The Sacramento Voter APRIL 2022
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April 2022
The Sacramento Voter
APRIL 2022
President’s Message
Contents Making Democracy Work in an Election Year
1-President’s
Message At our February Program Planning meeting, the LWVSC agreed to continue its support of the
Easy Voter Guide Making Democracy Work® program advanced by the League of Women Voters US. This
New Members program, which includes ongoing LWVUS work on voting rights, improving elections,
ERA money in politics, and redistricting, will focus the League’s nationwide efforts for fiscal years
2-Profiles 2022-23 and 2023-24.
Housing
The LWVSC also agreed on a local program to propose at our Annual Meeting on May 21.
3-Units Called Making Democracy Work in an Election Year, this proposed program would focus on
Forums election-related efforts that make democracy work: Voter Registration and Education,
Criminal Justice mtg Candidate and Issue Forums, and Voter’s Edge. It would prioritize initiatives to improve
4-Black History democracy, such as Ranked Choice Voting, Good Governance Advocacy, and Diversity,
Pro-housing Equity & Inclusion. The proposed program would support our ongoing policy committees -
History Day Criminal Justice, Homelessness and Housing, and Climate Change interest group. We
5-In Memory propose establishing a Future Leaders interest group to encourage civic participation and
6-Democracy leadership among youth. At the Annual Meeting, we will ask members to approve this local
Pop-up coffees program for the 2022-23 fiscal year.
7-Voter Registration
8-Voter Registration With the upcoming California Primary Election on June 7, the LWVSC has already begun to
9-Immigration
mobilize its efforts to register voters and educate them about Sacramento County’s election
process, including election security protections. Check your email for opportunities to
State Seal
volunteer or contact Voter Services leader Marge Patzer-Hall for more information.
10-Voter’s Edge
Earth Day To help voters make educated decisions about candidates for local office, the LWVSC
Census sponsors or co-sponsors candidate forums where candidates can present their positions on
Justice local issues. Nonpartisan LWVSC moderators are experienced in leading informative and
Freedom issue-focused events. See page three of this newsletter for Forum times and locations. For
11-ComHom more information, or to volunteer, contact Advocacy Director Paula Lee.
SD homeless
12-Earth Day Let’s each do our part to make democracy work. Volunteer now for the June 7 Primary and
Arbor Day be ready for the November 8th General Election. Help improve democracy, support League
policies locally, and develop leaders for the future. Find your place in the League!
By President B Main
Easy Voter Guide for June 2022
Take Action: Tell your Senators to Support the Equal Rights
Beginning Monday, April 4, 2022 you Amendment!
can download the June 2022 EVG in
English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, This country has waited too long for the Equal Rights Amendment
and Korean. E Heaser (ERA) to become a part of the Constitution. Over 100 years after
(some) women gained the right to vote, women and nonbinary people
are still not guaranteed equality under the law. Inequality weakens us as
Welcome New Members a nation. The ERA is for every American, regardless of gender identity
or sex.
Maria Madril
Sherry Painter Urge your senators to support legislation to remove the ERA’s
Grace Pak ratification timeline today. By P Lee
1
April 2022
2022-2023 Profiles - Doris and Inga Olson
Contact Us
League of Women Voters Doris and Inga Olson are a dynamic mother/daughter team who have been League
Sacramento County members for many years.
921 11th Street Suite 700
Sacramento, CA 95814
916-447-8683 Doris has been a member for over 35 years including many years as a Suffragist
lwvsacramento.org Club member. Always a concerned and socially aware citizen, she joined because of
lwvs@lwvsacramento.org the League's focus on educating voters on the issues and inspiring people to get
Board of Directors Officers involved in government and their local community.
Brenda Main, President
Claudia Bonsignore, Doris’ involvement was the catalyst for Inga to join. Inga was bringing her mother
1st Vice-President to the Suburban Unit meeting and was inspired by the group of women she met
Theresa Riviera, 2nd Vice-President there. In 2018, when Stephon Clark was shot and killed by the police, the League
Terri Colosimo, Secretary
Suzi Bakker, Treasurer provided Inga guidance and opportunities to channel her anger and grief. It was at
this time she became more involved in League activities, particularly with the
Directors Criminal Justice Committee.
Dolores Delgado Campbell,
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Carol Enns, Communications Doris was born in Berkeley and married to Erling for 59 years, has four children,
Claudia Bonsignore, assisting with eight grandchildren and many great grandchildren. Doris earned her teaching
Membership credential as soon as her children were in school. She began teaching elementary
Paula Lee, Advocacy school for the San Juan School District in Sacramento, later she worked in Special
Brenda Main, Observer Corps Education and became a Resource Specialist and an administrator. Doris taught
Norma Nelson, Criminal Justice
Joan Normington classes for educators at CSUS. She went on sabbatical to obtain her master’s degree
Marge Patzer, Voter Services but before finishing she was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to spend six weeks in
India.
Off Board Leads
Patricia Pavone, LWVC Children’s
Roundtable Inga was born in San Jose but spent her childhood in Sacramento. Inga is currently
Claudia Bonsignore, Budget single and has co-raised children for many years in collectives. Inga practices
Committee qigong and relies on traditional Chinese practices for most of her medical needs. She
Nancy Compton, chair, Nominating has had a long and varied professional life. She was hired at PG&E under
Committee affirmative action in a nontraditional job and finished her career there leading the
The Voter
Vacant, editor executive development program for officer succession planning candidates. While at
Eileen Heaser, publisher PG&E she took a leave of absence to accept a Jesse Unruh fellowship and worked
for Speaker pro tem Fred Keeley. Following her work at the Capitol, she worked for
Social media five years at Tri-Valley Communities Against a Radioactive Environment helping
Carol Enns, Webmaster
Karen Redman, Facebook monitor the Lawrence Livermore Nuclear Weapons Development Laboratory. She
Hazel Bergtholdt, Twitter returned to Sacramento and worked for the State of California for a decade and
Lana Wong, Instagram simultaneously was Chief Steward for her Unit and Chair of the Statewide Lavender
Suzi Bakker, Flickr Caucus in the Service Employees International Union.
Meredith Whisman,
YouTube LWVSC
Inga and Doris are past LWVSC Board members. Inga represents the League on the
Web sites to check for League news Water Forum, a collaborative between business, water purveyors, environmentalists,
LWVC.org and the public that will negotiate water use on the Lower American River. Inga now
LWV.org cares for her mother in the family home, birthdays are simple ... Inga and Doris
——————————————— share the same birthday!
LWVSC Board meets the second By W Weinland
Thursday of the month.
Housing
2022:4/14, 5/12
Sacramento City Express 2/28/22. “Safe ground in Sacramento: Lessons
learned and applied to new Miller Park site.” “It replaces the City’s first
temporary safe ground site, which opened in April 2021 near the I-80
Articles for The Voter freeway between W and X streets and closed earlier this month.
Members are encouraged to write
articles relevant to LWV issues, word The lessons learned from the W/X safe ground already are being applied at
length up to approximately 350 the new site, according to Nick Golling, director of homeless services for
words. Please provide attribution the Department of Community Response.
when appropriate. Email:
eheaserlwv@gmail.com Golling said data from the W/X safe ground prove that the concept can
help people experiencing homelessness by providing safety and stability
and building trust.” By E Heaser
2
April 2022
Unit Organization Meetings Changed to Zoom—see below
Greenhaven Tuesday, 4/12/22, 10:00 a.m. Roseann Kerby 916-392-1267 Mary Daytime Zoom Unit
Land Park Zoom Hopkins 916-422-6958
Outlier’s Folsom Tuesday, 4/12/22, 10:00 a.m. Zoom Nancy Compton 916-600-1992 Daytime Zoom Unit
*Daytime Tuesday, 4/12/22, 10:00 Alice Ginosar Daytime Zoom Unit
a.m. ZOOM 916-545-6015
Zoom Unit
Zoom Units: All Members Invited
Zoom Unit Meeting ID # 717 275 2779 (no password). By C. Enns
Topic for Tuesday, April 12, 2022
To Be Decided.
Candidate Forum Schedule—April & May
--Sacramento City Council District 3 South Natomas: Tuesday, April 5th 6:00-8:00pm
In-Person, Stanford Settlement Neighborhood Center, 450 West El Camino (masks required). Sponsored by
Natomas Buzz online newspaper
--Sacramento City Council Dist. 1 North Natomas: Tuesday, April 26th 6:00-8:00pm. In-Person and live streamed.
Heritage Park Clubhouse (masks required) sponsored by Natomas Buzz online newspaper (as of March 9th
three candidates).
--CalPERS on Zoom: Wednesday, April 27th 12 noon
Contact Charlene Jones chrlnjns125@gmail.com
--Sacramento County District Attorney Forum: Monday, May 9th, 6:30-8:00pm
sponsored by Sierra2 Curtis Park Neighborhood Assn.
In-person and virtual forums have different needs.
If you are interested in participating in candidate forums as a greeter, timer, question sorter, or moderator, send an
email with your interest to forums@lwvsacramento.org. By P Lee
Criminal Justice Meeting
Police Chief Lester is coming to the Friday, April 22 meeting.
Here are all of the Zoom links under “Member Only.” Criminal
Justice Committee (Recurring) https://us02web.zoom.us/
j/7172752779
Meeting ID: 717 275 2779. One tap mobile
+16699006833,,83969009791# US (San Jose)
Dial by your location
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) C Enns
3
April 2022
Black History Month Voter Registration/
Education Event at CSUS 2/26/2022
A voter registration/education event was held at
CSUS on 2/26/2022 with COVID precautions.
We were invited by Viera Johnson of BAPAC.to
attend and share a table at the 34th Annual
Sacramento Black Expo event to honor Black
History Month. It was a great event with music, a
large variety of interesting and fun vendors,
southern food and entertainment. Most of the
attendees were already registered so we shared
voter information with them.
Volunteers included: L DuVal and spouse Ron, L
Ostenberg, C Moon Goldberg, M Quilici, C
Bonsignore and M Patzer.
Photos and narrative by M Patzer
History Day March 2022
The LWVSC annually participates in Sacramento County History Day, an
event involving students from sixth through twelfth grade. The event
celebrates students’ development of research and critical thinking skills
through the study of history. It offers students the opportunity to compete
locally, statewide, and nationally for awards. The Sacramento County
program also awards cash prizes for original history-based projects
centered on the year’s assigned theme. This year’s theme was Debate and
Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, Consequences.
The LWVSC awards a $100 prize in the category of Women’s History for
the project that best exemplifies the history of women or a woman in the
context of the assigned theme. We award this prize to a high school
student/s. Projects include documentaries, websites, podcasts, exhibits,
performances, and essays. Whether they are individual or group projects,
they consistently reflect a high level of skill and creativity.
It is always difficult to choose a winner. In fact, this year LWVSC judges
Claudia Bonsignore and Brenda Main split the award between two
winners, each for writing a well-researched essay. One essay, by
Mythreyee Shankara Narayanan, was titled “The Fight for Rights: Susan B.
Anthony,” the other, by Shruti Sahoo, titled “Diplomacy and Debate:
Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit’s Career.” The essay about Susan B. Anthony
Pro-housing Designation described how she used her speeches and strong speaking skills to
advocate for women’s suffrage and the abolition of slavery in the U.S. The
"Sacramento first city in California to win state Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit essay illuminated the career of a woman who
pro-housing designation for housing-friendly fought stereotypes about women to become a successful diplomat and the
policies," 2/24/22, Sacramento City Express, by first Asian and female President of the United Nations General Assembly.
Public Information Officer. The Pro-housing
Designation Program, run by the California Judging our local History Day event is always a rewarding experience. It is
Department of Housing and Community gratifying to see the talents and achievements of our youth.
Development (HCD), provides incentives to cities By B Main
and counties in the form of additional points or
other preference in the scoring of competitive
housing, community development and
infrastructure programs. this commitment and hopefully show other cities and counties across
California that together, we can do this. These local actions combined with
“Increasing the availability of housing statewide is State funding and guidance will bring in new housing to communities
critical to bettering the quality of life of all while reducing negative impacts on our climate.”
Californians and to ending homelessness,”
Governor Gavin Newsom said. “I’d like to To be eligible for a Pro-housing Designation, a jurisdiction must receive a
commend the efforts of the City of Sacramento to minimum score of 30 on its application – the City of Sacramento attained a
become the first jurisdiction in the state to make score of 64. By E Heaser
4
April 2022
In Memory
Rick (Ricardo) Roy Bettis
07/08/1936—02/12/2022
Rick grew up on the family farm in Escalon with his brother Raymond and parents
Elizabeth and Lester Bettis. After graduating from high school he attended UCB
earning a degree in civil engineering. He was employed by a firm that took him to Iran
where he helped construct dams. Later he moved to Sacramento to work for the
California Dept. of Water Resources and Transportation.
Upon retirement Rick became the consummate volunteer and community advocate. He
attended countless city council meetings and many other groups he supported. Rick
was a founding member of Common Cause and was active with the Sierra Club and at least 13 other organizations, e.g.,
Breathe CA, Mutual Housing, River City Food Bank, Union of Concerned Scientists and more.
Rick was a member of the LWVSC, serving on the Board for many years. He was our Natural Resources Director. He
wrote many informative articles focusing on environmental issues (air pollution air, water, transportation) for this
newsletter. He served with three other members as co-presidents from 2012-13.
By C Jones, H Fargo and J Fuller
Obituary available at The Sacramento Bee 3/13/2022, 9B
For more about Rick Bettis, go to the LWVSC website: history, profiles, and The Voter newsletters archives.
Elegy on Rick Bettis
by Alice Ginosar 2022
He walked the talk:
Concerned about global warming,
He stopped using his car,
He took the bus.
Concerned about justice,
He went to Sacramento County Supervisors’ meetings.
Concerned about voting rights,
He joined the League of Women Voters.
He walked
To represent LWV at hundreds of meetings.
P Lee: Rick was our Natural Resources Chair for many years and also served on the Board for many years until his
health did not permit.
C Bonsignore: He was amazing in his capacity to absorb and report back on issues related to our environment
S Bakker: Rick was an amazing resource for us. He impressed me early and often during our shared time on the Board.
His mental stamina was amazing! An example is an article in the 11/13/20, Voter. page 1.
R Torretto: I could not have been President without him. He was in the office every day handling calls and filling me in
on the background for many issues that came up.
H Bergtholdt: I have such fond memories of being on the LWVS Board with Rick. I loved his smile. The last time I saw
him was at a Sierra Club fundraiser. He was one in a million!
I Olson: Rick had no enemies. He lived his values. Everyone I meet who knew him speaks of Rick with warmth and
respect. Rick was everywhere organizing and I never saw him in a car.
E Heaser: At Board meetings Rick was always prepared to report on the latest meetings he had attended. His attention
to detail and range of interests and knowledge were impressive. Upon occasion he attended the Mid-City unit
bringing members up-to-date on environmental issues. Rick was a humble fellow living a modest life. He spent
time with homeless people visiting their shelters and at times staying with them. We have missed Rick since his
stroke a few years ago.
Continued on page 12
5
April 2022
Making Democracy Work
One important activity in this endeavor is to be acquainted with your state and federal elected representatives. This
article highlights how to contact state representatives and find legislation that is of interest to you. Senators and
Assemblymembers can be located on www.findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov.
Enter your address and click the “Locate” button and their names will appear. Click on the name of your representative
and her/his website will appear. The tabs near the top of each legislator’s website provide information about the
representative, e.g., a biography, map of the district, list of her/his priorities, and information on bills introduced. To
find information about a particular bill, go to www.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Assembly bill numbers start with AB,
Senate bill numbers SB. If you know the bill number, type it in. If you don’t know the bill number, search by topic
using “keywords.”
You can follow bills through the legislative process from www.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. If you are so inclined to
contact your representative about a particular bill, you may first want to find out on which committees your
representative serves. If the bill appears before that committee, you have an opportunity to express your opinion, pro
or con, before that committee hears the bill. Legislators tend to listen best to their own constituents, but you should
always feel free to contact any legislator who will be voting on a bill. It is easy to contact your representative via email
– all email addresses are: first name last name@assembly.ca.gov, or first name last name@senate.ca.gov. If your
preferred bill is not heard in your representative’s committee, s/he will have an opportunity to vote on it when it
reaches the Senate or Assembly floor. www.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov provides information about which committees
will hear the bill and on which dates.
To find detailed information about the legislative process, go to www.counties.org “Overview of California
Legislative Process”.
My hope is that many of you will want to actively participate in making democracy work by being an advocate on
behalf of yourself & your community. With self-serving special interests and paid lobbyists being so prevalent in
politics, it is imperative we hold our elected officials accountable to we, the People.
It is important that you advocate on behalf of yourself as a private citizen and not on behalf of the League or as a
League member, unless approved to do so.
If you have questions or need clarification, please contact Joan Normington at jnatlake@gmail.com.
By J. Normington
Second Pop-Up Coffee Gathering
The second pop-up coffee
gathering for the LWVSC was held
on 3/4/2022 at the home of Marge
Patzer. Eleven members joined in
lively conversations. The events
are an effective way to keep up to
date on what is happening in our
league and join groups that share
your interests.
We plan to hold coffee events in
members’ homes every month
except during the summer. A 30-
cup coffee pot was donated for
future coffee events. The next pop- Left to Right: Diane Vizzard, Colleen Reed, Joyce Rietz, Brenda Main,
up coffee will be announced two Paula Lee, Lynne Goldsmith, Roseanne Chamberlain, Carol Enns, Eileen
weeks prior and posted on the Heaser (behind Carol - missing Suzi Bakker and Marge Patzer, (L to R)
Continued on page 7
LWVSC calendar on our website
by Carol Enns, Communication
Communications Director,
Extraordinaire. April Pop-Up
Roseanne Chamberlain is hosting the next Pop-Up on Friday, April
Item and photos by M. Patzer 8th, 4:00 p.m., wine and appetizers featured. C Enns
6April 2022
Pop-up continued from page 6
Left to Right: P Lee, R
Chamberlain,
E Heaser, C Enns (L to R)
Voter Services Board Report
Sacramento County Department of Voter Registration and Elections (ROV)
Heather Ditty departed as she was promoted to Registrar for San Joaquin County. Karalyn Fox is filling in for Nicole
Callaway Outreach supervisor. We received the swag for our voter events: 100 pens, 100 note pads, 100 lanyards, 72
lens cloths, 50 magnetic clips, 30 red or blue reusable bags and 24 plastic bags. For post office volunteers, we received
17 new holders and 100 more are on order.
Registrar of Voters fieldtrip. Warehouse: N Lapp, D Vizzard, K Bender, O Aguirre. P Lee, A Tufts –staff, MK Williams; K Fox -staff
ROV Tours on April 14 & 17 2022
We were fortunate to have 15 LWVSC members tour the ROV facility with Courtney Bailey-Kanelos, Registrar of
Voters as our guide. We were all impressed with the security of votes and sent our appreciation to Courtney and her
staff.
Comments from Tour participants
C Enns: "The Registrar’s office was interesting. For example, they have a history of our signatures and compare dis-
tinguishing features over time including the tension on the pen. In a ballot processing center, only red pens are al-
lowed so no machine-readable change to ballots is possible. In any area with the ballots, the area is key coded requir-
ing two or more, never one person to enter.”
T Colosimo: The technology is impressive. The online presence and the way voters can interact with the Registrar's
office is something to highlight. We hope ROV can develop a video of the protections provided to the ballots to pro-
vide as a role model.
P Lee: I learned ballot security is priority #1. Transparency is also a priority for our ROV. It is impossible for anyone
that handles ballots to know how anyone voted. The ROV goes to great lengths to count a ballot including calling the
voter and providing an opportunity to fix a problem. The facility is about three times the size I imagined.
Continued on page 8
7April 2022
ROV tours continued from page 7
MK Williams: Voting Center observers make notes during observations. These notes go back to ROV, are read, and
some changes are made based on the observers' feedback.
M Patzer: This year each ballot box will be tracked with a device like the Apple Air Tag. Some people think they can
save the ROV money by mailing two ballots in one envelope. If an envelope is returned with two ballots, the ROV will
contact the sender to get the signature of the person who did not sign. If a voter crosses something out on a ballot, staff
will try to figure out what was meant and contact the voter if needed.
N Lapp: After signatures are verified (which includes contacting all voters where there is a concern about the signa-
ture), the envelopes are opened by machines so that personal information is not connected with an individual’s ballot.
One of the factors for deciding to switch to vote-by-mail was that 2/3 of registered voters in Sacramento County were
already voting by mail (permanent absentee voters).
D Vizzard: The large number of checks before they even open, like weighing the envelopes to be aware of missing
pages or extra ballots and other items in the envelopes. It is an amazing system to handle a monumental task.
C Moon Goldberg: Final vote tabulations are sent via fax to the Secretary of State’s office which are verified verbally
by phone.
ROV
Signature
comparison
machine
Sorter
machine
Photos and narrative by M Patzer
8April 2022
Immigration Update at Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Meeting
Guest speaker Dr. Duane Campbell, CSUS professor emeritus, briefed League members on the topic of immigration
including President Biden’s accomplishments, categories and counts of immigrants and, finally, a recent political
proposal. The presentation comes after the League supported a proposal that the LWVUS increase lobbying efforts for
two years, to address long-time needed immigration reform.
President Biden was able to implement several of his campaign promises, while others need to be addressed by
legislation. He ended: child separation from parents, travel ban on people from Muslim countries, and funding for the
construction of a wall. He restored the DACA program (temporarily, since courts ruled it cannot be permanent without
legislation), Temporary Protected Status for workers (up to 18 months). In addition to these campaign promises, Biden
proposes 125,000 refugees be allowed permanent status or residency (after one year of residency), President Trump
reduced the number to 11,000 per year.
Dr. Campbell reviewed important aspects of the immigration issue. While there is a limit on immigration to 675,000
per year, each country is allowed only 7% of that number or 47,250. For some countries, fewer people desiring to
immigrate to the United States allows their application to be processed in a short time period. For people from other
countries, immigration can take some 20 years, e.g., China - the country with the most immigrant applications to the
United States, and people from India, Mexico and the Philippines.
With respect to asylum seekers, only 10% of applications were accepted last year. While all asylum seekers are
allowed to apply, in practice this is not the case. With other paths to citizenship so backlogged and cumbersome, more
people than appropriate attempt to gain citizenship through the asylum process.
Dr. Campbell noted a recent political platform regarding immigration reform by Congressional candidate Amy Vilela,
from Nevada. A few of these ideas that are food for thought include:
Expand DACA with a full citizenship option
Create a pathway to full citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants already in the country.
End abuses within the immigration system.
Stop interventionist and militaristic foreign policy which has led to the destabilization of countries and led to famine,
hyperinflation and global migration crises.
LWVUS has a strong Immigration position that we have been able to use locally on DACA and ICE issues in the
County. Advocacy Director, Paula Lee, shared some of the LWVUS history of action included in the Impact on Issues
2020-2022 publication. For example:
• Support for the Dream Act for DACA-designated youth & opposed the rescission of DACA policy during the
Trump administration. LWVUS opposed the Securing America’s Future Act in 2018 which would have put
immigrant youth at risk of deportation, separating families at the border and funded a wall. Delegates to the national
convention in Chicago walked out and marched down the street in support of immigrants and their families.
• Support for COVID vaccinations for immigrant populations
• Expand non-discrimination provisions related to the bans on immigrant populations
• Support for census counting of all people in the United States
• Support for family reunification
LWVUS has urged Congress to pass comprehensive reform legislation on immigration that includes a pathway to
citizenship. By C Enns
State Seal of Civic Engagement
Voter Services is mentoring a senior student at St. Francis High School to earn the
State Seal of Civic Engagement for her diploma. The student was trained to register
and pre-register other students. She has the approval of the faculty to arrange voter
registration during lunch hours at the school. She is excited about the opportunity for
civic engagement and registering other students. The student will be joining a
candidate forum. This is a great way to get students engaged. Let Voter Services
know if you are interested in mentoring a student.
By M Patzer
9April 2022
Voter’s Edge
In 2016 the LWVC ended SmartVoter and created www.votersedge.org in
partnership with Maplight. The purpose is to provide voters with non-partisan
information about the upcoming election ballot and provide candidates with a free
site at which to share information about themselves. No campaigning can be done
on the site. Voter’s Edge allows candidates to inform voters about themselves. The
candidate may provide a link to their campaign website and/or Facebook page.
At the site voters enter their home address, click on “find my ballot” and the
candidates and measures that apply to their address will appear.
Two of your LWVSC members (Claudia Bonsignore and Jacqueline Coppola) are
assisting the LWVC in contacting Sacramento County candidates to invite them to
participate this year. If you are interested in being on the team for 2022, email
Claudia Bonsignore at claudiabon16@gmail.com.
In the 2020 election year the site was accessed at least 2 million times! To promote
this non-partisan information site, please share it with friends in conversation and
social media.
votersedge.org
We have 15 votersedge.org lawn signs for sale at $13 each. If you would like one,
mail a check payable to Claudia Bonsignore, send to the LWVSC office at 921 11th
Street, Suite 700, Sacramento CA 95814. Claudia will contact you about delivery.
By C Bonsignore
Census 2020
Celebrate Earth Day with the Sacramento-
Roseville chapter of Citizens' Climate “2020 Census undercounted Latinos, Blacks and Native
Lobby Americans, Bureau estimates shows,” by Tara Bahram-
pour, The Washington Post, 3/10/2022.
Wednesday, April 6, 6:30pm - Climate Change in
Sacramento and Placer County (FREE) “While the census generally overcounts Whites and under-
Friday-Wednesday, April 22-27: Wild and Scenic counts minorities, the discrepancies were higher in 2020
Film Festival ($20 after $5 discount with than in 2010, … undercount for Hispanics more than tri-
code (CCLSAC) pled, from 1.54 percent to 4.99 percent, and the undercount
Wednesday, April 27, 6:30pm - What Will It for those who identify as “some other race” shot up from
Take to End Climate Change? (FREE) 1.63 percent to 4.34 percent.”
Wednesday, May 4, 6:30pm - Hope in the Face of
Climate Change (FREE)
“Census data is used to apportion a decade’s worth of
For film details. By J Peterson House seats and for redistricting, both of which are already
underway, along with $1.5 trillion in annual funding.” Re-
ported in The Sacramento Bee 3/12/22, 17A.
By E Heaser
Justice and Traffic Tickets
Study by Debt Free Justice California, 3/2022, Civil Freedom in the World, 2022 Study
assessments: The hidden court fee that penalizes poverty,”
“… a total of 60 countries suffered declines in their democratic
“A civil assessment is a type of poverty penalty charged to freedoms last year, while only 25 improved. Nearly 40% of the
people who miss a deadline to pay or appear in court. One world’s population now lives under dictatorships, the highest
of the highest and most common fees in California, it is a proportion since 1997 …” from The Sacramento Bee, Opinion.
$300 hidden fee charged to people in cases involving 3/11/22, by Andres Oppenheimer, Miami Herald.
anything from a traffic ticket to a felony. For many people,
this can exponentially increase the amount they owe. For The Report, begun in 1973 “… is composed of numerical ratings
example, the addition of a civil assessment and and supporting descriptive texts for 195 countries and 15
administrative fees can take a $35 base fine for running a territories. External analysts assess 210 countries and territories,
stop sign and increase it by over 850 percent.” using a combination of on-the-ground research, consultations
with local contacts, and information from news articles,
From the Executive Summary. See also The Sacramento nongovernmental organizations, governments, and a variety of
Bee, 3/4/22, by Alexandra Yoon Hendricks, “Study: Court other sources. Expert advisers and regional specialists then vet
fees from traffic tickets put drivers in debt.” the analysts’ conclusions.” From the website, 3/12/2022.
By E Heaser By E Heaser
10April 2022
The ComHom February-March Report
The ComHom has been working directly with advocates within the City and County of Sacramento.
1. Letter of Opposition to the City Council opposing sweeps of the unhoused when no alternate shelter/housing is
available.
2. Letter of Opposition to the County opposing the closure of three Project RoomKey facilities in March – May
2022, potentially putting on an additional 320 individuals back on the street.
3. The committee hosted two speakers on the issues surrounding the unhoused:
A. Ron S. Hochbaum, Assistant Clinical Professor of Law, University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of
Law. Ron presented to the group the various laws, policies and practices that criminalize and further
burden the unhoused. These laws and policies place additional financial burdens on the unhoused
including but not limited to having a criminal record, having pay garnished to pay fines, and becoming
ineligible for housing placement.
B. Bob Erlenbusch, Executive Director of Sacramento Regional Coalition to End Homelessness. Bob
provided a detailed outline of the “State of the State” on the unhoused in Sacramento today. The SRCH
organization has extensively tracked the unhoused in the City and County. In his discussion he provided
an overview of the City/County activities specific to the unhoused (parentheticals below based upon his
discussion).
—Just a few sites out of the agreed-to 20 have been opened.
—No City/County agreement (to work together on the Master Plan)
—No Respite Centers Opened (without strict guidelines, often leaving the unhoused outdoors in intemperate weather).
—No Ombudsman programs.
—No Community Stakeholder Implementation Committee
—As of 1/19/22, 425 people have exited Project Roomkey to move into permanent – since 4/20/20 – or about 22 people
housed per month over a 20-month period.
—Hundreds of cars and RVs have been cited for illegal parking —274 from 1/3/22 to 1/9/22 and 33 towed for the same
period.
—During 1/1/21-11/30/21, County Park Rangers cleared 1552 homeless camps and issued 530 citations to homeless
people for littering, shopping cart in a park, and tying a rope to a tree to hold up a tent.
—As of 1/20/22, 2354 Covid vaccines have been administered
—From 2002 through 2021, 1500 people experiencing homelessness have died in Sacramento County. (a detailed
overview of the death count tracking with data from the County Morgue is available at the
following links
—Link: Full Presentation:
—Links to Unhoused Death study in Sacramento County from 2002– 2020
Over the next month, the Committee will be drafting an Op-ed to The Sacramento Bee. We are in the process of picking
out a prime target for our conversation, as there are so many topics. We think addressing concerns individually will
result in a better strategy for these writings. Topics include the City/County Divide, Sweeps, Project RoomKey,
Criminalization of the unhoused, state of mental health and behavioral access for the unhoused in our County, and many
others.
Join us if you have an interest in learning more and acting to assist in the process of housing for those on the streets.
By ComHom/L DuVal
San Diego Homeless
“San Diego homeless paid to keep encampments clean,” By Gary Warth, San Diego Union Tribune , 3/13/22.
“Twice a week over the next four months, homeless people who live in downtown San Diego encampments
will pick up trash in their neighborhood to earn a little cash as part of a new pilot program.” “The program
was launched Monday, and 81 bags were filled by about 20 people, Trotier [volunteer Brian] said.” The
Lucky Duck Foundation will fund the program for four months providing $20,000. The program will be eval-
uated at that time.
By E Heaser
11April 2022
The League of Women Voters of
Sacramento County First Class Mail
921 11th Street Suite 700
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-447-VOTE
Fax: 916-447-8620
E-mail: lwvs@lwvsacramento.org
Web address lwvsacramento.org
Return Service Requested
April 2022
First Class Mail
Image from Arbor Day Foundation
Arbor Day Friday, April 29, 2022
History of Arbor Day. “Arbor Day—which literally translates to “tree” day
from the Latin origin of the word arbor—is a holiday that celebrates the
planting, upkeep and preservation of trees. For centuries, communities
spanning the globe have found various ways to honor nature and the
environment.”
“With the seeds of interest already planted in the minds of
devoted Nebraska City News readers, the first ever Arbor Day was held on
April 10, 1872 and was a wild success. Nebraska newspaper editor J.
Sterling Morton led the charge in the planting of approximately 1 million
Earth Day Friday, April 22, 2022 trees. Enthusiasm and engagement were aided by the prizes awarded to
those who planted trees correctly. “
“Earth Day seeks to highlight and promote efforts From the website, updated 10/28/2021
dedicated to the protection of the environment. In
1970, a US Senator named Gaylord Nelson was By E Heaser
inspired to raise public awareness about
environmental problems. He campaigned across
the nation with the hopes of gathering public
support. He hoped to have environmental In Memory continued from page 5
protection included in the national political On Friday, 3/18/2022 a celebration of life for Rick took place at The
agenda. His efforts were rewarded later in July of California History Museum, Old Sacramento. Forty or more people
1970 when the United States Environmental attended. A table of memorabilia emphasized Ricks impact on the
Protection Agency was created. With it came the community. On display were trophies, plaques and other items given to
passing of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Rick and a photo album of people he admired for their activism (mostly
Endangered Species Acts.” women). Several people from some of the many groups where Rick
Image from the homepage volunteered spoke to his impact, broad knowledge and pleasant demeanor.
By E Heaser
Thanks and appreciation for H Fargo, J Fuller, C Jones, and others who
made this event a success.
By E Heaser
12You can also read
