LWV Action

A public voice a force for change

The League takes action or advocates on issues of public policy at local, county, state and national levels of government. We come to our positions after extensive study and member consensus. Check out where we stand!

Action Alerts.  Other League Action/Advocacy.  Past Elections.

Recent Action Alerts

Thursday, January 12, 2012
Today you have an important opportunity to take an essential first step to fight back against Citizens United and the deregulation of the campaign finance system

Click here to urge President Obama to clean house at the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

Already in this important election year, new Super PACs are flooding elections with huge expenditures from million-dollar donors. Because they are supposedly "independent" from the candidates, and with new loopholes from the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, Super PACs can raise and spend unlimited amounts from corporations and individuals, and they can do so with limited disclosure.

While there are different avenues that can be taken to fight back against Citizens United and cut the influence of special interests, you can join us by taking the first step today by urging President Obama to appoint new commissioners to the FEC. Among other duties, the FEC can define what election efforts are "independent" from the candidates.

The FEC is supposed to be the agency that enforces campaign finance laws, but it is dysfunctional. Of the six commissioners at the agency, three of them staunchly refuse to enforce the law, and five of the six are serving despite expired terms. It is time to clean house.

We need real campaign finance reform, and getting President Obama to nominate new commissioners to do their duty and enforce campaign finance laws is a good place to start. In the next 30 days we need to gather 25,000 signatures of support.

Don't just sign it yourself; post the petition on Facebook, Tweet about it and forward this note to all of your friends. Together we can make sure that the citizen's voice is heard.

For extra reading, click here for an interesting discussion of the new Super PACs presented by PBS.

Death Penalty

The LWVC supports the SAFE California Initiative, currently in circulation to collect the necessary signatures to qualify for the ballot. This initiative would stop executions and replace the death penalty with permanent imprisonment (life without the possibility of parole), including the conversion of existing death sentences to that alternative. More information is available here. Contact the League office if you would like to circulate petitions among your contacts.

Local, State and National League Advocacy

League of Women Voters of California: Many Californians feel that our state and local governments no longer function as they were intended and are calling for change.

The League has long advocated for improvements in budget and fiscal issues, the initiative process, campaign financing, and elections and voting rights. We will continue to educate the public about the issues and seek reform.

LWVC Action and Advocacy

• Government Reform
• Constitutional Reform
• California Budget Crisis

League of Women Voters of the United States:

LWVUS Action and Advocacy

• Campaign Finance Reform,
• Climate Change
• Healthcare
  

Sign up online with LWV California or LWV-US to get the most up to date information and action alerts.

PAST Elections

November 2, 2010 Statewide Election Propositions

Vote with the League! Read why the League supports or opposes these measures.

• Propositions 20, 23, 26 - NO, Proposition 27 - NO!!

• Propositions 24, 25 - YES

See a great No on Prop 23 video created by Credo volunteers in Berkeley.

We only take stands on measures when we have studied the issue and our membership has reached agreement on the policies and positions to support. Because League positions do not cover the issues in Propositions 19, 21, and 22, the LWVC is taking no stand on these measures. Proposition 18 was removed from the November 2010 ballot.

Presidential Election: November 8, 2009

• Local Advocacy/Action: Click here to see the recommendations on local measures.
  

• State Advocacy/Action:

Additional election archives and voter information can be found through SmartVoter.org

Special Election: May 19, 2009
We oppose four measures because they are NOT the solution to our long term financial crisis, the continuing structural deficit in the state budget and the flawed budget process. Read our press release and our budget page. Click here to link to our positions.