Serving the people of West Contra Costa County

LATEST ISSUE OF THE VOTER

The January-February issue is now available here, and in our Archives along with past issues.

THE NEXT NATIONAL STUDY. PRIVATIZATION:THE PUBLIC POLICY DEBATE

The next national study has begun; it has to do with the evolution of the public policy known as "Privatization." Privatization is a movement to deregulate private industry and transfer many government services, assets and functions to the private sector. Privatization is evidently growing and the US LWV convention voted to make this subject an issue for study. This means that the national office will make background materials available so that each local league can familiarize itself with the issues. In the Spring, the local leagues will be asked to meet and form a consensus. Those items on which there is consensus will then constitute the basis on which the LWV as a whole can advocate for action. Background papers of a page or two are now available on the national site (http://www.lwv.org/member-resources/privatization). Note: Some of these are quite new and have typos. The topics posted to date are the following:

Leaders' Guide for the Privatization Study Consensus About the Privatization Study

Consensus Questions - Introduction

Privatization: The Public Policy Debate

State Level Privatization 2011

Public Library Privatization - A Case Study

Strategies for Best Practice

Subcontracting Public Education

Privatization of Prisons

Privatization of a Publicly Owned Waste Water Treatment Plant

Deregulation of Railroads

The Legal Framework of Transparency and Accountability within the Context of Privatization

LWV Studies: Education and Privatization

THE NEXT SPONSORED FREE FILM/DISCUSSION AT THE CERRITO THEATER: THE NEW METROPOLIS

The suburban communities built next to America's urban centers, were driven by a desire to escape the smokestacks of the central cities and a housing shortage following World War II. Now many of these original suburbs are facing a crisis: a dwindling tax base, population and business loss, decaying infrastructure, increased racial tensions and white flight. Lacking policies to help reverse these trends, many towns are struggling for their survival. Using compelling, personal stories to highlight these issues, The New Metropolis is a two-part documentary series that explores the challenges our older suburbs now face, and points towards solutions for their revitalization. For more information, go to our calendar page (click here. The film home page is at: <http://www.thenewmetropolis.com/about_the_films.html>.

The whole program will consist of film viewing followed by panel discussion with experts on suburbs. It will be held in the late morning and early afternoon of Sat., Feb. 4, at the Cerrito Theater in El Cerrito.

Our last documentary, "BAG IT: Is Your Life Too Plastic?" was shown on October 29, but you can read about it here

BAY AREA LEAGUE DAY IS COMING

League Day this year (Feb 4) is entitled, "Housing and the Bay Area's Future" and a keynote speaker and three panels will cover: meeting regional housing needs in light of the sustainable communities' strategy; difficulties of financing affordable housing; how to serve the hardest to house. There will be plenty of time for questions from the audience during each panel. For more information, go to our Calendar Page or click here.

WANTED: A LWV MEMBER AS ALTERNATE REPRESENTIVE ON COUNTY COMMISSION

Contra Costa County Hazardous Materials Commission is seeking applicants to fill the position of League of Women Voters Alternate Seat. There is currently a regular member but no alternate for meetings that the regular member may not be able to attend. The commission sets policy for hazardous materials and hazardous waste. There are two meetings per month, but most are attended by the regular LWV representative. If you are interested in policies with respect to hazardous materials and want to see the operation of a government agency, please see the announcement of the position by clicking here and the description of what is involved by the regular LWV representative (currently from the Diablo Valley League), by clicking here.

UPDATED FAST FACTS and Voting is Easy As 1-2-3

The Easy Voter Guide Project has recently updated the FAST FACTS series on Ballot Measures, State Taxes & Budget and How to Choose a Political Party.

FAST FACTS are also available in Spanish.

Also updated is the popular "Voting is Easy as 1-2-3". Download the 4-page Voting is as Easy as 1-2-3 in: English, Spanish, Chinese, "Korean"<http://www.easyvoterguide.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08 /evg-htv_ko11-v2.pdf>, Vietnamese.

Also, preview the inspiring new video from library-based learner leaders across the state about why they "Get Involved" in their communities. It shows that people of all backgrounds care and are making a difference. To view the video, click here

QUICK NEWS, OUR NEW LEAGUE NEW ALERT BULLETIN

QUICK NEWS, a publication of the League of Women Voters (LWVWCCC) is the new news media for the League of Women Voters of West Contra Costa County. The publication will be sent to members on a frequent basis and will contain brief articles about our activities. Current and past issues will be archived on the Voter/Quick News page, here

NEW FEATURE: OUR CURRENT ISSUES PAGE NOW HAS INFORMATION FOR THE VOTER ON THE CALIFORNIA BUDGET CRISIS

This expanded section (go to the second page of the web site or CLICK HERE) will be continuously supplemented with sources of information to help the voter sort fact from fiction and hence be better able to vote knowledgeably on the complex issues of governance of our state. (Readers are encouraged to contact tht webmaster with suggestions for additional sources of information and analysis.)

NATIONAL NEWSLETTER FOR OCTOBER

To read this issue on the LWV web site, click here.

The national web site home page is at http://www.lwv.org.

THE STATE LWV NEWSLETTER

The state newsletter is not available for reading on the web site, but you can subscribe and have it emailed to you.

To subscribe, click here.

TAKE THE CALIFORNIA BUDGET CHALLENGE

As a beginning step toward better understanding what is involved in balancing the California budget, LWV members are encouraged to take the California Budget Challenge, a questionnaire that calculates the budgetary consequences of your judgment about how much service the state should provide and how large taxes should be to pay for them. The program was developed by Next 10, an independent, nonpartisan organization whose purpose is helping Californians to improve the state's future. For two examples (one on spending, one on taxation) of what you are asked when you take the challenge, click here. To go directly to the Challenge, click here The Next 10 web site and the LWV of California web page on the budget provide additional information on the state budget for those who want more detail than that given in the Challenge pages.

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POLICY ON HOUSEHOLD MEMBERSHIPS

To encourage participation of additional members of a household living at the same address, the membership fee for a second (or third, etc.) person joining the LWVWCCC is now HALF that of the first member, namely $27.50. Spouses: this is the time to join!

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