California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls

The California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls was proud to be represented last night by Interim Executive Director Darcy Totten who was honored to serve as the keynote speaker for the 2024 American Legion Auxiliary California Girls’ State opening ceremony on Tuesday, June 25, at 7:15 pm at California State University-Sacramento. The ALA California Girls State is an incredible annual weeklong program sponsored by the ALA, Department of California, in which high school girls come together for one week to learn about civic engagement and government administration by registering to vote, creating and passing legislation, and setting up their own mock city, county, and state governments. The delegates who attend Girls State are from diverse backgrounds' across our state and among the top one percent of their classes, selected based upon their academic achievement, school activities, and community service. We are so proud to support these more than 400 future leaders of our state and we hope that they continue to receive support and encouragement in their efforts from our incredible Capitol community!

Last week, the Office of California Secretary of State launched, “This is Promote the Vote California – The Podcast,” as part of the Promote the Vote Initiative. The three-part series, set to be released over the summer focuses on, "service, civic education, voting engagement, and equity in California communities.” The first episode features Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D., as she shares a few personal stories and discusses the impact businesses and organizations have on civic culture within their respective communities. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gk7uKzsJ

Join the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls in conversation with Melody Hudson, MBA and Monica Simmons as we discuss actionable insights and strategies for addressing the pay disparity faced by Black women, empowering them to advocate for themselves and navigate the complexities of achieving financial equity in the workplace. We will explore the pay gap between Black women and their counterparts, the historical context and contributing factors to the disparity, the importance of allyship, and the different roles mentorship and sponsorship play in upward career mobility. Melody Simmons-Hudson is the CEO and Founder of Head Not The Tail Productions, LLC, in Oakland, CA, specializing in impactful storytelling through the lens of Black women. With over two decades of experience in corporate finance, Melody has led finance operations teams across various industries in Silicon Valley and the SF Bay Area. She holds an MBA in Finance and is a passionate advocate for financial literacy among women and girls. She also co-hosts the Invisible Women podcast. Melody executive produced the inaugural Black Women Thrive Summit in 2023, continuing to champion empowerment and representation for Black women. She co-authored "The Invisible Women: Addressing the Intersection of Pay and Racism in the Workplace," empowering women of color to advocate for their worth, visibility and respect in the workplace. Monica Simmons began her career as a professional within Silicon Valley's tech start-up sector. She faced significant barriers related to race and gender that often impeded her professional development and opportunities for advancement. These obstacles, characterized by bias and discrimination, highlighted the systemic inequalities prevalent in the workplace and served as a catalyst to her career transition into filmmaking. Serving as an executive producer, Monica had a significant impact on the film industry with the 2016 documentary "Invisible Women: Being a Black Woman in Corporate America."  Monica Simmons is also an author, podcast host, and co-founder of The Black Women Thrive Summit. Empowering Pay Equity: Navigating the Path to Equal Pay for Black Women Melody S. Hudson, Monica Simpson July 9th 12:00-1:00 p.m. Register at women.ca.gov/equalpayca/ The Equal Pay Educational Briefings are part of the California Equal Pay Pledge program, an initiative led by the Office of the First Partner and the Commission, in partnership with the California Partners Project, a non-profit co-founded by First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, to help close the pay gap in California, and present a series of discussions led by subject matter experts on improving and maintaining pay equity in the workplace. #EqualPay #EqualPayCA #EqualPayPledge

Two years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in the historic Dobbs decision, ending 50 years of federal protection for abortion rights in the U.S. and dramatically changing the landscape of reproductive care across the nation. For most of our nation’s history, decisions affecting women and girls have been made without our full input or the diversity of our experiences considered.   Since then, millions have lost their ability to legally access abortion care. In response, California has led the way in protecting access to reproductive freedom and fighting for those who must travel to California to seek reproductive healthcare. The Commission is committed to these and future efforts. People seeking abortion care or information about reproductive health care in California, should visit abortion.ca.gov.

This morning we were honored to participate in the Cornerstone Home Dedication, a project the Commission has participated in helping build for the past two years. Commissioner Dr. Rita Gallardo Good and Interim Executive Director Darcy Totten were there to cheer on 9 new homeowners and to present one family with a basket of housewarming gifts. Today we celebrated the bright futures for these new homeowners and their families and we are so proud to have been able to help convene so many women during the annual Women’s Build to support that dream coming true for these families. Cornerstone is Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento ‘s largest housing project to date, developed in partnership with Mutual Housing California , featuring 19 Habitat homes and 108 affordable rental units that will ultimately house 400 people! Thank you for letting the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls be part of this incredible community and welcome home!

On Thursday, June 20, 2024, as part of the Global Ties U.S. collaboration, the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, represented by Interim Executive Director, Darcy Totten, Program Director, Kimberlee Vaye, Director of Fiscal and Administration, Max Macedo, Information Officer, Justin McCoy, and joined by representatives from Global Ties, and the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services had the distinct pleasure of welcoming a delegation from Türkiye. We spoke with Ms. Aynur Cetin, Psychologist; Neslisah Siyve, Public Health Specialist, MD; Berna Yuksek, Program Manager; Sevinc Surmeli, Psychologist; and Cilga Unal, Mental Health and Psychological Support Officer. With the help of our CalOES partner, we were able to discuss the outsized impact that disasters have on women and girls, and what steps California is taking for earthquake preparedness in light of the devastating 2023 earthquake in Türkiye that impacted five cities and took more than 50,000 lives. We also had the opportunity to discuss the importance of including youth voices in policy decisions, and what steps the Commission is taking to uplift youth voices in our state through direct engagement, including our Youth Advisory Council, and training, including our Girl Scouts “Girls to the Front” Day of Advocacy training.

The California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls is seeking an experienced, trauma-informed professional to serve on the State Advisory Committee on Sexual Assault Victim Services. This is a unique opportunity to help ensure that the needs of sexual assault victims are appropriately centered by: - Representing and providing relevant information from the specific field for which you have been appointed. - Providing evaluation and recommendations of public policy as related to sexual assault, child sexual abuse, and child sexual exploitation. - Identifying and discussing critical issues within the field of sexual assault, child sexual abuse and child sexual exploitation. - Providing program and funding recommendations to the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES). - The Committee is authorized to collaboratively work with Cal OES on program development and implementation, to develop criteria for awarding assault cases, and to approve grants awarded to the Rape Crisis, Child Sexual Abuse, and Child Sexual Exploitation and Intervention Programs. Six of the eleven State Advisory Committee members are appointed by the Commission. Committee members are expected to attend virtual or in-person, regularly scheduled quarterly meetings.  Interested parties must submit: - A letter of interest (no more than two pages, 12-point font, Times New Roman) which details: - Your qualifications. - What knowledge or expertise in the field of sexual violence you bring to the Committee. - What you consider to be the most pressing issue affecting the field of sexual assault. - Why you are interested in serving on the Committee. - Your resumé or curriculum vitae. Please send your letter of interest, and resumé or curriculum vitae, to darcy.totten@women.ca.gov no later than close of business on July 18, 2024. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Applications will be reviewed, and selected candidates will be invited to interview. The Commission will formally appoint the new member no later than October 1, 2024. For more information on the Committee, visit: https://lnkd.in/gaX7GZR.

The California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls was so inspired at yesterday’s Conference, “Bridging the Gap: Addressing Systemic Siloes to End Gender-Based Violence” at Los Angeles Trade Technical College . Thank you to Attorney General Bonta, and organizers Dr. Sarai Crain Statewide Sexual Assault Outreach Coordinator and Jessica Caloza Special Advisor in the Attorney General’s Office for this important conversation on sexual assault and gender based violence. One thing we know for certain - we get a whole lot more done when we all work together. Thank you for taking a community based approach to breaking down silos and collectively working to end the gender-based threats that exist to our collective well-being.

Today is Juneteenth National Independence Day! Although the Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863, it could not be implemented in areas still under Confederate control. Two years later, on June 19, 1865, General Gordon Granger delivered Order No. 3, enforcing the Proclamation, informing the last enslaved African Americans of their freedom. Celebrated as the second Independence Day, Juneteenth has been observed in the South since the late 1860s with parades, worship services, marches, music, food- and art-festivals, and outdoor gatherings. In 2021, the current Administration signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, creating the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, in 1983. The Commission is deeply committed to standing in solidarity with California’s gender expansive community of black women, advocating for equality and justice for all. Happy Juneteenth! #Juneteenth #FreedomDay #Equality #WomenAreEssential Source: https://lnkd.in/g4EX_uUD

The California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls was honored to join Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento for their Women Build event in April to help build 18 single-family homes for over 90 individuals. Commission staff, including Executive Director, Holly Martinez, were joined by Commissioners Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan and Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen, and Youth Advisory Committee member Penelope Oliver. The Cornerstone Development also includes wrap around services in education, job skills, workforce development and more. Watch the Women Build 2024 Recap here: https://bit.ly/3XqwMyA