Leaders Update

Leaders Update

The Leaders Update is a publication generated after each LWVC board meeting to inform our members about LWVC activity. If you are not yet subscribed to receive Leaders Updates, please contact the LWVC office. To view past Leaders Updates, please visit the Leaders Update archives page.

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October 2025

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LWV California Judiciary Study (Concurrence) Committee
LWVC Webinars
New LWVC Google Groups

Message from LWVC Executive Committee

Here is quick recap of just some of the LWVC Board of Directors activity since last spring:

  • We hired a new Executive Director, Jenny Farrell, who will start her position with us on October 20. Jenny comes to the League after serving as Executive Director of Mental Health Advocacy Services based in Los Angeles. Read more about Jenny.
  • We held a very successful online convention. You can see recordings of the sessions, speeches, and workshops here.
  • Leagues all over the state reacted quickly to the special election, helping to ensure that voters know about the election, what Proposition 50 means, and how to make their voices heard
  • We joined in multiple lawsuits to protect voters and voting rights in California.  
  • We passed a resolution supporting statehood for the District of Columbia.
  • The Board has authorized a study to explore the feasibility of adopting a state position on the Judiciary by concurrence.  Former LWVC president Chris Carson will head the study. More information is below, including a link to an application for joining the committee to work on the study

LWVC Leadership

At the end of a recent board meeting, there was a breach in the LWVC DEI policy. The LWVC Executive Committee has begun implementing a multistep action plan in response, with sensitivity out of respect for those impacted.

Those steps include the following:

  •  A change in leadership. Vice President Lorrel Plimier is serving as Interim President until a new President is appointed.
  • Organizing a healing session with Board members.
  • Ongoing work with the DEI Committee to further our goals of belonging in all our collective spaces.
  • Work with the Governance Committee and the DEI Committee to develop protocols and establish community norms to prevent and address any future breaches of DEIB policy.
  • Work with the Nominating Committee to name a new president.

LWVC Executive Committee
Lorrel Plimier, Carol Moon Goldberg, Suzanne Stassevitch, Kandea Gandhi

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LWV California Judiciary Study (Concurrence) Committee

The LWV California Education Fund (LWVCEF) board approved appointment of a committee to develop a proposed position on the California state judiciary, to be adopted via concurrence. 

Concurrence is the act of agreeing with—or concurring with—a statement of position. Concurrence can work several ways. League boards can concur with:

  • recommendations of a resource committee or a unit group; 

  • decision statements formulated by League boards; or, 

  • positions reached by another League or Leagues.

In this case, we are forming a small group to write a proposed position on the California state judiciary. Chris Carson, former LWVC and LWVUS President, will chair the committee. Their work will be based on positions of other state Leagues as well as the newly adopted LWVUS position on the federal judiciary. In addition to the proposed LWVC position, the committee will develop background material for the position, and material that local Leagues can use for community education. 

If you are interested in working on this, please fill out this form by December 1. If you know someone you think would be a good committee member, please reach out and encourage them to apply.  

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LWVC Webinars

Did you miss one of the recent LWVC informative webinars? Or do you want to revisit one you attended? You can find links to past (and upcoming!) webinars here. Topics include an introduction to LWVC advocacy, housing, and immigration policy. 

Recordings of the LWVC Convention sessions and workshops are available here. 

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New LWVC Google Groups

LWVC hosts several listservs and other interest groups where you can ask questions, share ideas, and collect resources on different LWVC issue areas. By joining a conversation, you can bolster your League's education and advocacy efforts and find ways to get involved at the state level.

Two new groups:

  • Unite & Rise 8.5 Interest Group to discuss and collaborate on efforts in California around the LWVUS campaign, Unite & Rise 8.5. 

  • DE&I Interest Group to discuss and collaborate on local League efforts about the LWVC DEI policy.

If you need assistance joining any of these groups, please reach out to sjorgensen [at] lwvc.org. 

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