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The League of Women Voters of Oakland
May 2018
LWV HAS WHAT AN INFORMED VOTER NEEDS!
Still scratching your head over some of the state and local measures on the June 5 primary ballot? Check out LWVO.org and VotersEdge.org/ca.
You’ll find the Easy Voter Guide at LWVO.org, which provides basic information about voting in our state, including how you can vote even if you miss the May 21 registration deadline, and a list of state offices at issue in the primary. Perhaps most important for many of you, there are clear, succinct explanations of each of the five state ballot propositions • 68 authorizing natural resources bonds • 69 directing transportation funding
• 70 amending cap-and-trade program
• 71 changing effective date of ballot measures • 72 encouraging rainwater capture systems
There are descriptions of what all five ballot propositions would accomplish if passed, their anticipated effect on
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the state budget, and summaries of the arguments for and against each. Go to LWVC.org for links to the publication in Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean. For those who want more detail, you’ll also find a link to LWVC’s Pros and Cons on each proposition and the LWVC’s Recommendations. We have also posted similar material on the three local measures.
• Regional Measure 3, increasing tolls on local bridges to fund transportation infrastructure • County Measure A, a sales tax to expand childcare services and increase worker wages • City of Oakland Measure D, a parcel tax to fund libraries
You can get a feel for local candidates by watching the LWV-sponsored Candidate Forums videos. The article
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MAKE PLANS TO ATTEND THE ANNUAL MEETING
Our speaker is Jason Toro, Deputy Director of Community Works West, an organization that also received a capacity building grant from the Alameda County Probation Department.
LWVO: THE VOTER - MAY 2018 - Read online at voter.lwvo.org
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INFORMED VOTER Cont... titled LWV Oakland Candidate Forums on page 3 has all the details.
You can also access these resources through VotersEdge. org/ca. Just key in your address and zip code, click on Find My Ballot, and the contests and measures on your ballot will pop up. You will find objective, in-depth voting information on the candidates, ballot measures, and campaign funding, who is giving how much. There’s even a function that allows you to keep track of your ballot choices and make a list to take with you to your polling place. You can check your registration status, register, and confirm the location and hours of your polling place. Most of the information is available in Spanish as well as English.
Searching for more information? election.LWVO.org VotersEdge.org/ca youtube.com/LWVOakland
SAVE THE DATE! YOU ARE INVITED! Save Wednesday evening, June 13th, for LWV Oakland’s Annual Meeting. We’ll gather at 5:45 PM at Eve’s Waterfront Restaurant, 15 Embarcadero West, Oakland 94607 for a buffet dinner, business meeting, and program. Our speaker this year will be Jason Toro, Deputy Director of Community Works West, an organization that, like the League, received a capacity building grant from the Alameda County Probation Department. Jason will talk about the work his group does to keep people out of prison, advocate for a more humane justice system, and support healthy communities for all of us. We will also talk about the League’s next steps in carrying out the tasks involve in our grant.
OUR
We require a quorum of 43 members (10% of our membership) to conduct our business, so it is important for members to attend. We are making it as affordable as possible, with the League subsidizing a significant portion of the cost. Reservations may be made through Eventbrite where you may pay with a credit card or you may send a SPEAKER personal check to LWVO 436 14th Street, Suite 1213 Oakland CA 94612-2723
There is plenty of free parking. If you would like a ride, give the League office a call at (510) 834-7640 or send us an email at
[email protected]. For directions to Eve’s Waterfront and for additional information about the meeting go to www.lwvoakland.org Jason Toro
The cost of this dinner event is $20 for members and guests, and $15 for students. However, if you would like to come only for coffee and the meeting the cost is $5.
See the “Call to Annual Meeting” insert with this VOTER for the information you’ll need for the business meeting. This is your meeting; how we vote on the items described in the insert will make a difference to our coming year!
RESERVE YOUR SPOT AT THE ANNUAL MEETING
Go to https://lwvoaklandannualmeetingreservations.eventbrite.com LWVO: THE VOTER - MAY 2018 - Read online at voter.lwvo.org
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LWV OAKLAND CANDIDATE FORUMS Videos of LWV-sponsored Candidate Forums are now available for Alameda County and State races on Oakland voters’ June 5 primary election ballot.
CA Assembly District 15 candidates
On April 5 over 70 people attended a forum at the North Oakland Senior Center for the CA Assembly District 15 candidates. Eleven of the twelve candidates participated. LWVBAE and the Coalition for Police Accountability co-sponsored the forum with LWVO.
Alameda County Board of Education Trustee Area 1
On April 27 at Oakland City Hall we held a forum for the Alameda County Board of Education Trustee Area 1, which was co-sponsored with LWVBAE and the Coalition of 100 Black Women.
Alameda County Auditor-Controller, Superior Court Judge and Assessor On May 3 we co-sponsored a forum with LWV Piedmont in their City Council Chambers covering four Alameda County races: Auditor-Controller, Superior Court Judge and Assessor.
Alameda County Superior Court Judge
On May 9 we co-sponsored a forum with the Alameda County Bar Association covering the Superior Court Judge races.
Local Oakland Municipal and School Board elections, BART, AC Transit and other special district races, will take place in November. Look for the majority of our Candidate Forums in September and early October.
WATCH THE CANDIDATE FORUMS
http://candidateforums.LWVO.org or youtube.com/LWVOakland
NEW & RETURNING MEMBERS
We welcome the following members who have joined (or rejoined) since November 2017 Gayle Akins Eric Babb Tamika Bailey Julie Bernas-Pierce Rita Cant Jennifer Cardenas Lauren Cetlin Lyn Dailey Ann Daniels Katharine (Nicki) Edson Melissa Eisenberg Irina Gelfenbeyn Paul Hathaway
Carolyn Heywood Robert Heywood Kathleen Histon Sarah Howard Floyd Huen Roberta Ann (Bobbi) Johnson Carolyn Jones Ann Katz Jean Kramer Lita Krowech Summer Lambert Neuritsa Lancaster Claudia Leed
Sarah Linn Gloria Lyons Kristi McKenney Karen Miller Lauren Miller Margaret Mills Michael Mills Mark Morodomi Kim Ngoct-Le Barbara Parker Deborah L. Phillips Jean Quan Patricia Rapson
LWVO: THE VOTER - MAY 2018 - Read online at voter.lwvo.org
Marlo (Maria) Rodriguez Paula Shadle Daniel Siegel Dennis Slaughter Katie Steigman Janet Thompson Georganne Walker Anne Weills Courtney Welch Julie White Eklund
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FOUR HUNDRED GUESTS ATTEND LWVO’S 27TH ANNUAL ALL-CITY LUNCHEON
On Wednesday, April 25, the lobby and ballroom of the Scottish Rite Center were abuzz with the voices of women and men from Oakland’s business, education, labor, political, and civic sectors as they gathered for the League’s 27th Annual All-City Luncheon. After browsing East Bay Booksellers’ table or having their photo taken, the guests were seated at tables of 10, many of which were hosted by Oakland businesses, agencies or League members. The afternoon’s program included greetings from Vice Mayor Annie Campbell-Washington, followed by presentation of Making Democracy Works Awards to
Vice Mayor Annie Campbell-Washington
the Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) and Centro Legal de la Raza. After League board member Dawna Williams led the group in a fund-raising exercise, Arlie Russell Hochschild, author of Strangers in Their Own Land, spoke about her experiences studying the lives and opinions of Tea Party members in Louisiana, and her return visit to their communities since the 2016 election. We are so pleased that many of the guests attending the 2018 Luncheon have attended our event in previous years. We look forward to seeing you again, next Spring.
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League board member Dawna Williams emcees the fund-raising exercise.
LWVO: THE VOTER - MAY 2018 - Read online at voter.lwvo.org
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400 ATTEND ALL-CITY LUNCHEON Cont... Members of the League’s Development Committee, which planned the afternoon’s activities, are: Lori Lieneke and Kathryn Moir, CoChairs, Judi Bank, Carolyn Devol, Bonnie Hamlin, Amy Lyons, Mary MacDonald, Carree Michel, Louise Rothman-Riemer, Rosalee Schubert, Deleign Thompson, Susan Veit, and Dawna Williams.
Many other League members volunteered to make the Luncheon a success, and were organized by Rosalee Schubert: Graphics: Carree Michel Registrars: Nan Butterworth, Carolyn Devol, Annmarie Hallin, Bonnie Hamlin, Gretchen Hayes, Amy Lyons, Mary Stemmler, Sandy Venning, Allene Warren, Mary Weinstein.
Table Setters: Judi Bank, Joey Hansell, Lori Lieneke, Kathryn Moir, Louise Rothman-Riemer, Mary Stevens (and guests), Deleign Thompson (and guests), Susan Veit. Guest Activities: Parking – Judi & Peter Bank, Greta Schubert Sanford; Photo Opportunity – Shelly Hamalian, Ernestine Nettles and Susan Veit; Door ushers – Peter Crigger and Joey Hansell, Deborah and Stephen Shefler; Membership Table – Phyllis White-Ayanruoh, Elaine Ginnold, Elaine McCarty; Microphone carriers – Yolanda Schonbrun, Deleign Thomas Donation Opportunity: Dawna Williams, Annmarie Hallin, Joey Hansell, Terry Kulka, Amy Lyons, Elaine McCarty, Madeleine Nelson, Theresa Nelson, Deborah Shefler, Mary Stevens, Sandy Venning
Arlie Russell Hochschild
OUR GENEROUS TABLE HOSTS Without the support of Oakland businesses, public agencies, League members and friends, the League’s All-City Luncheon would not be the successful fund-raiser that it is. We use this space to express our deep gratitude for their donations to the work of the League. This year’s table hosts are listed below: Underwriters: DHR Investment Counsel Kaiser Permanente Sponsors: Oakland Athletics Bonnie & Earl Hamlin East Bay Municipal Utility District Port of Oakland Benefactor: Bridge Bank
Patrons: AC Transit Bay Area Rapid Transit Bell Investment Advisors Donahue Fitzgerald LLP East Bay Regional Park District Ernestine Nettles/Lori Lieneke GO Public Schools Oakland Joanne Casey Make Oakland Better Now! Oakland Housing Authority Rotary Club of Oakland
LWVO: THE VOTER - MAY 2018 - Read online at voter.lwvo.org
Donors: ABC Security Service, Inc. Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. CliffordMoss Lane Partners Louise Anderson Madison Park Financial Corporation Meg and Larry Bowerman Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Councilmember-at-Large Rebecca Kaplan Samuel Merritt University St. Paul’s Towers Schnitzer Steel Terry Kulka The Clorox Company The McConnell Group Theresa Nelson Associates Torres Law Group Wendell, Rosen, Black & Dean, LLP
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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
By Louise Rothman-Riemer
Hello League Members: It’s Annual Meeting time and we want you to come! Save the date, June 13th at Eve’s Waterfront Restaurant, 15 Embarcadero West, starting at 5:45 PM. The Annual Meeting is when our members vote to approve what we are proposing to do in the League in the coming year. This year, among other things, we will be focusing on our Alameda County Probation Department Capacity Building Grant. It is an unusual grant in that it provides funds to build our organization to be the League of the future. We want to tell you what we are going to be doing. We have completed one phase of the grant, our Strategic Plan. This lays the groundwork for the next year and half ’s work on the other six phases.
So what does a capacity building grant do? It allows the League as an organization to increase our ability to serve all of Oakland and to be a greater presence throughout our diverse and wonderful city. In awarding these capacity building grants, the Probation Department is asking community organizations that serve returning citizens to beef up their ability to serve. For the League that means strengthening our ability to provide voter registration and voter information that will help empower returning citizens to participate in their community and to grow democracy.
Our speaker, Jason Toro, Deputy Director of Community Works West, will be talking about their very impressive programs. Community Works West is doing an amazing job of working with people who have had violence Jason Toro issues that have resulted in their entering the criminal justice system. You will not only learn a lot, but will be inspired by their exciting programs that truly make a difference in people’s
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lives. The League will be partnering with Community Works West to reach out to returning citizens and assist with voter registration.
So we have a Strategic Plan…. What does that mean for the League? What does it mean for you, a League member? Of greatest importance is the intention that it will help our League more closely reflect Oakland…. a wonderful diverse community that we can have an impact on. The Plan has four distinct goals:
Goal #1: Broaden and deepen the Oakland League’s understanding of the diversity of our community and the factors and issues that influence civic participation within diverse Oakland communities.
Goal #2: Engage underserved Oakland communities to increase their understanding of the political system, their political power, and how their use of political power can influence change. Goal #3: Increase participation of Oakland community members in League decision-making activities by diversifying the membership, leadership, partnerships and public face of LWVO.
Goal #4: Increase community awareness of the LWVO as a year-round resource for relevant programs, services and information about how civic participation can create change.
To learn more about how we, you and me, and the League are going to make things happen, come to the Annual Meeting on Wednesday, June 13. Get ready, get set, because we are Growing Democracy and Building Community! JOIN US! BE A PART OF OUR FUTURE! WE ARE ON THE MOVE!
ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
All LWVO members are called to attend the 2018 Annual Meeting of the membership of the League of Women Voters of Oakland. Guests are welcome.
LWVO: THE VOTER - MAY 2018 - Read online at voter.lwvo.org
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MAKING DEMOCRACY WORK AWARDS At it’s 27th Annual All-City Luncheon on Wednesday, April 25, the League continued its tradition of presenting awards to people or organizations that have enhanced the civic life of Oakland and mobilized others to work with them. This year’s awardees were the Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) and Centro Legal de la Raza.
Asian Pacific Environmental Network
As the name signifies, APEN focuses on Asian and Pacific Islander communities, incorporating a multi-pronged civic engagement strategy to advance environmental justice that includes voter education, innovative voter engagement methods and coalition-building. Mabel Lam, Political Director for APEN, accepted the award and spoke briefly about her organization.
Centro Legal de la Raza
Centro Legal de la Raza, founded in 1969, offers comprehensive legal services protecting and advancing the rights of immigrant, low-income, and Latino communities through bilingual legal representation, education and advocacy. Accepting the award for Centro Legal de la Raza was Eleni Wolfe-Roubatis, Director of the organization’s Immigration Program.
Easy Voter Guide
Voter’s Edge
Pros & Cons
easyvoterguide.org
votersedge.org/ca
procandcons.LWVO.org
LWVO: THE VOTER - MAY 2018 - Read online at voter.lwvo.org
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The League of Women Voters of Oakland 436 14th Street Suite 1213 Oakland, CA 94612-2723
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Are you a member?
UPCOMING EVENTS JUNE 5
Election Day! Don’t forget to vote.
JUNE 13
Annual Membership Meeting 5:45pm – 9:00pm
You NEED to Attend the Annual Membership Meeting! Put it on your calendar now and see the insert for complete details!
If there is no date on the mailing label then you are not a member of the League of Women Voters of Oakland.
Join Today! Visit LWVOakland.org and click the JOIN/RENEW button on any page.
