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February 2026
Message from the Co-Presidents
As Co-Presidents since our work began in earnest last fall, our focus has been on building the culture of the new Board with the support of the LWVC Executive Director Jenny Farrell. We’ve introduced check-ins and some social time at each monthly meeting to create a space for Leaders to share how they are doing and what strategies they are using to foster resiliency during this nationwide period of political stress and trauma for so many. We are also working to support our new Board members as they transition into areas of greater responsibility, while gathering feedback after each Board meeting so we can focus on ongoing improvement.
Secondarily, Lorrel is continuing to lead Office Hours for LWVC members to drop in to connect, ask questions and share ideas. Kandea, who has been leading community rallies and vigils on the local level, most recently after the shooting of Mrs. Renee Good, will be working with Lorrel to create a toolkit of actions we can rapidly take to safely push back against ongoing attacks on our constitutional rights and democratic freedoms. This has begun by sharing educational content emailed to you from Jenny so we all know our rights, how to safely protest, and ways to capture unlawful government overreach and brutality. The goal is to co-create with you ways to quickly mobilize our LWVC community and membership whenever needed. Remembering the words of Fannie Lou Hammer as a North Star, “Nobody’s free until everybody’s free,” we are working on infrastructure and community building for the long road ahead of us. We urge all to review the latest Unite & Rise guidance below, as the Trump administration threatens to ‘nationalize’ our elections. Take action right here at home for California, and against nationwide state violence today: Let your voices be heard. Tell Congress federal immigration enforcement has gone too far!
See updates that center on the heart of our advocacy work to defend and expand democratic freedoms in California in the face of the authoritarian onslaught below.
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| Lorrel Plimier, LWVC Co-President | Kandea Mosley Gandhi, LWVC Co-President |
Litigation
In January, a federal judge dismissed the US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) lawsuit against the State of California in United States v. Weber, in which the DOJ sought to compel the state to turn over its full, unredacted statewide voter registration list—including voters’ sensitive personal data—to the federal government. The lawsuit was part of a broader series of actions by the DOJ seeking similar information from jurisdictions across the country.
The dismissal comes after LWVC, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU Foundation of Northern California, and the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, intervened on behalf of voters to defend voter privacy and the integrity of the democratic process. The groups maintained that state law and federal privacy protections prohibit the disclosure of highly sensitive voter information. Executive Director Jenny Farrell spoke to the New York Times and other outlets about this victory for California voters that can support the movement to defend voters throughout the country.
Update on Advocacy Work
The LWVC is examining all matters related to the handling of name changes by voters, federal inspection of voting related machines in the state, qualification for presidential candidates on California ballots, and other issues related to voter IDid for state only elections. The LWVC is also in conversation with other groups about a potential need to strengthen or amend the Voting Rights Act of California.
This is the second year of the two year legislative session so most of the bills being dealt with by the Legislature are those that did not pass out of their houses of origin. The deadline for new bill introduction is the end of February.
The LWVC is co-sponsoring two bills this session. One is an election reform bill that requires county wide office elections take place in General elections, not in Primary elections. The second bill is a refinement of the Racial Justice Act that the LWVC cosponsored that will allow the introduction of statistical evidence to prove that racial disparities in charging, conviction, or sentencing, consistent with the Legislature’s original intent.
The Board reviewed two propositions that are qualified for the ballot. Both of these were cosponsored by the LWVC in the legislature. The Board agreed to support both of them.
This measure, which has been sponsored by the LWVC and Common Cause would change the recalls of the governor and statewide office holders. Instead of the current system of asking voters if they wish to recall and, on the same ballot, asking voters to pick a new officer holder, under this proposition voters would first decide by majority vote whether to recall the official. Only after a successful recall vote would there be a separate election to replace the office holder by a majority vote. In the event of a successful recall of a state officer, one of these things would occur:
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If the Governor were recalled, the Lieutenant Governor would temporarily succeed the Governor, which aligns with the Lieutenant Governor’s duties in other contexts.
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If the recall occurs in the first two years of the Governor’s term, the special replacement election would be consolidated with the next statewide primary election and subsequent statewide general election.
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If the recall is successful in the last two years of the Governor’s term, the Lieutenant Governor would serve as governor for the remainder of a recalled governor’s term.
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For other statewide officers (Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Controller, Treasurer, Attorney General, Superintendent of Public Instruction, or member of the Board of Equalization) there would be no replacement election. The Governor would appoint a replacement for the remainder of their term.
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SB 42 Political Reform Act of 1974: public campaign financing: California Fair Elections Act of 2026
The bill that created this proposition is sponsored by the LWVC, Common Cause, and Clean Money California. The measure gives voters the choice to repeal California’s decades-old ban on public financing of election campaigns while putting clear guardrails in place to protect taxpayers and ensure fairness. The measure would restore the authority of the state and local governments to voluntarily establish such public campaign finance programs if they choose. It sets baseline rules requiring participating candidates to qualify through small-dollar community support, accept strict spending limits, and use funds only for legitimate campaign purposes, while prohibiting the use of public money earmarked for education, transportation, or public safety and banning payments for personal legal defense or loan repayment. Public funds earmarked for any state or local entity for the use of education, transportation, or public safety are excluded from use in campaign funding.
The LWVC will provide information to local Leagues to educate and advocate for the passage of these propositions.
Presentations
The Board recently sat for two important presentations. The first was a LWVC finances 101 training given by former LWVC Treasurer Kandea Mosley Gandhi and Finance Manager Renee Rocha. The second complimentary educational session was on development and Board fundraising responsibilities that was given by LWVC Development Consultant Kristy Oriol and Development Committee Chair Paula March.
Recruitment
Are you passionate about the League and want to strengthen our democracy statewide? The League of Women Voters of California currently has two vacancieson our Board of Directors and is seeking members interested in being appointed to serve. We are also looking for additional volunteers to join our statewide Development, Audit, Voter Engagement, and Nominating Committees—critical roles that help advance and sustain the LWVC mission. If you or someone you know may be interested, please reach out to us at lwvcboard [at] lwvc.org.
Voter Engagement
To join the Interest Group for local Leagues to discuss and collaborate on efforts around the LWVUS campaign, Unite & Rise 8.5, please visit the group to request to join or email sjorgensen [at] lwvc.org for assistance.
Unite & Rise 8.5 aims to build a movement of 8.5 million individuals to unite and rise up against the anti-democratic actions of this administration. Launched in May 2025 and running through the 2026 midterm elections, this initiative is part of the Women Defend Democracy campaign. The National League just released its Power Playbook 4.
Join in this critical project! It is largely voter registration, partnership building, and voter turnout and mobilization work with organizational structures that Leagues can use to generate enthusiasm.
