January 2023 VOTER - League of Women Voters
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January 2023 VOTER Participate in a virtual January 6 vigil! When: Friday, January 6th 5:30-6:30pm Where: Register online via Zoom You are invited to join the League of Women Voters of Berkeley, Albany, Emeryville – and Leagues throughout California – for an evening to never forget the insurrection on January 6, 2021 and to take action. Come in the spirit of community building on this day of remembrance and learn what the League of Women Voters has done with its partners to defend our democracy, as we rededicate ourselves to the hard work ahead and start early to prepare for 2024. This event will feature LWVUS CEO Virginia Kase Solomón, who has become a tireless leader on the national stage, fighting for our democratic freedoms using advocacy, coalition building, direct action, litigation and more. Image credit: Tyler Merbler, Wikimedia Commons
IN THIS ISSUE:
• Leaders' Letter
• Action/Advocacy News: Letter to the Editor, Legislative Interviews (act
now!)
• Voter Service Wrap-up: Congratulations!
• January Happy Hour (virtual)
• Sustainable Groundwater webinar, January 18
• Public Meetings (Brown Act) webinar, January 31
• Save the Date: February Community Conversations, February 16
• Update: Health Care Costs Rising in 2023
• Observer report: The Board of Supervisors discusses "White Supremacy"
• Save the Date: LWVC Convention, San Francisco, May 19-21
• Board Briefs from November Meeting (no December meeting)
• Membership Updates and Information
• List of Monthly Board, Social, and Action-Advocacy Meetings
• LWVDV Board List
The PDF of this issue is available on the website.
Leaders' Letter
Happy New Year to League Leaders and Members!
2023 is here! The start of a new year is typically a time for
reflection and for setting goals for the year ahead. Our League
“year” begins in July, so here are some of the things we
accomplished over the past six months.
In July and August, our incoming Leadership Team got
organized for the year ahead, planning and preparing for our
activities leading up to the midterm elections. We initiated our Coffee and Happy Hours,
an opportunity to get to know our fellow members in a social setting.
September and October were an intense, but very successful, period of election-related
webinars, Pros & Cons presentations, candidate forums and roundtables – the focus of
our continuing commitment to Make Democracy Work.
We also made two very successful and well-received presentations on Civic Engagement
and the challenges of Mis- and Disinformation, with more presentations and resources
being developed for the months ahead.
LWVDV Voter January 2023 2
November was the culmination of our election-related efforts, with several of our
members participating on the Contra Costa Election Observer Panel and working the
polling places throughout the county on Election Day. Late November and December
were both a time of rest and a regrouping for the work ahead, continuing the efforts of
our Action/Advocacy, Voter Services, Communications, Observer Corps, and Civic
Engagement committees, as well as conducting new member orientations.
You may not be aware that the LWVUS has a team of
League members who act as citizen-lobbyists on Capitol
Hill - the League Lobby Corps! The Lobby Corps
actively lobbies members of Congress and their staffs to
promote League interests.
In 2022, the Lobby Corps focus was on:
• Removing the deadline for passage of the ERA,
• Advancing the Disclose Act, which would amend
the Federal Election Campaign Act to provide for additional disclosure
requirements for Super PACs and other organizations (thereby eliminating so-
called "secret money"),
• Youth Voting Rights, and
• Supporting the Expanding the Vote Act, which expands the availability of election
materials in multiple languages.
In 2023, the main areas of focus for the Lobby Corps will be presented to the LWVUS
Board for approval and will likely be:
• Voting Rights Reforms -- the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
• Reforming Campaign Finance -- the Disclose Act
• Protect DC (a stand for DC statehood)
• Redistricting (lowest priority, as much was accomplished in 2022)
We will keep you updated on the progress of the work of the Lobby Corps!
Looking ahead, January starts a new legislative session for our government and our
League will have legislative interviews coming up (see the Action/Advocacy article
below). In February, we have scheduled our date for the next General Membership
meeting for Saturday, February 11, 2023, from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm. This will
be a Zoom meeting, primarily focused on LWV Diablo Valley’s Program
Priorities for our 2023-24 year as well as those for LWV California for 2023-
25. Please SAVE THE DATE and be on the lookout for emails with more
information about this important meeting. We need your ideas!
Thank you for your support!
Anne Granlund, President
Sue Brandy and Janet Hoy, Co-Vice Presidents
LWVDV Voter January 2023 3
LWVDV ACTION-ADVOCACY NEWS:
ADVOCACY for FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS
The LWVDV Board approved and sent a Letter to the Editor of the East Bay Times that
was published on December 22, 2022.
Dear Editor:
It is troubling to learn that in the 2022 San Ramon Valley Unified School District election,
according to your December 16th article, “Campaign Tricks Cited ... in Election”, a
disinformation effort may have influenced the outcome of that
contest. The article reported fabricated information used to
attack one candidate.
In the current environment of anonymous “publishers,” the
League of Women Voters Diablo Valley encourages voters to
consistently verify sources. Disinformation deprives us of free and fair elections,
prevents voters from having accurate information with which to make decisions, and
creates distrust in representative government. It is important that voters stay vigilant
and alert to honesty and truth in election information. Information about spotting and
stopping mis- and disinformation can be found on our website lwvdv.org.
Anne Granlund
President, League of Women Voters Diablo Valley
LWVDV will continue to advocate for free and fair elections, and against dis- and
misinformation. The next Action-Advocacy Meeting is January 28, 2022, from
10 am - Noon. If you want a Zoom link to the meeting, email action-
advocacy@lwvdv.org.
LEGISLATIVE INTERVIEWS
Each year, LWVDV members participate in interviews with our local
state representatives (or a legislative staff member) at the request of
LWVC. The interviews help LWVC plan its advocacy efforts. Topics
that LWVC wants to learn about this year include the voter
participation gap in youth and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of
Color) communities, equitable funding in education, and water issues, as well as the top
priorities of the legislator.
The interviews (usually 30-60 minutes) must be completed by late
February. This is an excellent opportunity for LWVDV members to learn about issues
and local legislators. Attending a Zoom legislative interview is a great experience. State
Legislators for LWVDV are: AD 15: Tim Grayson; AD 16: Rebecca Bauer-Kahan; AD 11:
Lori Wilson; SD 3: Bill Dodd; SD 7: Steve Glazer.
LWVDV Voter January 2023 4
If you want to know more about LWVC Legislative Interviews, please email action-
advocacy@lwvdv.org, and sign up to attend one of these Town Halls:
• January 05, 2023, Thursday at 6 PM - Register here.
• January 07, 2023, Saturday at 10 AM - Register here.
Mary Schreiber and Marian Shostrom, Co-Chairs
Congratulations!
Now that the mid-term elections are over, things are quiet with Voter Services.
However, we want to congratulate three of our members for
completing the County Election Observer (CEO) program this
month. Congratulations to Paul Derksen, Patti Bittenbender, and
Renee Zeimer! We are proud of each of you. This is the second
cadre that the county trained. They were each recognized at the last
Board of Supervisors
meeting. In addition, Paul served as an observer for the election
recounts that were done for the extremely close Richmond and
Antioch city council elections.
Lastly, we want to extend a big congratulations to Debi Cooper,
who is retiring as our county Clerk-Recorder. Thank you, Debi, for
all of your years of service to the community! We wish you the
best in your new adventures.
Photos by Shawn Gilbert
League Happy Hour, Virtually
Wednesday, January 11th
4:00-5:00pm
Topic -- San Ramon Unified School District
campaigns and George Santos: A discussion about
how to spot and stop election-
related disinformation.
Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84924513878
LWVDV Voter January 2023 5
“Sustainable Groundwater in California: The Challenges
Ahead”
Paul Gosselin, Deputy Director of Sustainable Groundwater Management,
California Department of Water Resources
Wednesday, January 18th, 2023, 4:00 p.m. (Zoom, YouTube livestream)
Please join the League of Women Voters of Piedmont on Wednesday,
January 18, 2023, at 4:00 p.m. to hear Paul Gosselin from the
California Department of Water Resources talk about sustainable
groundwater management in California. Learn about how California is
implementing the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA)
and adjusting to climate change, while trying to balance agriculture’s
pressing water needs.
The talk will be held live on Zoom and YouTube streaming and will include an audience
question and answer session. Please visit the LWV Piedmont website to learn more about
the series and register for the event. Once you have registered, you will receive the Zoom
link by email. The event is free and open to the public.
This event is co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters Solano County and Piedmont
Connect.
Know Your Rights: California Public Meetings
Jan. 31, 2023, Tuesday, 12:00-1:00 PM Pacific Time
Hosted by the League of Women Voters of California, the First
Amendment Coalition’s open-government experts will provide
an in-depth presentation on your rights to access public
meetings in California. The presentation will be 45 minutes,
reserving 15 minutes at the end of the hour for questions.
The presentation will focus on the Ralph M. Brown Act’s open-meeting requirements for
local legislative bodies, including recent law changes that affect teleconferencing and
decorum rules.
The session will cover your right to give public comment and what restrictions
government bodies can place on the public; what government business can be done
behind closed doors; common complaints from members of the public about accessing
and participating in meetings; and where First Amendment speech protections intersect
with the government’s ability to manage proceedings.
Register here. Please share this invitation! Everyone is welcome.
LWVDV Voter January 2023 6
Measure X: Living Up to the Promise?
It has been two years since voters passed Measure X in
November 2020, a new county-wide sales tax to
support health and human services for our local
neighbors and families. How is the Board of
Supervisors providing accountability to the public
about the impact of the tax monies? What did we learn
from this first year of sales tax allocations? What does
this mean for the future?
Join us on Thursday, February 16, at 4:00 pm as Shanelle Scales-Preston, Mayor of
Pittsburg, moderates a discussion with
• John Gioia, Supervisor, District 1
• Marianna Moore, Chair, Measure X Community Advisory Board (MXCAB)
• Kanwarpal Dhaliwal, Co-Director, RYSE
• Dan Geiger, Contra Costa Budget Justice Coalition
We'll learn about the decisions for the first year’s Measure X allocations -- what was
funded, as analyzed by MXCAB, and what are the gaps still remaining. Other topics will
include changes to the MXCAB bylaws and any barriers encountered in the first year.
Sign-up information for this event will be available soon on the LWVDV
website and Contra Costa Library website. Save the Date and watch for more updates!
Image credit: Ismael Paramo on Unsplash
HEALTH CARE COSTS WILL RISE IN 2023
Covered California 2023
Starting in 2023, health care premium rates will increase by 6% for people
buying insurance under Covered California — the state’s version of the
health insurance exchange created under the Affordable Care Act.
Along with higher premiums, deductibles and copays are set to rise,
imposing a significant burden on California’s working class, reports Mark
Kreidler. Only state-level intervention is likely to prevent runaway bills
that many families cannot afford.
https://capitalandmain.com/state-intervention-is-needed-to-protect-californians-from-
runaway-medical-bills
The deductible for an individual silver plan will increase by more than $1,000, to $4,750.
The maximum out of pocket expense for an individual sees a similar hike, to a high of
$9,500. A family’s maximum out of pocket expenses can climb to $17,500. Copayments
for primary care visits on silver plans will rise to $45, while a visit to a specialist will
become an $85 expense on January 1, 2023.
LWVDV Voter January 2023 7
The County Board of Supervisors and “White Supremacy”
League observers sometimes watch some interesting exchanges as elected officials carry
out their business. An example is this intense discussion of the term “white supremacy”
included in LWVDV observer Mary Schreiber’s report on the October 25, 2022, meeting
of the County Board of Supervisors.
The agenda item was to “Consider accepting report and recommendations related to
establishing a new County office titled ‘Office of Racial Equity
and Social Justice’ (ORESJ).” Several members of the Core
Committee presented a summary of the report. Supervisors
Gioia and Glover are on the Core Committee.
Supervisor Andersen and Chair Mitchoff objected to the term
"white supremacy" in the report [see excerpt below]. Supervisor
Gioia gave background of the reasoning for use of the term,
using the example of segregation in Richmond that he
described in his introductory remarks. Supervisor Andersen
stated that she sees segregation as an historic occurrence and is
not occurring now.
There was heated discussion between Chair Mitchoff and Supervisor Gioia. During
public comment, members of the public expressed distress about the argument between
the Supervisors and perceived meaning of "white supremacy". They requested that
supervisors look at their own biases and consider the perspectives of the community.
There were at least 50 public speakers, many in the Board chambers and others by Zoom
or phone.
Supervisors' discussion: Changes to language were discussed by the Supervisors. Chair
Mitchoff said she learned a lot about what the term "white supremacy" means to the
community represented by the committee. Supervisor Gioia proposed a motion to
receive the report with the understanding that the language of the definition of "white
supremacy" will be added in parentheses after the term by the Core Committee. Passed
5-0.
Excerpt from Introduction in ORESJ Report:
Contra Costa County is in the unceded Me-wok and Karkin territories. It is home to many social
justice movement leaders, activists, and organizations. There is a rich history of organizing
across multiple movements and generations. Contra Costa County is also home to an entrenched
culture of white supremacy, including - surveillance, under-resourcing, and exploitation of Black,
Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. This culture is too often felt, expressed,
and allowed within and by County governance and departments. [emphasis added] The
pandemic and racial reckoning of 2020 have exposed and amplified the insidiousness of white
supremacy and racial inequity within our county’s health, mental health, education, criminal legal,
social service, child welfare, and other systems. These events have amplified both the resistance
to and demand for radical transformation in our County systems. In November 2020, the Contra
Costa County Board of Supervisors authorized the development of an Office of Racial Equity and
Social Justice (ORESJ) that would be informed by and launched after a community engagement
process. The goal of the ORESJ is to enact and sustain principles, policies, practices, and
LWVDV Voter January 2023 8
investments that are racially just and equitable across all of its departments and divisions. [. . .
.] See https://native-land.ca/ for more information.
Save the Date!
LWV California
Convention
in San Francisco!
May 19-21
Hyatt Regency
Downtown
Registration opens on
March 1, 2023. The
website for Convention
information is here.
Board Briefs for November 2022
At the Board meeting on November 10, the Board:
• Heard that LWVDV provided a video that was used by the Board of Supervisors
on November 1 to “lead” the Pledge of Allegiance.
• Discussed the fundraising card to be mailed later in the month.
• Reviewed election activities and highlights, and heard from Diane Bianchi and
Shawn Gilbert about their experiences as election observers.
• Received a report on the success of the presentations and activities on
mis/disinformation.
• Heard an account by Mary Schreiber, who observes the Board of Supervisors,
regarding the discussion and vote on the new County Office of Racial Equity and
Social Justice.
• Learned that Legislative Interviews this spring will probably be virtual.
• Was reminded that the LWV CA Convention will be in San Francisco from May
18-21, and discussed plans for Program Planning to provide input for the
Convention.
There was no Board meeting in December.
LWVDV Voter January 2023 9
Membership Updates and Information
Welcome new members Mary Dodge, Susan Harris, Mackenzie Hoey,
Cynthia Kaczmarek, Laurinda Ochoa, and William Smith!
If you have a January 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
$120 Family Membership (2 members)
$40 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.)
CALENDAR
MONTHLY MEETINGS
All meetings are virtual at this time, usually on Zoom*, except for social hours which are
in-person when the weather is good.
Wednesday, Jan. 11, 4:00 pm Happy Hour
Thursday, Jan. 12, 7:00 pm Board Meeting
Saturday, Jan. 28, 10:00 - noon Action/Advocacy Committee
Wednesday, Feb. 8, 9:00 am Coffee Hour
Thursday, Feb. 9, 7:00 pm Board Meeting
Saturday, Feb. 25, 10:00 - noon Action/Advocacy Committee
*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.
LWVDV Voter January 2023 10LWVDV Board Members (through June):
Anne Granlund, President
Sue Brandy, Co-Vice President
Janet Hoy, Co-Vice President
Karen Dolder, Secretary, Office Manager
Paul Derksen, Treasurer
Mary Schreiber, Action/Advocacy
Diane Bianchi, Community Conversations Co-Chair
Cathleen Kirk, Membership Chair
Shawn Gilbert, Voter Service Co-Chair
Martha Goralka, Voter Service Co-Chair
Melanie Speir, Civic Engagement Chair
The League of Women Voters
of Diablo Valley
Voter
Published monthly except
July and December
Editor: Leslie Stewart
Current/past issues are posted on our website.
Our Mission: Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy.
LWV is an organization fully committed to diversity, equity and inclusion in
principle and in practice.
LWVDV Voter January 2023 11The League of Women Voters of Diablo Valley 500 St. Mary’s Road, Lafayette, CA 94549 925-283-2235 lwvdv@lwvdv.org LWVDV Voter January 2023 12
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