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The League of Women Voters of California

STATE OF THE CALIFORNIA LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS

resident Karyn Gill thanked her Board of Directors for their achievements these past two years, completing an agenda which she felt, could not have been accomplished without their work and support. She summarized the numerous activities of the state League team as follows:

VOTER SERVICE - The League has a unique, multimedia voter service program for Californians, combining print, television, and electronic communications. The League produced a series of Pros and Cons, a Multi-Language Easy Reading Voter Guide and helped produce TV candidate interviews and debates that received widespread praise. In addition, the California League is now a well known resource for electronic candidate and ballot information through our Smart Voter computer website, which recorded more than one million "hits" prior to the November 1998 General Election!

CIVIC EDUCATION - There is now an excellent state League website that is known throughout the world-computer users from 57 countries accessed our web site during 1998. In an effort to be more responsive to all California citizens, a toll-free telephone number and an electronic bulletin board was created. Through a generous donation, League members throughout the state were able to participate in our free "Open Door" computer course, allowing them to develop skills that will help the League organization become more effective as we enter the next century.

ACTION - The League lobbied our state legislators on more than 100 bills and we were successful, most notably, on campaign finance disclosure laws. Seventeen "Calls to Action" were sent out on issues such as reproductive rights, youth violence prevention, online disclosure, and local government revenues. These were often supplemented with more detailed information with IN THE CAPITOL CORRIDORS newsletters and monthly UPDATES to local League presidents and other subscribers. LWVC joined with the California Coalition for Reproductive Freedom to successfully defeat a number of bills that would have restricted women's reproductive rights in California. Statewide, the League is actively sought after by other groups because of our reputation as an effective and reliable political ally.

MEMBERSHIP - Membership in our state organization has increased by 400 members during the past year. More importantly, the sensitivity of thousands of local League members has been raised by the educational efforts of the new Diversity Task Force.

Karyn says it is her hope that all League members will embrace multiculturalism and move to accomplish the mission to inform all Californians about their government and encourage all citizens to vote - to participate in this 225-year-old experiment called American democracy.

A FUTURE PROJECT - Karyn has been asked to continue to work for the state League on a project that has been her passion for almost 25 years- Universal Health Care. She will replace Shirley Rich, as an off-Board program director for health care. As a League representative, she has recently been appointed by the California Legislature to a study group that will examine several models of universal, comprehensive health care for all Californians.

Karyn states: "This is a wonderful prospect for me, and I hope that I can call on some of you to help to promote the concept of universal health care coverage in your communities. With your help, I believe that the League can be an influential and forceful player in this critical political debate."

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