April 2021 VOTER - League of Women Voters
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April 2021 VOTER
IN THIS ISSUE:
• President's Letter from Suzan, page 2
• List of Monthly Board and Action-Advocacy Meetings, page 3
• Volunteerism: Our April 22 Community Conversation, page 4
• Kiss the Ground April 21 LWVC panel discussion, page 5
• Healthcare -- the League position and its history, page 6
• Board Briefs from March Meeting, page 8
• Membership Updates and Information, page 9
• Save the Dates! LWVBA Council, LWVDV Annual Meeting, LWVC
Convention, page 9
• LWVDV Board List, page 9
The PDF of this issue is available on the website.
LWVUS Day of Action for Fair
Maps is April 29th! Join the
National Campaign Pep Rally
(more information here).
And watch your email for local
activities on redistricting on the
Day of Action and beyond!
President’s Letter League Leaders and Members: Thoughts about League while reading the news: * Honoring courageous Georgia State Representative Park Cannon, who knocked on the door of the invitation-only bill signing by the Governor. She was there to make her statement about voter suppression included in the bill he was signing. Racism was clearly visible in her mistreatment and arrest in Georgia. Check out LWV.org to learn about national League activism in this current battle to protect our democracy. * It will cost the taxpayers of the state of California $100 million dollars if we must hold a special recall election of our current governor. Another several million will be spent in campaign contributions to candidates running to replace him. Is this our best choice of solutions for the physical health and the economic recovery of our state? Really? We can't wait until 2022 when there is a planned election?? And speaking of elections, our recent program on the Electoral College will be available soon on our YouTube channel. The Electoral College has been structurally defeating the popular vote for President of the United States, as happened in the 2016 election. We highly recommend this expert discussion on its current status and past history. * The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) is a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill passed by the 117th United States Congress and signed by President Biden. You may know friends, neighbors, and family members who have benefits coming from this plan. Do you know what is in the plan for our nation, our state, and Contra Costa County, and how the ARP can constructively help all of us recover from the pandemic? Watch our LWVDV website for more detailed information on this plan. You can also search the Internet for the details of the ARP, then share the details with those who may benefit from it. LWV Diablo Valley April 2021 VOTER 2
It is still the LWVDV Observer Corps that we recommend to all who want to
learn about the pending decisions of our cities, school districts, and our county on
how to allocate the ARP dollars received as a one-time opportunity to fund creative
new solutions. (Be sure to keep up on their reports on our Observer Corps
webpage!)
The same is true for the county sales tax, Measure X, that impacts all our local
communities by providing longer term revenue to design
and deliver solutions for our social safety net programs. Do
you have knowledge of tested successful model programs
that you would like to see come to fruition in our
communities including Racial Equity and Social
Justice? Now is the time to speak up about these model
program opportunities. They are essential to implementing
lasting change.
Your volunteerism is welcome any time with our LWVDV. Sign up online
to become a member or donate to help us keep working to keep you informed.
Yours in League,
Suzan
CALENDAR
MONTHLY MEETINGS
All meetings are online.
Board meetings are on Zoom*; Action/Advocacy meetings are on Google
Meet.
Saturday, Apr. 3, 10:00 - noon Action/Advocacy Committee
Thursday, Apr 8, 10:00 - noon Board Meeting
Saturday, May 1, 10:00 - noon Action/Advocacy Committee
Thursday, May 13, 6:30 - 8:30 pm Board Meeting
*To participate in a Zoom meeting, leave a message with your email address on
our email or on the office phone (925-283-2235) and the meeting link will be
sent to you.
LWV Diablo Valley April 2021 VOTER 3
We have the ability to step up and work with others to address many of Contra
Costa's open and pressing needs. Join in our next Community Conversation via
Zoom to hear from a panel of experts about our communities' issues, learn how
several organizations engage volunteers, and ask your questions on how you
can help deliver important services in a post-Covid era.
The League of Women Voters of Diablo Valley and the Contra Costa County
Library invite you to a Zoom presentation, “Volunteerism: Contra Costa Needs
You” on Thursday, April 22 at 4:00 pm. Kristin Connelly, president of the East
Bay Leadership Council is the moderator. Panelists include Supervisor Diane
Burgis, social and environmental justice activist Marti Roach, Sandra Scherer
from the Monument Crisis Center, Elaine Kociolek from Project Second Chance,
and Carla Lehn, who will explain the online Volunteer Match service.
LWV Diablo Valley April 2021 VOTER 4
Volunteers are important assets to our Contra Costa County
communities. During COVID, volunteers have been essential in helping our
neighbors distribute and receive food, and in providing support and essential
services. Post-COVID, volunteers are critical to building trust, strengthening our
neighborhoods, advancing climate justice, and securing an equitable social
safety net for everyone. This panel discussion will highlight volunteer
opportunities and organizations that connect individuals with groups seeking
volunteers as we endeavor to rebuild our communities and support our
neighbors.
Questions from the audience will be taken early by email at
Program@LWVDV.org. During the presentation, questions may be submitted
through the Zoom Q&A feature.
Register to receive log-in instructions here.
Program will be available on YouTube later:
https://www.youtube.com/c/leagueofwomenvotersofdiablovalley
and https://www.youtube.com/user/theccclib
The movie Kiss the Ground has generated a lot of hope in fighting climate
change. Hear from experts how different agriculture practices can not only
reduce water use and improve soil health, but even sequester carbon. The
virtual panel discussion on April 21 at 12:00 - 1:15 pm is hosted by LWV
California's Food, Soil and Ag Team. For more information, see the flyer, and
register here. Participants are encouraged to watch the film (free on Netflix,
or $1 on Vimeo) before the event.
LWV Diablo Valley April 2021 VOTER 5
THE LEAGUE’S POSITION ON HEALTH CARE
Marian Shostrom and Pat Snyder, Co-Chairs, Health Care Issues
HISTORY
In 1990, LWVUS undertook a two-year study of the funding and delivery of health
care in the United States. Phase 1 studied the delivery and policy goals; Phase 2
focused on health care financing and administration. LWVUS announced its final
health care position in April 1993. The 2016 Convention updated the position by
concurrence to include behavioral health. The Meeting Basic Human
Needs position also addresses access to health care.
The League has actively participated in the health care debate since 1993. LWV
Education Fund was involved in a major citizen education effort in 1994. LWVUS
joined other organizations to successfully urge Congress to pass bipartisan child
health care legislation (CHIP) in 1997. The League opposed the Medicare
Prescription Drug bill (signed by the President in 2003), because of provisions that
undermined universal coverage in Medicare. The League has supported
implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) at the state level, and expansion
of the Medicaid program under the ACA. The League has fought attempts to repeal
the ACA and to limit provisions that provide health and reproductive services for
women. Following the 2018 election, the League urged congressional leadership to
pursue an agenda that ensures that the best health and health care are equally
accessible and affordable to all in the 116th session of Congress (2019-2021).
The LWVUS publication Impact on Issues, 2020-2022 contains the complete
background and text of both of the relevant positions (the Health Care position is
on p.129-134 and the Meeting Basic Human Needs position is on p. 136). The LWV
California website includes them as separate webpages.
Below is a summary of the League’s Health Care Position.
GOALS
• A basic level of quality health care at an affordable cost should be available to
all U.S. residents.
• Other policy goals should include the equitable distribution of services,
efficient and economical delivery of care, advancement of medical research
and technology, and a reasonable total national expenditure level for health
care.
BASIC LEVEL OF QUALITY CARE
Every U.S. resident should have access to a basic level of care that includes:
LWV Diablo Valley April 2021 VOTER 6• Prevention of disease
• Health promotion and education
• Primary care (including prenatal and reproductive health)
• Acute care
• Long-term care
• Mental health care (including mental illness and substance use disorder),
including needed medications and supportive service that is integrated with,
and achieves parity with, physical health care
Under any system of health care reform, consumers/patients should be permitted to
purchase services or insurance coverage beyond the basic level.
FINANCING AND ADMINISTRATION
The League supports:
• A national health insurance plan financed through general
taxes (commonly known as the “single payer approach”) in
place of individual insurance premiums.
• Administration of the U.S. health care system either by:
o A combination of the private and public sectors, or
o A combination of federal, state, and/or regional
government agencies
The League is opposed to:
• A strictly private market-based model of financing the health care system
• The administration of the health care system solely by the private sector or the
states
As the U.S. moves toward a national health insurance plan, an employer-based
system of health care reform that provides universal access is acceptable to the
League.
TAXES AND COST CONTROL
The League supports increased taxes to finance a basic level of health care for all U.S.
residents, provided health care reforms contain effective cost control strategies.
LWV Diablo Valley April 2021 VOTER 7EQUITY ISSUES
The League believes that health care services could be more equitably distributed by:
• Allocating medical resources to underserved areas
• Providing for training health care professionals in needed fields of care
• Standardizing basic levels of service for publicly-funded health care programs
• Requiring insurance plans to use community rating (no variation based on age,
medical history, tobacco use, occupation, etc.) instead of experience rating (an
applicant or group's medical history and claims experience is taken into
consideration when premiums are determined).
• Establishing insurance pools for small businesses and organizations
ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES
The League believes that the ability of a patient to pay for services should not be a
consideration in the allocation of health care resources.
Board Briefs for March 2020
At its meeting on March 11, the Board approved:
• A letter to the Board of Supervisors and to cities with district
elections, regarding the redistricting process.
• Creating an informational video about LWVDV, in response to the invitation
of the county Elections Department and CCTV to showcase LWVDV as a
grant recipient during the 2020 election season.
The Board received reports on:
• The Legislative Interviews with state legislators.
• Bay Area League Day on Equity in Action.
• The Observer Team, the Civil Discourse Team, and the Communications
Team, as well as the Community Outreach activities.
• Upcoming meetings planned by the Programs Team.
• The progress of revising the bylaws in preparation for Annual Meeting.
The Board also discussed joining with other Leagues in a Healthcare Caucus at the
LWV California Convention in June, in an effort to include Healthcare as a state
priority.
Membership Updates and Information
LWV Diablo Valley April 2021 VOTER 8Welcome new members Emily Hopkins, Jill Elliott, and Melissa Brown
Sladden!
If you have an April membership anniversary, watch for your renewal
reminder. We need you, so please renew!
If you have been a League member for 50 years or more, you are a Life Member. Life
Members do not pay dues. Contact Membership Chair Cathleen Kirk
(membership@lwvdv.org) to upgrade your status!
Membership: Join Us or Renew!
Sign up online or send a check to the address at the end of this Voter.
Membership is not based on ability to pay. To request dues assistance, please
email membership@lwvdv.org, or call the League office at (925) 283-2235 and request a
callback from the Membership Chair.
$80 Individual Membership
$115 Family Membership (2 members)
$35 Additional Family Membership
$10 Student Membership
(LWVDV is a 501(c)3 organization. Dues and donations to LWVDV are tax-deductible.
Tax ID number supplied on request -- call the LWVDV office at 925-283-2235.)
SAVE THE DATES!
Every member can participate -- contact us to learn how!
LWV Bay Area Council, Saturday, May 1st
LWVDV Annual Meeting, Saturday, May 22nd
LWV California Convention, week of June 7th
LWVDV Board Members:
Suzan Requa, President, Voter Service Co-Chair
Shawn Gilbert, First Vice President
Karen Dolder, Secretary, Office Manager
Paul Derksen, Treasurer
Mary Schreiber, Action/Advocacy
Ann Flynn, Meetings Co-Chair
Diane Bianchi, Meetings Co-Chair
Cathleen Kirk, Membership Chair
Martha Goralka, Voter Service Co-Chair
Sue Brandy, At-Large Director
Janet Hoy, At-Large Director
Melanie Speir, At-Large Director
LWV of Diablo Valley
500 St. Mary’s Road, Lafayette, CA 94549
LWV Diablo Valley April 2021 VOTER 9925-283-2235 lwvdv@lwvdv.org Voter Published monthly except July and December Editor: Leslie Stewart LWV Diablo Valley April 2021 VOTER 10
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