California Legislative Priorities 2023
Making Democracy Work
- Voting Rights
- Voter Protection and Service
- Election Reform with a focus on expanding the electorate and making it more representative - ACA 4 (to expand voting rights to those incarcerated) and SCA 1 (recall of the gov error)
- Money in Politics
- Local Redistricting Legislation - Fair Maps and Independent Redistricting Commissions bill
Housing (implementation and community education focused)
- Housing supply – availability, affordability, and production
- Homelessness
Climate Change with a focus on water
Criminal Justice
- Racial Justice Act for All (co-sponsor)
Other Legislative Issues, As Time and Resources Permit
- Support requests from local Leagues and ILOs for advocacy on bills of specific interest to their jurisdictions.
- Act as appropriate on other core issues like the Initiative and Referendum Process and Open Government.
- Consider Program Director recommendations for action on the highest priority bills in their program areas.
Approved by the LWVC Board, Mary 19, 2023
What Are Legislative Priorities?
Legislative priorities are set each year by the board, based on recommendations from the Legislation Committee. The priorities apply only to the advocacy work we do in the legislature. The issues for education and advocacy—the priorities set every two years at the convention—inform our legislative priorities. However, they are broader, in that they include issues on which we are committing to work more broadly—community education, member education, advocacy that may be broader than just the legislature.
In addition, the legislative priorities take into account our reading of what we think are going to be "hot" issues in the legislature in a given year.
The board considered many issues and the responses from League members suggesting Legislative Priorities. The League has many positions from which to take action, but establishing a focus for our national advocacy is a critical responsibility of the LWVUS board. In setting priorities, the board considers a number of factors, the most important of which is focusing League effort where it can have the greatest impact.
