We are the National Women’s Political Caucus Los Angeles Westside (NWPC LA Westside), a multi-partisan grassroots organization dedicated to increasing women’s participation in the political process and creating a women’s political power base to achieve equality for all women. We endorse women for public office. We work to recruit, train, and support pro-choice women candidates for elected and appointed offices and at all levels of government.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Women are still under-represented at all levels of government!
• Women hold only 17% of the seats in Congress.
• Only 22% of all statewide elective executive office positions are currently held by women.
• State Legislatures are only 24% women.
• Only 6 out of 50 states have a female governor.
• The United States trails behind much of the world—ranking 90th in the number of women in our national legislature. (*Note: The U.S. is listed as 73rd, but after accounting for tied rankings of other countries, the ranking for the U.S. is 90th. Source)
• On average, male cabinet appointees outnumber women cabinet appointees in our states by a ratio of 2 to 1.
• 50% less women than men consider of running for office. Of those, 30% less actually run, with only a fraction seeking higher office. (Lawless, Jennifer and Richard L Fox. It Takes a Candidate: Why Women Don’t Run for Office. New York: Cambridge UP, 2005.)
• Women constituted 54% of voters in the 2008 elections, but only 24% of state legislators.
• Women of color represent only 4% of Congress and 23% of women Members of Congress.
READ MORE
Sunday, August 21, 2011
We Should Vote!
I went out for drinks with a friend to our favorite pub last night. We love the place for the great music and more importantly always lively conversation. A young man struck up a conversation with me about politics specifically the BP Oil Spill and the War. Subjects close to my heart because I grew up on the Gulf Coast and my family lives there. Also, my brother-in-law is in the military and served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Comforting my sister as she cried wondering if her husband was safe and him coming back and over a year later his eyes are filled with sorrow gave me a renewed passion to end the war. The Gulf Coast disaster destroyed an ecosystem and a way of life. The media would have you think it is all okay.
I thought how exciting that this 22 year old young man is fired up and so I said he should get involved. He said he doesn’t vote because it takes too much time to research the candidates. Now maybe I over reacted, but I said “That is despicable and people like you are what is wrong with this country. You sit here and say our country is crooked and that our leaders are criminals and you are too lazy to even vote. We live in a free country where we are can vote, protest, say what we want and you do not deserve it.” Maybe tough words, but in my opinion the truth.
Now when I was younger I only voted in Presidential elections. When I grew up and realized that I want my neighborhood to be safe, a speed bump on my street, better public transportation, cleaner air, and more trees. There is no such thing as an unimportant election and so I decided to get involved.
Today on a national level radicals are trying to take away our freedoms with the patriot act, internet blacklist laws, and the right to control my own body. BP has profited from destroying my home.
The young man said “How can you trust the news?!” I said, “I don’t; look at their records to see how candidates have voted, who they are endorsed by, and what they truly stand for, then make your decision.”
Women protested and struggled for me to be able to vote, have the right to choose and soldiers lay their lives on the line for us. If they are willing to give their lives literally and figuratively then the least I can do is show up on voting day and make an educated decision on the best person for the job. The least we can do to honor them is click on our computers and research our candidates. It is now our job, our duty, to take up the fight for the next generation.
Vote and honor our sisters and the soldiers who fought and died for your right to do so.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Re October 20th, 2011
LA’s Leading Women’s Political Group Announces Honorees for Annual Event
National Women’s Political Caucus – LA Westside Chapter to
Honor Twelve Remarkable Women at Gala Event
(Los Angeles, CA) – Twelve accomplished women in California and Los Angeles politics, including California Attorney General Kamala Harris and Assemblymembers Holly Mitchell and Betsy Butler, will be honored at the National Women’s Political Caucus, LA-Westside’s annual “Calendar Event,” the group announced today. The honorees, which will all appear in the NWPC LA-Westside 2012 Remarkable Women’s Calendar, are scheduled to be in attendance at the gala, which will take place October 20, 2011 at The Mark for Events in Los Angeles.
“The women selected to appear in NWPC-LA Westside’s 2012 calendar are inspirational,” said NWPC LA Westside President Lindsay Bubar. “By working to improve their communities through political action, these amazing women demonstrate why it is so important that we continue to strive for gender equity in politics.
“Women represent more than half of the population, but less than a quarter of people serving in elected office,” continued Bubar. “We have a long way to go to achieve true equality and these 12 remarkable women are leading the way to a better future.”
In addition to celebrating female elected leaders such as Attorney General Harris and Assemblymembers Mitchell and Butler, NWPC-LA Westside’s 2012 “Remarkable Women” calendar features women who engage in politics through a variety of avenues, including consulting, community organizing and non-profit work. Honorees to be featured in the 2012 calendar include:
CONTACT
Lindsay Bubar
The National Women’s Political Caucus (NWPC) is a multi-partisan grassroots organization dedicated to increasing women’s participation in the political process and creating a women’s political power base to achieve equality for all women. NWPC LA-Westside is a Chapter of the NWPC State Organization, and works to recruit, train, and support pro-choice women candidates for elected and appointed offices at all levels of government.
Monday, August 15, 2011
When Comedy Goes Wrong
Last month, a friend of my boyfriend's came to visit us from Canada. One of the things we decided to do, in order to share a true taste of LA, was to take him to one of the many comedy clubs on the Sunset Strip. By the time we arrived the only seats left were those in the front row, often a questionable place in such a venue. The lineup that night featured about a dozen various comics, the first two thirds of which were sufficiently amusing and started the night off well.
A few hours into the show, the tone of the room and the evening changed considerably. The comic that took the mic next immediately turned his attention to me, and the fact that I was wearing a low-cut top, as the majority of the women in the audience were for such a night out in West Hollywood. He began badgering me about the way I was dressed and the way I looked, strongly implying that I was an individual of below average intelligence. When I mentioned I had a degree from UCLA and had a job right after college working for a high-level politician (not naming names, of course), he turned his ire to someone else in the audience, who also just so happened to be female. She had the apparent misfortune of being alone at that particular moment of time, and this is where things turned even more sour. He began making "jokes" about how she'd need a man that night, whether she gave her consent or not, and encouraged the members of the audience to approach her and even follow her after the show, to give her the attention she obviously needed. He pointed to me, to the other woman, and the others in the audience, and said something along the lines of, "If these girls tell you no, and especially if you can make them cry, you know that means they really want it, right?"
Although the mood in the room was tense, one of the integral parts of this comedian’s (and I use that word loosely) act was giving his number out at the beginning and reading text messages from the audience. There was very little laughter during his set, but he read several texts from men in the audience echoing his sentiments -- “Oh, you just made that one cry, that means she’s enjoying it.” The remainder of the sets and comedians after this one finally exited the stage were much less offensive, and the mood in the room became much more positive. However, the comments of the initial comedian and some of the men in the audience hung over me for the rest of the night.
Possibly worse than the offensive statements posing as comedy that came out of his mouth was the fact that it made me temporarily doubt and even blame myself. Should I have worn something more conservative? Should I have opted not to sit in the front row? Should I have excused myself as soon as he started in on me and left before making something of a scene?
I have found situations like this to be a tragic common thread weaving their way through many of my day to day interactions, and the interactions of female friends and colleagues of mine. There are bigger, larger-picture issues facing women all over the country -- the constant war on women’s reproductive rights; workplace sexual harassment cases in courts every day; and of course the under representation of women in elective office everywhere. Taking all of this into account, it doesn’t make media representation and daily interactions any less important. I understand that a big part of making it as a comic is being offensive and pushing the envelope, but there’s a difference between saying something shocking and actually encouraging members of the audience to rape / sexually assault and harass female peers, especially while pointing out potential “targets” sitting five feet in front of them. The fact that something which is a reality for women everywhere, something which has been inflicted upon members of the audience or women they know, can be made light of in such a way is unacceptable. The other dozen or so men who performed that night proved that it is indeed possible to be funny without encouraging violence and misogynistic behavior. Of course, anyone who has been to a comedy show can expect offensive things to be said and I’m not making light of those comments, nor am I condoning them.
I should not have had to deal with being harassed publicly for showing up in public in anything less than a turtleneck. The woman behind me should not have been targeted for being at a comedy club alone. Women and (perhaps even more importantly) girls everywhere should not be given the message that sexual violence is something to be laughed at, and men and boys should not be encouraged to commit such acts. Rape is not a punchline, and the struggle of the millions of women who have had to deal with it should not be used in order to garner cheap laughs for an entertainer.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Board Member Spotlight: Robyn Ritter Simon
You can read Robyn’s life lessons and postings on her website's blog http://robynrittersimon.blogspot.com/
Robyn began her professional career as a broadcast journalist for the NBC affiliate in Palm Desert, CA specializing in politics. She was the producer and host of an award winning public affairs program titled “Robyn Ritter Reports” before returning to Los Angeles where she free-lanced as a journalist for the ABC affiliate in Santa Barbara and then eventually for Los Angeles’ public access station Channel 35. She is a powerful public speaker with the ability to energize any audience she is invited to speak in front of www.RobynRitterSimon.com Robyn holds a Master’s Degree in Broadcast Management from Pepperdine University and a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from San Francisco State University.
Robyn’s association with the National Women’s Political Caucus began more than a decade ago when she ran for a seat on the Los Angeles City Council. NWPC endorsed her candidacy and a partnership was cemented and continues strong today. She has remained a committed advocate for women pursuing careers in politics and has served as the past President of NWPC LA Westside and as a NWPC State Board member as VP of Communications. Under Robyn’s tenure at both the state level and locally, membership sky rocked, NWPC’s visibility grew, and a monthly statewide Newsletter, The Caucus Connection was created and produced monthly by Robyn as well as a monthly electronic newsletter for NWPC LA Westside. In addition, Robyn is credited with launching and co-managing LA Westside’s’ Calendar project for three consecutive years. The NWPC Remarkable Women calendar recognizes outstanding women leaders and serves as the groups signature fundraiser for NWPCs Political Action Committee. Robyn was a calendar honoree in 2009. She was also nominated for the Los Angeles Business Journal’s Women of Achievement Award, and received the 2010 SHero Award from her State Senator Curren Price.
In addition to her passion to elect more women and achieve NWPCs goal of 50/50 by 2020 Robyn is a seasoned public affairs and communications executive. She served as CEO of the Century City Chamber of Commerce and as Vice President of Marketing & Communications for the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce. While at the LA Chamber she also managed and led the well-respected Leadership LA program which aims to train future civic leaders. She herself is a graduate of the New Leaders Project, a program sponsored by The Jewish Federation www.NewLeadersProject.com.
Robyn was appointed by former Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn to the West Los Angeles Area Planning Commission serving as a commissioner from 2001 – 2005. Robyn is recognized as an education reformer from her earlier work galvanizing her neighborhood to make a difference at the local public school. As co-founder of the Beverlywood Moms, she coordinated and implemented a successful, precedent-setting grassroots effort, recruiting neighborhood families to support Canfield Avenue Elementary School in West LA. Robyn recognizes the immense importance education contributes to our community. The groups work was extensively profiled in the LA Times!
Robyn was appointed by former Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn to the West Los Angeles Area Planning Commission serving as a commissioner from 2001 – 2005. Robyn is recognized as an education reformer from her earlier work galvanizing her neighborhood to make a difference at the local public school. As co-founder of the Beverlywood Moms, she coordinated and implemented a successful, precedent-setting grassroots effort, recruiting neighborhood families to support Canfield Avenue Elementary School in West LA. Robyn recognizes the immense importance education contributes to our community. The groups work was extensively profiled in the LA Times!
While Robyn’s talents are well documented, the work she is most proud of accomplishing is that of mother to her three sons, Brandon, Harrison, and Spencer and her marriage to high school sweetheart Brian Simon. She credits motherhood and her family for fueling her passion to be the best woman she possible can be, and for that she is eternally grateful.
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