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Date: 6/15/2021
Subject: LWV of Piedmont | The Voter | June 15, 2021
From: League of Women Voters of Piedmont



Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy.

The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.


Upcoming League Events
Reforming Our Justice System with Shanti Brien
June 22, 2021 at 4pm

The League of Women Voters of Piedmont proudly presents attorney and advocate Shanti Brien, who will speak on "What can individuals and organizations do for criminal justice reform and racial justice?"  The Zoom discussion will be from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 22, 2021 and Shanti will take questions from the audience.

Her book, Almost Innocent: From Searching to Saved in America's Criminal Justice System (Amplify Publishing, 2021) is an engrossing read about her experiences growing up in the Central Valley, becoming an attorney, and representing people convicted of crimes. She reimagines the current criminal justice system as smaller, more fair and more humane.

Visit our website to find out more and to register to receive an email with the Zoom link information. This program will be recorded, and you can also watch it live or at a later date on our YouTube channel.


Upcoming Community Events
 USC Election Cybersecurity Initiative Regional Workshop
Thursday, June 17, 2021  1:30pm
Election Cybersecurity Initiative

Interested in election security? The USC Election Cybersecurity Initiative is a nonpartisan, independent project designed to inform and educate people in campaigns and elections on the importance of election cybersecurity. Designed for general audiences rather than technical specialists, the sessions are led by cybersecurity experts from government, industry, research and academia. They will include simple tools and practices that can help keep our democratic process safe. Material presented will be particularly relevant to anyone associated with campaigns and elections, including candidates, campaign workers, political parties, media and state and local election workers.

 

 On the Horizon
Saturday, June 20, 2021
On the Horizon

On June 20, 2021 - the summer solstice, Ana Teresa Fernandez will inaugurate a participatory installation On the Horizon at San Francisco's Ocean Beach. Her intention is to materially and metaphorically represent the impact of climate change that is on the world's horizon.

The project addresses the environmental impact of greenhouse gas emissions, and international scientist's predictions that global temperatures will increase by as much as 9 degrees by the year 2100. As a result, sea levels are expected to rise more than 6.6 feet-- the approximate height of the seawater-filled columns--affecting coastal areas locally and globally.

On the Horizon is imagined as a collective endeavor—something shared that will be internalized and meaningful for participants. This artwork is not meant to intimidate or create anxiety, but rather to inspire and evoke change.

 

In the News
LWVP Essay Contest and Civics in Action Awards

The League of Women Voters Piedmont is pleased to announce the winners of its Essay Contest and Civics in Action awards. Both awards aim to encourage engagement in politics and civic affairs for young people. Both winners will receive a $500 award from LWVP.

Essay Contest 2021

This is the second year the League has held the essay contest, open to all high school juniors and seniors who are residents of Piedmont or are currently enrolled in Piedmont High School or Millennium High School. Students responded to the question: “Given the fragility of democracy as evidenced by the insurrection of January 6, 2021, how can your generation work to ensure that democracy in the United States is strengthened for future generations?”

The winner of the Essay Contest is Andre Stankiewicz, PHS Junior, for his thoughtful essay “We Are Not Too Young to Begin Now.” Members of the League Board were delighted to host Andre at our yearly changeover meeting in May, where he spoke briefly and read his essay. Below is a link to the essay.
 

2021 Civics in Action Award

The Civics in Action award was presented this year to Audrey Edel, PHS Senior, by social studies teacher Hillary Freeman at the Senior awards ceremonies. Ms. Freeman enumerated the many ways Audrey Edel has been a leader in student life and in the community.

Audrey has been active in multiple campus clubs, worked as a reporter for the Piedmont Post for five years, is active in Drama, and is Senior Class President. As the pandemic began last year, Audrey helped to create a virtual mentoring program known as Kindness Coaches, where high school students mentored elementary school children, providing academic and emotional support. The program now has over 200 participants.

Lastly, Audrey was one of three students who began the Teens4Biden club to get students educated and involved in the election. They then expanded to the broader Bay Area community with a large educational event with over 80 attendees. Audrey has embodied the League’s primary tenet of civic engagement.

On behalf of the League of Women Voters of Piedmont, warmest congratulations to Andre Stankiewicz and Audrey Edel.


LWV of California Convention 2021
2021 LWVC Convention - Hope Salzer and Lorrel Plimier
LWVP President, Lorrel Plimier, and past President/current High School Liaison, Hope Salzar, met outside with laptops to serve as Piedmont's delegates for this year's LWV of California Convention, which was held entirely virtually. The Convention featured Speakers Dr. Shirley Weber, California Secretary of State, and Dr. Deborah Turner, President of LWVUS. Dr. Weber spoke, among other things, about her current efforts and future plans to protect voting rights in California. Dr. Turner spoke about the important work the League is doing to secure voting rights and the need for civic engagement at all levels.
In addition to both of these inspiring speakers there were numerous workshops and caucuses on many topics including housing, water rights and high school civic engagement. Recordings of the workshops are available on the LWVC Convention website.
 
One of our tasks at the LWVC Convention is to vote in the new slate for the LWVC Board of Directors. This year, we are proud to have LWVP's Kathleen Quenneville elected to the Board.
Kathleen Quenneville
Kathleen is a retired attorney with a passion for good governance.  Ten years ago, she led the LWVP’s task force that investigated the root causes of a multi-million dollar City cost overrun. Since then, she has written Pros and Cons on local initiatives, and worked on the Alameda County Voter’s Edge website.

As an attorney, she worked for corporate, government, higher education and law firm entities, supporting governing boards.  For decades, she has been active with various nonprofit associations, including serving on the boards of the San Francisco Unitarian Universalist Church, and the AIDS Legal Referral Panel.  She has received training on corporate governance from the National Association of Corporate Directors, the Society of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals, and the UCLA Anderson School Director Education Institute.
Kathleen has been a great asset to the League of Women Voters of Piedmont and we are thrilled to have her voice at the state level.

Action Alerts!
The Racial Justice Act for All
It’s Never Too Late for Justice - Help us Pass the Racial Justice Act for All
 
Last year, we successfully passed the Racial Justice Act to combat discrimination based on race, ethnicity, or national origin in criminal sentences and convictions. Now we need your help to extend the Racial Justice Act to ensure that it protects all Californians. The bill has passed through all Assembly committees and now faces a critical vote of the full Assembly. Act now to urge your Assemblymember to vote YES on the California Racial Justice Act for All (AB 256, Kalra).
 

Let All the People Vote

Support Democratic Reform: Tell Your Senator to Pass the For The People Act

This sweeping piece of legislation is the most expansive democracy reform agenda we have seen since the Voting Rights Act.

Contact your Representative TODAY and tell them to pass the For The People Act.

 

Join LWVUS for a webinar on June 16 (tomorrow!) at 2pm PT to learn more about what is actually in the bill and how you can help get it passed!


Other Happenings
Join the LWVP Book Club!
The LWVP book club meets quarterly to discuss books on politics, policy and social issues. Our first meeting will be in July (exact date/time TBD) to discuss "The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together" by Heather McGhee. The discussion is open to the public - you don't have to be a League member. We hope you'll join us!
 

LWVP "Cocktail" Hour!
Join us Thursday, June 17, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. for an informal conversation with other civic-minded individuals. Bring your thoughts about changes you'd like to see in our community. What works? What would you like to see change? What do you want to learn more about? We also still have open volunteer positions, so if you're interested in becoming more involved in the League, hop on the call and find out how!

The Zoom room will be open from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. You don't have to be a League member to join. Come for five minutes, the whole hour or anywhere in between. We hope to see you there!
 

We're social. Connect with us.


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The League of Women Voters of Piedmont is a tax-exempt organization under 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.  Contributions are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by law. Our federal tax ID is 94-6094831