Dear Reader (if you know, you know),
We’re thrilled to introduce a monthly newsletter from SFWPC! Over the course of the last year plus, our organization has changed significantly. Within the last few months alone, we’ve updated our policy agenda, organized a Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Working Group (more information on that below), run the first of many successful endorsement cycles of this year, and advocated for legislation, candidates and programs that promote representation, equity and empower women and marginalized communities within our city and state.
The vision for this newsletter is to bring awareness to the work SFWPC is doing and get you more involved in it. We invite you to join as a member, make a donation, join a committee (we’re recruiting for Communications and Events!), and attend an upcoming event.
Sincerely,
Nadia Rahman & Jennifer Longley
Co-Presidents
The Intersect
Last week, we released a statement condemning the failure of the California Legislature to establish safe and clear channels to address sexual harassment and assault.
This was extremely personal for SFWPC as our own PAC Co-Chair, Ruth Ferguson, was the whistleblower who recounted her story to the San Francisco Chronicle. We encourage you to read her full op-ed. It tells a story of a young woman excited to enter politics and help change the world for the better, only to have been met with sexual harassment and a boys club culture that protected her victim and attempted to shame her into silence. But it didn’t work.
The response to Ruth bravely sharing her story was overwhelming. We want to thank all of the elected officials for raising their voice and calling for reform including nearly every San Francisco Supervisor, State Senator Scott Wiener, SFUSD Board President Jenny Lam, Rep. Ro Khanna, City Attorney David Chiu, Assembly member-elect Matt Haney, and others. But making statements is not enough. We continue to call for complete reform of the WCU, increased transparency by amending the Legislative Open Records Act. If you want to put pressure on the California Legislature to enact these changes, please call your Assembly member and State Senator.
Ruth bravely told her story so that other sexual harassment victims will have the support that she was not given. We are so proud to stand by Ruth as she tells her story.
*We remain committed to addressing sexual assault and harassment . If you are interested in supporting our efforts, we welcome you to join our Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Working Group
Membership Corner
Hi! We are Zahra and Gabriela, your Membership Co-Chairs for this year!
We have both been a part of SFWPC for several years, with Zahra having served as Events Co-Chair and Gabriela as PAC Co-Chair last year. We are incredibly passionate about the work SFWPC does to uplift women’s issues in our City, and empower women, femmes, non-binary, and gender nonconforming folks to run, lead, and lift our community up as they rise!
Some of the incredible work we’ve done this past year includes addressing issues of sexual violence in our political spaces and supporting survivors, renewing our pay it forward membership to ensure cost is not a barrier to being an active SFWPC member, hosting events for our members to connect and learn from one another, and developing a robust policy platform to advocate for women’s issues at the local and state levels.
For new or prospective members, we are your one-stop shop to learn about all things SFWPC, whether it’s about the different committees you can join, our upcoming events and programs, or ways that you can take action with our organization and make a difference in our community! Definitely stop by and say hi to us at a future event, or reach out to us at zahra@sfwpc.org and gabriela@sfwpc.org to learn more about SFWPC and how you can get involved!
If you are interested in joining one of our committees, reach out to let us know. We have opportunities on our Policy, PAC, Membership, Communications, and Events committees. We would love to have you!
Did you Know? SFWPC’s newest “Pay it Forward” membership allows members to “Pay it Forward” by purchasing an annual membership while sponsoring a membership for someone else who may be experiencing financial hardship. To participate, simply go to our secure Membership Contribution Page and select the Pay it Forward membership option. We thank you in advance for your generosity and dedication to SFWPC! If you would like to be a beneficiary of the “Pay it Forward” model, please reach out to our Membership Co-Chairs.
Policy Updates
SB245 – Abortion Expenses
At the state level, we were thrilled to see Governor Newsom sign SB 245 into law! This legislation, authored by Senator Lena Gonzalez, eliminates out-of-pocket costs for abortion services in California. Since it is core to our mission, we supported and tracked this legislation, which moved through the process much faster than we anticipated. This is an important win in expanding racial & healthcare equity!
SB245 – Save the City College’s Cantonese Program
Locally in San Francisco, we shared a letter of support for the resolution to save the City College’s Cantonese program, and we were happy to see the resolution passed! In part, we wrote a letter because we strongly believe that it’s important for Cantonese-speaking women and seniors to have equal access to healthcare workers, social workers, and public safety officers who speak Cantonese.
Ordinance #220242 – Protect Sexual Assault Survivors’ DNA
We also shared a letter of support with the Board of Supervisors, strongly urging them to adopt Ordinance #220242, which will prohibit law enforcement from storing and using sexual assault survivors’ DNA for purposes unrelated to the investigation of their case. In February, it came to light that this “routine” practice incriminated an assault survivor in a separate investigation. This violates survivors’ rights and is emblematic of survivors being punished for reporting harm committed against them.
Upcoming Legislation
This coming month, we’re tracking legislation at the state and local level, including Senator Min’s SB 975 and Senator Limón’s SB 1162. Keep an eye out for upcoming advocacy on this legislation!
News Around the City
- Congratulations to our endorsed candidate, Matt Haney on winning the AD17 runoff! With Matt heading to Sacramento, what’s next for District 6? (hint: we could not be more excited)
- San Francisco’s redistricting process is heating up and not everyone can agree. It’s crucial the district maps represent our diversity since they will determine the fate of San Francisco elections for the next 10 years.
- Read the SF Chronicle’s investigative piece on the California Legislature’s failure to address harassment in the workplace.
- Sorry to be a downer, but Covid might be back in the Bay. Stay safe out there!
- Some business news! One of our members, Danisha Lomax, was named Media Planner of the Year for her role as SVP of Media at Digitas. Congratulations Danisha!
- Outside Lands is back to its normal August time slot. See you there Phoebe and SZA!
Mindful Moment
Happy Belated 420 for all who celebrate! After a two year hiatus, celebrations at Hippie Hill in Golden Gate Park were back.
Until next month! Thank you for being part of the SFWPC community. We are so grateful for your support, engagement and enthusiasm to champion intersectional feminism in San Francisco politics.
Our mission is to endorse, empower, and elect people as candidates for local office who self-identify as women and those who share our values.
In Solidarity,
San Francisco Women’s Political Committee
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