Media Release
Contact: Maya Paley
Director of Legislative and Community Engagement
323-852-8536 or maya@ncjwla.org
Elected Officials and Women Leaders Discuss Dropping
Numbers of and Obstacles Faced by Women in
Elected Office in Los Angeles County
LOS ANGELES, Calif.--
On
Sunday,
January 26, 2014, National Council of Jewish Women/Los Angeles and National Women's Political Caucus LA Westwide are hosting
Endangered Species: Why are the Numbers of Women Representing LA County in Elected Office Dropping?, a conference to address the issues and challenges of the decrease of women in elected office in LA County
"Too many of us look to Senators Boxer and Feinstein and think that political representation of women is not a problem for California, but the proportion of women in elected offices within L.A. County is at a crisis point," says Social Justice Attorney and Event Host and Facilitator Sandra Fluke. "We have only one elected woman in all of L.A. city government, and the numbers are dropping in the state legislature, especially for women of color. It is unacceptable in our democracy for our government leaders to not reflect our entire community."
The following current and past elected officials will sit on panels discussing perceptions of women as leaders in our society, obstacles women face when seeking or considering running for office in LA County:
· State Senator Holly Mitchell
· Assemblymember Cristina Garcia
· LA City Councilmember Mike Bonin
· LA City Councilmember Nury Martinez
· Compton Mayor Aja Brown
· West Hollywood Mayor Abbe Land
· Honorable Betsy Butler
· Honorable Wendy Greuel
· Honorable Sheila Kuehl
· Honorably Cindy Montanez
Other panelists include Kimberly Ellis, Executive Director of Emerge CA, Mary Hughes, Co-Founder of Close the Gap, Stephanie Molen, Past Legislative Director and Director of Operations for NWPC LA Westside, and Michele Kort, Senior Editor of Ms. Magazine. Facilitators include Sandra Fluke, Social Justice Attorney, and Lindsay Bubar, Director of Political Action for NWPC LA Westside.
Event takes place at on Sunday, January 26, 2014 from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm at NCJW/LA: 543 N. Fairfax Ave. Los Angeles, 90036. Parking is available in the lot or on surrounding streets. Event is free and open to the public. RSVP's are encouraged.
Event Co-Sponsors include: Emerge CA, West Hollywood Women's Advisory Board, California List, West Hollywood Women's Leadership Conference, Feminist Majority Foundation, Emily's List, Close the Gap CA, and LOFT.
For more information about the event, please contact Maya Paley, NCJW/LA's Director of Legislative and Community Engagement at maya@ncjwla.org or
323-852-8536.
