Yesterday, Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-CA) was joined by Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), former U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and State Senator Holly Mitchell at Cal State L.A. to promote a new economic agenda for women, entitled “When Women Succeed, America Succeeds.” The discussion included an opening address by Cal State L.A. President William A. Covino.
“We’re privileged to have you all here for this important discussion of a national economic agenda for women and families. I cannot think of a better place to have this dialogue than Cal State L.A. – nearly 60 percent of our student population are women, and 60 percent of this year’s entering students are the first in their families to go to college,” said Covino. “With these students in mind, at Cal State L.A., we pride ourselves on being an institution dedicated to the public good, to access, success, and service that reaches throughout and beyond greater Los Angeles.”
Taking place in the Golden Eagle Ballroom, the local, state and national leaders were joined by Ronetta Jackson and Magali Sanchez-Hall – residents of the Los Angeles region who shared their personal stories, and emphasized the event’s three main topics: fair compensation, paid leave and a healthy work-family balance, and affordable child care.
“Fair pay, good work-family balance, and affordable child care are not just women’s issues – they’re family issues, economic issues, and societal issues. They are issues we can solve,” said Congresswoman Chu. “Hearing directly from women like Ronetta and Magali tells us that we must update our laws to help provide economic security for women as they balance their professional and personal lives in modern America.”
Following the discussion, Congresswoman Chu hosted a Jobs Resource Fair on campus with participants including Planned Parenthood of San Gabriel Valley, Mothers’ Club, Foothill Workforce Investment Board, Asian Pacific Islander Small Business Program, the American Association of University Women, and the Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau.
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Working for California since 1947: The 175-acre hilltop campus of California State University, Los Angeles is at the heart of a major metropolitan city, just five miles from Los Angeles’ civic and cultural center. More than 20,000 students and 230,000 alumni—with a wide variety of interests, ages and backgrounds—reflect the city’s dynamic mix of populations. Six Colleges offer nationally recognized science, arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education and humanities programs, among others, led by an award-winning faculty. Cal State L.A. is home to the critically-acclaimed Luckman Jazz Orchestra and to the Honors College for high-achieving students. Programs that provide exciting enrichment opportunities to students and community include an NEH-supported humanities center; a NASA-funded center for space research; and a forensic science program, housed in the Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center. www.calstatela.edu
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