NEXT OWL-CA COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 22-23,
2011 Council Meeting January 22-23, 2011
San Jose Airport Garden Hotel (formerly the Holiday Inn) 1740
North First Street, San Jose 95112-4584 Hotel Reservations: Room
Rate--$79 plus tax, double or single Call by January 15, 2011 for
the OWL-CA Room Rate (408) 793-3947 or (408) 793-3300 & press
“0” for reservations
Call by January 15th-- ask for the Older Women’s League Meeting
Rate (After that date, the best rate available will be
offered)
Saturday: January 22 (No Lunch) 1:00--2:30 Public Policy
“Lobbying 101” -- Roberta Battle & Margie Metzler 2:45--3:45
Committee Meetings (Chairs will contact members) 4:00--5:00
Executive Committee Meeting
(Dinner on your own)
7:30 Get Acquainted Event—Meg Bowman, Santa Clara Chapter
Sunday: January 23 Breakfast on your own 8:30—3:30 Council
Meeting (including lunch) 3:30 Adjourn
Please complete registration form and send to OWL-CA, 1230 N
Street, Ste. 201, Sacramento, CA 95814 Make checks payable to
OWL-CA. Send ASAP.
Registration: Council Meeting & Sunday Luncheon $20
______
Founded in 1980, OWL is a nonprofit membership
organization, the first and only national organization
to focus solely on the concerns of midlife and older women as
they age. Broadly speaking, its goals are to achieve
economic and social equity for older women, to improve their
image and status, and to provide for mutual support. Utilizing
the expertise and experience of members through a network of
chapters, OWL has become firmly established as a national
voice for older women—a segment of the population that has
long been unrepresented.
OWL was conceived by two California women, Tish Sommers and
Laurie Shields, whose earlier work to eradicate the job
inequities midlife women face helped to create the displaced
homemakers movement. Their legacy continues in the work of OWL
members of all ages and both sexes. Through research,
education and advocacy activities, OWL chapters and at-large
members throughout the United States address the economic,
social and health problems women face as they become
older.
OWL’s national, state, and local agendas—set by
members—focus on a number of issues, such as: Quality and
affordable health care for all, Social Security, Pensions, Job
and Housing Discrimination, Family Caregivers, Budget Cuts,
and Remaining in control of one’s life to the end. Education
and advocacy take many forms, including consumer reports and
brochures, newsletters, letters to and testimony before
legislatures, media outreach, chapter meetings, and
conferences and leadership training. OWL’s leaders mainly come
from local chapters, whose members work on the national
agenda, on state and local concerns, and on bringing women
together for mutual support.
Our work as grassroots advocates to improve the status and
quality of life of midlife and older women, includes the
following priorities:
HEALTH CARE
Support a publicly financed universal health
care system
Expand and enhance Medicare to uninsured
populations
Promote available high quality long-term and
chronic care
ECONOMIC SECURITY
Back a gender neutral Social Security
system
Expand access to pensions for
women
Broaden the SSI program
Enforce wage and age discrimination
laws
Provide access to affordable
housing
QUALITY OF LIFE
Ensure freedom from violence and
abuse
Enhance the right to control our lives until
the end
Support the continuation of the Older
Americans Act
PRIMARY GOALS OF Owl
California
CREATE a closer network among the state’s
chapters and at-large membership.
SUPPORT current chapters and assist and
encourage formation of new chapters.
EDUCATE on issues of concern to midlife and
older women as they affect us in
California.
INCREASE members’ awareness of California
legislation on issues from our national agenda, and
effectively advocate and coordinate membership action at
state and local
levels.
Our 2010 Council
Meeting is over, and it was a big success. Our three days were full of
activities. Roberta Battle and Kathleen Lane conducted a state
Public Policy meeting, and we voted on our November 2010 Ballot
Proposition recommendations. (Click here for
the Word document, or here for a
PDF.) We also devoted an hour to discuss our goals and our
financial future. This meeting, chaired by Clare Ahern, featured a
proposal to purchase and install a financial accounting system so
that we can be in compliance with accepted financial methods.
Friday ended with a lovely wine and cheese
reception and short films afterwards.
We were treated to an exercise session by Ann
Connolly, followed by Anthony Wright, Director, Health
Access, talking about state health legislation. A delicious buffet
lunch followed, courtesy of National OWL. Afternoon speakers were
Dr. Laurie Young, “Our Legacy Past,” presentation of the Golden OWL
Award to Shirley Harlan, and Sessions on Social Security and
Diabetes.
See above for comments made by Congresswoman Jackie Speier in
support of Betty, OWL, and Social Security.
The highlight of
the council meeting was the Banquet honoring Betty Perry,
Legislative Director, OWL-CA. Betty was resplendent, and the
luminaries included Congresswoman Doris Matsui, Congresswoman Jackie
Speier (who appeared earlier in the day), Assemblymember Mariko
Yamada, Candidate for Assembly Roger Dickenson, Susan McKee, Bill
Powers, Jodi Reid, Frances Gracechild, Anthony Wright, and finally,
Betty spoke.
Slideshow from Betty's Banquet
Sunday included more meetings and lunch, and then we all
struggled home, exhausted!
Thanks to our wonderful planning committee: Ruth Kletzing
chaired, with help from Ida Curtice, Audrey Barth, Randy Hicks, and
Margie Metzler.
Betty's Memory
Book (with some items that were inadvertantly left out of the
original)
