Author: LWVUV

Webhead

FBI Surveils Southern Oregon Activists

We recently learned that those who have been vocal against the Jordan Cove Energy Project have been or are currently being watched by the FBI.

That surveillance includes members of the four Leagues of Women Voters in southern Oregon — Klamath County, Coos County, Rogue Valley and the Umpqua Valley Leagues. All activists, members of the League or not, should be concerned.

The League of Women Voters of Oregon (LWVOR) sent a letter to the Governor and Attorney General protesting this action saying “… it is unacceptable for local, state, and federal law enforcement to surveil and intimidate private citizens—even organizations—as they exercise their peaceful right to express concerns about this huge project.” Read the full letter here.

Read The Guardian‘s article here.

The ACLU of Oregon explains how you can obtain a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request on yourself to see what the FBI has on you. Here’s the link.

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We Say No to LNG

Here are comments that the League of Women Voters of Oregon have submitted to FERC in response to the DEIS of the Jordan Cove Energy Project LP, Docket No. CP17-495-000 and the Pacific Connector Pipeline LP, Docket No. CP17-494-000 on behalf of four Leagues in southern Oregon.

The opening paragraph:

 “Dear Ms. Bose: 

We write representing the League of Women Voters of Coos County (LWVCC), LWV of Umpqua Valley (LWVUV), LWV of Rogue Valley (LWVRV), and LWV of Klamath County (LWVKC). We are grassroots nonpartisan, political organizations operating in the four counties in Oregon that would be directly affected by the construction and operations of the proposed Jordan Cove Liquefied Natural Gas (JCLNG) and Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline (PCGP), commonly referred to collectively as the Jordan Cove Energy Project (JCEP). Our detailed review of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for this project shows that the projects are in direct conflict with many of the state and national League of Women Voters positions. These positions are based on study documents and consensus evaluations regarding natural resources, water quality and air quantity, climate change, offshore and coastal management, land use, public health and safety, energy conservation, and seismic risks.“

Read full comments here – 4LL LWV 2019 DEIS comment FINAL.

Garden Tour Flowers

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Thank you to all Gardeners for sharing your amazingly beautiful settings
with the community!

Thank you to all Artists and Musicians for making each garden even more beautiful, melodic and memorable!

The Spring Garden Tour 2019 held on Sat., June 15th and sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Umpqua Valley was a great success thanks to all the people who come year after year.

We are seeking gardens for next year right now, too! Let us know if you have a garden you’d like to share or a lead for us. We’re looking at the Hucrest to Del Rio Road area. Please contact us at lwvuv.info@gmail.com.

A few photos from this year’s Tour ~

Today is Garden Day!

The Spring Garden Tour 2019 is today!!

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Oops! Didn’t get your ticket? The outlets no longer have tickets to sell.  Today only, on Saturday, June 15, tickets are available at Garden A, 131 Forest Hills Lane, Roseburg 97471.

Here’s the list of Artists and Musicians who will be soothing your soul at this year’s Tour today, Sat., June 15 at 10AM until 5PM. Exact locations are revealed when you purchase a ticket for the tour.

Morning Artist Afternoon Artist Morning Musician Afternoon Musician
Garden A Sharon Sawicki – Metal Jewelry David Morrison Steve Erickson
Garden B Ted Isto – Pottery Whistler’s Mother Joe Ross
Garden C Darlene Sunseri – Photography Scott Phillips – Iron Work Wylde River Shenanigans
Garden D Elee’s Paint Group Tom Tryon Jeff Havener
Garden E Victoria Carnate Judy Waller Kim Blossom Chris Hanks

Thank you to our fine volunteer Musicians and Artists! You rock – literally!

 

Garden Tour Tickets Sale

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The eighth Spring Garden Tour 2019 tickets are on Sale Now!

    • Sat., June 15, 2019

    • 10AM – 5PM

Purchase your tickets here!

Enjoy gardens, landscaping, food, treats, coffee at the Nonchalant Cafe, the work of artists and the melodic sounds of many musicians performing in the gardens.

Join us for a lovely day!

For more information see our Garden Tour 2019 web page.

Juvenile Justice

Date:   April 23, 2019

Action Alert To All League Members and Oregonians

From:  Karen Nibler, Social Policy Coordinator, Barbara Ross, Corrections Portfolio, and
Norman Turrill, LWVOR President

SHOULD JUVENILES BE CHARGED AND SENTENCED IN ADULT COURT?gif_law_justice_001-w2

Justice prevails!! SB 1008 changes the criminal code to keep juveniles charged with criminal offenses in the realm of the Juvenile Court except for waiver hearings on serious person to person offenses. It also does not allow for sentences of life without parole for youth who commit offenses before 18. Second Look after half of sentence is served and/or Transfer to the Department of Corrections will have hearings and can result in parole release.

We all recognize that juveniles are impulsive and react quickly without thinking through the consequences. This bill takes into consideration immaturity and other factors in the life of a juvenile when sentenced for a serious offense. We think it is wise to consider the factors influencing juvenile behavior and the potential for learning and rehabilitation.

The Senate has already passed this bill 20 to 10 votes. Please contact your representative in the House. The House Judiciary will hear this bill on April 24 and most likely will send it to the House floor for a vote. It has to have a 2/3 vote to pass and change the law, as required by the Measure 11 constitutional amendment. Reaching all representatives is critical to let them know we want to keep juveniles in the Juvenile system.

Please e-mail or call your representative. Contact info is on the Oregon Legislative System. Thank you for adding your voice!

For more information, contact Karen Nibler at niblerk@comcast.net or Barbara Ross at bross7017@gmail.com. Both of them would be happy to exchange comments.

Census is One Year Away

 

american-flag-clip-art-waving-waves-wOn April 1, 2019, the U.S. Census Bureau’s press briefing marked one year out from the official reference day for the census.

“The Constitution requires that each decade, we take a census of the population to determine the number of seats each state will be allocated in the U.S. House of Representatives,” said Census Bureau Director Dr. Steven Dillingham. “To meet that requirement, we go to extraordinary lengths to ensure we count everyone once, only once, and in the right place. We know that the 2020 Census is important to every community. Census data guide how federal, state and local funding for critical services such as schools, fire departments and health care facilities is distributed.”

“Data literally shape the future of your community. That’s why it’s so important that everyone understands that responding to the 2020 Census is safe, easy and important,” Dillingham continued.

According to the Census Bureau, in 2020, all households will have the option to respond to the census online, over the phone and by mail. They have tested systems to handle this technique.

The first enumeration of the 2020 Census officially begins January 21, 2020, in Toksook Bay, Alaska. In March 2020, the Census Bureau will mail invitations to respond to nearly every household in the country and activate the online response form. Responses to the 2020 Census are confidential and protected by law and can only be used to produce statistics.

Link to Census Bureau

Why it is critical to get the 2020 Census right:  

  • Getting an accurate count in the 2020 Census is critical to all American communities.
  • Millions of people including community groups, local officials and business entrepreneurs rely on the Census to provide accurate, comprehensive data about our nation that impacts us all:  

Census data is the basis for fair political representation and this data is used to draw district lines reflective of the population. 

Support SB 870

ACTION ALERT! Support SB 870, National Popular Vote

Date: April 2, 2019
To: All League Members and Oregonians
From: Norman Turrill, LWVOR President
Marge Easley, NPV Portfolio Chair

CONTACT YOUR SENATOR TO URGE SUPPORT FOR NATIONAL POPULAR VOTE (NPV)

Success is within reach to make Oregon the next state to join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. SB 870 will be heard in the Senate Rules Committee on April 3 at 1pm. This is the same bill that has passed the House four times in recent sessions, only to be blocked in the Senate each time. Fourteen jurisdictions with 184 electoral votes have already passed the bill. Eighty-six votes are needed before the Compact goes into effect.

Please email your state senator as soon as possible to urge support for SB 870. Here are a few helpful talking points:

  • The League’s national position states that “the direct-popular-vote method for electing the President and Vice President is essential to representative democracy.” The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact provides an excellent pathway to achieve this goal.
  • The Electoral College in its current form creates an unfair system and damages public trust in U.S. elections. If left in place, our country will continue to have a system in which votes in some states are worth more than votes in others.
  • Winner-take-all laws were passed by most states during the 1800s and were never envisioned by the founding fathers. The result of winner-take-all laws is that presidential campaigns only pay attention to the 11 swing states. Voters in non-swing states tend to feel that their votes don’t matter, so some decide not to vote at all.
  • NPV allows all votes to be counted equally, no matter where they are in the country. Under NPV, urban areas would not hold more sway than rural areas, since the combined population of the 100 biggest cities is about one-sixth of the population, roughly the same as the population of rural America.
  • The candidate with the most votes wins in every other election in the country. The U.S. is the ONLY practicing democracy where the candidate with the most votes is not assured of being chosen the national leader. Polls have shown for decades that more than 70% of voters, in both major parties, have felt that the candidate with the most popular votes should be the winner.

We appreciate your immediate action on this issue. You can find your senator’s contact information here. Also, please consider attending this historic hearing to demonstrate a strong show of League support.

For more information, contact Marge Easley, NPV Portfolio Chair.

NPV

National Popular Vote.

Call your legislators! The following are excerpts from our Legislative Reports that the League of Women Voters of Oregon produces each week and their website.

paul-dufour-500191-unsplashThanks to all who responded to the NPV Action Alert.

Please keep the pressure on legislators to vote yes on SB 870. We are seeing nationwide momentum for election reform, which includes an acknowledgement of the flaws in our Electoral College system. It’s especially important to provide Oregon’s Republican legislators with facts (LINK to Answers to Common Questions about National Popular Vote) to counter the partisan myths about NPV.

Here’s a sampling of NPV news from around the country:

  • Delaware, 3 electoral votes. On March 7, the NPV bill passed the Delaware Senate on a bipartisan vote and is now headed to the House for likely passage. The governor has indicated he will sign it. This just happened.
  • New Mexico, 5 electoral votes. We await news from where the bill sits in the Senate Rules Committee after passage in the House.
  • Maine, 4 electoral votes. There are high hopes for as the legislature’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee recently voted 6-3 to endorse NPV on a party line vote.
  • Colorado, 9 electoral votes. The NPV bill awaits the governor’s signature . Opponents have threatened to put a popular referendum on the ballot to attempt a reversal.

Eleven Democratic-leaning states and the District of Columbia already have voted to enter the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. Democrat-controlled Colorado will soon join the list, giving the compact 181 of the 270 electoral college votes needed to elect the president.

In Oregon, SB 870, the Senate version of the National Popular Vote Bill, was introduced on February 25 with an unprecedented 40 sponsors and 8 chief sponsors. This is the same bill that has been blocked by Senate leadership after passage in the House four times in recent sessions. However, we are very hopeful that this year will be different.

NPV supporters have just been told that Senate President Courtney and Senator Ginny Burdick are finally willing to allow a Senate vote on the NPV bill this session. It is important that legislators hear from as many constituents as possible that support for NPV is high. Please call or email your state legislators as soon as possible to urge support for SB 870.

Check the National Popular Vote website for the latest updates.

Call your legislators!