Dear Readers,
This week marks the start of a significant transition in the United States: Donald Trump is being inaugurated for his second term as President, Southern California is dealing with the devastating effects of the Palisades, Eaton, and Hurst wildfires, and TikTok is facing a ban starting on Sunday. It is a moment for us to reflect as individuals, as change agents, and as community builders on what will ground us for the next four years.
We remain steadfast in believing and supporting women, advocating for our rights to be protected from harm, run for office, be well-represented, and live in a world free from discrimination on the basis of gender and sexual orientation. We cannot predict the policies that will come to fruition in the next four years, but we plan to focus on, organizing, educating, and community building to build women’s political power and strengthen democracy.
According to the Climate Clock’s Gender Parity Lifeline:
Years of research has shown that when women participate in decision-making spaces, not only is there more effective risk management in their communities, they show a greater commitment to promoting climate policies that result in the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. Multiple studies show a clear positive correlation between female representation in parliaments and the robustness of climate action. One study, for example, showed that in countries with 38% or more women legislators, per capita forest cover increased considerably.
Historically, women and girls across the world bear the impact of climate change more acutely than men and are at a higher risk of interpersonal violence following climate disasters. Communities across Southern California will be faced with intense community rebuilding and restoration efforts in the coming months, including in the historically Black community of Altadena, which sustained over 14,000 acres of damage. This article shares the devastating effects of the Eaton fire on a multigenerational Altadena family who, sadly, lost their home. Women play an essential role in providing essential direct aid to families and communities impacted by the wildfires. Even more, though, women must take a place at the head of the decision-making table to craft policy solutions that address the root causes of climate change that are playing an increasing role in our lives.
Some organizations to support communities in Pasadena, Altadena, Los Angeles, and the surrounding communities include:
- Altadena Girls
- YMCA of Metro Los Angeles
- Mututal Aid L.A. Network
- Direct Relief Los Angeles
- World Central Kitchen
- Verified GoFundMe’s of individuals and families
- Additional resources can be found here.
This week’s Weekend Reading covers the makeup of the 119th Congress, proxy voting in Congress for new moms, Pete Hegseth’s confirmation hearing and controversial remarks against women soldiers, Virginia’s 2025 legislative agenda, and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s first 100 days in office.
Women Make up 28% of House Membership During the 119th Congress
Photo credit: Center for American Women in Politics
According to the Center for American Women and Politics the number of women serving in the 119th Congress has declined for the first time since 2011 – 125 women (94D, 31R) hold seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 25 women (16D, 9R) hold U.S. Senate seats. While these numbers may grow slightly as presidential nominations create open seats for the appointment of women to the Senate, the overall trend is troubling, but not surprising. The rules of our winner take all voting system & hyper-polarization have created a calcified system with very few competitive or open seats, meaning that incumbents win roughly 95% of seats and just a handful of challengers win. The decline in women’s representation in Congress is a clarion call to adopt electoral systems that create competition and open seats that enable more women to run and win. After extensive study of the electoral systems used around the globe and thoughtful consideration of the what’s practical, viable, and scalable in the context of U.S. elections, it’s clear that proportional ranked choice voting, for multi winner seats, and RCV for single winner seats, is the most promising strategy to achieve gender balance, in government, in our lifetimes.
Emma Cordover of POLITICO interviewed Republican Julie Fedorchak and Democrat Sarah Elfreth about the opportunities for bipartisan lawmaking and policy decision making in the 119th Congress:
Since women make up just 28 percent of all House members in this Congress, what do you think are the barriers for women running for office?
FEDORCHAK: I don’t think there’s any exceptionally different barriers today than there ever has been. Politics is a different industry; not all women maybe want to get into it. And I think that if there’s one thing that we struggle with more than men, perhaps, it’s that we maybe don’t ever think we’re in the right position to do it. … It’s the impostor syndrome, right?
ELFRETH: One barrier is always the ability to fundraise and have the resources needed. To win, it requires putting a lot of your life on hold, and giving it all of your attention and your time and your energy and your weeknights and your weekends. I think it’s particularly hard on people with young families, both men and women.
I’ve personally been held to a bit of a higher standard than some of the men I have run against over my campaigns — to be nice, to do better, to handle myself in a way that I haven’t always seen my male counterparts held to the same standard.
Claudia Sheinbaum Presidential Term Marks 100 Days with 80% Approval
Credit: AP
One hundred days into her presidency, Claudia Shiebaum’s approval rating shoots up to 80%. A recent survey by Enkoll highlights strong support for her social policies, including pensions, scholarships, and aid programs, with 39% of households benefiting from federal assistance. This negates concerns over the viability of women candidates. When given the opportunity, women have the potential to excel in leadership roles at the highest levels.
Check out our video on Mexican elections featuring Jennifer Piscopo and Catherine Reyes-Housholder
Juan Martinez for the Rio Times writes:
Enkoll, a polling firm, conducted a survey for EL PAÍS and W Radio between January 3-5, 2025. They interviewed 1,203 people in their homes. The results reveal a strong connection between Sheinbaum and her constituents.
Mexicans identify key national issues with clarity. Security and drug trafficking top the list at 45%, followed by economic concerns at 25%. However, these problems don’t diminish Sheinbaum’s popularity.
Citizens value Sheinbaum’s social policies most. Pensions, educational scholarships, and aid to various groups garner 41% support. Interestingly, 19% of those approving her management can’t explain why…
Sheinbaum’s honeymoon period continues. Her landslide victory and early performance have cemented public support. As Mexico faces ongoing challenges, citizens remain hopeful under her leadership
Bipartisan Resolution That Would Help New Moms in Congress Denied by Mike Johnson
Representative Brittany Pettersen is set to become the 13th voting member of Congress to give birth while in office. The infrequency of Congress members giving birth in office highlights the challenges faced by parents in Congress. Pettersen introduced a resolution to allow proxy voting for new parents, enabling them to designate a colleague to vote on their behalf while they take up to 12 weeks of parental leave. Unfortunately, House Speaker Mike Johnson has denied Pettersen’s request to pass the resolution. To support a diverse legislative body, Congress must adapt to support families, ensuring that parenthood is not a barrier to serving in public office.
Anni Karni of the New York Times reports:
There is no maternity leave for members of Congress. While they can take time away from the office without sacrificing their pay, they cannot vote if they are not present at the Capitol. So Ms. Pettersen has taken a lead role in a new push by a bipartisan group of younger lawmakers and new parents in Congress to change the rules to allow them to vote remotely while they take up to 12 weeks of parental leave.
“This job is not made for young women, for working families, and it’s definitely not made for regular people,” said Ms. Pettersen. “It’s historically been wealthy individuals who are not of childbearing age who do this work.”
Female Senators Question Pete Hegseth about Qualifications
Photo Credit: Kenny Holston/The New York Times
On Tuesday, Senators began the confirmation hearing of Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Secretary of Defense. Hegseth has made headlines over the last month for stating, then walking back, that women are unfit to serve in combat roles in the military. Hegseth was also involved in a 2017 lawsuit where he paid off a victim who had accused him of sexual assault. It has not been announced when Hegseth’s confirmation hearing will be.
Mariel Padilla and Grace Panetta of the 19th Newsroom write:
Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, a U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq as a helicopter pilot, said putting “someone as dangerously unqualified” aCs Hegseth in charge of the Defense Department — the largest government agency which employs nearly 3 million military and civilian people — “should scare all of us.”
“I feel like he’s more worried about culture wars than he is about the national security of the United States of America.” Duckworth said in a press call Friday.
Hegseth has publicly said that women should not serve in combat roles and disparaged diversity, equity and inclusion efforts within the military in his most recent book, “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of Men Who Keep Us Free.” When asked about Hegseth’s view that women should not be in combat roles, Duckworth — who served in a combat role and lost both legs and some mobility in her right arm in 2004 when her Black Hawk helicopter was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade fired by Iraqi insurgents — responded that she questions Hegseth’s “strategic vision.”
Virginia 2025 Session Targets Gender Equality and Fair Elections with Abortion Rights, Marriage Equality, and Ranked Choice Voting
Credit: RepresentWomen
The Virginia 2025 Legislative session has some key initiatives that would take huge steps toward gender equality and fairness in elections Sen. Jennifer Boysko introduced a constitutional amendment (SB 247) to protect abortion as a fundamental right, and Sen. Adam Ebbin proposed removing Virginia’s ban on same-sex marriage and affirming marriage equality. The General Assembly has also introduced bills to reform Virginia’s electoral process. Notably, SB 1009 would enable local adoption of ranked choice voting (RCV), giving voters a better opportunity to express their preferences for candidates. Virginia currently has a “D” letter grade according to our 2024 Gender Parity Index; adopting RCV would allow more women candidates to run and win elections.
James Jarvis from FFX Now reports:
A push to strengthen election integrity is also a key focus for Fairfax County legislators this session.
Sen. Scott Surovell (D-34) introduced Senate Bill 775 to require disclaimers for political campaign materials that use artificially generated text, images or audio, including “deepfakes.” Any failure to include a label would be classified as a misdemeanor, with harsher penalties if the usage is deliberately intended to mislead and influence voters, within 90 days of an election and done without the depicted candidate’s knowledge.
On the procedural side, Salim’s Senate Bill 1009 would allow localities to adopt ranked choice voting for local elections, a step that’s been taken by Arlington County and considered by Fairfax and Falls Church cities. The proposal includes voter education efforts to explain the ranked choice voting process and outlines adjustments to recount procedures.
In the House, Helmer’s House Bill 1794 would consolidate primary election dates during presidential years, aiming to make the process more efficient for election administrators and less confusing for voters.
Mayors Innovation Project
This week RepresentWomen hosted a reception for women mayors in conjunction with the Mayors Innovation Project led by Katya Spear – it was a great opportunity to hear about the challenges women mayors face and work toward policy solutions to address those hurdles.
With former Minneapolis mayor Betsy Hodges, Takoma Park mayor Talisha Searcy, and Katya Spear, director of the Mayors Innovation Project.
Martin Luther King, Jr, painted by Melanie Humble.
Monday is the observance of Martin Luther King, Jr’s birth and legacy – there is so much to explore from his writing and speeches but this is one of my favorite quotes from his Nobel Lecture in December of 1964:
We have inherited a big house, a great “world house” in which we have to live together – black and white, Easterners and Westerners, Gentiles and Jews, Catholics and Protestants, Moslem and Hindu, a family unduly separated in ideas, culture, and interests who, because we can never again live without each other, must learn, somehow, in this one big world, to live with each other.
Martin Luther King, Jr pictured with former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
That's all for this week. Have a great weekend!
Cynthia Richie Terrell
P.S.
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