For a follow-up report on this meeting, go to

https://my.lwv.org/california/diablo-valley/article/league-observers-government-watchdogs.

The League believes that to be effective, government should be transparent and open to public scrutiny. Our Observer Corps is one way we keep an eye on our elected officials and how they operate. We monitor selected government bodies and report our observations to the League organization. To learn more about our guidelines for observing and hear from some League members who have done this, join us at this meeting! Maybe you'll decide this activity is for you!

Here's a description of who might be a good observer for the League, from our LWVUS resource materials:

OBSERVERS: Serving as an observer is something that anyone can do. It is an opportunity for new or less active members to contribute to the organization’s work. It might be something that would appeal to students or new residents who are trying to learn more about their new community, or to recent retirees who have new-found free time and more flexible schedules. While there are no “qualifications” per se, ideally observers are:

• good listeners and able to summarize and “interpret” proceedings in a fair way;

• interested in local government and/or issues being discussed by the governmental body that they are observing;

• able to serve as an “ambassador” for the organization (e.g., talking about the organization with other attendees at a meeting);

• discreet and courteous;

• not working a personal or partisan agenda while serving as a League observer.

This information is excerpted from:

https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/2018-05/lwvef_observingyourgovernment.pdf