The state Senate in Sacramento, where appointees of the governor face confirmation. (Photo: trekandshoot,via Shutterstock)OPINION: Women in this country have always had to be liked in order to survive. Prior to 1848, American women weren’t permitted to own property or work outside the home. Instead, they were forced to rely on men to determine their worth and much of that depended on whether or not they were found to be likeable.
A board of directors considers a financial report from the chief strategy officer. (Photo: Gorodenkoff, via Shutterstock)Amid growing calls for women on corporate boards, and headlines about corporate wrongdoing like the sexual harassment scandals at Google, California’s 662 publicly traded companies have added 669 women to their boards in the past two years. This sea change is driven by California Senate Bill 826, which took effect in 2019.
A doctor moves an ultrasound transducer across a woman's belly. (Photo: Andrey_Popov, via Shutterstock)OPINION: With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, expectant mothers of color in California now face two battles at once: potential exposure to a deadly virus, and long-standing inadequate access to the best prenatal and maternal healthcare. And as the Black Lives Matter protests and national conversations around racial injustice continue to spread across California, it is more important than ever that California lawmakers address the systemic racial health disparities that plague our communities and give rise to this lack of access.
An owner of a laundry in her shop. (Photo: Sirtravelsalot, via Shutterstock)OPINION: We are in an extraordinary time — one that has exposed significant structural inequities throughout society. But times of crisis provide opportunities for reimagining “norms” and initiating large-scale change. As many as 7.5 million small businesses are in danger of closing during the next five months as a result of the pandemic according to a survey by Main Street America.
A woman and her baby boy on the beach in San Diego. (Photo: Sarmiento Photography, via Shutterstock)OPINION: For nearly a quarter of a century, Parent Voices, a partnership of parents throughout California, has led an annual event on the grounds of California’s Capitol called “Stand for Children Day.” Each May, parent and youth leaders march side-by-side before meeting with legislators to advocate for policies that protect the state’s children and their families.
Presidential contender Elizabeth Warren at a 2019 rally in San Diego. (Photo: John Hancock, via Shutterstock) For the past year, Capitol Weekly has conducted over 10,000 surveys of likely Democratic primary election voters. These surveys have emailed Democratic and nonpartisan voters each month, asking them to complete a survey, and tracked their responses back to their voter registration to allow us to analyze candidate support by ethnicity, age, partisanship, and other factors.
A woman struggling with the aftermath of rape and violence. (Image: DoiDam 10, via Shutterstock)Of all the state’s residents, California’s 265,000 female farm workers are among the most vulnerable when it comes to sexual assault and rape. Farm worker survivors of sexual assault and those who are there to help them, California’s rape crisis centers, face many obstacles: survivors’ lack of English proficiency, immigration status, nature of employment, fear of employer retaliation, and distrust of authorities.
Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez addressing lawmakers about her labor bill, AB 5. (Photo: Rich Pedroncelli/APAssemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez wrapped up this legislative year feeling pretty good about her accomplishments. Despite often fierce opposition, the San Diego Democrat was able to pass 11 pieces of legislation, including those that protect child sexual abuse survivors and workers.
Employees in an open work space. (Photo: Monkey Business Images, via Shutterstock)OPINION: I recently signed a letter with state Sen. Connie Leyva, chair of the Legislative Women’s Caucus, and six other prominent women in California calling on J.J.Jelincic Jr. to drop out of the race for the CalPERS board after his history of harassing women was revealed by the Sacramento Bee. It matters that three women at CalPERS felt so uncomfortable working with Jelincic that they filed harassment charges against him, and that their allegations were upheld by the California State Personnel Board.
The California state Capitol in Sacramento. (Photo: Adonis Villanueva, via Shutterstock)OPINION: The leadership of the California Association of County Treasurers and Tax Collectors (CACTTC) is comprised of five elected women and two men, thus reflecting the success of women in elected office. Representing the concerns of CACTTC, we find it ironic that at a time when gender balance in politics is front-and-center, the office to which historically more women than men are elected is being eroded through consolidation of treasurer-tax collector with auditor-controller without voter approval.