Mail-in ballot voting has been underway since the second week in May. Assembly Bill 37, signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2021, requires the state to send vote-by-mail (VBM) ballots to every registered voter in the state. The law applies to all elections held after Jan. 1, 2022.
By Joe W. Bowers Jr., California Black Media
June 7, 2022 is Primary Election Day in California.
On the ballot are candidates for U.S. Senate, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Controller, Treasurer, Attorney General, Insurance Commissioner, State Board of Equalization, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, U.S. House of Representatives, State Senate and State Assembly, as well as candidates for local elected positions.
There are two contests for U.S. Senate on the ballot. One is for a full six-year term ending Jan. 3, 2029. The other is for the remainder of the term that Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) has been serving in place of Vice. President Kamala Harris that ends Jan. 3, 2023.
Mail-in ballot voting has been underway since the second week in May. Assembly Bill 37, signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2021, requires the state to send vote-by-mail (VBM) ballots to every registered voter in the state. The law applies to all elections held after Jan. 1, 2022.
Ballots are sent 29 days before the election, which was May 9 for the primary. For the November General Election, voters will start receiving ballots October 10.
A majority of California voters live in counties that have adopted the Voter’s Choice Act (VCA) system. In 2016, Senate Bill 450 created the VCA, an election model that expands voters’ options for how, when and where they can cast their ballots in an attempt to provide more accessible voting options.
VBM ballots are provided with a postage-paid return envelope. For a ballot to count in the upcoming primary election, it must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by June 14, 2022. It can also be dropped off in-person to a secure ballot drop box, a voting location or county elections office by 8:00 p.m. on June 7, 2022.
The VCA is an optional law. Counties elect if they want to adopt it. In 2018, five counties adopted the new law: Madera, Napa, Nevada, Sacramento and San Mateo. In 2020, nine additional counties changed their election models to the VCA: Amador, Butte, Calaveras, El Dorado, Fresno, Los Angeles, Mariposa, Orange, Santa Clara, and Tuolumne. In 2022, the number of counties that have transitioned to the VCA grew to 28 with the addition of Alameda, Kings, Marin, Merced, Riverside, San Benito, San Diego, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Ventura, and Yolo counties.
In VCA counties, early in-person voting begins as early as May 28. Voters can vote at any county vote center instead of being assigned to a neighborhood polling place. The vote centers are open four to 10 days prior to the election, including weekends. They serve as one-stop shops with accessible voting machines – venues where voters can drop off their VBM ballot, receive a replacement ballot, register to vote, and get help with voting material in multiple languages.
Unregistered voters who miss the close of registration on May 23 will be able to conditionally register to vote at any vote center and cast a provisional ballot through the end of Election Day.
When California policymakers and election officials proposed the Voter’s Choice Act most proponents applauded its benefits, including lowering election administration costs, providing greater convenience and flexibility for voters, and the potential to improve voter turnout.
Recently, California Secretary of State (SOS) Shirley Weber released a report on the implementation of VCA during the 2020 Primary and General Elections.
Key findings of the report include:
VCA counties had higher voter registration rates in the state. The 15 VCA counties accounted for about half of the state’s registered voters in both elections.
Many VCA counties experienced a higher voter turnout compared to their non-VCA counterparts. Turnout in the 2020 General Election across racial groups showed white voters had a higher overall turnout than their non-W\white counterparts. The voter turnout gap for Black voters was 5.2 points, and AAPI voters had a turnout gap of 4.3 points.
Black and AAPI voters turned out at similar rates as the VCA counties’ average, and Latino voters used in-person voting most among all races and ethnicities.
Use of vote-by-mail ballots was the primary choice of voting in the 2020 elections. More voters chose to return their ballot by drop box than by mail. Use of drop boxes decreased after the age of 45 in the Primary Election and age 35 in the General Election.
Voters in VCA counties cast a ballot in-person at a higher rate than voters in non-VCA counties in the General Election (55.1%). For the Primary Election, that number was 46.6%.
In the General Election, voters aged 46-55 voted in person most compared to all other age groups. In both the Primary and General Elections, voters aged 66+ voted in-person least.
VBM ballot rejection rates in VCA counties were similar to VBM ballot rejections statewide. Voters aged 18-25 had the highest ballot rejection rate. Ballot rejection rates decreased as voter age increased in VCA counties.
VBM ballots were rejected (69.3%) mainly due to not being received on time during the Primary Election. But General Election VBM ballots were mainly rejected due to non-matching signatures (56.09%).
Provisional ballot use decreased significantly between the Primary and General Elections.
There were no confirmed instances of voter fraud in both the Primary and General elections in 2020.
Secretary of State’s Recommendations based on the report findings:
Share best practices from counties that have high voter registration rates with counties that have lower registration rates.
Reduce ballot rejection rates through increased voter education.
Continue to work with counties to ensure drop box locations are accessible and convenient to the public.
Increase outreach and education about early in-person voting and other voting options available in VCA counties.
Increase targeted outreach efforts to engage young voters (18-25).
“We have taken away every excuse a person can possibly have as to why they won’t vote,” SOS Weber said recently. “People realize this is going to be easy and it’s comfortable.”
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A respected national publication called Library Journal took notice and awarded Deputy MCFL Director Raemona Little Taylor in its 2022 Movers & Shakers class of community builders for her outstanding leadership and impact to the library industry as a change agent. Only 41 people were in the 2022 class, and just over 1,000 librarians nationwide have earned such status since the awards were first given in 2002.
Advancing equity, from talk to action, is a trademark for Raemona Little Taylor, Deputy Director of the Marin County Free Library (MCFL). And there’s no way the COVID-19 pandemic was going to get in her way.
A respected national publication called Library Journal took notice and awarded Little Taylor in its 2022 Movers & Shakers class of community builders for her outstanding leadership and impact to the library industry as a change agent. Only 41 people were in the 2022 class, and just over 1,000 librarians nationwide have earned such status since the awards were first given in 2002.
Library Journal has provided features and news reporting about American libraries since 1876 and is the top trade publication in that industry. Movers & Shakers profiles up-and-coming, innovative, creative individuals from around the world — both great leaders and behind-the-scenes contributors — who are providing inspiration and model programs for others, including programs developed this year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Little Taylor is just the second MCFL employee to receive the national recognition; Diana Lopez, manager of the Marin City MCFL branch, was selected in 2016.
The publication noted that Little Taylor “worked tirelessly” to develop successful initiatives that are considered widely inclusive, stepping up to serve people in need and in marginalized populations. Her signature projects have included offering services to incarcerated youth, developing school partnerships, providing direct tutoring services, and overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Learning Bus, a “green” vehicle that brings literary and education outreach services to children and their families living in rural areas of West Marin. She also piloted a Reading Buddies program and implemented blueprints for safety around children working with adult volunteers.
Undeterred by the pandemic, Little Taylor moved the Reading Buddies program online, teamed with partners to create 500 new wireless hotspots for school-age children who were rushed into online learning for the first time, and led efforts to create a licensed day care center for children of health care and essential workers at an MCFL branch.
“The entire Marin County Free Library team stands with Raemona in our commitment to racial equity in Marin County,” said MCFL Director Lana Adlawan. “Raemona works tirelessly to ensure that community and staff voices are heard and that library programs are inclusive for all. She isn’t afraid to dream big and work hard to make new things happen. I am excited to see what she dreams up next!”
Little Taylor’s passion lies in offering services around literacy and education that are appropriate to the realities of disproportionately affected communities. The first step is acknowledging what she described as a long history of libraries as segregated spaces.
“Until libraries and librarians grapple with their history as gatekeepers for white-dominant culture, they will struggle to create welcoming and inclusive workplaces where diverse workers feel like they truly belong,” Little Taylor told the Library Journal. “It can be a real challenge to work within institutions as the one and only Black, Indigenous and people of color [BIPOC] staff member. We need to move beyond being tolerated to being celebrated.”
Little Taylor, an MCFL employee since 2017, is the public services administrator of the 10 MCFL branches and two mobile vehicles serving patrons in the field. Previously she was a teen and adult services librarian at the Fairfax branch and then senior librarian and education initiatives coordinator for four branches in West Marin. After earning her master’s degree from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, she began her professional career as a public records researcher and in several roles with the Nashville Public Library prior to joining MCFL.
Nominations for annual awards were vetted by the editors of Library Journal, giving weight to factors such as innovation, the impact of the person’s work, and the potential for programs to serve as models and inspiration for others in the field.
Talk with those closest to you and make all your wishes KNOWN. Talk to those whom you’ve designated, as well as those close to you whom you did not designate. – Do this to explain why your decisions were made and to avoid any lingering questions or hurt feelings.
Spreading this information for those of you that don’t have your affairs in order. Make sure all bank accounts have direct beneficiaries. The beneficiary need only go to the bank with your death certificate and an ID of their own.
If the above documents are done, you can AVOID probate. If all the above is not done, you have to open an estate account at the bank. All money that doesn’t have direct beneficiaries goes into this account. You have to have an attorney to open the estate account. The attorney also has to publicize your passing in the newspaper or post publication at the county courthouse, to allow anyone to make a claim on your property. – It’s a complete PAIN.
Hope this helps! Hope this lights a spark to encourage all your friends and family to take care of these things to make it easier for those we all leave behind!
My hope is that the above list at least helps you start an important conversation with your loved ones.
Over the course of the next several months, the County is preparing changes in housing policies and regulations that will incorporate the state laws. Meanwhile, the laws are in effect and the County must implement them accordingly. The ordinances, presented by the Marin County Community Development Agency (CDA), are designed to streamline the project review process and add certainty for CDA planners, applicants, and neighbors as well.
By adopting three State Legislature statutes, the County of Marin is expanding access to more rental and ownership options for working families while retaining local ability to ensure that new housing development occurs in a way that meets the County’s needs.
The Marin County Board of Supervisors passed interim ordinances at its May 10 meeting to implement Senate Bills (SB) 35 and 9 following an earlier recommendation by the Marin County Planning Commission. The ordinances — one for SB 35 and two for SB 9 — bring the County in line with recent state legislation that will affect residential developments in unincorporated areas of Marin, adding measures that tailor the approval of housing for local safety, affordability, and habitat considerations.
Over the course of the next several months, the County is preparing changes in housing policies and regulations that will incorporate the state laws. Meanwhile, the laws are in effect and the County must implement them accordingly. The ordinances, presented by the Marin County Community Development Agency (CDA), are designed to streamline the project review process and add certainty for CDA planners, applicants, and neighbors as well.
The ordinances include standards for floor-area ratios, maximum heights, minimum setbacks, and protections for streams and wetlands. For instance, they require newly created lots to have access from a public street, restrict new development to areas outside stream and wetland buffers, and caps the maximum size of homes that could be built through the streamlined review processes. Documents with details are on the CDA website.
The lack of housing, especially affordable homes for lower-income families, is considered a crisis in Marin, where the median home price hovers near $1.5 million. Many people who work in Marin cannot afford to live close to their workplaces, resulting in long commutes, increased greenhouse gas emissions, and stand-still traffic. The Supervisors and CDA have encouraged development of new affordable homes near existing neighborhoods, schools, business, and transportation options. The state bills, and the Board’s action that sets clear guidelines for the County’s implementation, can help ease the addition of a variety of types of housing to serve Marin’s needs.
“It’s important for the County to adopt these interim ordinances toward applying local discretion when and where we can,” said Board President Katie Rice, the District 2 Supervisor. “As we adapt our land-use regulations to comply with state law, we want to do it in a responsible manner and retain as much decision-making leverage on the local level as possible. During this interim period while we prepare the Housing Element, we’ve equipped ourselves to look out for top priorities like safety in Marin’s communities.”
SB 9, which went into effect Jan. 1, 2022, is widely viewed as a law to allow duplexes on lots within zoning districts for single-family homes, but it also pertains to single-family homes. Generally, the law encourages housing development by removing a local jurisdiction’s authority to require discretionary review for qualifying one- and two-unit projects and prohibits use of units created under its provisions as short-term rentals.
SB 35, effective as of January 2018, is intended to streamline the review of larger developments, such as apartment buildings that would provide a substantial amount of affordable housing. Developers benefit from SB 35 because no discretionary review is allowable as long as they meet the mandates of the law. Counties are allowed to establish ministerial requirements on design specifications for such multifamily projects, and the Planning Commission will consider whether the proposals meet standards for floor area ratios, maximum heights, minimum setbacks, and protections for streams and wetlands.
Both state laws are only applicable in urban and suburban areas and are unrelated to the planning process in rural and coastal zones.
Permanent amendments to the Development Code (Marin County Code Title 22) will be proposed alongside the Housing and Safety Element updates to the Countywide Plan and presented for consideration to the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors toward the end of 2022.
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Onesimus. It is a name we don’t hear when we look at the history of vaccinations, but in the United States we owe a debt of gratitude to an African Slave named, Onesimus. In this video, voiced by writer and political activist, Baratunde Thurston, learn how Onesimus shared a traditional African inoculation technique that saved countless live from Smallpox and become the foundation for vaccine as we know them today, including the COVID Vaccine.