Presidential Proclamation on
National Black History Month 2022

Each February, National Black History Month serves as both a celebration and a powerful reminder that Black history is American history, Black culture is American culture, and Black stories are essential to the ongoing story of America — our faults, our struggles, our progress, and our aspirations.  Shining a light on Black history today is as important to understanding ourselves and growing stronger as a Nation as it has ever been.  That is why it is essential that we take time to celebrate the immeasurable contributions of Black Americans, honor the legacies and achievements of generations past, reckon with centuries of injustice, and confront those injustices that still fester today. Read More HERE.

Defending Democracy Speaker Series

Leveling the Playing Field Through Ranked Choice Voting

Rob Richie, Pres/CEO FairVote

Thursday, February 10, 4 pm

Register for Zoom link HERE

In Case You Missed It: The Defending Democracy series launched January 11 with a discussion on Voting Rights by LWVC President Carol Moon Goldberg. Her presentation covered the history of voting rights in the U.S. and California, voter protections in place in California, the League’s successes in securing voting rights, federal voting rights legislation, and what we can do to support voting rights. If you were unable to attend, you can watch the 1-hour recording or read a short summary HERE. 

Bay Area League Day

Solving for Housing Webinar

Saturday, February 19, 10:00 am – 2:30 pm 

Learn More and Register HERE for Zoom Link

Experts estimate that California is short over 3.5 million homes. Solving for Housing tackles how best to increase housing supply while combating the existential threat of climate change. 

Hear  Assembly Member Buffy Wicks (Chair of the Committee on Housing and Community Development) and Senator Dave Cortese (Senate Housing and Transportation Committees) discuss legislative actions to increase housing affordability and availability in a climate challenged state; and  state and regional expert Thomas Silverstein (Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law) discuss Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing.

Melissa Breach, COO of YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard) and former LWVC Executive Director, will moderate a panel including Sarah Karlinsky (SPUR author of Housing as Infrastructure), Amanda  Brown Stevens (Greenbelt Alliance Executive Director and author of Resilience by Design - Resilience Playbook), and Graciela Castillo-Krings (Sacramento Advocates and advisor to Alliance for Housing). 

Thinking you’d like to get involved with the upcoming election? It’s not too early! Whether you have a day, a few hours, or would like to be engaged on a regular basis, LWVO has lots of volunteer opportunities. Many volunteers start by working with a League committee. You can check out our committee listing HERE. Note the many types of activities sponsored by Voter Service: candidate forums, publications, presentations, voter registration, etc. Interested? Contact voterservice@lwvoakland.org. A complete committee contact list is HERE. 

As we have reported, AB 1185 provides for a community-based Oversight Board and an Inspector General with subpoena power to help supervise the Sheriff’s Office and jails. The Alameda County Board of Supervisors has held several public input meetings and will be developing a proposal to bring change to County law enforcement and improve conditions in the County jail. Learn more and watch videos of all community engagement meetings HERE.

Read highlights of the State League's hard-earned victories, some lamentable delays and a preview of our goals for next year, including:

• More equitable voter registration at the DMV

• Bills to increase the housing supply and expand the availability of affordable housing

• Process to decertify law enforcement officers who have committed serious misconduct

• Ethnic studies as a graduation requirement in public and charter high schools

• Implementation of Prop. 17 to ensure that people on parole have the tools they need to participate in our democracy

• Reform of the recall process

• Protections against foreign interference in state and local elections

• Repeal of mandatory minimum sentences for certain non-violent drug offenses

• And much more!

How Money is Influencing the Midterm Elections: Our election system prioritizes the interests of corporations and other wealthy special interests. Because of “dark money,” campaign spending whose sources are secret, we may not even know who these super-influencers are. In 2006 dark money accounted for approximately $5 million in election spending. Since then it has ballooned.  The League works with coalition partners, grassroots organizers, and everyday Americans to promote policies to make our campaign finance system more transparent and less entangled with dark money. We're also dedicated to pursuing campaign finance reform through the courts. Read how Citizen’s United will impact 2022 elections and what you can do to increase transparency and reduce the influence of dark money and wealthy special interests. 

These Truths: A History of the United States

(Chapters 14-16/Epilogue) by Jill Lepore

Thursday, February 17, 6-7 pm

RSVP to lwvobookclub@gmail.com 

to receive the Zoom link with 

"LWVO Book Club RSVP" in the Subject Field

Even if you didn’t attend prior sessions examining this illuminating single volume history of the United States, please join this final session examining the years 1846-2016. Jill Lepore, Harvard historian and New Yorker staff writer, examines how today’s controversies reflect themes that carry through our history: racism and the legacy of slavery, federal versus state sovereignty, immigration, our role in the world, the place of women, fights over the franchise, defining citizenship and more.