Saturday, June 27 2015

Join us for our Annual Business Meeting!

Our Annual Meeting is open to all League members. Your participation is important.

 

 

Guests are also welcome to come to the lunch at noon (with registration below) or the speech at 12:45pm (please RSVP to annualmeeting@lwvlamv.org so we can gauge seating).

League members will:

• Vote on the proposed budget for 2015-2016
• Elect officers and directors for 2015-2016
• Adopt LWV Los Altos-Mountain View positions and program for emphasis
• Provide direction to the new board

Our original Annual Meeting keynote speaker, Nuria Fernandez, will not be able to attend our meeting due to an unexpected scheduling conflict. In her place, Jim Lawson, Executive Policy Advisor and Director of Government Affairs, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority will speak on the State of Transportation in Silicon Valley. 

Your annual meeting kit will be arriving in early June by email. If you do not have an email, it will be mailed to you. You can download the Annual Meeting Kit here.

Agenda:

• 10:00 am: Registration
• 10:20 am: Meeting Called to Order
• 11:45 am: Break and Conversation
• Noon: Lunch
• 12:45 pm: Speaker Jim Lawson

Meet Our Elected Officials

 

 

When: Sunday, May 3, 2015, 2-4PM

Where: Los Altos Youth Center
1 North San Antonio Road
Los Altos, CA 94022

Hosted by the League of Women Voters of the Los Altos-Mountain View Area and the Los Altos Public Library, this biennial event is an informal community gathering to hear from our office holders about their priorities ranging from land use, housing, transportation, water supply, education, healthcare and open space.

We look forward to your joining us to ask questions about what is happening in our communities and to share your views with the elected officials whose decisions shape the quality of life in our part of Silicon Valley.

Please help us reach out to the community by sharing the flyer for the event with your friends, neighbors and colleagues or sharing our event on Facebook!

For more information, contact us by email at info@lwvlamv.org or phone at (650) 429-8382.

Featured Officials

• Rich Gordon, CA Assembly Member District 24
• Grace Mah, Santa Clara County Office of Education Board Member, Area 1
• Gary Kremen, Santa Clara County Water District, Director – District 7 and 2015 Board Chair
• John McAlister, Mountain View City Mayor
• Jan Pepper, Los Altos City Mayor
• Courtenay Corrigan, Los Altos Hills Town Mayor
• Ellen Wheeler, Mountain View Whisman School District, Vice President
• Steve Taglio, Los Altos School District, President
• Susan Sweeley, Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District, President
• Joan Barram, Foothill – De Anza Community College District Board of Trustees, Vice President
• Curt Riffle, MidPeninsula Regional Open Space District Board Members
• Dr. Peter Fung, El Camino Health Care District Board

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 Scott Haywood: VTA Policy & Community Relations Manager

Our April Lunch with the League guest speaker is Scott Haywood, Policy & Community Relations Manager for VTA. VTA has been discussing the possibility of placing a sales tax measure on the 2016 ballot for transportation improvements. VTA has launched Envision Silicon Valley to help them prepare for a potential ballot measure. This is a new effort where VTA will engage community leaders in a dynamic visioning process to discuss current and future transportation needs, identify solutions and craft funding priorities.

As Policy & Community Relations Manager for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), Scott manages and coordinates VTA’s regional legislative program and serves as liaison with various boards, elected officials, commissions, business organizations and community groups. Previously, Scott served as the Sales Program Manager at VTA, implementing a variety of marketing programs. Prior to working at VTA, Scott worked for Apple Computer Inc. in their Transportation Demand Management Department. Scott holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in public administration.

Location & Time

Ristorante Bella Vita
376 First Street, Los Altos
April 17th, 11:30am to 1pm

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Reserve Offline

Cost is $27 per person. If you don’t wish to RSVP and pay online, you can RSVP by phone or email with Ellyn Corey at 650-559-1828 by April 15th with your choice of entree (Dover Sole or Vegetarian Pasta with Tomato Sauce). Bring your payment check with you on April 17. We look forward to seeing you there! Bring a friend.

 

MAP • Ristorante Bella Vita • 376 First Street, Los Altos

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Hidden Villa

Marc Sidel: Deputy Director of Development

Our March Lunch with the League guest speaker is Marc Sidel, Deputy Director of Development with Hidden Villa. He is eager to bring to us news from “behind the scenes” of the people and the place that today make this living part of our rural past so important to all generations.

Location & Time

Ristorante Bella Vita
376 First Street, Los Altos
March 20th, 11:30am to 1pm

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Reserve Offline

Cost is $27 per person. If you don’t wish to RSVP and pay online, you can RSVP by phone or email with Ellyn Corey at 650-559-1828 by March 18th with your choice of entree (Chicken Marsala or Vegetarian Ravioli). Bring your payment check with you on March 20. We look forward to seeing you there! Bring a friend.

 

MAP • Ristorante Bella Vita • 376 First Street, Los Altos

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Local Reporters, Local Cities

Bruce Barton: Editor-in-Chief, Los Altos Town Crier
Andrea Gemmet: Editor, Mountain View Voice

Our February 2015 Lunch with The League, titled “Local Reporters, Local Cities”, will feature Bruce Barton (Editor-in-Chief of the Los Altos Town Crier) and Andrea Gemmet (Editor of the Mountain View Voice). Both are Bay Area natives and have been engaged in regional newspapers in their professional careers. Our program will feature the current events, new city councils, and the roles of the the papers and their publics in influencing the natures of their respective communities.

Bruce Barton has practiced community journalism since 1984, when he received his bachelor’s degree from San Jose State University with a concentration in reporting and editing. He has worked at eight different newspaper organizations, including the Los Altos Town Crier. He joined the Town Crier in 1993 after five years at daily publications, one of which was the ill-fated Peninsula Times Tribune. Bruce served first as copyeditor and then as assistant lifestyle editor at the Times Tribune until 1992. The paper closed down in March 1993.  After the Times Tribune, Bruce spent a year on the copy desk of Dean Singleton’s Alameda Newspaper Group.

Andrea Gemmet joined the Mountain View Voice in 2010 as the newspaper’s managing editor after a brief three-week stint as its heath and education reporter. She was named editor of the Voice in July 2014, following the retirement of editor and publisher Tom Gibboney. Born and raised in Redwood City, her journalism career started in high school, with an after-school job at the Redwood City Tribune and a job as the Woodside High School correspondent for the Redwood City Weekly News.

Location & Time

Ristorante Bella Vita
376 First Street, Los Altos
Feb 20th, 11:30am to 1pm

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Reserve Offline

Cost is $27 per person. If you don’t wish to RSVP and pay online, you can RSVP by phone or email with Ellyn Corey at 650-559-1828 by February 18th with your choice of entree (Chicken with Vegetables or Vegetarian Ravioli). Bring your payment check with you on February 20. We look forward to seeing you there! Bring a friend.

 

MAP • Ristorante Bella Vita • 376 First Street, Los Altos

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The paperwork has finally been completed…the League of Women Voters of the Los Altos-Mountain View Area is now a 501(c)3 non-profit…meaning that all dues and contributions you make to us are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law!

 Barbara Keegan

Director – District 2, Santa Clara Valley Water District

Our January 2015 Lunch with The League, titled “Water Supply, Drought and the Santa Clara Valley Water District”, will feature Barbara Keegan, District 2 director for the Santa Clara Valley Water District.

Barbara Keegan first moved to San Jose in 1975 and has lived in District 2 for most of her life. Barbara and her husband Tom currently reside in Willow Glen. Barbara is a third generation Civil Engineer and has lived in Canada, Ireland, the United States, and Brazil. She attended San Jose State University where she earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Civil Engineering. Barbara is a licensed Civil Engineer. She was formerly the City Engineer/Assistant Director of Public Works for the City of Sunnyvale. Barbara represented Sunnyvale on the Cities/County/Water District collaborative that dealt with land use authority adjacent to streams.

Location & Time

Ristorante Bella Vita
376 First Street, Los Altos
Jan 16th, 11:30am to 1pm

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Reserve Offline

Cost is $27 per person. If you don’t wish to RSVP and pay online, you can RSVP by phone or email with Ellyn Corey at 650-559-1828 by January 14 with your choice of entree (Chicken Saltimbocca or Vegetable Risotto). Bring your payment check with you on January 16. We look forward to seeing you there! Bring a friend.

 

MAP • Ristorante Bella Vita • 376 First Street, Los Altos

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When: Saturday, January 24th from 10am to 1pm

Where: Alice Loughry’s home, Los Altos

The Annual Program Planning meeting is that important time of year for all of our members to decide what issues to focus on in 2015 at the local, county, Bay Area and state levels. Members will also be asked to vote to approve the renumbering of the Articles of Incorporation.

Are there issues that you believe the League needs to address? This is the time and place to share your ideas. Remember program planning and policy formulation enables our League to participate in government and to actively influence public policy. We may also consider new issues raised by other levels of League.

Join us for study, animated discussions, and a light lunch provided by the board.

Resources

A PDF containing all of the below resources (except for the positions themselves) can be found here.

Several local League members and other Leagues in the state are proposing state studies. All known proposals are listed below. Please contact programplanning@lwvlamv.org if you know of another proposal or are the author of a proposal and would like to adjust the content.

• Raising and Maintaining a Livable Minimum Wage, sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Berkeley, Albany, Emeryville
• Death with Dignity, sponsored by the League of Women Voters of San Diego
• Electoral Methods, submitted by Steve Chessin of the League of Women Voters of the Mountain View – Los Altos Area and Paula Lee of the League of Women Voters of Sacramento

We also have proposals for issues for state education and advocacy:

• Proposition 13 Commercial Property Reform, submitted by Julie Lovins of the League of Women Voters of the Mountain View – Los Altos Area

Other resources for the Program Planning session:

• Agenda
• Articles of Incorporation memo from Dianne Gershuny
• Articles of Incorporation proposed change from Dianne Gershuny
• LWVC Program Planning response form
• Natural Resources position review from acting portfolio chair Cathy Lazarus
• Government positions review from portfolio chair Katie Zoglin
• Social positions review from portfolio chair Crownie Billik

To get the most out of Program Planning participants are encouraged to read our current positions at our local, county, and state level. These can be found at the back of the yellow Member Directory (which was just mailed out) or online:

Local: http://www.lwvlamv.org/?p=1117

County: http://sclaraco.ca.lwvnet.org/positions.html

State: http://lwvc.org/issues/lwvc-positions

Update Nov. 3: Don’t forget to vote at your polling location tomorrow or to drop off your mail-in ballot. Your ballot or mail-in ballot must be RECEIVED before the polls close Nov. 4 at 8 pm; a postmark before that date does not matter.

Mail-in ballot drop off Santa Clara County

• On Nov. 4 Election day, you may drop off your mail-in ballot at any polling place during voting hours 7 am till 8 pm.
• At the Registrar of Voter’s Office (1555 Berger Drive, Building 2, San Jose). There is a white 24-hour drop box in the parking lot.
• At local Vote-by-Mail Drop-off Sites (during business hours)
• • • Los Altos Library, 13 South San Antonio Rd., Los Altos
    • Los Altos City Hall, City Clerk Office, 1 N. San Antonio Rd., Los Altos
    • Los Altos Hills Town Hall, City Clerk Office, 26379 Fremont Rd., Los Altos Hills
    • Mountain View City Hall, City Clerk Office, 500 Castro St., Mtn. View
  •  24 hours/day until 8 p.m. on Election Day at Foothill College (at Bldg. 1900/Administration near Flag Pole) 12345 El Monte Rd., Los Altos Hills

Early Voting – too late!

The Los Altos Library (13 S. San Antonio Rd., Los Altos) is an Early Voting Center, which is available to all registered voters and was open on Saturday and Sunday (Nov. 1-2) from noon to 5 p.m. You can also return your vote-by-mail ballot to the Early Voting Center.

The deadline for requesting a Vote by Mail ballot was Tuesday, October 28th.

On Election Day – Nov. 4

You can vote in person or drop off a vote-by-mail ballot on Election Day from 7 a.m.- 8 p.m. To find your precinct, check the envelope of your voter packet or the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters website or SmartVoter. Do not go to the last location you used when you last voted! Your polling place probably has been changed. Check your voter packet.  Or go to http://votersedge.org and type in your address.

Nearby Vote-by-Mail dropoff locations

• On Nov. 4 Election day, you may drop off your mail-in ballot at any polling place during voting hours till 8 pm.
• Any day, at the Registrar of Voter’s Office (1555 Berger Drive, Building 2, San Jose). There is a white 24-hour drop box in the parking lot.
• Any day at local Vote-by-Mail Drop-off Sites (during business hours)
  • Los Altos Library, 13 South San Antonio Rd., Los Altos
  • Los Altos City Hall, City Clerk Office, 1 N. San Antonio Rd., Los Altos
  • Los Altos Hills Town Hall, City Clerk Office, 26379 Fremont Rd., Los Altos Hills
  • Mountain View City Hall, City Clerk Office, 500 Castro St., Mtn. View
•  24 hours/day until 8 p.m. on Election Day at Foothill College (at Bldg. 1900/Administration near Flag Pole) 12345 El Monte Rd., Los Altos Hills

 

photo credits:
(small image) Kenn Wilson, I Voted? on flickr (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic)
(banner image) Denise Cross Photography, Day 36/366…..I Voted on flickr (resized and cropped, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)

 Tom Myers

Executive Director of the Community Services Agency

Our November 2014 Lunch with The League speaker is Tom Myers, Executive Director of the Community Services Agency of Mountain View, Los Altos, and Los Altos Hills. He has held the position since October 1999.

Tom has been President of the Association of United Way Agencies (AUWA) and has held a seat on the board of directors of United Way Silicon Valley. Tom is a former member of the Human Relations Commission for the City of Mountain View and served as that body’s first chair when it was implemented. He has served on the board of directors and as President of the Bay Area Municipal Elections Committee (BAYMEC). He is currently the President of the Mountain View Rotary Club. Issues he has focused on have included the arts, health care, health education, human and civil rights and social services.

A Chance To Give

Each year CSA hosts a “Holiday Sharing” program where low-income parents can select toys and clothes to give their children as gifts for the holiday. At the November Lunch with the League we are asking League members to consider bringing an unwrapped new toy, warm pajamas, sweats (shirts and pants) or $25 gift cards from Target or similar stores (for older children) to be sure the CSA Holiday Store is fully stocked for the season.

And, you can also bring canned goods for CSA to distribute in its nutrition program. Our goal is to be sure Tom’s car is fully loaded with donations after our lunch!

Location & Time

Ristorante Bella Vita
376 First Street, Los Altos
Nov 21st, 11:30am to 1pm

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Reserve Offline

Cost is $27 per person. If you don’t wish to RSVP and pay online, you can RSVP by phone or email with Ellyn Corey at 650-559-1828 by November 19 with your choice of entree (Dover Sole or Vegetable Pasta). Bring your payment check with you on November 21. We look forward to seeing you there! Bring a friend.

 

MAP • Ristorante Bella Vita • 376 First Street, Los Altos

View Larger Map