__________________________________ | | LWV Cupertino-Sunnyvale Membership Renewal has Begun!
August is the beginning of our annual membership renewal cycle. Please continue to support LWVCS by renewing your membership and by joining us for League events and activities.
Since July 1, 2022, our membership renewals have changed to renewal on the anniversary of your joining. However, many of our members, who joined before then, have renewal dates that start at the end of August. | | | If you are currently due to renew, you have received an email asking you to log in and renew online. If so:
- Just go to our website www.lwvcs.org and, at the top corner of the page,
click <Member Login>
- Once you log in, a pop-up window will walk you through the renewal process.
(If no pop-up appears, your renewal is not yet due)
- You can pay your dues online with your credit card or by mailing us a check.
- Please note, the PayPal company processes your online payment for us, and you do not need to have a PayPal account to use your credit card.
- If you don't remember your username or password, at the login box click the button
<Forgot my Username/Password>
- You can also find step-by-step login instructions by clicking
<Member Website Help>.
As a reminder, at the 2023 Annual Membership Meeting, we voted to increase membership dues to $100 per member, with $50 for each additional member in a household. Membership for full-time students is still free.
If you have any questions about membership renewal, please email membership@lwvcs.org and we can help get you started. | __________________________________ | Upcoming Events You Don't Want to Miss! | | LWVCS Coffee Hour -
Third Thursdays, 11am, August 17 - Join Us!
- Chat with Board Members
- Make suggestions
- Ask a question
- Join here - or via our website calendar link | | | __________________________________ | LWV - Framing Our Future
Work is ongoing in selecting a system that will give potential LWV members across the country a way to join the cause as well as streamline local, state, and national payment sharing.
Starting August 16th at 4pm ET and continuing on the 3rd Wednesday of each month, LWVUS Office Hours will serve as an opportunity for League leaders to ask questions about the current phase of the League’s transformation journey, Framing Our Future. This 1-hour session is for all Leagues, not just those on ClubExpress. Catch up on the latest and then please send any questions to transformation@lwv.org
Register
| __________________________________ | REGIONAL ISSUES FORUM
Meet Kate Hartley
Bay Area Housing Finance Authority Director
Friday, August 25 virtual only
11:30 am - 1:00 pm
In 2019 the California legislature established the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA) via AB 1487. BAHFA has regional revenue generating authority that enables it to work collaboratively with all Bay Area jurisdictions. Its mandate is to create regional solutions that meet the Bay Area's affordable housing needs by producing and preserving more affordable housing and protecting our most vulnerable residents. Hear from Kate Hartley, BAHFA Director, on progress made to date and next steps for a potential regional housing bond measure. The program includes the BAHFA Business Plan and Equity Framework. Don't miss this opportunity to ask questions and make comments. The LWV Bay Area board wants your input.
More information and registration link to follow. Send any questions to roma.dawson@lwvsjsc.org. | __________________________________ | | August 26, otherwise known as Women’s Equality Day, marks the anniversary of the certification of the 19th Amendment, which granted some women the right to vote in 1920.
In 2022, we declared this day to be Women’s Inequality Day in the aftermath of the Supreme Court rollbacks of reproductive freedom (in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Center) and the failure of Congress to pass voting rights legislation or add the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution.
One year later, we have seen the impact of the Dobbs decision on women and those who can become pregnant. We have seen anti-voter laws passed in states nationwide that could silence voters at the polls in the months ahead. And a century after it was first introduced, we are still calling on Congress to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment and make it part of our Constitution.
Womens' Inequality Day Toolkit. Toolkit | | | __________________________________ |  | | LWV Cupertino-Sunnyvale Lawsuit News Update
Approximately one year ago, the League of Women Voters of Cupertino-Sunnyvale filed a lawsuit against the City of Cupertino to rectify a lobbying ordinance that was overly broad. LWV of Cupertino-Sunnyvale filed this action to ensure unfettered access to local government in response to Cupertino’s ordinance designating volunteers and neighborhood activists as “lobbyists”.
Under the ordinance as initially passed, citizens who belonged to community, charitable, or political organizations were lumped together with lobbyists from powerful corporations. The ordinance required these community members to register as lobbyists, pay a fee, and make extensive disclosures about themselves and any organization they served in order to appear before the city’s council or commissions.
The former ordinance put League members who routinely informed neighbors over social media or in local newsletters at risk of being prosecuted for sharing information about what happened at council meetings, chilling their right to petition government and speak freely on political issues.
We are pleased to report that the Cupertino City Council approved an amended ordinance that now meets the needs of our community. Now, Cupertino residents are seen by our local government for who they are: not powerful lobbyists but engaged community members. Now, nonprofit organizations will not run the risk of being categorized as lobbyists just by speaking up at a City Council meeting.
In response to the League’s suit, the city acted responsibly to review the impact of their initial overbroad ordinance and bring the new ordinance squarely within the bounds of the California and US Constitutions. The new ordinance can be a model for other California communities, as well as cities across the United States, for the appropriate regulation of lobbying activities that does not chill the speech of ordinary citizens.
We thank Cupertino current city leadership for taking the time to understand our concerns and adopting the new ordinance. We are also profoundly grateful to LWVUS and the law firm of Steptoe and Johnson for the guidance, advice, and legal support they provided to reach this very positive outcome.
from Tracey Edwards | __________________________________ | | Planning and Practicing Civil Discourse
Join our Planning Meeting to develop Future Events - we want your ideas and your participation!
Our focus is how we can battle misinformation and biases.
Our first topic in October will be BS and the Brain
Join us to continue planning this and other events via ZOOM on Monday, August 21, 1pm here.
| __________________________________ | Local Civic Organization Announcements
- Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety offers Public Safety Citizens’ Academy; Sessions are Thursday evenings, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm., Aug 10 - Sept 28.
The Public Safety Citizens’ Academy is designed to provide the Sunnyvale community with an inside look at the department’s fully integrated model of police, fire and EMS. If you are interested in participating in this program, please contact Captain Chris Ketchum directly.
- From Santa Clara County Library System:
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Know Your Rights: Access to Mental Health Services
Mental illness is more prevalent than most people realize. One in five adults in the U.S. lives with a mental illness; in Santa Clara County, that's about 340,000 adults.
Recognizing there is a great need for mental health services -- and hearing the difficulty many are facing in accessing services -- the County of Santa ClaraHealth System, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Santa Clara and Bay Area Legal Aid (Bay Legal) has developed a presentation to educate our community about their right to access medically necessary mental health care.
Join us for one of these presentations which explain how common mental health conditions are, and how to recognize signs and symptoms. It provides information on rights to mental health care, steps and resources to access care, and what to do if you encounter problems. Handouts with tips and resources will be provided.
Find the location and time that works best for you. No registration is necessary.
• Cupertino Library: Wednesday, August 9 at 7 p.m.
• Gilroy Library: Wednesday, August 30 at 6 p.m.
• Los Altos Library: Wednesday, September 20 at 11 a.m.
• Milpitas Library: Monday, August 21 at 6 p.m.
• Morgan Hill Library: Monday, August 7 at 6 p.m.
• Saratoga Library: Tuesday, August 15 at 7 p.m.
In addition, our Reading Program is inviting families to a virtual Mental Health for Families Workshop on Monday, August 14 at 4 p.m.Led by Dr. Jayne Singer from the Brazelton Touchpoints Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, participants will learn concrete strategies to promote emotional wellness. Please register.
Please contact the Reading Program if you cannot attend the workshop online. You can view the workshop in person at Gilroy, Morgan Hill, and Los Altos Libraries.
Please note: this is not a clinical service for specific questions about your family’s issues, rather a time to learn general strategies.
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- Interview re Bay Area Housing
If you are interested in the local housing situation and its issues, you may find this interview with Bay Area reporters and Larry Stone (CA State Assessor) of interest: https://youtu.be/1bggjY4Aqzw
It features reporters from the Bay Area News Group, experts from local think tanks and Larry Stone. They do a great job of identifying the demographics of who chose to leave, the effects on local government and revenue and the opportunities to catch up on the jobs housing imbalance and to design the future.
- What California Leaders are Saying About the Healthcare Crisis in California and What We Can Do About It
The League of Women Voters West Contra County (LWV WCCC) invites you to attend the presentation “What California leaders are saying about the
Healthcare Crisis in California and What We Can Do About It? This forum will be held on Zoom on Monday, August 28, 2023 from 4:00 – 5:30 PM.
Our speaker for this event is Henry Abrons, MD, MPH. Dr. Abrons is a retired physician who has been active in healthcare reform for many years. He is an
advisory board member of Physicians for A National Health Program (PNHP) and serves as co-chair of the Bay Area chapter. He formerly was Board President of PNHP California. (Physicians for A National Health Program is a single issue organization advocating for a universal, comprehensive, single payer national
health program. PNHP was founded in 1988 and has over 20,000 members nationwide.)
Dr. Abrons will review highlights of the 2022 Healthy California for All Commission and discuss proposals to overhaul health care in California. Submitted by Cheryl Collier, President, LWV West Contra Costa County
Click here to register.: http://tiny.cc/DrAbrons
| __________________________________ |  | League and Related Organizations Activities and Events You Don't Want to Miss!
- Check out our LWV Cupertino-Sunnyvale Calendar of Events on our website here!
- Did you miss the events on improving election - Election Security & Ranked Choice Voting? Catch up with the videos here.
- LWV Piedmont, CA, is hosting a series on the environment and related issues. Check out the programs here.
- LWV US Training – Organizing to Combat Misinformation & Disinformation
- State Leagues developed an understanding of misinformation and disinformation and were equipped with the tools to combat them digitally and with family and friends.
- Here are some of the tools in your toolbox:
- Training Recording
- LWVUS Guide to Mis and Disinformation
- New LWV Legal Resources Program - The League of Women Voters of the United States is thrilled to announce the launch of its new Legal Center on the organization’s website, LWV.org. The center showcases the League’s legal work in federal courts from across the country. More information here. | __________________________________ | Cupertino City News:
Summer Recreation Schedule
Looking for a fun activity, class, or summer camp? Look no further – from summer camps like Camp Cupertino to fitness classes for adults like Zumba. Preschool, youth, teens, adults, and seniors, we offer it all!
Find an activity at cupertino.org/recreation.
Cupertino Housing Element Update Survey: Make your voice heard! https://engagecupertino.org/hub-page/housing-element
- Next City Council Meeting will be in September.
- Complete the Older Adult Community Survey here.
- Cupertino Library Foundation Latest Programs – check out your interests here
| __________________________________ | Sunnyvale City News
Next City Council Meeting
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August 8, 5 pm; Online and Bay Conference Room (Room 145), City Hall, 456 W. Olive Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94086
Special Meeting: Closed Session - 5 PM | Regular Meeting - 7 PM | Special Joint Meeting of City Council and Sunnyvale Financing Authority - 7 PM (or soon thereafter) Meeting online link:https://sunnyvale-ca-gov.zoom.us/j/96111580540
August 15, 6:00 pm, To join in person and comment:
- Bay Conference Room (Room 145), City Hall, 456 W. Olive Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94086
August 29, 5:15
To join online and comment:
- Join on Zoom
- 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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Have you received a Membership Renewal Notice?
Have you responded?
You do not want to miss out on Member advantages! | | | __________________________________ | | The Cupertino-Sunnyvale Event EBlast
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 | | | |