POLICY WATCH – September 2025
In This Issue
Proposition 50 Voter Guide from Cal Matters
Why Keeping our Community Colleges and Universities Funded is Critical by EdSource
United Against Hate Week
Upcoming Events
All Aboard! SMART Initiative Kickoff Celebration- September 30th, 5:30pm-7:30pm
State of the North Bay Economic Conference-October 16th, 8:30am-10:00am
CA Forward Economic Summit- October 21-23
Welcome New Member- LEMO USA
Members in the News
This month’s newsletter brings you resources to help navigate the issues shaping the North Bay business climate. With Proposition 50 on the ballot, CalMatters offers a clear voter guide on what it could mean for our economy and representation in the region. EdSource underscores why stable funding for community colleges and universities is vital to developing a future workforce our employers depend on. We also call attention to United Against Hate Week, a timely reminder of the importance of community resilience as federal policies create heightened divisions.
We also provide a list of upcoming events where you can connect and engage directly on these pressing issues and welcome our newest member to NBLC, LEMO USA.
Enjoy.
Best Regards,
Joanne
Understanding Prop 50 from Cal Matters:
Why trust CalMatters? They have been reporting on what voters need to know in California elections for more than a decade. As a newsroom, their journalism is nonpartisan and independent from commercial or political interests. Below is an excerpt from an article published online on September 22 that will help you better understand Prop 50, and how it may impact you and your congressional district if voters pass Prop 50 on November 4th. You can enter your address to look up your current congressional district and see how it will change.
Do you like your representative in Congress and don’t want to lose them? Did you vote yes on creating an independent redistricting commission to mitigate the role of partisan politics in drawing congressional maps more than a decade ago?
All of that can change on Nov. 4. That’s when Californians will be asked to vote yes or no on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ballot measure to redraw the state’s congressional districts in a way that would increase the odds of Democrats’ gaining five seats in the House of Representatives. It’s the governor’s bid to offset a Republican gambit in Texas to gerrymander five seats in favor of Republicans.
To help you make a decision on how to cast your ballot, we have a special edition of our Voter Guide out today to help you understand Proposition 50, the lone statewide item you’ll be voting on in seven weeks.
California voters approved ballot measures in 2008 and 2010 to model less-partisan redistricting behavior for the rest of the country. Several other states followed, but most still stick to the process of having state lawmakers draw maps in a partisan fashion at the close of every decennial census.
Enter Texas and Donald Trump. The president, fearing that the slim Republican majority in the House will disappear at the midterm elections next year, asked Texas GOP leaders to redraw their congressional maps this year to increase the odds more Republicans are elected. Texas delivered. So, Newsom and the supermajority of Democrats in the Legislature put together Prop. 50 to suspend the state’s independent redistricting commission until 2030 to try to neutralize what Texas did.
Already $90 million in campaign spending has poured into this ballot measure. So far, two polls show Californians are gearing up to approve Prop 50, though many are still undecided.
Learn more from the guide here.
Need more information on Prop 50? Please read the Legislative Analyst’s Office Analysis of the Measure here.
Or Join The League of Women Voters for an educational forum on the ramifications of Prop 50.
Redistricting and Prop 50.
Monday, October 6, 5-6:30pm on Zoom
Sonoma County League of Women Voters hosts Pedro Toledo, a member of the California Citizens Redistricting Committee, who will explain the ramifications of Prop 50.
Link to event: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81124956086
NBLC Work Plan Priority- Workforce Development/Education
Improving student outcomes, and matching skills to job requirements for ALL students in the North Bay are priority focus areas for NBLC because education is crucial to the future of California. It is the best place to invest, to reap economic, social, public health, and environmental benefits. NBLC seeks to provide more career technical education, more focus on closing the achievement gap, greater college access, and more support for higher education. Our students are competing for the jobs of the future with students from all over the world. We need to ensure that the government is making education their top investment and elevate public education to the top of the rankings.
The US Department of Education announced earlier this month that it is ending a grant program for Hispanic-Serving Institutions and several similar programs, a decision expected to sap funding from California colleges and universities that are eligible for extra federal dollars because they enroll high numbers of Latino students.
According to EdSource, Campuses earn a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HIS) designation by having an undergraduate student body that is at least 25% Latino. California has 167 such institutions, more than any other state, including five University of California campuses, 21 California State University campuses and most of the state’s community colleges. The designation allows those colleges to apply for the grants, which are competitive and not guaranteed to all HSIs. Together, California institutions have received more than $600 million in HSI grants since the program’s inception in 1995. Several of those colleges and universities are located in the North Bay including Sonoma State University, Napa Valley College, Santa Rosa Junior College, College of Marin and Dominican University of California.
The EdSource article continues, “CSU Chancellor Mildred García said in a statement that ending the HSI grant program “will have an immediate impact and irreparable harm to our entire community.” CSU campuses have used grants to help more students graduate faster, increase the number of low-income students in STEM majors and even train faculty in culturally responsive pedagogy.
“Without this funding, students will lose the critical support they need to succeed in the classroom, complete their degrees on time, and achieve social mobility for themselves and their families,” she said.
U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said grants for HSIs and other minority-serving institutions “discriminate by restricting eligibility to institutions that meet government-mandated racial quotas,” and called them unconstitutional.
“The Department looks forward to working with Congress to reenvision these programs to support institutions that serve underprepared or under-resourced students without relying on race quotas and will continue fighting to ensure that students are judged as individuals, not prejudged by their membership of a racial group,” McMahon added in a statement.
In total, the department said it will hold back $350 million in grant funding that was budgeted for fiscal year 2025. Most of that would have gone to HSIs, but some of it also would have been allocated to grant programs for colleges enrolling high numbers of Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiian students, Asian American students and Black students. “
United Against Hate Week, October 19-25
The United Against Hate (UAH) Campaign provides communities with a network, support, and resources to respond to and prevent hate and build inclusion and equity for all. The annual UAH Week is a call for local civic action to stop hate and bias. UAH Week is for everyone who wants to counter hate! City leaders, diverse community organizations, residents, schools, local businesses, and faith groups display posters and organize activities that promote belonging for all.
According to the United Against Hate website, in 2017, following the tragic events related to the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, VA, city leaders in Berkeley, Oakland and San Francisco and other Bay Area cities prepared for a wave of planned hate group rallies. In an effort to visibly reject the messages of hate, the City of Berkeley created and displayed “United Against Hate” posters around town. The posters quickly and spontaneously spread throughout communities in the East Bay. The 2018 call to establish United Against Hate Week emerged from the civic and community leaders that were a part of this original poster campaign at a meeting convened by Not In Our Town, a national anti-hate organization based in Oakland. Twenty-four jurisdictions and thirteen school districts participated in the inaugural campaign. Thirty-five community events were planned, and 25,000 posters were distributed to homes, businesses, houses of worship, and workplaces.
United Against Hate Week takes on added significance for employers at a time when stepped-up immigration enforcement is creating fear and uncertainty in the workforce. When employees and their families feel targeted or unsafe, it disrupts productivity, weakens retention, and strains workplace culture. For the North Bay economy—where many industries depend on immigrant labor—this climate of fear can undermine business stability and growth. By standing united against hate, employers not only affirm their values but also help build a stronger, more resilient workforce, ensuring that all employees can contribute fully without fear of discrimination or intimidation.
Please click here to see how you can participate.
Upcoming Events:
All Aboard! SMART Initiative Kickoff, Tuesday, September 30th, 5:30-7:30pm Lagunitas Brewing Co., Petaluma
Come enjoy great food, local beer, and good company as we rally support for the SMART Initiative. This critical measure will keep trains running for another 30 years and ensure SMART can continue to build and maintain the bike and pedestrian pathways that connect our communities.
We’ll be joined by State Senate President Mike McGuire, Assemblymembers Damon Connolly and Chris Rogers, and dozens of local leaders, transit champions, and community members who know how much is at stake. We hope to see you there!
Tickets on Sale NOW: Thursday, October 16th, 8:30am-10:00am, via zoom: State of the North Bay Economic Conference.
Back by Popular Demand is Jeff Bellisario, Executive Director Bay Area Council Economic Institute to present original data on the North Bay Economic Report. Followed by a panel of Leading Employers to break down the impact of AI moderated by Zachary Kushel, Founder & Partner at Marin Sonoma Impact Ventures.
Purchase tickets here
Registration for the 2025 California Economic Summit in Stockton October 21-23 is Now Open!
Hosted by California Forward (CA FWD) in partnership with the California Stewardship Network, this year’s Summit marks the 14th annual gathering of leaders from across industries, sectors, and regions who are working to catalyze a New California Economy.
The annual California Economic Summit is the place to participate in shared learning and engagement, celebrate successes across regions, catalyze action at the state and federal level, and ultimately work together to promote system change toward an economic model that is truly resilient, sustainable, and inclusive. NBLC is a member of CA Stewardship Network and we hope you can attend this year’s summit.
Join us in shaping California’s economic future! Register here
Welcome New Member- LEMO USA
North Bay Leadership Council provides a strong voice for leading employers to drive public policy in our region. Our membership consists of private businesses, public institutions, hospitals and members in the health care sector, government agencies, as well as nonprofits. They represent over 100,000 employees, across 27 different industry sectors. This diversity in membership brings the vision needed to our work to address complex issues and improve the community as a whole. The challenges we face require regional leadership, to work collaboratively in finding regional solutions.
LEMO USA- is the California-based subsidiary of LEMO SA, a Swiss-based global leader in the design and manufacture of high-quality, custom electrical and fiber optic interconnect solutions. The Swiss may be known for neutrality and chocolate, but they're also known for precision and quality, which is precisely the sort of Swiss export located in the North Bay in Rohnert Park. Known for the original "Push-Pull" connector, LEMO products are found in applications ranging from medical to telecommunications, made by companies that range from Panavision to Boeing
NBLC Board Chair Karleen Arnink-Pate, Chief Revenue Officer, Sonoma Media Investments, said, “We are excited that LEMO USA is joining NBLC. We look to their knowledge and deep expertise in advanced manufacturing and innovation, with a global perspective on supply chains, workforce development, and customer-driven strategy. Their leadership adds a forward-looking voice to the membership, helping the North Bay can stay competitive and adapt to change.”