Women legislators rule

July 7, 2016

Progress on safety, education, childcare and poverty

The CA legislature recessed last Thursday in time to celebrate the long 4th of July weekend in their districts. And after all those celebrations for Founding Fathers, we have good news: the future is female. Take it from these industrious patriots:

Senator Loni Hancock succeeded in reducing the number of rounds of ammunition available for automatic weapons; Senator Connie Leyva extended Career Technical education for High School students and Senator Holly Mitchell led the repeal of the Maximum Family Grant which means more help for poor children.

Assemblywomen Lorena Gonzales and Nora Campos authored a bill (AB 1676) to help close the wage gap. It would prohibit prospective employers from using prior salary data in negotiating salary with new hires.

Sad to say a proposed law authored by Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson (SB 1166) that would have provided job protection for those taking parental leave and making state paid family leave available to thousands more families died in the all male Assembly Labor Committee.

Attention labor women: step up and run.

Righteous Reads
from women thinkers and writers

Gender quotas: Do they increase the number of women in politics, party leadership positions? The answer is yes! Lauren Leatherby discusses the research here.

Elizabeth Holtzman, former Congresswoman, discusses her own experiences with the glass ceiling. "Politics helps determine the kind of society we'd like to live in. And when women are not included in that conversation, or when they're marginalized or drastically underrepresented, it has real-world consequences for our society, for women and our families." More here.

NOW (National Organization for Women) celebrates its 50th anniversary this summer. Read up on the organization's history here.

Emerge is now accepting applications for their class of 2017! The deadline is October 14. Apply online here.

We Recruit.

Facebook

Twitter

Website

Forward to Friend

ABOUT CLOSE THE GAP CA
Close the gap CA is a campaign to increase the number of progressive women serving in the California Legislature by recruiting viable, progressive women to run for open seats in targeted, winnable districts. The campaign recruits accomplished women who are pro-choice, pro-public school funding and support paths out of poverty. By partnering with CA progressive organizations, close the gap CA aims to achieve gender parity in the CA legislature in 2028.

*Federal tax law requires us to publicly report cumulative contributions of $200 or more. We may not deposit your contribution without your name, occupation, and employer, and may not accept contributions of $100 or more made in cash. Contributions to close the gap CA are not tax deductible. close the gap CA is a registered 527 organization.