Please save the date to join us for socializing with branch members in a festive atmosphere. Details to come soon.
Dear Members,
As you read this article and the full newsletter, you will notice that we do not have a set program. Since our volunteer capacity is limited, we still need a dedicated program director.
Some folks have stepped up for critical events, including our stalwart Donna Holmes, for our Holiday Party on Dec. 10. During this event, we will conduct organizational business, including voting on bylaw changes proposed by the Strategic Planning Committee. Gloria Yost, a true jewel of a human being who wants to see this organization grow and succeed, drafted proposed changes, as were discussed at our September meeting. We are looking at four elected positions and five appointed directors-at-large. Please review the proposed changes linked here.
Secondly, our membership co-directors, Marty McKnew and Donna Holmes, are planning an informal membership event for new members at the beginning of November. If you feel out of the loop and want to reconnect, don’t hesitate to reach out to Donna, Marty, or me. We also really want to see you in December!
Make sure you also vote in November’s midterms!!!
Warmly,
Angela
Do you have a unique story of why you or an acquaintance joined AAUW? We would love to be
able to celebrate your story and share with AAUW California. Here is an example posted recently in a state publication:
A few months ago, the most unusual thing happened at the Beach Cities Branch scholarship awards. A woman came into the room as the meeting began and took a seat at one of the far tables. Each recipient came forward and shared her Tech Trek, TTAG, and AAUW journey. The gratitude expressed and pride of the families in attendance brought many to tears. At the end of the meeting, the woman revealed that she walked in on the wrong meeting. Hers was in another room, but she felt drawn to the magic in this place and stayed. It turned out that one of our members taught her daughter as well. This lovely woman not only joined AAUW on the spot, she also wrote a check for $1,000 to support the scholarship fund. Perhaps it actually was magic!
What was the magic that drew you to AAUW and why do you stay? We are interested in your stories – magical or not. Forward to martymcknew@comcast.net.
We have a new member! Please welcome Tracy Ramondini. Tracy is the chair of the PE Department at Sheldon High School. She is interested in reproductive rights, Title IX enforcement, motivating women to get out and vote, diversity, equity, inclusion, keeping college campuses safe for women, equity in education and pay, to name a few. Tracy has also applied for a position on the AAUW California Board.
Please welcome all our new members to your interest groups. We have had a number of inquiries from women new to the community who are looking for in-person interaction.
Plans are underway for a new member gathering in November. If you know of a prospective member who you would like to invite, please provide their email address to Marty or Donna.
Mary Ann Fleming, a member of AAUW Sacramento for more than 50 years, died Oct. 11 at her Sacramento home. She was 85.
A memorial Mass is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, at St. Mary’s Funeral Center Main Chapel, 6509 Fruitridge Road, Sacramento. A reception luncheon will follow the Mass.
Mary Ann was fluent in Spanish and for many years was an active member of an AAUW Spanish conversation group. She also helped with hospitality at branch meetings and faithfully attended the annual Speech Trek contest at Cosumnes River College.
According to her obituary published in The Sacramento Bee, Mary Ann was born Jan. 8, 1937 in Stockton, and grew up in St. Helena and Sacramento. She graduated from Sacramento High School and California State University, Sacramento, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in education. A music lover, Mary Ann played the French horn in both her high school and college marching bands.
She taught fourth grade at Maple Elementary School in Sacramento before starting a family.
Mary Ann and husband Benjamin Fleming were married for 64 years. She leaves four children, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
In addition to AAUW, Mary Ann was active with Sacramento Friends of the Library and served as a board member with the organization.
Save the Date! The AAUW Amador Branch Home Tour is back! After a three-year absence, the AAUW Home Tour will return on April 22, 2023, and will feature homes in Sutter Creek. Mark your calendars now and plan to participate in this always enjoyable event. More information can be found at: https://amador-ca.aauw.net.
The Home Tour is the primary fundraiser for the Amador Branch of AAUW and it supports scholarships for local girls and women. Some funds are used to send young women who will enter eighth grade in the fall to Tech Trek which is a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) camp designed to develop interest and excitement in the STEM fields and self-confidence in young women. The funds raised through the Home Tour also support women who are in the Upper Division portion of their degree studies, doing Graduate work and women who have either delayed or interrupted their education and wish to go back to college to improve their employment opportunities.
We hope you will join us in a monthly equity conversation looking at our own biases, and what actions we can take to attract diversity to our branch and become better people in the process. Each month, we read a section of our selected book then meet to discuss what we have learned, along with exploring other issues related to race and equity. We will meet the first Wednesday of each month from 7 to 8 p.m. on Zoom. This is a joint CHAR/Sacramento activity.
The Zoom meeting code is 737 420 3780 or you can join using this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7374203780
We will be discussing the first half (pages 1-123) of our current book, “Waking Up White” by Debby Irving, at 7 p.m. Nov. 2. If you have questions and to RSVP, please email Charmen at charminme@yahoo.com.
Mark your calendars for the last inspiring AAUW Funds Event on Zoom on Nov. 12, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. We have a record number of recipients of AAUW grants and fellowships in California this year – 49! — and because of the online format, we have had a chance to hear from most of them. The women share their research and how our Funds awards are meaningful to them. The event previously was a luncheon — two in Northern CA and one in Southern CA. Being on Zoom makes them accessible to everyone with no driving and they are free! I would like to suggest, however, that you donate to the AAUW Greatest Needs Fund in lieu of purchasing a luncheon ticket! Registration is now open on the AAUW CA website here:
https://www.aauw-ca.org/aauw-2022-fund-events/
This fall, support the AAUW Fund — meet the recipients at the event on Nov. 12, make a donation and become a Legacy Circle member! Contact me (charminme@yahoo.com) if you have questions! Thank you for supporting AAUW and our mission of “Equity for All.”
Speech Trek is getting into full swing with our busy fall season. All nine campuses in the Elk
Grove Unified High School District participate in our public speaking contest. Now is the time we recruit students to participate by distributing our promotional materials and having students sign up for workshops scheduled for November, which Shari Beck and Ann Arneill will be conducting. At these workshops, we inform students about the contest rules, present the topic, give them resources for researching the topic and provide public speaking tips. Once the students who decide to participate have completed their speech drafts, we will give them feedback on their speeches. The topic this year is very timely: “How can communities, organizations and citizens of all ages help protect and expand voting rights?” The contest will be held on Feb. 18, 2023. We hope conduct it in person at Cosumnes River College, COVID-19 pandemic conditions permitting.
Don’t forget about the Speech Trek Challenge that will be held via Zoom on Jan. 21, 2023. Members will have a chance to discuss the topic in advance of the contest to pique their interest.
Note: The Reproductive Choice Committee meets on the second Monday of each month from 1 to 2 p.m.
At our last meeting, we heard reports on the current political situation on reproductive choice in the states of Arizona, Nevada and Idaho. Both Arizona and Idaho have become states that are banning, or attempting to ban, a woman’s choice. Nevada appears to be maintaining a position of support for the right to choose. We did learn that 60 or more clinics in 15 states are closed, and 14 states have no clinics offering reproductive health care.
The committee has created a Resources List on Google Docs to which we are continuing to add, with annotations, sources both purely factual as well as those using facts to support opinion and argument. It is available to any branch member and can be made available to others asking to take a look at what we have found thus far.
Our next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 14, 2022 from 1 to 2 p.m. The agenda will focus on those questions we have not yet researched. All members are welcome to join us. Please contact Liz Jordan for the Zoom invitation.
Note: Kathi Harper is the Chair of the AAUW California Public Policy Committee
At the stroke of midnight on Sept. 30, 2022, the 2021-22 legislative session officially came to a close as it marked the Governor’s deadline for signing or vetoing bills. The AAUW California Public Policy committee is pleased to announce that we achieved a 70 percent success rate on the bills on our legislative agenda, and 25 of our 36 bills are now law, including seven of our eight top priority bills. The following is a brief synopsis, by each pillar of our Public Policy Priorities:
Economic Security for All Women
Eight of our bills were signed by the Governor, one was vetoed, and one died in the Legislature. The most significant bill under this pillar was AB (Assembly Bill) 92, which we co-sponsored. AB 92 was introduced in 2020, and became a 2-year bill, which is why it remained on this year’s agenda. This bill originally sought a 1-year waiver of supplemental child-care fees for low-income families, with a request for a sliding scale to be applied thereafter. In his 2021 budget, Gov. Newsom included $120 million for two years’ worth of waivers. The bill was then amended to request an additional year of waivers through October 2024, with a sliding scale to then be implemented. Unfortunately, the amended bill was vetoed; however, we are still proud of the work we did to get those two years of waivers in the budget, so we still consider it a win!
Equal Access to Quality Public Education for All Students
Six of these bills were signed by the Governor, one was vetoed, one was approved by the Legislature (no signature required) and two died in the Legislature. Of particular note under this pillar are three of our top priority bills: AB 1968, which requires campuses to develop and post uniform guidelines for reporting sexual assault; AB 2881 which provides additional support for college students with dependent children; and AJR 23 (Assembly Joint Resolution), a Title IX 50th Anniversary Proclamation.
Social and Racial Justice for All Members of Society
Eight of these bills were signed by the Governor, one was vetoed, one was incorporated by the Governor into an Executive Order, one was approved by and two died in the Legislature. We saw success on all four of our top priority bills in this area: AB 1666, which provides protection for those from other states seeking abortions in California, as well as for those providing services here, from the enforcement of a related civil judgment from their home state; SB (Senate Bill) 523, which requires insurance coverage for over-the-counter contraceptive products; SB 1375, which allows certified nurse-practitioners to perform some early-term abortions; and SCA (Senate Constitutional Amendment) 10. SCA 10 was introduced in the Senate as a measure to place a constitutional amendment on the November ballot to enshrine in the California Constitution the right to an abortion and to contraception. When this measure passed in the Senate, it became Proposition 1.
To see the results of all the bills on our 2021-22 legislative agenda, check out our webpage for a full agenda summary, here: https://www.aauw-ca.org/documents/2022/10/results-of-2021-22-legislative-session.pdf/, or to view our Bill Tracker, here: https://www.aauw-ca.org/documents/2022/10/bill-tracking.pdf/.
Book Group 2: 
West with Giraffes, by Lynda Rutledge, on Nov. 1; coordinator is Carol Hayes
Book Group 3:
No meeting in Nov. and Dec.; coordinator is Carolyn Meeker
Book Group 4:
Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Kimmerer, on Nov. 9; coordinator is Pat Morehead
Book Group 6:
Where I was From, by Joan Dideon, on Nov. 21; coordinators are Angela Scarlett, Gloria Yost
Book Group 8:
The Matrix, by Lauren Groff , on Nov. 28; coordinator is Diana Squire
Book Group 10:
Talking to Strangers, by Malcolm Gladwell, Nov. 17 ; coordinator is Sandi Schoenman
Book Group 12:
The World That We Knew, by Alice Hoffman, on Nov. 3; coordinator is Linda Cook
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