Committees - League of Women Voters of Santa Barbara

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Our Committees are how we organize for success. They’re made up of members and volunteers – we encourage all of our members to join a Committee to get connected to our work. If you're thinking about joining a Committee, send the Chair an email or attend one of their meetings to learn more.

Social Policy

Chair, Pamela Flynt Tambo: socialpolicy@lwvsantabarbara.org

Meetings: 4th Thursday of the month, 4:30 pm

Join us to research, learn, and take action on issues such as criminal justice reform, behavioral wellness, access to housing, homelessness, and more. We coordinate with the Sustainable Communities Committee on issues of mutual interest, including local land use and affordable housing. You can help us study, form positions, write letters, and speak at public hearings. We coordinate with other community organizations working on health care, criminal justice, reproductive rights, and other social issues and services.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Chair, Joanie Jones: dei@lwvsantabarbara.org

Meetings: This Committee is a part of the Social Policy Committee and meets at the same time as that Committee (see above) - 4th Thursday of the month, 4:30 pm

Join our newly formed DEI Committee, which emphasizes self-education and actions grounded in social justice. The League of Women Voters, from the national to local levels, views all our work through a justice lens, upholding diversity, equity, and inclusion. We explore our personal implicit biases by reading, attending webinars, and listening to one another. You can help us build partnerships with other supportive organizations and take action - speaking up individually and collectively on local issues.

Our fall 2020 Community Forum “Confronting Racism” addressed issues in Santa Barbara County. You can watch a recording of it on our YouTube channel. Click on the YouTube icon at the bottom of this page and search for "Confronting Racism." More information on DEI issues is available to all here.

Sustainable Communities

Chair, Vijaya Jammalamadaka: suscomm@lwvsantabarbara.org

Meetings: 1st Friday of each month, 10:00 am

The Sustainable Communities Committee studies the problems that affect sustainability on the South Coast. Join us to grapple with the climate crisis, lack of affordable housing, questions of density, open space protection, transportation, natural resources, energy, and water issues. You can help us with oversight of city, county and district meetings and get involved in shaping local positions in line with LWV’s adopted state and national positions.

Membership

Director, Gail Fairburn: membership@lwvsantabarbara.org

Meetings: Dates and times vary as needed.

The Membership Committee manages and builds member engagement. You can help by attending and inviting your friends to our Community Forums, provide them with opportunities to learn more about the League, help host orientation meetings for new members, and plan just-for-fun events so that new and existing members can meet and get to know each other better.
Join us!

Voter Service

Director, Revae Moran: voterservice@lwvsantabarbara.org

Meetings: Dates and times vary as needed
The next two meetings (via Zoom) will be Thursday, August 5th from 3:00 to 4:00 pm and Tuesday, August 10th from 4:00 to 5:00 pm. We will discuss the upcoming elections, the two Candidate Forums we will hold in September for the Santa Barbara Mayor's and the City Council races, and National Voter Registration Day on September 28th.

Please send an email to voterservice@lwvsantabarbara.com if you are interested in attending either one of these meetings.

You can help us make democracy work by joining the Voter Service Committee. Here’s where the rubber meets the road - voter education and registration. You are needed for voter registration drives and to distribute copies of the League’s Easy Voter Guides (in both English and Spanish!) prior to each major election. You also can help us set up Candidate Forums, Pros&Cons Forums where we discuss the state propositions that will appear on everyone's ballot, and contribute to Voter’sEdge.org - the website with information on candidates running for election.

Housing

Chair, Linda Honikman: housing@lwvsantabarbara.org

Meetings: Third Thursday of each month from Noon to 1:30 pm. (Note: No meeting in August 2021).

Send an email message to Linda Honikman - housing@lwvsantabarbara.org - to obtain a Zoom link for the next meeting.

This new Committee grew out of a year-long effort to update our goals and strategies related to South County housing. Our unaffordability crisis is substantial but we have a once in a century opportunity to reverse a trend of high rents and low vacancy rate which has led to the loss of families and younger workers. We are ready to advocate for workforce housing for all incomes and will look for opportunities presented by the design charrettes, protect our historic architecture quality, elevate the importance of sustainability, and include housing that supports local workers, many of whom currently commute. Our League is committed to seeing our work through a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion lens so we all look for ways to bring underrepresented voices to the State Street planning table. An inclusive process will ensure that current residents and workers can join tourists in enjoying a variety of activities in our new downtown. Providing our South County population with housing security is vital for our region's health, diversity, and economic vitality.

Book Club

Chair, Elaine Rudin: bookclub@lwvsantabarbara.org

Meetings: Every 4 to 6 weeks, on Thursdays, from 3 to 4:30 pm.

The purpose of our book club is to help our members keep current on League issues and engage in thoughtful discussion with other book club members. All are welcome to attend!

Some of the books we have read are Blowout by Rachel Maddow, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander, The Woman’s Hour by Elaine Weiss, The War on Voting by Thom Hartmann, Unrig: How To Fix Our Broken Democracy by Daniel G. Newman, From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the 21st Century by William Darity, Jr and A. KristenMullen, and How To Be An Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi.

Our most recent book was The Curse of Bigness: Anti-Trust in the New Gilded Age by Tim Wu.

Nominating Committee

Chair, Mary Rose: nominating@lwvsantabarbara.org

Meetings: Dates and times vary as needed

The Nominating Committee talks to members and makes suggestions to the Board of Directors on which members might be interested in serving on the Board. We are always looking for people to help with this effort, which is ongoing each year and culminates in a slate of candidates proposed for the new Board at the membership meeting in June. We are also interested in new Board members, so please let us know if you are interested in serving as a member of our Board of Directors – either as soon as positions become available or sometime in the future.

Hospitality Committee

Chair, Suzanne Brothen: hospitality@lwvsantabarbara.org

Meetings: Dates and times vary as needed

The Hospitality Committee arranges the beverage service at each of our Community Forums and helps plan other meetings, such as our annual Holiday Party in December. It’s a great way to meet other members and get involved in our activities without having to make a huge time commitment.

Fund Development

Director, Gail Osherenko: development@lwvsantabarbara.org

Meetings: Dates and times vary as needed.

Join the Committee that is essential to all the others! Help tell the League’s story and share opportunities to give. Joining does not require asking. In this Committee, you can develop and practice skills necessary for any nonprofit organization to survive.

Communications

Chair - New Chair needed!
Send an email to Vicki Allen VPCommunications@wvsantabarbara.org .

Meetings: The Tuesday before each month's Board meeting at 5:15 pm. (Depending on how the dates fall, that means it will be on the 1st or 2nd Tuesday of the month.) The next meeting will be on Tuesday, August 10th.

Join us to spread the word about our mission, our Community Forums and other events, state and national action alerts, and League positions on important issues. You can expand LWVSB’s connections, networks, and communications on social media and contribute articles and photos to our email newsletter and our website. Help us reach out to the wider community.

Observer Corps

Chair, Lindsey Baker: observercorps@lwvsantabarbara.org

Meetings: Dates and times vary depending on the agencies and meetings being observed

Observers serve as the “eyes and ears” of the League at selected government agencies such as the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, City Councils, Planning Commissions, and School Boards. As a member of this Corps, you will report to the Board to keep them alert to possible actions needed to support League positions. Additional volunteers are needed to observe City Council, Board, and Commission meetings in Carpinteria, Goleta, and Santa Barbara.

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Committees / Teams

Our Committees are how we organize for success. They’re made up of members and volunteers – we encourage all of our members to join a Committee to get connected to our work. If you're thinking about joining a Committee, send the Chair an email or attend one of their meetings to learn more.