League of Women Voters of San Luis Obispo County
Adopted Program for 2023-2025
Program Plan for 2023-2025
The following areas were adopted by our members as our primary focus for education and advocacy:
Local Government
Redistricting reform, including efforts to promote and educate voters on an independent redistricting commission. Encourage active participation and integrity in local politics, advocate for appropriate wages for elected officials; lower the cap on campaign contributions to the state level; and support efforts of diverse community members to run for office, including young people. Increased League presence at public meetings to ensure vigilance and promote civic involvement and civil civic engagement. Revival of civil discourse efforts, focusing on boards and agencies most in need of the program.
Voting
Voter Rights. Voter Access. Voter Education. Voter Registration. Including correcting misinformation on the safety and integrity of the elections and the transparency of the election process. Expand voter access efforts for students, the formerly incarcerated, and the unhoused. Engage and motivate younger voters, including stepped up voter registration programs in schools, promoting ways to make it easier for students to vote, and expanding civic education efforts in the schools.
Housing and Homelessness
Increase advocacy to combat homelessness and build public support for solutions, including at city council meetings. Education on misinformation regarding homelessness issues and the unhoused, and on the need for affordable housing and the connection between housing costs and availability and homelessness. Address issues of housing insecurity and substandard housing. Advocacy for programs that address the role of behavioral health issues (mental illness, substance abuse) in homelessness and the need for greater resources in the areas of emergency behavioral health services.
Environment and Natural Resources
Continue to follow local issues: Oceano Dunes, Diablo Canyon decommissioning and the use of Diablo Canyon lands, water use and policy, local climate change issues, and clean, renewable energy. Educate and advocate on climate change and other environmental issues, including the nexus to housing affordability, transit, and the concerns of younger voters. Educate on how environmental issues are also equity issues – access to transportation, clean air and water, and recreational opportunities – with disproportionate impacts on disadvantaged communities. Educate and advocate on water conservation/management issues.
The following areas were recommended for continued education and advocacy efforts:
Environment
Land Use, Water, and Energy and Climate Change
Criminal Justice Reform
Community policing, bail and jail programs, law enforcement training and accountability. Cooperation and coordination between mental health services and law enforcement programs.