Tag Archives: PublicPolicy

Elections Finally Over – How’d We Do in ’22?

By Kathi Harper, Public Policy Chair AAUW California

The election is finally over! In addition to an end to the non-stop requests for donations, AAUW members can be pretty happy with the results. Here are a few highlights:

1 woman each was added to the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate, bringing the numbers to 124 (H) and 25 (S)
Of the total of 149, 54 are women of color
We lost the most powerful woman in government (Nancy Pelosi) but still have a woman on the Minority leadership team, Minority Whip Katherine Clark
Governors of 12 states are now women
23% of all mayors across the nation are women, including our brand new and first female mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass
20 women won new seats in the California Legislature and 30 female incumbents were re-elected, bringing the total to 50 – but still just 42%
All executive positions in California except Governor are filled by women, including Secretary of State, Lieutenant Governor, Treasurer, and Controller, as well as the Senate Pro Tem
Proposition 1 prevailed and women’s right to control their own reproductive choices is now enshrined in our constitution.

And here are some fun facts:

Only 3.2% of all members of Congress to date have been women
California has sent more women to Congress than any other state – a total of 47 to date
Vermont is the only state that has never sent a woman to either the House or the Senate

The State Public Policy committee thanks each and every AAUW California member who voted, who assisted in our Voter Education (VE) campaign by spreading our messages on social media, who took the pledge to vote for Prop 1 (we had 437 sign up!) and who worked within their branches to do their own VE events.

For a more detailed analysis of the election results, visit https://www.aauw-ca.org/got-voter-fatigue/

AAUW CA Tidbits

AAUW CA Tidbits, Forwarded by Liz Jordan

AAUW CA Office New Mailing Address:

Due to the closure of our local UPS facility, we have moved our mailing address to:

AAUW California
PO Box 160067
Sacramento, California 95816-0067

AAUW FUND

Karen Vanderwerken, Director, AAUW Fund Committee Chair, aauwfund@aauw-ca.org

END-OF-YEAR DEADLINES AND DONATIONS!
Zooming In: factoids from our record four Fund Events:

38 of 41 California scholars/grantees presented.
376 members registered with 141 unique viewers.
57 average number branches attended each session.
17 branch positions participated.

View the 2022 recipients, read their bios, watch any of the videos of the four Fund Events, and/or donate to AAUW by clicking HERE.

Are you looking for a branch or IBC program speaker? Schedule one of our scholars/grantees to provide a more detailed presentation through April 2023. Click HERE to request a scholar/grantee speaker for your branch.

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Dec. 31, 2022, is the deadline for donating this year to AAUW Fund. Use Branch/Individual Contribution Form when sending in branch and member donations.

Remember Legacy Circle Gifting! What will be your AAUW legacy?
Contact Charmen Goehring at charminme@yahoo.com or Judy Horan at queenjah@pacbell.net

Consider using your IRA RMD (required minimum distribution) by giving directly to AAUW. Contact: cfo@aauw-ca.org.

Giving your time, your energy, and your dollars — all make AAUW California Fund great.

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NOMINATIONS & ELECTIONS

Charmen Goehring, Nominations & Elections Chair, nominating@aauw-ca.org

LOVE AAUW? WANT TO GIVE BACK?
This year we are looking for a President-Elect to serve one year followed by two years as president. I know that Sandi will be leaving some big shoes to fill. Each of us has strengths and weaknesses to share. Come forward and let your light shine. We need someone who cares about Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Women’s Rights, Financial Security and so much more.Please think at least twice before you say you can’t do it. AAUW matters, women matter, everyone deserves a chance. If President-Elect is too big a bite, how about CFO or one of the director positions?

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National Member Perks

You may not know or, perhaps, have forgotten that AAUW members get all sorts of perks. You can get discounts on cruises, cars, and car insurance. Check out the bucketsful of deals on the national website HERE. And whenever you take advantage of these benefits, AAUW receives royalties to support its work.

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Public Policy

NOVEMBER 8th WAS A GOOD DAY FOR WOMEN!
The election is finally over and overall, AAUW members can be pretty happy with the results. Here are a few highlights:

One woman was added to each house of Congress: the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, bringing the numbers to 124 (H) and 25 (S).
Of the total of 149, 54 are women of color.
With Nancy Pelosi stepping down as Speaker of the House, we lost the most powerful woman’s voice in government, but still have a woman on the minority leadership team, Minority Whip Katherine Clark.
Governors of 12 states are now women.
23 percent of all mayors across the nation are women, including our brand-new and first woman mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass.
32 women won seats in the California Legislature (total confirmed 44, three pending)
All executive positions in California except Governor are filled by women, including Secretary of State, Lieutenant Governor, Treasurer, and Controller.
Proposition 1 prevailed and women’s right to control their own reproductive choices is now enshrined in our constitution.

The state Public Policy Committee thanks each and every AAUW California member who voted, who assisted in our Voter Education (VE) campaign by spreading our messages on social media, who took the pledge to vote for Prop. 1 (we had 437 sign up!), and who worked within their branches to do their own VE events.

Next challenge: Let’s add California to that list of states with a woman governor! Together we can – and will – change the world!

Public Policy: Lobby Days

Lobby Days are Here Again…. By Ginny Hatfield, AAUW California Public Policy Committee Member

Save the Dates …. March 21 and March 22, are the AAUW CA scheduled Lobby Days, so mark your calendars and be sure to sign up to participate when our Lobby Day registration arrives in your January mailbox.

Advocating for our top three priority bills is fundamental to achieving our legislative priorities by addressing economic security for all women, providing equal access to public education and insuring social and racial justice for all members of society. We need all members on board and will be counting on you to reach out to our elected officials in the CA Legislature.

Our Public Policy Committee will make it easy for you to do so. This year, instead of a full week, Lobby Day will consist of two days and will occur while the Legislature is in session, not on break. Hopefully, this will provide more opportunity to actually speak with a member in lieu of a staffer. Our plans are to make it hybrid – virtual and in-person. Those branches in and around Sacramento would have the option of in-person meetings at the Capitol with the remaining branches meeting virtually or in-person with staffers in the district. So, a bit more flexibility this year as the committee feels it’s beneficial to establish relationships with our elected leaders’ local staff.

Our AAUW legislative advocate will be scheduling meetings with the member offices willing to participate, and once you return your Lobby Day survey, the committee will begin to assemble branch participants and match them with Assembly and Senate districts in order to assign teams. We will provide you with material on the bills we are supporting and have scheduled a mandatory training webinar for March 20, so you’ll have the information at your fingertips. If you have participated in Lobby Day in the past, we would love to hear from you on what worked and what didn’t. Please send your comments to publicpolicy@aauw-ca.org.

Lobby Day is our chance to make a concerted impact on the priorities and values we, as AAUW members, hold dear. It brings out the “advocates” in all us for improving the economic and educational lives of women and girls. And goodness knows, we need that commitment now more than ever. So, mark those calendars and join us on Lobby Day/s.

Reproductive Choice Update

Reproductive Choice Committee By Liz Jordan

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.

Public Policy News

2021-22 Legislative Session Closes with Big Wins for AAUW California By Kathi Harper

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 50^th 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/.

DON’T FORGET TO REGISTER! DON’T FORGET TO VOTE!

DON’T FORGET TO TAKE THE PLEDGE TO VOTE “YES” ON PROPOSITION 1!

When Women Vote, They Change the Conversation!

When Women Vote, They Change the Conversation! By Sue Miller

AAUW CA Public Policy News

AAUW California supports the passage of Propositions 1 and 28 on the November ballot in California.
Proposition 1. The decision by the Supreme Court of the United States to overturn Roe v. Wade dealt a serious blow to the rights of women to make their own decision about their bodies. This spurred many state legislatures to act to ban abortion, some with no exceptions for rape, incest, or endangering the life of the mother. Abortion bans in other states have already taken effect. Yet polls in many states show a majority in support of protecting the rights of women to choose to have abortions. Currently, women are coming from other states to obtain abortions in California. An Abortion Access website is being formed in our state to enable and assist out-of-state women with travel arrangements, housing, medical appointments and other matters.

California legislators, recognizing the remote possibility that at some future time state legislation could ban abortions, took timely action in June to pass SCR 10. This put Proposition 1, the Constitutional Right to Reproductive Freedom, on the November ballot. Passage of Prop 1 will amend the California Constitution, stating “Section 1.1 is added to Article I thereof, to read: SEC. 1.1. The state shall not deny or interfere with an individual’s reproductive freedom in their most intimate decisions, which includes their fundamental right to choose to have an abortion and their fundamental right to choose or refuse contraceptives. This section is intended to further the constitutional right to privacy guaranteed by Section 1, and the constitutional right to not be denied equal protection guaranteed by Section 7. Nothing herein narrows or limits the right to privacy or equal protection.”

AAUW CA has begun a social media campaign to educate and encourage voters to support Proposition 1. Weekly messages contain important facts. If you don’t use social media, we urge you to email the messages to others who do!

Proposition 28. In the context of AAUW CA’s Public Policy Priorities in support of Education, AAUW CA supports Proposition 28, The Arts and Music in Schools – Funding Guarantee and Accountability Act. Studies on educational achievement prove that arts and music education improve student learning. Music education has been shown to improve cognitive development and spatial reasoning while the dramatic arts improve reading comprehension. Arts and music education has also been shown to improve school attendance and individual self-confidence and motivation to learn, particularly among poor and other at-risk students. Yet these programs are usually the first cut when school budgets are reduced. Prop 28 would provide a minimum source of annual funding coming from the state General Fund to K-12 public schools to supplement arts education programs. School districts would be held accountable to use the funds for hiring certificated employees and purchasing supplies and materials. Read the full propositions on the Secretary of State website, www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ballot-measures

Become informed, and Vote on November 8, 2022!!

PLEASE NOTE: There was an error in the AAUW California September Newsletter article. The article provided a link to National’s Get Out the Vote Toolkit, however the link was to their old site. The site has been updated and the new and correct link is: https://www.aauw.org/resources/policy/advocacy-toolkit/ .

Reproductive Choice Committee Forms

Reproductive Choice Committee Forms, By Liz Jordan

On June 24, 2022, the U. S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs Decision changed the political landscape for organizations like AAUW. We discovered that we are further from winning the equity war; we have lost one of the most important hills on the battlefield. While there is much talk within all women’s rights organizations, California is in the lonely company of only 11 other states protecting a woman’s right to control her body and her future. In August, four Sacramento branch members joined for two meetings over Zoom.

To date, we have contacted all members of our Public Policy Committee that existed in 2020-21 under the guiding hand of Arlene Cullum. We have met twice to determine our purpose/mission and how we can achieve that mission. Briefly and within the mission of our mothership – we will research national, state and local topics about reproductive rights, create resources we can share, and prepare to educate our branch members for action and advocacy.

Our third and next meeting is scheduled for Sept. 9, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. over Zoom. We are using Zoom because members are so busy that this relieves us of arranging for a meeting site and time driving back and forth. In the future, if the committee wants to meet in person, we will make those plans.

We need to share with more members the time commitment for all this research and chronicling of resources, and so we welcome any interested member joining the fun.

At this time, you may contact Liz Jordan, Carole Cline, Lisa Howard or Arlene Callum to get more information. Please see more contact information in the directory. We will send you the Zoom invitation for the Sept. 9 meeting and any future meetings that we plan.

When Women Vote

When Women Vote, We Change the Conversation! By Liz Jordan

Since 1881, AAUW has been a leading voice promoting education and equity for women and girls. AAUW encourages women voters to get involved in the political process and gain a better understanding of the impact legislative action can have on our lives.

The recent US Supreme Court Dobbs decision on abortion has stimulated action in many states across the nation, including California. Our Legislature passed and Gov. Newsom signed AB1666, which will enable a woman coming into California to receive an abortion to be protected from lawsuits originating in her home state. This bill was co-sponsored by AAUW CA! A further step protecting a woman’s right to make personal medical decisions is a constitutional amendment, Proposition 1, which will be on the Nov. 8 ballot. It would amend the California Constitution to prohibit the state from denying or interfering with an individual’s reproductive freedom in her most intimate decisions, which includes the fundamental right to choose to have an abortion and the fundamental right to choose or refuse contraceptives. AAUW CA supports this constitutional amendment.

Congressional races are particularly important this November. Redistricting after the 2020 Census has changed the boundaries of many congressional districts. In the current partisan climate, we need to be aware of what is at stake in both our national and state upcoming elections. Your current member of Congress may no longer represent you – be sure to become informed soon on the candidates for Congress in your district. As you sort through all this, please reflect on priority issues affecting us, our daughters and granddaughters, and evaluate candidates’ positions on these issues.

Here are resources to get helpful, non-partisan information:

AAUW CA website: aauw-ca.org Public Policy section will soon have more detail on priority issues and questions to ask of candidates.
AAUW website: org/policy/advocacy/tool-kit Ideas for branch activities, C/U partners, and specifics for 501 c 3 and 501 c 4 branches.
CA Secretary of State website: sos.ca.gov voter info, ballot Initiatives.
State and County Voter guides – mailed to all registered voters in October.
wedrawthelinesca.org – maps of newly redrawn congressional districts

Register to vote, if you haven’t already! And if you have recently moved, you need to update your information with your county registrar of voters! Voting is a powerful tool to bring about change!

NOTE from your branch’s Public Policy Committee: we are joining with CHAR (Citrus Height American River Branch) to host a propositions discussion Oct. 20, 2022 at 4:30 p.m. over Zoom. The link for the meeting is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4350679895?pwd=TjMvZFZtSE4xdXFCUjhDU0dKWnlCdz09

The Equal Rights Amendment

The Equal Rights Amendment By Liz Jordan

In 2017, the AAUW CA Speech Trek contest topic asked if it was time to pass the Equal Rights Amendment. At that time, the amendment had been ratified by 35 of the required 38 states and was abandoned by most “rights” groups after the 1982 Congressional deadline passed. Over the next three years after 2017, three states ratified the ERA. First the Nevada legislature ratified the amendment in 2018, then Illinois in 2019, and in January of 2020 the Commonwealth of Virginia’s legislature ratified the amendment.

Also, at that time, the Trump presidential administration, through Attorney General Bill Barr and unfriendly to the idea of Equal Rights, asked the U. S. Archivist to not register Virginia’s ratification vote. What’s happened since then?

About 200 “rights” groups have mounted legal efforts on behalf of the Equal Rights Amendment. Equal Means Equal has picketed the White House and the Department of Justice. They have also engaged in lawsuits in cooperation with other rights groups. The ERA Coalition has lobbied, has filed lawsuits and has generally beaten the drum to get the current administration and the current Justice Department to move the ERA out of the Archivist’s office. AAUW has contributed to these efforts. To date, I have not found any comment by any administration official about the hesitancy/resistance to register Virginia’s vote, and, therefore, to bring the 28^th Amendment into the U. S. Constitution.

On March 17, 2021, the U. S. House of Representatives voted to remove the ratification deadline time limit that was reached in 1982. That time limit was an artificial limit set by Congress, and therefore, subject to elimination by Congress.

The original language of the amendment stated that it would go into effect two years from the date of the last ratification vote. That date is January 27, 2022! However, the obstacle for the U.S. Archivist is the Barr memo.

Why do we still need this amendment? States all over the country, even California, have laws and practices that regularly discriminate on the basis of gender. States vary in their protection of rape victims over perpetrators, protection of sex-trafficking victims, claims of self-defense and other issues around domestic violence such as law enforcement’s equal application of restraining orders; states vary in employment protections of pregnancy, as well as reproductive rights, and, as always, equal pay for equal work.

Imagine if the Equal Rights Amendment were to become the 28^th Amendment of the United States Constitution. How would the future differ from the past? It seems to this writer (who does not have a law degree) that the impact would build for decades, as suits are brought before the Supreme Court; the justices would apply this clearly and simply stated amendment, with no ambiguity, that discrimination on the basis of gender is illegal. Even the current court, in its apparent three liberal and five conservative justices make-up, would not be able to find legal loopholes, justifications or ambiguous applications; they could not dodge the difficult issues around gender equity. All matters around gender equity would be subject to strict judicial scrutiny, a judicial standard that applies at this time only to race and religion.

What could you do? Write or call your U.S. representatives and senators to get this amendment out of Archivist limbo. Write to the current administration. Support groups that are working on your behalf, such as those listed below. If you have friends and family in other states, urge them to also write to congress and to the President of the United States.

What organizations might you watch, in addition to AAUW, for information? These are the websites I have watched for the last four years. The first one is a great place to find the history and other factual information about the efforts to ratify this amendment. Equal Means Equal put out a wonderful film (of the same name – Equal Means Equal) in 2016 about the need to pass the amendment. Rent it from Amazon and invite friends to watch it with you. Call me and I’ll bring it to your house and show it for you. The ERA Coalition presents many informational webinars as well as weekly updates on the ERA in the news around the country.

https://www.equalrightsamendment.org
http://www.equalmeansequal.org
https://www.eracoalition.org

–Liz Jordan

To contact me, please see my contact information in the branch directory.

AAUW California Public Policy Update

Updates from AAUW California Public Policy Committee By Kathi Harper

Note: Kathi Harper is the Co-Chair of the AAUW CA Public Policy Committee

Abortion Justice

Although the constitutionally guaranteed right to an abortion has been systematically under attack for decades, it is currently in danger of disappearing altogether. As AAUW National recently noted, ”Every person should have the ability to make their own informed decisions regarding their reproductive life. It is beyond time for abortion to be secured legally, funded fully, and equitably available for all who need it, when they need it, without shame or stigma.” With the recent refusal of the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene in the onerous Texas case, it is clear that we can no longer count on the courts to protect this critical right. Congress must pass the Women’s Health Protection Act. Watch for Action Alerts from National, use them to keep pressure on your representatives, and sign up now for the 2-Minute Activist if you haven’t already done so by clicking here https://www.aauw.org/act/two-minute-activist/.

Be sure to let us know if members from your branch participated in the Rally for Abortion Justice on Oct. 2, along with Beach Cities, Palos Verdes, San Fernando Valley, Pasadena, Alameda, Carlsbad-Oceanside-Vista, Los Altos-Mt. View, San Jose and Morgan Hill, and send pictures if you have them to publicpolicy@aauw-ca.org.

Legislative Updates

Our last five priority bills that were awaiting the Governor’s signature have been acted on. Here are the results:

SB 62 (requires fair pay, instead of “by the piece” payment, for garment workers) SIGNED
AB 367 (free menstrual products must be provided in girls/women’s bathrooms in schools) SIGNED
AB 887 (allows domestic violence restraining orders to be filed electronically) SIGNED
AB 123 (increases paid family leave benefits to 65 – 75 percent of regular pay) VETOED
AB 1074 (requires hotel and janitorial workers who have lost their jobs due the pandemic to be prioritized for hiring as businesses reopen) VETOED

Economic Equity

Oct. 21 was Latina Equal Pay Day – the day Latina women, who are paid just 57 cents to every white male’s dollar, finally catch up from the previous year. To help raise awareness, our coalition partner Stronger California is hosting a Latina Equal Pay Day & Essential Women Workers Virtual Summit. If you are interested in joining to learn more and hear from iconic civil rights leader Dolores Huerta, as well as California’s First Partner Jennifer Newsome, click register to register.