Over the last several election cycles, activist and past President of the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles, Mona Field has led bipartisan discussions on ballot initiatives by simplifying language for voters to better understand the issues. In preparation for the 2026 midterms, she stresses why a healthy democracy needs us all, and why we must maintain the ability to listen and hear each other and share our views with both candor and compassion.

I choose to associate myself with organizations which strive to promote and support democratic values, thoughtful dialogue, and respectful discussions. As a Jewish American, I understand in a deep sense the importance of dialogue. That value and skill is built into our traditions. From the ancient scholars to today’s diverse communities, to our children learning Jewish values, we have always believed in the deepest possible exploration of ideas, challenges, and even conflicts.

In the programs at the Skirball that I continue to lead—sharing presentations about the ballot measures, offering an impartial, non-partisan pro and con conversation—audiences are given the best possible information, and all with a variety of viewpoints are welcome.

The Skirball discussions are part of a larger effort through the League of Women Voters of Greater Los Angeles, presenting election information to thousands of Southern Californians. Our dialogues are met with great appreciation, helping voters cut through the junk in the mail and on the air waves and develop the information to understand the real meaning of the propositions.

This fall, the usual mélange of controversial, confusing, and very costly propositions appears on our state ballot. “Costly” because, as usual, elections are costly to all the special interest groups that spend hundreds of millions of dollars blasting us with propaganda, either pro or con.

While many Californians have already heard about the more publicized measures, such as the billionaire tax, there are so many more that will potentially affect our taxes, the way the recall process works, potential public financing of elections, healthcare costs, and much more. We learn in our discussions that these ballot measures create odd couples of special interest groups, coming together for one and opposing each other on another.

Our latest Skirball discussion on Sunday, October 18 covers all fourteen measures, including the two that relate to housing affordability, six regarding taxation and budget issues, two on healthcare, three on governance, and one with impact on the environment. Some of the propositions were developed and put on the ballot to nullify others. It is truly the Wild West when Californians vote on their ballot measures.

While our values may differ, and our voting decisions also may diverge, we should all at least start from a point of accurate information. Having that is the beginning of determining what we want to support and oppose on our ballot.

I always urge the audience to please ignore the junk mail and the ads, because they are often misleading and even fallacious. While it is time consuming to attend a program like this, it actually saves a great deal of aggravation as voters look at that lengthy list of propositions and wonder how they should vote. Having some essential accurate facts helps tremendously in people making their voting decisions.

We will discuss the basic information about each proposition, the pro and con viewpoints, and look carefully at the money behind the scenes. Special interest spending—greater each year—will result in your mailbox, both snail mail and email, being bombarded. Also, television ads, radio ads, and every form of social media advertising will attempt to seduce your vote.

Attending these presentations makes you feel empowered about voting rather than disgusted and concerned that you cannot make heads or tails of these many complex propositions.

I hope you will join us Sunday, October 18 for our thoughtful and respectful conversation about these many controversial measures.

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Mona Field is a lifelong Angelino and activist. She is Professor Emerita of Glendale Community College with a specialty in California state and local politics and served four terms as an elected official on the board of trustees of the Los Angeles Community College District. She has been active in the League of Women Voters of Greater Los Angeles and is widely sought as a speaker every election season.