The League of Women Voters wants to expand into Campbell

By Steven Raphael

The League of Women Voters has over 1,000 chapters around the country. That includes 74 chapters in California, five of which are in Santa Clara County. Campbell, however, is not represented by any of these chapters. Rather, the city lies in between two League chapters: San Jose-Santa Clara and Los Gatos-Saratoga-Monte Sereno.

"The League is a very grassroots kind of organization," said San Jose-Santa Clara Chapter President Brenda McHenry. "So, the demand comes from the people. Some Campbell people identify more with the Los Gatos area, some identify more with the San Jose area."

Representatives of both nearby chapters said Campbell could become a part of their chapter if more Campbell members joined. There are currently six Campbell members in the San Jose-Santa Clara chapter and eight in the Los Gatos-Saratoga-Monte Sereno chapter, including three board members.

However, the decision to include Campbell must be based on more than simply the number of members from Campbell. It is also necessary to consider how active each member is within the organization.

To take on a new city, the League must first perform a "know your city" study, in which they examine the city government and local issues. And this takes volunteers.

Although Campbell is not included in either chapter, residents are still able to use the services provided by the League. However, for those cities directly represented, the League publishes brochures that explain city government and discuss important city issues.

"If Campbell was part of the League of Women's Voters," said Los Gatos-Saratoga-Monte Sereno Chapter President Marjory Bunyard, the League would study city issues "and spend time informing citizens."

The League was founded with two primary aims: "to encourage informed and active participation in politics and to try to influence public policy through advocacy and education," according to Bunyard.

They are nonpartisan, never endorsing candidates or political parties.

The organization holds forums, in which they discuss the pros and cons of many ballot issues. Although they do take official positions on legislation, at their forums, speakers from the group are careful to present both sides of the issue as objectively as possible.

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For more information, call the Los Gatos-Saratoga-Monte Sereno chapter at 408.867.VOTE (8683), or the San Jose-Santa Clara chapter at 408.271.7163.

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