Item 1 – Call to Order

Meeting called to order at 10:04 a.m. by Vice Chair Nisha Devi Rodrigo.

Item 3 – Voting Items

None

Presentation by Diana Torres

Diana Torres, Master of Public Affairs from the Goldman School of Public Policy UC Berkeley, provided a presentation on Her Capstone research project conducted for the Commission creating a Gender-Responsive Budgeting toolkit and AI-assisted interactive tool and website.

Senator Catherine S. Blakespear asked whether “accessing the program” referred to the public or the workforce and whether there is a gender response that is unequal in that sense. Executive Director Totten responded that it is both yes and no because a lot of how we are measuring that is how the agencies are recording their budget and operating from the agency perspective, so it impacts programs but most of what the tool is measuring is budget based. Diana added that the plan is to also build on what they have so that it can be used both internally and externally.

Senator Catherine S. Blekespear asked if Diana has any additional examples of where the tool can be used and explained that from her experience in the Legislature discussing budgets, she is not sure how she could apply this there. Diana responded that she would look for more examples to send to the Senator. Executive Director Totten added that when the Commission did the Blueprint, they did some informal research to figure out how much money was spent on women and girls in California, and some of what was discovered during that research is because that data is not disaggregated by gender anywhere, it was almost impossible to find out – a problem this tool would specifically address. The Executive Director went on to say that the research team ended up building a keyword trigger for trailer bills with 400 different keywords and what happened is in almost all the trailer bills women and children were used interchangeably. So, one of the things this project was asked to do is to disaggregate the data for gender in a way that also includes acknowledgement that women and children are not identical constituencies.

Senator Catherine Blakespear responded that “we know the face of poverty is female and many of the State programs like SNAP and Medi-Cal are already serving mostly women”. She added that she needs more specificity as to the uses of this tool.

Assemblymember Gail Pellerin stated that the Women’s Caucus has been impactful in the State Legislature elevating issues around women’s health, domestic violence, human trafficking, childcare, etc., but she is sure that the actual data is not being collected, as state agencies do not collect data surrounding gender equity and the gender gap. She commented that this tool sounds like a great first step to doing that.

Diana mentioned that she conducted several stakeholder interviews (gender and social inclusive), as well as other interviews where feedback was received. She said if the Commission hosts this on their website it could help smaller, local commissions/counties/cities disaggregate their own data.

Commissioner Lisa Greer remarked that it was a great presentation and asked if Diana has done a pilot project. Executive Director Totten responded that this was the pilot project tool if the Commission supports it and that it could be ready to release in early 2027.

Commissioner Catalina Chacon expressed interest in the tool and agreed that the Commission should release it on the public website. Commissioner Chacon added that a lot of hard work went into the development of this report and presentation and expressed desire to review any related resources further. Commissioner Chacon further commented that she appreciates the analysis. She asked whether there is a way to access the tool standalone, without going to the website to get it.

Assemblymember Gail Pellerin agreed that some beta testing is needed, and recommended the book Invisible Women, that focuses on the data biases in the gender gap.

Item 4 – Executive Director Report

Executive Director Darcy Totten started her report by mentioning that the Commission may bring Diana back to give an update on her presentation to the Commission in September.

Executive Director Totten continued with her updates, saying that the Executive Committee did vote to accept the opportunity to expand two major legacy initiatives for the First Partner’s Office. The Commission received $1.5 Million in one-time funding.

Executive Director Totten presented a high-level overview of the legacy initiatives that the Commission inherited:

• Women’s Wealth Advisory Council – This council will have regular convenings. The role of this council will be to advise the Commission on research priorities and identifying economic barriers for women, with a recommendation for either programming or research based on those findings. The State Treasurer’s Office will be in partnership with the Commission to co-administer the council and operationalize the program components. The staff is in process of starting work on the Resource Hub and landing page for the Roadmap the council is producing with an anticipated date of October 29, 2026, to launch the landing page.
• Annual Gender Equity Summit – This Summit will happen in the Fall (October or November) with the Commission taking over hosting in 2027. The summit will run on an annual schedule, making it easier for staff to plan.
• Academic Partnerships – The Commission has agreed to fund ongoing academic partnerships and research. The goal is to have an ongoing cycle of research, policy, and public engagement. Research will be presented at the Gender Equity Summit. By March, the Commission may be able to use Advocacy Day to bring attention and support to priority bills. Staff will meet with Universities through July and August.

Executive Director Totten gave an update on the planning and coordination of Advocacy Day 2027. She stated the Commission received its first sponsorship of $1,000.00. The Commission’s first Advocacy Day will be during Women’s History Month (March 2027). The Executive Director reminded Commissioners to place this on their calendars and advised that we will need as many Commissioners present as possible. She requested Commissioner support in fundraising efforts. One issue that keeps being centered is universal childcare, a topic around which potential partners have begun to coalesce.

Executive Director Totten updated the Commission on the Strategic Planning Retreat, which was convened in June, and the Committee developed a new vision and values, along with new brand statement. To vote on the strategic plan, it is incredibly important that the Commission has quorum for the next full Commission meeting in September. Executive Director Totten gave the floor to Vice Chair Nisha Devi Rodrigo who leads the Strategic Planning Committee for further comments.

Vice Chair Rodrigo thanked Assemblymember Pellerin for providing the space and thanked the other Commissioners who were able to attend. The Vice Chair noted that it was a good bonding experience and allowed her to feel closer to everyone. The Vice Chair went on to say that the facilitator did a great job of making it a collaborative experience. She continued that the mission is to redesign societal structures and systems for the total well-being of all women and girls. The Vice Chair briefed the Commission that the retreat narrowed down the Commission’s core values: brave, bold, visionary actions, strong collaboration, and commitment. She informed Commissioners to expect an email with the finalized buckets and ideas, and to provide their feedback and suggestions. Vice Chair Rodrigo invited Executive Director Totten to take the floor.

Executive Director Totten recognized that Chair Dr. Rita Gallardo Good was not present at the meeting, but that Commissioners should be on the lookout for a letter from her, as she will be sending out annual attendance letters. The Executive Director went on to remind Commissioners that should they attend or speak at events on behalf of the Commission, to keep staff informed so that we can make sure the Commissioners are appropriately staffed or prepared. She reminded the Commissioners that there are Microsoft forms available to report and/or request support from Commission staff.

Executive Director Totten then explained to Commissioners that the Commission has the opportunity to partner with graduate students at no cost to the Commission and they will be focusing on issues pertaining to childcare in CA. She stated that the Center for California Studies is working with the Commission to provide research students.

Executive Director Totten continued with her updates, informing all that Enrica Bortoldo has retired from state service. The Commission is also currently interviewing applicants for an Analyst III vacancy, who will report directly to Alex Zucco. Kate Enos was then introduced to the Commission as the newest employee and asked to introduce herself.

Kate Enos introduced herself and gave details about her background and work experience.

Assemblymember Pellerin thanked the Commission for their support on AB 1267.

Vice Chair Nisha Devi Rodrigo asked if there were any questions or comments before moving on to the next topic.

Seeing none, she handed the floor to Max Macedo to share the operations report.

Item 5 – Operations Report

Director of Fiscal and Administration Max Macedo informed the Commission that we are now in Fiscal Year 2026; however, Fiscal Year 2025 is still in the process of final reporting, with an anticipated return of under ten thousand.

Director Macedo went on to inform the Commission that a lease renewal will be needed in the new fiscal year; however, additional resources are needed to sign a new lease as rates have risen dramatically since the initial lease was signed. Should additional resources not be available, the Commission may have to relocate or vacate.

Director Macedo explained that the Budget Change Proposal is due at the beginning of September, and that ongoing meetings will then take place with Finance thereafter.

Finally, Director Macedo introduced the Commission to the new student interns, who each took a moment to introduce themselves.

Vice Chair Nisha Devi Rodrigo thanked Director Macedo and the interns. She asked if there were any questions or comments from the board or public.

Hearing no questions or comments, she introduced the Director of Policy and Legislation, Alex Zucco.