Following the historic nomination of former Secretary of State, Alex Padilla, as the first Latino Senator of California- we are proud to see another historic moment in California’s new Secretary of State. The most recent confirmation of former Assemblymember, Dr. Shirley Weber, the fourth woman to ever hold the position of Secretary of State and the first Black woman to do so in state history, is an event to be proud of.
Secretary Weber has a passion for education. She served for eight years as school board member and president at San Diego City Schools. She has incorporated education throughout her political career by supporting bills on K-12 education reform. She is currently the chair of the Select Committee on Campus Climate- an organization created to alleviate hate crimes, explore student hunger, sexual assaults, homelessness, and the freedom of expression on California’s college and university campuses. Her educational expertise has made her an advocate for civic education and ensuring that people understand the election process.
Our newest Secretary of State is an advocate for greater voting access, as well as expanding the people’s voting options. One of her most notable achievements, a feat CLCV was proud to support, was pre-paid postage on all vote-by-mail ballots. She is supportive of making the vote-by-mail policy permanent for all registered voters in California. In the 2020 November election, this policy led to over 80% of registered voters casting a vote by mail ballot. Additionally, she supported the DISCLOSE Act. This legislation makes those funding our elections more transparent to voters. In accordance with her commitment to voter’s rights, she supported the Motor Voter Act, a ratification that registered and empowered millions of Californians to participate in the democratic process.
Secretary Weber has fought tirelessly to ensure that people who have come into contact with the criminal justice system know they have the right to vote after serving their time. Recently passed in November, Secretary Weber cast her support toward ACA 6, a piece of legislation allowing parolees to vote. In addition, she authored legislation requiring state and county officials to inform those released from incarceration of their voting rights, due to so many being misguided around the issue.
Secretary Weber has a 93% CLCV lifetime score. This represents her strong commitment to the environment and public health, along with her transparency and accessibility as a legislator. She works well with those who aim to protect and address the needs of California’s communities.
At a time when we see disreputable interests working to cast doubt on our elections, we need a Secretary of State with integrity who will work to bestow faith in our elections and democratic process. We have confidence in the leadership of California’s new Secretary of State, Dr. Shirley N. Weber.
