September 2026
Volume 31 Issue 8 | |
The President’s Message
by Donna J. Roper
| | | What would the women’s movement have been without Gloria Steinem? I recently rewatched The Glorias – a movie about her – to remember and reflect on all she has done for women in America. | | I think the movement would have still happened but maybe not as stylish, as inclusive, and as hard charging if Steinem had not been in the lead. It was not (and still is not) easy being a woman leader when so many are threatened by a strong, smart woman. I so remember reading Ms. for the first time and listening to the many women who became involved in the movement. | | | What could the League do to encourage more women in leadership and political roles? In these 50+ years we have received new rights and new obligations. How will we take what was started and keep on fighting?
| | Be An Informed Voter!
by Rebecca Jones | | | |
If you are among the vast majority of eligible Sonoma County residents, you are a registered voter. Once you receive your ballot in the mail, you will need to make some decisions. You may have multiple candidates, state propositions and local measures to get information on to make your decision. That's where the League comes in.
One of the great voter information tools is Vote411.
A product of the League of Women Voters Education Fund (LWVEF), VOTE411.org has served tens of millions of voters and won multiple national awards over the last fifteen plus years. It has long been a trusted source of objective and nonpartisan election information –– your "one-stop shop" for everything about elections. One of the best features is the personalized voting information where you can input your address and your personal ballot will appear. You can then get information on each candidate, proposition and measure to help you make your decision.
Our state and local teams are working hard to populate the site with information from the Secretary of State and local Registrar of Voters. In addition, our local team is working with all local candidates asking them to personally post their own information so that voters can better know them. There is a useful tool to compare multiple candidates within the same race. During September, we will be populating the website to get as much information as possible on the site before ballots go out week of October 5th.
|  | Upcoming Candidate Forums | |
In less than two months the midterm election will be here. This fall there are lots of races for city councils and the Town of Windsor. Numerous candidates are running for office. | | | How do you decide who will get your vote?
Watch our upcoming Candidate Forums either live via Zoom on the day of the forum or the video recording afterwards on the League YouTube channel. The videos are usually posted a few days after the forum. The links to the videos will be posted on our website as they become available. Live forums and recordings will be available in both English and Spanish.
| City and Town Council
Candidate Forums | |
Monday 9/28 - 6-8 pm
City of Sonoma
Tuesday 9/29 - 6-8 pm
City of Cloverdale
Wednesday 9/30 - 6-8 pm
Town of Windsor
Thursday 10/1 - 6-8 pm
City of Sebastopol
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Monday 10/5 - 7:15-8:30 pm
City of Healdsburg
Wednesday 10/7 - 6-8 pm
City of Santa Rosa
Thursday 10/8 - 6-8 pm
City of Rohnert Park
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City of Petaluma & Petaluma School Board
Candidate Forums
Hosted by AAUW Petaluma | These Petaluma forums will be in person at Petaluma City Hall, 11 English Street, Petaluma, CA 94952. Forums will be recorded and posted on the League of Women Voters of Sonoma County YouTube channel shortly after the event. | |
Monday, Oct. 12 - 6 pm
Petaluma District Schools
Board of Education | |
Monday, Oct. 12 - 7-9 pm
Petaluma City
Mayoral and Council
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Board of Supervisors
Candidate Forums
A runoff election is scheduled for two Board of Supervisor seats: District 2 and District 4. The League is working with Northern California Public Media to record a candidate forum for each District. The recording will take place in September and will be broadcast on KRCB Channel 22 in early October. Look for broadcast details in our next edition of What’s Up. | | | California 4th U.S. Congressional District
Candidate Forum
Hosted by the League
of Women Voters of Yolo County
LWVYC, partnering with the League of Women Voters of Sonoma County, will be holding a candidate forum for the California 4th Congressional District. The district includes all of Lake and Napa Counties, most of Yolo County, and parts of Sonoma and Solano Counties. The top two primary winners, Mike Thompson and Eric Jones, will join the LWVYC moderator for a 90 minute discussion of district opportunities and challenges.
Scheduled for October 8th at 6:30 p.m. in Woodland, California, this forum will be live streamed as well as recorded and available to the public on the LWVSC YouTube channel following the forum.
To register to attend, go to the League of Women Voters of Yolo County website >
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Pros and Cons Season
by Lynn Dooley | | | Yes – it is Pros and Cons season and we are busy creating videos for each of the 14 (yes 14) State ballot propositions. Plus, as soon as the Registrar of Voters makes information available, we will work on the two county-wide measures: Measure H: Sonoma County Parks Sales Tax and Measure AB: Sonoma County Junior College District Bond. Once created, these videos will be posted on our website.
In case you are not familiar with pros and cons, these are an unbiased and non-partisan look at each State Proposition. We put together a short script that includes the proposition background, what the proposition proposes, the fiscal impact, the supporters and opponents, what the supporters and opponents say and what a yes vote and a no vote means. We also include campaign financing and then record the script to create a video of each proposition’s pros and cons.
This year we will be doing in-person presentations throughout the county starting 9/21 and continuing to 10/7. This window is based on the ballots beginning to be mailed on 10/5 and people will be voting early in this important election.
Come see for yourself at any of three public presentations in partnership with the Sonoma County Library: |
- Petaluma Library, Sunday 9/27 at 3 pm
- Central Santa Rosa Library, Tuesday 9/29 at 6 pm
- On Zoom, Wednesday 9/30 at 6 pm
| We have limited availability, but if you know of an organization that would like a presentation, please reach out to Lynn Dooley at prosandcons@lwvsonoma.org.
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Thank you to our team of dedicated members who are working on these propositions. Your efforts are greatly appreciated especially since we are operating on such a tight timeline. | | Fixing the California Environmental Quality Act
by Jan Randall | | | The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) offered steadfast protection of California’s environment for over 50 years through requiring state and local agencies to disclose and evaluate significant environmental impacts of proposed projects. Last year, however, the California legislature approved a substantial roll back of this powerful environmental law to exempt a large list of projects from review. Lawmakers realized the exemptions went too far and passed SB 954 to protect communities from toxic contamination and environmental destruction. They reinstated reviews of advanced manufacturing facilities and included habitats for threatened and endangered species.
SB 954 now waits for Governor Newsom’s signature. Although CEQA and environmental protection are widely supported in California, there is no guarantee that he will sign this bill. Individuals can call or write to the Governor in support of SB 954 before September 30th with the following contact information: (916) 445-2841 or gavin.newsom@gov.ca.gov. | | | Grand Jury Luncheon Recap
by Leona Judson
Over thirty of us gathered at the Iron and Vine restaurant in Santa Rosa to honor the 2025-2026 Grand Jurors. This was our fourth such luncheon. Every year, it is a rewarding and informative time for all.
| | | This hard-working group of citizens worked on seven reports of various governing agencies as well as a review of the county’s detention facilities. Their in-depth research and multiple interviews, all done in a strict confidential manner, results in a series of recommendations for the agencies involved. Their role is to be a watchdog to ensure that policies are carried out as intended. Wendy Roberts, the Foreperson of this year’s Grand Jury, spoke about the rewarding and yet challenging work that the year brought. There was a lively exchange of questions and comments that followed about how the grand jury works and the reports they published. One juror, Melanie Saweliew will continue for the 2026-2027 Grand Jury as the Foreperson, commented that there is still room to sign up to be an alternate grand juror. Send an email to grand.jury@sonomacounty.gov to express your interest.
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for Upcoming Election
Join the hundreds of dedicated
workers who will be working at
the polls to ensure all voters
can exercise their right to vote. | | | If you are registered to vote in California OR lawfully admitted for permanent residence (green card holder) in the United States, the Sonoma County Registrar of Voters has opportunities for those who would like to become poll workers for the upcoming midterm elections.
For information on necessary requirements and skills, and how to apply, visit the Sonoma County Registrar of Voters website > Poll Worker Information | | Board Briefs
September 2026
by Sherrie Brand | | | Treasurer's Report: Sara Ingle reported that our year-end spending is under our budgeted plan, and our reserves are healthy. | | Membership: Ten new members were added last month. Julianne started a Board Buddy program to help engage our new members. Board Diversity Training will take place on January 30th. | Voter Services: Confirmations still coming in for the upcoming Forums and dates are set. Pre-recorded town hall forums for the supervisorial races will be produced in partnership with KRCB, with District 2 scheduled for October 8th and District 4 for October 22nd, to be broadcast weekly thereafter. Debbie McKay is working with Yolo County League for their Congressional District 4 Candidate Forum which includes potential broadcasting through NorCal Media and promotion through various channels. Vote411 has preliminary candidate information for nearly 250 candidates, with contact information for 108 contested races. For Pros and Cons Lynn reported that she is working with the Marin County League. Leona discussed a presentation being developed with Debbie, Chris, and an SSU professor regarding three tax measures in Sonoma County. | Outreach/Programs: Grand Jury Luncheon was well received, with a new advocacy issue on the school districts to be led by Susan Gorin. Our Kickoff meeting has been changed to the September 19th pool party. | Youth Committee: Chris reported that four out of 16 schools have responded with dates for a total outreach to 629 students. Plus, they are reaching out to 150 students on September 18th. Ridgway High and Sonoma Academy have also signed up for presentations. | Stand Up for Democracy: Lynn noted that we received $1,100 toward the October bus ads that, combined with Chris Riezenman's generous donation, covers the entire cost of the October ads. | | |  | |
September 17
Moderated by Iris Harrell
The Book Club
for Troublesome Women
by Marie Bostwick
(2025 / 384 pages)
This book is about four suburban housewives in 1963 Virginia who form a book club to escape their dissatisfaction. They affectionately call themselves "The Bettys" after Betty Friedan and read The Feminine Mystique as their first book, sparking conversations about their lives, secrets, and the societal expectations they face. The story follows their journeys of self-discovery as they forge a strong bond of sisterhood through share vulnerability and support.
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October 15
Moderated by John McCarthy
The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific
Study of Happiness
by Robert Waldinger, MD
and Marc Schulz, PhD
(2023 / 281 pages)
The Harvard Study of Adult Development began in 1938 and continues to this day. The authors are, respectively, the current director and associate director of this project. It is the "longest in-depth longitudinal study of human life ever done". Every two years, participants completed extensive questionnaires or were interviewed at length. The authors draw on this enormous amount of data to elucidate what makes people happy. Moderator John McCarthy says one of the most engaging aspects of the book was the sketches of participant's lives over decades.
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See the complete book list that includes additional book
| | Welcome New Members
It’s great to have you
on our team.
Emily Barron - Kenwood
Sharon Bushman - Sonoma
Mary Beth Cohen - Petaluma
Philip Cohen - Petaluma
Susan McIntosh - Glen Ellen
Nancy Pemberton - Santa Rosa
Robert Proctor - Santa Rosa
Lizzy Snyder - Santa Rosa
Douglas Tobias - Guerneville
Brenda Verno - Jenner
Annette Wilber - Santa Rosa | | | |
LWVSC Calendar
Check the online calendar for the latest schedule and for locations or links to virtual meetings.
| | | Connect with the League
We want to hear from you! | LWVSC Board of Directors and Other Officers | | Donna Roper | President
Open | Administrative VP
Sherrie Brand | Secretary
| | Robyn Bramhall | Executive VP
Jim Masters | VP Advocacy
Sara Ingle | Treasurer | | | | Julianne Guariglia | Membership
& Fundraising
Open | Community Outreach
Chris Riezenman &
Kendall Gutt | Youth Outreach
Eleni Misthos | Voter Service
Lynn Dooley | Stand Up for Democracy | | Leona Judson | Programs
Rebecca Jones | Communications
& Vote411
Evan Ehly | Director at Large
Deborah Doyle | Director at Large
Deborah McKay | Director at Large
Juanita Roland | Director at Large | | |
Become A Member
League of Women Voters
of Sonoma County
Joining the League of Women Voters is a great way to get involved in your community and play an active role in our democracy. Joining is easy: go to the LWV Membership portal by clicking the Join Us button below. You may pay your dues online or print the invoice and send it along with your check payable to League of Women Voters of Sonoma County to our office at the address below. Or print out the printable Membership Form and send it to our office along with a check for your dues.
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Quick Links
League of Women Voters
Websites & Social Media
| | | 555 Fifth Street Suite 300-O | Santa Rosa, CA 95401-8301 | (707) 545-5943
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