See Video about Oakland Suffrage Celebration!

 On April 12, 2011, Equal Pay Day, cookies missing a ¼ piece will be distributed to local high school students to demonstrate the missing portion in a women’s paycheck.  To match men’s earning for 2010, women have to work from January 2010 to April 2011 – an extra four months. Along with the cookies, participating high school social science teachers are provided with a lesson plan and material to teach their students about gender discrimination and pay equity.  AAUW California branches in Santa Clara County partner with the Coalition for Equal Pay (Office of Women’s Policy) by contacting the high school teachers, assembling the over 1000 cookie bags, and assisting with delivery of cookies and material to the high schools.  Throughout California, AAUW branches are initiating and participating in community programs that raise awareness on the issue of pay equity.   

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 AAUW California Co-president Gloria Taylor (on the right in the accompanying photo), who serves as one of the co-chairs of the California Women's Suffrage Committee, reports that the committee went to Sacramento on March 7 to attend a California Senate session where a resolution recognizing Women's History Month was presented by Senator Evans.

The committee co-chairs met with several senators and also participated in a reception for female legislators. 

Major funding reductions are in the governor’s budget, particularly affecting women, children, disabled persons and the elderly. The AAUW CA Board of Directors has approved a document authored by members,  “Position Paper on the 2011-2012 California Budget:  Revenue, Reductions, and Reforms”.   Click HERE to download and read this document, which is posted on www.aauw-ca.org in the Forms and Documents section under Public Policy. It expresses AAUW CA’s strong concerns about the state budget deficit and its impact on the AAUW  Public Policy Priorities.  

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On Thursday, August 26, the Benicia-Vallejo Branch celebrated the 90^th anniversary of the 19th amendment to the US constitution which granted women the right to vote.  Organized by B-V's Public Policy chair, Nancy Parent-Smith, the very successful event was attended by a number of elected officials, a reporter from the local newspaper and 40-50 branch members. Sue Miller, AAUW CA Vice President/Public Policy Director was a featured speaker.

In a video posted today on AAUW's national website, Director of Public Policy and Government Relations Lisa Maatz presented our organization's response to the State of the Union address given by President Obama last night.

Click HERE to watch the video.

AAUW CA Public Policy Director, Anne Henke, has posted a statement from the Public Policy Committee regarding the position that has been taken.

AAUW CA members are asked to vote YES on the budget items.  To read the ballot measures go to www.sos.ca.gov and click on ballot measures.

There are just 17 days left to complete your every member survey and send it to the AAUW CA office!  Get it HERE.  Deadline is December 1.

Anne Henke, Director of Public Policy AAUW-CA

I don’t usually take political maneuvering personally but I may change my mind. As we are preoccupied with the economy and with the election the outgoing administration in Washington DC is proposing regulation and program funding changes that would reduce the accessibility of contraception to all American women.

First, the Department of Health and Human Services has proposed new regulations to expand the Right of Refusal for healthcare providers and redefine some legal contraception tools as abortifacients. Both AAUW and AAUW CA have protested by submitting comments and questions during the public comment period. Read the AAUW California comment letter by clicking here.

Many states already have conscience laws on the books that give healthcare providers, physicians and pharmacists for example, the right to refuse to provide legal services if that service is opposed by their religion. In California, the law allows the right of refusal by an individual but the provider network or pharmacy must provide the service by assigning another staffer or referring the patient to where she/he can receive the service in a timely manner. The proposed regulations expand the right of refusal to include the right to refuse to provide the patient the information about where to get the service. The right to refuse is also extended to hospital emergency personnel and is vague about which staffers have the right to refuse service.

Both the California governor and attorney general have submitted letters opposing the proposed new regulations as an unwarranted intrusion into state’s rights.

A second issue will directly impact California families. California has been notified that the Family PACT 1115 Waiver will end on October 31, 2008. Just what does this mean; what is Family PACT and what is being waived?

Family PACT is California’s innovative approach to provide comprehensive family planning services to low-income women and men. What makes the program unique is on site, point of service determination of eligibility for an entire year. The new terms and conditions that California must accept to maintain matching federal funding is that point of service determination of eligibility will no longer be possible. Each applicant will now apply at a state office and will be required to return and complete the forms quarterly rather than once a year.

Currently, women and men are eligible for the program if they reside in California, are at risk of pregnancy or causing pregnancy, have a gross family income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level and have no other source of health care coverage for family planning services. Screening for breast and cervical cancer is also covered.

The objectives of Family PACT are to reduce the rate, overall number and cost of unintended pregnancies, increase access to family planning services and improve the reproductive health of low income Californians. California receives $9 in federal matching funds for each $1 of California tax revenue spent on the program. In the eight years since the program began we have experienced a dramatic decrease in unwanted pregnancies in California noticeably among teenagers.

Seventeen states have been given similar waivers for family planning programs. Here in California AAUW CA has been working with our coalition partners to resolve the conflict and save the program in its present form. Oregon accepted the new conditions/guidelines last year and has seen a significant drop in service provided and an increase in unwanted pregnancies. We will keep you informed of developments.

Prepared by Rita Wustner, Approved by AAUW CA Public Policy Director

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November 2008 Ballot: AAUW CA Opposes Proposition 4 that requires doctors to notify parents before performing an abortion for a minor.

We all want our children to come to us for support and guidance when life-altering decisions must be made. We do our best to protect our children from dangers and prepare them to enter the world as confident adults. Our children will come to us first and they can count on us to support them in trying times.

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