VOTER-December-2007

A Festive Celebration of the Season
Friday, December 14 - 6:30 PM
The Hutchison-Aurich Home
5108 Cochrane Avenue ▪ Oakland
A League of Women Voters holiday party--no agenda, no consensus questions, just good company, good conversation and good food!
Bring your partners, spouses and friends, and a finger food (hors d'oeuvres or dessert) to share - or just bring your appetite!
Driving Directions to the Hutchison-Aurich Home
From Broadway Terrace and Hwy 13:
Go west on Broadway Terrace (towards downtown Oakland)
At the first intersection (Sheridan), turn left
At the first intersection (Agnes), turn right
At the first intersection (Cochrane), turn left
We are a long block down on the left + brown house with circle window in the front center top
From Broadway Terrace headed east (away from downtown Oakland):
Turn right on Proctor
At first intersection (Agnes), turn left
At first intersection (Cochrane), turn right
We are a long block down on the left + brown house with circle window in the front center top

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

By Helen Hutchison
Stir-the-Pot - what does it mean? When I knew that I wanted to write about the League's Stir-the-Pot meetings, I started thinking about the phrase and its definition. Then I started doing research. When I Googled the phrase, I found a lot more than I wanted to know, but here's a definition that I think applies to our Stir-the-Pot meetings: "Deliberately provocative", yes, but not necessarily maliciously. Picture a pot of soup. A lot of ingredients have settled to the bottom, out of sight, until stirred. Metaphorically, a lot of issues/resentments/obligations can drop out of sight when nobody mentions them. One can `Stir-the-Pot' to bring issues to the surface, sometimes with malice, but sometimes merely to create awareness and effect change."We're definitely in the "no malice" camp - creating awareness, and hopefully effecting some change.
Our Stir-the-Pot meetings are designed to be provocative discussions with a specific topic for each meeting. We have one or two resource people at the meetings to provide some background information and answer our questions.
We hope that at least sometimes, League action will result from the discussion. A prime example of this is the discussion on the new LWVUS position in favor of abolishing the death penalty. We asked a representative from the ACLU to join us as our resource person; we had an extraordinary turnout of League members for the meeting and the result was a new action committee was formed! We are now a member of a coalition of groups working to eliminate the use of the death penalty in Alameda County.
So, if you haven't been to a Stir-the-Pot meeting, I hope you will come to one. The discussions are always topical and lively. And if you have an idea for something you'd like to talk about, please email Marion Taylor (mariontaylor@mac.com) or me (helen@helenhutch.com). We're looking for ideas for the meetings for the coming year.

LWV Oakland Board Notes

At its November meeting, the Board:

▪ voted unanimously to ask the LWV California Board to reconsider its decision to oppose Proposition 92 and ask them instead to take a neutral position on the proposition
▪ heard a report on the Oak to Ninth Referendum lawsuit
▪ agreed to phone those members who have not renewed
▪ started the process of compiling a list of neighborhood newsletters

The next Board meeting is Monday, Dec. 10 at 6:30 pm at Piedmont Gardens, 110 41st St.. All members are welcome to attend.

Access to Reproductive Health Care Facilities in Oakland

On November 6 the Oakland City Council approved the first reading of an ordinance which would ensure safe and unimpeded access to reproductive health care facilities for patients, clinic escorts, doctors, nurses and any employee of the facility. Thank you to those of you who responded to our Call to Action and asked your City Council member to support this law. The second reading of the ordinance will be on Tuesday, December 4. It will be important to lobby strongly for the measure at the second reading. Attend the City Council meeting, if you can. Let your Councilmember know that you want him/her to support this law.
The ordinance would:
▪ ensure safe and unimpeded access to reproductive health care facilities for patients, clinic escorts, doctors, nurses, and any employees of the facility.

▪ prohibit the use of force, threat, or physical obstruction to intentionally injure, harass, intimidate or interfere with any person providing or obtaining health care services

▪ within 100 feet of an entry of a reproductive health care facility, outlaw approaching within eight (8) feet of any person or motor vehicle seeking to enter the facility, without consent of the person or vehicle occupant, for the purpose of interfering, injuring or intimidating the person or vehicle occupant seeking to provide or obtain reproductive health services.

Violations of the ordinance are considered misdemeanor offences, punishable by imprisonment of up to one year, or a fine of up to $2,000, or both.
The ordinance reconciles and protects the rights of persons providing or seeking reproductive health care with the First Amendment rights of demonstrators and union representatives. It does not prevent picketing, protesting, demonstrating or leafleting near reproductive health care facilities.
The League supports this ordinance based on our national positions supporting the rights of all individuals to privacy in making reproductive choices and supporting the rights of all U.S. residents to have access to affordable health care, including reproductive health care.
This ordinance is needed because existing federal and state laws do not provide sufficient protection for patients and staff entering reproduction health care facilities. At the reproductive health care facilities in Oakland, there has been increasing harassment of both patients and staff, including physical confrontations. Some patients have left without receiving needed health care.

Did you know? We're having THREE elections next year!

1. Presidential primary, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2008
Registration closes Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2008

2. Primary election for all other officials, Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Registration closes Monday, May 19, 2008

3. General Election, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008
Registration closes Monday, Oct. 20, 2008

Are You Registered to Vote?
League of Women Voters of Oakland
Know the issues - be part of the conversation - join the League of Women Voters. 87 years ago it was just for women - today it's for everyone!
http://www.lwvoakand.org -- 510 834 7640
info@lwvoakland.org -- http://www.smartvoter.org

State Propositions on the February ballot:
▪ Transportation Funding--Forbids using money reserved for the Transportation Investment Fund for any other purpose.
▪ Community Colleges: Funding, Governance, Fees--Separates funding for community colleges under Proposition 98 from funding for K-12. Reduces community college fees and limits future fee increases.
▪ Term Limits and Legislative Reform Act--Changes the term limits on legislators from the current 14 years (3 two-year terms in the Assembly, 2 four-year terms in the Senate) to 12 years total, in either house or both.
Alameda County Propositions on the February ballot:
2 measures, each different, both to provide funding for Children's Hospital Oakland retrofit.
Oakland School District Proposition on the February ballot:
Proposal to renew current expiring parcel tax and make it permanent.

Valentine's Day Luncheon and Tour

Treasure Island Job Corp Advanced Culinary Academy

THURSDAY, FEB. 14 - 12 NOON
TREASURE ISLAND, Building 368, 9th Street and Avenue C
For directions, call (415) 277-2301
$20.00 per person until Dec. 31st - $25.00 per person after Jan 1st
The students at the Fine Dining program are trained in culinary techniques that prepare them to enter the job market, working at a four- or five-star restaurant level. Students learn to prepare soups, sauces, salads, appetizers and entrees. During our luncheon visit, we will be served a three-course meal.
The restaurant is located in a former hangar on Treasure Island. We have space for a limited number of guests, so please mail your check to the League Office immediately if you plan to attend (and want the reduced rate). Be sure to include your daytime phone number if you would like to carpool.
click here to print out a ticket request form

LWV Bay Area News

An historic joint meeting of the Association of Bay Area Governments and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, "Forum: Bay Area on the Move", attended by 800 people, was held on Friday, October 26, 2007 in Oakland. Major themes of the future needs of the region dealt with the cost of housing, cost of transportation improvements, addressing goals for climate change, and how to have the most impact and reduce CO2 emissions but not be burdensome on lower income people who depend on transit or use of their cars for work. An audiocast of the meeting and the meeting presentations can be found at http://www.mtc.ca.gov.
The Transportation and Land Use Coalition, of which the LWVBA is a member, celebrated its 10th Anniversary in October. Their Platform for the Transportation 2035 Plan can be seen at their website http://www.transcoalition.org .The LWVBA participated in the development of the Platform, but has not yet provided endorsement, due to timing of the required decision.

Oak to Ninth Referendum Update

On November 13, The Oak to Ninth Referendum Committee filed a request to dismiss its lawsuit against Oakland Harbor Partners, the developer, and the City of Oakland.
The request was filed when the Referendum Committee concluded that it could not meet the financial challenges of pursuing the lawsuit.
The lawsuit challenged Oakland City Attorney John Russo's September 6, 2006 invalidation of the petition to place the development agreement before the voters. Altogether 25,068 Oaklanders signed the referendum petition even though the statutory 30-day period was truncated by the city's inability to provide the wording of the approvals as passed by the City Council.
The original petition would have required that the ordinance approving the sale of the land be put to a vote of the public on the 64-acre development of 3,100 condominium apartments on currently industrial land east of the Jack London district, between the 880 Freeway and the Estuary. Goals of the referendum included increased open space and public access to the waterfront, providing a school for the development's projected population of 2,000 children, and creating sorely needed traffic mitigations among other improvements. The proposed project also ignores and overrides the adopted Estuary Policy Plan, in which parks, open space, and water-related uses predominate over all other development.
As a result of the difficulty the Oak to Ninth Referendum Committee experienced obtaining a timely version of the project as adopted by the City Council, the law governing the timing for mounting a referendum has been changed to start counting the 30 day period allowed for gathering signatures from the time the document is actually available rather than from the time it is voted on.
The League is requesting that the City of Oakland follow the example of other cities and publish clear instructions describing the steps that must be taken to file a referendum, as well as for an initiative.
Other members of the Oak to Ninth Referendum Committee include the CALM (Coalition of Advocates for Lake Merritt,), the Jack London District Association, the Sierra Club, Piedmont Area Neighborhood Improvement League (PANIL), the Green Party, East Bay Bicycle Coalition (EBBC), Fifth Avenue Institute, and Oakland Heritage Alliance (OHA).

Let's Go to the Movies!

A murder mystery, a call to arms...
Sunday,January 13, 2008
1:15 Theater opens for refreshments and socializing
1:45 Pre-film Welcome & Intro
2 - 3:30 Film
3:30 - 4 Time to talk

Who Killed the ELECTRIC CAR?
A FREE Showing at: Parkway Theater
1834 Park Blvd.
Oakland 94606
One mile down the hill from the Park Blvd. exit off 580, just a block above East 18th Street on Park Blvd. Wheelchair accessible.
The EV-1 was among the fastest, most efficient production cars ever built. It ran on electricity, produced no emissions and catapulted American technology to the forefront of the automotive industry. The lucky few who drove it never wanted to give it up. So why did General Motors crush its fleet of electric vehicles in the Arizona desert?
Here's what a NetFlix User has to say about the film "...visually dynamic, very, very well-researched, and educational, but most of all just really exciting, inspirational and FUN to watch. The movie-makers take on and embrace the complexity of this important subject instead of oversimplifying it. No one group is to blame, and no one gets off the hook.... This is definitely an Oscar-worthy film."
Come see what you think.
For more information about this "Sunday Salon" at the Parkway, call the LWVO office at 834-7640 and visit the Parkway's Website at http://www.parkway-speakeasy.com/index.php. (Check out their menu!)
For more information about the film, visit the following Web site: http://www.whokilledtheelectriccar.com/
Invite a friend - or two or three.

League Story Bank's New Addition

Our League Storybank is growing, but we want more. Please email your story to Ranief@aol.com. Tell us why you joined the League, what it has meant to your life, and/or what impact your membership has had on the community. Every League member's story is unique; let us share yours.
Iris R. Winograd's story:
World War II exploded into my home when I was a young child, with a lot of talk about war politics, FDR, and starving children. With two daily newspaper deliveries each day, discussions of social issues and current events were in no short supply. No surprise then, when, as a new mother recently settled in Watertown, Wisconsin, I accepted an invitation to join several women wishing to start a local League of Women Voters (whatever that was!)
Soon we had a League advisor and were announcing our meetings. Many young women in Watertown were eager for a chance to read and discuss national and international issues. By contrast their husbands were, to say the least, not. Wasn't being a full-time wife and mother sufficient? Happily, the marriages survived this onslaught of informed women competently engaging in political conversations. Involvement in the League even seeped into our family life. When my daughter Ellen was three years old she turned to her aunt and asked, "So Aunt Esther, who are you voting for? My mother is voting for Stevenson, but I'm voting for Khruschev". He was then President of the Soviet Union, but Ellen was too young to vote anyway.
LWVOakland offers me the opportunity to find the activities that energize me: Voters Service at election time; continuing efforts monitor juvenile justice reform at the County level; helping shape our National positions on immigration and the death penalty. Time demands can be tailored to my schedule. But as a League member I know my involvement is a part of a larger whole that brings me into a warm circle of committed men and women. As Ghandi said, "Whatever you do is of little significance, but it is essential that you do it".

Membership Update

Welcome New Members:
Robert D. Graham
Leni Jacksen
Jody London
Myrna Schnur
Changes to Roster
Debra Meyer
Joan Passman
Peggy Stinnett
For details of new and changed member addresses, please see the paper VOTER

Voter Service

Voter Registration, Ballot Measures
The first of the three (yes 3!) elections in 2008 is coming very quickly! The election is on February 5, and the deadline to register to vote is Monday, January 21. All this means that our usual Voter Service activities have run headlong into the holidays. So what can you do? Take your voter registration cards with you to your holiday parties! Take your voting information guides along, too. That's easy. What else?
Are you available to help with voter registration? Allene Warren needs you! We'd like to be out in the community at places like some of the farmers' markets, but we need volunteers to help. If you have a couple of hours vailable, call or email Allene at msvlkid@sbcglobal.net or 510-562-3945.
How about presenting ballot measures to some community groups? It's fun, and we provide the training. Contact Judy Merrill at judy@apstate.us or 510 654-9600.

Comments, suggestions, questions? Contact our webmaster. Last revised: April 26, 2008 16:13 PDT.