We ask Christy Smith: When does the California Legislature hit Gender Parity?

CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: Today we welcome Christy Smith, the former Democratic Assemblymember for California’s 38th Assembly District. Smith also ran three times for Congress, holding the record as the best performing Democratic candidate for the 25th/27th Congressional district, but ultimately losing those races to Republican Mike Garcia – once by less than 350 votes.

Today she is the Executive Director for Emerge California, the state’s arm of the national organization that recruits and trains Democratic women to run for office. She spoke with us about the likelihood that the California Legislature will achieve gender parity in the near future, and about the unique challenges that face women candidates.

Plus, we tell you Who Had the Worst Week in California Politics.

1:03 Talk about Emerge California

2:13 Gender parity?

5:39 Is it hard to get women to run for office?

9:06 Male candidates vs. female candidates

10:26 What did you learn in running for office?

15:28 How do biases against women play out for lawmakers?

19:03 “You look like you belong in congress”

19:49 The 2026 gov’s race

29:54 Who is going to win CA27 in November?

31:20 WWCA: Plenty to choose from