Due
to the current circumstances related to the risks associated with
COVID-19, the Board of Directors of the League of Women Voters of
Fremont, Newark, Union City voted to hold the annual meeting in a
virtual format. All the rules pertaining to the annual meeting in our
bylaws, such as quorum, will apply except that the annual meeting
document has been sent out electronically and the meeting will also take
place on a virtual plane.
You can registerusing
the link provided in the "Call to Annual Meeting" email. You will be
sent a confirmation of your registration and a link to join the meeting
which is very specific to you, please do not share the link sent to you
in your confirmation email.
We
plan to make this a brief and efficient meeting to complete the
organizational requirements in accordance with Article VIII-Section 2 of
the bylaws, updated as of June 2017.
At the annual meeting we will:
Approve a budget. A proposed budget is included for your review on pages 4-6 of the annual meeting document.
Adopt
a local program and areas of emphasis for the coming year. A proposed
program and areas of emphasis are listed on pages 7-8 of the annual
meeting document.
Elect
directors and officers and local League members to serve on the
nominating committee. A slate has been proposed and is located on page 9
of the annual meeting document.
Pre-payment
of annual dues is encouraged. A drawing for a free 1 year membership
(2021 - 2022) will be held for all prepaid members.
We
are saddened to not be able to meet in person and to have breakfast
together and listen to another informative/interesting speaker as has
been the normal part of our annual meeting program. We had planned an
event with two authors, Steve and Susie Swatt, who co-authored a
fascinating book: Paving the Way, Women's Struggle for Political
Equality in California. Instead, we will postpone their presentation to a
later month and only focus on the "business portion" of the annual
meeting.
We thank you for taking the time to attend and for all of the support for the League.
Board Briefs
At the regular LWVFNUC Board Meeting on May 25, 2020 the board:
Reviewed the Annual Meeting Packet to be sent to members for the June 20, 2020
Scheduled
a Program Committee on July 13, 2020 to work on logistics for hold
candidate forums and in preparation for the annual Board Retreat
Scheduled the Annual Board Retreat for July 20, 2020
WANT TO ABOLISH THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE?
Here is a link to an interesting discussion of this topic put forth by the Commonwealth Club
Featuring Our Long Time Member Miriam Keller
One of the Backbones of Our League
Miriam Keller, LWVFNUC's longest serving President, joined our league
in 1986, after belonging to the LWV in New York, Illinois, Arizona, and
New Mexico. She joined the league in 1963 for the first time when her
daughter was a year old because she wanted the intellectual stimulation
she'd previously enjoyed as a chemistry, math, and physics teacher. In
the 1960's and '70s women often were not welcome to resume their careers
after having children. In whichever city Miriam was a League member,
she always read its newsletter, eager to know the current political
happenings.
Miriam took her first league board position after she joined LWVFNUC
in 1986. President, Kathy Steele-Sabo tasked her to follow political
happenings at the state level as a State Representative. She worked
with president Becky Sylvester as voter service committee chair and
program chair. Miriam served a total of eight years as president of
LWVFNUC: from 1997 to 2001, 2005 to 2007, and 2011 to 2013. She
attributes her longevity in the position to having had capable board
members and committee heads, many of whom have gone on to run and win
public office. When asked why so many active past members often don't
continue participating, Miriam said:
"Through active participation in the
League, many women gain the added knowledge, confidence and
encouragement to then go off and do other important things like run for
office or start their own businesses. Then they become too busy to
continue with league activities."
Since the end of her tenure as president, Miriam has served as our
Administrative Vice President. Her knowledge of our league's history
comes from moving LWVFNUC's documents from a closet in former president
Holly Bell Walter's office to our present office. She organized past
meeting minutes, our studies, and other important papers in binders. Now
they are saved in computer files.
Miriam enjoys researching current events, especially as they affect
the league, and gardening. She always has the best tomatoes around.
From LWVC
Revolution Drives Change
The history of the United States has been punctuated by moments of
revolution to drive change. Revolution born of oppression. Revolution
born of systemic inequality built into the fabric of our society.
Revolution born of people demanding their human and civil rights. Today,
we find ourselves in such a moment, as people all over the country, and
now the world, stand to demand justice for Black lives. As the League
of Women Voters, allyship with the Black community and civil rights
movement is our moral imperative and fundamentally tied to our mission
of empowering voters and defending democracy.
It is critical right now that we take the time to reflect on the words of LWV US CEO, Virginia Kase:
This weekend, people from all over this country exercised their
First Amendment rights as they protested the killing of George Floyd and
the countless other Black lives that have been taken at the hands of
police. We saw peaceful demonstrators take to the streets demanding
change. We have seen people of every race, religion, and ethnic
background stand and kneel in solidarity with the Black community with
the same message -- Black Lives Matter.
Weve also seen civil unrest in some places and, sadly, acts of
police violence against protestors. We must not let those images derail
the fight against systemic racial injustice and inequality. Speaking out
is an important first step, but this moment requires more than words
it requires us to change. (To read the full statement, click here)
I have seen League members on the front lines, working to accomplish
systemic change and often acting as allies to challenge racial
injustice in California. In 2019, LWVC adopted a new position on criminal justice,
with the intent of fighting alongside our Black and Brown communities
to confront systemic bias, and to modernize and build transparency and
accountability in policing practices, particularly as they
disproportionately impact communities of color.
The League fought hard to pass AB 392,
a new California law creating one of the toughest standards in the
country for the use of force by police. And League members across the
state are now working with a broad coalition of advocates, civil rights
groups, and local governments to confront resistance to the new law,
ensure compliance across statewide agencies, and guarantee effective
local implementation.
Further, the LWVC worked with our civil rights partners to co-sponsor the California Racial Justice Act (AB
2200), which will not carry forward during this legislative year due to
COVID-19, but will likely be re-introduced next year. We are
co-sponsors of Assembly Constitutional Amendment 6, working with the Free the Vote Coalition to
confront the history of racial oppression behind our states felony
disenfranchisement laws and restore voting rights to Californians on
parole. If passed, the Free the Vote Act will roll back a form of voter
suppression currently facing Black and Brown Californians and will
signal to all Californians that their voices matter.
You see, our work - the work of empowering voters and defending
democracy is inherently tied to dismantling the systems of racism that
have been built into our social structures over hundreds of years. The
revolution will continue. It will continue on the streets. It will
continue on the ballot. It will continue in the statehouse.
And we will be there listening to our directly-impacted members and
to the civil rights leaders at the forefront of the movement. We will
use our talents, drive, and mission to help amplify their voices to
drive the kinds of changes they are calling for, and that we have
already prioritized as a League.
And finally, as a reminder to us all, people are hurting. Protests
and civil unrest are rooted in pain. The conversations we are having are
not easy. Doing the work of introspection to challenge our own
assumptions and worldviews is not easy. Yet, as individuals, we must do
the work. There is a lot to learn for those of us humble enough to
listen. As we all try to show up in the best ways possible in this
moment, I encourage you to come to every conversation with an open
heart, humility, empathy, and an open mind. Thats the very minimum it
will take for us to stand together and move forward.
In solidarity,
Stephanie Doute, CAE, Executive Director
League of Women Voters of California
LWVC's Criminal Justice Committee
LWVC adopted a new position on Criminal Justice at
last years's state convention. The position represents best practices
that provide enhanced transparency and accountability, save lives, and
foster trust between communities and the various levels of the justice
system. The position came about thanks to a statewide committee of
League members which looked at positions from other state and local
leagues, and did extensive research and interviews. That group
continues to work on criminal justice issue. Members meet monthly and
shares resources and ideas on a broad list of topics in the LWVC
Criminal Justice Reform Google Discussion Group.
One key area of focus this year has been on the implementation of AB
392 (Use of Force), which went into effect on January 1, 2020. The new
law changes the standard for use-of-force policy from "reasonable" to
"necessary". Local Leagues are encouraged to work in coalition with
other community organizations to engage their elected officials and law
enforcement to ensure the implementation of this new standard in their
local communities. If your League is interested in working on this, and
other CJ areas, contact the Committee by emailing criminaljustice@lwvc.org.
Congratulations to our League Member Pauline Weaver the newly elected
Secretary of the American Bar Association
Pauline A. Weaver, past President and long-time member of the League
of Women Voters, has been elected Secretary of the American Bar
Association. She takes office for a three-year term at the end of the
(virtual) Annual Meeting in August, 2020. The ABA is largest voluntary
association of lawyers in the world. As the national voice of the legal
profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice,
promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work,
accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to
build public understanding around the world of the importance of the
rule of law.
Originally from England, Pauline came to the U.S. at the age of
eleven and moved to Memphis. She is a graduate of the University of
Memphis BA 1971 and Humphreys School of Law 1979. After passing the
State Bar of California in 1980, she became a Public Defender in Alameda
County and worked there until 2011. She then opened her own firm
concentrating on criminal defense with a large pro bono practice.
She is a past president of California Women Lawyers. In addition, she
is past president and co-founder of the National Conference of Women's
Bar Associations and a co-founder of the Association of Women Attorneys
(Memphis, TN). She is the recipient of the Judith Soley Lawyer as
Citizen Award from CWL. She was also a vice president of the California
State Bar Board of Governors.
Pauline has worked for years as an advocate for health and human
services for all of her home-town citizens (Fremont, CA). In May 2019,
she was honored as a longtime advocate for affordable housing in
California by having a low income, senior residential center named after
her - Pauline Weaver Senior Apartments in Fremont. She has been on the
Eden Housing Board of Directors since joining in 1988. Recently, she
participated in Fremont's first Emerging Leaders Program - a two-day
retreat on Racial Equality Leadership. The breadth of her work and
commitment also is demonstrated by her being a founding member of
Interfaith Women of Peace, a group which works in the community for
understanding and peaceful interaction among different religious faiths.
She has traveled twice to the Military Commission Hearings (Khalid
Sheikh Mohammed and four co-defendants) at Guantanamo, Cuba as an
observer for the ABA. Pauline has received numerous awards for her
legal and civic work, including the ABA's Nelson Award in 2013 which
recognizes outstanding contributions to the ABA by a government or
public sector lawyer. Previously, she has been honored for her work by
being named a "Woman of Achievement" by Alameda County and was 1988
"Woman of the Year" in the 19th Assembly District.
