For more information on local ballot measures, see Voters' Guide

To see the schedule for debate and candidate broadcasts go to: http://www.communitymediacenter.net/elections_Nov_2008.html

The online links to the combined state senate, and state assembly race forum: http://www.communitymediacenter.net/watch/Elections_08/Senate.html

The Superior Court Judges Forum (Office #8) at the following link: http://www.communitymediacenter.net/watch/Elections_08/Judges.html

Q&A Speakers:

Keynote: Gail Dryden, LWVUS NPVC study committee

Pro Speaker: Dr. John Koza, Author of "Every Vote Equal: A State-Based Plan for Electing the President by National Popular Vote". Dr. John Koza, a Consulting Professor in Biomedical Informatics Program, Stanford Univ. He is the originator of the NPV plan, and co-author of "Every Vote Equal: A State Based Plan for Electing the President by National Popular Vote."

Con Speaker: Dr. Arthur Keller - Managing Partner of Minerva Consulting. He is a member of the Planning and Transportation Commission of the City of Palo Alto and is also a member of the LWVPA.

Sponsored by the five Leagues of Santa Clara County National Popular Vote Compact Mini-Study Committee.

or televised Pros & Cons at Stevenson House: http://blip.tv/file/2106332/

For general election information, such as where to vote, go to: http://www.smartvoter.org/

In May, the San Jose Elections Commission had Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) on their agenda, and heard it described as a cheaper, quicker, and more civil way <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=gobb78cab.0.0.cssy7gcab.0&ts=S0403&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newamerica.net%2Fpublications%2Farticles%2F2009%2Fcheaper_quicker_more_civil_way_run_san_jose_elections_instant_runoffs_11624&id=preview> to run elections. Join us for a discussion of how IRV works and what it can do for San Jose.

This event is free and open to the public and lunch will be provided.

Featured Speakers

Sam Liccardo Councilmember, San Jose City Council (District 3)

Steve Chessin President, Californians for Electoral Reform

Ash Kalra Councilmember, San Jose City Council (District 2)

Katie Selenski Board Member, California Common Cause

Moderated by Terry Christensen Professor of Political Science, San Jose State University

The event is jointly sponsored by the New America Foundation and California Common Cause <http://www.commoncause.org/site/pp.asp?c=dkLNK1MQIwG&b=4846185> .

To RSVP for the event, click on the red button or go to the event page: http://www.newamerica.net/events/2009/instant_runoff_voting

• Rick Walker
• Joe Simitian, State Senator
• Gwen Essegian, filmmaker, $100 a Day
• Moderator, Sigrid Pinsky, League of Women Voters of Palo Alto.

• Keynote address by Claudia Chaufan, M.D., PhD, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Health Policy, University of California San Francisco. "Learning from the International Experience: A Framework to Analyze Current Proposals for Health Care Reform".

• UPDATE ON THE NATIONAL HEALTH CARE DEBATE
• TAKING ACTION for EQUAL health care: Equitable, Quality, Universal, Affordable. President Obama's Principles; Congressional Committee Proposals: Health Insurance Exchange, Employer Mandate, Individual Mandate; Public Option; Payment Proposals Ellen Shaffer, PhD MPH, Co-Director, Center for Policy Analysis, Deborah LeVeen, PhD, Professor Emerita-Political Science, San Francisco State University and Giorgio Piccagli, PhD, MPH, President, California Public Health Association-Northern California.

• RESPONSE from the field: Marisel Brown, MPH, MSBA, "Prevention and Health Policy"; Jim Murphy, Planning and Business Development, Santa Clara Valley Health and Hospital System, "Keeping Hospitals Serving and Solvent"; physician TBD, "Putting Patients First"

• CaliforniaOne Care: Full Care, For All, For Less (State Sen. Mark Leno's SB 810)

For carpooling, please meet at the League office at 953 Industrial Avenue in Palo Alto at 7:15am.

About community issues!

The measure had been called the clean money act but had its name changed. It involves limiting fund raising for several state positions such as the secretary of state and offers public funding for those offices. There will be wine, cheese and fair chocolate as well as information.

Moderator: Allyson Washburn, President of OWL and Past President of LWVSF

CCSCE prepares long-term economic and demographic projections for public and private sector organizations in California.

Recently Steve has been doing research on the impact of immigration on the California economy. CCSCE prepared a paper on immigration issues for the California Economic Strategy Panel and is currently studying the implications of immigration for California workforce policy.

For the past several years Steve has worked extensively on how the state budget and economy are related. He created the California Budget Challenge and Budget IQ Quiz in partnership with Next Ten. Steve has also worked with the Rockefeller and San Francisco Foundations to present workshops that serve as a forum for discussing the relationship between the state economy and budget.

Steve is often asked to speak before public and private groups and has a reputation for being frank and provocative.

He is a member of the NOVA (Silicon Valley) Workforce Board and an advisor to the California Economic Strategy Panel.

Topics:

"Redistricting and the Constitutional Reform: What's Happening and What You Can Do To Make It Happen"

"Tools You Can Use: A Guided Tour of the League's Members' Only Web Page"

"How Leagues are Using Their Web Sites, Social Networking and Video to Communicate with the Public"

Price: $25/person, $30 after October 16 ($15 if bringing own lunch). Please register (and pay by credit card) at the LWVC website: http://www.lwvc.org

"There is a time to study an issue, a time to take a position and a time to act," says Loughry about her decision to sponsor the program. "The LWV of California has long been in favor of Campaign Finance Reform. Our CA LWV president, Janis Hirohama, is urging us to back the California Fair Elections Act, a legislative initiative on the June 2010 ballot."

Lieber, a long- time member of the Los Altos-Mountain View League and former Assemblywoman for the 22nd district, will give examples from her political experience how Clean Money would help get legislation passed that the voters want, rather than what well-heeled interest groups demand. Neff of Clean Money will explain how the California Fair Election Act will work if it passes.

In the August 22 Sacramento Bee, Janis Hirohama, CA LWV president, wrote, "The California Fair Elections Act (CFEA) represents the kind of change our state needs and voters want. It is an important first step toward breaking the toxic tie between campaign cash and public policy."

The CFEA is an important pilot project affecting only the position of Secretary of State in the election years 2014 and 2018. If it is successful, it can pave the way for other applications of public financing.

The California legislature passed CFEA as AB 583 and the Governor signed it. Candidates who qualify by collecting a large number of $5 contributions receive sufficient funds for a competitive campaign. CFEA would be funded by a $350 annual registration fee on lobbyists and a voluntary check-off on tax returns.

Before the meeting, questions can be emailed to Town- Hall@paloaltopta.org or posed during the meeting live or via InterCall's "Q&A" tab.

For general election information, such as where to vote and information about candidates and issues, go to: http://www.smartvoter.org/

Find your polling place at: http://eservices.sccgov.org/pollingplace/prepare.do?action=begin or vote by mail.

Judy Kerr, Spokesperson, California Crime Victims for Alternatives to the Death Penalty Murder Victim Family Member, Albany, CA In 2003, Judy Kerr's brother Robert (Bob) James Kerr was murdered. Judy's initial response to her tragic loss was to contact violence-prevention groups and, in 2004, she reached out to Murder Victims' Families for Reconciliation (MVFR), an act that helped solidify her opposition to the death penalty. She now acts as the Victim Liaison and Spokesperson for California Crime Victims for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (CCV). Judy Kerr is a registered nurse and has worked with trauma survivors. She maintains a compassionate view that the victims in our current system include both murder victims' family members and the families of convicted killers.

Natasha Minsker, Death Penalty Policy Director of the ACLU of Northern California. In this position, Ms. Minsker uses a multi-disciplinary approach to promote the goal of reforming capital sentencing procedures and the eventually ending the death penalty in California. Previously, Ms. Minsker spent five years at the Alameda County Public Defender's Office, the first year as a research attorney in the Capital Defense Unit and the remaining four years as a Deputy Public Defender, handling all types of misdemeanor, felony, and juvenile cases. Ms. Minsker also served as staff attorney to the Judicial Council of California's Task Force on Criminal Jury Instructions, helping the committee research and draft the CALCRIM instructions. She clerked for the Honorable Martha Vazquez, Chief Judge of the Federal District Court of New Mexico, and is a graduate of Stanford Law School. In 2008, the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty honored her as one of the "Abolitionists of the Year," and the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice honored her with their "Skip Glenn Award."

Speaker - Carter, Prudence L., Associate Professor of Education and (by courtesy) the Department of Sociology at Stanford.

Everyone has a stake in the success of our community colleges, especially if they have children who plan to go to a community college, or they need to retrain for a new job or they simply want to take classes to better themselves. Come to the forum and participate in the discussion.

The morning session will also feature a series of experts in discussion of the key SB 375 policy areas of air quality, transportation, housing, and land use. In the afternoon session, several more experts will describe how local communities around the Bay Area are already independently carrying out Smart Growth practices to help cut down on greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change.

A light breakfast will be served to all who attend.

Register with lunch for $25, register without lunch for $15, before Jan. 21.

Fees increase to $30/20 after Jan. 21. To register go to "http://www.lwvba.ca.lwvnet.org/"and click on calendar.

CA AD 24 Assemblyman, Jim Beall, Chair of the Human Services Committee, Chair of the Select Committee on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, and Member of the Budget Subcommittee on Health and Human Services. His public service is extensive. Beall has served as a San Jose City Council Member, and as a member of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, before being elected to the CA Assembly in 2006.

Professor Victor Fuchs is the Henry J. Kaiser, Jr., Professor of Economics and Health Research and Policy at Stanford University. He is presently at the National Bureau of Economic Research at Stanford. His special interests are universal health coverage and the factors determining health care spending.

Summit chairmen will be the Honorable Leonard Edwards, former presiding judge of the Santa Clara County Juvenile Dependency Court, and Dr. Fernando Mendoza, chief of General Pediatrics at Stanford School of Medicine. The program will include keynote speaker Jose Antonio Vargas, a graduate of Mountain View High and former national political reporter for the Washington Post; in 2008, he won a Pulitzer Prize as part of a team that covered the Virginia Tech massacre.

Breakout workgroups will feature Santa Clara County models of organizations working together across boundaries to improving results for children.

Ellen Shaffer, PhD, MPH, Co-Director of the San Francisco-based Center for Policy Analysis and expert on health care policy, is founder of EQUAL + Equitable, Quality, Universal Affordable health care and has been at the forefront of national health care reform efforts. Dr. Shaffer writes and lectures extensively on access to health care, women's health and globalization. She holds a Masters in Public Health from UC Berkeley, a PhD from the School of Hygiene and Public Health at Johns Hopkins University and is a certified Employee Benefits Specialist.

Housing Related Concepts/Issues

• diversity--economic, age, ethnicity, mult iple levels of affordability
• non-discriminat ion
• job/housing balance
• t ransit access and parking requirements
• definit ion of neighborhood density o single family neighborhoods o along t ransit corridors o near services o impact on schools o lot coverage, height
• walkability
• priority in subsidized housing for people in certain occupat ions
• innovat ive forms for housing design, o housing over retail o charge for parking space
• mixed use
• state and regional planning
• clarity and consistency in development process
• local requirement for inclusionary zoning
• other

On November 10, 2009, the City sponsored its initial presentation in a speaker series related to the Comprehensive Plan update. The session was titled "Implementing SB 375: What Local Governments Need to Know" and focused on the role local governments will play in helping the state implement new laws regarding climate change.

Charles Weis became Santa Clara County Superintendent of Schools in July 2008, and immediately took an active role in education and community issues and organizations in Santa Clara County and the Bay Area.

Since his arrival in Santa Clara County, Dr. Weis has served on the Executive Committee of the Gateways Cradle to Career Education and Workforce Partnership, the Board of Directors of the Silicon Valley Education Foundation and Joint Venture Silicon Valley, the Juvenile Justice Systems Collaborative, Kids in Common, Children's Agenda Vision Council, 6th District PTA, the Santa Clara County Education Coalition Board, and the San Jose/Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce and its Education Committee. Currently, Dr. Weis is President of the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA).

Ellen Wheeler is Chairperson of the Education Committee for the League of Women Voters of Santa Clara County. She has been a member of the LWV, Los Altos-Mountain View for eight years. Ellen is also a member of the Education Committee for the LWV California. Additionally, Ellen is one of the committee members working on, and advocating for, a League study on the Federal Role in Education.

Ellen's short-term and long-term background is in education and the law. She's currently serving on her second term as a school board member in Mountain View-Whisman School District, is a credentialed teacher, and is a proud graduate of Santa Clara University School of Law.

• Learn the details of Proposition 15, the California Fair Elections Act.
• See how well public financing has worked in other states.
• Hone your message in support of Fair Elections. With Nancy Neff, Palo Alto Coordinator for California Fair Elections Campaign and member of LWV-Palo Alto. RSVP: paloalto-info@caclean.org

Sponsored by Peninsula Chapter of the World Affairs Council.

Background

Nearly 43% of our `garbage' is actually recyclable. By simply placing items in the appropriate containers, we can further our community goals of Zero Waste by 2021 and 15% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. To address this important issue, the City is creating a new Recycling and Composting Ordinance to restrict recyclables and compostables from the garbage.

Attend the upcoming public meetings hosted by the City to review the draft ordinance outline and share your comments. Learn how the outline reflects the feedback from the previous round of public meetings, how it incorporates best practices learned from other jurisdictions and give your feedback.

Background

Nearly 43% of our `garbage' is actually recyclable. By simply placing items in the appropriate containers, we can further our community goals of Zero Waste by 2021 and 15% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. To address this important issue, the City is creating a new Recycling and Composting Ordinance to restrict recyclables and compostables from the garbage.

light refreshments will be served

PANEL FEATURING:

LAWRENCE C. MARSHALL

Professor of Law

Stanford University

DARRYL STALLWORTH

Former Prosecutor,

Alameda County

REVEREND MICHAEL CARSON

Catholic Priest, Queen of Apostles Church

Member of the State Board of California People Of Faith Working Against the Death Penalty

Chair, The San Jose Diocese Restorative Justice Council

MARY KAY RAFTERY

Crime Victim Family Member

Moderated by:

NATASHA MINSKER

Death Penalty Policy Director,

ACLU of Northern California

George Shultz served as Secretary of State under President Ronald Reagan, and was a key figure in the historic negotiations that led to the end of the Cold War. William Perry, served as Secretary of Defense under President Bill Clinton. Sidney Drell is Professor and Deputy Director, Emeritus, at SLAC. Philip Taubman, is a consulting professor at Stanford's Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC), working on a book about the efforts of Sidney Drell, Henry Kissinger, Sam Nunn, Bill Perry and George Shultz to reduce nuclear dangers. He is a former reporter and editor at the New York Times, where he specialized in national security issues. This event will feature a screening of the new movie "Nuclear Tipping Point," that also includes Henry Kissinger, Sam Nunn and Gen. Colin Powell. The movie will be followed by a discussion.

9 am - Brunch

9:30 am - Speaker Melissa Baten Caswell, PAUSD Board of Education member.

10 am - Business