SAN DIEGO (CNS) — Mayor Todd Gloria Thursday announced the city was reviving the Commission on the Status of Women, a long-inactive commission focusing on the needs of women and recommending programs intended to fix gender inequality.
"Ensuring that all San Diegans have access to opportunity throughout their lives and are supported in their efforts to realize their full potential is a key priority of my administration," Gloria said.
"It's long past time we revive this commission to ensure the city is supporting women's long march toward equality."
Gloria was joined at his announcement Thursday by all the women on the City Council: Council President Pro-Tem Monica Montgomery Steppe and Councilwomen Marni von Wilpert, Vivian Moreno and Jen Campbell, as well as Felicia Shaw, executive director of the Women's Museum of California.
"It is imperative that we reintroduce this commission to focus on the critical, impactful issues affecting women, including health, public safety and workforce representation," said Montgomery Steppe.
"We can begin improving the quality of life for women by addressing the intersectionalities of their struggles to help us attain equity and thrive in our communities."
First established in 1973 as the "Advisory Board on the Status of Women" and subsequently revived and renamed in 1991, the commission has been inactive with the last of expiring terms ending in 2001.
"My hope is that the next generation of girls will not have to fight for equal pay for equal work," Campbell said. "That they will live in a world that equally values their contributions in our society and they receive the recognition and respect that they deserve.
"Re-establishing the Commission on the Status of Women is a great first step to ensure a more equitable future for San Diego's women," she said.
"Until we achieve true equity for women in our country, it's up to leaders at every level of government to act and I am proud that we as a city are re-committing to achieving gender equity here at home."
The commission was created to advise the mayor, City Council, and other agencies of city government on the needs of women in the San Diego area.
"Too often women’s social issues and disparities are overlooked and ignored," said Steppe.
"This furthers a disenfranchised generation that have had devastating consequences particularly in the work place, the health care sector, and over all safety.”
