As the founder of the CALIFORNIA LIST helping women get elected is my mission and my privilege. I’m always on the look out for that special candidate who believes in her community, sees what needs to be done, and sets her mind to getting things done in the California legislature.  About a year ago, I received a call from one of my members inviting me to meet Linda Harris-Forster.  Linda is running for State Assembly in District 52 that includes the cities of Compton and Paramount.  I knew that this was a tough race as there are 4 Democratic women vying for this seat, but I also knew District 52 covered one of the toughest areas of Los Angeles.

Los Angeles is the only major city that has yet to renovate its public housing projects.  Crime, drugs and gangs are on the forefront and this is a District in need of dedicated leadership that can address those difficult problems facing the people in this District.  From the moment I meet her, I knew Linda Harris-Forster was the perfect candidate.

Linda grew up in District 52 in Watts and she is one candidate who can truly boast a grassroots campaign. Her experiences as a young woman have bestowed her with empathy for the struggles of the residents living in her District. Linda possesses a compassion and drive born of personal connection to her community. Linda is the daughter of renowned community activist “Sweet” Alice Harris. She and four of her sisters worked hand in hand to help their mother found the Parents of Watts Working with Youth and Adults Multi-Purpose Community Crisis Center in the early eighties. After graduating college, Linda served as the Director for the Diane Feinstein Home for Young Mothers located in Watts.  This was a residential facility for pregnant young adults who were homeless.

Initially when CALIFORNIA LIST looked at her race, she seemed like the underdog. There were rumors of backroom deals and favors being shuffled under the table. However, at the moment her campaign is the best organized and she is consistently raising more money that all the other candidates.

Linda is living proof that a grassroots campaign is viable.  No one knows this better than Linda. “I was at an event and a man came up to me and said, your mom bought me a new pair of shoes.  I’m going to help you win!”  Her candidacy is fueled by the spirit of those helped by her family and that support has proved to be potent.

CALIFORNIA LIST is proud to include Linda Harris-Forster as one of our endorsed candidates for the June 3rd California primary.  I urge you to visit the CALIFORNIA LIST website and please donate to her campaign or one of the other candidates highlighted on our candidate page.  A win for Linda is a win for Assembly District 52.

Bettina Duval is the founder of the California List, a political fundraising network that helps elect Democratic women to all branches of California state government.

This election has revved up our political process unlike anything we have seen in decades. Across the country, Democrats are showing up to participate in campaigns, and voting in record numbers.  Women are voting in record numbers!

Believe it or not, on June 3rd  it will be California’s time to vote again in our State primary.  This is a key election that will determine the fate of many of our female candidates.

Most people are feeling the disparaging downward trends in our economy with gas and food prices rising – while incomes remain stagnant – along with the problems in the real estate markets.  Coupled with that are the divides in our social unity and the uncertainty in our global relations.  Now more than ever we have the opportunity to step up to the ballot box and make a difference.

In local races we need a revolution in California – fresh ideas and goals that can move us back toward a being country that thrives.  It’s easy to gloss over these legislative races because of the intense media attention afforded higher profile races.  But the election of pro-choice, Democratic women to the California State government can bring that alternative perspective.  Electing women matters because they bring a distinctive perception to the political process.  Yet, we are losing women elected officials and it’s time to halt this trend.  Our state legislature is still dominated by men by more than 3 to 1 – but in this election we have the opportunity to place women in more positions of power than ever before.  

The mission of the CALIFORNIA LIST is to provide financial and strategic support to progressive Democratic women running for seats in the California state government, who are committed to reproductive freedom and equality for women.  CALIFORNIA LIST has identified 26 women running in this election worthy of your support.  Through a committee process we have vetted our endorsed women candidates with personal interviews sand examination of their record of experience to be those who will support the mission of CALIFORNIA LIST to work with those committed values to make changes that will make a difference.

CALIFORNIA LIST is proud to endorse the following candidates:

Lois Wolk,  Senate District 5

Wilma Chan,  Senate District 9

Loni Hancock,  Senate District 9

Hannah-Beth Jackson,  Senate District 19

Carol Liu,  Senate District 21

Fran Pavley,  Senate District 23

Mariko Yamada,  Assembly District 8

Alyson Huber,  Assembly District 10

Nancy Skinner,  Assembly District 14

Joan Buchanan,  Assembly District 15

Gina Papan, Assembly District 19

Anna Song, Assembly District 22

Fran Florez, Assembly District 30

Laurette Healey, Assembly District 40

Linda Harris-Forster, Assembly District 52

Visit our website at www.californialist.org to see full biographies of all the candidates.  And please, consider joining CALIFORNIA LIST and donating to these wonderful candidates.  You can do this at our website.

This is a great time for California because we have the chance to effect real change.  We need to raise the number of women elected legislators and June 2nd is your opportunity to move women closer to equal representation.  Save the Date!  

Jackie Speier’s election yesterday to the House of Representatives shows the importance of building a pipeline of qualified women working their way up the ladder of elected office. We are excited to extend warm congratulations to newly elected congressional incumbent Jackie Speier.  Jackie won the California Congressional 12th District seat running away with 78% of the vote in the special election held yesterday. Her win shows the overwhelming importance of creating a sustainable pipeline of women candidates moving up the steps of the political hierarchy.

Jackie Speier began her career as an aid to Congressman Jack Ryan followed by her election to the San Mateo Board of Supervisors. She has served nearly two decades in the California legislature, starting as an Assemblymember and then as a State Senator.  Her impressive record includes more than 300 pieces of legislation signed into law by both Democratic and Republican Governors. She has authored groundbreaking legislation in privacy and consumer protection, child welfare, and healthcare. Jackie has been very active in women’s health. Among her many accomplishments was a bill signed into law requiring health plans to cover the cost of contraception and osteoporosis screening while banning maternity surcharges. She also advocated a bill giving women the right to choose her own OB/GYN physician.  Jackie Speier wrote legislation that created a “check-off” box on California State tax forms enabling taxpayers to direct money specifically to Breast Cancer Research.

Even with her success, the number of elected women still remains a faint shadow in comparison to the number of elected men.  With a mere 71 woman elected to Congress out of a total 435 seats, men continue to hold an 83% majority.  In California women legislators have dropped to just 28% of statewide elected state senate and assembly offices over the last 2 election cycles.  Even though California is slightly above the current national 23% average, women electeds here have a long way to go before they reach a level of equality.

CALIFORNIA LIST believes that electing women matters.  Women like Jackie Speier bring a different perspective to our political process as is demonstrated by her legislative achievements.

CALIFORNIA LIST continues to build a pipeline to the future. We remain dedicated to helping women get elected and reverse the decline in the number of elected women.   Please visit our website, and meet our candidates.

Congratulations, Jackie!

Bettina Duval is the founder of the California List, a political fundraising network that helps elect Democratic women to all branches of California state government.

When did it become politically incorrect for women candidates to be passionate about running for public office?  As I sit here reading the events surrounding the resignation of the Obama campaign’s foreign policy advisor, Samantha Power, I can’t help but feel this strikes yet another blow for fight for equal representation for women.  Yes, Ms. Power’s remarks crossed a political boundary, but even more disturbing is her reasoning for using the word she did.  Ms. Power twisted Senator Clinton’s passion, drive, ambition and commitment to her presidential bid with a negative spin comparable to that of little children on a playground.  Is this typical of how the average woman views female candidates?  

Unfortunately, I am finding through my work as Founder of the CALIFORNIA LIST that Ms. Power is not the exception to the rule.  Women elected officials are in decline in California and female candidates are becoming more and more a tough sell – even to their fellow women.  Why?  Recent focus groups of women voters moderated by pollsters at Fairbank, Maslin, and Maullin found that those traits that make a woman inherently feminine are sometimes the biggest obstacles.  Women candidates who are passionate about the issues are instantly labeled in the media as emotional or wimpy and those who are too restrained are cold and un-nurturing.

I don’t know about you, but compassion and strength are high on my list of must haves for those I want representing me.   After all, insatiable passion has been the catalyst to some of American’s greatest heroines.  Cady Elizabeth Stanton’s passion for equality drove her to spearhead the American women’s movement securing a women’s right to right.  Rosa Parks’ passion against racial inequality drove her to sit in the “white section” of that Alabama bus.  Passion is essential and ambition is the breeding ground for all positive change. Research indicates that women electeds consistently champion those issues women voters number as a top priority such as education, health care, the environment, and reproductive choice.  It follows that women need to equal the playing field in the male dominated political arena to have our voices heard.  Electing women matters and supporting viable women candidates give that us the voices that represent our choices.

The mission of the CALIFORNIA LIST is to augment the pipeline of Democratic women candidates and elected officials in statewide offices. Our goal is to create a future generation of progressive female leaders while strengthening the bond between informed voters, statewide representatives, and political activists in California.  Visit our website and let us know why you think women are a declining resource in the California political landscape.

Bettina Duval is the founder of the California List, a political fundraising network that helps elect Democratic women to all branches of California state government.

Super Tuesday is only a few days away when thousands of Californians will cast their votes in the Democratic primary.  It seems this has become a race where campaign issues have become dwarfed by the diversity of the candidates themselves.  Amazingly, the two most diverse candidates, Senator Barack Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton, are the only contenders for the Democratic nomination.  It has made this election one of the most fascinating and inspirational elections in our history.

I’m sure it will come as no surprise to those who are familiar with the work of the CALIFORNIA LIST that I personally support Senator Hillary Clinton for president.

Yes, I support Senator Hillary Clinton because she is a pro-choice, Democratic candidate, but more importantly I believe she can potentially accomplish more than the other contenders in this presidential race. Senator Hillary Clinton has a plan and the experience to bring that plan to fruition.

I support Senator Hillary Clinton because she is tough. Working with women candidates here in California, I have learned that when a woman runs for any office she inevitably faces challenges because of her gender. During the recent presidential contests, some of these challenges made front page news – most topics have little to do with her ability execute the office for which she is running.  We have discussed Senator Hillary Clinton’s laugh, her clothes and now her husband.  She has been held to a much higher standard than her opponents and to her credit has risen to the occasion. Too bad we are not talking about the issues that really matter, because when you actually listen to her speak it becomes clear that she is knowledgeable, articulate and understands of the issues facing our country.

I know that women aren’t the only proponents for what we call “women’s issues”-issues of wage fairness and reproductive health and work/family balance. Thankfully the women’s movement has sensitized many men to these concerns and certainly men have taken up the gauntlet on such issues.  However, by and large women still experience problems in these areas more forcefully than their men. In this particular instance, Senator Hillary Clinton’s gender and her focus have coincided. These are the issues of particular concern to me personally and to the CALIFORNIA LIST, so her work and advocacy on them is another strong reason for my support.

If you doubt that a woman can win, just remember Senator Hillary Clinton won her Senate seat twice in a state where she was a first judged to have an unlikely chance of winning at all.  She won both the Michigan and Florida primaries – two large, diverse states that are important to win in the general election.

And, maybe most importantly, I like Senator Hillary Clinton.  In my role as the founder of the CALIFORNIA LIST, I know that in politics, “likeability” counts. I find her warm, personable and funny.

According to a poll released by Field Research on January 22nd, Senator Hillary Clinton leads California with the largest margins amongst women at 43% compared to 24% in favor of Senator Barack Obama.  In a state where so many delegates are up for grabs, this is where the discussion among women gets especially interesting…because it calls into question whether, as a gender, we can accurately be considered a single group-or courted as a single group-demographically.  As the CALIFORNIA LIST continues to work to elect women to government in California, we hope to capitalize on what we are learning to help build the pipeline of future women leaders.

Whether on the sidelines of the soccer field or volleyball court, at a Boy Scout dinner, or during my son’s sixth grade field trip, I have been so energized by the debate about the different candidates. For the past six years I have been traveling the state of California talking about the importance of being engaged politically.  My personal life has always been divided between my political friends, my carpool mom’s and my social friends, until this primary season.  I think that both Democratic candidates have equally inspired political activism.

While I support Senator Hillary Clinton, I also want to make it perfectly clear that I truly respect those who think otherwise.  I believe in the Democratic process.  I look forward to the day when all people have an equal voice – regardless of race or gender.  We have come a long way. We have a long way to go. But,  the most important thing is to make your voice heard and vote on Tuesday, February 5th.

Bettina Duval is the founder of the California List, a political fundraising network that helps elect Democratic women to all branches of California state government.

First Iowa . . . then New Hampshire . . . and once again in Nevada!  Women voters are dominating at the polls!!!

In all three contests the percentage of female to male voters was a consistent 60% to 40%.  The reality behind these percentages is even more significant because the number of total voters is also greater than ever before.  

Why is this happening?  It was former Speaker of the House, Tip O’Neil who said, “All politics are local.”  Local issues are often about education, health care, child care – issues which resonate most strongly with women.   Our individual experiences define our needs and our dreams and in turn our needs and dreams mold our opinions.  Women are voting in greater numbers in this primary because there is a woman running for president.  

The “near death” experience in Iowa did several things. One is that it raised the possibility of NO HILLARY. Up until that time, the thought that Hillary Clinton wouldn’t at least be a contender until the very end was unthinkable. But 3rd in Iowa made her candidacy look like it could fail. Then, instead of shooting at her flaws, woman had to consider the alternatives.  The alternatives were not just Barack Obama or John Edwards, but the alternative of no Hillary Clinton.

So, suddenly, a whole segment of the electorate — i.e. women — had to decide if they were really for Hillary or not.  Many have decided that they are not supporting Hillary Clinton. Many women are for Hillary Clinton. It was, in my opinion, personal.

It sounds so cliquish to assert that women are voting for Hillary because she is a woman.  It might seem socially and politically incorrect, but if you are a woman it isn’t a cliché, that is your reality.  The cliques are reality.  Women are still paid less than a man for the same job.  Women are still underrepresented in government. It’s even worse for women of ethnic minorities.

I was raised during the 1960’s by a single mom who was a teacher.   I clearly remember purchasing our first house . . . and that my grandfather had to co-sign the loan documents.  Just 35 years ago, in California, a woman could not get credit without a male cosigner.  By law, her husband had management and control over their community property.  Experiences like that have shaped my life and motivated me to continue to support women running for office.  A woman’s point of view is essential to the political future of our country.  I am reminded constantly that women’s rights, beginning with the right to participate, are born of struggle, not of privilege.  It is a struggle which is truly just beginning, a struggle critical to the future.

Today we have a woman running for president.  My how things seem to have changed!  With the passing of the Equal Opportunity Act in 1974, women began to claim their place in business and politics.  So called “girl power” and other ideas about feminism were all the rage throughout the eighties and nineties.  But gender politics still exist today, just in a different form.  We have been thrust into a new paradox – bringing women and their point of view into the process, but “dressing” it in a grey pinstriped suit.  The alienation of femininity, and the isolation  from “all things female” that we embraced in an effort to fit into a system created by men and for men was, in some ways, a deal made with the devil.

As I write this, I am at a volleyball tournament for my 14-year old daughter.  I’m surrounded by at least a hundred 14-year old girls. As I look around I can’t help but wonder what experiences will shape their political voice – will it be Hillary Clinton’s run for president or America’s Next Top Model?  I don’t know the answer, but just having Hillary Clinton as a candidate can only help today’s young women at least believe that they can be president themselves.  

Bettina Duval is the founder of the California List, a political fundraising network that helps elect Democratic women to all branches of California state government.

(I’m promoting this diary due to the problems with the database. This promotion does not infer any preference towards one candidate or another on my part. The Calitics editorial board, however, is on record. – promoted by Brian Leubitz)

Senator Hillary Clinton’s victory in New Hampshire was the first time in our history that a woman won a presidential primary. Her win was a momentous achievement that the early suffragettes could only dream of.  It was a triumph for all women – a giant step forward in the drive for equality.

The nation’s political attention has wrongly focused on why Senator Clinton won New Hampshire.  The most important fact, that she is the first woman ever to win a primary, has been lost.  Does it matter that Hillary Clinton won the primary – YES.   Senator Clinton’s victory cannot be brushed aside with political positioning or media downplay.  Make no mistake, it was an historic moment.

As the founder of the CALIFORNIA LIST, an organization dedicated to electing pro-choice Democratic women to California state government, I have dedicated my life to building the pipe-line of future leaders and helping support Democratic women running for office.  When a woman becomes a candidate she brings a different voice to the conversation and valuable diversity to the political process.  She will inevitably face challenges because of her gender.  After all, it took more than 40 years for California women to gain the right to vote.  In 1911 when suffrage finally passed in California, it did so by fewer than 3,600 votes – an average of one vote per precinct!!! Women’s rights have been born out of struggle not privilege.  

In 1994, the year of the woman, the number of elected female Democratic officials in California was at an all time high.  Twenty per cent, or 24 out of 120 elected officials, were women.  Today we have only 16 elected Democratic women, over 30% less than ten years ago.  In California we lose 2 or three elected women per election.  It’s the slow drip process. Elected women and candidates are in decline – a frightening trend that must be reversed.  

The full impact of Hillary Clinton’s win in New Hampshire on her run for President is as yet undefined, but I hope it will at the very least encourage more women to run for office.  Seeing a Democratic woman governor in California is a dream.  When Hillary Clinton won the primary she moved us closer to that goal.

Women need to run and win on every level of the political pipeline, from the local school board to the presidency.  Their voice is critical to the balance of decision-making and the future of our state, our country and our world.  Reversing the decline in the number of women candidates and office-holders, not only in California but across the country, is essential to the health of our political process.

I see it as our moral opportunity as well as our moral obligation to continue the fight for individual liberty.  It is my belief in Democracy – a Democracy that is made stronger by diversity – that motivates me to encourage you to applaud Hillary Clinton for her achievement.