Watch this free public webinar with local legislators and other leading advocates on how we can protect our elections from the dangers of AI disinformation and misinformation.

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Panelist Bios

• Melissa Breach
  Board Member, League of Women Voters of the US
  Melissa Breach served eight years as executive director for LWV California where she advanced equity initiatives and modernized operations—including launching Voter’sEdge and MyLO. She served on LWV’s Transformation Steering Committee, is a founding member of Future of California Elections, and fights to end the housing crisis as COO of CAYIMBY.
  
  

• Karl Rhoads
  Senator, State of Hawaiʻi
  Representing District 13, Senator Rhoads currently serves as Chair of the Committee on Judiciary and member of the Committees on Agriculture and Environment and Housing.

• Trish La Chica
  Representative, State of Hawaiʻi
  Appointed by Governor Josh Green in 2023, Representative La Chica is a Filipino-American legislator and community leader representing the 37th district, which includes parts of Mililani Town, Mililani Mauka, Koa Ridge, and Waipi'o Gentry. Rep. La Chica currently serves as the Vice Chair for the House Committee on Education, and is also a member of the Higher Education, Economic Development, and Tourism committees. Prior to joining the legislature, Representative La Chica spent over 15 years in leadership roles working for non-profit organizations, as well as state and county government in areas such as health, Medicaid, housing, and homelessness. Her passion for advocacy began as an investigative journalist in Manila, where she produced documentaries that shed light on the daily struggles of Filipino families and fought against corruption.
  
  
• Jonathan Mehta Stein
  Executive Director, Common Cause of California
  A civil rights attorney and long-time democracy reform advocate, Jonathan Mehta Stein became the Executive Director of California Common Cause on May 1, 2020, after 10 years on the California Common Cause Board of Directors and four years as Board Chair. Jonathan previously spent four years as the head of the Voting Rights & Census Program at Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus, where he worked to increase access to California’s democracy for historically disenfranchised communities, including immigrant and limited-English speaking voters, communities of color, low-income communities, and people with disabilities.

Held on on June 20, 2024, this webinar was co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Hawaiʻi and Common Cause Hawaiʻi.

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

Common Cause is a nonpartisan grassroots organization dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy. We work to create open, honest, and accountable government that serves the public interest; promote equal rights, opportunity, and representation for all; and empower all people to make their voices heard in the political process.