ARTICLES
September 2003 ARTICLES
Contents © 2003
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.
Tell a Parent
Training Sessions, Website Set to Go for Parental Notification Drive
In mid-October, just after the Gray Davis recall election, the petitions for the Tell a Parent initiative (parental notification for minor abortions) will be hitting the streets.
The title and summary for this ballot proposition, to go on the November, 2004 state ballot, should be submitted to the attorney general by August 31. The attorney general has 45 days to approve the language submitted. As soon as he does, printing presses will churn out petitions overnight to be mailed to volunteers across the state.
Volunteers have 150 days (about five months) to gather the 598,105 signatures necessary, but gatherers are urged to turn in their work as soon as possible to keep the costs of the initiative down. The volunteer coordinating effort, called Life on the Ballot, is offering 75 cents a signature (the same rate paid on the street for the recall), to be paid to the church or charity of the gatherer's choice or to the petition circulator himself.
Some volunteers have offered to collect signatures for free to make the drive cheaper and easier to complete. Christine Woznicki of St. Bartholmew's parish in Long Beach called Life on the Ballot to say she has "about 15 people who want to work at [her] parish on gathering signatures and they do not wish to accept any money for the signatures."
These volunteers will be meeting for training sessions at the following locations:
SAN DIEGO COUNTY
Our Lady of the Rosary parish hall
State and Date Sts. (Little Italy)
San Diego
Saturday, Sep. 27, 10-12 a.m.
ORANGE COUNTY
Central Baptist Church
7661 Warner Avenue
Huntington Beach
Saturday, Sep 27, 2003, 1-4 p.m.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY
San Gabriel Valley:
St. Anthony's parish
1901 S. San Gabriel Bl.
San Gabriel
South Bay:
St. Peter and Paul school auditorium
706 Bay View
Wilmington
Saturday, Sep. 27, 2-4 p.m.
San Fernando Valley:
Guardian Angel parish hall
10886 Lehigh Ave., Pacoima
Saturday, Sep 27, 10 a.m.-12 noon
VENTURA COUNTY
St. Augustine school auditorium, Saticoy
Saturday, Oct. 4, 10 a.m.-12 noon
CENTRAL VALLEY
Bakersfield:
First Assembly of God church,
4901 California Blvd.
661-631-3917
Saturday, Sep. 13, 11 a.m.
Fresno:
Office of Right to Life of Central California,
1742 E. Griffith
559-229-2229
Saturday, Sep 20, 11 a.m.
Visalia:
Office of Tulare/Kings Right to Life
1120 W. Murray
559-732-5000
Saturday, Oct. 4, 10 a.m.
SACRAMENTO COUNTY
Citrus Heights:
Sylvan Oaks Christian Church
6540 Sylvan Road
Citrus Heights.
Saturday, Oct 4, 2003, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
SAN FRANCISCO AREA
San Mateo
St. Gregory's church,
2715 Hacienda St.
San Mateo
Thursday, Sept. 11, 7:30 p.m.
MARIN COUNTY
Kentfield
Saint Sebastian Church
Sir Francis Drake Blvd. and Bon Aire Road, Kentfield
Saturday, Oct. 4, 9:30 a.m.
SONOMA COUNTY
Petaluma
St. Vincent de Paul Church,
35 Liberty Street, Petaluma
Saturday, Oct. 11, 9:00 a.m.
[Tentative. Please check website lifeontheballot.org or phone (415) 927-7318]
SAN JOSE AREA
Our Lady of Peace, Santa Clara
Saturday, Sep. 27, 11 a.m
OAKLAND AREA
Holy Cross Lutheran Church hall
1092 Alberta Way, Concord
Saturday, September 27, 9 a.m
These training sessions, though helpful, are not necessary to join the signature gathering. How to get petitions, guidelines, practical suggestions about petition circulating, and much more is available at the website LifeontheBallot.org. Information also available by calling 213-896-9554.