area could be described as the Action Committee for the Greater Bay Area monitoring, educating and advocating League positions in regional context. Study areas and advocacy areas include regional governance and structure, transportation, air quality, housing, water forums, the creation of healthy communities, regional financing, resilience, and open space: recognizing the need for and the impact of applying a lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion to all aspects of our work and advocacy. Read more on the LWVBA website LWVBA.
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City Meeting Agenda
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City Council Meeting, December 3rd meeting agenda here.
Contact: cityclerk@cupertino.gov Contact Phone: 408.777.3223
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Cupertino City Updates
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Updated City Council status here
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City Informational Memos here.
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Cupertino News & Events here.
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The city is recruiting for commissions which serve as advisory bodies to the City Council by considering public input and providing recommendations to the Council. Commissions with upcoming vacancies in January 2025 include Arts and Culture Commission, Audit Committee, Bicycle Pedestrian Commission, Housing Commission, Library Commission, Parks and Recreation Commission, Planning Commission, Public Safety Commission and Sustainability Commission. The application deadline is 4:00 p.m. on Friday, January 3, 2025. Council will interview and make appointments in late January. Applications can be submitted online at cupertino.org/vacancies via the new commission-specific application links.
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Vallco Project - Second Modification to the Rise Development Approved - Formerly the Vallco Town Center Development, the Rise is a mixed-use housing development with 2,669 units, of which 890 units are affordable to lower income households. The modified project includes 47 townhomes, which were not contemplated in the previously approved project. The project also includes approximately 1.95 million square foot of office space, 225 million square foot of retail space and at grade open space areas. The approval documents and approved plans are available online at Cupertino.gov/vallcosb35.
| __________________________________ | Sunnyvale City Events Calendar - and More... here
City Manager Updates here
Sunnyvale City Governance
- City Council Welcomes In-person Public Participation
- To FIND INFORMATION ABOUT COUNCIL & COMMISSION UPCOMING MEETINGS:
- Tuesday, December 3 Council meeting info here
- Go to https://sunnyvaleca.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx, find the date of the meeting, then click on Meeting Details.
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To join in person and comment:
Council Chambers, City Hall, 456 W. Olive Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94086
Call-in: 833-548-0276 | Meeting ID: 961 1158 0540
To provide audio public comment, connect to the meeting online or by telephone. Use the Raise Hand feature to request to speak (*9 on a telephone).
To watch:
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- City of Sunnyvale Top 30 Project Summaries Project Summary List Has Valuable Updates On Priority Projects For Sunnyvale.
Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce events
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LWV Cupertino-Sunnyvale
Board of Directors
Co-Presidents: Elaine Manley & Tracey Edwards
Secretary: acting: Debbie Timmers
Treasurer: Beth Claywell
Voter Service Director: Pam Anderson
Membership Director: Nina Wong-Dobkin
Online Access Team Director: Marilyn Sherry
Technical Services Director: Bruce Kendall
Online Events Coordinator: Debbie Timmers
Director at Large: Polly Bove
Director at Large: Bill Wilson
Nominations Chair: Marieann Shovlin
| | | __________________________________ | LWV Cupertino-Sunnyvale Board Meeting Notes - November
- Next Board meeting December 2, 7pm, join via website link.
- SAVE THE DATE - LWVCS Celebration - February 1, 2-4 PM, at Sunnyvale PF Chang’s
- LWVCS Committee leading effort to re-form Leadership Cupertino to develop local leader pipeline
- LWVCS Nominating Committee will include Polly Bove, Bill Wilson and Roberta Hollimon, chaired by Marieann Shovlin
- 17 LWVCS volunteers did ROV deliveries - WOW!
December, 2024 Quote:
“We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."
Martin Luther King
| __________________________________ | Elected Officials Representing Cupertino & Sunnyvale
For contact information and more detail visit:
| __________________________________ | Join the League of Women Voters
Voting membership in the League of Women Voters is open to men and women 16 years of age and beyond.
Annual Membership:
$100 Individual member
$50 for each additional member in the same household:
Free for full-time students at this time
| | | __________________________________ | | The Cupertino-Sunnyvale VOTER
Published 10 times a year by the
League of Women Voters of Cupertino-Sunnyvale.
This newsletter is posted on our website:
| | The LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.
Permission is granted to reprint any part of this newsletter with credit to the League of Women Voters of Cupertino-Sunnyvale | | | __________________________________ |
League of Women Voters of Cupertino-Sunnyvale
PO Box 2923
Sunnyvale, CA 94087
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