Just
a few months ago, Angelenos were on the cusp of electing the city’s
first female mayor. Instead, it’s one step forward, two steps back for
women in Los Angeles city government.
With the election of
Nury Martinez,
there is just one woman in the 18 elected positions within City Hall.
When Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa left office, fewer than half of the city
commissioners appointed were female and just four council members had a
female chief of staff.
With few women in the frontlines of Los Angeles politics, people ask:
- When women don’t have a seat at the table, what changes in the halls of power?
- What issues that are otherwise ignored do they bring to the table?
- Do women approach policy differently than their male counterparts?
- Why are fewer women running for office?
- What can be done to encourage them to step forward and take leadership positions in politics?
As councilwomen and candidates,
Wendy Greuel,
Nury Martinez and
Joy Picus
have met these challenges head on. Ms. Greuel fought a hard battle for
L.A.’s top job of mayor, ending with a disappointing loss. A former
member of the board of the Los Angeles Unified School District, Ms.
Martinez was elected to the city council in July of this year after a
tough campaign. Ms. Picus was a council member for sixteen years, from
1977 to 1993, when she took on some of City Hall’s “sacred cows,” and
supported open space for parks, recycling, and policies benefiting
working parents and their children. The three women share their
experiences and concerns about women in government, or the lack
there-of, as they sit down in the Crawford Family Forum with KPCC’s
political reporter,
Alice Walton.
You are welcome to be part of the discussion – just RSVP and we’ll save you a seat!
MODERATOR:
Alice Walton, KPCC reporter covering politics; she writes the Maven’s Morning Coffee blog at KPCC.org.
GUESTS:
Wendy Greuel, former Los Angeles City Controller and
former President Pro Tempore of the Los Angeles City Council
representing the 2nd District; she was a mayoral candidate in the 2013
election.
Nury Martinez, Los Angeles City Council Member, District 6, elected in July, 2013;
she is a former member of the board of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Joy Picus, Los Angeles City Council member for sixteen years, from 1977 to 1993; she was Ms. magazine Woman of the Year in 1985.
6:30pm - Doors Open
7:00pm - Program
Admission is FREE, but RSVPs are required.
