Treasurer/Secretary Barbara Purvis reported that minutes from last years meeting, a proposed budget, and amendments to our bylaws were sent to the membership in advance. Each item was accepted or passed by members at the meeting.

Members also voted to re-affirm adoption of LWV NRC current positions and make a formal review of the positions before the 2010-2011 Annual Meeting.

Chair of the Nominating Committee, Jo Turner, presented the nominees for the new year's officers, directors and nominating committee.

The following will serve on the 2010-2011 Board and Nominating Committee:

Officers

President Joan Donahue

First Vice President Theresa Birkett

Second Vice President Helen Norman

Secretary Joanne Pease Simpson

Treasurer Barbara Purvis

Directors

Sherri Gomez Chani Beeman

Jo Turner Katie Greene

Harry Hood Sheila Kay Riley

Melva Cooke

Nominating Committee

Judith Auth (Chair)

Virginia Field

Ann Kasper

Two more members of the committee will be chosen by the Board at our first meeting on Monday, August 16th at 6:30pm.

President's Report

Joan Donahue reported on Administration, Voter Education and Action activities during the past year.

She began by recognizing Barbara Purvis, Theresa Birkett and Edith Quevedo who did a thorough and capable job of amending our bylaws. She noted that under the direction of Barbara Purvis the 'business' of our League is running smoothly.

She thanked Sherri Gomez and Theresa Birkett who provided members with three timely, informative, and eye-catching issues of our Voter. She also thanked Helen Norman, our busy Bio-Chemist, whose doing her best to learn the ropes of League Voter Service.

LWV NRC held five candidate forums this year - Mayor and Riverside Unified School District Board of Trustee last fall and Riverside County Board of Supervisors, District Attorney and Sheriff this spring.

The last round of forums went especially well with the co-sponsorship of The Group, The Latino Network, The NAACP, The Pick Group and The Raincross Group. The forums were very well attended and had comprehensive media coverage.

This year our League also distributed 600 of the State League's Easy Voter Guide and our website has recorded almost 4,000 hits.

As for Action - we sent Action Alerts to members, letters to elected officials and the letters to the media on variety of issues including -

The City's desire to manage and maintain our historic Citrus State Park
Increased federal funding for the Santa Ana River Trail project
Passage of comprehensive national health care reform
Support for the Disclose Act which addresses serious concerns given the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Citizens United v. FEC and would increase disclosure requirements governing corporate and union spending in political campaigns.

Joan spoke to Council twice this year in support of a formal system of Neighborhood Councils. On one occasion she was joined by Ruth Wilson, who spoke in favor of new staff recommendations for the Santa Ana Trail and increased funding.

As we celebrated our 90th Anniversary, LWV NRC was honored by Senator Boxer who read congratulatory remarks about the League and specifically, our Riverside League, into the Congressional Record.

With over 100 attendees, our 90th Anniversary Celebration was a great experience, thanks largely to our astute, witty and inspiring speakers - Ofelia Valdez Yeager, Undersheriff Valerie Hill, and Rose Mayes.

Joan reported that the Board had not chosen any specific studies or issues for emphasis for next year.

Instead we would like to begin holding Riverside Unit Meetings again. Unit Meetings are similar to book clubs, but discussion is focused on a current topic instead of one specific book.

The Board will pick a topic, two League members will research and come up with discussion questions. All League members will be sent background information and invited to join the discussion.

Ideally, Unit meetings are held on a monthly basis. We are hopeful we can begin in late September or early October with a discussion of the November ballot propositions -a topic that will offer quite of variety of things to discuss.

As we look forward to the November election - LWV NRC will be holding a few forums - but there may be upward of 10 propositions on the ballot.

Typically, this is when voters look to the League for clear, concise, non-partisan voter information. Joan urged members to join our Speaker's Bureau to discuss the Pros and Cons of the November measures with Riverside's many community groups.

Our website, Unit Meetings and Speaker's Bureau are all efforts to raise awareness, increase our visibility and, in turn, increase our membership.

Membership is not entirely about money. In fact, it's largely about like-minded activists, fighting the good fight for good government and having a good time doing it.

Members were encouraged to talk about League with their friends and bring them to an event next year!

A Game of 'Noteworthy Events' and Discussion

This year, members were 'quizzed' by fellow League member Chani Beeman on a variety of current topics from the national, state and local level.

Knowledge was tested on issues from current health care reform, to solutions to balance California's budget, to the benefits of a local multi-modal transportation center and lots of issues in between. Members were encouraged to 'shout out' when ever the believed they had the correct answer. Chani brought along a large basket of candy to reward those who gave the right answer - clever answers, right or wrong, were also rewarded.

Attendees most enjoyed the section called "Who Said This?" as they had to identify quotes, largely from local elected officials, city employees and local activists.

Needless to say, answers were plentiful, discussion was lively and Chani's basket of candy was completely drained.

Before adjournment, Joan Donahue noted that we are a League in good standing and we will continue to build on our accomplishments as we raise awareness, ask the difficult questions and insist on accountability from our government.

Click here to read about our 2009-2010 Annual Meeting

About Us

The League's purpose is to encourage citizens to take part in their government.

The League is interested in helping citizens become more informed and learn the many ways to influence government on state, national and local levels.

The League is a non-partisan organization that believes responsible government should be resposive to the will of the people, mindful that a democratic government depends on the informed and active participation of its citizens.

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News and Events

League of Women Voters of Northwest Riverside County will hold its next Board Meeting on Monday, January 16, 2012 at 6:30 pm at Riverside's YWCA.

We discuss events, issues and action through out the year.

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foster dialogue on issues you care about;
ensure ALL votes are counted and ALL voices are heard;
preserve our constitutional rights;
stay informed via extensive League resources;
or simply know that your support adds to our grassroots strength and our financial resources, making democracy work!

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