We are truly a grassroots organization. The League of Women Voters takes action on an issue or advocates for a cause when there is an existing League position that supports the issue or speaks to the cause.

Positions result from a process of study. Any given study, whether it be National, State, or Local, is thorough in its pursuit of facts and details. As the study progresses, a continuing discussion of pros and cons of each situation occurs. Prior to the results of the study being presented to the general membership, study committee members fashion consensus questions that are then addressed by the membership.

Additional discussion, pro and con, takes place as members (not part of the study committee) learn the scope of the study. After the members reach consensus, the board forms positions based on that consensus.

It is the consensus statement -- the statement resulting from the consensus questions -- that becomes a position. Firm action or advocacy can then be taken on the particular issue addressed by the position. Without a position, action/advocacy cannot be taken.

The best place to find LWVUS action alerts is their "Action Alert" page:  https://www.lwv.org/take-action 

WASHINGTON — Today the League of Women Voters of the United States CEO Virginia Kase Solomón issued the following statement following the 49–51 Senate floor vote on the Freedom to Vote Act.

“The Freedom to Vote Act is the most significant voting rights bill in generations. This legislation will provide equal access to voting for all Americans, stop partisan gerrymandering, and limit the influence of dark money so that billionaires can’t buy elections. We need federal legislation to protect voting rights before the next election cycle.

“Today’s vote is not the end of the line for this vital legislation. In fact, it shows the need for increased pressure on the Senate to break through the gridlock and pass meaningful voting rights legislation to protect the American people.

“There is one procedural hurdle standing in the way. It is time to fix or nix the filibuster rule to save our freedom to vote. We know the Senate cannot do what the American people elected them to do until they reform or eliminate the filibuster rule.

“We need the President to step up with the full power of his office and get the Freedom to Vote Act across the finish line. The American voters are counting on this legislation to protect our democracy.”

For far too long, Congress has been apathetic to the gun violence that plagues our nation. Though we're not even halfway through 2021, our country has already experienced over 147 mass shootings. The senseless shootings in Atlanta, Boulder, and Indianapolis are just a few of the many tragedies that we've been forced to grapple with.

The Biden Administration has taken executive action to help curb our gun violence epidemic, but these reforms can only do so much, and executive authority can only go so far. Now is the time for Congress to step up and pas common-sense gun violence prevention reforms, such as universal background checks, closing the gun show loophole, and banning assault weapons. The House of Representatives has already passed HR 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, which is the first step in transforming gun safety laws in our country. This legislation now sits before the Senate.

The best place to find California League of Women Voters "Action Alert" page:  https://lwvc.org/take-action/action-alerts

We can improve our Criminal Justice system in Santa Barbara County by reducing the number of residents in our two county jails (Santa Maria and Santa Barbara). Why?

Our jails incarcerate people who do not pose a threat to the community and who are simply awaiting trial or disposition of their case. (Roughly 80% of jail residents have not been sentenced.) This does not make us safer. Instead, it traumatizes those unnecessarily left in jail, destabilizes families, causes job losses, and stigmatizes people who by law are presumed innocent.

The county is currently under a Court mandate to eliminate inhumane conditions in the old south county jail. Each jail bed costs $81,761 per year to operate. Reducing the size of the jail and its population by 200 daily could save $16 million/year to spend on community-based alternatives and much needed housing.

Over 30% of those in our jails are struggling with mental health challenges. Many can be better served in the community than in our jails. In September, a 35-year-old woman died in the Santa Maria jail after waiting over 6 months for a bed in a State Mental Hospital. Those with addictions are also better off being treated rather than jailed.

Sign on to the Petition