A Look Back at Jan 6^th

Were you glued to your radios, cell phones, or TVs on January 6^th, 2020, as you watched an attack on our nation’s capital unfold?One reason for the attack, given by participants, was concerns about a stolen Presidential election due to voter fraud.

Do we have to worry about fraud and elections being “stolen” in the US?More than 161 million voters cast ballots that were counted in 2020.According to a report by The Heritage Foundation on recent election fraud cases across the United States out of 161 million ballots cast in the 2020 election there were only 1340 verified cases of voter fraud.This number of cases is certainly not sufficient to change the outcome of any Presidential election.Yet, we continue to hear about widespread fraud. Could this be an effort to make the American people lose trust in their free and fair elections?

While we know there are many unfounded claims and opportunities for misinformation about the process of our elections, we can assure you we have the utmost confidence in the security and integrity of our elections, and you should too. When you have questions, turn to elections officials as trusted voices as they administer elections. We recently met with our new Registrar of Voters, Evelyn Mendez and her team to talk about how we can work together to increase voter registration as well as giving confidence to our community about voting security.

We should be making it easier for citizens to vote, which is why the National League of Women Voters has been fighting many of these new laws suppressing voting in court.And The League at all levels is working hard to get the US Senate to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.We encourage all the readers to get the facts about how safe our elections are and to urge their Senators to pass the For the People Act which protects our elections and the John Lewis Voting Rights act which ensures all citizens their right to vote in free and fair elections.Please consider contacting your senator today.Alex Padilla

As we prepare for this year’s election season, we will again be involved in providing our voters with ballot information through Vote411.We need a few volunteersto help populate the system with local ballot informationand/orcontact local candidates running for office to encourage them to participate.We can split up the responsibilities.

There will be training sessions beginning in February managed by the State League.The basic responsibilities are:

• Attend online training and get access to the system.
• Update the Vote411 system with information on local measures, our pros and cons etc.
• Update a control spreadsheet to track the status of information entered into the system.
• Contact local candidates running for office to ask them to participate in Vote411.They are responsible for entering their information but we need to review their inputs for appropriateness (ie, no negative comments about opponents).This contact process can be satisfying for people wanting to learn more about local officials and establish a relationship. Basic League understanding, good communication skills and follow through are important.
• The time requirement is minimal up until about eight weeks before the election other than training which can be several sessions.During the eight week pre-election timeframe, daily inputs, reviews, follow ups are often required.

If you want to help with this important aspect of the League’s charter of supporting fair elections,please contact Rebecca Jones atcommunications@lwvsonoma.orgor Eleni Misthoselections@lwvsonoma.org.

Volunteer with Voter Services: Learn, have fun, and be part of democracy in action!

Can you believe that primary season is nearly upon us already? We are getting excited here in Voter Services! It's a BIG election year, with TWO major elections: the CA Primary on June 2nd and the National Midterm Election on November 3rd. With California's exciting top-2 primary system for state and federal races, every contest can bring surprises, and every vote truly counts!

The Voter Service committee is gearing up for an action-packed season with lots of volunteer opportunities, whether you have 2 hours or 20!

Here are some of the exciting programs, plans, and opportunities we have coming up:

• Candidate forum trainings—we'll need hosts, tech helpers, timekeepers, question writers, and more!

  No experience? No problem!We will be running a volunteer orientation soon where you can learn about what we do and how to get involved. Have lots of experience? We’d love to learn from you!
  
  Love research? Dive into ballot measures or a single issue. Comfortable on camera? Be a Zoom presenter. Prefer behind-the-scenes work? Keep time at forums, manage logistics, or help with website updates. Want to connect with local leaders? Help with candidate outreach or event organizing. There really is something for everyone.

  Whatever you decide to do, you'll meet great people, learn tons about local government, and help your neighbors cast informed votes. And, as always, we will maintain our mission to keep our education programs non-partisan and fact-based. It's democracy in action—and it's actually pretty fun!

  Ready to jump in? Let us know!

• Voter Services info: Eleni at elections@lwvsonoma.org
• Pros & Cons: Lynn Dooley at prosandcons@lwvsonoma.org

• Writing pros and cons for ballot measures with exciting new formats! We're creating YouTube videos AND Watch Party Kits for community organizations
• Running a blog with updated campaign financing and supporter/opponent information
• Recording engaging presentations and videos to share with the community
• Reaching out to local officials to learn about their positions on the issues

• AND MORE!

Special thanks to Lynn for helping me write this and being our resident pro/con expert! Looking forward to seeing some of you soon,

Eleni Misthos
Voter Services Chair, LWV Sonoma County

There are many ways to make our communities wonderful places to live.Currently you may apply to serve on a City of Santa Rosa Board, Commission, or Committee. Your service on a board, commission, or committee helps City Council in their decision-making efforts. The City of Santa Rosa is accepting applications for the following vacancies:

• Art in Public Places Committee (2) At-Large
• Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board (2) At-Large
• Board of Building Regulation Appeals (3) At-Large
• Design Review and Preservation Board (2) Architect
• Public Safety and Prevention Tax Citizens’ Oversight Committee (formerly Measure “O”) (1) At-Large

For more information or to apply visitwww.SRCity.org/boards

Too busy to serve?Please pass this information on to family and friends who may have an interest in applying.

The many changes from this current administration are beginning to be felt in the everyday lives of Sonoma County residents. Income inequality is not a new problem but it is growing.

On Monday, January 26^that 12 noon, Mary Fricker, a business reporter and league member, will be speaking on the growing income inequality in our country and its impact on individuals and the community.Affordability is the word of the day, that is most things from housing to food are not affordable for many. According to ChatGPT income inequality in the U.S. is driven by these factors:

Market forces (technology, globalization)

Power shifts (declining unions)

Policy choices (taxes, labor law, social programs)

Asset concentration (wealth generating more income)

It’s likely that the current administration’s policies will only exacerbate this trend with the dismantling of many safety net programs, effects of tariffs and more. Tune in and learn more about this troubling trend and what we can do about.Zoom Link

The Stand Up for Democracy committee is looking ahead to a busy election year.

We will be creatingmany new nuggets– what we call theshort facts about the Constitution and government and why they matter.Keep track of all the civics topics here:Civics Link

In addition, we havecreated a 20-minute presentationon the League of Women Voters and our Stand Up for Democracy program.We will be presenting this throughout the county to bring awareness to both the League and our program.If you know an organization or Rotary Club that would like a presentation, we’re ready!

We will continue to make ourStand Up for Democracy yard signsavailable.Let us know if you, or someone you know, would like to bring civics knowledge to your neighborhood.They are available for $20 (tax included).

We will be looking for morecommunity partners to help amplify our program.Community organizations can simply post the“Proud Partner” graphicon their website with a link to our Civics Menu.See our current partners on the Civics Menu page.Their logos links back to their organization.A big win-win.If you know an organization we should reach out to, please let us know.

Our Sonoma County Transit bus back ad campaignis on hiatus now, but we hope to revive it from May to November 2026.We would also love to see our ads on SMART train kiosks.We will be doing fundraising for this campaign.Let us know if you’d like to help make phone calls.Donations are always welcome, too.

If you want to Stand Up for Democracy in 2026, please consider joining our committee.We meet the second Monday of every month at 3pm.We are a fun, dedicated group.Look for the meeting information onLWVsonoma.orgor contact Lynn Dooley atstandup@lwvsonoma.org

December

Treasurer’s Report:Linda Rosen and Sara Ingle were named as co-treasurers until a permanent Treasurer is found.

Fundraising:Give Back Tuesday fundraiser will be on January 6, 2026 at the Rainbow Cattle Company in Guerneville with food and raffles. This event will be open to all, not just LWV members. We are looking for donations for the raffles, we have 13 donations so far.

Advocacy:Three issues: (1) Fish and Wildlife letter (2) Cannabis ordinance, we’ve drafted a letter with our concerns (3) SRJC issues.

Membership:Julie Guariglia has the first of her proposed social events to be held in Petaluma on December 11^th, with more planned in the future.

Communications:No December Voter.

Voter Services:Voter Services is in process of planning for next year. Stand Up for Democracy is preparing presentations for Rotary Clubs. Youth Committee has presentations designed by students under 18.

Outreach/Programs:No December meeting. Program planning in February.

January

Treasurer’s Report:Sara Ingle asked to be added as a signer on our bank account. She will investigate purchasing QuickBooks online.

Fundraising:Give Back Tuesday fundraiser will be on January 6, 2026, at the Rainbow Cattle Company in Guerneville with food, silent auction, and raffles. Rainbow Cattle Company will donate 10% of their sales to us.

Advocacy:Three issues: (1) We have a new County Counsel, Joshua Myers. Jim will follow up with the County Supervisors to get a meeting with him about fire-safe roads. (2) Because of the continued non-response from the LWVC, Jim has taken on the role of being a volunteer LWVC legislative analyst. (3) After Donna’s signature, Jim will send the letter to SRJC.

Membership:Donna reported the League Social in Petaluma was very successful and more are planned in the future.

Voter Services:Eleni presented her schedule for Voter Services for the next few months. Donna and Robyn are meeting with the Registrar of Voters on January 8. Lynn will present information on our League and Stand Up for Democracy in March for the Sebastopol Rotary. Youth Committee is reviewing their program’s effectiveness.

Outreach/Programs:January meeting on the 26th. We renamed MMLM to “Learn with the League”.

Communications:Rebecca will work on getting USPS postmark information on the website. Juanita reported the new interface is up for Club Express. They’ve added the capability to add gift memberships.

January 15The Book of Hope / A Survival Guide for Trying Timesby Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams with Gail Hudson(2021 / 240 pages)

This New York Times Bestseller is an inspirational book about the lessons Jane Goodall learned during her illustrious career as a scientist, environmentalist, and activist. Through her interviews with Abrams, she shares inspiring stories about the animals she studied and what they taught her about the interconnectedness and resiliency of all life on the planet. Her contribution to humanity’s understanding of animals and their sentience was paradigm shifting and is a legacy that will be appreciated for decades to come. This is very honest and factual about the state of our planet and the extinction facing not only animals, but life as we know it, and, at the same time inspires hope as a tool to remember our higher nature and to guide us to the right choices going forward.

February 19Giving Up is Unforgivable:A Manual for Keeping a Democracyby Joyce Vance(2025 / 224 pages)

Fresh off the press on 10/20/25, Joyce Alene Vance’s“Giving Up is Unforgivable,” has been referred to as beginning "a countermovement to Project 2025.”She "offers a blueprint for avoiding burnout and despair, and for strengthening our democratic muscle.” She presents "a clarion call to action,” putting our current crisis in historical context and sketching out a vision for where we go next. Vance’s message is hopeful at its heart, even as it acknowledges the daunting challenges that lie ahead. She is the constitutional law professor you never knew you needed, explaining the legal context and the political history—and why the rule of the law still matters. Consistent with hersignature “We’re in this together” sign-off for her newsletter,she empowers the reader to do something, both as individuals and collectively.”