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Spring, 1998. Vol. 85 No. 2 |
(left to right) Judy Binsacca, Event Moderator and LWV Marin County President; Fred Silva, Visiting Policy Analyst with the Public Policy Institute of California; Trudy Schafer, LWVC Legislative Advocate; and Maggie Feldstein, Chair of the LWV Marin County Education Foundation. |
Sharing Success Stories
By Trudy Schafer, LWVC Advocate
The California Initiative Process: Struggling Toward Reform was the focus of the LWV Marin County Education Foundation's 1997 Fall Forum on November 18. The annual fundraising luncheon featured two speakers very familiar with the initiative process in our state: Fred Silva, Visiting Policy Analyst with the Public Policy Institute of California, and Trudy Schafer, Program Director on the LWVC/EF staff.
Silva, who served as Executive Secretary of the California Constitution Revision Commission (CCRC), entertained the audience with his thoughts about the use of the initiative and reforms suggested by the CCRC and others. The League's current update study of the initiative process was the subject of Schafer's remarks. She described the work of the study committee and the schedule for Leagues to participate. Sketching a historical background, Schafer noted that the praise for and concerns about the process haven't changed all that much since the initiative process was adopted in California in 1911.
The Marin Independent Journal followed up on the event with a story on the initiative process in Marin County, featuring an interview with League member Anne Layzer and mentioning the forum and speakers.
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© Copyright 1998 by the League of Women Voters of California
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