Alameda Voteralameda.ca.lwvnet.org/files/May2004.pdfKorade helps her daughter with party favors. Transportation commissioners John Knox-White and Michael Krueger Councilmember Marie

A lameda Vote r

Volume 37 Number 5 May 2004

The League of Women Voters of Alameda, P.O. Box 1645, Alameda, CA 94501. Voice mail: (510) 869-4969. Web Site: www.alameda.ca.lwvnet.org. The public is invited to all meetings.

Annual League dues set to increase by $2

By LENA TAMBoardmember

Sound financial managementof a non-profit like the League ofWomen Voters of Cal i fornia i scritical to its sustainability, espe-cially in austere economic times.

The Alameda League , a longwith other Leagues in the County,hos ted and o rgan ized a h igh lys u c c e s s f u l c o n v e n t i o n i n M a y2003. At tha t convent ion , the

m e m b e r s h i p o f t h elocal League adopteda budget that wouldincorporate a $1 per

member payment (PMP) increase. Now the leadership of LWVC

w a n t s t o d o u b l e t h a t i n c r e a s ewi thout a vote of the member-ship.

While we applaud the LWVC’sboard in taking constructive stepst o g e t o u r f i n a n c i a l h o u s e i norder, the state League needs tobe open to creative ways of con-ducting business, instead of usinga “business as usual” approachrequiring that we increase dues inmid-cycle between conventions.

By PAT CAITOTreasurer

Our Alameda League has exert-ed extra energy and work duringthe last three years to put our orga-nization on a sound financial foot-ing. We have been very successful.Thank you for your support.

This year our fixed expensesh a v e r i s e n i n s e v e r a l a r e a s .Government fees jumped from $20t o $ 6 0 . T h e C a l i f o r n i aLeague imposed a $10 fee fori ts e-mail not if icat ions and$ 1 6 0 f e e f o r E a s y We bMaintenance. Our insurance rosefrom $190 to $250. Our bulk mailfees (not including postage for theVoter) went from $90 to $205.

From your $50 membership feewe paid Cal i fornia League $19,U.S. League $23, and Bay AreaLeague $1.50. Our League retainedjust $7.

This coming year Cal i forniaLeague is proposing a $2 raise andU . S . L e a g u e i s p r o p o s i n g a $ 1raise. Your Board has advised ourConvent ion delegates to opposethese raises. We believe this is agrass roots organization and dues

payments should adequately sup-port our local League. We will bedown to $4 per member.

S o u n d f i n a n c i a l p l a n n i n gdemands that our dues reflect ourexpenses. For this reason it is mysad duty to advise our membershipthat we should anticipate a $3 raisein dues.

N o w t h e G O O D N E W S !B e c a u s e o f y o u r o u t s t a n d i n gefforts in fund-raising and the one-

time windfall of $2,560.24 inprofits from our sponsorshipof the California Conventionl a s t S p r i n g , o u r p r o p o s e d

budget will be able to offer duesassistance and scholarships ($520)this year. We will send two dele-g a t e s t o t h e U . S . C o n v e n t i o n($1000), and we will have $4,000in an interest-bearing undesignatedreserve. We will not raise dues for2004/2005.

Hopefully our membership willcontinue to grow, our fund-raisingw i l l c o n t i n u e t o p r o s p e r, a n dNational and State wil l re- thinktheir position on raising dues. Ifthose things occur, perhaps we willnot need to ask for more moneynext year.

(This statement camef ro m t h e LW V C w e b -site.)

At the March meeting,the LWVC board f ina l -ized its recommendationsf o r t h e 2 0 0 4 - 0 5 f i s c a lyear budget.

Whi le loca l Leagues

w e r e n o t i f i e d a t l a s tyear's convention that wewould incorpora te a $1p e r m e m b e r p a y m e n t( P M P ) i n c r e a s e i n t h i sbudget, the current boardfound i t neces sa ry andprudent to ask for a $2PMP in the coming fiscalyear. This is less than we

feared would be requiredduring our discussions inJanuary. We were unablet o o b t a i n i n f o r m a t i o nfrom the LWVUS aboutthe PMP which wi l l beproposed at the NationalConvention in June.

O u r d e c i s i o n w a s apainful one as we under-

stand the circumstancesof the local Leagues--allo f u s h a v e b e e n l o c a lLeague leaders and knowhow we felt when PMPsw e r e i n c r e a s e d a s w etried to balance our localLeague budgets.

Alameda boardmembers debate both sides of the increase

CON PRO

By KATE QUICKPresident

Ithink I have just about recov-ered from our very successfulMeet Your Public Officials and

Twenty-fifth Anniversary Event. Ithought it went very well, and was sopleased to see how many of our publicofficials feel that we are a worthy or-ganization.

We had congratulatory resolutionsf r o m t h e C i t y v i a o u r M a y o r ( a n dmember), Beverly Johnson, the Boardof Supervisors f rom our Supervisor(and member) Al ice Lai -Bi tker, theState Legislature, via our AssemblyMember Wilma Chan (and member)-also signed by our State Senator, DonPerata, and our Member of Congress,Pete Stark. I was just bursting withpride in our long years of hard workthat gained us the respect of these gov-ernment officials.

M a n y t h a n k s t o A u d r e y L o r d -Hausman fo r he r g rea t work as theevent coordinator, and to all those whoset up, brought the excellent food anddr ink, donated raff le pr izes , tendedbar, staffed the reception table, greet-ed, took the photos, got together thehistorical display, and cleaned up atthe end. It took a lot of work to pull itoff , and I appreciate the team spir i tand dedication.

We also had good press coveragebefore the event. I enjoyed speaking

May 2004 Alameda Voter Page 2

League's 25th and MYPO party a big hit

Please see 25th on Page 3

Founding mothers: From Left LuAnn DeWitt, Li Volin and DonnaVaughn were among the 10 who created the Alameda League.

From left, Alameda Mayor Beverly Johnson, LeaguememberConnie Hanna, School Board member Mike McMahon, Kate Quick,

Councilmember Frank Matarrase, Alice Lai-Bitker and East BayRegional Parks Director Doug Siden.

Commendations: From left, Supervisor Alice Lai-Bitker embraces League President Kate Quick after presenting her with a reso-lution honoring the League; Jo Cazenave, aide to Congressman Pete Stark; Assemblywoman Wilma Chan and Alameda mayor

Beverly Johnson all presented Quick with resolutions.

Page 3 Alameda Voter May 2004

with a young male reporter fromthe Alameda Sun, who had littlenotion of what women’s suffragew a s a l l a b o u t , b u t s e e m e dimpressed a t our accompl i sh-ments.

Recently, a neighbor ’s highs c h o o l - a g e d d a u g h t e r i n t e r -viewed me for a c lass ass ign-ment. Her teacher directed theclass to interview someone whohad been active in some aspectof the “rights” struggles of thesixties and seventies.

W h e n I t o l d h e r a b o u t t h eWo m e n ’s M o v e m e n t , a n d t h egains from it; particularly TitleIX, job equity, and reproductivechoice , she was amazed. Sheh a d n e v e r h e a r d t h a t t h e s et h i n g s w e r e t h e r e s u l t s o fwomen organizing for change,nor did she know that there wasa time when women didn’t havet h e s e t h i n g s a s a m a t t e r o fcourse.

I spoke to her a bit about thesuffrage movement, as a precur-sor of the women’s movement,and she hadn’t heard that therewas a time when women did nothave the right to vote, either!

When we agonize about need-ing to bring in younger folks tothe League, I think we need tokeep in mind that there is morethan just our organizational needat stake here. History is beinglost!

We h a v e b e e n a s k e d t o b emore active in mentoring girls atG i r l ’s I n c . , a n d I t h i n k w eshould be looking for opportuni-ties to tell the story of what was,“then”, and what is , “now” asmuch as we can. If the youngpeople don’t know how impor-tant it is to vote, and vote in aninformed way, our next genera-tion of voters is going to dimin-ish even further, and the poten-t i a l f o r l o s t g a i n s i n c r e m e n texponentially.

League members Andrea Pook and Connie Hannawork the bar at the party.

School Boardmember Bob Reeves and RinaAustin.

CityAttorneyCarolKoradehelps herdaughterwith partyfavors.

Transportation commissioners JohnKnox-White and Michael Krueger

Councilmember Marie Gilmore, right,chats with other party attendees.

Housing commissionerNancy Gormley.

25th Anniversary brings honors, thanks to League

Continued from Page 2

The Hoffmans presided over the memorabilia table.

From left, Michael Torres, Housingcommissioner, and Chris Matarrese,leaguemember, share a laugh

State's role in housing policy and its effect on Alameda


T h e t a l k b y A l a m e d aC o u n t y H o u s i n g D i r e c t o rLinda Gardner at our Marchmeeting clarified much aboutthe state's role in housing pol-icy and formed the basis of al i v e l y d i s c u s s i o n t h a t f o l -lowed.

Gardner said the HousingElement (HE) of the GeneralP lan i s a l and use p lann ingtool which is required by thestate, but it does not committhe c i ty or county to fol lowthe plan. A major part of theHE is an inventory of s i tes .These sites must accommodatethe Fair Share allotted by theR e g i o n a l H o u s i n g N e e d sDetermination (RHND), whichgive numbers of uni ts to bebui l t in the four categor ies :Ve r y L o w I n c o m e , L o wI n c o m e , M o d e r a t e I n c o m e ,a n d A b o v e M o d e r a t e . L a n dmust be zoned to allow densi-ties that accommodate units ofvarious kinds at those densi-ties.

T h e R H N D f i g u r e s a r ed e c i d e d b y A B A G( A s s o c i a t i o n o f B a y A r e aGovernments) under a formulathey develop. Their formula isbased on projections of house-hold and job growth. They donot consider factors such as

transportation and infrastruc-ture.

T h e s t a t e D e p a r t m e n t o fH o u s i n g a n d C o m m u n i t yDevelopment (HCD) reviewsa n d c e r t i f i e s H o u s i n gElements. Their certificationis not consistent; local com-m e n t m a t t e r s . C u r r e n t l y,enforcement by the state con-sists mainly of controlling thea v a i l a b i l i t y o f s t a t e f u n d s ,such as those author ized byP r o p o s i t i o n 4 6 i n t h eN o v e m b e r 2 0 0 2 e l e c t i o n .H o w e v e r, n o n - c e r t i f i c a t i o nalso makes jurisdictions vul-n e r a b l e t o c h a l l e n g e i n t h ecourts.

Gardner's brief presentationwas fol lowed by a quest ion,answer, and comment sessionwhich engaged a large part ofthe audience.

The City of Alameda's HEhas been conditionally certi-f i e d b y H C D . C h a n g e s t h eC i t y p r o p o s e s i n c l u d e a ninclusionary ordinance (adopt-ed) and a second unit and den-s i ty bonus o rd inances , s t i l lmaking their way through theP l a n n i n g B o a r d a n d C i t yC o u n c i l . T h e C i t y p l a n s t ohave the package finished inMay.

A Brief Glossary of HousingTerms

affordable housing - housing whichconsumes no more than 35 percent of afamily's income.

Income levels are categorized as: Very low income: up to 50 percent

of Bay Area median incomeLow income: 50 up to 80 percent of

Bay Area median incomeModerate income:80 up to 120 of

Bay Area median Income.Year 2000 census da ta show the

median income for households in theBay Area in 1999 was about $56,000.So Very Low corresponded to ~$28,000or less, Low to ~$28 K to $45K, andModerate to ~$45K to $68K.

density bonus - a larger number ofu n i t s p e r a c r e a l l o w e d i n p l a n n e ddevelopments under certain conditions,e .g . , i n a med ium-dens i t y zone themaximum dens i ty is 21.8 un i ts /acre,except tha t p ro jec ts o f f i ve o r moreunits with 20 percent affordable hous-ing may build at up to 26.1 units/acre.

inclusionary - including affordablehousing (see definition above)

set-aside - money set as ide f romthe tax increment in a redevelopmentzone . Ca l i f o rn ia redeve lopment l awr e q u i r e s t h a t 2 0 p e r c e n t o f t h e t a xincrement be set aside for affordableh o u s i n g . T h e t a x i n c r e m e n t i s t h eincrease in tax revenue resulting fromthe increase in property value in theredevelopment area.

- - - - E x c e r p t f ro m S p e e c h o n 7 5 y e a r s o fWo m e n ’s S u f f r a g e . J i l l R u c k e s h a u s , G l o r i aSteinham

We are in for a very, very long haul…I am asking for Everything you have to give

We will never give up...You will lose your Youth, your SleepYour Patience, your Sense of Humorand occasionally … the understanding and sup-

port of people that you love very much

In Return, I have nothing to offer you but…Your Pride in being a woman, andAl l you r Dreams you’ve eve r had fo r you r

daughters,And nieces, and granddaughters…Your Future

And the certain Knowledge thatAt the end of your daysYou will be able to look back and say thatOnce in your life,You gave everything you had for Justice.

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

Inspiring words

Page 5 Alameda Voter May 2004

Please welcome the newest mem-ber of the Alameda League ofWomen Voters:

Laurie Harper

1718 Santa Clara AvenueAlameda, Ca 94501523-4904 (w)521-8621(h)[email protected]

You are invited to the 2nd AnnualCelebrate Women's Health Confer-ence. Please help us pass the word:

Date: Friday, May 7th 2004 Time:8:30AM to 1PM Location:Grandview Pavilion 300 Island Drive,Alameda Ticket Price: $40 Reserva-tions Required. Call 510.814.4362

Join us for an enlightening look atsome important topics impacting ourlives...

* The Miracle of Being a Woman:Fat Cells, Food Cravings, and theFive Stages of Female Passage

* Debra Waterhouse, MPH, RD &

Author of Outsmarting the FemaleFat Cell and Why Women NeedChocolate

* Our Children at Risk: ChildhoodObesity and Diabetes

* Breast Cancer: The Latest Ad-vancements In Technology & Preven-tion

* For more information or to makereservations, please visitwww.alamedahospital.org or call510.814.4362.

One new member in Alameda League

Women's Health Conference May 7

Oakland League: www.lwvoakland.org

Bay Area League:www.lwvba-ca.org

State League: www.ca.lwv.orgNational League: www.lwv.org

LWV Smart Voter: www.smartvot-er.org

LWVBA Monitor:www.bayareamonitor.org

Sen. Barbara Boxer:[email protected]

Websites to keep on hand

At i ts Apri l 7 meet ing, theBoard:

received recommendationsf o r r e v i s i o n s t o o u r p o s i t i o nstatements and voted to recom-m e n d t h e i r a p p r o v a l t o t h eAnnual Meeting;

l e a r n e d t h a t b o t h t h en a t i o n a l a n d s t a t e l e v e l s o fLeague have r a i s ed t he i r pe rmember payments, and voted tor e c o m m e n d t o t h e A n n u a lMeeting that we raise our duesby $3 to cover the increases ,and a t the same t ime to offerdues assistance ;

hea rd a r eques t t ha t weconcur in suppor t fo r ins t an tr u n o f f v o t i n g i n A l a m e d aCounty;

appointed Sally Faulhaberand Lena Tam delegates to theLeague of Women Voters of theBay Area convention;

heard that there have beens e v e r a l r e q u e s t s f o r t h e f u l lreport on the CHOICES forumon health care; and

w e n t o v e r p l a n s f o r o u rM e e t Yo u r P u b l i c o f f i c i a l sevent.

Board Briefs

E m m a L u e K o p p , alibrarian and communityvolunteer, d ied on May2nd in Alameda.

S h e w a s b o r n i nA n d e r s o n , I n d i a n a a n dr e c e i v e d b a c h e l o r ' sd e g r e e s f r o m We s t e r nC o l l e g e a n d t h eUniversity of Illinois anda M a s t e r s i n L i b r a r yScience f rom ColumbiaUniversity.

She began work as al i b r a r i a n a t P u r d u eUniversi ty, fol lowed byshort periods at St John'sH o s p i t a l i n A n d e r s o n ,I n d i a n a a n d t h eA m e r i c a n M e d i c a l

Assoc i a t i on L ib ra ry i nChicago. For most of hercareer she was a tenuredf a c u l t y m e m b e r a t t h eU n i v e r s i t y o f K a n s a sMedical Center Library,r e t i r i n g f r o m t h e r e i n1986.

She was a member oft h e M e d i c a l L i b r a r yA s s o c i a t i o n , S p e c i a lLibrary Association andt h e H e a l t h S c i e n c e sLibrary Group of GreaterKansas C i ty where sheheld off ice as chairmana n d e d i t o r. S h e a l s os e r v e d o n t h e K a n s a sG o v e r n o r ' s C o m m i t t e ef o r L i b r a r y R e s o u r c e s

from 1980-81.She was a ded ica ted

volunteer for the Leagueo f Wo m e n Vo t e r s . S h es e r v e d i n a n u m b e r o foffices for the Berkeleyleague from 1988-1995.F o l l o w i n g a m o v e t oAlameda she served onthe Alameda board andas Voter Editor.

She was an avid read-er, enjoyed photographyand travel.

S u r v i v o r s i n c l u d e asister, Florence Butter ofA l a m e d a ; a b r o t h e r ,Wi l l i a m K o p p o fA n d e r s o n , I n d i a n a ; 8nieces; 4 nephews; many

g r a n d n i e c e s a n dn e p h e w s ; a n d 1 g r e a t ,great nephew.

A n O p e n H o u s er e m e m b e r i n g E m m aLue's life will be held athe r s i s t e r ' s house , 229O y s t e r P o n d R o a d ,Alameda, from 2 - 4 pmon Saturday, May 8th.

The f ami ly sugges t sdonations to the Leagueo f Wo m e n Vo t e r s o fAlameda (P.O. Box 1645,Alameda, 94501) or theLeague of Women Votersof Berkeley, Albany andE m e r y v i l l e ( 1 4 1 4University Avenue, SuiteD, Berkeley, 94702).

Remembrance Open House May 8 for Emma Lue Kopp

Calendar of events

All members and the public invited


nonprofit org.u.s. postage paid

alameda, capermit no. 112

The League of Women Voters of AlamedaP.O. Box 1645Alameda, CA 94501

Return Services Requested

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

Join the League of Women Voters

The League of Women Voters, a non-partisan political organization, encourages the informed and active par-ticipation of citizens in government, works to increase understanding of major policy issues, and influence

public policy through education.

Cut out, fill in and mail this coupon with yourcheck to: League of Women Voters of Alameda,

P.O. Box 1645, Alameda, CA 94501.

Dues: $50 for a single membership; $20 for anadditional membership at the same address.Make checks payable to League of WomenVoters of Alameda.Joining at the local level makes you a member atall levels: Local, county, Bay Area, state andnational.

Name:

Address:

Phone:

Email:

May 5, Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. - Board Meeting, home of Luann DeWitt, 2917

Central Ave.

May 20, Thursday, 7:30 p.m. - General meeting, Third Floor Alameda City

Hall.

June 19, Saturday, 11:30 a.m.- 3:30 p.m. – Annual Meeting Lunch,

Angela's Restaurant, Marina Village. Reservations due by June 10. See

Annual Meeting Kit with this Voter, and reservation form on page 11 of kit.

Documents

Alameda Voteralameda.ca.lwvnet.org/files/May2004.pdfKorade helps her daughter with party favors. Transportation commissioners John Knox-White and Michael Krueger Councilmember Marie