CALENDAR
January 20, 2025- Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, Livingston Community Center 9:30AM
January 22, 2025- “Lunch and Learn” with National Council of Jewish Women, Effects of Social Media and AI, 12:30- 2 PM. Registration required. Location TBD
January 23, 2025- Legislative Interviews Kick-off and Training, Virtual, 6 PM
January 23, 2025- Meet the Mayor and Town Council, Livingston Community Center 7:30 PM
PRESIDENTS’ MESSAGE
The next few months are chock full of activities, both within our League and on the State League level.
Our January meeting will feature the Livingston Mayor and all members of the Township Council who will give a brief presentation on the state of the Township and answer your questions, and be available to “meet and greet” you. This will be held at the Livingston Community Center, 204 Hillside Avenue, Livingston, NJ.
We are co-sponsors of a luncheon event with the National Council of Jewish Women on the Effect of Social Media and Artificial Intelligence online on January 22, 12-2 PM. Speakers include Charles “CJ” Gelinas, co-chairman of the New Jersey Commission to Study Effects of Social Media on Adolescence, Dorota Mani,mother of 15-year-old anti-deepfake activist Francesca Mani; named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in AI in 2024, and Shanie Israel, Dean of Middle School Community Life at Montclair
Kimberley Academy. The luncheon is priced at $36 for NCJW members and $39 for non-members.
We will once again register and educate voters, have youth activities at the annual Martin Luther King Day of Service at the Livingston Community Center starting at 9:30 AM. Volunteers are needed for this event. Please let us know if you can help.
On February 12, 2025, we will hold our Program Planning meeting where we will reach consensus on issues and positions for the LWVNJ Biennial Convention.
In February and March, we will hold meetings related to two consensus issues, “Reparations” introduced by LWVNJ and “The Judiciary” by LWVUS. We will review material about these two issues, hold discussions and prepare responses to prepared consensus questions. This is an integral part of the LWV democratic process to take positions on issues.
Thanks to all of those who helped out with and attended our annual holiday party in December. Our youth members presented an interesting summary of their activities and Rosy Bagolie offered an impromptu summary of State legislative actions and answered our questions. Thank you for donating toiletries which were presented to Jeff Friedman at Livingston Philanthropies. They are much needed this time of year, especially.
Thank you to Marion Medow for her generous donation to our league on the occasion of Amy Ipp’s birthday. Thank you to Rose Zeltser for her generous donation to our league.
Our sincere condolences to the family of former member Joyce Gore who passed away on December 19th.
MEMBERSHIP
Thanks you to those of you who have rejoined our League. We welcome new members Erikka Fannelle.
LWVUS is switching to a new member portal for all Leagues across the country. There is no action that members need to take right now, but we want to provide you with an overview of what these changes mean for you.
This year, you will still renew in the usual way. When the system launches in January 2025, you will receive an email to log in to the portal, but you will not be asked to renew again until a year after your most recent renewal. You will be given the option to sign up to auto-renew annually, and your membership will last a year after your last renewal. Once you have access to the portal, you will be able to update your own information, including contact information.
When it comes time to renew, you will receive an email reminder. Dues will no longer be a fixed rate but will be pay-what-you-can. The recommended dues amount for all members across the country will be $75, but members can pay any amount (min. $20), including the current dues rate.
Under the current system, LWV of Livingston pays a fixed rate per member to LWV of New Jersey and to LWVUS. Under the new system, a percentage of dues will go to the state and national League. This means that when you renew, if you would like to make an additional contribution directly to LWV of Livingston as some members choose to do when they renew, this will need to be separate from choosing a higher dues amount. A higher dues amount benefits the League as a whole and allows us to offer the option of lower dues to increase
our member base but does not exclusively support the local League.
There will still be the option to renew by check for members who don't use the internet, but members who are able to access the portal and renew that way are encouraged to do so.
VOTER SERVICE
The LWV of NJ is launching its Legislative Interview process. Local Leagues are asked to
meet with their state legislators to build relationships and better understand how we can
work together on legislative priorities in 2025.The LWVNJ is anticipating that the local leagues will interview each state legislator in their district and cover the entire state. We have participated in this process in the past and it has proven to be useful in getting to know our legislators and their governing priorities. Since the Montclair LWV shares the same legislators, we hope to do this cooperatively with them. We are seeking a volunteer to spearhead this for our League as well as committee members to serve on the interview
committee. Please contact us at livingstonlwv@gmail.com if you can volunteer. There is a kick-off Zoom meeting on this on January 23, 2025. Note that this is the same night as our January meeting, but it will take place at 6 PM, before or 7:30 PM meeting.
Members Amy Ipp, Robin Weiss, Parul Khemka and Laurie Kahn attended a lobby day for the Immigrant Trust Act at the State House in Trenton, New Jersey. The Act supports the rights of immigrants in the State of New Jersey. We also were able to hear Parul Khemka offer testimony in front of the Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee on a bill that will ensure the continuation of healthcare coverage for people with
disabilities over age 26 if their parents change jobs.
Robin Weiss, Amy Ipp, Andy Babij, and Laurie Kahn also attended a training session at Make the Road New Jersey in Passaic for the Million Voters Project, a non-partisan initiative designed to engage one million voters in 2025. Through the project, coalition partners, including LWVNJ, will participate in canvassing, text banking, and community events to engage voters with a focus on low-propensity voters and voters from underrepresented communities, including Latino, AAPI, Black, and youth voters. This effort aims to unlock the political power of these groups through deep canvassing techniques.
On February 28, 2025, Caldwell University is holding its annual Social Justice Symposium. We were asked to participate, as we did last year, by having a table to register and educate voters. The event will also feature a luncheon with keynote speaker, correspondent Alecia Reid, breakout sessions covering topics including intersectionality, discerning misinformation from reputable information, skills addressing bias and microaggressions in K-12 and college classrooms, and education on anti-racism, health disparity, climate change, antisemitism, LGBTQ+ advocacy. The event fee is $20. Please let us know if you can help at our table.
From LWVNJ
There are several events happening this month around the State and you are all invited to participate in the following events:
One Person, One Vote: The Movement to End the Electoral College
What: Join the LWVNJ Government Committee at 7pm on January 6, 2025 to learn more about the impact of the Electoral College and how you can support LWV’s campaign.
When: Monday, January 6, 2025, at 7:00pm
RSVP: bit.ly/3DioJMh
Equal Rights Amendment Guest Speaker
What: Join LWV Lawrence and LWVUS’s Justice Reform Legislative and Policy Manager for a discussion about our campaign to recognize the ERA.
When: Wednesday, January 8, 2025, at 7:00pm
Attend In-Person: Lawrence Library - 2751 Brunswick Pike, Lawrence Township, NJ
Attend Virtually: The link was emailed to you.
Take Action: Sign onto this letter to President Biden
Reparations Study Webinar
What: In preparation for our June Convention, League members and special guests will hold a presentation about the findings from the LWVNJ Reparations Study. All local Leagues are highly encouraged to send members to attend. We recommend that local Leagues recruit a few members that are particularly interested in learning about this study and presenting the information to their League for consensus discussion.
When: SAVE THE DATE – Monday January 13th or Tuesday, January 14th at 7:00pm
Where: Virtual
LWVNJ Youth Committee January Meeting
What: We are excited to announce the launch of the League of Women Voters of New Jersey Youth Committee, starting on January 22nd, 2025! This new initiative is designed to engage young people in advocating for change, promoting civic engagement, and developing leadership skills. This committee is intended for members ages 16 – 25.
When: Wednesday, January 22, 2025, at 6:00pm
RSVP: Register for the meeting here! (Link was emailed to you)
Legislative Interviews:
What: Get ready to participate in the 2025 Legislative Interviews! Local Leagues will be asked to meet with their state legislators to build relationships and better understand how we can work together on legislative priorities in 2025. Please join us for the training and program kickoff on January 23rd!
When: Thursday, January 23, 2025, at 6:00pm
RSVP: Sign up for the Legislative Interviews Training & Kickoff here! (Link was emailed to you)
Embracing Affordable Housing to Benefit Your Community:
What: Join the LWVNJ Social Justice Committee for an informative discussion around affordable housing in New Jersey. We will break down the history and need for affordable housing in our state and discuss the rules and regulations for communities. Hear from experts about how you can advocate for more affordable housing in your neighborhood!
When: Monday, January 27, 2025, at 7:00pm
RSVP: Register here! (Link was emailed to you)
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