News / Articles

Published On 3/3/2023

This month the Criminal Justice Committee will be going over much of the legislation that has been passed in the California Legislature over the last few years. There has been a lot of it. We need to be aware of how our laws have changed and how and if they are being implemented locally. Members of the committee have done research on these bills and will be reporting back to us. We hope to share some of that information on our webpage so that members will be able to access it easily.

In April, Laila Aziz from The Pillars of the Community will be our guest speaker and she will share some of what her organization is doing to help those incarcerated and newly released. It is important that those who have made mistakes in their lives and have paid for those mistakes, can be brought back into society to be productive citizens again.

The County will be hosting three community forums to share preliminary findings from the County’s gun violence reduction community needs assessment.

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Published On 2/3/2023

Criminal Justice is on the news and in our hearts. There is so much happening, with the killing of Tyre Nichols and other deaths in police custody, some of them racially-motivated. In our jails and detention centers, there is a continuing death toll. How can oversight boards have sufficient power to effect changes? There is also a need to address the record-breaking pace of gun violence in 2023, whether it is via mass shootings or less-noticed incidents of people being killed by gunshot wounds every day in our country....

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During his presentation, Dr. Steven Campman, San Diego County’s Chief Medical Examiner, will discuss the medical examiner's jurisdiction, the difference between a coroner and a medical examiner, and why a cause of death may be different from how it might be determined in court. We look forward to learning more about the reasons that our county has the highest rate of deaths in our jails compared to other California cities.
Prior to joining the county, Dr. Campman worked for the Armed Forces Medical Examiner and served more than 20 years in the U.S. Air Force and Air Force Reserve, retiring as a colonel in 2016. He has conducted more than 5,000 autopsies, served as an autopsy supervisor for more than 800 cases, testified in hundreds of court proceedings and been published more than a dozen times in medical journals and forensic/pathology publicat

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A group of our members visited misdemeanor court with the help of Stephanie Sontag, a member and retired judge. It was interesting to watch and also talk to the judge before and after the morning cases. We are now looking to visit one or more of our jails. We will discuss the goals of this tour at our November 9 meeting, along with possible Criminal Justice events in the spring and new laws having to do with Criminal Justice. We decided to alternate having speakers and discussions each month.
Paul Parker, the Executive Officer of CLERB (Citizens’ Law Enforcement Review Board) for San Diego County since November 2020, spoke at our last meeting. He had been a member of CLERB in 2017 but left after they

were forced to dismiss 22 investigations of deaths of persons in law enforcement custody due to a lack of investigation before the deadline had passed. He came back as Executive Officer after the George Floyd murder and CLERB was strengthened. He thought he might be able to...

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At our September 14th meeting we reviewed the PrOTECT ordinance regarding traffic stops, which the Coalition for Police Accountability and Transparency (CPAT) coalition is trying to get the San Diego City Council to pass. We’d like our members to sign the petition, asking the City Council to pass it as written, not a watered-down version.

LWVSD and LWVNCSD sent a letter to the County along with Chula Vista and the City of San Diego, encouraging them to enact surveillance technology-use ordinances. As we learn more about the situations of the other large cities in the county, others may receive it as well.

We have asked the District Attorney’s Office to reply to the Racial Justice Coalition’s “Prosecute or Resign” campaign. We have heard from RJCSD but want to hear the other side’s explanation before deciding whether to support that campaign. We had a deputy DA attend this meeting and will look forward to her helping us in the future. She asked Tanya Sierra from the DA’s ...

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Published On 9/6/2022

At the meeting on September 14 at noon, we will discuss steps to take with the County Sheriff
and DA regarding jail deaths, along with ideas for advocacy on surveillance and traffic stops
by local government entities.
At the August meeting, Darwin Fishman from the Racial Justice Coalition of San Diego spoke
to us about the “Prosecute or Resign” and “Saving Lives in Custody (SLIC)” campaigns that
they are working on now. The RJCSD was the group that drove the efforts to end chokeholds
by law enforcement officers in San Diego County. Out of all the local jurisdictions, Sheriff Gore
was the last one to ban them...

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August 2022

Published On 8/7/2022

Our Work
Criminal Justice
by Jeanne Brown, Chair
In June, we had Rebecca Miller from the Western Center on Law and Poverty speak to us regarding the increase in fines and fees that the criminal justice system has been using to help finance itself. Fines are initial penalties imposed for breaking the law. They are often

punitive, but they can have administrative components. There is growing discussion of
whether these are fair or effective, given that many people who are low-income can never repay the fines. Fees, on the other hand, are aimed at revenue generation and control of target populations. These increases came after a reduction in state revenues following the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978...

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June/July 2022

Published On 6/5/2022

At our May 11th meeting we had Paul Parker from the San Diego County Citizens Law Enforcement Review Board (CLERB) report on what that body is doing to improve the situations at our county jails. Not only do we have the most deaths in jails of any large county, SD County is the only county that has a statistically significant high rate of overdose deaths in custody. SD County has reduced the number of suicides in custody, but they do need to increase mental health screening and number of safety checks. They must do a better job of confirming that people are healthy and alive while incarcerated. Parker wants to force a public dialogue to make policy recommendations on this issue...

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April 2022 - Police Study

Committee goal: “To gain a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the Criminal Justice system of San Diego County and advocate for best practices.”

At our April meeting, Andrea St. Julian spoke to us about the report that San Diegans for Justice had commissioned, to look at the existing San Diego County Citizens' Law Enforcement Review Board (CLERB) and how it could be more effective as an oversight board of the Sheriff’s Office and the County Jails. The report came back with 70 recommendations that were grouped in topics such as “Jurisdiction, Scope and Powers” and “Pattern and Practices.” One of the highlights is that CLERB has created a committee to study the recommendations and they are very positive about those recommendations. Some could be implemented with approval by the Board of Supervisors but others may need to go to the ballot for implementation. Another reason for hope is that this report can be used by many jurisdictions in our county and beyond that ...

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Explanation of the April 14 Consensus meeting:

When a League wants to take action, they need to look for a League position to support it. This can be one from LWVUS, their state League which for us is LWVC, or their own local positions. If they do not have one that works, then they need to do a study to create a position that would allow them to act on the issue. As a grassroots organization, that suggestion for a study begins at an annual meeting where the membership will vote whether to do a study based on the need and the interest. Last year both the LWV San Diego and the LWV North County San Diego voted to have a study on policing practices. That study group has been meeting and researching for the past year. Read more...

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At our February meeting we carefully went over the proposed PrOTECT Ordinance that the Coalition for Police Accountability and Transparency (CPAT) has asked us to join. The coalition includes the ACLU, Alliance San Diego, and other groups that we often work with. PrOTECT would require San Diego police to have probable cause in order to stop, ask for identification, question, and/or search an individual. The ordinance will also limit stops for equipment violations. It will hold officers accountable if they violate the PrOTECT ordinance. We had some concerns about some sections of the ordinance and have shared them with others in the coalition. We hope that our feedback will improve the ordinance and make it more likely to pass the City Council. Read More...

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March 2022 Police Study

Our two Leagues in San Diego County have embarked on a study of the policing practices of the City of San Diego’s Police Department and the County Sheriff’s Office, along with some glimpses of Oceanside and Chula Vista. The topics are Police Discipline, Traffic Stops, Police Unions, Police in Schools and Surveillance with transparency a topic within all of those.

We will be coming to the members in April meetings with concurrence questions that we hope will lead us to a new (or additional) local position on Policing Practices.

We will publish in the Voters of the two Leagues the summaries of our five reports, with links to the entire reports. Last month we posted Police Discipline and Police Unions and this month we present Traffic Stops and Surveillance. In April we plan to have one more so that those intending on attending the virtual consensus meetings will have access to all of the reports and have read them prior to the meetings. Read More...

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At our January meeting we had Michael Gallaspy from Tech Writers Coalition. Michael introduced Mark Schultz, a colleague from TWC. The topic of the talk was “ShotSpotter” technology. ShotSpotter is marketed as a way for law enforcement to be able to identify where guns are being shot. There are no cameras; only microphones that are spread around the area. They say that there is a high accuracy rate yet independent research has shown a high degree of inaccuracy. ShotSpotter’s first contract in San Diego was in 2016 and was used in District 4. Their contract ended in 2020. At the moment the labor unions are slowing the process but the police department is hoping to start a new contract for D4, Barrio Logan, and D3. ShotSpotter is often deployed in non-white neighborhoods, which seems to be typical for the use of this technology. The same was found in Chicago where this technology began. UCSD also has a contract with them. ShotSpotter just bought Hunch Labs which ... Click to read more

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At our December meeting we had two speakers talk to us about CLERB (Citizens’ Law Enforcement Review) for San Diego County. Aaron Fischer is from Fischer Law Office and Bardis Vakili is from the ACLU. Aaron specializes in civil rights and Bardis has engaged in litigation involving San Diego County detention facilities. Some of what they shared was:
People with mental health and cognitive disabilities were vastly overrepresented in San Diego County jails and were housed in worst confinement, including solitary confinement. They spent longer time in jail and in a more restrictive environment than anyone else.
Solitary confinement worsened conditions of the mentally ill and harmed those who were not mentally ill but who suffered mental health conditions as a result of being so confined.
San Diego County, as a rate and as an absolute number, has had more in-custody deaths than anywhere else in the state for persons with mental health/cognitive problems. San Diego had three times as many ..

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July 2024 Criminal Justice Board Report

Last session, the Governor signed Assembly Bill 1869 which abolishes 23 administrative fees in the criminal system effective July 1, 2021. This news was applauded by Criminal Justice reformers throughout the State - including the Criminal Justice Committee here in San Diego. However, there was a certain amount of “shock and awe” at the October meeting of the CJ Committee when members came to realize that those found guilty of misdemeanors or more serious crimes have, for years, been required to pay administrative fees - in addition to fines for their crimes. Fees which accumulate beyond the individual’s ability to pay and put them in debt beyond their means. For some, this means a loss of their home and a poor credit rating that interferes with their ability to secure a loan to get them back into the mainstream of life.

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October 2021

Published On 10/3/2021

Now that the Police Study is in motion, the Criminal Justice Committee will be focusing on many of the other issues concerning Criminal Justice. Kay Ragan shared her report on the use of Solitary Confinement and how its use in the US is way beyond the bounds of that suggested at the UN and other international organizations. Particularly when it is being used when dealing with prisoners having mental problems, it just exacerbates the problem. We will be looking to see how it is being used in our county jails.

The AB 392 bill regarding Use of Force was passed in August 2019. Now a law, it changed the Peace Officers use of force to be ‘only when necessary to save human life’ from the previous ‘when reasonable’. Yet not all of its requirements have been put into practice. We are beginning to follow local Police Departments and how well they are complying with the law...

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Published On 7/5/2024

In June, the Criminal Justice Committee met at Jeanne Brown’s home for lunch and to plan for the 2024-25 League Year. It was decided that we would concentrate our efforts on the Sheriff’s Department, including the deaths in our county jails. This will incorporate looking at CLERB (Citizens’ Law Enforcement Review Board), transparency, how discipline is affected by Union agreements, Deputy Training, the possibility of an Inspector General, Racial Justice, and how our county compares to other California counties in these respects. We also have an enthusiastic student from UCSD who will be working with us during the summer on this research. We hope to learn enough that we will be able to share our information with the larger community as much as possible. Since the Sheriff position is an elected office, she is responsible to the voters, not the Board of Supervisors and due to a quirk in the elections, her term is for 6 years rather than the normal 4. Therefore...

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Final report on the District Attorney / Public Defender parity of resources

View the report.

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Current Voter Newsletter

Published On 7/20/2021

Click to view newsletter

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September Meeting - San Diego Unified School District President & Superintendent

Published On 9/1/2024

The September Education Committee meeting, will be held on 9/25/24 at 3:30PM via Zoom.

Presenters: San Diego Unified School District Board President, Shana Hazan and Superintendent, Dr. Fabiola Bagula.

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Program on Childcare Access, Quality and Affordability: Event Update

Published On 2/5/2024

Last week the Education Committee presented an in person program on childcare access, quality and affordability and the current challenges face by families in our community.

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Childcare Access, Quality and Affordability: Current Challenges

Has someone in your family had difficulty finding child care and affording it? Do you wonder why this is such a problem and getting worse?
The League of Women Voters of San Diego is exploring this wide-ranging issue with renowned speakers who specialize in its problems and solutions.

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November Education Committee Meeting Has Been Rescheduled

Published On 11/9/2023

This months meeting has been moved to Nov 29th due to the Thanksgiving holiday. The presenter will be Deidre Walsh, who will discuss the San Diego Unified charter schools program.

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Implementation of Measure H to open child care facilities in open spaces

Published On 10/1/2023

At our September meeting, our presenters were Andrea O’Hara and Tara Ryan, City of San Diego Office of Child and Youth Success who discussed the implementation of measure H to open child care facilities in open spaces. The measure provided them authorization to do this but no funding so are exploring ways to do this. Our other presenter was Blake Hofstad, Parent Organizing Director for Parent Voices, CA who indicated there is now a new Child and Family Well-Being Department in the county. He also shared how the family fee system has been totally transformed changing the eligibility requirements and increasing the amount paid. We also discussed some initial ideas for the January luncheon program on the child care crises as to topics and possible speakers. A small committee will meet on zoom to discuss further.

Our next Education Committee meeting is October 18 at 9:30 on zoom. The presenter will be Liki Porotesno, Community Health Program Specialist for San Diego County. She will ...

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The Education Committee focuses on childcare and preK-12 education in San Diego.

Published On 8/1/2023

The Education Committee focuses on childcare and preK-12 education in San Diego. The group meets monthly on the third or fourth Wednesday from 9:30am to 11:30am by Zoom. We are frequently joined by representatives from the 9th District PTA, the American Academy of Pediatrics, Education Enrichment Systems, Parent Voices, and the San Diego Office of Child and Youth Success. At each meeting, attendees share upcoming activities and any legislation they are supporting. We educate ourselves and look for opportunities to advocate for issues that improve education for youth.

This year, one of the local issues for League focus is: Increasing child care access, quality, and affordability through significant investments in the education and compensation of the early childhood workforce, facilities, and family supports.

In 2020, just 17% of California children under the age of 4 whose families met the income limits for subsidized care actually got it. More than half of the families...

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Published On 3/3/2023

The presenter at our last meeting was Lee Dulgeroff, the Chief of Facility Planning & Construction Officer for the SDUSD. The District headquarters will be moving to 4330 Balboa Ave in about 2 years and the old headquarters will be used for affordable housing for staff and possibly the public. This will allow the whole district administration to be in one site. He also spoke about security at the schools. There is an armed officer at each high school. Restorative Justice is being used. The District has installed perimeter fencing with controlled access at every school. Once school starts the gate is closed and there is a ring type two-way video/audio bell visitors use to get access to school campus. Each classroom has a screen and two-way audio/video system to call for a lockdown from everywhere on campus. Each employee can use an app on their phone to call for help. The District has 1,500 security cameras on campuses which are watched by central staff constantly...

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Published On 2/3/2023

Held January meeting with Erin Hogeboom, Director of SD for Every Child and Co-lead of the Children First Collective, a group focused on quality, affordable childcare for every family that wants and needs it in SD County. Discussed the childcare crises in SD county which should become a local league issue for emphasis. There was also a discussion about Transitional Kindergarten which is now in all schools in the District but is not working well.

Several committee members went to see "Clarissa's Battle" a film about the fight for local childcare funding in Alameda County through the experience of Clarissa Doutherd, the Executive Director of Parent Voices Oakland. The film provides a blueprint for how we might pursue securing local funding here in San Diego to support our childcare infrastructure.

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Featured speaker: Erin Hogeboom, Director, San Diego for Every Child – Co-lead of the Children First Collective, a group focused on quality, affordable childcare for every family that wants and needs it in San Diego County.

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Featured speaker: Dr. Sara Ott, Executive Director of Special Education for the San Diego Unified School District. She will be discussing how the District identifies and handles special needs children.

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At our meeting on November 16, Sara Ott, Executive Director for Special Education for the San Diego Unified School District will discuss the District's handling of special needs children.

On Wednesday, September 28 our presenter was Nicole DeWitt, Executive Director, Office of Leadership and Learning, who discussed Standards Based Grading in the San Diego Unified School District. There were several parents at the meeting who asked key questions and shared their concerns.

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Published On 9/4/2022

For the Education Committee meeting in September, which may be on the fourth Wednesday due to a conflict on the third Wednesday, I am hoping to get a presenter from the San Diego Unified School District to discuss mental health services and serving special needs children.

Our August meeting featured Dr. Wendy Ranck-Buhr, Instructional Support Officer for San Diego Unified School District and Aly Martinez, Instructional Coordinator for Math. They discussed changes in the math curriculum and changes as to how it is taught in the schools. We had an extremely good discussion with many suggestions for improvement, which they seemed receptive to. The meeting was recorded so that Kristen Taketa, the K-12 writer at the San Diego Union-Tribune, could listen to it later, per her request.

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San Diego County Child Care Blueprint

The Education Committee will continue to meet in 2022 on the third Wednesday morning on Zoom. At each meeting we have a presenter who shares something of interest to the group related to an important issue in education. On January 19, Lucia Garay, Executive Director of the Early Education Programs and Services for the San Diego County Office of Education, will discuss Transitional Kindergarten and Preschool for All and how these programs are being implemented over the next few years. This meeting will be from 10:00am to noon.

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Published On 9/1/2023

San Diego County Child Care Blueprint

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A Lasting Sanctuary in Mission Bay

Published On 11/1/2024

See September Highlights

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Published On 9/1/2024

What makes wetlands valuable is their role in supporting marine life. Many species of fish are reliant on marshes during their juvenile stage. Juvenile California Halibut and White Seabass are found in every coastal bay and estuary along the California Coast. The creation of more wetland areas is crucial to provide these recovering species with the nursery grounds they need to survive. The value is not just ecological, it is also economical. Researchers at UCSD show that a restored wetland in Mission Bay could contribute up to $400,000 annually to commercial fishing of these two species. These thriving fish populations also support a diverse seabird community.

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A Few Updates from ReWild Mission Bay

Published On 7/1/2024

On May 14th, The San Diego City Council unanimously approved their DeAnza Natural Plan to transform much of Northeastern Mission Bay into climate friendly marshland that can fight sea level rise, ensure clean water and pull carbon from the air. The plan includes 100% of the Wildest acre goal and 83% of ReWild’s total habitat restoration acres. The plan does not include enough acres to effectively buffer and eventually become marsh as sea level continues to rise in the coming decades. Supporters say the plan which follows 7 years of community input is a fair compromise between environmentalists and advocates for camping and other recreation.

The approved DeAnza Natural Plan commits to 226 total acres of wetlands, including the existing Kendall-Frost Marsh, and outlines the need for transitional infrastructure that prepares for marsh migration.

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Published On 7/1/2024

1. The Climate Bond SD867 (Pro. 4) passed the state assembly and will be on the ballot this November. The Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024 would have the state borrow $10 billion to pay for climate and environmental projects.
2. The next step for Re-Wild is to investigate the Southern California Wetlands Recovery Programs as a location for feedback, guidance and support.
3. There needs to be key improvements at the Coastal Commission as funding is the critical driver of the implementation of the ReWild Mission Bay project.
4. Action Alert: The CA Ocean Protection Council released their draft framework which outlines how coastal waters are conserved as part of the state’s 30x30 initiative. The framework builds on national and international standards for managing marine areas. However, estuaries (which cross the border between land and sea) risk being inadequately protected by policies meant to protect land or water.

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Wetlands and Public Awareness

ReWild coalition member Outdoor Outreach is sponsoring two state bills to create standards for equitable access to parks and beaches:
AB 2038 establishes outdoor equity programs
AB 2939 aims to provide interpretive services that are not currently offered

Lots of updates have been happeneing in the intersection of Wetlands and public awareness. There are increasing amounts of funding streams and support for wetlands recognition:
* U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a study about wetlands loss.
* Biden administration released a wetland and Water Protection Resource Guide which highlights funding and government assistance to advance and protect water resources

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Update on Heat and Human Health Kit & H3 Summit

Published On 2/29/2024

Participants and volunteers spent the day following leaders in marsh cleanups, bird watching with local guides, assisting Kumeyaay Community College students in tule boat building, taking part in guided kayak tours and also experiencing seine fishing, planting native seeds and learning about the work of environmentalists.

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Published On 2/29/2024

First planning meeting occurred this month. Updates to Heat and Human Health Kit and H3 Summit.

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SoCal extreme heat research hub

Published On 2/5/2024

The Planning Commission voted unanimously to support the City's DeAnza Natural Plan.

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Published On 11/1/2023

The work of the 2023 H3 summit organizing committee has won the Clean Air Award for public health given by the Air Pollution Control District. The 2023 H3 organizing committee includes representatives from the UCSD School of Medicine, the UCSD Climate Action Lab, the American Academy of Pediatrics San Diego climate change and health committee, the LWVSD EJ subcommittee, the American College of physicians, and the Indian Health Council.

SoCal Extreme Heat Research Hub Maren Hale Maren Hale presented to the EJ subcommittee on October 24, 2023. Maren is a staff research associate at the Center for Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation (CCCIA) at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO). Within CCCIA, she is the hub manager for the NSF-funded SoCal Extreme Heat Research Hub The SoCal heat hub funded by NSF for five years for 5 million, has three research objectives and two overarching goals…

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Climate change and health equity

Published On 9/30/2023

There is energy and enthusiasm to hold a Heat and Human Health H3 summit in San Diego annually, building on the work from the first summit in August 2023. The organizing committee, which includes members of the EJ subcommittee, is currently getting feedback from the 2023 participants, forming an expanded organizing committee for the 2024 summit, and planning logistics. Ideas for the next summit include adding a poster presentation competition for medical and graduate students, and expanding the audience to include schools of public health, and non-clinicians. You can access presentations from the meeting from the main conference room at the link.

The work of the 2023 H3 summit organizing committee has been nominated for the Clean Air Award given by the Air Pollution Control District. The 2023 H3 organizing committee includes representatives from..

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Youth Incarceration: Prevention and Alternatives

Published On 9/30/2023

All tickets for the October 4 luncheon have been sold, but the video will be available on October 5 and we hope you will watch.

The LWV San Diego Criminal Justice Committee has been studying the tough topic of youth incarceration and the way that minor infractions lead young people into the juvenile system, which sets up a lifetime of problems. California has recently closed the Department of Juvenile Justice after many tries over the decades to reform it. He created a Juvenile Justice Realignment Block grant of $200 M per year for counties to develop Secure Youth Treatment Facilities (SYTFs).

How is San Diego responding to these changes? What is happening now and what is envisioned for the future?

The speakers to help us answer these questions will be:
Judge Ana Espana, Presiding Judge of the San Diego County Juvenile Court

Mayra Nunez, Director of Operations & Community Impact, STAR/PAL, whose mission is to build a meaningful relationship between law enforcement and youth

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Heat and Health Webinar Video available in English and Spanish

Published On 9/30/2023

Our well-attended webinar Heat and Human Health on September 18th can be watched in either English or Spanish on our Youtube channel. Learn about the health challenges of climate change.

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Preserving Affordable Housing

Published On 11/1/2024

Continuing the committee’s focus on preservation of affordable housing, the November meeting will feature a conversation with San Diego Housing Commission’s Vice President of Preservation, Wendy DeWitt. The Committee will also review RHNA progress of North County cities, hear about the Encinitas Affordable Housing Task Force, and the Committee’s monitoring & advocacy recommendations on homelessness actions. All are welcome to attend.

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How Jewish Family Services Provides for Unsheltered in our Communities

Published On 9/1/2024

The September Housing & Homelessness Committee will host Nichole McCune, director of safe parking for Jewish Family Services to discuss the six secured lots operating in the County, seven nights per week.

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March Housing & Homelessness Committee meeting

Published On 2/29/2024

The Housing & Homelessness Committee will meet on March 26, 5pm and will feature a discussion of committee priorities.

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RTFH Update and more

Published On 10/1/2023

The September Housing & Homelessness meeting featured a report from Anne Omsted regarding her phone conversation with Tamara Kohler, Executive Director of the Regional Task Force on the Homeless. Ms. Kohler is scheduled to make a presentation at the October 24 meeting of the Committee.

Additionally, I gave an update on the City of Oceanside's progress on adopting a strengthened inclusionary housing ordinance and made a presentation on progress being made by the City of San Diego on preserving existing affordable housing...

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About the committee

Published On 9/1/2023

The Housing & Homelessness Committee was created in 2021 after both LWV San Diego and LWV North County adopted a comprehensive Housing Action Policy. Creation of the committee was a principal recommendation of the Action Policy to follow up on its many recommendations. The initial focus of the committee was on housing and included only LWV San Diego. However, earlier this year, LWV North County joined the committee and its scope was expanded to include homelessness. It is co-chaired by Myles Pomeroy, Public Policy Director for LWV San Diego, and Mary Thompson, a member of LWV North County San Diego.

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Help research homelessness policies

Published On 4/1/2023

Help Us Research This Issue

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The Housing Committee has decided to terminate the single-family housing study because, with the adoption of SB 9 and subsequent implementation by local jurisdictions, the committee thinks that the study is no longer needed. The study had been approved at the June 2021 Membership meeting, before SB 9 was adopted.

Instead, the Housing Committee will be focusing on other housing issues specific to the San Diego region. Affordable housing will continue to be a major emphasis.

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The Housing Committee has decided to terminate the single-family housing study because, with the adoption of SB 9 and subsequent implementation by local jurisdictions, the committee thinks that the study is no longer needed. The study had been approved at the June 2021 Membership meeting, before SB 9 was adopted.

Instead, the Housing Committee will be focusing on other housing issues specific to the San Diego region. Affordable housing will continue to be a major emphasis.

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Talking Points for Conversations on Immigration Issues

Earlier this year, the LWVSD board adopted a Housing Action Policy. A principal recommendation was
to create a Housing Committee that would study, monitor and report on key housing issues. At
the LWVSD Annual Meeting in June of this year, the membership also approved doing a study of single-family zoning and whether it should be broadened to include other types of housing.

Accordingly, we have formed a housing subcommittee of the Public Policy Committee. Its first assignment is to conduct a study of single-family zoning. The subcommittee has been meeting regularly since late July. Recent meetings have focused on accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and understanding their impacts in single-family zones. The committee has also familiarized itself with the recently passed and approved new state law, SB 9, which authorizes single-family lots to be divided into two lots with two units allowed on each new lot.

League members who wish to become involved should contact Myles Pomeroy.

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This outline is designed to be used by local Leagues to guide them in holding a discussion on some of the issues affecting immigration.

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2024 Resource List: LWVUS Convention-Immigration Workshop

This Immigration Resource List from the from the 2024 LWVUS National Convention includes:
* KEY IMMIGRATION NON-PARTISAN NON-PROFITS
* STATE & FEDERAL POLICY RESOURCES
* ARTICLES ON MYTHS & MISINFORMATION ON IMMIGRATION
* IMMIGRATION DISCUSSION GROUP & LEAGUE CONTACTS

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Economic Value of Immigration: A Resource List

Published On 8/22/2024

Please reference this list of recent papers, articles, books and advocacy groups from the LWV Immigration Discussion Group.

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What Broke the U.S. Immigration System?

Published On 3/30/2024

View on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJMtF7VjucM

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Brown Bag Lunches for Migrants Waiting at the Airport

Published On 1/3/2024

Volunteers are needed to make brown bag lunches for up to 150 migrants per day who have to wait at San Diego's airport, often overnight, for their flight to leave. Instead of being sent to shelters, many are being dropped off at the airport with their ticket but without money. There is now a system to get bag lunches for them.

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Resources on Immigration

Published On 1/26/2023

For LWVC Convention Caucus, June 2021

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Journey to Asylum

Published On 1/26/2023

Journey To Asylum Infographic

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Elevating Immigration Advocacy

Published On 6/24/2022

From LWV Convention Immigration Caucus June 24, 2022

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Immigration Reform Caucus and Plans for Advancing LWV Immigration Reform Advocacy

Published On 5/25/2022

The committee hopes this non-recommended program item will be brought to the floor at the LWVUS Convention in June 2022. If not, a resolution may be proposed.

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Notes from the Immigration Tour to Tijuana

Published On 9/30/2021

Notes from the Immigration Tour to Tijuana 2021-09-30 (Via International Tour)

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Opinion piece on Deported Veterans 7/30/2021

Published On 7/30/2021

Committee member Robert Vivar’s opinion piece on deported veterans hoping to return to the US was published in the 7/30/2021 edition of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

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Caucus for Immigration presentation (LWV California Convention June 2021)

Published On 6/1/2021

Click to view presentation

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Border Kindness Helping Asylum Seekers in Sparsely Populated Areas East of San Diego

Published On 11/1/2024

A few months ago, Border Angels came to the aid of the asylum seekers between the fences waiting for days to be processed by Border Patrol agents. They are also known for doing water drops in the desert. In spite of a sparse population in this area, Border Kindness rallied volunteers for their work, including at least one member of the Immigration & Deportation Committee, Jim McKeever.

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What Is the ‘Bipartisan Border Bill’ and How Would It Change the US Immigration System?

Published On 11/1/2024

The “bipartisan border bill” has been front and center in the presidential election, but it is often presented to the public without clarity on what the bill would actually do. In May, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) introduced S. 4361, the Border Act of 2024. This bill includes nearly identical provisions to a bipartisan immigration proposal introduced earlier this year. Those provisions were negotiated jointly by a group of Republican and Democratic senators as a compromise on supplemental government funding. Although almost all Senate Republicans ultimately voted against the Border Act, most of the provisions in the bill previously garnered bipartisan support. If passed in the future, the Border Act would make significant changes to the U.S. immigration system. (See full article)

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The Children's Craft Party at Don Bosco Shelter in Tijuana

Published On 10/1/2024

Nine volunteers from the Immigration & Deportation Committee crossed the border with suitcases loaded with craft supplies for a fun day with the children housed in a shelter whose parents are awaiting an appointment through the app, CBP One, to come to America. Patrick Sullivan, Chair of REFORMA's Children in Crisis Project, sent 50 Spanish books down which were very popular among the children and adults. Read more...

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The Work of the Immigrant Defenders Law Center

Published On 5/1/2024

Beside legal defense for immigrants in several counties, the Immigrant Defenders Law Center does a lot of know your rights presentations, helps people fill out legal forms for employment visas and permanent residency, defends children, and supplies a lot of workers to help with immigrants just arriving in San Diego. It is a very key group so we expect to learn much more detail at the next meeting of the Immigration & Deportation Committee on May 9, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. on zoom. Everyone is welcome.

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Educating members and the public about issues, assistance and advocate for improvements

Published On 5/1/2024

The goals of the committee are to educate members and the public about immigration and deportation issues, advocate for improvements, and assist those in need.

At each monthly meeting, we have a speaker and discuss the volunteer workers who attend the meeting. Lately, more attendees are not living in San Diego, which provides a wider perspective of issues related to immigration. In March, Angel Morales from the U.S. Border Patrol answered many questions and gave us the position of the Border Patrol/BP on issues we questioned. One concern is that people manage to get between the two border walls/fences and are left there for a varying amount of time up to a few days. They are not provided shelter, food, sanitation, water, etc. because until the Border Patrol talks with them and enters them into their system, BP is not responsible for their well-being. However, on April 4, 2024, a judge ruled that BP has to shelter the children who are out in the open, so that will help some. Another co

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The Work Done by SOLACE With People in Immigration Detention

Published On 3/30/2024

SOLACE is organized by the UU church and gets volunteers to write letters or emails to people in detention. Then they visit some of them. Hopefully, Mayra can tell is more about these people and life in the Otay Mesa Detention Center.

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Crossing the Border: The Perspective of the Border Patrol

Published On 2/29/2024

Crossing the Border: Perspective from the Border Patrol with speaker Angel Moreno.

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What is South Bay Community Services Doing to Process Asylum Seekers for San Diego County?

Published On 2/5/2024

What is South Bay Community Services Doing to Process Asylum Seekers for San Diego County?

The County of San Diego has given SBCS $6 million to help asylum seekers with their onward travel and help them with other needs before they are taken to the train station or airport. We will also learn what other services they provide to immigrants.

Kathryn Lembo, President and CEO of South Bay Community Services will talk about their work with immigrants, particularly processing asylum seekers after they cross the border.

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Sandwich Lunches for Migrants Waiting at the Airport

Published On 1/4/2024

Volunteers are needed to make bag lunches for up to 150 migrants per day who have to wait at San Diego's airport, often overnight, for their flight to leave. Instead of being sent to shelters, many are being dropped off at the airport with their ticket but without money. There is now a system to get bag lunches for them. I have been putting a cheese, or peanut butter sandwich (nothing that might spoil without refrigeration), a small bag of chips, and a piece of fruit in a small paper bag (stapled). When they are ready for pick up from your home, please contact Beryl Flom, berylf@lwvsandiego.org or 312-218-6444.

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The Work of the International Rescue Committee to Help Immigrants

Published On 8/1/2023

The Work of the International Rescue Committee, Maria Silva, Technical Advisor for Cross Border and Asylum

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What's Happening at the Border?

Published On 5/31/2023

Our June meeting speaker is Gustavo Solis, who reports on the border for KPBS and is very busy filing reports on the impact of President Biden's new rules for asylum seekers. He is someone who is there talking to people trying to enter the U.S. and those trying to help them while they wait to cross.

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Border Patrol Surveillance Towers are in Our Communities

Published On 4/29/2023

On May 11th, the speaker is Dave Maass, Director of Investigations for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. He has alarming information about all the surveillance towers that the Border Patrol has and will erect along our border cities and the coast of California. They reach far into the community and are in sync with BP agents.

Last month's speaker was Rita Fernandez, Executive Director of the Office of Immigrant Affairs of the City of San Diego. This is a fairly new program as part of the Welcoming policy created by Mayor Gloria. The recommendations they've developed are partially to serve a cross-section of people in learning English, job placement, connecting them to health services, providing a safe environment, and becoming civicly engaged. They intersect with other city departments such as Children and Youth Success and with many agencies serving migrants. They have an excellent newsletter which you can sign up for:
https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/riq92eL

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How does the Office of Immigrant Affairs Help Migrants in San Diego?

Published On 4/1/2023

Rita Fernandez, Executive Director of the City of San Diego's Office of Immigrant Affairs will speak at our next meeting. Previously, we had a speaker from this office outline a very complete strategic plan; then she left the job and now they have a larger budget and more people "focus[ing] on workforce development for the immigrant population, promoting inclusive resources to help foreign-born communities through the integration process, advocating for immigrant rights, and developing a language access plan to provide translation and interpretation services for City programs and services."

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Published On 3/3/2023

Anne Hoiberg, a past President of LWVSD and very active in women's issues and the United Nations, has written a book telling about 35 refugee women who have ended up in San Diego. The book includes background on each country from which people immigrated, what these refugees went through to get to the U.S., and the success they have made of their lives. There are many fascinating stories that you will not want to miss.

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Published On 2/3/2023

Back in September 2019, members of this committee sponsored a party at Templo de Embajadores de Jesús shelter in the hills along a dirt road in Tijuana. At the time, about 200 people were sleeping in tents and bunks in this church led by Zaida Guillen and her husband, Pastor Gustaro Banda-Aceves. They started by housing Haitians, and then built a separate building for them. Haitians ate separately from the other migrants because they liked different food. When we visited, Gustaro was busy building more buildings with help from some of the migrants, and had started a computer center/school. Now they have 1,500 migrants from Haiti and Central America, and are working with UCSD to develop the UCSD-ALACRÁN Community Station (one of four that UCSD is developing along both sides of the border). The goal is to develop an infrastructure of productivity through economic incubators including fabrication shops, a nursery, and an industrial kitchen. Pastor Banda will be speaking at our ...

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Next meeting: Ralph Enriquez, Director of Refugee and Immigrant Services for Catholic Charities. Thursday, January 12 at 9am. Join with Zoom.
Along with the Rapid Response Shelter run by Jewish Family Services, Catholic Charities also houses asylum seekers who have just gotten through the Border Patrol process and are moving on to be with their sponsors. Currently, there are not enough beds in these shelters for people (many are Venezuelans) who do not have a sponsor, and there was a glitch when the flights were canceled over Christmas. Catholic Charities is an important player in California’s welcoming plan for migrants fleeing their home countries. Maria Galleta is also going to be at our meeting to tell us about the Thanksgiving dinner she and her team hosted for 100 people who have been deported and live in Tijuana. Our committee supported this mission.
Unfortunately, no bills to help DACA recipients, Afghans, or farmworkers were passed in the lame duck Congress...

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Jim McKeever will be telling us about his experiences volunteering at the Tijuana/San Diego border recently, encountering the Border Patrol while they were doing a water drop, watching men climb over the fence, and preparing/serving many meals to migrants in Tijuana. Jim discovered our committee several years ago and usually attends even though he lives in upstate New York. There will be no December meeting.
Chris Olsen and Kate Clark from Jewish Family Services provided a very insightful update of their work with migrants at our last meeting. JFS and Catholic Charities each run a shelter system for asylum seekers who have just crossed the border. They are given a health screening and other services before they get transportation to their sponsor anywhere in the U.S.
Tour of Otay Mesa Detention Center
With the help of Congressman Scott Peters' office, I have arranged for a morning tour of the Otay Mesa Detention Center. They only take seven people in a group...

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Chris is Chief of Staff and Kate is Senior Director of Immigration Services at Jewish Family Service. JFS operates the Rapid Response Shelter for asylum seekers who cross the border from Tijuana; other organizations and state and county funding support it as well. Currently, they have about 1,300 people per week being screened and assisted to reach their final destination with a sponsor. The shelter is part of the Rapid Response Network which assists people who have encounters with ICE. In addition, Erin Tsurumoto Grassi, Policy Director for Alliance San Diego, wants to update us on the TRUTH Act Forum on November 15th. The bill in the legislature to tighten the TRUTH Act did not pass; it is designed to prevent law enforcement from communicating with ICE about people in their custody.

Last month, we heard very personal stories from Tania Mendoza about people at the Border Church at Friendship Park who have been separated for years from their immediate family members and their ...

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Published On 9/4/2022

The next meeting of this committee will be Thursday, September 8, at 9am on Zoom. The link is in the League calendar. At a recent tour of Friendship Park, I met Tania Mendoza, who takes pictures and interviews people at events there. Many are people who have been deported, have separated families, or have been trying to get into the U.S. At our September meeting, Tania will tell us about some of them and show pictures, as well as update us with the situation at Friendship Park. (Changes have been proposed that would make it difficult or impossible for people to visit each other through Friendship Park's border fence.)

At the committee's August meeting, Eddie Meyer reviewed current legislation in Congress and the work of Congressmember Juan Vargas. After writing a letter to fellow members of Congress asking for a pause in construction of a new (much higher) wall at Friendship Park, the Congressmember is in the process of setting up a meeting of stakeholders to discuss options...

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August 2022

Published On 8/7/2022

We are very excited to have Eddie Meyers, Legislative Assistant to Congressman Juan Vargas, at our next meeting on Thursday, July 11, at 9am. Congressman Vargas has been busy with legislation and getting support from the Hispanic Caucus. He wrote a letter to Congress opposing the reconstruction of border walls through Friendship Park and got several other Congress members to sign it. We want to hear from Mr. Meyers what approach to immigration reform he believes is most plausible...

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June/July 2022

Published On 6/5/2022

The next meeting of the Immigration & Deportation Committee is Thursday, June 9 at 9am on Zoom. You can find the link on the LWVSD website - scroll down to upcoming events and click on the committee meeting. I am trying to get a staff member from Congressmember Juan Vargas’ office to speak about the work of the Hispanic Caucus on immigration in Congress, but it is in the hands of the scheduler. At our last meeting, two men from the City of Tijuana and Baja California State spoke about their work in helping asylum seekers. They run a couple of shelters, provide some food and supplies to all the shelters, make sure the people have work permits and IDs so their children can go to school, provide healthcare, and basically welcome them as they await their turn to seek asylum in the U.S. or decide to stay in Mexico.
A terrific committee from around the U.S. is preparing to do a caucus at the LWVUS convention on June 24 at 7:30am (PDT). We are asking the League to take a more active role...

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As chair of both the LWVSD Immigration & Deportation Committee and the LWVC Immigration Interest Group, I have been working more with the latter group to prepare a caucus at the LWVUS Convention June 24-26.

Everyone is waiting with bated breath to see what happens at the border when Title 42 is supposed to be ended, and asylum seekers must all be processed by the Border Patrol. As a result, many agencies are busy either preparing for increased numbers of people crossing the border into San Diego or trying to prevent the end of Title 42...

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Our next meeting will be on Thursday, April 14 at 9am and will feature Amanda Schuft, Directing Attorney with Immigrant Defenders Law Center, which is based in Los Angeles but does work on the border. We will also start to discuss doing another children’s party at a shelter in Tijuana over the summer.

The plan to register expats to vote in Rosarito has to be postponed until the end of the summer, unfortunately. The groups I contacted are busy now and we do need their help in making the arrangements. Last month some of us got trained to do this, so this will be a test of our memories to hold on to it till August or September.

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Training to register expats who live in the Rosarito area will be done at the next Immigration & Deportation Committee meeting on Thursday, March 10 at 9am on Zoom. We are tentatively planning to go to Rosarito on Saturday, April 9. Even if you do not normally attend these meetings, we’d love to have volunteers get trained and be prepared to spend the day in Rosarito. Transportation will be provided after we walk across the border. You must be fully vaccinated and wear a mask all day. The trainers are coming from the Federal Voting Assistance Program. Please let Beryl Flom know if you are not on the committee’s email list as there will be some reading to do before the training.

At the February meeting, we had a presentation by Farhat Popal, the Immigrant Affairs Manager for the City of San Diego, who connects immigrants and agencies, trains city staff, supports career opportunities and advancement, opens access to education, and runs Know Your Rights workshops. Cllick to read more

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The February meeting of the Immigration & Deportation Committee meeting is Feb. 10 at 9am PT on Zoom. At the January meeting, Robert Vivar recommended that we work with Via International to register expats so they can vote in the American elections. Jenny Avina is setting up a speaker from US Overseas Vote to train committee members to help with this project. Via International will locate the expats in the Rosarito area. Anyone who would like to help is welcome to our training meeting.

The speaker in January was Apolonio Morales from CHIRLA (Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles) who did a wonderful summary of where the Federal government is on various aspects of immigration policy. View the recording of the meeting.

The LWVC Immigration Interest Group has emailed state Leagues throughout the U.S. asking them to forward our email to local Leagues for Program Planning asking that LWVUS do more advocacy on immigration as a way to Make Democracy Work... Click to read more

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We had an in-person breakfast meeting in December to welcome League member and active committee member, Robert Vivar, back home after he was deported for over eight years in Tijuana. Robert is a co-founder of Unified US Deported Veterans and works with Via International; each month he tells us what is happening with asylum seekers in Tijuana. Once he gets his green card, he will be able to go back and forth. The speaker was Jules Kramer, COO of Minority Humanitarian Foundation, which helps people leaving detention or crossing the border with whatever needs they have on a very personal level. As the result of a very stimulating discussion at this meeting, we plan to contact the San Diego delegation to Congress to find out what the process is for the MPP/Remain in Mexico, because these people who work with asylum seekers are not aware of the procedure for the program. Maria Galleta from Madres et Familias Deportadas en Accion also came to tell us about her work with the children...

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2024 Legislative Interview with Assemblymember Tasha Boerner

The next meeting of the Immigration & Deportation Committee is Thursday, November 11 at 9am on Zoom (access through the LWVSD website). We are very fortunate to have two speakers from Migrant Services for the Municipality of Tijuana speak: Enrique Lucero, Director, and Yasmine Enriquez, Sub Secretary. I have asked them to give us the Mexican or Tijuana perspective of the Remain in Mexico/MPP program that the U.S. has imposed on them because the U.S. does not want so many asylum seekers entering our country. MPP has not gone back into effect yet since the court said it could not be cancelled because Mexico and the U.S. are still negotiating its terms. This meeting will be recorded and put on the LWVSD website.

As Thanksgiving approaches, Maria Galleta is planning to prepare a dinner for deportees who live in Tijuana. Committee members have supported this important event in the past and will do so again this year. She will also be giving the Committee more details at the November...

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July 2021

Jorge Zurita-Coronado, Legislative Correspondent for Sen. Alex Padilla, will speak to the committee on Thursday, July 15 at 9:00 a.m. You can access the zoom link through the LWVSD’s website (landing page or the calendar). Topics I have asked him to inform us about include:

Why Title 42 has not been revoked including why the border is not open to non-essential travel

The Senator’s recommendations for improving immigration

What bills are being discussed in the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, which Sen. Padilla chairs

Whether the courts and immigration processors could get more funding to speed up the asylum-seeking process

Whether there is a way for deported veterans to have their charges reviewed so they could return to the U.S.

Click headline to view complete article

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Published On 3/7/2024

League leaders sat down with Assemblymember Tasha Boerner (77th District) to discuss questions relating to open meetings, health effects of climate change, housing and the local issue of relocating the train tracks off the Del Mar Bluffs.

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2024 Legislative Interview with Assemblymember Chris Ward

Published On 2/29/2024

Legislative Interview with Assembly District 78 Assemblymember Chris Ward.

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Adopted Policing Practices Position

Published On 3/3/2023

Spread the word to any San Diego and Imperial County artists and cultural practitioners you may know! The application period is open through 5 p.m. March 22, 2023, for the Far South/Border North grant opportunity.

This program will support artists and cultural practitioners to develop artistic content that increases local awareness of public health, energy and water conservation, climate mitigation, civic engagement (especially voting participation!), and social justice within San Diego and Imperial counties.

The Far South/Border North grant program is funded by the California Arts Council Creative Corps, and is administered by a partnership that includes the City of San Diego Arts & Culture Commission, Catalyst of San Diego & Imperial Counties, The San Diego Regional Arts & Culture Coalition, and The San Diego Foundation.

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Published On 5/13/2022

After in-depth committee study and member consensus, the LWVSD board adopted a new position on policing practices. Members will be asked to reaffirm it at the annual meeting.

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Consensus Statements

Published On 4/9/2022

At our consensus meeting on April 14, members will decide if they agree that these statements should be added to our positions.

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Police in Schools

Published On 3/25/2022

Why are police deployed on school campuses? School police are now part of local law enforcement.

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Traffic Stops

Published On 3/7/2022

Report on traffic stops addresses the Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Act (RIPA), Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) and AB 846 – Amends Peace Officer Screening Standards And Job Descriptions To Eliminate Bias And Emphasize Community Policing

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Surveillance

Published On 3/7/2022

There is a delicate balance between the need to detect crimes and the need for privacy, which often favors the former when fear is heightened. There is also the issue of private businesses creating technology that is sold to government agencies with the main goal of profit rather than protecting individuals.

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Police & Sheriff's Office Discipline

Published On 1/28/2022

This report focuses on the discipline of law enforcement officers in San Diego County. SDPD, with an appointed Chief of Police accountable to the City of San Diego, has been proactive in addressing some officer misconduct and compliant with disclosure laws, while the SDSO, with its elected Sheriff, has taken steps to limit compliance with laws requiring disclosure and is generally more secretive.

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Police Unions

Published On 1/28/2022

A central concern with police unions is that collective bargaining and the Law Enforcement Officers' Bill of Rights contribute to the detrimental effects on transparency and accountability. This can result in officers who engage in biased behavior, avoiding the consequences of their actions. Police chiefs complain that collective bargaining agreements prevent them from undertaking new innovations that would improve transparency. Only thirty-three scholarly publications on police unions were published between 1975 and 2008. Now however, public awareness is focused on the lack of accountability and transparency in policing, in part due to national media attention about the deaths of George Floyd and others.

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Ballot Measure Analysis

Published On 9/1/2024

Review of ballot measure analyses for the County of San Diego and City of San Diego
Monday, Sept. 9, at 9:30am

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Ballot Measure Analysis Process & LWV Positions on Taxation

Published On 8/1/2024

Review of our ballot measure analysis process - Lori Thiel, public policy chair, and Jeanne Weidner, speakers bureau chair.

Also, discussion of what kinds of tax measures the League can support, based on our positions - Helen Hutchinson, area director for government at LWVC.

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How the City of San Diego's tax structure can be made more equitable

Published On 6/1/2024

The Public Policy Committee has planned a very exciting and stimulating meeting for Monday, June 3 at 9:30am. The focus will be on how the City of San Diego's tax structure can be made more equitable. We have lined up a distinguished panel of three speakers:
Caroline Freund, Dean -UCSD School of Global Policy and Strategy
Charles Modica, Independent Budget Analyst - City of San Diego
Keara O'Laughlin - Researcher and Policy Advocate, Center on Policy Initiatives, San Diego

Please plan to attend if you are available.

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County Solid Waste Program

Published On 5/1/2024

County Solid Waste Program – with Michael Wonsidler, Program Manager, Department of Public Works, Solid Waste Planning & Recycling Division
May 6th at 10am

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Opposition to H Barracks Homeless Facility & SD Public Power Feasibility Study

Published On 4/1/2024

Opposition to H Barracks Homeless Facility proposal – Fred Kosmo, chair of the Peninsula Community Planning Board, Port Commission Transparency and Alleged Brown Act Violations, and Recommendation on Increase of Waste Disposal Fee.
April 1 at 9:30am

The City of San Diego’s Public Power Feasibility Study – City of San Diego Sustainability & Mobility Department staff (joint meeting with the Sustainability & Environmental Action Committee)
April 8 at 9:30am

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March Public Policy Meeting

Published On 2/29/2024

Rick Anthony, Zero Waste San Diego, Fred Kosmo, Chair, Peninsula Community Planning Board.

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H Barracks Homeless Facility Proposal

Published On 2/5/2024

H Barracks Homeless Facility Proposal

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Brush management on City-owned land

Published On 10/1/2023

The September Public Policy meeting featured a presentation on brush management on City-owned land by the City Auditor's Office of the City of San Diego. Unfortunately, the City lacks a comprehensive brush management plan and most City departments who have brush management responsibilities are not doing a good job of addressing it. Additionally, the Committee made recommendations for the Board to act on regarding the City's Housing Action Package 2.0 proposal.

The September Housing & Homelessness meeting featured a report from Anne Omsted regarding her phone conversation with Tamara Kohler, Executive Director of the Regional Task Force on the Homeless. Ms. Kohler is scheduled to make a presentation at the October 24 meeting of the Committee.

Additionally, I gave an update on the City of Oceanside's progress on adopting a strengthened inclusionary housing ordinance and made a presentation on progress being made by the City of San Diego on preserving existing affordable housing...

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City Auditor's Office To Make Presentation on City Owned Land

Published On 9/1/2023

The September Public Policy Meeting will be a week later than usual due to Labor Day on September 4. Therefore, the meeting has been pushed back a week to September 11 at 9:30am. We are fortunate to have representatives from the City Auditor's Office with us on Zoom to discuss their recent report on how the City is not adequately managing the brush on City owned land, thereby elevating fire risk. It will be an informative presentation. Please feel free to attend via Zoom.

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August Public Policy Meeting

Published On 8/1/2023

The August Public Policy meeting will be on Monday, August 7 at 9:30am. The major topic will be the City of San Diego's Housing Package 2.0 proposal including implementation of SB 10. We will attempt to devise a recommendation or recommendations for the Board. Additionally, Susan Baldwin will provide a brief update on the University Community Plan Update process.

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Should LWVSD Support More Housing Changes?

Published On 5/31/2023

Our June meeting will feature speakers Steve Russell, SD Housing Federation, Geoff Heuter, Neighbors for a Better SD, and Asma Abdi and Madison Colemen will be speaking on their Equitable Development Coalition. The City of San Diego is proposing a series of additional housing changes including implementation of SB 10 which would allow construction of up to 10 units on a parcel in a single-family zone. But numerous other changes are proposed too. Included are incentives to construct larger units for families, more SRO's, elimination of incompatible land uses in residential areas provides anti-displacement measures and others.

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Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT)

Published On 4/4/2023

Discussion on the use of Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) as a measuring stick to reduce automobile use and greenhouse gas emissions.

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Published On 3/3/2023

On January 30, the Public Policy Committee held a special meeting to hear a presentation from the City of San Diego Planning Department on the Sustainable Development Areas proposal. The League subsequently sent a letter to the City Council advocating for more analysis of the proposal before adopting it.

The Public Policy Committee also met on February 6 to consider potential minor changes to existing local adopted positions. These changes were also reviewed in a special position review meeting on February 27.

The North County League has voted to join the San Diego League's Housing Committee, thereby greatly increasing our resources to take on additional responsibilities. One of these will be homelessness. Additionally, Mary Thompson of the North County League has agreed to co-chair the Housing Committee with me

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Published On 2/3/2023

The Public Policy Committee had a busy month. On January 9, we discussed priorities for 2023. We also made a recommendation on a local question for the upcoming legislative interviews with San Diego's legislative delegation. And, we identified priorities for comment on the Seaport Village environmental review process so that we are ready to submit them when formal comments are due (February 24).

On January 20, we had a special meeting to make recommendations for the League's position review process. Although we made substantial progress, we were unable to complete potential recommended revisions to the Parks position. That work will continue in another special meeting on February 6.

The regularly scheduled February 6 meeting was moved up one week to January 30 so that City of San Diego planning staff could attend and make a presentation on the proposed Sustainable Development Areas proposal. Based on that meeting, a letter is being drafted ...

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A discussion of priorities for the committee for 2023 was held.

The group considered ideas for a question to be asked at upcoming interviews with state legislators (final question is "Recognizing that the sewage issue at the border with Mexico is primarily a problem that must be solved at the federal and international level with Mexico, is there a role for the State of California to play here?")

Discussion of possible letter on issues which should be considered in the environmental review for Seaport Village when the Port comes out with its formal notification regarding acceptance of public comments.

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Yrhudi “Gaf” Gaffen, Theresa Collins, and Allison Rolfe gave a comprehensive presentation on plans for the redevelopment of Seaport Village in October and were invited back to discuss their request for public financing assistance.

Susan Simon, Co-Chair of the Embarcadero Coalition gave a presentation on that group's concerns about the project.

In subsequent discussion after Gaf and Allison left, it was agreed that the League should submit a letter to the Port Commission when the Notice of EIR Preparation comes out which is anticipated to be in early 2023. We can put together a preliminary list of issues to be addressed from Susan Simon’s presentation and the Coastal Commission letter.

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LWVSD Announces First Ann Clark Scholarship Application sent to local colleges and universities.

At the March Public Policy Committee meeting, we heard a presentation from Gretchen Newsom with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) on a proposed regional sales tax ballot measure to help fund the recently adopted SANDAG Regional Plan. The proposal would increase the sales tax by ½ cent and is estimated to generate approximately $320 million annually for transportation improvements. Read more...

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Published On 4/1/2023

LWVSD Scholarship Committee composed of Penny Adler, Malia Pfister, Sheila Tolle and chair, Karenlee Robinson have sent announcement and application for the Ann Clark Scholarship Award to local colleges and universities. The goal is to give local higher education students a scholarship up to $2000 to support an experiential or immersive educational opportunity outside the the classroom in the area of women's studies, political science, publican administration, ethnic studies or other relevant topics.

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Measure B passed!

Published On 11/16/2022

Passage of Measure B now enables the City Council to generate a study on the cost of trash collection services and subsequently vote to charge a fee to recover those costs of solid waste management services to eligible properties. For the last 100 years, in accordance with an initiative adopted in 1919, most single-family homes have been exempt from having to pay a collection fee while most condominiums, apartments and businesses have been charged. The League believes that consumers must expect to pay some of the costs of waste management and that the government should maintain an equitable system of taxation. Allowing owners of single-family homes to be exempt from a fee while everyone else pays creates a basic inequity. The League supports policies to reduce the generation of trash and to promote reuse and recycling.

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Fact Sheet

Published On 7/18/2022

The City of San Diego provides trash collection and disposal for free--to 52% of residents and needs a way to incentivize people to put fewer items in black bins that go to the landfill.

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White Paper

Published On 7/18/2022

Brief history of the so-called People's Ordinance, which is the reason the City of San Diego provides free trash collection for 52% of residents, at a cost of $43 million from the General Fund. The climate crisis (and state law) require that methane emissions from landfills be reduced.

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Sustainability and Environmental Action Committee - 2023-2024 Annual Impact Report

Summary:
Speakers discussed a public power ballot initiative, the 30x30 conservation effort, Hands on San Diego volunteer opportunities, and the County climate action plan. Sponsored the Heat and Human Health Summit and toured the Tijuana River Valley.

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Understanding Power San Diego Initiative and Energy in San Diego

Published On 5/1/2024

The Power San Diego campaign has been undergoing a signature drive to get the question of a not-for-profit municipal electric utility that would replace SDG&E in the city of San Diego on the ballot. Power San Diego would create a public utility that would cut rates, protect rooftop solar, and have no fixed charges. San Diegans pay the highest electric rates in the country, despite enormous profits for SDG&E. The LWVSD SEAC and Public Policy Committees have heard from Bill Powers, Power San Diego; SDG&E; the City of San Diego Sustainability and Mobility Dept. about the feasibility study on public power by the consultant NewGen (Phase I has been completed and Phase 2-a deeper dive- is ongoing); and San Diego Community Power. We will hear from the Taxpayers Association on May 21, 2024 at 4pm. Of concern is the funding to complete the phase 2 feasibility study has been cut in the recent Mayor’s budget. The campaign needs to collect 80,000 signatures by middle of May.

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The 8 R’s of Zero Waste

Published On 3/30/2024

"In order to help the communities of San Diego move toward the goal of zero waste, we need to change our thinking. Everything is a resource and “just throwing it away” is not longer a viable option. Here are 8 opportunities for all of us to reduce material going into a landfill and help us create a sustainable society:
1. REFUSE - refuse to buy products that aren’t necessary and are harmful to the
environment
2. REDUCE - use less by reducing what you consume and create less waste
3. REUSE - think beyond an item’s original purpose by reusing or repurposing what you
already have in your home.
4. ROT - compost all organic materials back into the soil rather than a landfill.maintain a
circular life style.
5. REPAIR - give an item extra life by fixing or repairing what you have before buying
something new
6. REDESIGN - lobby for a product to be redesigned when it cannot be recycled, composted,
or repurposed.
7. REGULATE - vote for regu

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The City Council’s Environment Committee Compromise Plan for Mission Bay

Published On 3/30/2024

The long debated plan to transform much of northeast Mission Bay into climate resilient marshland got unanimous support from the City Council’s Environment committee. The committee called the plan a fair compromise between environmentalists, supporters of camping and advocates for recreation. The plan manages to preserve all those uses and also allows for a buffer against sea level rise due to climate change, clean water, and carbon sequestration by tripling the marshland, wetlands, and dunes in the area from 82 acres to 262 acres....

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Should the City of San Diego Create a Municipal Utility

Published On 2/29/2024

To hear all sides, SEAC had several presenters at our Feb. 20, 2024 meeting to discuss whether the city of San Diego should create a municipal utility that would replace San Diego Gas & Electric.

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Municipal Power Panel

Published On 2/5/2024

In February we will hear from Bill Powers, Power San Diego; Bernadette Butkiewicz, Responsible Energy coalition/SDG&E; Community Power; City Sustainability and Mobility Dept.

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Environmental Issues in Our Next Election

Published On 11/1/2023

November 2023 marks one year until the 2024 election. The October SEAC meeting hosted the first ballot initiative we are looking at from Power San Diego. Bill Powers presented a ballot initiative to create a not for profit, public utility for the City of San Diego. This utility would be governed by an independently appointed 5 member board of directors who would be responsible to a community oversight group. The goal is local control over energy and to lower energy rates. The ballot measure encourages energy conservation and promotes roof-top solar.

As it is LWV policy to hear all viewpoints on any proposal before taking a position, we will hear from a group who does not support this ballot measure in one of our early 2024 meetings. For the SEAC November meeting, we will join with the Public Policy Committee …

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The Bottom Line

Published On 9/30/2023

Before we get to the bottom line and what we learned from Adam Aron about the climate crisis, I want to welcome Mary Lou Lindegren as co-chair for SEAC! Mary Lou and I will be working together to deepen SEAC’s commitment and advocacy to Heat and Human Health, the Transboundary Pollution Crisis and the bottom line of addressing climate change.

New Meeting Time
SEAC has a new meeting time! Of the three choices presented, 4:00 pm on the third Tuesday of the month was voted as the most popular time to meet. Hopefully this new time will make it easier for students and working people to attend. Please mark your calendars!

"The Essential Role of Social Mobilization in Confronting the Climate Crisis."
Professor Aron, in his sobering presentation, says that the bottom line in addressing the climate crisis, is that we have to keep fossil fuels in the ground. Greenhouse gasses surrounding the earth, created by intense use of fossil fuels, trap huge amounts...

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Why Has So Little Been Done on the Climate Crisis and What Can We Do?

Published On 9/1/2023

San Diego is experiencing unprecedented weather events fueled by climate change and as it so happens, SEAC is at the forefront of education on and response to these very issues.

The H3 (Heat and Human Health) Summit was attended by over two hundred fifty physicians, medical students and health care workers at UCSD. We, as the LWVSD, supported a break-out session with the county. Our goal was to assist the county in collaborating with the health care system over excessive heat response during extreme heat events. Dr. Wooten, Director of Public Health Services of San Diego, the Office of Ageing and Independent Services, the Office of Emergency Response and the National Weather Service all spoke on our panel. The National Weather Service issues an excessive heat alert to the County and then the Office of Emergency Services and Partner Relay Team get the message out to county residents. The Summit focused on how the medical community can also respond to excessive heat alerts and

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SEAC Deep Dive into Heat and Health

Published On 8/1/2023

"SEAC Deep Dive into Heat and Health

August finds SEAC taking a deep dive into heat and health and how the medical community and San Diego County Health Department are preparing for this extreme climate change event. Heat deaths are the number one weather related death in the United States- even more than flood, hurricane or earthquake deaths.

Our July SEAC meeting hosted Dr. Mary Lou Lindegren and Dr. Vi Nguyen (both LWVSD members) who presented on the upcoming, first in the nation H3 Summit (Heat and Human Health) to be held at UCSD on August 12th. The focus of the H3 summit is the connection of physicians with the climate crisis. We are the first to coordinate this type of summit- geared towards physicians- in the country. The SEAC Environmental Justice Committee has been instrumental in connecting people together for the Summit and has worked in particular with different agencies within the County ...

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The Miramar Air Show and Other SEAC Summer Entertainment

Published On 5/31/2023

"Gary Butterfield, President of Veterans for Peace spoke at our May SEAC meeting about the underappreciation of the military contribution to the climate crisis. The U.S. military is the single largest user of fossil fuel and the single largest emitter of greenhouse gasses. This is especially true in SD because the military presence is so large.

Every year MCAS Miramar hosts the Blue Angels Air Show. Veterans for Peace has begun to question whether this show, strictly for entertainment, is worth the pollution it produces. Each air team uses 9100 gallons of jet fuel per hour. This is the same amount of fuel as one car driving 145,000 miles. In answer to this question, Veterans for Peace established the No MAS Coalition.

No MAS- No Military Air Show, is supported by 18 local climate, peace, social justice, faith and political groups. As the military has said it is committed to reducing green house gas emissions and addressing climate change, Veterans for Peace says the Blue Angel

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Should The Air Show Go On?

Published On 4/29/2023

Should The Air Show Go On?

For the May meeting SEAC will host Gary Butterfield of Veteran’s For Peace whose current campaign addresses the “military’s outsized contribution to the climate crisis”. The U.S. Military is the world’s largest consumer of gas and oil and therefore the largest contributor to greenhouse gasses worldwide. San Diego, having the highest concentration of active-duty military in the world, hosts The Blue Angels Airshow- an airshow that “produces pollution for entertainment purposes”. Join us as Veteran’s For Peace questions if the show should go on.

Our April speaker from the Desert Research Institute discussed the research on the increasing risks of heat on human health. Heat can accelerate existing medical conditions. The DRI studied four focus groups of a total of 43 people from San Diego County regarding
heat; represented were universities, schools, government, and non-profits. Each group also either worked with or lived in an underserved community.

DRI conc

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The Compelling Work of the Sustainability and Environmental Action Committee!

Published On 4/29/2023

Rethink, Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Regift, Recycle!

When planning a picnic or outing, use reusable plates, cups, and utensils that you already have rather than buying disposable items.

Make your picnic drinks at home and pack your drinks in thermoses. Always carry your reusable water bottle.

When planning a picnic at the park or a day at the beach, pre-pack your cooler with ice or ice packs from home to save time and fuel by avoiding an extra stop.

Reduce your environmental footprint by using GPS technology or cell phones for directions rather than printing them on paper.

Consider donating and purchasing used sporting equipment for growing children, seasonal items, or hobby-loving adults without spending an arm and a leg.

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Published On 4/1/2023

"Sustainability and Environmental Action Committee

SEAC Meets the third Tuesday of every month at 1:00 p.m. Next meeting is on April 18th. Our guest speaker will be Kristin VanderMolen. Kristin is an assistant research professor at the Desert Research Institute in Reno, Nevada. She has a background in environmental anthropology and conducts stakeholder- and community-driven research on climate impacts and adaptation, including on information and health equity related to extreme heat and wildfire smoke. She also works in the development and evaluation of co-produced climate science for land and natural resource management. Her work is focused in Nevada and California

Environmental Justice Subcommittee meets on the fourth Tuesday of every month at 10:00 am. Our next meeting is April 25th. Guest speaker is Ali Mariko Dressel, Climate Justice Policy Coordinator for the Climate Action Campaign speaking on why the climate crisis as a public health crisis.

Celebrate Earth Day and ...

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Published On 3/3/2023

Microgrids: How They Can Help with Energy Cost, Sustainability and Reliability
In a time when our climate is in crisis, we are using more energy than ever. Climate solution discussions usually revolve around solar, but is that enough?
Join us on Wednesday, March 15 at noon on zoom as Rob Howard, a member from Oceanside, will speak to the Climate Interest Group meeting on microgrids. Rob is a self-described energy nerd with experience as a nuclear operator at San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, a member of the CPUC’s Diversity Council, a union leader, and presently a consultant for Community Choice Aggregates for several jurisdictions in So. Cal.

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Published On 3/3/2023

This month SEAC is going to pause and appreciate the beautiful place in which we live and the bounty of the rains that have passed through southern California. As everyone is talking about the Superbloom in the desert we welcome as our guest speaker Justin Daniel, President of the San Diego Chapter of the Native Plant Society. Justin will present on the desert Superbloom, Superbloom etiquette and Native plants for home gardening. Please join us as we learn about what flowers are blooming where and how to include native plants in your water-wise garden.

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Published On 2/3/2023

At our February meeting, Robert and Kelly will present an update on building electrification activities in the San Diego region. This presentation will include a recap of why building electrification is important, comments on the recent gas stoves “controversy,” and what incentives are available. They will also review the City of San Diego’s CAP Strategy 1 on “Decarbonization of the Built Environment”, and their plans for this year. The presentation will close with a discussion of why hydrogen blending for buildings is an expensive and superfluous approach...

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Next meetings:
Sustainability and Environmental Action Committee meeting on Tuesday, January 17 at 1pm. Join with Zoom.
Environmental Justice subcommittee meeting on Tuesday, January 24 at 10am. Join with Zoom.
Happy New Year! There is lots of environmental and sustainability progress to be excited about in the New Year. Join us as we celebrate the successes of 2022 and work towards a cleaner, healthier planet in 2023.
Styrofoam Ban
San Diego became the largest city in California to ban food trays, coolers and pool toys made of foam. This legislation will take effect in April 2023. Restaurants will then distribute straws and plastic utensils only upon request.
Foam products do not biodegrade and instead break down into microplastic sized pieces which find their way into the soil and marine life. When we visited the EDCO Recycling Center last spring, our tour guide told us that this ban will have a huge impact on reducing trash in the landfill.
Green Waste Recycling...

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Next month SEAC is very fortunate to have as our speaker Enrique Medina, President of Alliance Consulting International, who is also a Board Member of the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District (APCD). Enrique will be talking about the new leadership at the APCD, about how the APCD works with the City, County, and Port District, and — most importantly — about clean air in San Diego County.
It’s Election Season, and SEAC is in full swing as we continue to monitor public policies critical to all aspects of climate change. We also advocate for the improvement of such public policy, in order to promote sustainability and environmental justice for all community members. Please see the article above about volunteers needed for canvassing for Measure B to reform the People’s Ordinance.

EDCO Tour Report
Do you wonder why hauling trash is expensive? Twelve members toured the 70,000 sq ft. EDCO facility in Escondido with Bob Hill, Marketing Director, to learn how our recycling..

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Field Trip
Join us as we tour the new Escondido EDCO Recycling facility on October 5 at 10am. The tour will be approximately 1.5 hours. It will require a bit of walking with lots of steps. The plan is to tour both the recycling processing facility along with the Anaerobic Digester. All participants will be required to wear closed toe shoes.

The 70,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility can process 100,000 pounds of commingled recycling per hour using a series of screens, magnets, high-speed optic scanners and conveyors to separate mixed loads of recyclable material. The material recovery facility was built as part of the company’s effort to work toward the goal of achieving zero waste throughout the region.

Register for the tour, which will be limited to 15 people.

Still Confused About Measure B in the City of San Diego?

Read the Fact Sheet and White Paper at There's No Free Trash on the SEAC page of the LWV San Diego website.

The Effects of Climate Change on Public...

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Published On 9/4/2022

At our SEAC meeting on Tuesday, September 20, at 1 pm, one of our guest speakers will be Wilma J. Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., who is the Public Health Officer and Director of Public Health Services in the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency. Our other guest speaker will be Kristin Guirguis, program scientist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. This presentation will focus on the public health impacts of climate change specifically in San Diego County. The speakers will share highlights of the intersection of climate and health, including key risks to population health, what participants need to know, and what they can do to prepare and/or adapt to a changing local climate. I hope you will join us for this important discussion!
Climate change is a public health emergency: The health and well-being—and possibly the very survival—of our communities is in danger, as witnessed by the increased occurrence of disastrous wildfires and extreme weather events...

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August 2022

Published On 8/7/2022

There’s No Free Trash. The big news is that the City Council voted to put a measure on the November ballot amending Municipal Code 66.0127, otherwise known as the (so-called) People’s Ordinance! For the last 10 years, the LWVSD has been working on a fix for the unfair situation created by this outdated ordinance, which provides benefits from the general fund for only a portion of city residents. The League believes that consumers must expect to pay some of the costs of waste management, and that the government should maintain an equitable system of taxation and benefits. LWV supports Zero Waste policies that reduce the generation of trash and promote reuse and recycling.
Over the past couple of months we spearheaded a reform task force, developed educational materials, met with almost every Council Member’s office, and testified in person before the Rules Committee and the City Council...

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June/July 2022

Published On 6/5/2022

The Sustainability And Environmental Action Committee has been actively monitoring several hot environmental issues in San Diego County. At our joint May meeting with the Public Policy Committee, we hosted Murtaza Baxamusa from the County of San Diego, who spoke about the Regional Decarbonization Framework. The three-part goal of the framework is Zero Carbon Sustainability via zero emissions of carbon dioxide, reduction of “super pollutants” such as smog, and the drawdown of greenhouse gasses through natural means such as green and blue carbon sequestration...

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Last Sunday the League of Women Voters and SEAC joined with thousands of others from across the region to educate and learn more about the environment and our human impact on it at EarthFair in Balboa Park. Hundreds of people stopped by the LWV booth to learn about The People’s Ordinance, California’s Organic Recycling Law, composting, worm bins, and how to recycle – and to spin the wheel and answer questions about the environment. We gave away hundreds of succulents and Voter’s Edge bookmarks...

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Wetland Restoration At our April SEAC meeting we hosted Andrew Meyer of the ReWild Mission Bay wetlands restoration project which proposes to restore natural wetlands habitat in the northeast corner of Mission Bay. Originally known as False Bay, the entire area of what we now call Mission Bay was tidelands and marsh up to 1945. The Kumeyaay People used to live and fish around the Bay. Mission Bay is now a 4,600 acre aquatic recreational area as well as home to marine wildlife and native plant species. In addition to providing homes for the Least Tern, Ridgeways Rail and Nuttall’s Lotus, these coastal wetlands filter water flowing into the bay and help to keep it clean for swimmers. Salt water marshes are one of the most efficient ways to sequester carbon out of the air. Read more...

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Published On 3/1/2022

Did you know that San Diego has a City Council Environment Committee and that they have prioritized a set of environmental issues for 2022? Not only are these priorities a win for San Diego but many are environmental issues that SEAC has been watching and providing public comment on during the past year. Please join us as we continue to monitor public policies critical to all aspects of climate change, and to advocate for the improvement of public policy in order to promote sustainability and environmental justice for all community members. Read more...

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Published On 1/30/2022

February hints at signs of spring in San Diego. Trees begin to bud, narcissus and other fragrant bulbs perfume the air, the aloe vera are in full bloom and cool weather crops can be planted in pots or gardens. Thoughts begin to turn to picnics and beach walks, and SEAC begins to plan for Earth Fair.

Our January SEAC meeting featured Carolyn Chase, founder of Tree Watch San Diego. Carolyn shared with us that because trees are not replaced at the same rate as they are removed, the urban tree canopy is shrinking. In 2014 there was a 12.8% decline in trees. Some of these trees are heritage trees which are more than 50 years old. This is in part due to more ADUs (accessory dwelling units or "granny flats") being built in backyards, and to zero-foot setback requirements being allowed for some new buildings. Click to read more...

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As I look back over SEAC’s year I realize what a progressive and educational year it has been. We have hosted extraordinary speakers on topics covering building electrification, community power, regional water issues, net metering, environmental justice, blue carbon sequestration, zero waste campaigns and land use, sprawl and climate. We have joined coalitions and advocated for environmental justice, climate action plans and on regional transportation issues. We have kept our finger on the pulse of local environmental issues in the city and county with in-depth observer reports on the San Diego City Council Environment Committee and the County Board of Supervisors meetings. We have made Environmental Justice an area of emphasis and worked towards diversity, equity and inclusion in our committee and in our LWV San Diego as a whole.
So what is next for SEAC 2022? The agenda is long. Join us as we work to form a coalition to initiate a re-vote on The People’s Ordinance...

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Online Membership Renewal

Published On 11/1/2021

Water: Last Hot Topic Thursday we imagined a day without water and learned a lot about water in San Diego County. 66% of water use in San Diego county goes to residential use and 53% of that is used for landscaping. If we are going to comply with mandated water restrictions, cutting back on outdoor watering is the easiest place to begin. Depending on which water district you live in, there are rebates for replacing grass lawns with native and drought resistant plants, creating rock gardens and installing rain barrels. Find out which water district you are in at San Diego County Water Authority Find Your Water District and take advantage of the great water saving resources and rebates that are offered! ...

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October 2021

Published On 10/3/2021

Everyone has heard about Carbon Sequestration. This occurs when carbon dioxide, created by combustion of fossil fuels and released into the atmosphere, is absorbed by trees, plants and crops which is then assimilated into the soil. But have you heard about Blue Carbon Sequestration? Join us on Tuesday, October 19th at 1pm when SEAC will have guest speakers from WildCoast, an International team that conserves coastal and marine ecosystems. Learn why and how coral reefs, coastal wetlands and mangroves absorb carbon from the atmosphere or Blue Carbon Sequestration...

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May 2021

The purpose of SEAC is to monitor public policies critical to all aspects of climate change and to advocate for and influence the improvement and broadcasting of such public policy, consistent with LVWV positions, to promote sustainability and environmental justice for all community members...

Click header for full article

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Screenshots with additional information to assist and clarify the online membership renewal process.

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How do I change my login name?

Published On 9/22/2021

Go to your Profile (upper left under your name) and click on Profile. Then click on 'User Name / Password' to view and change User Name

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ELECTION SEASON KICKOFF EVENT: Let’s Empower Voters Together!

Published On 10/1/2023

"Empowering voters is the heart of what we do, and surveys show it’s the main reason people support the League. With that in mind, we’re expanding our activism opportunities this election season to enable everyone to participate in voter empowerment activities at the level of their choosing.

To learn about our new approach to activism, please attend our kickoff meeting on Monday, October 23 at 6pm on Zoom. You’ll meet Jane, our new candidate forum co-chair, who will discuss upcoming events and how you can get involved. You’ll also hear from Julie Ann about our online voter guide, Voter's Edge, for those of you who enjoy research and tech tasks. Jeanne will update you on March ballot measures (if any), voter registration, and other important activities.

The primary election is scheduled for March 5, 2024. Voter Empowerment volunteering will extend only through the election season, when we will focus on activities that help close the voter participation gap, including...

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League Candidate Forums Reach Broad Audience

Published On 9/30/2023

The video of the LWVSD Candidates’ Forum held on July 8, 2023 of candidates for the San Diego County Board of Supervisors District 4 election has been watched over 1,100 times.

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Volunteers needed for Politifest

Published On 9/1/2023

Politifest is Saturday October 7. Tabling happens from Noon - 4pm at University of San Diego Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies Courtyard
5998 Alcalá Park, San Diego, CA 92110

Any member who signs up for tabling may request registration to attend Politifest sessions.

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Special Election August 15

Published On 5/31/2023

"The Board of Supervisors scheduled an Aug. 15 special primary election for the Fourth Supervisorial District. Voters in District 4 will fill a supervisorial seat that became vacant when the former supervisor resigned May 15.

The LWVSD has scheduled a candidate forum for this election on Saturday, July 8, 2023 11am - 12:30 pm at City Heights Recreation Center (next to the library) 4380 Landis St., San Diego, CA 92105.

Nearly 400,000 voters living in District 4 will receive a ballot in the mail the week of July 16 for the election. The official ballot packet will also include an “I Voted” sticker, voting instructions, and other important election information.

The person elected will fill District 4’s vacant seat for the remainder of the current term ending in January 2027. If no candidate receives a majority vote at the Aug. 15 election, then a special general election would be held on Nov. 7, 2023. Only those who live in the district can vote in the election.

District 4 includes th

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Voter Engagement Opportunities!

Published On 4/29/2023

Your support is needed to staff our Public Defender partnership opportunities. Check the link below to see where you can engage with voters who are re-entering society as productive citizens. Contact Pam Curtis (pamc@lwvsandiego.org), our Voter Engagement Coordinator, for more information.

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Published On 2/3/2023

We hosted our first tabling event of 2023 thanks to member Julie Roland, who invited us to connect with the audience before her production of "Just Tryna Make Friends" at Diversionary Theatre on January 21. Lynn Miller volunteered to work the table with her friend Brittany, and it was a successful event. At our committee meeting this month, we decided our new emphasis during this non-election year would be less on registering voters and more on engaging with voters about what the League offers. At the event, most people who visited the table had heard of the League and were supportive. More than 30 people came to the table, where they received stickers, bracelets, pamphlets, and League t-shirts...

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The Speakers Bureau started with our first Prop Talk on September 27 and our team of 14 excellent speakers have now reached more than 1600 voters. More attendees have been uncounted since many events have been recorded and made available to a wider audience. Jeanne Brown once again heads the list of our most active volunteers, having presented at 10 of the 41 events hosted by community organizations. It was very gratifying that more than 75% of the talks were presented in person. We also have received several hundred dollars in donations, with more coming in every day. We’ll be finishing up our presentations with the last five scheduled for the last week in October.

The committee has been involved with other activities this month, including several voter registration and education events such as Politifest, Voter Jam, the Advocacy Fair at Mesa College, and the Women’s Equality Day Festival.

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California is one of the nine states in the country where independent commissions were responsible for drawing congressional district lines, a process recommended by the LWV of the US. The 2020 California Citizens Redistricting Commission completed their work at the end of last year, and established new maps based on the data from the 2020 Census. The final maps include congressional, state senate, state assembly and board of equalization districts. Some of the highlights of that process include...

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Voter Newsletter
President's Message

Our next board meeting is scheduled for April 12 at 5:30pm on Zoom. Members are welcome to attend. The board will vote on the proposed budget, program, bylaw amendments and position updates, which will then be considered by the membership at the annual meeting (scheduled for June 11 at 10am on Zoom).

At our Program Planning meeting on February 26, members reviewed national and local suggestions for focus next year. Based on their votes, we submitted our suggestions to the LWVUS: continuing the campaign for Making Democracy Work®, election security and immigration reform, which was initiated by our local League. Suggestions for local items were as follows:

Ranked choice voting (25 votes)

Gun violence prevention (17 votes)

Democracy Dollars (11 votes)

Councils of Neighborhood Associations, inadvertently excluded at the Program Planning meeting, was presented at the March board meeting. Read More...

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Published On 2/25/2022

Voter Newsletter
President's Message

Though it’s only February, we’re already beginning work to prepare for next year! (LWV years run July through June). In the last month our board has begun governance work in anticipation of our Annual Meeting, scheduled for June 11, and we’ve been hard at work on implementation of the Voter's Choice Act, redistricting, and environmental advocacy.

Our budget, bylaws, and nominating committees have started work. The board updated its Board Policies and Committee Policies. Members have proposed local and national issues on which they’d like us to focus during the next fiscal year, which starts in July. The board voted to sponsor a caucus on immigration at the 2022 LWVUS Convention.

To prepare for San Diego County's new Vote Center model, LWV San Diego joined the San Diego Vote Strategy and Monitoring Table. (To learn more about the new election plan, watch LWV North County San Diego’s presentation and discussion with Registrar... Click to read more

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Water Interest Group - Annual Impact Report - 2023-2024

Voter Empowerment
by Jeanne Weidner, Chair

LWVSD and LWVNCSD are partnering with several organizations, led by Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA), to educate voters and help implement the transition to vote centers by the San Diego County Registrar of Voters. You also have an opportunity to be part of this important process.

The current draft of the Election Administration Plan (EAP) is posted for public comment and will be available until it is finalized on March 8. Some of the most important features include:

The Registrar’s office plans to provide more vote centers than the required minimum.

There will be 195 vote centers that will be open for four days, including Election Day, in San Diego County.

San Diego County will operate approximately 39 vote centers open for 11 days, including Election Day.

The county plans to provide approximately 130 ballot drop box locations throughout San Diego County.

Tentative locations for the ... Click to read more

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October 2021

Published On 10/3/2021

For this year’s National Voter Registration Day, we partnered with IGNITE, a non-partisan national organization dedicated to accelerating young women’s paths to political power. Faith Garcia, the representative from IGNITE, reserved space for us at the Lemon Grove Library. Although we were not successful in our attempt to register voters, we did encounter many enthusiastic voters, and spread the word about our respective organizations. Of the dozens of visitors to our table, all were ineligible at this time or already registered, which was likely a result of our recent election. But they did help themselves to dozens of Voter’s Edge bookmarks and decals from IGNITE. A big thank you to Carol Rohe who also represented the LWVSD. As you can see from the photo below, we followed COVID guidelines - it was great to finally have our first in-person voter registration event in more than 18 months.

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Between July, 2023 and June, 2024, the Water Interest Group has continued to learn about important water issues in San Diego County. We had speakers about the “divorce” by Fallbrook and Rainbow water districts from the SD County Water Authority (SDCWA) from both sides of the aisle, explaining what each side perceived was important. The Local Water IG also supported a regional webinar about “Imagine a Day Without Water” in October, 2023, which was sponsored by the two local Leagues, San Diego and North county, for the second year.

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Gray Water - What's the Law, How to do it!

Published On 8/1/2024

August 6, Tuesday, 3:OO PM Zoom

Join us to hear from Brook Sarson of Catching H2O and Dadla Ponizil, conservationist and gray water user, on what the laws are on gray water and how to install your own system, if you would like to do so. Installing a gray water system is just about the largest water saving project an individual can actually do in his/her own home. It takes wash water and reuses it for outdoor irrigation. But it must be done correctly. Plan to attend via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89764720495 (This is a recurring link)

Anne Omsted and Dawn Guendert, Co-Chair

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San Diego IBWC office and planning for the Tijuana River Wastewater Treatment Future

Published On 5/1/2024

Beside legal defense for immigrants in several counties, the Immigrant Defenders Law Center does a lot of know your rights presentations, helps people fill out legal forms for employment visas and permanent residency, defends children, and supplies a lot of workers to help with immigrants just arriving in San Diego. It is a very key group so we expect to learn much more detail at the next meeting of the Immigration & Deportation Committee on May 9, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. on zoom. Everyone is welcome.

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LAFCO and Special Districts

Published On 3/30/2024

Speaker Mumpower will explain the powers and responsibilities of LAFCO, especially related to water districts. This will help us examine what water districts might be able to do to keep water costs affordable.

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Action Planning Meeting

Published On 2/5/2024

Join us to brainstorm ideas and evolve a plan for 2024.

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LWVC Water Interest Group Webinar - September 27, 2023

Published On 10/2/2023

Understanding Local Potential for Securing Water Resilience: Toolkits for Evaluating Integrated Watershed Management Opportunities
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJ4HMY5l6JE

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PURE WATER San Diego update

Published On 9/30/2023

The San Diego Leagues Water Interest Group meets via Zoom on Tuesday, 10/3 at 3:00. City of San Diego Monika Smoczynski, Associate Engineer with the City's Public Utilities Department, Pure Water Division. We will have an update on current status, planning, impacts on San Diego City and the rest of the County.
Any questions? Anne Omsted at daomsted@gmail.com

Zoom link - The Zoom link is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89764720495. Any League member is welcome to attend.

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San Diego’s Quest for Water Reliability: Exploring Our Options

Published On 5/31/2023

Committee Highlight: Water management is a complex issue with unique challenges, especially in Southern California. In the past, the San Diego Region relied heavily on imported water sources and regional water transfer agreements to provide it with its supply. After enduring one of the longest droughts ever from late 1986 through 1992, the San Diego region has worked vigorously to develop local, sustainable water supplies to reduce the dependence on imported water. The Water Interest Committee has been hearing from local leaders in the water community and national experts on a range local water supply opportunities including water reuse (non-potable and potable), groundwater and ocean water desalination, stormwater capture and conservation.

Planned future speakers will cover topics ranging from direct potable reuse, conjunctive use and regional water conveyance. During the monthly meetings, the committee also receives updates on San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA) actions,

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San Elijo Wastewater Treatment Plant Tour

Published On 4/1/2023

Thirteen members heard about the increasing need and use for treated wastewater for irrigation and the emerging demand for potable water. The plant is working to solve stormwater collection issues that arise when torrents of debris-laden water come into a system designed for one specific and narrow range of supply.

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Scisters Salon and Apothecary

Published On 3/3/2023

The group is meeting in person at the Cardiff Water Pollution Control Facility at 3:00 PM on Tuesday, March 7th, 2695 Manchester Avenue in the City of Encinitas, community of Cardiff-By-the-Sea, off Hwy 5. Carpools are a good idea as parking is limited. Please let me know if you are planning to attend in case any further information comes up that would be helpful for you to know.
Anne Omsted daomsted@gmail.com

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Published On 11/1/2024

Scisters Salon is San Diego’s first Zero Waste Salon. They provide professional hair care as well as offering toxin free beauty products in bulk and other products conducive to living a zero waste, intentional life style. Read more...

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The Zero Waste Lifestyle

Published On 9/1/2024

Recognizing there are changes needed to improve the environment is the first step to conquering the challenges to living a zero waste lifestyle. These are two steps to take to embrace a zero waste lifestyle:

1. Take An Inventory. Begin by evaluating what you use and what you throw out. An average American generates approximately 4 lbs of waste every day. This includes food scraps, packaging, products that become obsolete. Consider such actions as composting, buying in bulk, repairing or repurposing items.

2. Take It Slow. The transition to zero waste takes time. Make small changes. This can be as simple as changing your shopping habits by bringing a reusable shopping bag and making a list of items you need so that you don’t overbuy. Set small goals for yourself that are realistic and attainable.

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Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions at Home

Published On 8/1/2024

Get a home energy audit or learn about energy management. See Energy Management @SDGE.com

For residents of Chula Vista, Encinitas, Imperial Beach, La Mesa, National City, San Diego, and the unincorporated communities of San Diego County: Community Power through SDG&E allows you to opt to have 50% to 100% renewable power. You have to call them directly and make the request. Call Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) at 1-888-382-0169 between 8AM and 5PM Monday through Friday. Request 100% renewable energy.

Install a heat pump for heating and cooling

Install a heat pump hot water heater

Use an electric induction stove top. San Diego County has an Electric Home Cooktop Program. Induction cooktops can be borrowed for free for up to three weeks. Loaner kits include one 9100 Duxtop portable induction cooktop, one compatible pan, a magnet and instruction sheet all in a carry bag.

Use a clothes line instead of a dryer

Walk, bike or use public transit whenever possible

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Published On 7/1/2024

Making small changes in our lifestyles is a simple, effective way to live a more sustainable life. Simple steps can be taken everyday to be more sustainable at home.
Read for more:

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Zero Waste Tips March 2024

According to the EPA, solid waste landfills are the third-largest source of human related methane emissions in the U.S. Methane gas contributes greatly to global climate change. Making small changes in your lifestyle is a simple, effective way to live a more sustainable life.

1. Grow your own food
Starting your own garden is a way to reduce your carbon footprint. Growing your own food helps cut down on plastic and glass waste and reduces carbon emissions from food transportation.
2. Start a compost
Composting is a foolproof practice for reducing food wastes and living sustainably. It’s a perfect way to add nutrients back into the soil to nurture fruits and vegetables in that garden that you’re starting.
3. Use Cold Water
Water heaters account for 20% of your home’s energy use. Washing your clothes on cold can reduce your energy consumption, increase the life of your clothes and reduce over 860 lbs. of CO2 emissions a year. Moreover, cold showers are beneficial for your..

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Published On 2/29/2024

If you have received your green organic waste recycling bin and kitchen pail, you now have weekly organic collection service.

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11 Zero Waste Tips

Published On 2/5/2024

Tips for reducing waste and increasing energy efficiency.

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Plastic Free Holidays

Published On 11/1/2023

Make ornaments from biodegradable materials such as orange rinds, pinecones, dried flowers and popcorn!

Bake and decorate your own cookies.

Use alternative wrapping paper: newspapers, paper bags, kid’s drawings, tote bags and scrap fabric make creative wraps.

Choose plastic-free gifts that help the recipient prevent future waste! Choose gifts of clothing that are made with cotton, linen and wool. Give homemade treats in a glass jar.

Give the gift of time together! Plan an event or outing for family or friends. Alternatively, give a subscription to an organization that you think is worthwhile- like the League of Women Voters!

When entertaining, use real dishes as opposed to paper or plastic. Use utensils, like bamboo, that can be washed and used again. If you don’t have enough dishes and glasses, visit a local culinary thrift store where more can be...

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Published On 9/30/2023

Zero Waste Tips

Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions at Home:

Get a home energy audit or learn about energy management
Energy Management SDGE_

For residents of Chula Vista, Encinitas, Imperial Beach, La Mesa, National City, San Diego: Community Power through SDGE allows you to opt to have 50% to 100% renewable power but you have to call them directly and request what you want. Call Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) at 1-888-382-0169. Request 100% renewable power.

Install a heat pump for heating and cooling

Install a heat pump hot water heater

Use an electric induction stove top

Use a clothes line instead of a dryer

Walk, bike or use public transit whenever possible. Let your City Councilmember know that these are important options for you and need to be safe and convenient.

Consider an electric bicycle for short, local trips to the store.

Plant shade trees for cooling and reducing the urban heat-island effect.

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Tips to Stay Cool

Published On 9/1/2023

This month’s tips are for extreme heat events:

Prepare ahead when you know an extreme heat event is predicted

If you have a medical condition or take medications that may be affected by extreme heat, consult with your physician

Stay hydrated. If you are sweating a lot, mix sports drinks or drinks containing electrolytes with your water to replace minerals and salt in your body. Mist yourself with a spray bottle

Wear light colored, loose clothing

Avoid being in the sun in the hottest parts of the day. Wear a hat, sunscreen and sunglasses when outside

Keep blinds and shades closed on the sunny side of your home

If your home is too hot, visit a cool zone Cool Zones Call 211 if you need transportation

NEVER leave children or pets in hot cars

Learn to identify heat exhaustion and heat stroke

For more information visit the county website: Beat the Heat!

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August 2023

Published On 8/1/2023

"Zero Waste Tips

If you have received your green organic waste recycling bin and kitchen pail, you now have weekly organic collection service.

Yes!
Food scraps, food-soiled paper and yard trimmings all go in the green bin.

Alternate food and yard waste in the green bin to help keep it clean.

Sprinkle baking soda on top of food scraps to eliminate odors.

Wrap leftover food in newspaper, paper bags, paper towels, napkins or parchment paper before putting it in your green bin.

Do Not!
Do not leave your under-counter kitchen pail out for collection.

No glass, metal, plastic dishes, pet waste, diapers, rubber band, twist ties, dirt or rocks go into the green bin.

If your green bin does not get emptied on your pick-up day, residents with service from the City of San Diego may call 1-858-694-7000 or email trash@sandiego.gov

SDGE
For residents of Chula Vista, Encinitas, Imperial Beach, La Mesa, National City, San Diego: Community Power through SDGE allows you to opt to have ...

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June 2023

Published On 5/31/2023

Try growing your own fruits and vegetables this summer! San Diego has a good climate and long growing season and even on a small scale, you can practice climate smart agriculture.

Plant tomatoes and peppers in sunny spots.

Plant lettuce and spinach in partial sun.

Grow only what your family likes to eat.

Mulch your garden to help retain water.

Use organic pest control. Many insects are beneficial to gardens. Worms are essential!

If you don’t have yard space, plant in pots. Most vegetables, strawberries and small trees like lemons grow well in pots.

Plant herbs in window garden boxes.

No yard space or space for pots? Join a community garden- sdcgn.org
Sound like too much work? Join with a friend!

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Published On 4/1/2023

Change all lightbulbs to LED (later this year incandescent bulbs will no longer be available).

Upgrade ancient appliances to energy efficient ones and learn how to use them correctly! This saves water, energy and time.

Don’t prerinse your dishes. Run your dishwasher. The most efficient dishwashers now use only 2 gallons of water to clean a load of unrinsed plates. Modern dishwashers are designed to remove dried food on plates, allowing you to wait until the machine is full to run it.

If your refrigerator is past its expiration date, replace it! Set the temperature between 37 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Arrange your food so it’s easy to find.

Buy a smart thermostat and set up an efficient heating and cooling schedule tailored to when you are home.

Use cold water in your washing machine. Most laundry detergents work just as well with cold water as they do with hot water.

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