AAUW Tustin Santa Ana Orange branch has been named a 5 Star Branch!
This distinction reflects exemplary leadership and impact across Advancement, Public Policy & Advocacy, Governance & Sustainability, Programming, and Communications & External Relations.
We were recognized for our mission-aligned, sustainable work that strengthens our community and AAUW nationwide.
Please go to the Program page to get the directions for our meeting place
SAVE-THE-DATE!! The AAUW TSAO Holiday Party will be on Sunday, December 7th from 3pm – 5pm!
Members, spouses and guest are cordially invited.
Stay tuned for further details…
An official statement from AAUW California regarding Prop 50
Prop 50 – From AAUW California
Investing in Our Democratic Future: Non-Partisan Voter Education Around Proposition 50 in California – This is an official statement from AAUW California.
By Sue Miller, Public Policy Committee Member
We are currently seeing and experiencing creeping authoritarian efforts to undermine fair representation, trusted information, and democratic norms in our country. This unprecedented condition, paired with overwhelming federal encroachment, presents a significant threat to many of the things that we care about, including AAUW’s mission of advancing equity for women and girls: although California continues to maintain strong protections for women and girls, marginalized peoples, free speech, accurate history, sound science, and democratic norms, we are still subject to the laws, rules, and enforcement actions of the federal government. As such, as part of this year’s GOTV campaign, AAUW California will be providing information-centered messages on the potential benefits of Proposition 50 for all Californians.
The approval of Proposition 50 by California voters in November 2025 will approve redistricting efforts in California for the next election cycles (until maps are redrawn after the next census in 2030). With the passage of Proposition 50, we will experience a short-term loss of state democratic and people-centered control of an important aspect of democracy: redistricting. This effort will also seemingly have partisan benefits.
However, a short-term loss of people-centered redistricting can also be seen as an investment in a democratic future in the long term, one in which we can have more, not less, of the will of the people recognized – all of the people, regardless of who they are. Furthermore, partisanship may be seen as a reductive label when the choice has become one of supporting authoritarianism or preserving functional democracy.
Redistricting should be in the hands of the people. Gender equity should be a consistent priority so that the dreams of a pluralistic democracy are one step closer to being realized. None of this is possible if our state is operating in a federal system in which democracy is no longer functional, listing instead toward an authoritarian system that puts troops in our streets, that censors our speech, that erases historical facts, that does not rely on sound science in decision-making, that directly endangers the wellbeing of women and girls, and that dehumanizes important and valued members of our communities.
Our goal in this campaign is to provide reliable information as a trusted resource to voters in California, and the wider public, about the potential ramifications and potential benefits of Proposition 50’s passage and dispel misinformation about partisanship and redistricting in this political moment. We will also encourage and assist voters to go to the polls for this special election to vote as individuals on whether the proposed redistricting should be approved. Providing this encouragement to get out and vote and information about Proposition 50, including about potential benefits, is acting in alignment with our mission and our nonpartisan commitments, as we are advancing a pro-democracy message: we seek to support any and all efforts to preserve and advance democracy and our public policy priorities in the face of a growing authoritarian threat.
Let’s all join in working together to advance our public policy priorities in moving California forward.
Final, Important Comments regarding the above: Learn how Proposition 50 combats efforts to further advance Project 2025. Check your voter registration to be sure it’s current at http//voterstatus.sos.ca.gov Ballots were sent out on Oct. 6, 2025, you should have received your ballot. Vote early. Media will be monitoring and reporting on turnout. Robust early turnout encourages others to vote. If you are voting by mail, mail your ballot early, as votes put into the post office on November 4th may not be processed on time. If you are voting early, use the Voter Drop Boxes and sign up for vote tracking.
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The American Association of University Women (AAUW) empowers women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research. Our nonpartisan, nonprofit organization has more than 170,000 members and supporters across the United States, as well as 1,000 local branches and 800 college and university partners. Since AAUW’s founding in 1881, our members have examined and taken positions on the fundamental issues of the day — educational, social, economic, and political.
AAUW’s Mission
AAUW advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research.
AAUW’s Value Promise
By joining AAUW, you belong to a community that breaks through educational and economic barriers so that all women and girls have a fair chance.
The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap
You’ve probably heard that men are paid more than women are paid over their lifetimes. But what does that mean? Are women paid less because they choose lower-paying jobs? Is it because more women work part time than men do? Or is it because women have more care giving responsibilities? And what, exactly, does gender bias have to do with paychecks?
AAUW’s The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap succinctly addresses these issues by going beyond the widely reported 80 percent statistic.
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Know Your Rights: Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault under Title IX
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a comprehensive federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in education. It covers women and men, girls and boys, and staff and students in any educational institution or program that receives federal funds. Local school districts, colleges and universities, for-profit schools, career and technical education agencies, libraries, and museums are all covered under Title IX.
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