March is Women's History Month, and I am thrilled to devote this special edition of The Toni Times to celebrating the accomplishments of women in our community.
The centerpiece of our activities surrounding Women's History Month will be recognition of Women of the Year in Senate and Assembly districts throughout California. My choice for Woman of the Year in the 39th Senate District is Charisma de los Reyes, a policy analyst for San Diego County who specializes in child sex trafficking. You can read all about her on Page 3 in this newsletter.
Charisma will be honored on March 4 in the Capitol - at a Woman of the Year luncheon and on the Senate floor - and she'll also be honored in San Diego at a special event on March 16, along with dozens of other amazing women who work every day to improve the quality of life in the San Diego region.
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Charisma de los Reyes - 2019 Woman of the Year
Charisma de los Reyes is a policy analyst and coordinator of the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children Program for San Diego County Child Welfare Services. What that means is she's a warrior on the front lines of our region's fight against sex trafficking and a fierce protector of some of our most vulnerable and traumatized children.
For this reason, Charisma de los Reyes is my choice for 2019 Woman of the Year in the 39th Senate District
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Growing Women's Caucus Advances Priorities
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The Legislative Women's Caucus
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Before the 2018 election, women made up 25% of the state Legislature. After the election, we now make up 30%. That's a significant gain for a segment of the population that has been underrepresented in Sacramento throughout the state's history.
The Senate lost two women in 2018 but added five - Senators Anna Caballero, Melissa Hurtado, Shannon Grove, María Elena Durazo and Susan Rubio. The Assembly also lost two women (one being Caballero) and added five - Buffy Wicks, Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, Christy Smith, Cottie Petrie-Norris and Tasha Boerner Horvath (from Encinitas).
This means the Legislative Women's Caucus grew from 30 members to 36. We have a long way to go on the road to true proportional representation, but without a doubt, this was a big step forward.
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Support for Women Entrepreneurs
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Women in San Diego County who own small businesses should know that help is just a phone call away. The San Diego & Imperial Women's Business Center, a partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration, provides training, mentoring, business development and financing assistance to women entrepreneurs throughout our region. Visit www.sandiegowbc.org to learn more, or call 619-216-6719.
Additionally, women entrepreneurs can be certified as women-owned businesses in order to better position themselves for government contracts. To see what government contracts may be available to women-owned businesses, visit the Contracting Opportunities Center at www.ptac-sandiego.org.
My district staff is always available to help constituents navigate a complex web of state agencies. If you're having trouble working out an issue with any state agency, please call my office at 619-645-3133, and my staff will do everything in their power to help.
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Attending the Indivisible WATU Women of Color ROAR breakfast, and being surrounded by strong women like program organizer Angela de Joseph, was an inspiring way to kick off Black History Month!
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