Vote Nevada Supporters,

Here is the recording from Saturday’s Summer of Civics event with Doug Goodman on Nevada’s referendum process: https://vote-nevada.news/NV-Referendum-Process

If you are interested in the Carson City Democratic Luncheon tomorrow, July 17th, the speaker will be Jodi Miller, center manager for Night Off the Streets. NOTS works to connect clients with city agencies and non-profits to address issues that contribute to being unhoused, including medical problems, lack of affordable housing, and lost documents needed for job interviews. 

If you would like to attend via Zoom, please email Rich Dunn before noon tomorrow, July 17^th, at richdunn as one word and then @aol.com for the link.

Also, tomorrow at 11:30 am, via Zoom, we are discussing an important topic for many communities.  When we search for solutions to social problems, it is very important to remember to speak directly to impacted communities.  This often does not happen with our disability community, so, we will hear from three members of our disability community about why Nothing about us without us is very important to learn.  You can RSVP here: https://vote-nevada.news/Nothing-About-US

On Wednesday, July 19th, from 6 to 7 pm, via Zoom, an award-winning business professor from CSN is joining us to break down what entrepreneurship means.  Professor Kevin Raiford will help us understand how to carry a business idea through the process of establishing a business, including the licensing process.  If you have ever wondered what takes to run your own business, join us Wednesday evening  by RSVPing here: https://vote-nevada.news/Entrepreneurship

On Friday, July, 21^st, Jose Guerro, the communication strategist from the Las Vegas Motor Speedway is joining us to chat about careers in motorsports.  To  join us on the 21^st from 6 to 7 pm you can RSVP here: https://vote-nevada.news/Careers-Motorsports

And on Saturday, July 22nd, Sara Quintana is joining us to discuss how to enhance EEOC and Civil Rights complaints by including specific documentation.  The Zoom event is from 4 to 5 pm, via Zoom, and you can RSVP here: https://vote-nevada.news/Public-Comments-Documentation

While Team Wilson did not win the WNBA All-Star Game, it was heartwarming to watch the players embrace Brittney Griner. https://apnews.com/article/wnba-all-star-game-griner-wilson-stewart-011980ac3f06c76d53961b1bd4d3e904

And we received some interesting side news that NBA star Dwayne Wade has purchased an ownership stake in the Chicago Sky WNBA team: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/wnba/sky/2023/07/14/dwyane-wade-joins-ownership-group-chicago-sky/70416131007/

Thank you for being Nevadans with me,

Sondra

Vote Nevada: Solving Problems with Civics

Vote Nevada is now qualified to receive donations through Smith’s Inspiring Donations, you can read more about how to donate to Vote Nevada each time you use your Smith’s loyalty card here: https://www.smithsfoodanddrug.com/i/community/smiths-inspiring-donations

Vote Nevada is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit civic engagement organization.  Anyone can become a supporter by emailing info@vote-nevada.org, we have no membership dues.  We do, however, accept donations Here

Sondra

Vote Nevada Supporters!

I feel like today deserves an exclamation point, or two!

All-Star Game Week is here!

Here are some updates for this week:

We kicked off All-Star Game Week with a viewing of 37 Words The History of Title IX, made by ESPN last year to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the federal law that protects against discrimination based on sex in education activities that receive federal funds.  If you have Hulu, Disney Plus, or ESPN+ you can watch all four episodes. It is very well done. 

Tomorrow, Monday, July 10^th, the Carson City Democratic luncheon features Andy Hummel, manager of the Carson City Water and Public Works. With drought on everyone’s mind, our water managers have become very important public servants.  If you would like to join the presentation at 1:30 pm via Zoom, please email Rich Dunn for the link at richdunn as one word and then @aol.com.

Tomorrow, Monday, July 10^th, Jody Baden will be joining us to discuss her effort to offer background checks for candidates.  It would have been nice to have a background check on someone like George Santos. You can join us from 6 to 7 pm, via Zoom, by RSVPing here: https://vote-nevada.news/Background-Checks-Elections

The Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign will turn orange tomorrow, July 10^th, for the WBNA All-Star Game.

On Friday, July 14^th, from 4 to 7 pm, we are co-hosting a Celebration of Women’s Sports at the College of Southern Nevada North Las Vegas Campus. Come have some fun with us and celebrate women’s sports.  You can RSVP here: 

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/celebrating-womens-sports-tickets-664947093657?aff=oddtdtcreator

On Friday, July 15^th, from 9 to 10 am, Doug Goodman from Nevadans For Election Reform, is joining us to explain the referendum process.  With one of the teacher’s unions announcing their intention to run both an initiative and a referendum, we want to ensure voters understand the referendum process.

You can RSVP for that workshop here: https://vote-nevada.news/Referendum-Process

You can watch the recording of our The Importance of Local News meeting here: https://vote-nevada.news/Local-News-Recording

And you can watch the recording of our Be A Civics Influencer meeting here: https://vote-nevada.news/Civics-Influencers

Here is a proposal from the Civics Influencer meeting:

We discussed the importance of ensuring that debates about public policies stay rooted in civic processes. And we discussed the need to change public discourse about policies to make civic spaces more welcoming to all community members, including new voters.

As we discussed how this approach could improve public policies we focused on how dysfunctional legislative processes lead to poor policy outcomes.

After a very energetic discussion on that topic, we decided to put our ideas into practice with the policy topic of mental health.  Mental Health overlaps with many other topics, so, we can start by defining what civic processes produce better mental health policy outcomes in general and then drill down on specific areas of mental health. 

For instance, we know that Assembly Bill 528 has $200 million to spend on homelessness, but the bill does not include opportunities for community input apart from established nonprofit organizations. Well, that does not stop us from creating our own process for investigating homelessness and mental health policies.

We know many teachers have left our school districts because of the lack of support services for children and the problem seems to be getting worse, so, why can’t we create a new process for addressing school violence?

We know that our jails and prisons are our largest mental health providers, so what processes could we create to address this problem?

There are many other long-standing problems with our mental health system that seem beyond the reach of our legislative processes, so, what if we created our own civics-based processes to address mental health issues? 

The group yesterday said, “Yes, let’s do it!”   So, here is our initial plan:

Step 1: We need a state-wide outreach strategy to invite anyone in Nevada to participate.

Step 2: Zoom meetings to discuss the rules of engagement, such as adopting Roberts Rules of Order to ensure every voice is heard and every participant is treated respectfully.

Step 3: Schedule hybrid meetings where participants can attend live or connect via Zoom to make this a truly statewide plan.

Step 4: Run the hybrid meetings to analyze the current systems for addressing mental health issues and investigating new systems. 

Step 5: Create a report with recommendations that could be distributed to elected officials and candidates. 

I am Vice Chair of the Nevada Advisory Committee to the US Commission on Civil Rights and we run studies like this, so, we do have some of those committee’s reports we can use as models.  You can read examples of what that committee distributes to elected officials each time we complete a recommending report here: https://www.usccr.gov/states/nevada

Here are two dates on Zoom to discuss creating a civics-based working group on mental health policy development.  You can attend one or both to provide input on how we can start our new process. 

The dates are August 4 and 5th, from 6 to 7:30 pm.  

You can RSVP for one or both of these planning meetings here:  https://vote-nevada.news/Mental-Health-Group-Process

Please feel free to share this information with any other groups.

Thank you for being Nevadans with me,

Sondra

Vote Nevada: Solving Problems with Civics

Vote Nevada is now qualified to receive donations through Smith’s Inspiring Donations, you can read more about how to donate to Vote Nevada each time you use your Smith’s loyalty card here: https://www.smithsfoodanddrug.com/i/community/smiths-inspiring-donations

Vote Nevada is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit civic engagement organization.  Anyone can become a supporter by emailing info@vote-nevada.org, we have no membership dues.  We do, however, accept donations Here

Sondra

Vote Nevada Supporters,

Happy 4^th! I hope all the fur babies are okay today.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Men & Mental Health session on Friday.  It was a very refreshing Zoom event.  I hope we can all help to create spaces where everyone can share.  You can watch last Friday’s event here: https://vote-nevada.news/Mens-Mental-Health

We still have lots of Summer of Civics events coming up, so, there’s still time to participate.

This Saturday, July 8^th, from 9 to 10 am, via Zoom, we have a special panel of reporters who we rely on for local news.  While news cycles are often full of what’s happening in Washington D. C., on a day-to-day basis, local news is what will immediately affect our lives. 

It is our city councils, county commissions, boards, and the legislature that make consequential decisions with immediate impacts.  So, we must support local news to ensure it doesn’t disappear.  RSVP for a discussion of how we can support local news reporters: https://vote-nevada.news/Importance-Local-News

Also, this Saturday, July 8^th, from 4 to 5 pm, via Zoom, we will chat about how to amplify civic engagement.  We’ve all heard of social media influencers, so, let’s chat about how to be civics influencers.  You can RSVP here: https://vote-nevada.news/Be-A-Civics-Influencer

 Drum roll…. Sunday kicks off the WNBA All-Stars Game Week! Starting on Sunday, July 9^th, Vote Nevada and Nevada Now are hosting a Zoom viewing of ESPN’s documentary on Title IX.  We will watch the film and then chat about where we are 51 years after Title IX helped to level the playing field for women’s sports.  You can RSVP here: https://vote-nevada.news/Title-IX-History

The Welcome to Las Vegas sign will go orange on Monday, July 10^th, to celebrate the WNBA and there will be WNBA Live activities planned for the week.  https://aces.wnba.com/allstar23/

Please take some time each day next week to post on social media or talk to family and friends about why you support girls’ and women’s sports.  Hashtags: #GirlsSports and #WomensSports, #MediaParity and #PayParity.

On Friday, July 14^th, from 4 to 7 pm, join us for a free, big party to celebrate our Las Vegas Aces and all girls’ and women’s teams.  We will be at the College of Southern Nevada North Las Vegas Campus in the June Whitley Student Center.  You can RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/celebrating-womens-sports-tickets-664947093657?aff=oddtdtcreator

After the All Stars Game on July 15^th, we will continue to work on the issues of sports media and pay disparities.  It matters whether girls’ and women’s sports are on the front page and primetime news because you need to see women to address the issue of pay disparities.   

On August 16^th, I’ve been invited to speak about Vote Nevada’s Summer of Civics events at the Nevada System of Higher Education’s Regents Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access Committee meeting. 

I will address our Sports Equity project and the need to create equitable pay structures for women’s team coaches in our higher education institutions.  As soon as the meeting’s agenda posts, I will share it so we can all be heard during the meeting’s public comments period.

Here are some other upcoming events:

Thank you for being Nevadans with me,

Sondra

Vote Nevada: Solving Problems with Civics

Vote Nevada is now qualified to receive donations through Smith’s Inspiring Donations, you can read more about how to donate to Vote Nevada each time you use your Smith’s loyalty card here: https://www.smithsfoodanddrug.com/i/community/smiths-inspiring-donations

Vote Nevada is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit civic engagement organization.  Anyone can become a supporter by emailing info@vote-nevada.org, we have no membership dues.  We do, however, accept donations Here

Vote Nevada Supporters,

Some quick reminders and updates:

Today, June 30^th, we are hosting a Summer of Civics Workshop on Men and Mental Health.  June is Men’s Mental Health Month, so we are ending the month with a discussion of the stigma associated with seeking mental health care.  Men are especially discouraged from seeking help, so, we are lucky to have Dr. Sheldon Jacobs and author Mark Truggle who will share their insights into removing the stigma from asking for help. 

For this event, Friday, June 30^th, from 6 to 7 pm, via Zoom.  RSVP here: https://vote-nevada.news/Men-Mental-Health-Awareness

On July 8^th we have a special panel of local reporters who will speak about how local news helps us all be civically engaged citizens.  If you have ever followed news about our legislative sessions, school board meetings, or road work, you’ve benefited from local reporting.  Our panelists are April Corbin Ginrus, Michael Lyle, Rocio Hernandez, and Lucia Starbuck.  Join us for a conversation about how we can support local reporting and the reporters we depend on for the information that fuels civic citizenry.

For this event, Saturday, July 8^th, from 9 to 10 am, via Zoom.  RSVP here: https://vote-nevada.news/Importance-Local-News

Also on July 8^th, let’s chat about how we can each be a civics influencer. We need to uplift civics education and engagement to create more civic participation. I find people are more willing to get involved with issue advocacy or with supporting a candidate when they feel comfortable with our civic processes.  Everyone who has engaged with any of those processes can be a civics influencer, so let’s brainstorm some ways to get civics information out to more people.

For this event, Saturday, July 8^th, from 4 to 5 pm, via Zoom, RSVP here: https://vote-nevada.news/Be-A-Civics-Influencer

We are getting closer to the July 15^th All Stars game!  We have a few things in the works for that week:

Sunday, July 9^th, we are partnering with Nevada NOW to host a Zoom viewing of ESPN’s documentary on Title IX. Join us for some virtual popcorn while we watch the video about how sports equity for women started and then stay for some enthusiastic discussion about how far women’s sports have advanced since Title IX was approved 51 years ago.  You can RSVP here: https://vote-nevada.news/Title-IX-History

On Monday, July 10^th, the Fabulous Welcome to Las Vegas sign will be lit in orange to celebrate the Women’s National Basketball Association and the All Stars game being in Vegas: https://www.wnba.com/news/welcome-to-las-vegas-sign-wnba-all-star-2023

The whole week, we’d like as many of you as possible to post on social media platforms about women’s sports.  Pick any team or teams from any sport and include the hashtags #WomensSports #PayParity #MediaParity.  Please also tag Vote Nevada and Nevada NOW so we can help amplify your message; we are at @VoteNevada21 and @NevadaNOW on Twitter and @votenevada and @nevada_now on Instagram. 

On Friday, July 14^th, from 4 to 7 pm, at the CSN North Las Vegas Campus June Whitley Student Center, the CSN Native American Alliance, CSN Women’s Alliance, No Labels, Nevada Forward Party, Vote Nevada, and Nevada Now are sponsoring a blowout party to celebrate women’s sports.  CSN’s new Director of Athletics Yvonne Wade will be joining us, so come out to congratulate Yvonne too: t.ly/wwLZ  

You can RSVP for the July 14^th party here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/celebrating-womens-sports-tickets-664947093657?aff=oddtdtcreator

We have been chatting about AB528, so I wanted to send you some updates:

You can watch the Carson City Democratic Luncheon presentation I gave about AB528 here (it’s only available until Sunday): https://vote-nevada.news/Carson-City-Luncheon-AB528  

You can read AB528 here: https://vote-nevada.news/Annotated-AB528

And you can read this article about who wrote and presented AB528 here: https://www.nevadacurrent.com/2023/06/29/analyst-consultant-or-lobbyist/

In sum, we need to keep AB528 on our radar.

Thank you for being Nevadans with me,

Sondra

Vote Nevada: Solving Problems with Civics

Vote Nevada is now qualified to receive donations through Smith’s Inspiring Donations, you can read more about how to donate to Vote Nevada each time you use your Smith’s loyalty card here: https://www.smithsfoodanddrug.com/i/community/smiths-inspiring-donations

Vote Nevada is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit civic engagement organization.  Anyone can become a supporter by emailing info@vote-nevada.org, we have no membership dues.  We do, however, accept donations Here

Vote Nevada Supporters,

We have now pivoted to the post-legislative summer of civics, so, it’s time to start working on bill implementation.  Isn’t that someone with an official title’s job? 

Nope, once our legislative session ends, we must rely on agencies, boards, commissions, and offices to implement what passed and sometimes people get overwhelmed, and things fall through the cracks.  So, if you supported bills that passed, re-read the bill to see who is responsible for enacting the new laws and get ready to help.

Two bills Vote Nevada is focusing on to ensure implementation are AB37 and AB528.  AB37 is the Behavioral Health Workforce Center bill and AB528 is the bill to address homelessness.

AB37 is clearly written with a transparent path for implementation.  The Board of Regents for the system of higher education will provide oversight of AB37 and Dr. Sara Hunt, Director of UNLV Mental and Behavioral Health Coalition and Assistant Dean of Behavioral Health Sciences, and a Vote Nevada member, will continue to nurture this one as an important point person.  We will continue to support Sara as she tracks AB37’s implementation.

AB528 is a different story.  The bill language is not very clear on how the process of creating a homeless services center will start.  The bill assumes a private organization, which may be exempt from the Open Meeting Law, will be entrusted with managing its contribution as well as the state’s matching funds.

There is no language to require community input or participation in implementing the bill, so we may need to create opportunities to receive and provide feedback to ensure $100 million in state funds will not be managed behind closed doors.

I will be speaking about AB528 at the Carson City Democratic Luncheon on Monday, June 26^th, at 1:30 pm, via Zoom.  If you’d like to attend via Zoom, please email Rich Dunn at richdunn as one word and then @aol.com.

You can also watch a presentation about San Antonio’s Haven of Hope Campus, which is the model mentioned in the AB528 hearing, here: t.ly/6IsbZ 

The next two Summer of Civics meetings are on June 27^th and June 29^th. 

On Tuesday, June 27^th, from 6 to 7 pm, via Zoom, we will look at the Open Meeting Law and Roberts Rules of Order.  Our legislature exempts itself from the Open Meeting Law, which is why things get very chaotic and opaque at the end of the session.  We will look at the history of Roberts Rules of Order and government transparency laws and chat about community participation when there are no rules.  You can RSVP here:  https://vote-nevada.news/Open-Meeting-Law-and-Roberts-Rules 

On Friday, June 30^th, from 6 to 7 pm, via Zoom, we will hear two presentations about Men and Mental Health.  Dr. Sheldon Jacobs, a marriage and family therapist, will speak about the movement to ensure men can access mental health care, and Mark Tuggle will speak about the book Cultural Silence and Wounded Souls: Black Men Speak About Mental Illness, which he edited. You can RSVP here:  https://vote-nevada.news/Men-Mental-Health-Awareness 

On our two special Summer of Civics projects, we are raising awareness of the disparities between men’s and women’s sports and working to ensure Nevada is an ADA-compliant state.  Based on some early research, there are two things that will help move the needle on sports parity. 

The first thing is media coverage.  When the media provides girls’ and women’s sports with the same level of coverage, girls’ and women’s teams hold their own on attracting viewers.  So, we need to encourage both print and online news sources to treat girls’ and women’s teams equitably.

For instance, when women’s or girls’ teams win, at least the front page of a newspaper’s sports section should be where we see that story.

Second, younger fans are much more likely to support women’s sports through social media.  So, we need as many people as possible posting on Facebook, tweeting, and sharing stories about women’s and girls’ teams on Instagram. 

We can use the base hashtags: #WomensSports #GirlsSports #PayParity and #MediaParity plus the name or handle of the team being watched.  For instance, while I was watching the Las Vegas Aces basketball game Wednesday, I used #WomensSports #ALLINLV @LVACES #MediaParity.  The Aces officially use #ALLINLV.

The WNBA All-Stars Game is on July 15^th, so we will be raising awareness about that game as well as celebrating all Women’s Sports on July 14^th from 4 to 7 pm.

You can watch our kick-off meeting and review our Sports Parity materials here: https://vote-nevada-blog.org/vote-nevada-summer-of-civics-projects/

The July 14^th event is at the College of Southern Nevada North Las Vegas Campus, in the June Whitley Student Lounge, from 4 to 7 pm.  Let’s have some fun while we also practice civic engagement!  You can RSVP here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/celebrating-womens-sports-tickets-664947093657

I am coordinating three more Summer of Civics workshops focused on ADA compliance that I will send out soon.

Thank you for being Nevadans with me,

Sondra

Vote Nevada: Solving Problems with Civics

Vote Nevada is now qualified to receive donations through Smith’s Inspiring Donations, you can read more about how to donate to Vote Nevada each time you use your Smith’s loyalty card here:  https://www.smithsfoodanddrug.com/i/community/smiths-inspiring-donations

Vote Nevada is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit civic engagement organization.  Anyone can become a supporter by emailing info@vote-nevada.org, we have no membership dues.  We do, however, accept donations Here

Sondra

Vote Nevada Supporters,

Our legislature passed and the Governor signed Senate Bill 1, which authorizes a public subsidy for an A’s baseball stadium.  You can read more about this process and what is next here https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/lombardo-signs-as-baseball-stadium-funding-bill-relocation-hurdles-remain

I know many people are opposed to providing a public subsidy for a private business venture.  I heard the exact same arguments in the Allegiant Stadium special session.  We now have two special legislative sessions that ended with a subsidy for a private sports stadium, during which the same arguments were made in opposition. 

If we would like to ensure this does not happen again, we need different civic processes because the current civic processes are leading to the same outcome. In other words, if we keep our current election and legislative processes, the arguments against subsidizing stadiums do not matter.

I am happy to host a Zoom meeting to discuss how our election and legislative processes produced two very similar results, regardless of public opposition, if anyone is interested.  We need systemic changes.

We have Zoom events tomorrow to kick off two Vote Nevada Summer of Civics projects.  There will be no in-person Eastside meeting this month.

Tomorrow morning, we are officially starting the Vote Nevada Sports Equity project.  June 17^th, from 9 to 10 am, via Zoom.  You can RSVP here: https://vote-nevada.news/Womens-Sports-Equity

Tomorrow afternoon, we are officially starting the Vote Nevada ADA Compliance project.   June 17th, from 4 to 5 pm, via Zoom.  You can RSVP here: https://vote-nevada.news/ADA-Compliance

On Monday, June 19^th, the Carson City Democratic luncheon’s speaker is TMCC Professor Fred Lokken.  The presentation starts at 1:30 pm, if you would like the link to attend via Zoom, please email Rich Dunn at richdunn as one word and then @aol.com.

On Tuesday, June 20^th, from 6 to 7 pm, the Vote Nevada Behavioral Health Committee will be chatting with Las Vegas City Councilwoman Nancy Brune about the San Antonio Haven of Hope Campus for homelessness services.  This is the model Assembly Bill 528 possibly looks to replicate in any Nevada city or county that has a private sector partner that can commit at least $75 million to the project. Councilwoman Brune has visited Haven Hope.  

If you would like to attend the committee meeting, here is the meeting link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86430902093

Thank you for being Nevadans with me,

Sondra

Vote Nevada: Solving Problems with Civics

Vote Nevada is now qualified to receive donations through Smith’s Inspiring Donations, you can read more about how to donate to Vote Nevada each time you use your Smith’s loyalty card here:  https://www.smithsfoodanddrug.com/i/community/smiths-inspiring-donations

Vote Nevada is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit civic engagement organization.  Anyone can become a supporter by emailing info@vote-nevada.org, we have no membership dues.  We do, however, accept donations Here

Sondra

Vote Nevada Supporters,

Rich Dunn’s computer bit the dust, so, there will be no Carson City Democratic Luncheon tomorrow, June 12^th.  The luncheon will resume on June 19^th with Professor Fred Lokken.  Sorry for your computer loss, Rich.

I was hoping we’d have some news about what will happen when the legislature reconvenes in the special session tomorrow, June 12^th.  But so far, it’s still just drama and Twitter posts.  If I see anything official, I will post it on the Vote Nevada Facebook page and Twitter account:    https://www.facebook.com/VoteNevada21  https://twitter.com/VoteNevada21

Tomorrow, we’ll be discussing Assembly Bill 528, which is based on the San Antonio Haven of Hope model for delivering homelessness services. 

Here are the requirements for receiving services at the Haven of Hope Campus, which concerns me because most homeless people with mental illness will not have these documents and will not have a government-issued ID.  

We need to get out in front of this project to ensure that Nevadans with mental illness are not excluded from services.

We are meeting, on June 12^th, from 6 to 7 pm, via Zoom, you can RSVP here: https://vote-nevada.news/AB528-Addressing-Chronic-Homelessness

Thank you for being Nevadans with me,

Sondra

Vote Nevada: Solving Problems with Civics

Vote Nevada is now qualified to receive donations through Smith’s Inspiring Donations, you can read more about how to donate to Vote Nevada each time you use your Smith’s loyalty card here: https://www.smithsfoodanddrug.com/i/community/smiths-inspiring-donations

Vote Nevada is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit civic engagement organization.  Anyone can become a supporter by emailing info@vote-nevada.org, we have no membership dues.  We do, however, accept donations Here

Sondra

Vote Nevada Supporters,

Thank you to everyone who attended our Legislative Roundup this morning.  We reviewed legislative vocabulary, talked about the three actions the Governor can take on bills, and discussed how to find individual bills and categories of bills. 

For the last 1/3 of the meeting, we discussed how to start working now to pass bills that died this session in the 2025 legislative session.  You can watch the recording here: https://vote-nevada.news/Legislative-Roundup-Recording

I will send out a separate email tomorrow with Monday’s Carson City Democrats luncheon speaker and information about the special session.

On Monday, June 12, 2023, from 6 to 7 pm, we will discuss Assembly Bill 528, which passed. This is the bill that dedicates $200 million to addressing homelessness based on the San Antonio Haven of Hope model.  You can see the San Antonio campus here: https://www.havenforhope.org/

Vote Nevada is especially concerned about chronic homelessness and how the Haven of Hope model provides mental health services.  We know Nevada has a mental health provider shortage, so, we would like to know how this new program will help our homeless neighbors who need mental health services now.

You can RSVP for this discussion on June 12^th here: https://vote-nevada.news/AB528-Addressing-Chronic-Homelessness

On Saturday, June 17, 2023, from 9 to 10 am, we will be kicking off our Sports Equity project.  The WNBA is hosting the Women’s All Stars Game in Las Vegas on July 15^th, so we are planning to raise awareness about the issues of pay and media coverage parity between men’s and women’s sports between now and July 15^th. 

If you are interested in joining this effort, the Aces have games tomorrow, June 11^th, and Thursday, June 15^th, so we can start posting on social media during these two games.  

There are many reliable articles and stories online about pay inequities and the media providing less coverage of women’s sports and the connection between the two.  Posting these articles and stories online with the hashtags #PayParity #MediaParity and #ALLINLV will make this information viewable by WNBA and Aces fans.

Here is the Sports Equity strategic plan draft we will review and edit on June 17^th: https://vote-nevada.news/Womens-Sports-Equity-Strategic-Plan

You can RSVP for the Sports Equity planning session on June 17^th, 9 to 10 am, here: https://vote-nevada.news/Womens-Sports-Equity

On Saturday, June 17^th, 2023, from 4 to 5 pm, via Zoom, we will also discuss the American Disabilities Act and how to be an ally by encouraging public and private entities to bring their experiences, infrastructure, and materials into ADA compliance.  You can RSVP for this meeting here: https://vote-nevada.news/ADA-Compliance

If you are in Northern Nevada, Lucia Starbuck from KUNR is hosting another Pints and Purple Politics with Sec. of State Cisco Aguilar and Treasurer Zach Conine on June 14^th from 6 to 8 pm.  More information, including the free tickets, is here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kunr-pints-and-purple-politics-secretary-of-state-treasurer-roundtable-tickets-638998109547?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=escb

Thank you for being Nevadans with me,

Sondra

Vote Nevada: Solving Problems with Civics

Vote Nevada is now qualified to receive donations through Smith’s Inspiring Donations, you can read more about how to donate to Vote Nevada each time you use your Smith’s loyalty card here: https://www.smithsfoodanddrug.com/i/community/smiths-inspiring-donations

Vote Nevada is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit civic engagement organization.  Anyone can become a supporter by emailing info@vote-nevada.org, we have no membership dues.  We do, however, accept donations Here

Sondra

The Governor signed AB140! Juneteenth is now a state holiday!

Vote Nevada Supporters,

Legislative Update:

The first special session started and ended on June 6^th.  The legislature passed the last remaining budget bill, for capital improvement projects, and the Governor signed the bill.  So, there are no further threats to the state budget.

The second special session started on June 7^th with only one item listed in the Governor’s proclamation: The A’s Stadium.

The Senate met as a committee of the whole (COW) yesterday to hear the stadium deal presentation and then Senators asked the presenters, Jeremy Aguero and Steve Hill, questions.  You can watch the Senate Committee of the Whole recording here: https://www.leg.state.nv.us/Video/

At the end of the Senate’s COW meeting, Senator Marilyn Dondero Loop stated that Senators would like to see amendments today to the stadium deal that address the issues Senators raised.  The floor sessions were supposed to start at 11:30 and 12:00 pm, but none of the special session meetings have started on time so far. https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/NELIS/REL/35th2023Special

The Governor continues to review bills passed by the legislature; you can view the status of all passed bills here:  https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/Nelis/REL/35th2023Special/Bills/Passed/InGovernorsOffice

The Vote Nevada Summer of Civics kicks off this Saturday, June 10th, via Zoom, from 9 to 10:30 am.  Our first event is the Legislative Roundup; we will review which bills passed, which bills died, and which bills did not receive a hearing.  You can RSVP here: https://vote-nevada.news/Legislative-Roundup-2023

The next three Summer of Civics meetings are:

1. How will AB528, which passed, address the problem of chronic homelessness?  We know at least $200 million has now been pledged through AB528 to adopt the San Antonio Haven of Hope model for addressing homelessness, but what does that mean for the homeless who are resistant to housing?  Let’s discuss this on Monday, June 12^th, via Zoom, from 6 to 7:30 pm.

RSVP: https://vote-nevada.news/AB528-Addressing-Chronic-Homelessness

2. How can we use civic engagement to address inequities in sports?  Women athletes and coaches are paid much less despite winning and the media’s lack of coverage of women’s sports keeps fans from supporting women athletes and coaches, what can we do?  Join us on Saturday, June 17^th, from 9 to 10:30 am, via Zoom, to start a strategic plan to address these issues. You can read the draft strategic plan here: https://vote-nevada.news/Womens-Sports-Equity-Strategic-Plan

RSVP: https://vote-nevada.news/Womens-Sports-Equity

3. How can we ensure Nevadans with disabilities can access all spaces and materials that every other Nevadan can access?  Let’s discuss how we can spot a lack of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and file requests to bring something into ADA compliance.  Saturday, June 17^th, via Zoom, from 4 to 5 pm.

RSVP: https://vote-nevada.news/ADA-Compliance

Here is the calendar of all the Vote Nevada Summer of Civics Workshops if you’d like to RSVP for more events.

Thank you for being Nevadans with me,

Sondra

Vote Nevada: Solving Problems with Civics

Vote Nevada is now qualified to receive donations through Smith’s Inspiring Donations, you can read more about how to donate to Vote Nevada each time you use your Smith’s loyalty card here: https://www.smithsfoodanddrug.com/i/community/smiths-inspiring-donations

Vote Nevada is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit civic engagement organization.  Anyone can become a supporter by emailing info@vote-nevada.org, we have no membership dues.  We do, however, accept donations Here

Sondra