| June 2023 Volume 50 No. 12 | | Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy.
| | | __________________________________ | LWVCS Annual Membership Meeting
Live & in Person,
June 24, 2023,
1:30-3:30 at Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church
Our Guest speaker will be Shannon Bushey, Registrar Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters.
She will discuss vote security and voter turnout. Register here
We will also vote on new Bylaws, New Board members, dues and more -
Add your voice and your vote!
Meeting Location is
Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church
728 W Fremont Ave; Soule Hall (Room 501)
Sunnyvale Map
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- LWVCS Annual Membership Meeting
- LWVCS Co-Presidents' Letter
- LWVCS Calendar
- LWVCS Coffee Hour - Get the Latest News!
- Updates from Local Area - Sunnyvale Art & Wine Festival
- Local Organization News
- LWV California 2023 Convention Report
- LWV National News
- LWVCS Upcoming Events & Volunteer Opportunities
- LWVCS Committee Updates
- Local Government Updates
- LWV-Bay Area Regional News
| __________________________________ | June 2023 Presidents' Letter
Getting Ready for the New Year, New Board, and New Legal Structure
Our fiscal year is about to close and that means it is time for our Annual Meeting which will be on June 24 from 1:30 to 3:30pm at Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church. There are several important topics that will be covered including our request to change to solely a 501(c)(3) organization. We are currently both a 501(c)(3) and a 501(c)(4). This is an important decision for our League and we are eager to share our thinking on this proposal. Please attend and make your voice heard through voting on this and other recommended changes for our local League. The Annual Meeting Kit will sent around June 1st. You can register here. Please note that this will be in person only and will not be on Zoom.
The Annual Meeting will also include the election of the new board members for the next two years. If approved we will be welcoming several new members to the board and saying thank you to several board members who have agreed to continue on the board, and also extend our heartfelt gratitude to each of our outgoing board members. So, please attend the meeting so that you can also thank Roberta Holliman, Marieann Shovlin, and Nancy Smith for all their contribution to LWVCS. We are very fortunate as all three will continue to work with LWVCS just not as board members.
Annual Appeal
The Annual appeal is underway and we have raised only $700 of our $4000 goal. Please consider making a contribution today by clicking here (please add link). Your generous contributions allow us to continue to serve the residents of Cupertino and Sunnyvale and to empower voters and defend democracy. And know that we always effectively and carefully utilized your contributions. Again, please click here to allow us to fulfill our mission of Making Democracy Work.
Below is a terrific summary provided by our delegates to the recent LWVC Convention. Our delegates have compiled excellent summary articles related to the sessions they attended during the convention.
We look forward to seeing you on June 24th at 1:30 at Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church.
Your Co-Presidents, Elaine & Tracey
| __________________________________ | League Updates from Around the Bay - See the links and articles below for the latest!
- Check our website calendar for all our events!
- Sunnyvale Art & Wine Festival - Help Staff LWVCS Booth, have some fun, June 3 & 4, more info here
- LWVCS Learning Opportunity - Join the Coffee Hour, Thursday, June 15, 11am - Q & A
- LWV SCC Civil Discourse Committee, June 19, 1pm via ZOOM - join here!
- LWV California 2023 Convention Report
- Add your voice and your vote at the LWVCS Annual Meeting June 24, 1:30-3:30 - Live and in person Saturday, June 24, 1:30-3:30 at Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church, 728 West Fremont Avenue (at Hollenbeck) in Sunnyvale, register here.
| __________________________________ | | LWVCS Coffee Hour
LWVCS Coffee Hour Chat with Board Members
Member Q & A & Feedback, Suggestions
June 15, 11 am -12 pm
If you missed April Coffee with Gail Williamson, Director of NEJA, Check here.
| | | __________________________________ | | Join Us at the Sunnyvale Art & Wine Festival & Have Fun & Help Staff the LWVCS Table
Spin our Voting Wheel
Play the new Voting Information Game VerifyIT - Will You Win?
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LWVCS Volunteer Opportunities!
LWV Cupertino-Sunnyvale has Opportunities on its Committees – join a fun team, enhance your talents and participate in your League!
We have several Committees that need coordination and additional "hands" - Voter Service, Communications, Database, Activities - and more!
Check out the Committees here!
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LWV Cupertino-Sunnyvale Events - Participate! - Check out our Calendar of LWVCS Events on our website here!
- And don't miss the LWVCS Annual Membership meeting June 24 - reenergize with your League colleagues in person! Register here.
- Volunteers needed - If you know someone that would be interested in learning more about League and civic engagement, please have them contact us at communications@lwvcs.org. Helping empower voters and making democracy work is inspiring and important work. We welcome you to be a part of it!
| Learning Opportunities in the Bay Area |
LWV CA Convention Report:
California State League Convention: A Personal View
You would think that having attended as many state conventions as I have, they would become a bit routine and maybe even boring. But they never fail to be interesting, informative and educational.
I was interested to learn that more than half of the delegates were attending a League convention for the first time. It was great to have so many new faces, members eager to learn and take back to their Leagues the possibilities to meet today’s challenges. This includes my two colleagues, Beth Claywell and Nancy Smith (actually her second convention, having gone to the national convention last year) who joined me as delegates from our League.
We were reminded, “Democracy is not something we have, it is something we do, Jimmy Carter”. And we can’t do it as a single organization. Therefore, we need to collaborate with others. There are organizations that may not agree with us on all of our issues but we can collaborate on a particular issue that we are both supporting.
We heard Cheryl Boudreau, a professor at UC Davis speak on the “Power and Possibilities of an Informed Electorate”. She stated the challenges: 1) are people willing to receive information, 2) will people trust the information, and 3) can they apply the information effectively to their choices. People need to trust the source of the information and the sources they trust most are: their own political party, an ethnic interest group, nonpartisan experts, and the League of Women Voters. This is our challenge, to present credible political information.
I can’t close without mentioning the personal satisfaction I look for and receive at convention; seeing old friends I haven’t seen in many years. This year it was quite a long time because of the pandemic. I was not disappointed. There were many old friends. There was even one who served with me on the state board back in 1991-95. Others I had met a bit more recently. Lots of happy hugs. It was wonderful to know that all these League members are still “doing” democracy.
from Roberta Hollimon
Convention Notes...
Held May 19-22, 2023, in San Francisco, the LWV California Convention generated excitement and energy among attendees. You can review links to Convention activities here.
Some particularly relevant take-aways useful for us all include a list of LWVC League Resources, are available here.
The voting information game, “VerifyIT” – a fun interactive exercise to help people learn about voting and the vote process – available here.
Thanks to Ellen Forbes, LWV Palo Alto, for this Convention summary data:
2023 LWVC Convention attendance: 170 delegates
Workshops & Caucuses offered: 18
LWVC Executive Director Stephanis Doute commented: “She quoted psychologist Tara Brach: “We are not the survival of the fittest. We are the survival of the nurtured.” She urged us to lead with kindness and curiosity; to set out in every conversation to learn something, not teach it; and to listen to new people with wildly different perspectives.”
Newly-elected LWVC President Chris Carson (LWVUS President 2016-2020) comments: “ many of the challenges our political process faces today, including the facts that certain government meetings are held in-person only, with no virtual comments accepted, and that underserved communities are still too often unaware of voting method options. As for LWVC, some of our important work is being done in-depth within very active Interest Groups, including Climate and Criminal Justice Reform.”
At plenary sessions, informative speakers and a panel including Assemblymember Ash Kalra, were heard, delegates voted on priorities for 2023-25, and elected a new board.
| __________________________________ | Civil Discourse Committee
Our regular monthly meetings to update events and plan our 2023 program have begun!
We need your ideas and participation.
Join our next meeting June 19, 1pm here
| __________________________________ | LWV News State & National
California - LWV California Leaders Update: Catch up on program planning results, legislative priorities LWVC info and more here.
| __________________________________ | Related Organization Events:
- Santa Clara County Office of Education Advocacy Programs
- Santa Clara County Office of Education Civic Engagement Resources link
- Santa Clara County Office of Education Youth Voter Toolkit link here
| __________________________________ | Cupertino News
Coffee with the Mayor, Hung Wei, June 7, 3:30-4:30 at Panera Bread, 20807 Stevens Creek Blvd.
City Council Meeting June 6 , 2023 at 6pm, Agenda, Live Webcast
To view the minutes and webcast archives visit:
Meeting Agenda
Contact Phone: 408.777.3223
| | | Cupertinians - Participate in these Events:
Cupertino Releases Housing Element Draft
The City of Cupertino has released a draft of its 6th Cycle Housing Element and is inviting public comment through December 23. The draft will be available for a 30-day public review and comment period. After the comment period closes, the City will review and consider all comments received and will revise the element for consideration and final adoption. Learn more from the revised version here.
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Sunnyvale City Governance
City of Sunnyvale Top 30 Project Summaries
Project Summary List Which Has Valuable Updates On Priority Projects For Sunnyvale.
City Council Meetings June 6, 20 - agendas here
City Council Welcomes In-person Public Participation
To join in person and comment:
- Council Chambers, 607 All America Way*
*Use this address for entrance to City Hall and for GIS mapping. The W. Olive Avenue entrance is closed during construction.
To join online and comment:
- Join on ZOOM
- Call-in: 833-548-0276 | Meeting ID: 961 1158 0540
To watch:
To stay informed:
- Subscribe to the Public Meetings Calendar
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May City Manager's Update Sunnyvale Report Posted
The City Manager's report, Update Sunnyvale, is a summary of updates related to City programs and projects, responses to City Council inquiries, effects of COVID-19 on our community, and events and activities of interest to the community.
In this issue:
- Sunnyvale's New City Hall Opens and Draws Praise
- New Library Cards
- Hands on the Arts - Household Donations Needed
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Covering 20 Bay Area Leagues In Nine Bay Area Counties
Special Events:
Meeting Bay Area Legislators
Fighting Voter Cynicism with State Senator Josh Becker
LWV Bay Area hosted Senator Josh Becker to talk about what he and his Senate colleagues have been doing to fight voter cynicism while listening to the voices of diverse interest groups and crafting legislation. This is the beginning of a series of conversations with BayArea legislators. Watch the interview here on our Youtube channel.
LWV Bay Area's "Equity In The Bay Area" - Scott Weiner Keynote Speaker, Bay Area Equity Atlas, Health Equity Panel, Transportation Panel
Watch the event video here
Read more
LWV Bay Area Regional Board Briefs:
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LWV Bay Area LWVBA Council scheduled for Friday, June16 from 1-2:30pm, virtual only; will include updates on Regional Government study, Convention and an open forum. Send suggestions to lwvbayarea@gmail.com.
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LWV Bay Area at LWVC Convention - Meet & Greet was a great success - food, fun and friends!
- Developing Observer Corps - request all Leagues to provide volunteers - contact lwvbayarea@gmail.com.
- Looking for additional members for our Regional Government and Land Use Study Committee. Please include this request in your local newsletters.
- Want LWV Bay Area news? Join the LWV Bay Area mailing list. Add names to our email lists. Ask local to “volunteer” additions noting we always include an Unsubscribe. Contact LWVBayArea@gmail.com
| __________________________________ | June Quote:
“Emergent democracy is about leadership through giving up control,
activating the people to engage through deliberation and action,
and allowing emergent order to grow from the grassroots.”
Joicho Ito, Internet Entrepreneur | LWV CS Board Briefs
- Next Board Meeting June 5, 7pm via Zoom
- New LWVCS Board Nominees selected
- Will Staff Table at Sunnyvale Art & Wine Festival Jun 4 & 5
- Student Internship Program Interns selected
- Current Board pictured below - meet them at the Annual Membership meeting June 24, register here.
| | | __________________________________ | LWV Cupertino-Sunnyvale
Board of Directors
Officers serving from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2023
Co-Presidents: Elaine Manley & Tracey Edwards
Vice President: Open
Secretary: Pam Anderson
Treasurer: Beth Claywell
Voter Service Director: Open
Programs Director: Nancy Smith
Database Management Director: Open
Membership Director: Pam Anderson
Communications Directors: Marieann Shovlin, Marilyn Sherry
Resource Development Director: Open
Technical Services Director: Bruce Kendall
Nominations Chair: Roberta Hollimon | __________________________________ | Elected Officials Representing Cupertino & Sunnyvale
For contact information and more detail visit:
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United States
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
Vice President Kamala D. Harris
Senator Dianne Feinstein
Senator Alex Padilla
US Congressional Representative 17th District, Ro Khanna
California
Governor Gavin Newsom
Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis
State Senator District 10: Aisha Wahab
State Senator, District 13 (Sunnyvale) Josh Becker
State Senator, District 15 (Cupertino) Dave Cortese
State Assembly, District 24 (Sunnyvale) Mark Berman
State Assembly, District 26 (Cupertino & Sunnyvale) Evan Low
| | Santa Clara County
County Supervisor, District 3: Otto Lee
County Supervisor, District 5: Joe Simitian
Cupertino
Mayor: Hung Wei
Vice Mayor: Sheila Mohan
Councilmember Liang Chao
Councilmember J.R. Fruen
Councilmember Kitty Moore
Sunnyvale
Mayor: Larry Klein
Vice Mayor: Omar Din
Councilmember District 1: Linda Sell
Councilmember District 2: Alysa CIsneros
Councilmember District 3: Murali Srinivasan
Councilmember District 4: Russ Melton
Councilmember District 5: Richard Mehlinger
Councilmember District 6: Omar Din
| | | __________________________________ | 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:
$80 Individual member
$40 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.
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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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