Archived Radio Show

July 31, 2023

Original Radio Show  ID:
WSA230731

Listen to the Show on the Mp3 Player below

Duration 57 minutes

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Featuring

Click the Name to access the Segment below

1. Commentary by Elaine B. Holtz,  Host of Women's Spaces 

2. Guest Laura Wells, Green Party organizer and former candidate.

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1. Commentary by Elaine B. Holtz: I have a special guest for this show, joining me on the phone will be Laura Wells, longtime activist and Green Party organizer and former candidate, and we will be talking about political parties and the process they go through to get on the ballot and how that is regulated, along with some history.

Announcement: Last chance to get tickets for the special fundraiser for KBBF being 50 years on the air will be happening this Thursday, August 3rd, at the Luther Burbank Center. They still have a few tickets on sale, go to https://kbbf.org/  and hit the button to buy a ticket. Ken and I will be there along with California Senate Majority Mike McGuire will be the master of ceremonies. Lots of good food, music, and a great silent auction.

Special Happy Birthday to co-producer Ken Norton sitting right here with me. A shout out to all those who showed up at his party on Saturday and wished him a Happy Birthday on Facebook.

A reminder of the Sonoma County Gazette is now on the street and I in the Radioland section I am featured. Make sure you pick it up.

I attended the Commission on Human Rights meeting on July 25 where the Kathleen Finigan Award Ceremony was presented. This was the first time it was presented, and the recipient was Heather Jackson from Acts of Kindness. Acts of Kindness is a volunteer run non-profit whose mission is to provide necessities, resources, and advocacy to enrich the well-being of the homeless and financially underprivileged in our community. Congratulations Heather. https://socoactsofkindness.org/ 

Can you believe it, this is the last Monday of the month, and we will be doing the Women’s Spaces Pledge. Also, just to let you know in August it will be 50 years ago that I moved up to Sonoma County to go to SSU. What a great decision that was.

I also want to do a shout out to our GoLocal organization for all their support. Make sure you pick up one of their guides and/or magazines that can be found at many local businesses.

FYI Single Working Women's Week is happening from - July 30 - August 5, 2023 (The Full Week containing August 4, which is Single Working Women's Day).

2. Our Guest Laura Wells shares her political journey, from running as a Green Party candidate for California State Controller in 2002, then for California Governor in 2010 and in 2018 for Congress for the CA 13th District. The principles of the Green Party most fit her concerns for the environment and peace, while refusing corporate funding. Our host Elaine did some research on 3rd Parties.

Laura recounts some of the challenges she and other 3rd party candidates face, from the cost of fees, which Laura explains in detail, to getting coverage on the corporate media. The Electoral College and the allotment of two senators to each state, no matter the population, something from the slave days, also hinder a true democratic process. In 2000 and in 2016, a President was elected who lost the popular vote. This system made “swing states” possible, which receives most of the corporate media attention. Laura said We the People suffer when the system is set up for 3rd Party candidates to be unwinnable. A further setback for 3rd Party viability came with the League for Women Voters facing so many restrictions by the two major parties that the League stopped hosting the debates. Laura encourages Proportional Representation that over 90 countries embrace and Rank Choice Voting for higher offices.

About our Guest: Laura Wells was born and raised in Michigan. As a scholarship student, she earned her BA in foreign languages from Wayne State University in Detroit in 1969 and was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa society. Laura went on to earn a Master of Education at Antioch University, and lived in Boston, Massachusetts for ten years working in finance, computer programming, and systems analysis. In 1992 Laura switched to working with nonprofits such as Pesticide Action Network and Women’s Economic Agenda Project, and other sectors such as schools, labor unions and county government. For the past 30+ years Laura has lived in California, and has been an Oakland resident since 2000.

Since registering as a Green, Laura has served in a number of leadership positions at the county and state levels of the Green Party of California. She was a founding member of the Green Party County Council in Alameda County and a co-founder and managing editor of the state’s Green Party newspaper, Green Focus. Laura found a political home in the Green Party. She appreciated the recognition that the problems facing everyone were interrelated: peace and non-violence, the environment, wealth and poverty, and social justice. She saw that real justice was up against all the “isms” of society. She liked the fact that Greens put principles into practice by never accepting corporate money, or developer money either, since developers bought government at the level of cities.

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Guest Link:

Laura Wells' website:  https://laurawells.org/

Green Party (National website): https://www.gp.org/

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 Herstory

Our history is our strength. Check out important dates to remember in herstory at the National Women's History Alliance,, where the date descriptions were sourced unless otherwise indicated.

Herstory's Event:

July 29, 1974. “Philadelphia Eleven” deacons (Merrill Bittner, Alla Bozarth-Campbell, Alison Cheek, Emily Hewitt, Carter Heyward, Suzanne Hiatt, Marie Moorefield, Jeannette Piccard, Betty Schiess, Katrina Swanson, and Nancy Wittig) ordained as the first women Episcopal priests.

Herstory Birthdays:

July 30, 1939 – Eleanor Smeal, women’s rights activist, co-founder, and president of the Feminist Majority Foundation (1987) and publisher of Ms. Magazine, president of National Organization for Women (1977-1982 and 1985-1987)

July 30, 1940 – Patricia Schroeder, U.S. Representative from Colorado (1973-1997), first woman to serve in U.S. Congress from Colorado, first woman on the House Armed Services Committee, promoted the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, president, and CEO of the Association of American Publishers (1997-2008).

July 31, 1924 (2010) – Geraldine Hoff Doyle, the model for the World War II “We Can Do It” poster which came to symbolize Rosie the Riveters, women who worked in factories to support the war effort.

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Announcements  

Thursday, August 3, 2023, 5 to 8 PM, Luther Burbank Center, Radio KBBF 50th Anniversary Gala Fundraiser. Senator Mike McGuire will be the Master of Ceremonies. To RSVP, purchase tickets or sponsorship, arrange for a table for your organization, visit https://kbbf.org/

Monday, August 7, 2023, 11 AM PT # repeats 11 PM PT, the show will feature Zakiya Thomas, President and CEO of the ERA Coalition and Fund for Women’s Equality. Radio KBBF 89.1 FM, North SF Bay or live streaming at https://kbbf.org/live

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Wednesday, August 9, 2023, 11 AM PT, repeat of Monday's show that features .  Radio KPCA 103.3 FM, Petaluma, CA. https://petalumacommunityaccess.org/kpca 

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Music Selections

The Opening and Closing Theme song The Woman in Your Life is You is done with permission of the Composer and Singer Alix Dobkin ((August 16, 1940 – May 19, 2021) Alix Dobkin death was just announced - Thank you for all you did for Lesbians to be recognized and Women to be honored. May you rest in peace. See our Interview with Alix Dobkin on 12/1/2014 and our Memorial to Alix Dobkin on 5/24/2021

The Woman in Your Life is You by Alix Dobkin from the album Living with Lavender Jane (2010 Women's Wax Works) - www.alixdobkin.com

My Vote is My Voice sung by Kathleen Bertrand from the single My Vote is My Voice (2020 Kibe Music). 

Brother Warrior sung by Sherry Austin.from the album Love Still Remains (2010 Sherry Austin).

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Link:  Spinitron.com Playlist for Women's Spaces Show