LWV-PA organized and moderated eight candidate forums in the Pasadena area leading up to the November election. All the excitement may have been focused on the national political scene, but here at the grassroots, local democracy was vigorous and often passionate. People care intensely about their schools, the safety of their streets, and effectiveness and transparency in their governments. For League volunteers, it is a privilege to help provide an impartial, nonpartisan setting for voters and candidates to hear from and hopefully learn from each other. Doing this work is also a wonderful way to learn about the issues that motivate voters in the community.

The following forums were held in partnership with community co-sponsors:

• Pasadena mayoral run-off, with the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce
• Pasadena School Board, with the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce
• South Pasadena City Council, with the South Pasadena Chamber of Commerce
• South Pasadena School Board, with the South Pasadena Chinese-American Club
• Alhambra City Council, with Alhambra Preservation Group, Alhambra Source, Alhambra Latino Association, and Alhambra VISA Boosters
• Duarte School Board, with the Duarte Chamber of Commerce
• Monrovia School Board, with the Monrovia Chamber of Commerce
• La Cañada School Board, with the La Cañada PTA Council

LWV-PA decided very reluctantly to withdraw from a forum for the Alhambra School Board when only one candidate for each district accepted our invitation to participate. The three incumbents all declined. Following League practice, we could not moderate this forum since it would have the appearance of supporting the three challengers.

This year we had to totally reinvent and re-engineer the candidate forum process for a virtual environment, including providing simultaneous interpretations in four languages at one forum. It would have been impossible without the hard work, flexibility, creativity, and patience of the following dedicated volunteers (some of whom filled several different jobs):

• Moderators: Dorothy Keane, Robbie Davis, Michelle White, Bonnie Skolnick, and Veronica Jones
• Question sorters: Toni Cavanagh Johnson, Josephine Wilson, Debbie Fagen, Valerie Jones, Jean Buennagel, Theresa Fuentes, Sheila Stephens, Jane Wallace, Maureen Johnston, Joanne Als, Allison Henry
• Timekeepers: Anne Lee, Betty Morin, Hester Bell

Invaluable to making this whole operation work were the following volunteers working “behind the scenes”:

• Bob Pendleton was our anchor, organizing and maintaining a Google drive where all documents, including promotional flyers and webinar instructions, kept us on track and will serve as a resource for the future.
• Gayle Oswald and Elsa Pendleton were the webinar hosts.
• Valerie Jones recruited and managed the volunteers. She and Jean Buennagel were the volunteer and candidate “wranglers,” making sure that everyone knew what to do and when to do it.
• Allison Henry provided a wealth of knowledge and experience in managing webinars that was sorely needed.

If I have inadvertently left anyone out, please accept my apology and gratitude. Heartfelt thanks and appreciation to all of you—you are what makes the League special!

—Katherine Gavzy, Chair, Events Committee