May 2024

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CO-ADMINISTRATOR’S MESSAGE FROM JOAN P. & GAIL

We are planning a different meeting for the month of May.  We hope everyone will come and give suggestions for the coming year with speakers or other ideas. The meeting will be in place of meeting all day at a retreat.  It will be nice hearing others’ ideas and how to work them out.  We hope to have volunteers to plan the programs.  If we each can do a little bit, a LOT can be done!

See you Thursday, May 16.
Gail and Joan

April 18 meeting election results:

Officers elected:
Administrator – Harriet Moses
Secretary – Christine Taxier
Finance – Marilyn Forsstrom

Voted and accepted Bylaws Addition:
When a full Executive Committee cannot be filled, the Affiliate shall be governed by three elected positions for Administrator, Secretary and Finance, as approved by AAUW. Other offices may be filled by volunteer members as needed.

Birthdays this month include Edna Ethington,  Joan Pylman, and Christine Taxier. June birthdays include Esther Aronson and Diane Merrick.  Our Best to them.  If we missed you, that’s because you have not told Marilyn when your birthday is!

Your Co-Administrators Joan and Gail   💐🪻🌷
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 MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL DUES – $113

Our AAUW year ends on June 30 and YOUR dues for next year need to be paid and forwarded by me to our National Association and California State well before then. Later payments cause me a lot of hassle, extra paperwork and processing delays, so please try to pay by the end of MAY.   Remember that $72 of that amount is a tax-deductible contribution to AAUW National Association as a reorganized 501(c)3 tax exempt group. Current annual dues now $113, Life Members still $41, Honorary 50-year $21.  

Please send your check to Marilyn, written out to La Palma-Cerritos AAUW.  Better yet, bring it to the meeting!

Meeting & Program, Joan P
Branch Planning

Thursday, May 16 Social Time:  6:30 PM
Meeting:  7 PM
Place: Cabrillo Lane Adult School Auditorium
20122 Cabrillo Lane, Cerritos
Select HERE for map

This meeting is very important!  Your input is needed to guide our branch to do the things that we members find interesting, want to learn about, and are willing to participate in.

Please note:  All our meetings comply with local rules and the accepted health guidance of Los Angeles and Orange counties for in-person meetings.   Board and general meetings are in-person with due respect to members who do not wish to attend in-person.  Those members may choose to easily attend and participate in meetings by connecting via phone to another member in attendance and have been doing so successfully.

Please welcome and support your new officers.  Remember that their job is to lead and encourage other members.  Please offer to help them when they ask.

Panda Inn luncheon on February 13th raised $286 for the Fund.  Thank you all!

Thank you.
Sue Carruthers and Thea Siegel

A big thank you for all of our members who made contributions to the AAUW Fund during 2023. Let’s try to keep the contributions coming in 2024. In celebration of our 51st anniversary as a branch we would ask you to consider contributing $51.00 or any other amount . A list of our various funds is on our website.

By Sue Miller and Joy Frew, AAUW California Public Policy Committee
This year’s Lobby Days event, held on April 2nd and 3rd, was exciting and actionpacked. 140 women on 43 teams from 63 AAUW California branches met with 39 Assembly offices and 27 Senate offices. 11 meetings took place in person in Sacramento, 55 meetings took place via Zoom, and the majority took place without a hitch. While most meetings were conducted with legislative staff, we were able to hold eight meetings with the members themselves – five Assemblymembers and three Senators. We were not able to get a meeting for Zoom Team 7 with Assemblymember Hart, but they did even better when one of their members, Judy Frost from the Santa Maria branch, joined Assemblymember Hart on a hike and lobbied him on the hiking trail. We were happy to learn that our organization was known to many of the legislative staff and legislators with whom our members met. Some staff had looked up our website prior to meeting and were impressed with programs such as Tech Trek and Gov Trek. Most were supportive of advancing women’s equity. The reception of our “Top 3” bills – AB 2843, AB 2326 and AB 2099 – was generally favorable. The offices were more familiar with the first two, both of which are sponsored by AAUW California. AB 2099 was new to them. You can find more information on these and all the bills we are supporting HERE. In short, AB 2843 eliminates cost sharing, including deductibles, from being imposed on any rape survivor seeking medical treatment following a rape. Insurers will be required to cover the full cost of medical care. AB 2326 requires the chancellors or presidents from the University of California (UC), the California State University (CSU), and the California Community Colleges, to provide an annual report publicly and orally to the Assembly and Senate Subcommittees on Education Finance on each institution’s compliance with Title IX, including sexual assault. AB 2099 would make it possible for the D.A. to file a felony charge for sharing personal information or images of reproductive health care providers or patients, including on the internet, with the intent of causing them harm, if the posting and subsequent action results in bodily injury. During our Lobby Days event, we were able to get our message across to those who make our laws and to highlight AAUW, our mission, accomplishments and the benefits we bring to our communities throughout California. It was an empowering exercise in advocacy and for those of you who participated, AAUW California thanks you! Check out our Public Policy Page on the AAUW California Website. You can read our current 2023-2025 Public Policy Priorities, which can be viewed HERE, find information on the Legislative Agenda, Lobby Days, the Legislative Calendar, and Coalitions with other organizations. You can also learn the latest about the School Board Project!

California Enacts Law Prohibiting Book Bans and Curricula Censorship

Kathi Harper, Chair Public Policy School Board Project

On September 25, 2023, Governor Newsom signed AB 1078 into law, officially preventing school districts from banning books and censoring curriculum based on the materials’ depiction of inclusive and diverse perspectives.  Specifically, the new law:

• Reaffirms, in the Introduction, that:

• California supports accurate and inclusive education;
• the California Constitution guarantees pupils equal protection under the law;
• California schools have an obligation to combat bias against pupils within their schools;
• and accurate and inclusive education are essential to ensure the educational success of all pupils

• Requires the Department of Education to develop guidance and public educational materials to ensure that all Californians can access information about educational laws and policies that safeguard the right to an accurate and inclusive curriculum
• Requires all school districts to have sufficient instructional materials for all students that align with approved content standards
• Adds to list of included topics in social sciences textbooks: the role and contributions of people of all genders, Latino Americans, LGBTQ+ Americans, and members of other ethnic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic status groups
• Reduces a school district’s funding formula allocation if the district does not provide sufficient instructional materials pursuant to these provisions
• Prohibits governing members of school districts from refusing to approve or prohibiting the use of any book or instructional material on the basis that it contains inclusive and diverse perspectives

It is not certain at this point how school districts will respond to the new law.  We anticipate that most will comply, but suspect there are some that will not.  Please note that the script in the School Board Project (SBP) ToolKit has been modified to reflect the new law, and please keep your SBP liaison apprised if your district is in violation (you can find your liaison in the ToolKit).

You can find the text of AB 1078 here.
You can find the SBP ToolKit here.