San Francisco Women's Political Committee

Endorse! Empower! Elect!

Introductory Letter from SFWPC’s 2021 Policy Co-Chairs

Dear SFWPC members and friends,

We are proud to share the San Francisco Women’s Political Committee (SFWPC) policy agenda for 2022. SFWPC aims to endorse, empower, and elect candidates who share our values of advocating for and advancing ideas and policies that champion intersectional feminism, racial justice, and gender equity, and will deliver long-lasting, inclusive, and equitable change for our communities. This policy agenda supports this vision and summarizes our priorities for the next year. 

This agenda will serve as a guide for how we approach both State and Local policy. It will be used to help guide and prioritize our decisions about the issues we engage in, take positions on, or champion. This may also be used to inform our interactions and relationships with elected officials and the policies they advance. We recognize the importance of the work underway in Washington D.C. However, we acknowledge our capacity limitations as a volunteer organization and have focused our policy scope to State and Local advocacy efforts.

Women continue to experience unacceptably high levels of sexual violence, harassment, assault, and abuse, and SFWPC is committed to standing with survivors to ensure transparency and accountability regarding abusive behavior.  Our policy focus this year is to support and advance policies that ensure that women feel safe in this City and empowered to achieve an equal place in society.  

We look forward to working with you to advance this agenda and will continue to share SFWPC’s policy accomplishments. Thank you for your continued support. If you are interested in joining SFWPC’s Policy Committee, please email the Committee Co-Chairs  Kim@sfwpc.org or Katie@sfwpc.org.

Sincerely,
Katie Angotti and Kim Castle – Policy Co-Chairs

Policy Focus Areas

SUPPORT AND PROTECT WOMEN IN SAN FRANCISCO 

SFWPC stands with survivors of sexual assault, violence, harassment, and abuse. We are committed to continuing to shine a light on this issue throughout our community and within San Francisco’s political environment, and demand accountability and justice. Today, women are experiencing domestic violence, sexual abuse, and random acts of hate against women. Specifically, rates of abuse and violence against women of color, AAPI women and trans women have increased in recent years. A 2022 report found that 38% of AAPI women experienced sexual harassment, and 12% report experiencing gender and/or race-based physical violence within the last 12 months. Further, 2021 was the deadliest year for trans people and gender non-conforming people in the U.S. on record. At least 50 were killed.  Abuse is pervasive when there is silence and we will not be silent.

SFWPC advocates for policies which:

  1. Protect and support survivors, and remove abusers from positions of power within our community. 
  2. Address sexual violence prevention and prioritize resources to ensure women’s safety.
  3. Reduce the risk of experiencing gendered violence, crime, or harassment so that all women feel safe interacting in the public space. 

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FIGHTING FOR RACIAL AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

Centuries worth of systemic racism have created unacceptable inequities in San Francisco’s communities, economy and institutions. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) women have suffered an inordinate amount of oppression due to racist policies and practices. The horrors of brutality from law enforcement misconduct and fatal shootings targeted against people of color cannot be ignored. BIPOC communities routinely receive more jail time and harsher punishments; 36% of people currently on death row in California are Black and although San Francisco’s population is 5% Black and 40% White, the jail population is approximately 48% Black and 40% White. Moreover, in the not so distant past, the City has instituted policies aimed at demolishing entire neighborhoods, displacing communities of color and resettling them in industrial areas where there are environmental hazards and pollution. Therefore we must create programs that provide equal opportunities for disadvantaged communities and reverse trends of systemic racism. Measures must be taken to ensure that policies and programs explicitly include marginalized and disadvantaged populations to advance their well being and equality in this City.

SFWPC advocates for policies which:

  • Address and help to eradicate systemic racism experienced by BIPOC women in our communities, workplaces, transportation accessibility, healthcare systems, housing, schools, politics, and institutions. 
  • Uplift BIPOC women voices in community decisions and the political process, and create a pipeline for BIPOC women leaders.
  • Address the issue of unwarranted racial disparities in the criminal justice system for BIPOC women. Promote equitable dispensation of justice for all. Including reversing the trends of disproportionate incarceration, racially motivated policing strategies, and racially biased, discriminatory, and mandatory minimum sentencing.
  • Are thoroughly researched to understand the racial impact of policies before they become law. Racial impact statements are a tool for lawmakers to evaluate potential disparities of proposed legislation prior to adoption and implementation. They can be instrumental in understanding the unintended consequences of a policy proposal.

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ENSURE WOMEN ARE TREATED EQUALLY

Many issues continue to limit women’s economic opportunity and gender equity in the City of San Francisco. Women working full time still typically make 82 cents on the dollar as compared to men. Women of color experience even wider gaps, Black women are typically paid 63 cents, Native American women 60 cents, Latinx just 55 cents, and Asian American and Pacific Islander women are paid as little as 52 cents for every dollar paid to non-Hispanic white men.  This is disparately true in the Bay Area, and particularly for women of color, regardless of educational attainment.  On boards, commissions, and private workplace structures, women are overwhelmingly attributed roles that are subordinate to men or absent from leadership positions entirely. Many women go without proper healthcare. Women’s reproductive rights have come under attack. And many women are struggling by having to choose between raising a family and their own career and development. We understand that a broad range of issues must be addressed in order to ensure greater equality of economic, social, political, and educational opportunities for women and girls. Policies must be aimed at eradicating unequal treatment of women by addressing unequal workplace practices, unequal economic practices, and ensuring that women have equal access to education, particularly in fields where women have been historically excluded. Policies must promote and support women’s advancement in society by addressing the hardships that are unique to their experience.

SFWPC advocates for policies which:

  • Establish equal pay, workplace protections, and childcare policies for parents and pregnant people that provide flexibility and support for working parents.
  • Increase representation of women on boards, commissions and in other leadership roles where important decisions are being made.
  • Fund programs which create equal access to education and career development for women and girls.
  • Expand access to healthcare for women and girls, especially reproductive health care.
  • End the practice of gender-based product pricing or the “pink tax” women pay for female-marketed products, while similar goods for men aren’t as expensive.

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COVID RECOVERY: RESPOND TO WOMEN AND COMMUNITIES IN NEED

The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately impacted women, especially BIPOC women, in San Francisco. Women left their jobs or reduced their hours at higher rates than men to take on childcare responsibilities due to disruptions in access to childcare and school supervision. In the United States, almost half of all women work in low-wage jobs. According to research conducted by the Brookings Institute, the “share of workers earning low wages is higher among Black women (54%) and Latina women (64%) than among white women (40%)”. Many of these low-wage jobs were cut during the pandemic, exacerbating existing economic hardships and making it even more difficult for working moms to keep their families sheltered. Women-owned businesses were also dealt a significant blow. During the height of the pandemic, women business owners reported a decline in the health of their businesses compared to men owned businesses and expressed concern and uncertainty about future revenues. Additionally, communities of color – and particularly neighborhoods where women of color were disparately impacted by the spread of COVID-19.  This was particularly true for Black, Latinx, and Filipinx, and immigrant residents who are more likely to work on the frontline.  As recovery efforts continue, we must advance policies that address the inequitable toll the pandemic took and continues to take on women, especially BIPOC women. 

SFWPC advocates for policies which:

  • Establish COVID-19 specific workplace and childcare policies that provide flexibility and support for working mothers to prevent further job loss and reduced wages, workplace protections and access to benefits and training programs.
  • Provide resources and support for childcare centers and schools so that they have adequate assistance for students, staff, and families to enable safe operations. In situations where remote learning becomes temporarily necessary, provide resources to ensure there isn’t a digital divide in educational outcomes for our schools. Establish programs to assist women who have lost jobs or experienced other financial hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic and are struggling to stay housed or remain in San Francisco. 
  • Support women suffering from the effects of long covid, in recognition of the fact that young and middle-aged women are most at risk, with twice as many women as men reported to have long covid.
  • Provide financial assistance for local women-owned businesses that have suffered due to the COVID-19 pandemic so that they can continue to run their business and thrive.

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POLICY PROPOSAL PROCESS

The purpose of the policy agenda is to guide SFWPC’s decision-making about which policies to engage in, whether that be to support, oppose or take an alternative action. The policy agenda will be updated each year by the Co-Chairs and members of the Policy Committee and will be released no later than three-months after the new SFWPC Board term begins. The policy agenda must receive a two-thirds majority vote by the SFWPC board for approval. 

The SFWPC is committed to transparency and will adhere to the following process prior to deciding to engage in a policy issue or take a position:

SFWPC advocates for policies which:

  1. Board members and Policy Committee members may submit a policy proposal for consideration by the Policy Committee, Policy Rules Committee and Board using the form provided by the Policy Co-Chairs.
  2. The Policy Committee meets the third Thursday of the month to consider policy proposals and actions recommended made by the submitter (i.e. support, oppose or watch a bill, ordinance, resolution or other policy efforts). Discussion about the issues  will occur during these meetings. Proposals must be submitted at least 48 hours in advance of the Policy Committee meeting but exceptions will be made for time-sensitive issues.
  3. The Rules Committee will meet after the Policy Committee and make a recommendation to the SFWPC Board for each policy proposal. Only Rules Committee members are verified voting members of the Policy Committee.
  4. The Rules Committee will prioritize and consider taking positions on issues contained in the policy agenda. It is unlikely that proposals that fall outside the scope of the policy agenda will be considered. However, the Rules Committee may exercise their discretion and assess the Policy Committee’s capacity to take on something outside the scope of the policy agenda.   
  5. The Rules Committee will review the proposal and make a recommendation based on the majority vote of Rules Committee members present at the meeting. The proposer must attend the meeting wherein the proposal is being considered. Rules Committee members who were not present at the meeting will have 24 hours after the meeting to communicate their vote.
  6. The Policy Co-Chairs will inform the Board of the recommendation and initiate an up-down electronic vote by the Board to approve or oppose the recommendations of the Rules Committee. The Board will have 48 hours to vote after which the recommendation will pass on a 50+1 vote by participating Board members.