And we are finally getting it NOW!
Click here for a great video: What AAUW does Be proud!
The gender pay gap won’t close until 2119 at the current rate of change.
AAUW is doing something about it. Take action now!
Empowering women since 1881
November 2022
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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE FROM CELIA
The particularly busy months of November and December have begun with their various celebrations and family gatherings. For our branch family, the “biggie” is the commemoration of our 50-year, golden anniversary as an AAUW branch. Be sure to join the celebration on November 17 in the Skyline Room at the Cerritos Library. Recollections of the past ten years will be presented to add to those of the first 40. Dress for a party and greet former members, particularly charter members and past presidents.
Of course, Thanksgiving will follow soon after that. Enjoy that special time.
December brings our holiday party. (Check the Program article for details.) It also brings family celebrations for a range of religions and cultures represented by our members. Whatever, and however, you celebrate, ENJOY!
Speaking of celebrations, birthday wishes for November and December go to Faith, Diane H., Jackie, Eileen, Sondra, Karen, Pat and Gail.
I also send my early wishes for 2023 filled with good health, peace, love and joy.
And on a closing note, although I know I am speaking to the choir, be sure to vote on or before November 8 and choose candidates who support the issues supported by AAUW.
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Reminder to members: As is written in your directory, the AAUW mail/email list is to be used for AAUW business only. If you wish to share something personal with selected members, please verify with the members first, if they want to be included. Members who find themselves receiving email they do not want should feel free to ask to be removed. We’re all friends here.
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Meeting & Program, Faith & Cathy
Thursday, November 17
Cerritos Library Skyline Room
Social time at 6:30
Program at 7:00 PM,
Business meeting to follow
PARTY !
Our branch will celebrate 50 years since receiving our charter. We hope all past and present members will come to our party. If you have something that you consider an important or special part of our history, please bring it to share.
Please note: All our meetings comply with local rules and the accepted health guidance of Los Angeles and Orange counties for in-person meetings. 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.
From the City of Cerritos: FACE COVERING IS OPTIONAL. It is strongly recommended, but not required, to wear a face covering when inside any City of Cerritos facility.
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.
We are looking forward to taking care of services for current membership. In order to increase membership for our branch, we request all members to bring one friend to our meetings. Please welcome our new member at the meeting. Thank you.
AAUW Fund, Sue, Tobi
Help Us Celebrate our 50th Anniversary
With a Gift to the AAUW Fund!
By helping to raise money for the AAUW Fund, your gift helps to
Create Change, Advance Equity, and Empower Women and Girls
What better way to celebrate our 50th anniversary than by making a gift donation to the AAUW Fund?? Please bring your checkbooks with you to the meeting! If you wish, you may designate a specific fund or leave the notation section blank. We will have envelopes for those who may wish to donate at a later time. Or better yet, write you check now and bring it to the meeting.
Please write your check to La Palma-Cerritos AAUW Fund. If there is a particular fund, please add that to the notation section. Each year the board meets to vote on the direction for undesignated donations, usually divided among the Greatest Needs Fund, LAF and AAUW CA Endowments closest to completion.
Some specific funds are: the Greatest Needs Fund (9110), LAF (3999), Education and Training Fund (4450), Economic Security Fund (4449) and the Leadership Fund 4452). More information may be found on the AAUW Fund page of our Website.
Come ready to celebrate and enjoy!
Save this date for the AAUW CA Fund Recipient Webinar!
Saturday, November 12, 2022, 10 am – 12 Noon, Register HERE
If you missed the prior three Webinars, you can see them HERE
Public Policy, Sondra
2021-22 Legislative Session Closes with Big Wins for AAUW California
Kathi Harper, Chair, AAUW California Public Policy Committee
At the stroke of midnight on September 30, 2022, the 2021-22 legislative session officially came to a close as it marked the Governor’s deadline for signing or vetoing bills. The AAUW California Public Policy committee is pleased to announce that we achieved a 70% success rate on the bills on our legislative agenda, and 25 of our 36 bills are now law, including 7 of our 8 top priority bills. The following is a brief synopsis, by each pillar of our Public Policy Priorities:
Economic Security for All Women
8 of our bills were signed by the Governor, 1 was vetoed, and 1 died in the legislature. The most significant bill under this pillar was AB (Assembly Bill) 92, which we co-sponsored. AB 92 was introduced in 2020, and became a 2-year bill, which is why it remained on this year’s agenda. This bill originally sought a 1-year waiver of supplemental child-care fees for low-income families, with a request for a sliding scale to be applied thereafter. In his 2021 budget, Governor Newsom included $120 million for 2-years’ worth of waivers. The bill was then amended to request an additional year of waivers through October 2024, with a sliding scale to then be implemented. Unfortunately, the amended bill was vetoed; however, we are still proud of the work we did to get those 2 years of waivers in the budget, so we still consider it a win!
Equal Access to Quality Public Education for All Students
6 of these bills were signed by the Governor, 1 was vetoed, 1 was approved by the legislature (no signature required) and 2 died in the legislature. Of particular note under this pillar are 3 of our top priority bills: AB 1968, which requires campuses to develop and post uniform guidelines for reporting sexual assault; AB 2881 which provides additional support for college students with dependent children; and AJR 23 (Assembly Joint Resolution), a Title IX 50th Anniversary Proclamation.
Social and Racial Justice for All Members of Society
8 of these bills were signed by the Governor, 1 was vetoed, 1 was incorporated by the Governor into an Executive Order, 1 was approved by and 2 died in the legislature. We saw success on all 4 of our top priority bills in this area: AB 1666, which provides protection for those from other states seeking abortions in California, as well as for those providing services here, from the enforcement of a related civil judgment from their home state; SB (Senate Bill) 523, which requires insurance coverage for over-the-counter contraceptive products; SB 1375, which allows certified nurse-practitioners to perform some early-term abortions; and SCA (Senate Constitutional Amendment) 10. SCA 10 was introduced in the Senate as a measure to place a constitutional amendment on the November ballot to enshrine in the California constitution the right to an abortion and to contraception. When this measure passed in the Senate, it became Proposition 1.
To see the results of all the bills on our 2021-22 legislative agenda, check out our webpage for a full agenda summary, here: https://www.aauw-ca.org/documents/2022/10/results-of-2021-22-legislative-session.pdf/, or to view our Bill Tracker, here: https://www.aauw-ca.org/documents/2022/10/bill-tracking.pdf/.
DON’T FORGET TO REGISTER! DON’T FORGET TO VOTE!
DON’T FORGET TO TAKE THE PLEDGE TO VOTE “YES” ON PROPOSITION 1!
AAUW California supports the passage of
Propositions 1 and 28 on the November ballot in California.
Proposition 1. The decision by the Supreme Court of the United States to overturn Roe v. Wade dealt a serious blow to the rights of women to make their own decision about their bodies. This spurred many state legislatures to act to ban abortion, some with no exceptions for rape, incest, or endangering the life of the mother. Abortion bans in other states have already taken effect. Yet polls in many states show a majority in support of protecting the rights of women to choose to have abortions. Currentlywomen are coming from other states to obtain abortions in California. An Abortion Access website is being formed in our state to enable and assist out-of-state women with travel arrangements, housing, medical appointments and other matters.
California Legislators, recognizing the remote possibility that at some future time state legislation could ban abortions, took timely action in June to pass SCR 10. This put Proposition 1, the Constitutional Right to Reproductive Freedom, on the November ballot. Passage of Prop 1 will amend the California Constitution, stating “Section 1.1 is added to Article I thereof, to read: SEC. 1.1. The state shall not deny or interfere with an individual’s reproductive freedom in their most intimate decisions, which includes their fundamental right to choose to have an abortion and their fundamental right to choose or refuse contraceptives. This section is intended to further the constitutional right to privacy guaranteed by Section 1, and the constitutional right to not be denied equal protection guaranteed by Section 7. Nothing herein narrows or limits the right to privacy or equal protection.”
Proposition 28. In the context of AAUW CA’s Public Policy Priorities in support of Education, AAUW CA supports Proposition 28, The Arts and Music in Schools – Funding Guarantee and Accountability Act. Studies on educational achievement prove that arts and music education improve student learning. Music education has been shown to improve cognitive development and spatial reasoning while the dramatic arts improve reading comprehension. Arts and music education has also been shown to improve school attendance and individual self-confidence and motivation to learn, particularly among poor and other at-risk students. Yet these programs are usually the first cut when school budgets are reduced. Prop 28 would provide a minimum source of annual funding coming from the state General Fund to K-12 public schools to supplement arts education programs. School districts would be held accountable to use the funds for hiring certificated employees and purchasing supplies and materials. Read the full propositions on the Secretary of State website, www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ballot-measures
Become informed, and Vote on November 8, 2022!!
This Voter Guide states the positions of candidates for Congressional District 45, in which most of our members live, and was prepared by the national AAUW. The listed topics fall within the AAUW Public Policy Program. Please read this guide so that you can be an informed voter regarding these issues. While it is up to you as to how you choose to vote, AAUW encourages its members to vote for candidates who support its positions, which you can find in the Public Policy section of the AAUW website.
You can also download and print out the 2022 Voter Guide HERE
This guide is a public service and is not intended to be an endorsement of any candidate or political party. Candidates’ positions were determined using their voting records, public statements, campaign position papers, and information posted on the internet from trusted sources; or from position statements related directly to an AAUW CA member.
Support: Candidate has co-sponsored or voted for this legislation or has explicitly stated a policy position on the record with no ambiguity.
Oppose: Candidate voted against legislation or has explicitly stated a policy position on the record with no ambiguity. Unknown: The candidate has taken no explicit or compelling public position.
Mixed: The candidate has made conflicting statements and/or votes on the issue or has taken a nuanced position.
AAUW California is a 501(c)4 organization incorporated under the AAUW Action Fund. For questions about this guide or AAUW California, please visit aauw-ca.org. To learn more about the AAUW Action Fund, please call 202.785.7793 or visit www.aauwaction.org.
Looking for Resources on Reproductive Health Coalition Building?
The following is from Ginny Hatfield AAUW CA Public Policy Committee.
Subject: Reproductive Rights Resources
- Want to join a coalition but don’t know where to start? Honestly, just reach out to your state Planned Parenthood. They will be able to connect you in with other vetted & trusted coalition members. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-center?location=delaware#hc-per-state-list
- Where do we gather accurate data & analysis? The Guttmacher Institute is #1 in reproductive rights data & analysis, including drilling down to state-specific information. https://www.guttmacher.org/
- What about the legal battle side of things? The Center for Reproductive Rights leads on litigation and legal analysis. They’re a global group, so here’s the U.S. page: https://reproductiverights.org/our-regions/united-states/
- What if our members are asking how to offer direct help with the abortion access crisis, not general advocacy? Want to know who else is working in your direct community? Check with the National Network of Abortion Funds to see who is in your locality, and check with your local fund for volunteer opportunities. The local funds might also direct you to a “practical support network”, which includes simple help like driving folks to/from the airport/clinic/safe housing/etc. https://abortionfunds.org/
- Finally, the AAUW central hub for reproductive rights information: https://www.aauw.org/resources/policy/rallying-for-repro-rights/
Academic Achievement Awards, Joan P
Update: Haya Chehada
Haya is enrolled and attending her university of choice, USC. Her first Quarter has already begun. She has been named a Transfer Merit Scholar and has been awarded a USC Transfer Merit Scholarship worth one quarter tuition. It is renewable each quarter as she progresses toward her degree. Congratulations to this high achieving AAUW 2021 Academic Achievement Award recipient.
Help support other deserving women by donating to the La Palma-Cerritos AAUW Academic Achievement Awards fund.
TECH TREK
The two girls we sponsored for Tech Trek 2022 who attended camp at Whittier College in June were recently recognized by their school districts and, in the case of the Walker student, by the City of La Palma. Kristen V., an eighth grader at Walker Jr. High, was recognized on October 13 at a meeting of the Anaheim Union High School District board and on October 4 at a meeting of the La Palma City Council. Lyanne, an eighth grader at Ross Middle School in the ABCUSD, was recognized on November 1 at a meeting of the ABCUSD board. Both girls gave presentations about their experiences at Tech Trek. Past branch Tech Trek co-coordinator Edna Ethington attended the meetings with Kristen and branch president Celia attended the ABC meeting with Lyanne. Tobi Balma attended the two school district meetings to facilitate the girls’ presentations. Photos of the events follow.
ABC Board Meeting honoring Lyanne G. with Tobi and Celia.
La Palma City Council meeting honoring Kristen V with Edna.
Anaheim Union HSD meeting honoring Kristen V. with Tobi.
GOURMET, JOAN F & GAIL
Gourmet will be going strong this year. We hope to do regional recipes that all of us will enjoy.
Registration is open to all AAUW members who would like to partake of our delicious meals and wonderful companionship. A couple can be 2 AAUW members or 1 AAUW member and a friend.
We hope to have 3 groups of 4 couples, so plan ahead, and if you haven’t been in Gourmet before, we’d love to have you join us. Substitues also welcome.
Please RSVP to Gail Ross. gailross1947@gmail.com Looking forward to seeing you.
International Issues, Jackie Shahzadi
…through its global focus and reach, empowers all women and girls to create a secure and just world built on education, advocacy, friendship and mutual respect.
WG-USA is an online organization based in the United States focusing on global issues *Support and Advocacy for Refugee and Migrant Women and Girls
*Safe Access to Education
*Human Trafficking Advocacy and Action
*Women, Peace and Security
Join WG-USA at www.wg-usa.org
In 2019, Graduate Women International celebrated its 100th anniversary with a Centennial Celebration in Geneva, July 25-28. GWI was founded in 1919, by representatives of AAUW, and other international women’s groups. It used to be known as the IFUW, International Federation of University Women. Currently, Women Graduates-USA is the organization representing American women at GWI.