Newsletters
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Closing Out 2025
As 2025 draws to a close, we reflect on a year of transformation, resilience, and collective action at the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls. This year marked a continuation of the Commission’s evolution, building on decades of advocacy and innovation while celebrating 60 years of service to California. Together, we navigated pivotal moments, embraced growth, and confronted the persistent challenges facing women and girls in today’s shifting federal landscape. The urgency of our mission has never been clearer: to ensure that every woman and girl, regardless of race, gender identity, age, ability, geography, or lived experience, has the opportunity not just to survive, but to thrive.
Throughout 2025, the Commission advanced its mission through advocacy, collaboration, and community engagement. Highlights included hosting the Convening of local women’s commissions, connecting with local women’s commissions, celebrating 10 years of the California Fair Pay Act with partners Equal Rights Advocates and the bill’s author, our former Chair the Honorable Hannah Beth Jackson, contributing to the Mount Saint Mary’s University Report on the Status of Women and Girls in California, mentoring new leaders at Girl Scout Day at the Capitol and other girl centered events, building skills for women leaders with California Women Lead, amplifying the voices of women veterans at the Veterans Leadership Summit, spotlighting pay equity, celebrating California’s 175th and the Commission’s 60th anniversaries, connecting on core gender justice issues including pay equity with the Office of the First Partner and the California Partner’s Project, and deepening global connections through international partnerships.
The Commission also continued to advance essential policy solutions. In 2025, the Policy Committee reviewed and recommended positions on hundreds of proposals, ultimately supporting 16 pieces of legislation that advanced to the Governor’s desk and co-sponsoring two proposals. Among these was SB 642, authored by Commissioner Senate pro Tempore Monique Limón and co-sponsored with the California Employment Lawyers Association and Equal Rights Advocates, which strengthens the California Fair Pay Act. Signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom, SB 642 represents a significant step forward toward pay equity. Other supported bills addressed critical issues, including sexual assault protections, student safety, paid family leave, rural healthcare access, and culturally competent services for LGBTQIA+ communities.
We extend our deepest gratitude to our partners, local women’s commissions, community organizations, the Governor and First Partner, the Legislature, Commissioners, and the dedicated staff of the Commission. Your trust and partnership drive our progress. We are looking forward to opportunities to continue our collaboration in 2026!
Read more of the December 2025 Newsletter
Thank You for Your Support
As we celebrate 60 years of progress, the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls reflects on both how far we’ve come and the work that still lies ahead. From equal pay laws to programs that support women and girls in education, health, and leadership, our mission has always been clear: to ensure that every woman and girl in California can thrive.
Yet, we know challenges remain. Women continue to face wage gaps, barriers to affordable childcare, and threats to their safety and well-being. Girls report rising levels of sadness and hopelessness, reminding us that the fight for equity is not only about economics and representation, but also about dignity, health, and hope. These realities fuel our determination to keep pushing for systemic change that uplifts all communities.
Looking forward, we are committed to building a more equal future by expanding partnerships, strengthening local women’s commissions, and ensuring that women’s voices are heard in every decision-making space. Together, we can create a California where fairness is not an aspiration but a reality.
Thank you for standing with us in this work — your support makes progress possible.
California Girls Shaping the Future
At the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, we are continually inspired by the resilience and leadership of girls across our state. From classrooms to community centers, from advocacy campaigns to innovation labs, California’s girls are shaping the future with courage and conviction.
Their voices are powerful. Their ideas are bold. And their impact is undeniable.
We see girls leading healthcare change, championing equity, excelling in STEM, and standing up for justice in their schools and neighborhoods. They are not just the leaders of tomorrow — they are leading today.
Our work is rooted in the belief that when we invest in girls, we invest in a stronger, more inclusive California. That’s why we remain committed to creating opportunities, removing barriers, and amplifying the voices of girls in every corner of our state.
Our Youth Advisory Council is proud to be leading the development of the Girl’s Agenda for California — a bold and inclusive conversation shaped directly by the voices of girls across our state.
By centering youth perspectives, the Girl’s Agenda aims to inform policy, spark dialogue, and elevate the lived experiences of girls from all backgrounds. Stay tuned as we amplify our youth voices and work toward a California where every girl can thrive.
A Call to Action: Advancing Gender Justice Together
As we mark the 60th anniversary of the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, we are not simply celebrating a milestone—we are issuing a call to action.
For six decades, the Commission has been at the forefront of advancing equity for California’s 19.6 million women and girls. From championing nation-leading equal pay protections and paid family leave, to eliminating the Pink Tax and expanding reproductive healthcare access through the College Student Right to Access Act, our work has been bold, intersectional, and deeply rooted in justice.
Through initiatives like the Women’s Recovery Response, which distributed $13.9 million in critical support, and the launch of our Youth Advisory Council, which is shaping an evolving Girls Agenda for California, we’ve demonstrated what’s possible when policy, partnership, and purpose align.
But we are not done.
The fight for gender equity is far from over—and we cannot do it alone. This is a pivotal moment to recommit ourselves to collective action. Whether you are a policymaker, educator, advocate, or community leader, your voice and your leadership are essential. Join your local women’s commission. Support legislation that uplifts women and girls. Mentor the next generation. Share your data, your expertise, your vision.
One person can make a difference—but together, we can transform systems.
In November, we will gather in Los Angeles for a historic California Convening of Women’s Commissions, co-hosted with the Los Angeles County Commission for Women and Mount Saint Mary’s University, Los Angeles. This is more than a celebration—it is a strategic moment to align our goals, strengthen our networks, and shape a unified policy agenda that transcends regional boundaries.
As we honor 60 years of progress, we invite you to help shape the next 60. Let’s build a future where gender justice is not aspirational—it’s operational.