Serving the people of Aliso Viejo, Capistrano Beach, Dana Point, Laguna Niguel, Mission Viejo, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano

Great American Write-In

CELEBRATE THE 27th ANNUAL GREAT AMERICAN WRITE-IN Sponsored by WOMEN FOR: ORANGE COUNTY

SATURDAY, APRIL 14, 2012 - 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

NEW VENUE THIS YEAR: DELHI COMMUNITY CENTER (505 E. Central Ave., Santa Ana 92707) Discover that The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword!

For more information, please contact Felicity Figueroa 949-733-0850 or felicitynf@aol.com

FREE REFRESHMENTS! FREE POSTAGE!

A War on Voting

Read a short article by our national president about what is going to to prevent people from voting. Click here: http://www.lwv.org/blog/war-voting

Do Initiatives, Referendums and Recalls Make Direct Democracy Work?

It has been 100 years since Californians adopted the three-legged stool of direct democracy:

• initiative--passing laws directly by the people
• referendum--repealing laws already passed by the legislature
• recall--removing elected officials from office

In the intervening years, in statewide elections, the referendum has been used seldom and the recall only once. This year, the use of the referendum is breaking all records. Nine referendums were thrown into the hopper, covering topics that range from budget-related laws concerning the fire prevention fee and redevelopment, to the California Dream Act, to redistricting maps. Several have failed to qualify for the ballot, but others still bear watching.

Referendum voting often confuses voters. The question is asked in what is sometimes described as a "backwards" manner--whether a voter wishes to retain the law under question. A "yes" vote means keep the law as enacted by the legislature, and a "no" vote means repeal the law. Join the League and participate in the Initiative and Referendum Study. Members have access to a more detailed page of initiative and referendum resources on our members only Web site.

We also have a Facebook group for this study, which members and the public use to get to know one another, share news articles and videos, and discuss this issue.

Read more about the initiative and referendum study on the League of California's website. http://www.ca.lwv.org

End the Death Penalty

Join us in supporting the SAFE California Act, an initiative in circulation to collect the necessary signatures to qualify for the ballot. This initiative would stop executions and replace the death penalty with permanent imprisonment (life without the possibility of parole), including the conversion of existing death sentences to that alternative.

Sign up for email alerts, make a donation, and find more ways to get involved on the campaign site. The link is: http://www.safecalifornia.org

Attend the OneJustice Hearings

OneJustice (a nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase access to legal help for underserved Californians) is holding hearings throughout the state about the civil justice crisis and how it threatens access to justice and legal services for Californians in need. The LWVC is represented on the advisory group for OneJustice by former LWVC President Janis R. Hirohama.

You can RSVP to attend a hearing and find more info at http://www.californiahearings.org.

Be A Consensus Builder

Become a Founding Member of the Consensus Builders! You may have noticed our board chair, Jenny Waggoner, striking a Rosie pose. Why Rosie? Today's Rosie would still be defending democracy by building consensus instead of war planes. This is why we have named our monthly giving program, Consensus Builders.

Consensus Builder benefits include invitations to special virtual events to talk with League leadership and experts on the work of the state League, recognition in a winter issue of the e-newsletter, acknowledgment on our Facebook page and a limited edition Consensus Builder temporary tattoo.

It takes so little to make a huge impact. Just $25/month will pay for free online training for up to 100 League members.

Please make your year end donation to the League of Women Voters of California today!

Redistricting Maps

Here is a link to the final district maps for the 53 California Congressional districts, 40 State Senate, 80 State Assembly and four Board of Equalization districts/. This link also shows the maps from the 2001 redistricting for comparison. http://www.CaVotes.org

Opposition to SB 1786 0 air pollution

On behalf of our millions of members, activists, and supporters, we strongly urge you to oppose S. 1786. This pro-pollution plan would block the EPA's ability to clean-up life-threatening toxic air pollution. This bill is part of an extreme, ideological agenda and it will not create jobs, but it will cost lives.

Instead of focusing on strengthening the economy and growing jobs, it includes the REINS Act (S. 299), a bill that would actually create far more regulatory uncertainty by throwing every regulatory issue into the Congress. More pollution and uncertainty won't create jobs.

One of the most sweeping and radical bills ever to be considered by a Congress, REINS would undo more than 100 years of safeguards by allowing just one chamber of Congress to block law enforcement of existing statutory protections -- from worker safety, to public health, to Wall Street reform. This would make Congress the required arbiter of every technical question and business dispute, would allow a single chamber of Congress to stop any regulation, no matter what the substantive record showed, and, in one fell swoop, would effectively rewrite virtually every environmental and other regulatory statute by making their requirements unenforceable.

S.1786 also includes rollbacks for clean air standards that will protect public health by limiting dangerous pollutants like toxic mercury, arsenic, soot, and smog, from the nation's largest pollution sources, including incinerators, and cement plants. The bill's many other health and environmental rollbacks include an attack on the National Environmental Protection Act and unnecessarily delays life-saving standards.

Let us be absolutely clear: sacrificing tens of thousands of American lives will not create more jobs. Poisoning the air our children and our families breathe will not stimulate the economy. Burdening the American people with hundreds of billions of dollars in health and welfare costs will not lead to sustained economic growth. Sowing the seeds of massive economic uncertainty will not help the economy.

Now more than ever, the American people need their members of Congress to work together to solve the nation's problems in a bipartisan manner. We urge you to reject these polluter-led attacks on public health and instead focus on real solutions that grow the economy, not cost lives.

Women's History Museum

There is a new exhibit at the National Women's History Museum entitled "Profiles in Motherhood". This one of several exhibits about women - BUT they are only available ONLINE. For more information, or to view the exhibits go to http://www.nwhm.org

SAVE THE DATE: National Convention in Washington D.C.

June 8-12, 2012 *

Imagine, Commit, Act!

"The Power of the Vote!"

Washington Hilton Hotel, 1919 Connecticut Avenue

YES!! We're finally BACK in Washington, DC for the National League Convention!!!

Have "the DC Experience" with many other LWV leaders from around the nation!

• Great Speakers
• Interesting Workshops and Training
• Discussing Program and Issues
• Electing Leaders
• Incredible Networking
• Visit DC area sites + the Hill, Smithsonian, the Monuments, and many others!!!

Friday, June 8 Pre-Convention Training 2-5 pm Saturday, June 9 Briefings 10 am-Noon; 1 p.m. Call to Order 1 pm June 12 Adjourn Noon

Watch for additional information to assist Leagues in fully participating in the Convention. We'll send information about program planning process, bylaws, awards, the costs, registration, reservations process, and how to sign up for convention list serve and others.

Be part of this exciting opportunity to connect with other League leaders around the country!

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