CELEBRATING 2007 . . .
AND OUR FUTURE.
Message from Bettina Duval, President

As 2007 comes to a close we have much cause for celebration together — this year has been dominated by monumental steps for women and women political leaders.

For the CALIFORNIA LIST it has been a prosperous year of networking, implementing plans and building on our past achievements. We are creating unprecedented change and the future promises to be even more exciting. This upcoming year promises to be groundbreaking.

But first, let’s take a quick look back at how CALIFORNIA LIST garnered our progress in 2007.

In January, people all over America rejoiced when Nancy Pelosi, a San Francisco Democrat, took the helm as Speaker of the House in Washington. What made the occasion so profound was that her success was appreciated by men and women who understand the message it sends to our sons and daughters. Pelosi’s ascension was a proud moment for all Americans. Pelosi described the moment as “breaking not a glass ceiling but a marble ceiling” in the halls of Congress. I attending the swearing in at the Washington ceremony on behalf of members of the CALIFORNIA LIST who are committed to building a pipeline that assures Nancy Pelosi will not be the only woman of such prominence from California. Success at the state level is critical to maintaining national stature.

Also in January, our own CALIFORNIA LIST candidate Debra Bowen took office as Secretary of State. She is only the sixth woman ever elected to statewide office in California. Her election is notable during a time of ongoing alleged fraud and unprecedented electronic voting machine malfunctions. Bowen has the strength and integrity to instill confidence in California voters. We are proud to have supported Secretary of State Debra Bowen. The CALIFORNIA LIST was proud to host a reception in her honor for our members and her supporters in February in Beverly Hills.

While CALIFORNIA LIST is focused on politics within the state, it is important to acknowledge that discussion nationally has been dramatically impacted by the presidential campaign of U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.

“I’m in to win,” she said during the January 22 announcement that launched the single most aggressive campaign for any woman candidate in the history of the nation. If Hillary Clinton wins the Democratic nomination, and then the General Election less than a year from now, she will create history as the first woman to serve as president since America’s founding in 1776.

We are faced with so many opportunities to redefine politics for women in the 21st Century.

Still, serious questions remain.

Traveling the state, I have encountered resistance to the concept of electing a woman just because she is a woman. I hear interesting feedback from women throughout the state because CALIFORNIA LIST has carved a unique niche focusing only on electing pro-choice Democratic women running for state office in California.

Since the founding of the CALFORNIA LIST, it seems women have changed how they think about politics and priorities. Women care about access to healthcare and abortion rights, fair wages and the Violence against Women Act. But we also care about the war in Iraq, schools and the economy. Our worldviews are shaped by our daily experiences ~ working full time in the home or outside the home while taking care of our children and our parents. We are accessible and on the clock 24/7.

Who is looking out for us? Are we really moving ahead?

CALIFORNIA LIST believes that putting women in elective office does make real a difference. Women bring different agenda items to the table. It is women who most strongly advocate public policy changes that involve childcare. It is women who have earned a reputation for taking the political process out of the back room and into the open. It is women who have authored some of our most important legislation in California, including the recent global gas emissions ban by Senate candidate and former Assemblywoman Fran Pavley.

Together we need to find out how to more effectively talk about women candidates and also develop a network to reverse the dismal decline in the number of women in public office.

Let’s move CALIFORNIA LIST beyond women’s “rights” as rhetoric. In early 2008, we will unveil our strategy in hopes that you will be a part of creating history in California.

Please join us!

GIFT MEMBERSHIP

Happy Holidays from CALIFORNIA LIST!

For the first time, the CALIFORNIA LIST is offering the opportunity to give gift memberships for the holidays.

I hear again and again that we are living in a time when people want to be thoughtful, yet have an impact on the world around them.

Please consider giving a gift CALIFORNIA LIST membership to a friend, family member or colleague. It’s the perfect way to make someone smile and inspire great discussion during the holiday season. A national advice columnist wrote recently that gifts to charity and not-for-profit organizations create fun stories and celebrate the spirit of the season in a unique and wonderful way.

For each membership donation gift of $100 or more, we are offering a membership to an individual or family.

Your friend and/or loved one will receive:

  • a beautiful card acknowledging your generosity and thoughtfulness
  • invitations to upcoming events
  • our exciting and informative newsletter as we head into the 2008 election cycle

We can mail the gift card directly to the recipient or send it to the donor to give personally.

We are working to elect qualified, progressive Democratic women in the pipeline so they can shape public policy and effect positive change for all Californians. Our mission includes identifying, training and assisting potential candidates and them helping them to establish communication networks for campaign funding. The number of women in California government is declining. What better gift than an investment in the future of women!