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Prioritize Wellness
Sometimes, amid all the holiday hustle and bustle, we find ourselves craving a moment of stillness. Particularly during the holidays, women add a layer of stress to an already demanding schedule. Vice-chair of the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls Nisha Devi Rodrigo offers some tidings of comfort and joy—and guidance.
“We’re caregivers and organizers, balancing family traditions, work obligations, and community commitments,” Rodrigo says. “Our younger girls often feel the pressure of school, social expectations, and their own responsibilities. What should be a time of celebration and rest can often take a toll on physical, emotional, and social well-being.”
During this season, prioritizing wellness is essential.
“Women are conditioned to devalue stillness. If the pattern is stress and constant movement, there cannot be a moment of peace. During this holiday season, stop, take a breath, and prioritize stillness.”
Nisha Devi Rodrigo, First Vice Chair of the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls
A MORE EQUAL FUTURE
One of California’s most influential voices for the state’s nearly 20 million women and girls turns 60 this year.
Established as an independent state agency in 1965, the commission has been a steady, non-partisan force for promoting pay equity, employment opportunities, access to education, safety and other areas critical to advancing the interests of women and girls in California.
Each commissioner brings a different perspective to the commission’s work. Commission Chair Dr. Rita Gallardo Good is passionate about women’s empowerment and youth leadership. Her expertise is in ensuring equal access to education for marginalized students, women, and girls to enable career advancement, economic upward mobility, and pay equity.
Together with First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the commission supported the California Equal Pay Pledge initiative to encourage businesses to close the gender pay gap in California. Gallardo Good says she is proud of the progress the commission helped to make.
“After a year building awareness, many businesses and corporations signed onto the pledge,” Gallardo Good says. “We felt it was a good step forward… we made strides.”
Dr. Rita Gallardo Good, Chair of the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls.
Girls to the Front
Folk “wisdom” proclaims that girls are sugar, spice, and everything nice. Other stereotypes and outdated notions abound. But some girls aren’t buying those overplayed notions— rather, they are out to change the world.
Nicole Kim and Sriya Srinivasan, are two teen leaders serving one-year terms on the Youth Advisory Council (YAC) for the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls. The Commission created the council in 2022 to give the state’s youth an opportunity to become involved in California’s public policy efforts.
“What matters most isn’t perfection, but passion—the willingness to learn, speak up, and show up for others. The Youth Advisory Council gives you the mentorship, resources, and confidence to amplify your voice, and every single perspective is valuable. If you care about your community, you already belong here.”
Nicole Kim, Chair, Youth Advisory Council for the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls.
A Bridge Across
Commissioner Erica Courtney aims to better understand the challenges women veterans face and remove barriers preventing them from transitioning successfully to civilian life. Photo courtesy of Erica Courtney
Army Lieutenant Colonel Erica Courtney understands the challenges veterans face after leaving military service. After 23 years in the Army, first as a helicopter pilot flying cavalry missions and later as a senior-level civil affairs officer, she remembers wondering what to do with her life.
“I came from a place of camaraderie, where we were all working for the same purpose, to the outside world in which people look at women veterans as if we are not warriors,” she says.
Women who have served and led, she said, often feel isolated and become disconnected because non-veterans can’t relate to their experiences. That disconnect can lead to crippling problems.
Empowerment and Energy
At just 7 years old, Commissioner Kawser Amine envisioned a more just and peaceful world. She found an unexpected sanctuary in sports on the soccer field. Photo courtesy of Kawser Amine.
Growing up in war-torn Afghanistan, she was deeply affected by the harsh realities of her environment—young girls forced into marriages and stripped of their freedoms, and fundamental rights. She found an unexpected sanctuary in sports on the soccer field.
“Walking to the soccer field changed my life,” Amine says. “Playing a sport isn’t just about physical health; it’s about mental strength, identity and representation. I fell in love with the game. Soccer gave me the courage to fight, to dream big and to never give up.”
Commissioner Amine brings that same energy, vision and expertise to her role as a Commissioner. Appointed to the Commission in June 2023, she aims to build bridges between communities to push for gender equity and human rights.
Equality for All
In 1923, buoyed by the victory that won American women the right to vote, suffragettes tackled their next goal: amending the U.S. Constitution to make sex-based equality an explicit right. From this came the Equal Rights Amendment, which United States Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg once described as “an unassailable basis for applying the bedrock principle: All men and women are guaranteed by the Constitution equal justice under law.”
The ERA was passed by Congress in 1972, and in 2020 finally met the constitutional requirement of ratification by 38 states. But today, a century after it was proposed, the amendment remains stalled in a political and legal limbo.
“The fight to publish the 28th Amendment continues, and we will not rest until women see ourselves reflected as whole and equal citizens in the U.S. Constitution.”
Executive Director of the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls Darcy Totten
The California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls (CCSWG) joined the ERA Coalition in 2022. Along with its partner, the Mount Saint Mary’s Center for the Advancement of Women, they have collaborated with the ERA Coalition on events, community gatherings, and film screenings designed to raise awareness about the power of the ERA to impact women’s lives in California and across the nation.
THE POWER OF US
We had an incredible time at the Power of Us event hosted by Leadership California on April 28, 2025, which celebrated women in leadership. This remarkable event brought together six women-led organizations dedicated to empowering women, including the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, California Women Lead, the California Legislative Women’s Caucus, She Shares Conversation Series, and the Women’s Foundation California.
This year was especially meaningful as we honored three tribal women leaders, including our own Commissioner Catalina Chacón, Councilwoman of the Pechanga Band of Indians. We also celebrated Lynn Valbuena, Chairwoman of the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation, and Lorelle Ross, Chair Emeritus of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. A heartfelt thank you goes to The Honorable Raquel Williams, Vice Chairwoman of the Wilton Rancheria, for leading such a poignant prayer and land acknowledgment.
The event was attended by Commissioner Kawser Amine, Commission Executive Director, Darcy Totten, and Executive Administrator, Janelle Gudino, and Commission intern, Meghan Singh. It was a fantastic opportunity to connect with California Legislative Women’s Caucus Chair Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, and Myel Thelen (Jenkins), Executive Director of California Women Lead. Together, we honored the women who lead and create opportunities for others to rise.
The California Blueprint For Women’s Pandemic Economic Recovery
The first of its kind, the Blueprint explores the unique economic impact the pandemic had on California women and provides key insights on the intersectionality of COVID-19’s impact on women, their families and the state’s economic standing.
California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls Announces $5M in Grants to Fund Women’s Pandemic Recovery Response on Equal Pay Day
On March 15, 2022, on Equal Pay Day, the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls (CCSWG) announced the recipients of a $5 million grant program to fund organizations serving women and girls who have been disproportionately affected economically by the COVID-19 pandemic. Grantees included organizations serving low-income, unemployed, or underemployed, AIAN, BIPOC, LGBTQIA, unhoused, rural, disabled, senior, and veteran populations. Grants were awarded in five areas to direct service providers, local women’s commissions, and government entities seeking to establish and expand local women’s commissions, and nonprofits serving primarily women and girls.
Watch Commissioner Greer on Good Day LA!
Commissioner Lisa Greer joined Good Day LA on Friday, January 28, 2022 to talk about the CCSWG Women’s Recovery Response Grant Opportunity.