Friday, August 22, 2014

CFRW Capitol Update (Friday, August 22, 2014)

President’s Message

It is so important for us to all review our Bylaws and Standing Rules, especially in an election year. Here are a few examples from our CFRW Bylaws and Standing Rules that specifically talk about ethics. You might want to share these with all your club members.

ARTICLE V – ETHICS  Section 1. Candidate Endorsements
  1. Where there is more than one Republican candidate for nomination or election in a special election, a top two primary election, or a top two general election, if a local club wishes to vote to endorse one of the Republican candidates, they may do so provided that all other Republican candidates for that position have been given the opportunity to be heard. Such a vote shall require that all regular members receive ten days previous notice, including date, time and place of the meeting, and the vote to endorse the candidate is by ballot. Providing a quorum is present, a three-fourth (3/4) vote of those members present is required to endorse.
Section 4.It shall be considered a breach of ethics for a member to speak disparagingly in public of any Republican candidates. It shall also be considered a breach of ethics to publicly promote a candidate of another party in speech, in print or electronic communication in a partisan or non-partisan election and may be just cause for a member’s suspension or dismissal.
Standing Rules V Endorsements.
  1. While each Republican woman may work for the candidate of her choice, the local club and local club President must remain neutral until after the primary election.
Article V. Section 1 (a) However if there is only one Republican candidate at the close of the filing date, the Club President may endorse.

This also applies to State, Division, County Presidents and Regional Directors.

The actions that shall constitute the endorsement of a candidate can be found in the CFRW Bylaws Standing Rules V Endorsements 2.

Policy Section V Electronic Communications

All correspondence initiated or forwarded by a member becomes public record. The member then has ownership and shall be held accountable for all messages affecting the Federation under the guidelines of CFRW Ethics.   (See Bylaws Article V)

Starting in September our clubs will all be gearing up for the busy fall schedule of meetings and sharing important information to help our members elect our candidates in November. It might be helpful to have your club Parliamentarian make a presentation about the bylaws to help your members become more familiar with them at your September or October meeting and/or in your club newsletter. She might especially highlight the articles in the CFRW Bylaws/Standing Rules /and Procedures sections that pertain to elections, endorsements, and ethics.

I know it will be Republican Women who make a difference in November because we care about the future of our Federation, California, and America. We will work as hard as is necessary to ensure that America continues to be the greatest nation the world has even known!

God Bless You & God Bless America
Thank you for all you do,
Roseann
Working Together To Make A Difference
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Life or Death

As the end of session nears, some bills live on while others have met their demise. Unfortunately too many “bad bills” are still alive and well, and we have to work hard to stop them! Find you Assembly Member HERE

SB 33 (Wolk, D)- Remember this doozey? Well it has come out of hibernation and the Democrats are looking to pass it fast. SB 33 would repeal the voter approval apparatus to create “Infrastructure Financing Districts,” which would have the ability to raise bonds and joint powers agreements. This is a very dangerous bill which takes away voter oversight of government entities. Call your ASSEMBLY MEMBER and ask them to VOTE NO on SB 33!

SB 53 ( DeLeon, D)- This bill has been resurrected last minute! It was all but dead a week ago, but perhaps the Democrats are trying to pass it without the public noticing. We must act fast! SB 53 would mandate that Californians purchase permits before they can purchase ammunition for their guns, which would be kept on file with the Attorney General. This is a clear infringement of our Second Amendment rights and must be stopped! Please call your ASSEMBLY MEMBER and ask them to VOTE NO on SB 53!

SB 1077 (DeSaulnier, D)- Although this bill was amended days ago to change the name of the program from “Mileage Based Fees” to “Road Usage Charges,” the effect of the bill remains intact. Democrats want to squeeze every penny from Californians, so are proposing a pilot program to charge automobile users based on the miles they drive every day. There are so many things wrong with this bill; it is hard to name them all. First, it gives the California Transportation Commission carte blanch in creating and implementing this pilot program. There are serious privacy issues with tracking a citizen’s mileage and car usage. It disproportionately targets those who have to drive further for work or those in rural areas who drive further for necessities. We must stop this bill! Call your ASSEMBLY MEMBER and ask them to VOTE NO on SB 1077!
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Club Spotlight
This week’s spotlight club is Fresno City and County RWF! Great job ladies! Read more about the wonderful things this club is doing HERE
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Membership Handbook
Our National Federation of Republican Women’s Handbook has some really wonderful information on recruiting and maintaining members. Please take a look and help your club get over 100% membership this year! Click HERE for the handbook! 
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Support Our Candidates!

The general election is right around the corner and our members are working hard for Republican candidates across the state! Here is a list of the Republican candidates for statewide office and their websites so that you can help!
Governor – Neel Kashkari
Lieutenant Governor – Ron Nehring
Secretary of State – Pete Peterson
Controller – Ashley Swearengin
Treasurer – Greg Conlon
Attorney General – Ronald Gold
Insurance Commissioner – Ted Gaines
Board of Equalization District 1 – George Runner
Board of Equalization District 2 – James E. Theis
Board of Equalization District 3 – G. Rick Marshall
Board of Equalization District 4 – Diane L. Harkey
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Allison Olson, CFRW Advocate