| June 2025 Volume 52 No.11 | | Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy. | | | _________________________________________ | |
Co-Presidents’ June 2025 Letter:
June - The Summer Season Has Begun
June an important month in America’s democratic journey
The month of June has a habit of making appearances in America’s democratic story. Some of those notable points include: in 1788 New Hampshire’s ratification of the Constitution made the new republic official; seventy-seven years later, on June 19 — now celebrated as Juneteenth — freedom finally reached the last enslaved people in Texas, transforming emancipation from principle into lived reality; Congress vaulted another barrier to equality on June 4 1919 when it sent the Nineteenth Amendment to the states for ratification, and on June 2 1924 it conferred citizenship on Native Americans who had long been excluded from the body politic. | | | The League of Women Voters’ Unite and Rise 8.5 campaign sets out to galvanize 8.5 million voters—about 3.5 percent of the electorate, which research shows can tip the scales in any non-violent movement—into a single, pro-democracy force. This initiative couples large-scale civic education with legal advocacy, policy lobbying, and on-the-ground organizing to counter voter-suppression bills and executive overreach. If we can pull 8.5 million voters many into sustained action, Unite and Rise 8.5 would not just boost turnout for 2026—it would prove that a cross-partisan, community-rooted coalition can still defend the rule of law and renew public confidence in U.S. democracy. Let’s get started now! Let’s make this another notable and important June in our democratic journey by embracing and helping deliver on this campaign.
 Annual Meeting Recap – May 17, 2025
Our Annual Membership Meeting on May 17 was a resounding success! Members gathered to reflect on the past year, elect new board members, and discuss the League's future direction. A significant highlight was the approval of a new dues structure: a suggested annual membership fee of $50, with an encouraged additional donation of $100 to support our ongoing initiatives. This change aims to sustain and expand our voter education and advocacy efforts.
 Leadership Transition
As we approach June 30, we thank our current board. It has been an honor to serve alongside such dedicated individuals committed to empowering voters and defending democracy. We are thrilled to announce that Polly Bove will be stepping into the role of Co-President. With a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to our mission, Polly is poised to lead LWVCS into a vibrant future. Elaine will be remaining on the board and help out as needed.
 National and State League Updates
- Legal Actions for Voting Rights:
- On May 14, LWV of Florida and LULAC challenged Florida's HB 1205, a law undermining the ballot initiative process and First Amendment rights.
- Similarly, LWV of Louisiana joined a lawsuit against a new law imposing proof of citizenship requirements, which could disenfranchise many voters.
- LWVC Advocacy Webinar Series: The final session was on May 28, focusing on "California’s Immigration Protections: Resistance & Resilience." Experts discussed current challenges and policy solutions regarding immigration in California.
- Action: Tell your Senators to oppose the anti-voter SAVE Act
- Action: Attend town hall meetings hosted by our members of Congress and let them know your concerns. Keep a look out for those email invitations from the Congressmember directly.
 Cupertino Community Update
- City Manager Placed on Leave: On May 2, the Cupertino City Council voted 3-2 in a closed session to place City Manager Pamela Wu on paid administrative leave to conduct a "fair internal review process." Pamela Wu has served Cupertino with professionalism and dedication as City Manager. We are concerned that the recent 3-2 Council vote to place her on administrative leave may reflect political motivations rather than transparent, evidence-based governance. We urge the Council to uphold principles of good governance—transparency, accountability, fairness, and respect for experienced public servants—as they navigate this matter. Community trust depends on it. More in San José Spotlight
Sunnyvale Community Update
- Sunnyvale Art & Wine Festival – Saturday June 7 – We encourage our members to attend this year’s festival in downtown Sunnyvale. This vibrant community event is a great opportunity to experience local art, music, and food—and to observe community engagement in action.
- We’re considering hosting a League booth at a future festival, and your feedback is vital. If you attend, please take a moment to reflect on how LWVCS could best connect with the public at events like this. Would a voter registration table or community Q&A be well received?
- Let us know your impressions! Your input will help shape our community outreach plans.
 Upcoming Events
- LWVC Virtual Convention: Join the League of Women Voters of California for their biennial convention from June 17–22. Engage in workshops, plenary sessions, and networking opportunities to discuss policy priorities and strengthen democracy.
We look forward to seeing you at an event soon,
Elaine & Tracey, Your Co-Presidents | ________________________________________ |
May Board meeting Notes:
Summary on the May 17th LWV Cupertino-Sunnyvale 2025 Annual Meeting
Election of 2025-2027 Officers, Directors, and Nominating Committee
| | Officers
Co-Presidents: Tracey Edwards & Polly Bove
Vice President: Open
Secretary: Debbie Timmers
Treasurer: Beth Claywell |
| Directors
Voter Service: Pamela Anderson
Membership:Nina Wong-Dobkin
Online Access Team: Marilyn Sherry
Social Media: Aryaa Vijayakar
Communications: Meagan McLeod
Technical Services Director: Bruce Kendall
Director at Large (Educ): Bill Wilson
Director at Large:Elaine Manley
Director at Large:Sandi Spires
Resources Director:Open |
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| Nominating Committee
Chair:Tara Sreekrishnan
Committee Member:Rosa Kim
Committee Member:Naomi Nakano-Matsumoto
Board Committee Members: Aryaa Vijayakar & Nina Wong-Dobkin |
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Key Board Updates:
- Member Handbook updated
- LWVC Convention delegates: Nina, Polly, Bill, and Meagan
- LWV US Unite & Rise 8.5 discussion
- LWVCS Coffee Hour speakers – May: Sunnyvale Mayor Klein
- Shifting focusing to Voter Education and Engagement with
- VS Shifting to focusing on FUHSD and DeAnza College
- Working on adding Civics Education section to LWVCS.org
- Letter from All State Leagues & CE Leagues to LWV National
| _______________________________________ | Protect Your Right to Vote – Stop the SAVE Act!
The SAVE Act would require every American voter to be able to show documentation to prove their U.S. citizenship to:
- Register to vote
- Change their registration
- Defend their right to vote if their registration is challenged
The Bill has already passed the House and is in the US Senate. If it passes there and is signed by President Trump, it will reverse decades of progress in empowering voters.
| | | _______________________________________ | |
Check our website for Event Details, Registration and Recording Links - It's all There!
| | LWVCS Monthly Board Meeting, Monday, June 2, at 7:00 PM
Civil Discourse Committee Meeting, Monday, June 16 at 1 PM
LWVC Convention, June 17 - June 22, check website for details
LWVCS Communications Committee Meeting - June 19, 4:30pm
LWVCS Coffee Hour - Thursday, June 19 at 11am
| | | _______________________________________ | |
Second Call to CA State Convention 2025
What: The 70th State Convention of the League of Women Voters of California
When: Saturday, June 21 - Sunday, June 22, 2025. The general sessions on those days begin at 9:00 AM and are scheduled to end at 4:00 PM. Workshops and special events are scheduled from Tuesday, June 17 through Friday, June 20, 2025.
Where: Virtual teleconference meetings, using Zoom.
Who: Attendance at Convention is open to everyone; we encourage all members to attend and are eager for the public to come learn about the League. We ask that you extend invitations to your friends and contacts.
Why: LWVC meets every other year to conduct business as outlined by the bylaws. See below for specifics. But just as important, the purpose of Convention is to inspire and empower Californians to increase their active and informed participation in civic life. Come meet passionate people from across the state who are making democracy work!
Read about the schedule, workshops, special activities, and more on our site: https://lwvc.org/convention. This site is updated as plans take shape, so please check this site frequently.
Registration is now open! Please visit https://lwvc.org/conv25-schedule-registration/ to register and view the schedule.
Registration rate for delegates is $75 per person. This gives you participation and voting access during the general sessions and access to workshops and other events throughout the week.
Nonvoting attendees are welcome to observe the general sessions, and participate in workshops and other events at a flat-fee registration rate of $30 per person.
| _______________________________________ | Your Story Matters – Join the 2025 LWVC Convention Video Project
| |
As part of our 2025 LWVC Convention, we plan to inspire delegates and observers with messages from League members across the state and we need your participation!
Put on your creative caps and film a 30-second (or less!) video of your League friends, your League board members, or just yourself answering one of more of the following questions.
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What inspires you to do the League work you do?
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What excites you about the League work you do?
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What excites you about 2026?
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What does "strengthening democracy" mean to you?
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What piece of advice or quote lifts you up and gives you the strength / motivation to keep fighting for what's right?
Please keep videos under 30 seconds. Please film in landscape – if using a smartphone, turn it horizontal before recording. Send videos by June 8th to convention@lwvc.org. Please add the video as an attachment.
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Thank you for your commitment to inspiring us all in our mission of defending democracy!
On a Free Press: On January 16, 1787, Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to Edward Carrington, a Virginia delegate to the Continental Congress from Virginia, advocating for the importance of a free press: “The basis of our governments being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. but I should mean that every man should receive those papers & be capable of reading them.”
When the press gets attacked, it’s the people who lose. Making sure Americans have access to truthful information and thoughtful analysis so they can make up their own minds on the issues is essential in this moment.” Joyce Vance, Civil Discourse
| | | ________________________________________ | |
Renewing Your Membership Soon? Decisions, decisions … how much should you pay as dues? and how much to donate, if you can?
How much to pay as dues?! When have I ever had to decide that? Well, as you may have heard, the National LWV-US has launched a new, nationwide membership management system where everyone joins and renews online on a national membership portal.
The New Dues Amount Model
Under this new dues model, there is no set amount for dues. Members pay whatever they feel is appropriate, within guidelines. LWVUS sets a minimum dues amount (currently $20 per member), and a suggested amount (currently $75), with no upper limit. This is a change from the way it’s been done for many years, where each of the hundreds of local Leagues set the amount of membership dues that met their financial needs and that their membership approved.
New Dues Sharing Method
Dues have always been collected at the local League, but were always shared upward with each level of League that supports the local Leagues –
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The National League in Washington, DC - LWVUS
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The State League – LWVC – California
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In large metropolitan areas like ours, we also share small to support coordinating Leagues (called ILO’s), in our case the LWV Bay Area and our Santa Clara County Council – LWVBA & LWVSCC
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This was called a Per-Member Payment (PMP) – generally a fixed amount per member in your local League, although sometimes just a flat fee per League in an area. In total in 2023-24, when our membership dues were $100, LWVCS kept about $32 after sharing the rest with other Leagues.
In the new system LWVCS will continue to pay fixed PMP dues to LWV Bay Area and Santa Clara County Council, but LWVUS and LWVC will each take a percent of the dues paid – 33% for LWVUS and 47% for LWVC.
The Important Role of Donations
Donations have always been important for keeping our League going. On average, LWVCS received an about $40 as a donation from each of our members and retaining nearly $39 of the donation after processing fees.
How Do I Decide How Much?
This year our Budget Committee has determined that, in order to minimize the projected deficit as a result of the new dues split system, we need to receive a bottom line net amount of at least $70 to $80 from each member. To do that, we will need about $150 in combined dues and donation.
The new algorithm for sharing dues makes the decision for how to split your amount between dues and donation a bit challenging, as you can see in the table below. We’ve picked a few possible combinations, just for example. We’ve included the old dues model from 2023-24, just for comparison.
Our Budget Committee is suggesting option #1 - $50 Dues and $100 Donation. That provides support for LWVCS, and also helps support all the extra legal and lobbying efforts that our National and State Leagues are doing right now. | | | | We do understand and appreciate that not everyone is comfortable with contributing this much, but we hope that if you are comfortable, please contribute. LWVCS is now a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit so 100% of your donation is tax deductible. Also, 20% of your membership dues is tax deductible. Contributions to LWVUS and LWVC (California) are not tax deductible, because of their emphasis on action and advocacy activities.
Please feel free to contact our Membership Director Nina Wong-Dobkin if you have any questions, at membership@lwvcs.org. | | | |
LWVCS Coffee Hour -
Save the Date - for the September 18th Coffee Hour with Cupertino Mayor Liang Chao!
You can view recordings from all our Coffee Hours here.
| | | ________________________________________ | | AROUND THE COUNTY and STATE | ________________________________________ |
- LWV Santa Clara County News:
- VTA Oversight
Valley Transportation Agency (VTA) is looking to fill multiple vacancies on its 206 Measure B Citizens Oversight Committee. VTA is tasked with distributing millions of dollars in Measure B Sales tax for transportation projects throughout Santa Clara County. The Committee was established to ensure transparency and accountability in that process. The Committee provides oversight to ensure that funds are spent according to the approved ballot requirements.
Committee members conduct audits and public hearings; help inform the community with annual reports and enhance transportation oversight. For more information and to apply, visit https://www.vta.org/apply-mbcoc. For questions, contact secretary@vta.org or call 408-321-5680.
- Santa Clara County Office of Education
- Youth Voter Toolkit link here
S4 Super Summer Science Search - Free STEAM Contest, Sunday,June 8, 2025, 2:30 – 3:30 pm
at Cupertino Library Community Room 201
The Teen Advisory Council is launching its annual S4 STEAM Contest,an exciting opportunity for all Middle School Students to dive into the world of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics)
from June 8 to July 25, 2025.
Participants are invited to identify a problem within their community and propose an innovative solution. This contest encourages creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration through bothindividual and team entries.
- Win prizes - up to $1800 awarded in prizes
- Develop research and production skills!
Join us at the Kick Off onSunday, June 8, 2:30-3:30 pm at Cupertino Library Room 201for the prompt reveal and contest details.
Register for the contest by July 1st. Register Now
Questions? Check our website at https://www.cupertinotac.com/.
| ________________________________________ | LWV Santa Clara County
Civic Engagement Committee
Join our Civic Engagement Committee to participate, learn, and develop skills in discoursing civilly!
We meet on the third Monday of the month at 1pm via Zoom here - and all are welcome!
Our next planning meeting is June 16th.
Upcoming topics include protecting the freedom of the press, immigration and mis/disinformation.
View the recordings of prior LWVSCC Civil Discourse events here. | ________________________________________ |  | LWC Bay Area - LWVBA
LWV Bay Area Biennial Council 2025, Saturday, May 31, 2025, 10am-12pm via Zoom - Did you miss it?
During the meeting, we provided an update on the status of our re-study of regional government positions. Catch up here.
Register for our Death vs. Dollars Event on Nutrition and Its Role in Solving the Health Crisis June 26th, 2025, 12-1:15pm with Professor Robert Lustig from UCSF and Santa Clara County Board President Otto Lee. Register here.
Interested in participating in the LWVBA Study on Regional Government Equity? Contact us here.
Catch Up on Monitor Notes
LWVBA Program Priorities:
- Housing and Homelessness
- Support the implementation of sustainable, integrated regional governing policies and practices that recognize the interdependence of environmental, social; health, and economic impacts, and provide for long term protection of natural and social resources.
- Advocate how agencies address the interrelated regional issues of housing, transportation, conservation of natural and agricultural landscapes, climate change/sea level rise, social and health community equity, in a truly integrated and holistic fashion.
- Extend Regional Government and Planning Study position consensus building with Leagues.
Recent Public Health Series events: Adverse Childhood Experiences & Toxic Stress - What can be done to mitigate the lasting impacts on our health? and Is Housing Healthcare? - View recording here
You can view prior event recordings here. | ________________________________________ | City of Cupertino
City Council Meetings - (Check website for current dates)
Cupertino Chamber of Commerce - check out their activities here
What We Need to Know About the Housing Crisis:
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/09/jerusalem-demsas-on-the-housing-crisis-book/679666/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the-atlantic-am&utm_term=The+Atlantic+AM
It’s the local regulations!
From Santa Clara County Dept .of Education - Public Transportation in Cupertino & Environs
Public transportation in Cupertino has always been challenging since our population is geographically dispersed on account of typical land uses, namely single-family homes. Recognizing this need, our city council approved an on-demand local shuttle service, originally named VIA, now called Silicon Valley (SV) Hopper. Originally limited to just Cupertino, it was expanded based on resident demand to provide transportation to Caltrain and major medical facilities at Kaiser and El Camino Hospital. In 2023, Santa Clara also joined the network to extend service to southern Santa Clara. Now, Sunnyvale is poised to significantly expand the Hopper network, as highlighted in a San Jose Spotlight article Silicon Valley cities get funding for ride-share service. Rod Sinks, Fremont Union High School District Trustee, with successful experience with Hopper in Cupertino, has been a strong advocate for a micro-transit service as a solution to the lack of adequate transportation for north Sunnyvale high school students. In addition, seniors and others who don’t drive will also benefit from an expanded network.
| ________________________________________ | Sunnyvale City Events Calendar - and More... here
City Council Meetings - more info Here.
Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce events | ________________________________________ | |
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:
- Next Board meeting June 2, 7pm, join via website link. All are welcome!
- LWV California Convention June 20-22, 2025; Attendees welcome
- Annual Meeting held May 17, 10-noon at Grand Hotel
- New Citizen Events changed venue to parking lots
June 2025 Quote:
“Gratitude is a powerful tool. It can shift your energy, change your perspective, and transform your life.” Oprah Winfrey
| ____________________________________________ | 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.
To get more information about the League, Join, Renew or Donate, click here.
| | | ____________________________________________ | | 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:
Editors: Meagan McLeod & Marieann Shovlin
| | 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
| |