Who says summer is slow! The last few weeks have been very busy for our League and other Leagues in Santa Clara County with significant actions taken on serious issues.

Preparing for November election The Voter Service team is moving at high speed to get everything in place for Candidate Forums (possibly as many as 20!), voter registration, Pros & Cons and Voter's Edge prior to the Nov. 8 election. MANY MORE VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED. Please email Voter Service Chair Sandy Mory to learn how you can help the League deliver these activities to the communities we serve. San Jose Housing Element Update The City of San José released its Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element update in July and is hosting an in-person open house on Monday, Aug. 8, 6:30-8 p.m. at Mexican Heritage Plaza, 1700 Alum Rock Ave., San Jose, to review its contents and answer questions. The League's Housing and Homelessness Committee will meet on Wednesday, Aug. 10, 12 noon via Zoom to hear from Lucas Ramirez, a policy aide to San Jose Councilmember Sergio Jimenez, share his personal thoughts on how to review and comment on a Housing Element from a League point of view. He is an active member of the LWV Los Altos-Mountain View Housing Committee. The Housing Element is part of the General Plan and is required to be updated every eight years. It must include specifics on production goals, strategies, policies, programs and quantified objectives as well as a list of potential sites for affordable housing and how the City will address homelessness and affirm fair housing. For further information or to receive the link to the League's Aug. 10 committee meeting, contact Roma Dawson. Joining Urban Forestry Coalition In July our Board voted to have our League join the newly formed Coalition to Advance Urban Forestry in San Jose. Other Coalition partners include Our City Forest, the Audubon Society, the California Native Plant Society, and the Sierra Club. Our League has been vocal about our concerns about the reduced tree canopy in San Jose and about the need for San Jose to actively support its urban forest as a part of a climate resiliency strategy. We’ve been particularly concerned about the inequitable tree canopy throughout the city, and wrote three letters last year urging action on San Jose's Draft Community Forest Management Plan. If you'd like to be involved in advocating for San Jose's urban forest, please contact Vicki Alexander, Virginia Holtz or Judy Chamberlain. We need you! We anticipate that the pace is going to accelerate even more in the coming months. We'd love to talk with you about how you can get even more involved in the League. Taryn Upchurch Taryn.Upchurch@lwvsjsc.org Diane McNutt Diane.McNutt@lwvsjsc.org