August 4 (Monday) - 5:00 p.m., Board Meeting, Branigan Library Board Room.

August 5 (Tuesday) - 4-6 p.m. Voter Services Meeting to develop questions for the 2008 Voters Guide, Branigan Library Board Room

August 7 (Thursday) - Reservation Deadline for Lunch with a Leader, RSVP Vicki Simons, 522-4813

August 14 (Thursday) - 11:30 a.m., Lunch With a Leader, in the Creative Arts Room of Good Samaritan Village’s Social Center, 3011 Buena Vida Circle. Topic: Polly Evans, Election Process/Voter Turnover Committee

August 27 (Wednesday) - Tentative Candidates Forum for U.S. Senate. (Details will be forthcoming.)

Individual—$50

Household Member—$25

Send check to:

Pat Kratz

703 Homestead Circle

Las Cruces, NM 88011

The League of Women Voters of Greater Las Cruces has a long history of supporting the preservation of unique and fragile environments, both nationally and locally. Our national League position speaks to the need for management of land as "a finite resource, not as a commodity, since land ownership, whether public or private, carries responsibility for stewardship." The League’s national position encourages land use planning that reflects conservation and wise management of resources. It also encourages continued ACQUISITION of land for public use.

Our local League positions also speak to this issue of wilderness protection. "We support preservation of all our natural resources including air quality, scenic views, night skies, green areas and natural habitats ranging from river valleys to desert mesas, arroyos and the surrounding mountains."

We find this recently introduced bill, HR 6300, to be skewed in the wrong direction. Instead of preserving more land, it seeks to subject more public land to disposal and development. Instead of preserving those rare and wonderful natural areas so unique to our desert landscape, it REMOVES their status as Wilderness Study Areas. This federal bill goes so far as to list eight Wilderness Study Areas, now in the hands of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), all within Doña Ana County, and to recommend that they be released from that designation. The bill states that the lands "shall no longer be subject to section 603(c) of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976."

Senator Domenici, in his early years in the Senate, presented and supported a Wilderness Bill that forever preserves those portions of the Sandia Mountains near and abutting the City of Albuquerque in Bernalillo County. Dona Ana County should similarly be assured that we, too, can continue to enjoy our unique wilderness land areas just as does Bernalillo County.

The League also supports public input and participation in making land use decisions. We note with concern the section of the plan, Title IV--Disposal of Federal Land for Community Growth, that speaks to the establishment of a special advisory board, selected by the Secretary of the Interior, which would have the power to advise the Secretary regarding land the advisory board deems disposable. We believe that the current system used for disposing of land by the BLM, is more public-input oriented and more responsive to the wishes and desires of the public. BLM lands are public lands and decisions about land disposal should be publicly discussed.

To sum up, the League is opposed to this bill, HR 6300. We will do what we can to bring pressure to bear on our Representatives and Senators to see that the bill is defeated.

We continue to pilot a different approach to our monthly meetings. Although our June 9 (Monday) luncheon was a success, members who completed a survey indicated a preference for Thursday luncheons because of conflicts in time with government meetings and other commitments that occur on Mondays in the community. This month, mark your calendar for Thursday, August 14, 11:30 a.m., Good Sam’s Creative Arts Room.

Our format is changed for this luncheon. Instead of a presentation by a leader in our community, we are honoring our own League leader, Polly Evans, who is stepping down as chair of the long-standing committee, Election Process/Voter Turnout.

Polly came to Las Cruces in 1950 with her husband. She taught physics and chemistry in the Las Cruces Public Schools and was co-founder of San Andres High School. After retiring, Polly joined the League in 1987 and served as a board member and officer at both the local and state levels.

She has been active in Desert Writers for a decade. Her writings include a memoir, several short stories, an account of teaching in an alternative school, a short novel, and poetry. Please join us on Thursday, August 14 for Lunch with a League Leader.

Adam Guss, Regional Organizer, Southwest Environmental Center (SWEC), spoke to a group of 31 League members on June 9 about the effects of the fence that is being built along the U.S. and Mexico border. A Power Point presentation of images of animal migration, national park disruption, and clearing of vegetation along the route made us more aware of the negative impact produced by this effort to stem illegal immigration.

The fence came into existence when President George W. Bush signed the Secure Fence Act in 2008. Special efforts are being made to have construction completed while the President is in office. This is being achieved by granting waivers of current laws to allow construction to move ahead. Eight hundred miles of fencing is expected. Over 300 miles have already been built.

SWEC is promoting a telephone call campaign to Governor Richardson (505-476-2200) to stop further construction of the fence.

The Recycling Task Force, organized just a few months ago by Patrick Peck of South Central Solid Waste Authority (SCSWA), is going great guns. It now has a declared overarching goal, 33x2012, which translates into making Doña Ana County a place where 33% of our waste material is recycled by 2012. Starting from our present base of 5% to 10%, depending on who is measuring, this is an ambitious goal. It means the mission of the Task Force has been expanded from just recycling by governmental entities to region-wide recycling. That means that LWV observers can now be full participants in a process that will encompass all the residents of Doña Ana County.

The meeting on June 19 was devoted to setting goals to accomplish this. Of the many action items, I think three are the main goals of the task force (which will soon be renamed, name yet to be determined).

So, exciting times are coming. Stay tuned. And keep doing your part, by renewing, reusing, and recycling our resources.

Meeting at the Branigan Library, the Board of Directors:

Meeting at the Branigan Library, the Board of Directors:

On June 2, 2008, William Little was appointed to the Board of Commissioners for the City of Las Cruces Utilities (the Utilities Board). William was nominated by City Councilor Nathan Small and appointed by the mayor to a four-year term. The Utilities Board provides strategic policy direction to the Las Cruces Utilities and recommendations to the City Council for all the City owned utility systems, among other duties. The Board also sets utility rates and impact fees. Congratulations!

Vicki Simons was the featured speaker at the NAACP’s monthly meeting on Thursday, July 10. She covered the League's mission, the League's local studies, and election activities. There were lots of questions about voter education, purging voter roles, and voter IDs plus supportive comments about our position on the Metropolitan Court. Copies of Who's Who and membership information were distributed.

National Members at Large

Arthur Boardman

Ms. Mary Rosner

To those who contributed generously.

Ruth Benjamins

Lisa Conway

Polly Evans

Carole Jarden

Susan Joanis

Lee Kershner

Pat Kratz

Connie Lee

Louise Lockhart

Election Process/Voter Turnout - Marnie Leverett, Chair

Bright and early on Primary Election Day, June 3, twenty-one volunteers spread out over the city to ask voters to participate in a voter satisfaction survey for the League of Women Voters.

It was a hot day, with a bright sun. Our volunteers were told that all the presiding judges at the designated sites had been told that we would be present and that the state guidelines said that our volunteers must stay 50 feet from the polling place in order to avoid obstructing the voters. However, there was some confusion at some sites and it was not always easy to have access to the voters.

We had anticipated that we could get 20 surveys filled out at each site in about an hour so we assigned each team of two volunteers to cover two sites during the course of the day. However, voting was very slow that day--at one site, there had only been 11 voters between 7 a.m. and noon--so the goal of 20 surveys had to be discarded along the way. Another problem was that, at 50 feet from the polling place, shady spots were hard to find. And still another problem was that many of the selected precincts were at polling places with other precincts and at 50 feet away, our volunteers couldn’t tell which voters were from which precinct.

The net result is that we ended up with 368 surveys: 341 of them were from voters who were satisfied with their voting experience and only 27, or about 12.5%, had complaints to make. Of the 27, the most common complaint was the lack of information about where the voters were supposed to vote. Many of the 27 voters were turned away, had to vote with provisional ballots or had to go to more than one place before they found the right one.

A few of the complaints came from people who did not understand or forgot the primary requirement that the voter had to be registered as a party member. Three or four people stated that it was not easy to find the right polling place and that more prominent signs should be in place outside the polling place. There was some feeling from voters both satisfied and not satisfied that they wished we would return to machine voting.

On June 24 I took a complete report to Mr. Lynn Ellins. He will share it with his staff, sort through the results and suggestions, and discuss them with us soon. He would like to have us do this again during the General Election in November. I feel, at this point, that it is uncertain that we would get a different response. But we will meet again and discuss this issue. I also asked that if we do it again, every volunteer would have a written affidavit from Mr. Ellins saying that this is approved and that we have sites inside the polling building at which to work.

Ruth Brown

Helen Buggert

Diane Greenholdt

Caroline Jackson

Marnie Leverett

Sue Liefeld

Christina Little

Harry Pearson

Pat Pedersen

Cliff Pelton

Nancy Phillips

Betty Pool

LaJune Smith

Dale Yeo

Dee Eadret

Dorris Hamilton

Cathy Lochman

Kathy Mayer

Phoebe Pierce

Juliet Williams

Eugenie Janecka

Focus on Voter Services - Donna Tate, Director

A proposed schedule of voter services activities between August and December, 2008, is given below:

More details will be forthcoming. In the meantime, please contact Donna Tate at 524-9303 or email: draytate@earthlink.com.

Metro Court Action News - Marjorie Burr, Chair

While Metro Court is an issue affecting Doña Ana County specifically, action must be taken at the legislative level. Your Metro Court Committee has been working on all fronts to implement our position.

On the local scene, we have been meeting with County Commissioners and staffs individually to explain our position and ask for support. We have received good feedback so far, including referrals to other people with whom we must talk. We met with the editorial board of the Las Cruces Sun-News, and an editorial on June 10 supporting Metro Court for Doña Ana County was published. After our presentation to a work session of the City of Las Cruces Council in May, by consensus, a resolution of support was adopted by the councilors.

We are also preparing for the 2009 Legislative Session. Representative Joni Gutierrez has agreed to sponsor the bill in the coming session in the House, and Senator Mary Jane Garcia in the Senate. Representative Joseph Cervantes will sponsor an amendment to the current Article 8A (Metropolitan Court) to allow municipalities under 15,000 population to opt out of a metro court. We hope for positive outcomes for this legislation, as well as an appropriation for an implementation plan.

We met briefly with Governor Bill Richardson on July 15, when he was in Las Cruces and held public input meetings. He stated his support for a metropolitan court in Doña Ana County.

Current City design standards require the developer or private property owner to construct all roadway and drainage infrastructure as part of the construction of a subdivision or commercial development. This method requires developers to pay their fair share of the necessary infrastructure needed; however, the infrastructure is being constructed at the time of development which in most instances differs from the time when the roads or bridges are actually needed. An example of this is the construction of Del Rey Boulevard. If you drive north on Del Rey from U.S. 70, the roadway width varies anywhere from two to five lanes and you also see short sections where only half of the roadway has been constructed. Most would argue that Del Rey would better serve all involved if it were already a full five lane arterial.

What mechanism can then be provided to get ahead of the growth and provide needed facilities? One way that has been successful in other cities in New Mexico and around the country is the implementation of impact fees for roadway and drainage infrastructure. The City already has impact fees for water, wastewater and park facilities.

Impact fees are a one-time fee payment, typically paid at the time a building permit is issued. They can be used only to fund the cost of added facility capacity required to meet demand from new development, and the fee amount represents an equitable, pro rata share of the total cost for that capacity.

The City solicited proposals from qualified firms to review the Development Fee Ordinance and to conduct a study for the proposal and implementation of three impact fees defined as follows:

The consultant selected to lead the study is Duncan and Associates.

Impact fees are calculated and assessed as outlined in state statutes in the Development Fees Act and in the Las Cruces Municipal Code. This legislation authorizes municipalities to impose impact fees and requires that two items be completed before they can be assessed:

The first phase of this project, the report detailing the Land Use Assumptions, has recently been completed and approved by the City’s Capital Improvements Advisory Committee. This report defines the quantity of new development expected over the next ten years, the geographic area within which that development will occur, and an overview of factors which have influenced, and are expected to influence growth in Las Cruces.

Some would argue that three new impact fees would adversely impact the cost of a home or business. It is important to note that current City design standards require developers to construct their fair share of new roads and drainage facilities. Under the current process the developers would pay these costs and then include this cost in the price or sale of the property to the customer. The implementation of impact fees would simply switch the infrastructure cost from the time of development to the time a building permit is issued. The more important result of this change is that the City will be in control of the process to construct these facilities and will be able, for example, to plan the construction of an entire roadway instead of small portions of that road being constructed at the time of development.

Upon completion of the Phase Two process and approval of the Capital Improvements Plan by the Capital Improvements Committee, Public Works staff will present the final product to the City Council for final consideration. It is anticipated that this process will be ongoing over the next six to nine months prior to final approval.

Questions or comments regarding impact fees should be addressed to Ms. Loretta Reyes, Engineering Services Administrator at lreyes "at"las-cruces.org or to Mr. Michael Johnson, Public Works Director at mjohnson "at" las-cruces.org.

Fair Representation Study Group - Barbara Goedecke, Committee Member

The 2010 Census: Section 141(f)(2) of the Census Act requires that not later than two years before the next census, the questions to be included on that census be submitted to Congress. The questions for the 2010 census were submitted in March of 2007.

2010 Questions. The basic census questions determine race, age, gender and Hispanic origin of our population. Questions on age and residency determine a person’s eligibility to vote (i.e., you must be old enough and you must have a physical residence in some precinct). Other questions determine your minority status: those on race and gender. Because our Hispanic population is so large, nationwide, there are specific questions on Hispanic origin. These questions are designed to prevent deliberate dilution of minority voting strength.

Data Collection. Recruitment begins for local census jobs for early census operations in the fall of 2008. In the spring of 2009, census employees will go door-to-door to update address lists nationwide. In the fall of 2009, recruitment will begin for census takers needed for the peak workload in 2010. The timeline for 2010 is given below:

February - March 2010: Census Days.

Reapportionment. At this point, reapportionment of congressional districts is done by Congress. State lines cannot be redrawn, so the process must be purely numerical. It is accomplished through the use of a mathematical formula provided by federal statute known as the "method of equal proportions" which is recalculated every ten years following the federal census. This calculation gives the number of congressional districts each state can have to allow a total of 435.

By law, the Census Bureau completes delivery of redistricting data to states in March of 2011. This data is then used to do the actual redistricting.

Redistricting. By authority of the NM Constitution, the Legislature is tasked with the redistricting of Legislative, Public Regulatory Commission, State Board of Education, and selected magistrate courts. The Legislature is free to choose the method by which the redistricting is done. Counties and cities are responsible for the redistricting of commission and council districts.

Fair representation means giving an equal voice to all members of our multi-cultural population in compliance with the Voting Rights Act as well as the 14^th and 15^th Amendments. This task begins with the Census and ends with legislative redistricting. We can volunteer as Census workers in the fall of 2008 or 2009; that’s easy. Lobbying for fair representation in legislative redistricting is a bit harder, but we have time. Let’s use it well.

The 48th National Convention of LWVUS was held June 13-17, 2008, in Portland, Oregon. Forty-nine states were represented by 675 delegates. New Mexico sent 10 delegates. The convention was well planned, and kudos go to the Oregon state and local League members who worked long and hard to make our experience enjoyable. The meeting schedule was planned so that there was plenty of time to conduct business, attend workshops or caucuses, and listen to some very good speakers. Any leftover minutes were spent enjoying the city, food, and sights. The weather cooperated; sunshine and pleasant temperatures prevailed.

As at our annual meetings, convention adopts a budget and program and elects officers.

Budget: The adopted budget for 2008-2009 is $6,961,615. Along with the budget, two proposed per member payment (PMP) increases were passed: $1.20 for this year and an additional $1.20 for 2009, raising the total to $28 and $29.20, respectively. All passed without much floor debate as delegates had opportunities for questions and answers at special work sessions that were repeated several times before the actual vote was taken.

Program: There were recommended and non-recommended program study items. All current positions including the new Immigration Study were passed. A Health Care program to educate members and communities in order to be better prepared to do health care advocacy as needed was also passed. A proposed concurrence to amend the LWVUS Principles to reenforce a balance among the three branches of government: legislative, executive and judicial, passed. A non-recommended program item to adopt using the National Popular Vote compact among the states as a method of electing the President was sponsored by LWV-Saratoga Springs, NY, and passed after a card vote was tabulated. The voting process included voice, then standing, and finally a card vote to ensure that delegates wishes were reflected accurately. A Multi-Level Education and Advocacy Campaign to promote solutions to global climate change was proposed by LWV-Deerfield/Lincolnshire, IL, as an amendment to the League global warming initiative and was approved. Redistricting proposals by Connecticut and Virginia, which were of interest to NM because of its current study, failed.

Bylaws: Bylaw changes were minimal and related to clarification to ensure that electronic meetings were included, one delegate to convention will be awarded for every 100 members-at-large (MALS) in a state, the members of the nominating committee were reduced from seven to five, and clarifying language about concurrence. All passed.

Election of Officers: The proposed slate that included Mary Wilson as a returning president was passed by acclamation. The meeting was open to nominations from the floor, but there were none. Men will have representation on the board with the election of Norman Turrill, director, who had been serving as lst Vice-President and Action Chair, LWVOR. As a hometown boy he was written up in the local newspaper.

Resolution: Submitting and reviewing resolutions was a "hot topic" that created a lot of debate during the Adoption of Rules of Convention. The Board was asked to design a rule about resolutions that would be considered at 2009 Council and used at 2010 Convention. A second resolution to revise LWVUS fund raising material to ensure that it is not interpreted as membership recruitment or dues notices also passed.

Guest Speakers: Three excellent speakers addressed the delegates. Barbara Roberts, first woman governor of Oregon (1991-1995), spoke about women as political leaders. John Kitzhaber, MD, and former governor of Oregon (1995-2003) spoke about health care. Rebecca Love Kourlis, former Colorado Supreme Court Justice addressed issues related to the court system. A panel about Climate Change was also held.

Twelve new leagues were recognized: Two each from Georgia, Indiana, Maryland and one each from Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, North Carolina, and Washington.

The State Roll Call gave bragging rights to state presidents or their representatives. An exhibit and wares market had lots of goodies to bring home.

There is a lot of information about the convention on the LWVUS web site: www.lwv.org. Click on Members tab.

The League of Women Voters celebrates August 26 as the day the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified and women received the right to vote . Although ticker-tape parades are not in vogue in current times, we celebrate this ratification whenever we exercise our right to vote.

In 1971, Representative Bella Abzug urged the U.S. Congress to designate August 26th as "Women’s Equality Day," and President Jimmy Carter made it official. It commemorates not only the ratification of the 19th amendment but also calls attention to women’s continuing efforts toward full equality.

Bella Abzug represented her district in Manhattan, NY, from 1971-1977. She was a leader in the women’s movement. Many of us remember her for the hats she wore. It was her philosophy that the hats gave her recognition among the men that worked with her. Otherwise, she was asked to "serve the coffee."

our community service of voter education.

1st National Bank

Alta Vista Animal Clinic

Binns Construction & Realty

Joseph P. Camunez, DDS

Citizens Bank

Dolores Connor

Doggy Dude Ranch and Cat Farm

East Lohman Veterinary Clinic

Edward Jones Investments, Connie Lee, I.R.

Horizon Mechanical, Inc.

Carole Jarden

Lilley Law Offices

Francisco Mario Ortiz, Esq.

Jake Sims & Co.

State National Bank

Tate Associates

Wells Fargo Bank

Clinton F. Welsh, MD

Zia Engineering & Environmental Consultants

Volume 39, Issue 3– August 2008

Published Monthly

P.O. Box 8322

Las Cruces, NM 88006-8322

(575) 524-VOTE (8683)

www.zianet.com/lwv

President—Cathy Mathews

Vice President—Vicki Simons

Secretary—Nancy Phillips

Treasurer—Pat Kratz

Donna Tate

Bonnie Burn

Marnie Leverett

Sue Liefeld

LaJune Smith

Becky Beckett—522-8171

Marnie Leverett—522-0347

Marjorie Burr—522-2528

Barbara Goedecke—522-0323

Archivist—Barbara Myers

Historian—Judith Scott

Web Master—Jim Leverett

Bonnie Burn—526-0013

burnb@comcast.net

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The League of Women Voters of Greater Las Cruces, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.